Why "Eating Less" is NOT the Answer to Weight Loss

Dr. Doug Lisle explains why "eating less" is not the answer in his one hour lecture titled 'How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind.'  Dr. Lisle is a Clinical Psychologist and the Director of Research at the True North Health Center in California.  He is also the co-author of the amazing book 'The Pleasure Trap.'  

He explains how skinny people aren't any 'less indulgent' than those with excess weight; how humans are one of the three animals on the planet that can't control their weight and the number one reason you aren't losing weight.  It all boils down to one thing... 

...the natural law of satiety is being broken.  

What's the law of satiety?

In our digestive system, we have nutrient and stretch receptors.  Nutrient receptors calculate how much nutrition is in our food.  I.e. calories, fat, protein and carbohydrate.  Stretch receptors decipher how much volume of food has been eaten.  When both the nutrient and stretch receptors become appropritely activated, our digestive system will tell our brain it's time to stop eating.  If we don't, it will become painful.

The receptors have been appropriately activated when 1.  there’s enough food our stomachs (or bulk) and 2. when we’ve eaten enough nutrition -- calories and macronutrients.  

If we don't get enough of one or another, we still won't feel satisfied.  Dr. Lisle uses the example of lettuce.  If you eat one pound of lettuce, you won't feel satisfied and full even though you've eaten a large quantity of food.  This is because the lettuce is so low in calories (around 100 calories/pound) that it's not enough nutrition for the nutrition receptors to be satisfied.  Likewise, if you eat a high calorie food, like chocolate for example, that doesn't have a lot of volume to it, you won't feel full even if you're eating enough calories.  

This is the law of satiety and this natural law is being broken everyday by humans, causing most of us to gain weight.  The hyper-concentrated foods the average American is eating (refined foods and animal products.  Only 6% American's diets come from unrefined plant food) is tricking our nutrient and stretch receptors.  Our bodies think we haven't eaten as many calories as we really have because the volume of these hyper-concentrated foods is small compared to how many calories they contain.  

As an example, Dr. Lisle asks what will fill you up more?  Two cups of ice-cream or, 1/2 gallon of salad, 3 ears of corn, 2 baked potatoes and a pound of cherries?  Same amount of calories, but the latter, is made of whole, plant foods that are naturally low in calories, but large in bulk.  

Skinny people aren't any less indulgent than fat people

There's a false assumption that those with excess weight are what Dr. Lisle calls, "eating into the pain."  They're eating so much until it hurts, everyday.  However, this isn't true!  

According to Dr. Lisle, women in the U.S. gain on average, one pound every year from the age of 20 to 40.  That equals only 10 extra calories per day.  Large people aren't massively overeating and they aren't massively out of control.  Rather, their nutrient and density receptors have been fooled.  

Skinny people have escaped this problem not because of their will-power, or because they are smarter or are in more control than bigger people, but because their genetics have given them more nutrient and stretch receptors.  This allows them to become fuller on less calories making it easier for them to not gain weight.  Unfortunately, skinny people eating the typical American diet, won't escape from other nutritional diseases like heart disease or cancer from eating this way.  

Think you've tried everything and nothing works?

If you think you’ve tried EVERYTHING... you’ve tried every diet there is and nothing works.  Or, you just eat 'healthy' and are still over weight, I want you to answer yes or no to these questions...

Have you ever followed the dietary advice of any of these doctors... Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, T Colin Campbell PhD, Pam Popper PhD, ND,  Dr. John McDougall, Doug Lisle PhD, or Dr. Alan Goldhamer? 

If you answered no, then you haven’t tried what myself and these amazing docs recommend.  If you answered no, then you have not tried everything and you are not doomed to deal with excess weight.  If you answred no, your stomach is being fooled from the foods in your diet and for the average person, it’s going to be difficult to maintain a healthy weight.  

Getting the weight off is easier than you think!  Just swap one hyper-concentrated food, for an unconcentrated one and you'll lose weight.  Want to lose even more?  Swap more foods!  Need help doing this?  That's what I'm here for.  Contact me with any questions and I'll make sure you get results right away.

Take Control Now

Have you ever followed the dietary advice of any of these plant-based docs?  What has your experience been dieting before, on or off a plant-based diet?

Put your answers in the comments section below.  

Why Surgery + Meds Won't Save Your Heart

You probably know someone with heart disease or someone whose died from it.  My grandmother died when she was just 52 from a heart attack.  She didn't even make it to my first birthday.  My grandfather -- congestive heart failure.

Many people feel a naive sense of security when diagnosed with heart disease, high cholesterol or blood pressure.  Why?  Because there's "medication and surgery that will save you!"  For most people, that's just WRONG!

