The Dangers of Aspartame

When trying to cut calories to lose weight, many people turn to products containing the artificial sweetener aspartame (also called Equal, Splenda, etc.) to replace sugar because it has no calories. However, this ingredient may be very dangerous.

Aspartame consists mostly of methanol, which is a poison shown to cause blindness. In the body, methanol turns into formaldehyde, which also has negative affects on the brain. Methanol is absorbed by the body even faster when it is broken down, which happens (1) when it is stored for a long period of time or (2) when it is heated in baking or when added to hot beverages

In laboratory studies on animals, aspartame has caused brain tumors. As far as humans go, the FDA has received many complaints related to aspartame, including: irritability, anxiety, headaches, menstrual problems, dizziness, insomnia, stomach problems, seizures, and blindness.

The EPA has recommended that people do not exceed 7.8 mg of methanol per day. One 8 oz. serving of a beverage containing aspartamine has about 14 mg of methanol.

So….if aspartame is so dangerous, how did it get approved by the FDA?

For many years the FDA refused to approve aspartame because of the brain tumors and seizures shown by lab animals in aspartame studies. In the early 1980s, Donald Rumsfeld was the president of G.D. Searle company (the company that produced aspartame). When his friend Ronald Regan became president, Regan fired Jere Goyan, the FDA Commissioner, and appointed Dr. Arthur Hayes to replace him. Hayes set up a Board of Inquiry to see about approving aspartame. The Board reported “Do not approve aspartame.” Hayes disregarded this statement and approved aspartame. A short time later, Hayes took a job at G.D. Searle.

…Sounds pretty sketchy to me…

Build Muscle to Lose More Weight – and Keep it Off

When weight is lost due to dieting and doing cardio alone, up to 30% of it is muscle and bone mass. Losing muscle will cause your metabolism to slow down, so eventually it will become difficult to lose more weight (and to keep off the weight already lost). When strength training is included, that muscle and bone mass is conserved. (Keep in mind also that adults will lose about a half a pound of muscle every year naturally if no strength training is done, before even considering dieting and weight loss!)

Increasing your resting metabolism (the calories your body burns when it is resting, or sitting at the desk for that matter) will help you lose more weight. Your resting metabolic rate depends mostly on how much muscle you have. The body has to expend more energy to maintain muscle than it does fat. In fact, about 15 times as much energy, meaning 15 times as many calories.

Each additional pound of muscle burns about 50 additional calories each day. Adding 5 pounds of muscle to your body will increase your daily metabolism by about 250 calories per day (that’s 1,750 per week), which amounts to a half a pound of fat loss each week.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported a weight loss study involving two groups. The first group only did 1-hour sessions of weight-lifting exercises twice a week, and the second group only did low-intensity cardio exercise like walking. Neither group changed their eating habits. The group that lifted weights lost more than 3.5% more body fat than the other group.

Dr. Miriam E. Nelson reported in her book Strong Women Stay Young that strength training also increases bone density. She led a study with one group of women who lifted weights, and another group that did not. The group that lifted weights gained more bone mass. The group of women that did not lift weights lost bone mass during the period of the study.

A few other things to keep in mind:

• When you have more muscle, you put less strain on your joints when exercising.
• Stronger muscles allow the heart to pump more blood with less effort, so there is less stress on the arteries.
• Strength training has been shown to lower blood pressure.
• Strength training is something that should supplement cardio exercise, not replace it. Having a balance of eating healthy, cardio training, strength training, and flexibility training will lead to successful weight loss that can be maintained over the years.

Is Water Really the Best for Hydration?

I read a report in the December issue of Women’s Health Magazine about hydration. The report said that “Milk hydrates better than water or sports drinks”. The report states that the body will retain more fluid from milk than from water, because milk contains sodium and potassium to help with water retention.

I’m not sure what to think about this report. Sodium and potassium cause the body to retain water that would otherwise not be retained. If your body would not ordinarily hold on to all of the water consumed, doesn’t that mean that you just didn’t need that much water? I think it would be better to let the unneeded water go through you and then just drink some more water later on. After all, water retention leads to bloating which makes you look bigger. I’m going to stick with water for hydration purposes, and leave the milk (which, after all, has calories) for getting the protein and calcium that I need.

