Weight Loss Difficulties

Question:

I have been diligently training with a good friend of mine for eight months. She started with me at 171 pounds with 32 percent body fat. After months of faithful workouts (sometimes twice daily!) and an excellent diet, she has seen no results and has become very frustrated. Only one thing may be the culprit - she is on thyroid medication. Could it have this much impact?

Answer:

Let me start by saying this is not the first time I have heard this. I actually have clients who have come to me eating 1200 calories a day while doing an hour of cardio six days a week. Most dieticians will say this is impossible, and the client must be lying. Many of my clients however are Type A who keep meticulous diet logs.

The problem is that different people have very different metabolisms. There are three main types as outlined in my PTontheNET.com article titled The Metabolic Typing Diet:

• Fast Oxidizer - do better with higher protein and fat.
• Slow Oxidizer - do better with higher carbohydrates.
• Mixed Oxidizer - do well on a middle of the road diet.

I have found that most people with weight problems are fast or mixed oxidizers. This usually means they need to increase their fat and protein intake. This is contrary to conventional wisdom, but when I say increase fat, I don't mean eat more McDonalds. Fats should come from organic meat, avocados, nuts, etc.

You can get more info on this diet from my two-part article series titled Truth in Nutrition (click here for Part 1 or Part 2) or the book The Metabolic Typing Diet by William Wolcott.

The second thing you need to assess is her intestinal heath. It can be an uncomfortable subject but an important one. Ask her these questions:

1. How often does she eliminate? The answer should be at least once a day, ideally within 30 minutes after meals.
2. Does she have sinkers and stinkers? Sounds funny, but it can tell you a lot. (A normal bowel movement should be light brown, float and not have an extreme odor.)
3. How much has she used anti-biotics and anti-inflammatories in the past year? If it is more than one or two times with the anti-biotics and more than once a month with the anti-inflammatories, then she may have increased intestinal permeability.
4. Is she on birth control? This can cause a decrease in the good bacteria in the intestines.

If the answer to two of these questions is yes, I would consult with a Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach in your area (www.chekinstitute.com).

Some things to do in the meantime are:

• Take the metabolic typing test
• Start on an high quality Omega 3 supplement (www.ultralife.com)
• Start on multi enzyme formula
• Eliminate grains except for rice and buckwheat (sprouted grains are acceptable)
• Eliminate dairy except for organic, cultured, non-homogenized products (yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese)

Recommended Reading:

1. The Metabolic Typing Diet William Wolcott
2. The No Grain Diet Joseph Mercola
3. Nourishing Traditions Sally Fallon
4. Flatten your Abs Forever (Video) Paul Chek
5. You Are What You Eat (Audio CD) Paul Chek