Five Keys for Weight Loss

Often my patients ask for advice to lose weight. Acupuncture can be supportive, but more important, I tell them to pay attention to their eating and lifestyle habits during the rest of the week. The following recommendations represent the core of my weight loss advice. They aren't magic, but if followed, they are very effective.

If our digestion is poor, we may have to eat more in order to feel full and satisfied and we are not burning our calories efficiently. Here are a few tips to improve the digestion and comfortably reduce your food intake without going hungry.
- Eat slowly and chew your food well. This simple rule will greatly enhance your body's digestive ability and increase your sense of fullness and satisfaction.
- Stop eating before you are completely full. There is a 15-minute lag between the time we eat something and the time the brain registers the sensation of fullness.
- Try to eat your main meal in the middle of the day and when you are genuinely hungry. This is when your digestive fire is at its peak and you can more easily burn the calories. If you feel you need a large meal in the evening, try to eat at least 3 to 4 hours before bedtime.
In the brain, the hunger signal and the thirst signal can easily get crossed. As a result, when we feel hungry, our bodies are often crying out for water and not food. So, staying well hydrated is an important key for appetite control. Between meals, drink plenty of pure, warm water on an empty stomach. As a general guideline, divide your weight in pounds by 2.5. The result of this equation is the number of ounces of pure water you need to drink every day. It is best to drink water that is warm or at least room temperature. And it is better to sip the water over a period of time rather than gulping it down all at once. The next time you have a hunger attack, try drinking one or two glasses of lukewarm water. After about 10 or 15 minutes, you may find that your hunger has disappeared completely.
For overall health maintenance, it is important to move the body and stretch the muscles every day. In doing so, we help the circulation of energy and fluids and assist the body in the elimination of toxins and waste. When it comes to exercise, there are two keys to weight loss: muscle tone and walking. It is a proven fact that muscle burns more calories than fat. So, if we can build up our muscle mass, even a little bit, we will burn considerably more calories in our normal daily activity. For three days a week, do 30 minutes of weight training. Be sure to get the guidance of a professional trainer to start with. During the other four days of the week, begin a walking program, gradually working up to 3 miles per day or 21 miles per week. Nothing sheds unwanted pounds like walking. Simple walking burns more calories per mile than any other exercise.
If you have a serious health condition, it is important to exercise carefully and not over do it. In this case, discuss exercise with your doctor in order to design a program that is best suited for you.
In many cases, soothing the mind and the emotions will often reduce our need for snacking. A lot of unnecessary food is consumed due to emotional constraint. Nothing is more effective than deep breathing in order to increase the body's energy and release blocked emotions. It's something everyone can do, anywhere, anytime and it's free! Try to be more aware of your breathing all during the day and take extra deep breaths as often as possible. There are specific deep breathing exercises or practices associated with Yoga or Qi Gong. These are highly recommended in order to restore a balanced flow of energy in the body. If you want to learn more about the benefits of deep breathing, contact your local meditation or Qi Gong center to get information on available classes. A simple breathing exercise is "alternate nostril breathing", as follows:
- Sit comfortably but straight, with your left hand palm up and resting on your lap or knees.
- Close the right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale slowly and deeply (but easily) through the left nostril. Try to breathe into the belly.
- After inhaling, close the left nostril with your ring and little finger of your right hand and hold your breath for just a moment or two.
- Now, release the right thumb and exhale slowly through the right nostril.
- Repeat the above steps, but this time; inhale through the right nostril. Follow the steps with an easy natural rhythm.
You may do this exercise for 5 to 10 minutes a day. Be easy about it and don't strain. If you drift off or lose track of the steps for a few moments, that is perfectly all right. When you are aware that you have lost the rhythm, simply begin again and take it from there.
If you follow the above recommendations, you may eat what you want, in moderation. Except, you should strictly avoid junk foods, fried foods, butter, cheese, margarine and pork. Also, restrict alcohol to one glass of wine each day, with your main meal.

Final Note
Because these recommendations are simple, many people find it difficult to take them seriously. But if followed, they will have a profound effect in restoring your own ideal weight. If these recommendations seem overwhelming or if they conflict with your normal routine, don't feel that you have to incorporate all of them at once. Incorporate the easiest ones first and add more as you feel inclined. You will notice how much better you feel, and that may prompt you to make further changes. Above all, relax and try to be happy with your body type. Very few of us are actually meant to look like fashion models, even though the advertising media would like us to believe otherwise. The hallmarks of good health are good digestion, sound sleep, complete elimination, ease of movement and an overall sense of well being. If we maintain good health, we will very likely achieve the correct weight for our own body type.