Other Types of Yoga

Yesterday I talked about how great yoga is for losing weight, getting stronger, and increasing flexibility. I have been practicing Hatha yoga, which is a more gentle, positioning type of yoga. There are several other yoga styles being practiced, each with a different emphasis. All types of yoga involve holding specific poses and help to increase strength, but not all of them burn enough calories to assist in losing weight. To help determine the right class for your personal goals, here is a quick summary of some other popular types of yoga practiced in America:

VINYASA

Like Hatha yoga, Vinyasa is also based on a series of poses, but is more vigorous and more movement-oriented. Sun Saluations are a series of poses practiced in Vinyasa. When practicing Sun Saluations, the body’s movement from one pose to the next is done in synch with its breathing (each move is specifically matched with either an inhale or exhale). The word “vinyasa” actually means “breath synchronized movement”.

In my Hatha yoga class we usually practice Sun Saluations for about 5 – 10 minutes during the class. In Hatha yoga the Sun Saluations are generally the most intense movements done, whereas in Vinyasa Sun Saluations are done to warm up the body, and towards the end of the class, more intense movements are done allowing for deeper stretching. If you’d like to work on stretching and also get some cardio, Vinyasa yoga is a good choice. Some Vinyasa classes can be pretty exhausting, depending on the instructor.

ASHTANGA

Ashtanga is an even faster-paced, more intense yoga style. The word “Ashtanga” means “eight limbs”. In an Ashtanga yoga class, the same poses are practiced in the same sequence (called flow) every time. An Ashtanga Yoga class is physically intense, so it not only increases flexibility and strength, but also has cardiovascular benefits. Ashtanga Yoga can assist in achieving weight loss goals.

Ashtanga Yoga is sometimes also called “Power Yoga”, though in Power Yoga classes additional poses are often practiced beyond the usual Ashtanga poses.

IYENGAR

In an Iyengar Yoga class, poses are held for longer periods of time, sometimes up to five minutes. Iyengar Yoga places the most emphasis on the placement of each body part, in order to ensure the best body alignment. Because each position is held for a long time period, Iyengar Yoga offers a lot of strength benefits. To help maintain each pose for such a long time span, props such as yoga blocks, straps and blankets are usually used. I’ve used these props in my Hatha yoga class as well, and they offer assistance to beginners who are not yet very flexible.

KUNDALINI

Kundalini Yoga has a big spiritual emphasis, as it contains a bigger meditation aspect. Most participants in a Kundalini Yoga class wear head wraps and/or flowing white robes and recite chants.

Kundalini Yoga practices rapid movements done over and over again, though it is as physically intense as other Yoga types such as Iyengar and Ashtanga Yoga. Each pose is focused on specific areas of the body, as opposed to a full body emphasis practiced on most other Yoga types.

BIKRAM /'HOT' YOGA

Also called “Hot Yoga”, this is practiced in a room of about 100 degrees Farenheit and 40 – 50% humidity. There are traditionally 26 poses practiced during a Bikram yoga class (a description of each pose can be found here). The hot temperature is used to help loosen tight muscles and cause extreme sweating. Having looser muscles allows the body to go deeper into each pose. The sweating part is considered beneficial because it cleanses the body of toxins. Drink a lot of water before and after each class to stay hydrated. A Bikram yoga class usually lasts 90 minutes.

Do Yoga to Lose More Weight

Yoga is becoming very popular in America these days, helping people increase strength and flexibility and decrease stress. If you are exercising a lot it is especially important to work on flexibility as well. A Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine study found that people who increase their flexibility also see improved muscle performance. The study reported that stretching increases muscle strength by increasing the muscles’ range of motion, so joints can move more efficiently, resulting in more power for the muscle. And as I mentioned in my post on 9 Easy Ways to Lose More Weight, the stronger your muscles get, the more weight you will lose!

Yoga is an excellent way to increase flexibility through holding poses that allow for strengthening and stretching the whole body, not just isolated muscles. For years I rarely stretched after running, and was very inflexible. I started taking a Hatha yoga class, and my flexibility has improved dramatically.

Hatha yoga is gentle, slowpaced, and usually includes breathing and meditation exercises. It is a good type of yoga to start out with because it incorporates aspects of many types of yoga. In a Hatha yoga class, you’ll get a good foundation of the various yoga poses and techniques. In the class I am taking, each session usually starts with a few minutes of meditation, about 50 minutes of practicing poses, and then a 5 minute relaxation period which is also intended for meditation. If you aren’t into meditation, it’s still a good opportunity to relax and de-stress.One main goal of Hatha yoga is body alignment, which places an emphasis on strengthening your body’s core.

Hoodia -- a safe diet supplement?

After discussing how dangerous (and sometimes deadly) diet pills can be, I wanted to share a little bit of information I’ve found on one possibly successful weight-loss supplement. One diet pill ingredient that has received the least amount of negative attention is Hoodia Gordonii, which has no known dangers to the body.

After eating, the associated rise in blood sugar is sensed by the brain. The active ingredient in Hoodia causes the brain to sense this rise in blood sugar even when the body has not eaten, thus tricking the brain into thinking that the body is full even when it is not. Some articles I have read on Hoodia point out the dangers of the ingredient for those with diabetes, because the brain will think that there is enough blood sugar even when there is a dangerous drop in blood sugar.

Hoodia is a cactus-like vegetable (so it is not a drug) that has been used for over a thousand years by Sans Bushmen in South Africa to suppress the appetite. The few scientific studies that have been done on Hoodia so far have shown no negative side effects. But, that doesn’t mean that there no bad side effects. The FDA has not approved this ingredient for diet pills, and will not do so until more, longer term studies are done to see if there really are no dangers associated with Hoodia.

Hoodia is not a stimulant so it does not have direct effects on heart rate or metabolism. But, just because a diet pill bottle says it contains Hoodia does not mean there are no effects on the heart. A pill can contain both Hoodia and a metabolism-altering ingredient, and therefore can be just as dangerous. The ingredients will be listed on the label so be sure to read them. Also keep in mind that there are over 21 types of hoodia, but only the one from South Africa has been shown in studies to suppress the appetite.

The Dangers of Diet Pills

With so many Americans being overweight, its easy to see why the weight-loss industry has skyrocketed. Companies are making millions of dollars off of diet pills and supplements, and overweight people are not losing weight as much as they are damaging their health.

Unfortunately, millions of overweight people have taken dangerous weight loss supplements. People see the bottles that say they’ll get more energy, an increased metabolism, will lose 20 pounds in two weeks, etc. Most of these people do not do any outside research or consult a doctor about the ingredients in these pills. Had they done their research, they would see that these “all natural” and “all herbal” pills contain ingredients similar to amphetaines such as speed.

The most well-known diet pill ingredient ephedrine has been linked with over 100 deaths. the most well-known being Steve Bechler, the baseball player who died after taking 3 Xenadrine pills (you can read the CBS article here). Ephedrine was banned by the FDA a few years ago.

Over the counter weight loss pills do not need to be approved or examined by the FDA at all. Today, the only FDA regulation associated with weight loss pills is the removal of ephedrine. However, when many companies reformulated their weight loss pills, the “ephedra-free” pills still had ephedra-like effects like increased heart rate and hypertension. Other companies added more caffeine to their pills, which causes the body to release more stress hormones and can lead to anxiety and heart palpitations.

People have reported many serious side effects of diet pills, but still continue to take them. Some side effects reported are:

• Anxiety
• Diarrhea
• High blood pressure
• Strokes
• Brain Damage
• Chest pain
• Fever
• Impotence
• Heart damage
• Depression
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Heart palpitations
• Heart attack
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Hair loss

There are a few diet pills now offered as prescriptions such as Xenical, Meridia, and Bontril. They are approved and regulated by the FDA, so they have to be tested extensively to accurately capture the side effects. The prescription pills are usually only given to obese people because while they do have some side effects, they are not as serious as the effects that obesity has on the body.

Remember also that if you want to lose weight, you will need to make some changes to your lifestyle and eating habits. Taking a weight loss supplement may help you lose weight, but if you continue to eat too many calories, you will just gain the weight back again. It’ll be much better for your long term health to pass by the weight-loss pill aisle and get to the gym and start eating healthier. This method may result in slower weight loss, but it will also result in longer term weight loss.

9 Easy Ways to Lose More Weight

1. Eat More Fiber

Foods high in fiber take longer to digest, so you feel fuller longer. Fruits and vegetables have a LOT of fiber, vitamin content, AND have a low calorie/volume ratio (large amounts of these foods have fewer calories). Lettuce is extremely high in fiber, but be sure not to have too much salad dressing with it. Swapping white bread for wheat or whole grain bread and white pasta for whole grain pasta are other ways of adding fiber to your diet.

2. Eat Breakfast

Skipping breakfast can destroy all of your weight loss efforts. Not eating breakfast will make you even hungrier throughout the rest of the day. Plus, studies have shown that eating breakfast can increase your metabolic rate by up to five percent!

3. Eat often

Eating many smaller meals keeps blood sugar low and helps to prevent overeating due to excessive hunger. Consuming several small meals also gives you the opportunity to have a lot of variation in your food, so you can get a wide variety of vitamins and minerals throughout the day.

4. Move around

Increasing your movement in daily activities adds up to a lot of extra burned calories. Walking around the office a few minutes several times a day can add up to a half an hour of walking in no time. Parking further away when running errands also helps with adding steps to your day.

5. Get more Calcium

Many recent studies have shown that consuming more calcium is directly related to more weight loss. The University of Tennessee conducted a study on calcium and weight loss in mice. They found that mice who consumed more calcium lost more weight when consuming the same amount of calories as calcium-deficient mice. Creighton University in Nebraska conducted a similar study (but on women) showed similar results -- women who consumed the recommended daily amount of calcium weighed significantly less tan women who did not receive enough calcium. *

Another bonus: Consuming skim milk provides a lot of calcium AND protein, to help keep you fuller longer.

6. Drink More Water

Staying hydrated is vital for achieving and maintaining weight loss, something most people don’t do. People who are constantly dehydrated can experience fatigue, moodiness, digestive problems, and trouble staying on focus. Water helps your body remove toxins, move nutrients through your blood, maintains body temperature, and even breathe (breathing accounts for about 2 cups of water loss each day). In order to make sure there is adequate water to perform these critical functions in a body that is not receiving enough water, it will begin to store any excess water consumed so that there is water available the next time it gets dehydrated. When water is continuously consumed, your body will reduce the amount of water stored, thus reducing excess water weight and bloating! (Don’t forget also that replacing sodas and juices with water will also help reduce calorie intake.)

7. Work on Strength Training

Strength training helps build muscle, which raises your metabolism. Adding some resistance training to your cardio workouts will help you lose weight much quicker.

8. Get Some sleep

Studies show that sleep loss can halt weight loss! Sleep deprivation can lead to excess eating for two reasons: Results from multiple studies have shown that sleep loss can lead to extra release of hormones that make you feel hungry even when you have eaten plenty of food. Secondly, when the someone is sleep deprived they tend to eat more food to make up for decreased energy levels to help get through the day.

Additionally, sleep loss has been shown to increase the body’s insulin levels, which can lead to additional fat storage (and decreased weight loss). Finally, being tired makes it harder to exercise as intensely as usual, resulting in fewer calories burned.

9. Set Mini-Goals

Setting a goal of losing 20 pounds over six months is not an unrealistic goal (that’s under 1 pound per week, a healthy weight loss rate that will be easier to maintain). However, it is hard for the brain to grasp ‘losing 20 pounds’, because that’s a lot of weight. So break down your overall goal into several smaller ones. Make a goal of losing 2 pounds in 2 weeks, then continue with another 2 pound goal. This method will be much easier to manage and will most likely lead to better results.

*Raloff, Janet. “Calcium may become a dieter’s Best Friend”. Science News. April 29, 2000. Vol. 157, No. 188, p. 277.