Even with technologically advanced surgeries and new medications, heart disease still kills 385,000 Americans annually, while another 715,000 Americans have a heart attack each year (1).

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr, internationally renowned clinician at the Cleveland Clinic, writes how currently modern cardiology is a complete failure, in an article published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

Esselstyn cites Forrester, JS when he writes... "modern cardiology has given up on curing heart disease.  Its aggressive interventions -- coronary artery bypass graft, atherectomy, angioplasty and stunting -- do not reduce the frequency of new heart attacks or prolong survival except in small subsets of patients" (2).

Modern cardiology is treating the symptoms of disease -- pain and high biomarkers, not the underlying cause of the disease which is from diet and lifestyle.  As Dr. McDougall commonly says, "it's the food!"

It's important you understand there are other means for treating heart disease other than risky surgery and expensive medication.  Dr. Caldwell Essestyn Jr. and Dr. Dean Ornish have both stopped the progression of and reversed heart disease via diet and lifestyle changes (2), (3).  

Unfortunately, your doctor probably won't present this research as a viable treatment option to you.  Likewise, your doctor probably won't advocate for your cholesterol to be below 150 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) which was the goal of Esselstyn's patients.

Esselstyn notes in his article (citing Castelli) that "in the Framingham study, people with cholesterol between 150 and 200 mg/dL accounted for 35%  of those with coronary heart disease."  

You can still have heart disease with a 'good' cholesterol level of less than 200 mg/dL advocated by your doctor and the American Heart Association! (4)

Esselstyn continues to cite Castelli stating that "amongst those with levels <150 mg/dL, heart disease was rarely encountered" (2).

If you're interested in lowering your cholesterol levels via diet and are looking for support from your doctor, here is a PDF from the Phycisian's Committee for Responsible Medicine that you can take to share with your doctor.  It references Dr. Ornish's work and gives you practical tips for lowering your cholesterol levels.

Too many doctors are either unaware of this information or just aren't informing their patients.  But it's important you know you have options.  And if you need support and guidance through the transition, I am always here to help.

Take Control Now

Is your total cholesterol above or below 150 mg/dL or 3.9 mmol/L?  

Now is the time to find out and put your answer in the comments section below!

1.  CDC.  Heart Disease Facts. August 2013.  Accessed online Feb. 2014.  

2.  Esselstyn, CB Jr. Updating a 12-Year Experience with Arrest and Reversal Therapy for Coronary Heart Disease (An Overdue Requiem for Palliative Cardiology. American Journal of Cardiology. 1999: 81; August 1 339-341.  

3. Ornish D et al. Intensive lifestyle changes for coronary heart disease. Journal of the American Medical Association. 1998 Dec 16;280(23):2001-7.

4. American Heart Association. What your cholesterol levels mean.  Dec. 2012. Accessed online Feb. 2014.

5 Reasons Why Oil is NOT a Health Food

Oil is commonly marketed and advocated as a health food.  However, oil -- even olive oil, can really impede on your health goals.  I always avoid it as do leading health experts.  Here's five reasons why...

1. Oil is very low in nutritional value.

It has no minerals, no fiber, no protein, no carbohydrate and minimal vitamins.  However, it does have a heck of of a lot of calories and fat.

One tablespoon of olive oil is a hefty 120 calories.  Not only is it incredibly calorie dense, it also has 14g of fat in one tablespoon!  And 2g of that fat is saturated which we should avoid.  Olive oil does have trace amounts of vitamin E, vitamin K and phytosterols.  But so what!?  So do other whole foods, like the olives themselves!

For 120 calories of oil, I could eat 1.25 baked sweet potatoes.  I'd also get 0.2g of fat, 5g of fiber, actually feel like I ate something, get calcium, magnesium, Iron, phosphorous, potassium, vitamin C, B vitamins, folate, carotenoids, lycopene, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K, all of the amino acids or protein and much more!

Looking at oil's nutritional profile, it really is nothing but pure liquid fat.

2.  Oil makes you fat.

It’s difficult for most people to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight when oil is a regular part of the diet.  Again, one tablespoon of oil is 120 calories.  I could eat 1.25 medium sweet potatoes for that may calories. 

But which of these foods is going to fill me up more?  The sweet potato of course. 

It has more bulk -- I’ll actually feel it sitting in my stomach; it has more fiber, which also helps us to feel full; and it’s full of nutrition that tells our nutrient receptors in our stomachs that we’ve gotten enough nutrition and it's time to stop eating.

