The truth is, dieters have been told to avoid fat for too long. Some  people are so afraid of fat that they seriously believe that one hardy,  delicious meal will make them gain weight. Yet, many dieters are  subsisting on salads and carrots sticks without seeing the results they  want. Something is obviously wrong with the way we define low-fat diets.  I mean, how much fat should be “low-fat” anyway?

Control Your Calories, but Eat What You Want

There is only one way to lose weight: You must create a calorie deficit.  Just in case you didn’t catch that the first time, the only way to lose weight is to consume less calories than you burn. This is called a “calorie deficit.” If you are trying to lose weight, this is what you need to create.

There are so many diets available nowadays that people are unreasonably scared of fat and carbohydrates. Some people even believe that dairy causes weight gain. However, there is no food or nutrient that will automatically make you gain weight. Eating more calories than your body needs is what causes weight gain.

As long as you consume fewer calories than your body needs to function, you will begin losing fat. The surprising thing is that you can eat whatever foods you want, assuming that you keep your calories within your daily allowance. You can lose weight eating chocolate, pizza, burgers, and any of your other favorite foods. Of course, over the long term, this kind of eating is likely to harm you. But for short term weight loss, it really doesn’t matter what you eat.

Fat Is Not That Bad a Guy

It’s really not. In fact, it’s important to have some fat in your diet.  Certain vitamins, like vitamins A, D, E, and K, are fat soluble. If these vitamins aren’t taken with a bit of fat, they will not be absorbed by the body.

There are also different kinds of fats: saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, trans, and omega-3 essential fatty acids. While saturated and trans fats are harmful when consumed in large quantities, omega-3s and unsaturated fats are healthy. These fats support heart health, prevent heart disease, balance insulin levels, and lower blood pressure. Low-fat diets keep people away from these important fats. Some researchers believe that we could garner 50 percent of our daily calories from fat and still call it “low-fat.” They are learning that most fats are good for you.

Has Anyone Actually Lost Weight on the “Eat Anything You Want” Diet?

People lose weight by restricting their calories every single day. As proof of this, CNN ran an article about a man named Mark Haub, who went on a Twinkie diet in 2010. For two months, Mr. Haub ate 1,800 calories worth of Twinkies, Hostess products, Doritos, Oreos, cereal, and other delicious treats. By the end of his diet, he lost 27 pounds.[1]

If Mark Haub can lose almost four pounds a week on a Twinkie diet, you can certainly eat your favorite foods and still lose weight. To ensure success, figure out how many calories you need to eat each day to maintain your weight. Once you know your caloric needs, subtract around 500 calories from that number. One pound of fat contains 3,500 calories.  So if you eliminate 500 calories from your daily diet, you will lose one pound each week. If you add in some exercise, you’ll be losing even more.

On a restricted calorie diet, you can eat whatever foods you want. Of course, you should try to make healthy choices most of the time. While a moderate amount of fat won’t hurt you, poor nutrition will. So make sure to enjoy some fruits and vegetables along with your fattening favorites. Make up your own mind about what “low-fat” means and enjoy your diet!

[1] http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

Prevent Unwanted Weight Gain

Women between the ages of 25 and 44¹ tend to lead lifestyles that are more sedentary. Sitting behind a desk all day can cause you to collect unwanted pounds unless you find a way to burn the extra calories you are taking in. Doing a little exercise every day will help prevent calories from settling into unwanted fat. It is easier to maintain a healthy weight if you can keep from gaining extra pounds in the first place. An active lifestyle is the best way to avoid packing on the pounds, especially if you spend most of your time at work sitting still.

Maintains Elevated Moods

Exercising causes your body to release powerful endorphins into your bloodstream. These endorphins elevate your metabolism and give you more energy while you are working out. They also elevate your mood and make you feel better. If you exercise on a regular basis, you will be able to maintain your elevated mood even when you don’t have endorphins in your system because your metabolism rate will stay at a higher-level all of the time. You’ll have more energy all of the time for the activities that you enjoy.

Keeps Muscles Strong and Useful

As you age, your muscles can lose their strength and toning. The old adage of “use it or lose it” definitely applies when it comes to human muscles. Exercises that provide strength training are a good way to maintain muscle tone and slow down the deterioration of your muscles. Keeping your muscles strong can also be good for your bones because strong muscle tissue causes less bone strain. It is not necessary to do muscle building exercises to increase your muscle mass in order to benefit from simple strength exercises that help keep your muscles healthy.

Helps Blood Sugar Levels Remain Steady

Regular exercise is a powerful tool for diabetics who need to keep their blood sugar levels steady. A half hour of exercise can burn excess sugars and bring down blood sugar levels substantially. Some diabetics have found that following their dietary guidelines and exercising daily has been able to keep them from becoming insulin dependent. Even if you do need to use insulin to regulate your blood sugar, regular exercise will keep your blood circulating well and help reduce some of the more uncomfortable symptoms of being diabetic. Talk with your doctor before you begin an extensive exercise regimen.

Save Time and Feel Better

There are some simple ways to work exercise into your daily routine without setting aside specific time at the gym. Every day you are faced with choices that could be turned into opportunities to get a little exercise. If you are going up three floors or less in a building, choose the stairs rather than the elevator. Studies show that climbing the stairs at a steady pace will get you to your destination faster than waiting for the elevator. Park in a spot further away from the grocery store for a few extra steps of walking. Some low impact exercises you can do while you are sitting and watching television.

Drop Pounds without Sacrificing Bone Density

Regular exercise is safer and healthier than chemical weight loss programs. When you exercise, you strengthen your muscles and send more oxygen through your system. This means that your bones receive a benefit from the exercise as much as your muscles do. Studies have shown that dieting without exercising regularly can cause you to lose bone density as you lose weight. Reduced bone density can cause your bones to become more brittle and break more easily as you get older. A good exercise routine is healthier for your waistline and your skeletal system.

Planning a Workout Regimen That Fits You Best

You will have better success reaching your fitness goals if you plan an exercise routine that will help you reach concrete goals. Assess your current fitness level and begin with a plan that will challenge you without causing injury. Most adults should exercise at least 75 minutes each week,² with at least two days of strength training. Build up your workouts slowly as you gain more stamina and strength. Write down your exercise plan and create realistic goals that you can achieve within a specific period. Make sure you allow yourself time to recover after each workout. Your muscles need to repair themselves after exercise so that they can be stronger the next time you work out.

Keeping Track of Progress

A daily exercise diary can be a good way to stay motivated while you are exercising. Write down everything you do on a daily basis that could qualify as exercise. If you climb the stairs at work, add that to your diary. You might be surprised how much activity you are doing when you don’t realize it. An exercise diary will keep you accountable for making sure you do some exercise every day, and it can be satisfying to make a new entry at the end of the day.

¹ http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get-healthy/fitness/6-surprising-reasons-to-work-out

² http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fitness/HQ00171

High Intensity Sweeteners

These compounds are sweeter than common table sugar, also known as sucrose. Only six intensely sweet sugar substitutes are approved for use in the United States. They include acesulfame potassium (ACK, Sweet One®, and Sunett®), aspartame, stevia, neotame, saccharin, and sucralose.

The public debate continues whether artificial sweeteners, used continuously and ongoing, can lead to health risks. Many studies by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) remain inconclusive about potential harmful effects to health from artificial sweeteners¹.

Studies on Artificial Sweeteners

A study conducted by researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases finds artificial sweeteners do not contain significant amounts of carbohydrates. The body’s sugar regulating function simply ignores the artificial sweeteners². However, that does not mean sugar substitutes have no effect on human health.

Drs. Susan Swithers and Terry Davidson, both Psychologists at Purdue University’s Ingestive Behavior Research Center³, found that when rats ate yogurt sweetened with glucose (a simple sugar with 15 calories/teaspoon, the same as table sugar) vs. rats given yogurt sweetened with zero-calorie saccharin, later consumed more calories. The rats gained more weight, put on more body fat, and were unable to make up for the excess weight by cutting back later.

The study authors surmised that by breaking the connection between a sweet sensation and high-calorie food, the use of saccharin changes the body’s ability to regulate intake. Data suggests that consuming a food sweetened with no-calorie saccharin can lead to greater body-weight gain vs. someone consuming the same food sweetened with a higher-caloric sugar. Apparently, artificial sweeteners don’t fool your body. It expects something sweet and therefore continues to send the craving signal until it is satisfied with real sugars.

According to another research team at Princeton University, you should have a little bit of food containing real sugar (not high fructose corn syrup) when sugar cravings act up. Psychology professor Bart Hoebel indicates that high fructose will cause weight gain and obesity. The best you can do is stay away from having too much of any food that is artificially sweetened, like diet soda or food containing artificial sweeteners.

Remove the Sweetness

Many people in the Northeast are used to drinking “coffee regular” for years, two cream and two sugars. If you have ever tried a diet where all you could have is black coffee, you may find it is difficult returning to sugar or sweetener in your coffee. Many find that after cutting all sweeteners from their diets, they can no longer tolerate artificial sweeteners.

Keeping it Simple and Sweet

Artificial sweeteners are much sweeter than sugar, yet your body responds to them based on the sweetness, not the number of calories. Going back to the basics by removing all unnecessary sweeteners can reduce your sweet cravings, helping you eat healthier.

Eating in moderation is always the best solution. Keeping it simple seems to be a good rule to eat and live by. You should ask yourself, “Has an artificial solution ever performed better than an original, natural one?”

For more information about artificial sweeteners, contact the FDA:

Address: 10903 New Hampshire Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20993
Telephone: 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)

Internet Web site: http://www.fda.gov/

¹ http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2006/ucm108650.htm

² http:// www.naturalnews.com/028592_artificial_sweeteners_sugar.html

³ http:// www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/96849.php

When It Comes To Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned beef and cabbage could possibly be the most infamous foods related to the Irish and the holiday. However when this heavy comforting meal sticks in your stomach it also sticks to your gut by way of weight and fat. Cabbage alone is a healthy food and has viable nutrients in it. With added corned beef, carrots, flavoring, and potatoes you can wind up with 1200 calories in a single  bowl, however the key here is portion control, sodium control, and making sure it is prepared right. When indulging in corned beef cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day keep it on the slim by:

• Boiling the Corned beef to extract the most amount of sodium as possible. This is the main culprit that will make you feel fat and bloated near into April.
• Most corned beef contains a generous amount of fat. That is what makes it so good. Be sure you slice the fat off the brisk when serving it and consuming it. This will slash the amount of overall fat you consume when you eat it.
• Leave it to one potato. When you eat a bunch of potatoes, this can overload you with carbs. Try to control your calories by consuming what would amount to a single potato. Try eating more carrots instead, they have a ton of carotene in them and are very filling, but low in calories.
• Portion control. Make sure that when you do chow down, you chew your food enjoy it slowly. Spend time chatting so that you eat less, leave some left on your plate, and measure it to a small bowl. Corned beef and cabbage is filling, let it slowly fill you up and you will get fuller faster thus eating less.

Green Beer, Alcohol, Spirits, and Irish Ale

It is shown that having a beer or two a day in moderate consumption can indeed be good for your health. However, some individuals choose to over do their celebrations which can lead to major intoxication, massive regrets, hardcore hangovers, and a fat belly. So here are some tips here for avoiding the alcohol pitfalls of St. Patrick’s Day:

• Remember true Irish can drink. Do not try to drink like them, you will fail!  Take it in stride, and keep it in moderation.
• Lighter ales and beers contain less calories. Try light beer.
• Make sure you eat before you start drinking.
• Drink plenty of water, hangovers are caused mainly be dehydration.
• Do not drink fast and hard, no chugging, it will knock you down for the count.
• Try to keep the alcoholic beverages under 1 an hour, and 3 in the evening or day.
• Watch the mixed concoctions. They contain tons of sugar, calories, and may go down smooth but pack a punch.
• Workout before going out, so that you can compensate for the amount of calories you may eat and drink.
• Do not drink and drive. For yours and others safety.

St. Patrick’s day can call for some celebrating, some good eats, and a bunch of fun. However, it does not have to take your health, diet, and well-being with it. Keep in mind that there are other ways that you can compromise, still enjoy your day, and be capable of living with yourself come March 18th, and follow these few tips.

• Walk: You may not be a real active person, and with this you will need to start out slow. However, activity any activity is better than no activity at all. To begin with some sort of fitness regimen, you should try walking first. Warm up for 5-10 minutes per walk, and try at least 15 minutes to start. Listen to your body, and if you can walk a faster pace do it, if you want to walk further do it. You should be able to gradually increase your pace, and the length of time and distance in which you walk.
• Join The Gym: Sometimes joining a gym can help you to become more socially interactive with your fitness. There are trainers, and other members of the gym that can help you towards your goals. In addition, gyms have an array of equipment, feature classes, and can assist you in escaping the monotony of  a traditional workout. A gym offers many benefits and should be considered, especially when a person is serious about acquiring health and a fit body from exercise.
• Workout At Home: Some people  do not have the money or time to workout at the gym. In this case, there are other options one can take when still wanting to exercise fr the benefit of their health. An individual can use equipment they can purchase at the store, or watch the fitness channels on TV, or even get workout videos at the library to supplement their exercise program inexpensively. This way they can exercise in the privacy of their home, and reap the benefits of their efforts. Anything is better than nothing.
• Use Recreational Sports: Although many people do not realize this, sports is a form of exercise and can enable person to burn calories,  burn fat, build muscle, and achieve fitness. For the person that gets bored with a normal workout routine, an individual may want to join several sports activities such as a bowling league, baseball team, swimming alliance, football league, or even participate in all sorts of recreational activities to become more fit.

Variety is key- Well some people enjoy a variety, and with this you can do any physical activity and workout that you wish. The more the better, use the gym, walk in your spare time, participate in recreational activities and you will really find your body looking better in no time. Just remember that good nutrition compliments fitness, and that if you eat lousy, exercising will not erase all the adverse effects of ill nutrition. Also, eating nutritiously is not as beneficial for health as when it is paired with some sort of exercise program.

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A lot of people think bariatric surgery is quite simple – you go in, you get an operation, and then you look like a supermodel. While that would be ideal, that is not representative of the actual experience you will have. There is a lot of preparation that needs to take place before and after your surgery so you lose as much weight with as less stress as possible. There are many things you need to consider, but the most important ones are your diet, your future lifestyle, and your plan for your recovery time.

Start Dieting Now

Most doctors recommend that someone getting ready for a bariatric should go on a diet before their procedure is done. The more weight you lose before the surgery, the safer it will be and the less stress your body will be put under. Also, you will be able to experience some satisfaction immediately, and this will alleviate some of the fear of having a major surgical procedure done. If you see weight coming off before your diet, you will be more motivated to go through with it.

Change Your Lifestyle

Along with loosing weight before your surgery, now is a great time to start changing your life. If you are looking to lose a lot of weight before your procedure, you can go on a diet and accomplish that with relative ease. But, you can’t stay on a diet for the rest of your life – you need to change the way you think about food and exercise. Think ahead – start adopting some of the healthy habits you are planning to make after the surgery now. Building momentum like this is very useful, and can make you more successful in the long run.

Make A Recovery Time Plan

It is a huge mistake to go have a bariatric procedure done without making a plan for you and your family while you are recovering. Sure, you will be able to leave the hospital in a few days, but you are not going to be the same person you were when you went in. Not only will you still experience minor pain, you may experience short bouts of depression or even compulsive overeating. These kinds of things are somewhat normal after a gastric bypass are done, but you need to plan ahead. Make sure your loved one will be cared for and you will be able to relax during your recovery time.

Having a gastric bypass, a lap band surgery, or any other kind of bariatric procedure is a life changing process. The more you know about what to expect, the better you will be able to prepare for the experience you are going to be going through. Luckily, you will have a lot of help in this department – your doctor will give you all the information you need to insure that your weight loss surgery is as pain and hassle free as possible!

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One of the hardest things you can do in life is lose weight. Ask 10 of your friends if they have gone on a diet and what their results have been like – 9 of them have probably failed, and the 10^th person is probably lying about their success. Weight loss is a simple process, yet it is so difficult to adhere to. There must be a better way…

For people who are extremely obese, there is – it’s called bariatric surgery. There are a number of bariatric surgical procedures that can actually reduce the size of your stomach, causing you to eat less and lose weight. But, is this approach always successful?

In General, Bariatric Surgery Is Quite Successful In Producing Weight Loss…

Most forms of bariatric surgery have very high levels of success in achieving rapid weight loss. Something like 90% of all the surgeries help people lose weight and keep it off in the long run. These are incredible, and if you have tried to diet without the help of a bariatric surgical procedure, you will know that the success rate is not even close to that amount. You have to understand, though, that the actual surgery does not offer any actual immediate weight loss – it is all about how you change your life when the surgery is done!

The Weight Loss Doesn’t Come From The Actual Surgery…

Besides liposuction, no bariatric procedures actually offer any immediate weight loss. They don’t pump body fat out of your system – all they do is “reorganize” your stomach (and in the case of a gastric bypass, your intestines) so your brain will get the “I’m full” signal much sooner. Many people don’t understand this concept. Of course, once you talk to your doctor, they will explain it more in depth to you. Surgery is does not offer weight loss, it offers a tool to help you have an easier time losing weight…

You Need To Change Your Diet To Achieve Success

Finally, it doesn’t matter what procedure you get done, from a lap band to a gastric bypass or even liposuction – you need to change your diet and change your life to lose weight. Weight loss is achieved by caloric restriction – plain and simple. You have to eat less than your body needs. Having a bariatric procedure done will make it a whole lot easier for you to achieve this, but you still need to reduce your calorie consumption and exercise more.

If you follow all the required steps and learn what it takes to actually lose weight, a bariatric surgery can be very successful in helping you drop weight quickly. But, it’s not as easy as just having a surgery – it helps, but you need to change your diet and the way you think about food. When a diet and a bariatric procedure are used in conjunction, there are very few cases of people not reaching their goals! If you want to achieve this, start looking into your weight loss surgery options today!

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We all know that to lose weight, you have to eat less food than your body needs – it’s a simple concept. But, why do so many people have trouble grasping this?

Herein lies the problem – when someone is extremely obese, there are usually other factors at play, mainly psychological. It doesn’t matter what you tell them or what diet they go on – their mind takes over and they just can’t lose weight. It’s not their fault. Does that mean they are hopeless? Of course not. There is a solution to their problem – it’s called bariatric surgery.

But, how do you know when one of the various bariatric procedures (gastric bypass, lap band, etc) is right for you? Here are some scenarios where a surgical weight loss procedure may be a good idea…

If You Are Incredibly Obese…

If you are extremely overweight and have a body mass index of over 40 (For a 6’ male, that would be a weight of over 300 pounds and for a 5’ 6’’ female, that would be a weight of over 250 pounds), then it may be a good idea to have a surgical weight loss procedure performed. If this sounds like you, it is probably best that you schedule an appointment with your doctor and consult with them as to what the best plan of action is.

If Your Obesity Is Causing Health Problems…

If your obesity is causing you any health problems and your doctor is concerned that something bad can happen very soon, you should probably consider getting a weight loss procedure done. There are so many bad things that can happen to someone that is extremely overweight that sometimes, the risk of a surgical procedure like a gastric bypass or a lap band is necessary. You can’t make this decision on your own, though – you should consult with your doctor.

If You Have Tried Traditional Diets and Failed…

Lastly, if you have tried dieting the traditional way and it has not worked for you, a surgical weight loss procedure may be right for you. Sometimes, no matter how hard someone tries, they just can’t stick to a diet. Some people are emotional eaters, and some people just love food too much. There is nothing wrong with that – but if they need to lose weight and lose it fast, traditional caloric restriction is not the answer.

Sometimes, it is more beneficial for someone to go on a diet in conjunction with a lap band or a gastric bypass than just following a diet alone. If you are already somewhat lean (less than 30% body fat) and are not experiencing any health problems due to your obesity, you can probably get away with focusing on a medically supervised diet to shed those extra pounds and get down to a healthy weight. But, if you are over that threshold and are having medical issues, it may be best to have a surgical weight loss procedure done as soon as possible.

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Does the same principle hold for people? Psychiatrists who are emphasizing nutritional therapy for alcoholics say, “yes.” Most alcoholics are able to stop drinking and even lose interest in alcohol if they are given proper nutritional supplements and are maintained on diets that exclude foods to which they are allergic.

Studies show that alcoholic mice gradually become more and more deficient in vitamins and minerals, since alcohol contains neither vitamins nor minerals. The more the mice drink, the less they eat, and as they drift deeper into their deficiency state, they become more and more interested in alcohol!

In another experiment, mice were gradually fed more and-more sugar so that they became more and more deficient in vitamins and minerals. (since sugar, like alcohol, provides “empty” calories). Like the alcoholic mice, these animals became progressively more interested in sugar and less interested in other food. In other words, they became addicted to empty calories.

Deficiencies cause a change in the metabolism of mice so they crave the very food that harms them. Hence they perpetuate and even exacerbate their illness, producing more and more deficiencies by consuming more and more of the deficient foods.

This is exactly what happens with human alcoholics: All alcoholics start drinking modestly and gradually increase their intake of alcohol, so that more and more of their diet is composed of empty calories. Hence they increase their deficiencies which in turn makes them more and more interested in alcohol.

In my view, mice become more interested in alcohol and sugar when they are vitamin deficient because they develop an allergic addiction to alcohol and sugar. In my article on food allergies you will have noted that allergic addictions produce a temporary mood lift so that the person (or the mouse) wants to return to the substance time and time again to repeat the_. lift. Allergic addictions are quite common in life. They frequently result in obesity. People gorge on sweets and bakery products. This produces more and more vitamin deficiencies. And this makes them more and more hungry because it increases their allergic state, just as in the vicious cycle of the alcoholic.

People we call allergic or hypersensitive must have an inborn error of metabolism, but we know from experimental evidence with mice and with people that allergic states and hypersensitivi­ties can be reduced by the use of vitamins and minerals.

On the other hand vitamin and mineral deficiencies make the allergic state worse.

It is possible to have an allergic addiction to foods that do not necessarily make vitamin and mineral deficiencies worse. These food addictions are not nearly as serious as addictions to alcohol and sugar. For example, 1 have patients addicted to such foods as apples, lettuce; or even to concentrated protein powders that some nutritionists advocate.

It is possible to make some strains of mice d rink more heavily if you bang bells and make them generally uncomfortable in their cages. You “drive them to drink.” Yet other strains of mice in the same environment cannot be driven to drink, no matter how uncomfortable you make them.

We people tend greatly to overemphasize our surroundings and our problems and to blame them for troubles that are really biochemical. If you think you have problems, check out your nutritional supplements and your food allergies. Once all of these are in ideal balance, 95 out of 100 of your problems will have disappeared. You will be able to cope with your remaining problems with a little finger, even if it previously required both arms and both shoulders just to keep your problems from crushing you.

Although this is a article on nutrition and emotional disorders, I would like to commend the work of AA and encourage anyone with alcohol problems to seek AA help. In general, AA has been hostile toward psychiatrists, mainly because of the unpleasant experiences AA members had during the ’40s and ’50s when psychiatrists routinely gave patients barbiturates, changing them from alcoholics to barbiturate addicts. But one of the AA’s co-founders, Bill Wilson, was a very strong advocate of nutritional approaches (including mega vi­tamins) as an aid to anyone who wanted to give up alcohol.

THE SPECIAL NUTRITIONAL NEEDS OF ALCOHOLICS

• ANYONE SUFFERING FROM ALCOHOLISM MUST GIVE SPECIAL ATTENTION TO HIS NUTRITIONAL NEEDS.

That sentence should be written in flashing red neon letters a yard high and placed in every room of the alcoholic’s home.

First lie should be on the basic nutritional program as detailed elsewhere: Natural vitamins A, 10,000 units daily; D,   400 units daily; E, 200 units breakfast and lunch; ascorbic acid powder, one teaspoon in water four times daily; a 50 mg. B complex capsule brewers’ or primary yeast, one heaping tablespoon in water two times daily; one teaspoon dolomite four times a day, and safflower oil, one teaspoon daily (all with his physician’s approval).

Most persons with alcoholism would do well to add mega vitamins to their nutritional supplements, again with their physician’s approval. See the section on mega vitamins for details.

It is most important for alcoholics to check out their food allergies also, since almost everyone with this problem suffers from food allergic addictions. If these are not solved, the chances of recovery will fall drastically.

Some aspects of nutrition are especially important in treating alcoholism. I want to remind the reader that every aspect of nutrition is important for the alcoholic.

Each person suffering from alcoholism should ‘be given special tests for food allergies (as detailed in the article on food allergies). Skin tests are of no help. If tests are not done, then the alcoholic should assume he is allergic to table sugar, to grains. (other than brown rice), to milk products (other than butter), and to fruit and these should be eliminated from the diet in most cases.

THE DOLOMITE NEEDS OF ALCOHOLICS

Generally, it is particularly important for a person with alcoholism to get extra amounts of magnesium, taken in the form of two or three teaspoons of powdered dolomite at bedtime in water or one teaspoon three or four times a day, depending on which schedule makes him feel best. Gluconate 500 mg. is excellent for people who don’t easily assimilate the magnesium from dolomite. If you don’t take dolomite, add calcium gluconate to your supplements, 1000 mg. daily.

THE GLUTAMINE NEEDS OF ALCOHOLICS

Glutamine, an amino acid, constitutes, along with glucose, the bulk of nourishment used by the nervous system. Glutamine can give an enormous lift to people with a malfunction in the metabolism of the central nervous system, especially people who are tired or depressed. Glutamine can be very stimulating even over stimulating-to some people. When I take a couple of capsules I feel as if I have been pumped full of speed.

Glutamine often offers special relief to the alcoholic. An alcoholic, like a sugar addict, gets more and more hooked on his poison as he becomes more and more malnourished and has more vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Once this damaged metabolism extends to the appetite control in the hypothala­mus, he is even more likely to spree drink.

A research scientist at the University of Texas, became interested in an unknown substance present in extracts of many plants and animals able to protect living cells from alcohol poisoning. The unknown substance proved to be glutamine, an amino acid present in many protein foods but frequently destroyed, i.e., turned into glutamic acid. In laboratory tests, bacteria were poisoned by adding alcohol to the medium in which they grew; when glutamine was added to the medium, the bacteria could tolerate much higher doses of alcohol without suffering damage.

When glutamine is given to alcoholic rats and hamsters, they lose their desire for alcohol, or greatly diminish their intake. Although long-range experiments on humans have not yet been conducted, some spectacular results have been documented. J. B. reports one case of an alcoholic who was given glutamine without his knowledge (glutamine is tasteless). Abruptly and for-no apparent reason, the man gave up drinking, got a job, and in a follow-up two years later reported that he no longer had any desire to drink.

Although glutamine is not a miracle cure by itself, and does not necessarily help every alcoholic, I strongly recommend that it be given a trial by anyone with a drinking problem. If your druggist doesn’t carry it you can order it from Chemists. If you want to take it just for a potential lift, begin at one 200-mg. capsule three times a day, for a week, increasing to two capsules three times a day the second week, as part of your experimental nutrition.

If you are trying to control a drinking problem, take five capsules three times a day. If it speeds you up too much, take it at meals and not at bedtime. If necessary, decrease the dose and build back up more slowly.

There have never been any reports of unfavorable side-effects from glutamine, so you can take as much as you feel you need, though I see little point in exceeding 3000 or 4000 mg. three or four times a day. Remember that the deleterious effects of alcohol may be more acute than the effects of simple malnutrition, so be sure you give glutamine time to help you recoup the losses that your nervous system may have suffered already. As with other recommendations in this article you should follow your doctor’s advice. Be sure, you are taking glutamine, not glutamic acid which does not protect against alcohol poisoning. Many doctors and druggists confuse the two.

CHOLINE, INOSITOL, AND ALCOHOLISM

Because nearly everyone who has suffered from alcoholism for any period of time has sustained some liver damage, a source of choline and inositol is especially important. The best source is lecithin, two heaping tablespoons twice a day. Twice this amount would give an added margin of safety. Brewers’ or primary yeast also helps supply these important vitamins.

THE THIAMIN NEEDS OF ALCOHOLICS

Special attention should be given to thiamine since some patients with alcoholism have long experienced a thiamine deficiency and often require massive amounts over an indefinite period. I recommend 500 to 1000 or perhaps 1500 mg. three times a day. Again, some people find thiamine quite stimulating. It should be taken in doses that are not over stimulating and of  course thiamine should be taken in conjunction with the other B

vitamins since all the B vitamins work together.

Although thiamine has a stimulating effect on many people, some people find it has a marked calming effect on them.

THE VITAMIN B₁₂ NEEDS OF ALCOHOLICS

The next emphasis should be placed on vitamin B12b (hydroxocobalamine). Most alcoholics do better with large injections of vitamin B12b. When I was giving a speech in L.A. not long ago a woman came up to me saying she had for many years been an alcoholic. When she gave up alcohol, she became schizophrenic and then happened to be given an injection of vitamin Biz by a family doctor. She immediately felt greatly improved and began taking injections of 5000 mcg. daily because she discovered this was the only dose which would maintain her feeling of well-being. Since learning about hydroxocobalamine (vitamin B12b) from one of my papers, she switched to this form of vitamin B_iz and discovered she could cut her dose in half.

People suffering from alcoholism would be well advised to have therapeutic trials on vitamin Bob injections, regardless of what their blood levels show. Special attention should also be paid to the folic acid needs of these patients; some need as many as 80 mg. daily of folic acid.

Being thin helps to keep you thin. When you start getting positive feedback from your friends and from your mirror you will like what you see and want to keep yourself that way. At this point you have learned many ways to get thin. You also know how to stay that way. Life can be pleasure-full when you take control.

I used to be a believer in luck, both good and bad. Then I started to observe that “good luck” seems to come to certain people again and again while “bad luck” tags along behind others with frequency.

I can’t promise that being thin is going to change your luck. I can tell you that it changed mine. I feel so good about myself that pleasant things happen to me all the time. When you become thin and stay thin and realize you did it for yourself and you know you did it because you care about yourself, don’t be surprised if the quality of your life improves. The changes reflect your much improved self-esteem.

You can do that, or you can play house with every new diet that comes along, lose some weight and then gain it back. That way you can continue to make your contribution to the hundreds of millions of dollars spent yearly by dieters. A friend asked me what my gimmick was. What’s the trick in getting thin? And more important, what’s the trick in staying thin?

I asked him if he was listening carefully because I was about to let him in on the secret. As he bent for­ward so as not to miss a word I told him softly what he already knew. The secret is that there is no secret. The secret is that if you’re fat, you know what you have to do.

However, I short-changed him. I gave him only half an answer. There is indeed a “secret” and it is so sound that you’ll never find it in diet articles, diet articles in newspapers and magazines or ads for diet products.

I shall share this secret with you shortly.

This article is for all of you who have gimmicked yourselves to the hilt. It’s for those of you who have closets full of bran left over from the high-fiber ap­proach to getting thin. It’s for you, too, who have half-empty containers of liquid protein, crowded out by partially used tins of powdered protein.

This article is for all of you who have squirreled away diet pills from assorted prescriptions of those “emer­gency” times when you need help over that plateau period.

And let’s not overlook those who have bowed to re­ceive shots of HCG; or who have carried bags of spinach leaves for the Scarsdale plan; or others who go in and out of spas or fat farms. This article is for all of you who are ready to admit that no matter how many ways you have reduced, you have never managed to keep your weight off.

Most of all, this article is for those who want to devote their lives to the pleasures that eating can offer. If there is a gimmick in my way of staying thin it is in my determination not to eat any food that isn’t going to give me pleasure. And, even more, to never miss those foods that do.

Most of those who stay fat believe they must satisfy their appetite drives immediately. Those of us who stay thin satisfy appetite too but we are in control of when we eat. Yes, it involves adopting a mature attitude and sense of responsibility. But the gratification of taking that responsibility is nothing less than terrific.

I’m not fat and I don’t miss any good foods. Ironi­cally, I often eat more even in quantity than I did when I was fat. Planning when and what you are going to eat is the method. It’s exciting to have control over your food. You can stop thinking about dieting when you know hi advance that you have a satisfying menu ahead of you.

When you are thin you’ll get a genuine kick when people watch as you consume food with a hearty appe­tite and wonder “How does she (or he) do it and stay thin?”

Okay, Carole, you’ve told us all of that. But what is the ultimate way to get it off and keep it off?

You’ve waited a long time. There is a wonderfully sound way to lose weight.

Once while attending the International Article Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, a friend and I were having dinner. Roger Price, the humorist who created Droodles and Mad Libs, came along and sat with us. He watched intensely while I ate.

The next day he made his confession.

It seems he hadn’t been particularly hungry and so didn’t want to order any of the overpriced food. Look­ing at my slim figure, Roger assumed that I’d never finish the food on my plate. He’d eat my leftovers, and thus fill his stomach and save an easy twenty dollars.

You can imagine his surprise to see me consume everything, with obvious enjoyment.

When he told me the next afternoon how my appetite had foiled his plans, he asked, “How can you eat that much food and stay as thin as you are? You must be naturally thin!”

One comment like that makes it all worthwhile.

When it was announced to the article trade that I was writing this article, I found that I had indeed opened myself up hi the way I knew would be necessary in order for me to be able to help others to lose weight.