WEIGHT LOSS AND NUTRITIONAL BALANCING SCIENCE

By Lawrence Wilson, MD

© revised, July 2008, The Center For Development.

Weight loss is a complex issue. However, with a little understanding of physiology, it is not so difficult to understand why people gain weight and also why some cannot gain weight.

If the principles of nutritional balancing programs are followed carefully, most people will obtain their desired weight without the danger of following deficient diets or taking toxic pills and potions.

WHY SOME GAIN TOO MUCH WEIGHT

This can be divided into four categories. These are too much food, the wrong food, metabolic imbalances and other. Let us consider each of these in some detail.

1. Too much food. This is the first and simplest problem to overcome. It is tempting today to overeat for several reasons. In some people, it is simply a bad habit to eat when tired, eat when anxious or even to eat just to do something.

This is a habit that can be overcome by noting when you eat, keeping the right foods in the house, avoiding friends and locations where people eat too much such as Mexican bars, some restaurants and others.

Other hints are too go to bed early instead of sitting in front of a television at night and to keep the company of people who eat well and wholesomely, rather than the chip and dip crowd or the steak and potato lovers and others who live to eat out and eat a lot.

These hints are not always easy to follow, but they can be done by anyone and will yield excellent results if this is the real cause of overweight. Too often, however, it is not enough, as many know.

2. The wrong food. This is related to the first cause of overweight, in that when one overeats, often it is on the wrong types of foods.

The most common wrong food is carbohydrates. If one just ate meat, or even just watery fruit, it would be harder to gain weight. However, it is easy with donuts, chips, fries, soda pop with sugar, milkshakes, burgers with thick buns and Mexican types of foods.

One rarely sees overweight people at Chinese or Thai restaurants, however, because they eat mostly vegetables and some non-fatty meats, for the most part.

So the kinds of foods one eats and even overeats is important for weight loss.

This problem is handled best by keeping only vegetables, fruits and starchy foods that are healthful at the house and office. Avoid all others in your cupboard entirely.

Stay away from the cookies, cakes, ice creams, soda, pastries, donuts, pizza and many others that are often called “empty calories”. These should be avoided like the plague.

Tell your friends you will only eat with them at Thai, Chinese and very few other restaurants. Most Mexican places are to be strictly avoided, as should any restaurants that specialize in pastas, breads, pastries, cookies, cakes, desserts in general and other starch-laden places. Even steak houses are not as good, as most serve bread, potatoes, rice and more.

Even here, be careful since one can fill up on the rice, for example, although rice is probably the best grain food to eat if one does not want to gain weight. Also, watch the soda pop and even sweetened teas and coffees. Try to eat simply of vegetables, meat, a little potato or rice and not much else. Drink plain tea, plain coffee if you must or diet soda, though this is horrible as well for other reasons than weight gain.

3. Mental/emotional reasons for weight gain. This article does not focus on these. However, food can be an important comfort factor for millions of people, and often has other psychological associations. Other articles on this website discuss issues such as food addictions and cravings in more detail.

4. More complex metabolic imbalances such as a low thyroid gland and others. While some cases of weight gain are fairly simple to correct, many are not. Let us discuss the more complex issues involved in weight gain and weight loss.

METABOLIC IMBALANCES

Most people are aware of these. They include thyroid and adrenal imbalance, water retention, poor circulation and a few others. I will divide them into those found primarily in slow or in fast oxidizers. This will greatly simplify them.

SLOW OXIDATION AND WEIGHT

Slow oxidation is an exhaustion stage of stress. This means the body is tired, and this alone can cause overeating to “keep up one’s strength or energy”. However, it means much more than this.

The slow oxidizer body type – the pear shape. Slow oxidizers tend to gain more weight lower on the body, such as the hips and the legs. It has to do with a low thyroid gland, as explained below. This shape is called the pear shape. However, it is just a figure of speech because weight gain can occur in other areas as well.

Most slow oxidizers gain weight in many areas because they were not always slow oxidizers. Most were fast oxidizers at one time, so they have some of the qualities of fast oxidizers as well.

Low thyroid and adrenal activity. In slow oxidation, the adrenal and thyroid glands are depleted nutritionally. Also, they become filled with toxins instead of nutrients as the nutrient minerals become replaced with less preferred or toxic metals. This is a fascinating phenomenon that is explained more in the article entitled The Theory of Nutritional Balancing Science.

This replacement process leads to reduced glandular activity in almost all cases. This is well known to cause weight gain, in particular in the lower body areas.

Other ways it causes weight gain are if food is metabolized improperly and is converted to fat. This occurs most often in slow oxidizers who overeat on carbohydrate foods, though it occurs often in fast oxidizers as well.

In addition, reduced adrenal glandular activity impairs the body’s ability to convert its stored fat into glucose to reduce fatty deposits.

