Ever wondered why it seems difficult to lose weight? You’ve probably tried many diets over the years (remember the grapefruit diet?) only to find that when you ‘finish’ your diet, the weight you lost creeps back on! A poor diet, stress, lack of exercise, blood sugar and thyroid problems may all contribute to weight problems.

Kick-start weight loss this summer

Following a ‘diet’ for weight loss is not a long-term solution. Permanent weight loss lies in challenging your existing food and lifestyle choices, and then making the decision to eliminate or reduce unhealthy habits. There's no magic wand for fast or permanent weight loss, but with some planning, commitment and a little extra motivation with certain herbs and nutrients, you can ‘kick-start’ weight loss and balance your blood sugar levels and thyroid function.

Kick-start weight loss

When you decide to lose weight, you want it gone! Many of us are unhappy with our weight and it can impact how we look, feel and think about ourselves.  You can kick-start weight loss to help keep you motivated while gradually implementing a new and healthier lifestyle.

• Svetol® green coffee bean extract® is a clinically trialled proprietary extract of Green coffee bean that has been shown to assist weight and fat loss, help reduce body fat percentage and improve body composition by improving lean tissue to body fat ratio.
• Coleus may assist fat loss and help reduce excess body fat to maintain and support a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI).
• Carnitine supports fat metabolism by transporting fat across cell membranes in muscle tissue for use as an energy source.

Blood sugar balance

When blood sugar levels begin to rise after a meal, insulin is secreted from the pancreas; insulin picks up and carries the glucose into your cells where it is used for immediate energy or stored for later use. After your energy requirements have been met and your storage sites are full, excess glucose will then be stored in fat cells and there is practically no limit to how much energy your body can store as fat.

• Gymnema lowers blood sugar levels without causing hypoglycaemia, and if taken 30 minutes before a meal, can help reduce appetite and cravings for sweet food.
• Cinnamon contains ‘insulin-like effects’, increasing glucose metabolism by around 20-fold and improves insulin sensitivity allowing more glucose to enter the cells for energy.
• Chromium improves glucose entry into cells by stimulating insulin uptake and enhancing its activity. A diet high in simple sugars or refined carbohydrates increases your chromium requirements.

 Thyroid balance

Thyroid disorders are very common, affecting 10 times more women than men worldwide. Underactive thyroid function effectively ‘puts the brakes’ on your metabolism, so everything runs slowly in your body, leading to weight gain and difficulty losing weight.

• Iodine and tyrosine are required for production of thyroid hormones, so help to maintain healthy thyroid function and a healthy metabolic rate.
• Withania assists in the production of thyroid hormones and helps the body adapt to stress.

Mr Vitamins Recommends

  Herbs of Gold Glucoplex - Formulated to assist glucose metabolism and help maintain normal blood sugar levels in healthy individuals.   Herbs of Gold Thyroid Support -  Formulated to provide tyrosine, iodine and other nutrients required for the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Withania, an Ayurvedic tonic, supports adrenal health and is beneficial during times of stress.   Herbs of Gold Burn - Formulated as a supplement that may assist weight loss and fat loss, as part of a calorie controlled diet with exercise.  

References

Bone K (2003), A Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs: Herbal Formulations for the Individual Patient, St. Louis, Churchill Livingstone. Braun L & Cohen M (2007), An evidence based guide to herbs and natural supplements, Sydney, Churchill Livingstone. Definition of adiponectin, Retrieved on 20/08/2014 from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=17982. Hechtman L, Clinical Naturopathic Medicine 2011 Elsevier Australia. Kersten S (2001), Mechanisms of nutritional and hormonal regulation of lipogenesis, EMBO Rep. vol.  2(4), pp: 282–286, Retrieved on 14/08/2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1083868/. Mosby’s Medical, Nursing & Allied Health Dictionary, Sixth Edition, (2002), St. Louis, Mosby Inc. Pizzorno JE & Murray MT (2013), Textbook of Natural Medicine, 4^th Edition, Missouri, Elsevier. Sarris J & Wardle J (2010), Clinical Naturopathy; An evidence-based guide to practice, Sydney, Churchill Livingstone. The Australian Thyroid. The Thyroid Gland. The Australian Thyroid Foundation. https://www.thyroidfoundation.org.au/page/10/what-is-the-thyroid-gland-and-how-does-it-work. Thyroid - Hypothyroidism. Better Health Channel. Government, Victorian.   December 2011.