Obesity Protocol

SUMMARY

Obesity and weight loss remain controversial subjects. Scientists have identified underlying causes for age-associated weight gain. Yet the majority of overweight people and their physicians ignore these findings. The result is that most diet and exercise regimens fail.

The fact that conventional weight-loss methods do not work is confirmed by more Americans being obese and overweight than ever before. Yet never have so many people tried to reduce body fat.

While the long-term objective of any diet modification program is to maintain healthy body mass index (BMI below 25) with a reduced calorie intake, it is more important initially for obese individuals to shift the time of day when they consume the most calories. The instructions to overweight and obese individuals given earlier in the protocol will be repeated in order to achieve rapid and sustained fat loss:

Immediately after wakening: Eat a large breakfast. If you want a banana split, eat it for breakfast! Eat as much as you want of whatever you want. The reason we advocate a liberal breakfast is that you should follow this program for the rest of your life. If you are continuously deprived of the foods you like, at some point you may rebel and start eating at the wrong time of the day. Ideally, breakfast will consist of fresh fruit and whole grains, but if you need to consume high calorie foods, do it in the morning and not late in the day.
Late morning: Eat a snack equivalent in calories to a hamburger and potato fries. Healthier foods are recommended, but for the purposes of complying with this program, eat what you want at this time of the day instead of waiting until the evening when these calories readily convert to body fat.
Mid-afternoon: Have another snack equivalent to the calories obtained from a tuna salad sandwich on whole wheat bread and some fruit.
Dinner: No later than 6:30 p.m. have a modest dinner: fish or lean chicken-meat, potato, and several vegetable servings.
After dinner: Nothing goes in your mouth but standardized avocado extract pills and the water to swallow them!
Two avocado extract pills may be repeated if hunger returns later that evening.
It may take a week for some obese individuals to wake up hungry (as they are supposed to do) and not have the desire to eat after 6:30 p.m. After 45 days of following this program that alters the time of day when calories are consumed, an improvement in several metabolic parameters should become evident, including a reduction in fasting insulin levels. Enough fat loss should have occurred during this initial 45-day period to motivate the individual to reduce total calorie intake and begin to exercise. Using the standardized avocado extract pills makes restricting calorie intake much easier by cutting carbohydrate craving.

There are three important reasons to cut calorie intake throughout life:

The risk of degenerative disease declines dramatically in those who remain thin.
Reducing calorie intake slows and possibly reverses aging.
One of the most important aspects of one's appearance and self-esteem is to avoid the accumulation of unsightly body fat.
The appendices following this protocol provide information about conventional weight loss drugs, gastric surgery, the glycemic index, assessing insulin status, and other methods that have been promoted to be of help in shedding excess body fat.

For most people, the best weight-loss results will occur if they follow the three simple steps outlined in the preceding section, which were:

Supplement with standardized avocado extract, CLA, chromium, magnesium, fish oil, etc.
Check hormone blood levels.
Take corrective action if there are any hormone imbalances such as asking your physician for a prescription for Cytomel if T3 levels are low; testosterone cream if testosterone levels are low; an aromatase inhibitor (such as Arimidex®) if estrogen levels are high (primarily for men), etc.
Combining the three steps listed above with a shift in calorie consumption to early in the day can produce profound body fat loss and sustained weight control.

Appendix A

Weight Loss Drugs
Amphetamine and related sympathomimetic medications are thought to stimulate the release of norepinephrine and/or dopamine from storage sites in nerve terminals in the lateral hypothalamic feeding center, thereby producing a decrease in appetite.

Adrenergic drugs for weight loss include phentermine (Adipex, Fastin, Ionamin); diethylpropion (Tenuate, Tepanil); phendimetrazine (Adipost, Bontril, Plegine, Prelu-2); and benzphetamine (Didrex). These drugs are chemically related to amphetamine. Mazindol (Sanorex, Mazinor) is an isoindole thought to inhibit the reuptake of norepinephrine rather than to cause its release.

Adrenergic weight loss drugs are all classified as controlled substances by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) due to their tendency to cause dependency and the risk of abuse. All of these drugs are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for short-term use (about 12 weeks) (FDA 1992).

Sympathomimetic appetite suppressants stimulate the central nervous system and elevate blood pressure. Side effects of these drugs include dry mouth, anxiety, insomnia, dizziness and lightheadedness, headache, palpitations, and (rarely) increased blood pressure. Tolerance to the effects of medications in this class usually develops within a few weeks and rebound weight gain may occur after discontinued use of the medication.

Give a physician your complete medical history especially if you have high blood pressure, an overactive thyroid, glaucoma, diabetes, or emotional problems. Inform your physician if you think you are pregnant or if you are breast-feeding. Limit alcohol use. Alcohol can increase unwanted side effects of dizziness. Adipex and other stimulants that work via this mechanism are not recommended for use in children.