Impaired circulation is also common in slow oxidizers and is one of the reasons these individuals have some difficulty losing extra weight quickly and safely.

Impaired digestion and absorption of one’s food is the rule, rather than the exception, in slow oxidizers. They often have chronic infections such as candida albicans in the intestines. This further impairs the metabolism of food and can also lead to excess weight gain or loss.

The body may attempt to dilute toxins generated in the intestines, which it cannot get rid of adequately. Also, food sensitivities occasionally cause water retention and weight gain. Wheat is a common culprit among food sensitivities. It is one reason I take everyone off all wheat products. This is not always easy at first, but almost always helps with weight loss, if it is needed.

Leaky gut syndrome in many slow oxidizers can also cause weight gain by causing inflammation in the body. This can cause the body to hold more water or other substances that it otherwise should.

Many, if not all slow oxidizers, are somewhat malnourished. This itself can lead to weight loss, but also to weight gain if one compensates by overeating in an attempt to obtain more nutrients. This is a very common situation, especially in those who live on refined foods. The body calls for more nutrients, so one keeps eating the ‘empty calories’ in a vain attempt to obtain one’s vitamins and minerals.

Emotions. Many slow oxidizers are emotionally shut down. We see this reflected on hair mineral tests when the calcium level is very high. This is called a calcium shell.

At times, these individuals demonstrate a body type that is withdrawn and thin, a representation of their emotional withdrawal. Others, however, withdraw behind layers of excess weight and often poor eating habits.

Copper Toxicity. Most all slow oxidizers are copper toxic and zinc-deficient. One effect of this situation is a decrease in real appetite and an increase in various unusual cravings. This can result in anorexia, but it can also and often does result in odd cravings and a lack of a consistent appetite control.

Hypoglycemia and diabetes. Many slow oxidizers also have a tendency for chronic low blood due to weak adrenal glands. This can attract one to sweets and sugary foods, which may easily contribute to excess weight gain.

Now let us discuss a different metabolic type, the fast oxidizer. One would think, by the name, that these individuals would all be skinny. However, this is rarely the case. Here is why.

FAST OXIDATION AND WEIGHT GAIN

Fast oxidizers are in a more sympathetic state or fight-or-flight mode of body chemistry. This condition is characterized by excessive adrenal and thyroid glandular activity.

In most instances, however, it is a temporary state of irritation caused by the presence of toxic metals or other toxic substances that stimulate the glandular system and the autonomic nervous system.

In fact, these people are often what are called slow oxidizers under some stress. If they follow a nutritional balancing program, in a few months to a year or more, they begin to slow down.

However, while fast oxidizers, here are some of the reasons they can gain excessive weight very easily, especially if they overeat on carbohydrates such as starches and sugary foods.

The fast oxidizer body shape – the apple shape. The classic fast oxidizer shape is the apple shape. It is a tendency to gain most weight gain in the stomach and chest areas. Some also have very thin legs and arms, along with a large trunk.

This is sometimes called a “cushing’s disease” body shape, since it is associated with this illness. It is due to overactive adrenal glands, which is the situation with true fast oxidizers.

However, most fast oxidizers today are, in fact, mixed and many are just slow oxidizers under stress. Therefore, they have a mixed weight gain picture, just as many slow oxidizers do.

Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome X. These people usually gain weight around the waist and in the upper body such as the chest. This is called the ‘apple-shaped’ pattern of weight gain, often seen in men with a large belly and thin legs.

This is a direct effect of excessive carbohydrates in the diet and/or excessive cortisone and cortisol secretion by the adrenal glands. It is a mild form of Cushing’s syndrome, the disease of overactive adrenal glands.

Cortisone and cortisol secretion in excess cause fat deposition, especially in the abdomen and shoulders, where the fat pad is called a ‘buffalo hump’. Fast oxidizers are prone to this condition.

Dietary carbohydrates cause weight gain in fast oxidation. This body type may lose considerable weight quickly just by switching to a diet low in all carbohydrates. Reducing refined grains and white sugars is particularly helpful.

The Atkins dieting approach and fast oxidation. This is the secret to the Atkins dietary approach, which I do not approve of only because it is incomplete. One must take supplements with it and eat a lot of vegetables to make it work best and still be safe.

Water retention. This is common in fast oxidizers for a number of reasons:

1. Cortisol causes water retention. These individuals, more than slow oxidizers, often have poor muscle definition and a pasty, water-logged consistency to their skin and tissues with significant water retention.

2. Cortisone also damages the kidneys, which can lead to water retention. In fact, this occurs in slow oxidizers as well for different reasons, namely the accumulation of toxic metals.

3. A high tissue sodium level tends to cause water retention as a compensatory mechanism.

4. Overeating on carbohydrates aggravates the tendency because carbohydrate foods break down into water, in part. This would not be a problem if the person could handle the excess water, but often they cannot.