Oil doesn’t do that.  It doesn’t make us feel full.  It just adds 100s of extra calories to your diet.  You’ll eat the same amount or quantity of food in a day whether there’s oil on it or not.  Or, you'll actually eat more because the fat makes it taste better.   

Oil is the most calorie dense food in the planet.  

3.  Oil damages your endothelial cells.

Our endothelial cells are a single layer of cells that line our blood vessels.  Our endothelial cells produce nitric oxide which helps our blood flow throughout our bodies. Oil damages those endothelial cells.  Thankfully, according to Dr. Esselstyn, the endothelial cells begin to heal themselves once you take the damaging foods out of the diet and start to eat a low-fat plant-based diet (1, 2).  Especially with lots of greens!

So start to get the meats, dairy, oils and refined foods out of your body!  Work on getting whole-grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes in your belly to start healing your artery walls ASAP!

4.  Heart disease has been reversed without oil. 

Dr. Esselstyn has successfully reversed severe heart disease with a low-fat, oil-free, plant-based diet.  Dr. Esselstyn eliminated all oils, meat, dairy, high-fat plant foods and refined foods in his patients.  In their place, he prescribed a diet of fruits, vegetables, whole-grains and legumes (3).

5.  Oils don't lower cholesterol.

This is only true if you replace saturated fats like butter and lard with unsaturated fats -- most vegetable oils.

However, if someone like me who doesn’t eat any oils, starts to do so, my cholesterol levels will increase.  

Likewise, if you were to stop eating saturated fats and vegetable oils, your cholesterol would decrease even quicker!  (especially if you're eating a whole foods, plant-based diet).

Take Control Now

How many times each day do you consume oil?  What is one way you can begin to cut oil out of your diet?

Sources: 1, 2, 3.

How to Prepare Your Healthiest Source of Omega-3 Fats in 15 Seconds

Omega 3 fats are essential nutrients.  This means we must eat them in our diet in order to survive. 

They're essential for our membranes, nerve tissue and endothelial cell function.  

A-linolenic acid (ALA), is an essential omega-3 fat.  When we eat it, out bodies convert it into EPA and then into DHA.  

But how much ALA do we actually need in our diet?  The Institute of Medicine recommends women eat 1.1 g of ALA each day and men consume 1.6 g per day (1).  

When you hear about omega-3s, the sources most commonly associated with these nutrients are fish and supplements.

However, there are much safer and healthier ways to consume omega-3s other than fish and supplements. 

Like plants!  All whole, plant foods contain small amounts of ALA.  Kale, collards, brocolli, potatoes and so on.  When you consume whole, plant foods at every meal (like I recommend), you should get enough ALA in your diet. 

Plants are where fish and all animals get their omega 3s from -- from the algae and phytoplankton in the ocean.  Fish are a secondary source of omega-3s while plants are a primary source (1a).

So what’s the best plant/primary source of omega-3s?  Ground flax seeds and english walnuts.  They're your omega-3 'insurance' foods.

One tablespoon of flax (10.3g) contains 2.35 g of ALA omega-3 fat (2).  With one tablespoon of flax, we’ve already surpased the recommended intake of 1.1 g/day for women, set by the Institute of Medicine.

How much ALA is in this same amount of wild, Atlantic caught Salmon?  0.03g (3). 

Flax seed has more omega-3 ALA fat than wild salmon!

Plus with flax, you won’t consume any environmental carcinogens like mercury, that accumulate in fish; you’ll consume less fat; you’ll skip the dose of cholesterol found in fish; and you’ll get more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients.  

So add ground flax to your oatmeal, smoothies or use as an egg replacer when baking.  

Answer this question in the comments section below and lets hear what you think of this information.

Take Control Now

How will you incorporate ground flax into your diet?  Are you surprised there's more omega-3 ALA fat in flax than fish?  

Sources: 1, 1a, 2, 3

Do Low-Fat Vegans Lose More Weight in Intervention Study?

Where do I come off telling you to stop eating dairy products and get rid of all the oils?Where do I get this information from anyway?

My information and actions are powered by the "preponderance of evidence," as Dr. Pam Popper, owner of the Wellness Forum, frequently states.  I review scientific articles published in academic journals like the one below.  

Today I will discuss an intervention study that randomized overweight postmenopausal women into a low-fat vegan or National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) group for 14 weeks.  

Which group lost significantly more weight?  Which group reduced their waist circumference while never restricting their portion sizes?

Sources: study 1, study 2, study 3, study 4

Take Control Now!

Did you know plant-based nutrition was evidence-based?  What do you think about this study?

Write your answer in the comments section below.