Also inform your physician about all medicines used (prescription and nonprescription), especially if you take high blood pressure medicine or MAO inhibitors (e.g., furazolidone, phenelzine, selegiline, tranylcypromine) or any other weight-loss medicine. Decongestants are commonly found in over-the-counter cough and cold medicines.

Orlistat (Xenical) is unique among current obesity drugs in that it does not act directly on the central nervous system. Orlistat inhibits an enzyme (pancreatic lipase) essential to fat digestion. In 2 years of clinical trials, orlistat has produced sustained weight loss similar to that of other single agents.

The most common side effects are intestinal symptoms, including cramping, gas, and diarrhea, particularly in patients who eat high-fat foods against the advice of their physician. It is possible that the desire to avoid these unpleasant side effects might encourage people to eat a diet that is lower in fat, thereby helping them to lose weight.

Sibutramine (Meridia) increases the levels of both serotonin and noradrenaline in areas of the brain that regulate food intake and body weight. It produces 1-year weight loss similar to that of other single agents and reduces some complications of obesity such as those involving blood glucose and lipids. Unlike some other anti-obesity drugs, sibutramine does not reduce blood pressure. The side effects may include dry mouth, lethargy, drowsiness, and insomnia

Obesity is associated with decreased human growth hormone levels. Growth hormone is released by the pituitary gland in response to exercise, deep sleep, hypoglycemia, and ingestion of protein. It stimulates the production of RNA (ribonucleic acid), mobilizes fat deposits, and is a central part of insulin metabolism (Fischbach 1996). Decreased levels of growth hormone are associated with obesity and corticosteroid use. Therapies that boost growth hormone can help facilitate weight loss. The cost of human growth hormone injections is cost-prohibitive for most people.

Most weight loss drugs have side effects that cause many people to discontinue using them before significant results are obtained.

APPENDIX B

Exercise and Diet
The goal of any weight-loss program is to attain better health through improved diet and exercise, in addition to restoring one's metabolic profile to fit that of a 21-year-old.

It is difficult for many overweight individuals to engage in exercise because excess body fat makes them too lethargic to contemplate a consistent exercise program. Additionally, some people just will not exercise. By properly modulating hormone levels, some individuals will feel revitalized enough to become physically active.

Restoring hormones to reflect more youthful profiles will produce some quick fat loss and alleviate depression. Feeling better and seeing real weight reduction can induce many people to improve their diet.

Those who remain hopelessly overweight may not be able to focus on proper diet or exercise, because neither was effective for them in the past. That is why it is so crucial to restore one's metabolic profile to a healthy, youthful level. For most people, this requires proper hormone balance. When there are hormone imbalances, such as too much fasting insulin and/or not enough testosterone, DHEA, thyroid, etc., people gain weight. These age-related hormone imbalances often preclude sustained weight control, despite agonizing diet and exercise programs that are supposed to work!

APPENDIX C

What Is the Glycemic Index
Table
Food Fraud
The Glycemic Index
Much attention is being paid to avoiding foods that have a high glycemic index and glycemic load. The hypothesis is that since high glycemic foods increase production of insulin, avoiding them and eating only low glycemic foods will facilitate fat loss by reducing excess insulin. The problem with obese and severely overweight individuals relying on low glycemic diets is that they are already making too much insulin to achieve meaningful fat loss.

A review of published studies comparing the effects of consuming high as opposed to low glycemic diets on weight loss has yielded mixed results. Many studies indicate that it is healthier to eat lower glycemic index as opposed to high glycemic index foods, especially for diabetics.

A study in the July 2002 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition challenged the validity of many of the existing published studies showing increased weight loss and other health benefits associated with consuming low glycemic index foods ( Pi-Sunyer 2002). The author's summary about glycemic index and disease follows:

"It has been suggested that foods with a high glycemic index are detrimental to health and that healthy people should be told to avoid these foods. This paper takes the position that not enough valid scientific data are available to launch a public health campaign to disseminate such a recommendation. . . . Presented herein are the reasons why it is premature to recommend that the general population avoid foods with a high glycemic index."

The purpose of this appendix is to provide the reader with the basis for why some people think consuming low glycemic foods is the solution for obesity. For severely overweight individuals, it is at best only a partial solution. This Obesity protocol has meticulously identified the need to correct multiple metabolic disorders in order to achieve significant and sustained fat loss. The failure to correct for even one metabolic imbalance (such as low T3) can render any fat loss program useless.

What Is the Glycemic Index?
Glycemic index refers to the rate blood glucose levels rise after eating food, in comparison with an equivalent amount of pure glucose (sugar) or white bread. Many people are sensitive to carbohydrates even though they have normal fasting glucose levels.

Foods with high glycemic indices include corn flakes, instant potatoes, honey, pasta, bread, rice, and potatoes.
Food with a low glycemic index include kidney beans, lentils, soy beans, peanuts, butter and haricot beans, blackeye and chick peas, apples, ice cream, milk, yogurt, and tomato soup.
Interestingly, ice cream has a fairly low glycemic index, a result of the fats that tend to slow blood sugar rises. This emphasizes the complexity of the subject of diet. Although ice cream is considered a low-glycemic index food, it is high in calories, carbohydrates, and fats.

