Weight Loss
(The following is a quoted excerpt, pages 79-86, from the Book The Great Health Heist© by Paul Rosen J.D.,L.Ac. Published by Warren Publishing, Inc.)
I struggled with whether or not to start the "Symptoms and Ailments" section of this book with the subject of weight loss. On one hand, it is one of the most persistent and popular complaints mentioned by my patients. On the other hand, I hesitate to become part of the problem. By this I mean that I don't want to imply, by placing this chapter front and center, that weight loss is more important than, say, symptoms of painful conditions or even allergies.
Please understand that all of the maladies you'll be reading about, as well as the patient testimonials, are equally important. To whom? To you, the person suffering, from them. In fact, no pain is more important than the one you are suffering from at this very moment. Be it arthritis, post-surgical pain or simply persistent heartburn, physical suffering can become all-consuming. Pain grinds us down and shuts us off from the people we love, from what we do, and from how much we enjoy life.
So I'll begin this section with a quick caveat: Weight loss can be important, but in no way is Nutrition Response TestingSM a diet or weight-loss program. It just so happens that when you put Nutrition Response Testing and your personalized health improvement program to work your body immediately starts returning to that lovely state of balance, including restoring its power to heal.
As a result, patients first experience weight loss because of the release of "accumulated toxic waste products trapped in your body's individual cells. Often weight in the form of fat continues to fall off because of dietary modifications and subtle metabolic changes. Overall, balance is restored along with a strategy not only to get healthy but also to stay healthy.
The 'bottom line - you'll feel better and look better.
Weight-loss programs abound, from those that sell prepared . . foods like NutriSystem to those that don't, like Jenny Craig and L.A. Weight Loss. Plentiful, too, are fad diets like Atkins, South Beach and Blood Type. There are almost as many approaches to weight loss as there are diets. So how do you decide? Where do you begin?
The key to losing weight is identifying specific individualized factors we call "hold ups. " It's true that most everyone who reduces his or her caloric intake will lose weight. But once on your program of choice, did you fail to lose weight? Did you lose some weight and then stop or plateau? After you lost weight, did you feel healthier? Were you more energetic and free of symptoms? Were you able to maintain the weight-loss over time? Did you maintain your newly found health? Are you still looking for answers to any of these questions? If so, then you're definitely ready to identify your "hold -ups" - your hidden health problems.
Beth, a 40-year-old single mom with two teenage children, had always been dedicated to her health and that of her family. Whenever faced with health concerns, she always chose alternative approaches. But she suffered with almost constant digestive problems, chronic mouth soreness, difficult menstrual cycles (linked to uterine fibroids so plentiful that doctors insisted she have a hysterectomy to avoid cancer) and excess weight. She was devoted to a vegetarian lifestyle that included the consumption of soy and dairy products.
After her evaluation using Nutrition Response Testing, soy along with dairy were identified as foods she was sensitive to. Within one week of eliminating them from her diet, Beth's digestive complaints and mouth soreness disappeared. Her fibroids ultimately vanished, along with her difficult menstrual cycles, and she avoided a hysterectomy.
Following years of trying to lose weight, within two weeks she lost over 10 pounds. All told, she has lost over 80 pounds. The process has taken three years, with several periods of rest or what are often referred to as "plateaus." Today, her hair, skin and nails are vibrant and her health remains elevated as she rarely finds herself prone to colds.
But don't take Beth's word for it. This chapter is loaded with testimonials from people just like her who've discovered Nutrition Response Testing. They've embraced their personalized health improvement program as a healthy, safe and proven alternative to those fad diets that, let's face it, rarely work.
These folks found the answer to the question you've been asking for a long time - why haven't those fad diets worked for me? More fundamentally, how do I decide which one to choose in the first place?
Take Virginia, who wrote, "I thought I was very healthy. I worked long hours, slept well and took too little time off, but I had a dry cough that was embarrassing, craved sweets and wanted to lose weight. I squeezed into Curves once a day for one month and managed to lose five pounds. [But my symptoms remaine]. [After being evaluated using Nutrition Response Testing and being on my program], my cough disappeared unless I ate foods I was supposed to avoid. What's more, I've lost 10 pounds and my sugar cravings AND I've had compliments about my [new] appearance.
I hear this refrain from many patients. It seems as if the ongoing battle to lose weight has taken over their lives. Finding a process that helps them control their weight really helps them feel rejuvenated and, more importantly, restores their hope for a better quality of life.
As part of this rejuvenation we experience less brain fog, more emotional stability and more energy. I liken weight loss to unpacking a heavy backpack during a long, arduous hike. The more weight we carry, the harder it is to climb, jog, walk or sprint. As we shed pounds, our body's "backpack" gets lighter and our movements easier. More energy is a very natural and welcome result.
The problem with most weight-loss programs, however, is that they don't result in whole-body wellness; their sole target is weight loss and the rest is optional. As a result, many people on these shortsighted programs get only half-hearted results - or none at all. The point is they continue to experience some chronic symptoms and they are often the victims of the dreaded dieter's plateau.
"AD" hit the dieter's plateau - and hard. "Before the [Nutrition Response Testing] program, " he explained, "I had lost about 10 pounds following a low carbohydrate diet. My weight stayed the same for at least a year. When I started seeing Paul for Nutrition Response Testing, I had a number of symptoms I wanted to address and weight was one of them. Since I have been tested, I have lost 15 pounds. It was difficult at first to figure out what foods to eat, but a few weeks into the program it got easier and easier. I like this plan because I don't have to count calories, fat grams, or carbohydrates. I simply don't eat the four foods I tested negative for. Not only have I lost weight, but also I feel better emotionally as well, I react to crisis and sadness in my life much better now."
Plateaus are a common challenge with many weight-loss programs. Here is another similar story with an equally happy ending. "RR" suffered from a stubborn weight-loss plateau and fatigue, a standard combination that in my profession seems to go together like burgers and fries.
"My weight loss had plateaued despite being on a low carb diet, " explains "RR." "My energy was down. I had to drink coffee to make it through the day. My weight loss resumed three days after starting the [Nutrition Response Testing] program. Now I have increased, dependable energy. I was able to stop drinking coffee .... "
"RR" quickly discovered - in three days, no less - the causal relationship between overcoming a weight-loss plateau and experiencing more energy. This causal relationship is one enjoyed by many of my patients. Take "BW" for instance.
"[After Nutrition Response Testing] my energy level is much higher than it has been for a long time now. I have lost 8-10 pounds without doing anything different other than changing my diet and taking the supplements. "
All of these enthusiastic patients learned that weight loss is more than just about fitting back into those jeans you wore last year or buying a whole new wardrobe in a smaller size. They were touched by whole body wellness.
Weight loss is a function of weight management. But more importantly, that management must be based on a personalized health improvement program designed to achieve whole body wellness. Much like we need to get off the pharmaceutical bandwagon and quit believing the hype about “a pill for every ill,” so, too, do we need to quit focusing on weight loss along as the panacea to whole body wellness.
We must quit believing that “starvation leads to salvation!”