A need for zinc, copper and other trace minerals. Fast oxidizers require more zinc in their diets to offset their high sodium levels. Carbohydrates deplete their zinc, which causes their sodium level to rise further.

They do much better on more meats, which contain zinc. This, in turn, helps lower their high sodium level.

High insulin in fast oxidation. Carbohydrate consumption also stimulates insulin production, which is already tending to be higher in fast oxidizers. This, of course, turns starches to fats and lead s directly to fat deposition.

Fast oxidizers need to lower their insulin secretion and the best way to do this, once again, is to limit their carbohydrate intake. Importantly, this includes quality carbohydrates suych as fruits, juices and even some starchy vegetables such as carrots and beets.

A LOW SODIUM/POTASSIUM RATIO AND FAST OXIDATION.

This is a very common occurrence in those who are overweight in fast oxidation. The hair tissue sodium/potassium ratio must be less than 2:1 for this pattern to be present. The pattern is described in much more detail in a separate article by clicking here.

It is a sign that the fast oxidation rate is temporary and will change to slow oxidation soon. It also indicates several imbalances associated with weight gain:

1. Excessive stress, which causes higher cortisone, high cortisol and higher insulin levels, all of which contribute to weight gain.

2. Kidney stress, which causes water retention in many people.

3. Emotional stress such as frustration, resentment and hostility. This also contributes to weight gain, indirectly, as discussed later in this article.

4. Emotional insecurity. This can also cause water retention and weight gain in some people who eat to feel safe or loved.

MIXED PATTERNS

Many people’s metabolic pattern is a mixture of fast and slow oxidation due to the presence of toxic metals, nutrient deficiencies and other factors including mental/emotional ones. A first hair mineral analysis on these individuals may indicate fast or slow oxidation, and the pattern changes on later tests.

There is no way to predict the shifts in the oxidation rate, and one can only follow the dietary and supplementary nutrient programs faithfully through the changes until one is clear of toxic metals and chemicals. As this occurs, the mixed pattern will resolve, often within a few months, to either slow or fast oxidation.

HOW HEALING OCCURS

In our experience, one will require a strict diet and a few nutritional supplements to correct either fast or slow oxidation. When one follows the regimen for weeks, months or even several years if the body chemistry is very damaged to begin with, weight will settle at a healthful level.

The time factor in weight loss. This varies depending on genetics, glandular balance and other factors. We recommend setting aside any “instant cures” mentality and deciding that one will do what it takes for a few years, if needed, to achieve one’s healthful weight loss.

This means several years of attention to the correct diet, the proper supplements, a healthful lifestyle and emotional control. Extra detoxification procedures are also often required including infrared sauna therapy, colon hydrotherapy, body work and other natural healing modalities.

If one will follow such as natural healing program, most weight problems are quite solvable without the use of surgery, harmful drugs, which basically includes all of them, extreme diets, fasting, which is also unsafe for most people except for short juice fasts and other harmful weight loss methods.

UNEXPLAINED WEIGHT LOSS

Now let us address an opposite problem. Why are some people very thin and cannot gain weight. This can apply to fast as well as slow oxidizers, so I will combine the answers for both body types, though some differences occur.

Sympathetic dominance. This means that a person overuses their sympathetic nervous systems, also called the fight-or-flight nervous system. This nervous system has a variety of subtle effects that are associated with the lean or slender body type. Sometimes these people are referred to as ‘thyroid types’ and they tend to maintain a slender body, although they may be quite ill with cancer, diabetes and other conditions.

Primary or secondary hyperthyroidism that occurs often in slow oxidizers that is due to a toxic thyroid and pituitary condition. This can in fact cause significant weight loss and is one reason for weight loss in a slow oxidizer.

Copper, low zinc and anorexia. Some slow oxidizers are prone to anorexia due to copper toxicity, which results in a thin and unhealthy body.

Impaired digestion due to toxic metals and infections. Many factors can interfere with food digestion and absorption in fast or slow oxidizers. These indluce toxic metals, infections in the intestines that are very common causes and more.

Stress. Stress depletes many minerals and impairs digestion a lot. Poor eating habits such as eating on the run or in one’s car while driving is an example of how stress affects digestion and can impair it severely.

Lifestyle. Just as one’s lifestyle can cause weight gain, it can also tend one toward weight loss. Stress, nervousness, irritability and other emotions often cause some people to stop eating very much.

Also, running around too much causes weight loss from lack of calories commensurate with one’s activity level. Other reasons are possible due to emotional influences as well.

Other. Toxic metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and others can occasionally cause weight loss very severely. This is associated with cancer, for example, and other chronic and degenerative conditions that cause weight loss. Appetite is impaired and other factors such as atrophy of the intestinal lining causes weight loss and eventual death unless the process is reversed quickly.

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