Persons who have carbohydrate cravings and food addictions should be particularly aware of the glycemic index. Certain carbohydrates can cause a sudden elevation of glucose in the blood with a sudden rush of energy often accompanied by feelings of dizziness or lightheadedness followed by a "crash." In particular, children may become addicted to the energy rush from snacks and soda. The pattern is often continued into adulthood by substituting coffee and donuts (for breakfast) or by eating cakes and cookies (after dinner).

Get into the habit of stocking your refrigerator with oranges, grapefruit, apples, pears, berries, etc. These fruits have been shown to reduce disease risk as opposed to refined sugar snacks that cause excessive fat accumulation.

While people seeking to lose body fat try to avoid sucrose and fructose, too often the intense craving for sugar (induced by hypersulinemia) results in carbohydrate bingeing.

The food industry misleads the public into thinking that high-glycemic foods are healthy. For instance, orange juice is promoted as a source of folic acid, vitamin C, and calcium. The downside to orange juice is that it induces an acute influx of fructose into the bloodstream that then spikes serum insulin. When an orange is eaten, there is only a gradual release of sugar into the blood. However, once fruits or vegetables are juiced, they become catalysts for insulin overload because of their high concentration of rapidly absorbable sugar.

Carrots have a high-glycemic index, but since their glycemic load is very low, there is nothing wrong with eating carrots. However, once carrots are juiced, the sugar is concentrated into a form that instantly hits the bloodstream and provokes an insulin spike. The moral to this story is to eat high amounts of fruits and vegetables, but avoid their juice. A look at the calorie content of a glass of fruit or vegetable juice confirms their fat-inducing effects. For those persons who are concerned about obtaining adequate folic acid, vitamin C, alpha carotene, etc., these nutrients can be obtained by eating whole fruits and vegetables and by taking supplements.

As can be seen in this section, foods that were once considered part of a healthy "low-fat diet" have a very high glycemic index and glycemic load. This means that ingesting too many of these types of foods could cause weight gain, even if you think you are eating a healthy diet.

As shown in Table 1, eating too many high sugar-content foods and beverages causes the release of excess insulin. When evaluating the insulin-elevating effects of foods, two measurements to consider are the "glycemic index" and "glycemic load." The "glycemic index" measures how fast a carbohydrate triggers a rise in circulating blood sugar. The "glycemic load" assesses the impact of carbohydrate consumption, but provides a fuller picture than does the glycemic index alone. Foods that are high in both of these measurements should be reduced.

Table 1: Comparison of High and Low Glycemic Index Foods
High Glycemic Index + High Glycemic Load Lower Glycemic Index + Low Glycemic Load
Glycemic
Index* Glycemic
Load*
Glycemic
Index* Glycemic
Load*
Instant Rice** 91 24 Popcorn 72 8
Baked Potato** 85 20 Watermelon 72 4
Corn Flakes 84 21 Carrot 71 4
Corn Chex 83 21 Ice Cream 62 8
Pretzels 83 16 Oat Bran, Raw 50 2
Corn Pops 80 21 Green Peas 48 3
Doughnut 76 17 Grapes 43 7
French Fries 75 22 Orange 42 5
Bread Stuffing 74 16 Apple 40 6
Cheerios 74 15 Strawberries 40 1
Kaiser Rolls 73 12 Fish Fingers 38 7
Bagel 72 25 Apple 36 8
White Bread 70 21 Pear 33 4
Pancakes 67 39 Yogurt, low fat 31 9
Cranberry Juice Cocktail 68 24 Lentil Beans 29 5
Fanta® Orange Soft Drink 68 23 Peach 28 4
Mars Bar 65 26 Milk 27 3
Rye Bread 65 20 Plum 24 3
Sweet Corn 60 20 Kidney Beans 23 6
Macaroni and Cheese 64 23 Cherries 22 3
Sushi 52 19 Cashew Nuts, salted 22 3
Orange Juice 52 12 Peanuts 14 1
Linguini 48 23 Broccoli - -
Based on Table 1, when eating out, try to avoid eating bread. Ask for a double portion of vegetables in lieu of potato or rice. Cut back on desserts, especially at night. If you have an insatiable sweet tooth (carbohydrate craving), eat dessert in the morning, not at night. Consume higher glycemic carbohydrates in the morning, trying to reduce your intake after 12 noon. While these dietary changes can be difficult to implement, the effects of slowly reducing serum insulin can make this diet modification tolerable in the long run.
*Note that there can be variations of the actual glycemic index/load based on the brand or particular lot of the food/beverage. Glycemic load calculation is based on differing quantities of each food group.
**Some weight-loss physicians allow potatoes and rice as long as an overall reduced glycemic program is followed.

Obesity Protocol Pg (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9)

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease