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Client of the Month

Disney Trip Has Fairytale Ending

by Elizabeth Fergason

Jennifer Trizuto took her family Disneyland last spring.  It was a great trip but when she saw her photos of “the happiest place on earth,” she barely recognized herself.  “Who is that woman in the picture with my two kids?’ she asked herself, stunned at her heavy appearance. 

Today, “that woman” is long gone, her place taken by svelte young woman who could pass for a Disney princess.  It didn’t exactly happen with the wave of a magic wand—it took commitment, focus and perseverance, as well as a little help from her friends at Lite For Life.

After the Disneyland trip, Jennifer wasn’t the only one concerned about her weight:  so was her doctor.  Her blood sugar scores read moderately high and sometimes her heart pounded so hard she thought it was going to pop out of her chest.

Then, two weeks after returning from Disneyland, she got a call from Lite for Life in Burlingame, following up on an e-mail she’d sent them prior to the trip.  That was the only remotely magical part of the process.

“I took it as a sign,” Jennifer said.  “So I made an appointment.  I decided it was time to make an investment in me.”  She committed to the Program for 20 weeks, with a goal of losing 40 lbs.

Her doctor raised the goal to 50 pounds and Jennifer started visiting the office three times a week for the counseling and support she needed to stay on the program. Within 9 months, she’d lost not only 51 pounds but also 57 inches.

“Maureen and the counselors in the Burlingame office were friendly and supportive.  They were just great!” she says.  “What I liked best about Lite for Life was the structure, combined with constant support.  I did have two or three plateaus, but the counselors offered me all sorts of suggestions to get through them.”

Besides her weight loss, Jennifer also noticed that within the first week of starting the program she was sleeping better.  With a demanding career as a physical therapist and two young children ages 5 and 2, this was no small benefit.  “I really need to stay focused,” she says. 

Jennifer’s biggest challenge came during the holidays.  “I’m from a big Italian family that loves wine.  I would have a glass of wine and realize that my weight loss would possibly slow down for a week.” 

Now on the Lite For Life Maintenance Program, Jennifer’s weight hovers within a five pound range of her goal weight. “Everyone tells me how great I look, and my attitude has changed so much,” she says.  “I’m happier home and at work.  I’m not tired at the end of the day the way I used to be.  After work, I can walk around the block with my kids easily and even play basketball with my family.”

Hats off to Jennifer (or should we say mouse-ears) for creating her own fairy tale ending.

Elizabeth Fergason is a Counselor at Lite for Life in Palo Alto

Nutrition in the News

Sip Your Way to Better Health

By Sylvie Nalezny, MA, CNE

Green tea is making news these days, but people have been drinking it for centuries. Buddhist monks as far back as 2737 BC drank it for its healing and medicinal powers. As it turns out, the monks were enlightened in more ways than one.  Recent research supports these early claims, and more health benefits from green tea are being discovered all the time. 

Green tea and black tea actually come from the same plant.  The difference is in the way the leaves are treated.  When making green tea, the light green leaves of the plant are not fermented. This preserves the naturally occurring compounds in the tea leaves, making green tea much more nutritious and higher in beneficial compounds than its black tea counterpart.

Green tea contains biologically active plant chemicals called polyphenols.  One class of polyphenols found in green tea, catechins, actually help increase thermogenesis, the metabolic prcess by which your body burns calories.  Researchers at Cornell University have found that even small differences in thermogenesis can make a big difference in body weight over time, so even a small increase helps.

Several studies have shown green tea to have various weight control benefits.  In one study in particular, people who drank green tea containing 690 mg of catechins (the equivalent of about 6 cups of brewed green tea) daily for 12 weeks had lower body weight, waist circumference, and total body fat than the control group without even changing their calorie intake.

But it gets even better.  The polyphenols and catechins found in green tea are also a potent source of antioxidants.  Green tea also supports heart health and helps lower bad cholesterol.

So what’s not to love?  Well, there are a few caveats.  A cup of brewed green tea does contain about 25 mg of caffeine. This is still hands down a better choice than coffee, which typically contains a whopping 145 mg per cup, but you’ll still want to make sure not to overdo it.

Another issue is the high levels of fluoride that have been found in certain brands of green tea.  Fluoride is absorbed into tea plants from soil and rainwater, and varies by year, harvest and location.  

Finally, watch out for sodas, juices and energy drinks that tout the health benefits of green tea but also contain significant amounts of unhealthy ingredients such as sugar and chemical sweeteners.

To get the best benefit from green tea, choose tea that has been decaffeinated, preferably through the water process. Get your tea from a high quality source, and if possible buy organic to prevent unwanted contamination from pesticides sprayed on the leaves. You might also want to try using a concentrated green tea extract such as Pure Inventions (see story below).

No matter how you like it, brew yourself a cup of green tea today and breathe deep and meditate on all the good you’re doing your body.

Sylvie Nalezny is a Certified Nutrition Educator and a counselor at Lite For Life of San Jose.

Sources:

www.pureinventions.com

Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction of body fat. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2005. Jan; 81 (1): 122-9

www.teaforhealth.com/history.htm

http://www.mercola.com/2005/feb/9/fluoride_tea.htm

New Product News

What’s Green, Proper, and Comes in a Dropper?

Every once in a while a product comes along that seems too good to be true, and yet there it is.  Pure Inventions’ line of green tea extracts meets that definition.  Just one dropper full in a cup of hot or cold water provides all the health benefits of multiple cups of green tea, without any caffeine or toxic chemicals.  Best of all, it comes in 6 different stevia- sweetened flavors that you can mix together, match with your favorite green or herbal tea or flavored water, add to food (try it in yogurt or smoothies) or just drink as is. 

These extracts have a wonderful aroma that delights the nose as well as the taste buds, and at about fifty cents a serving they make a convenient, healthful way to replace a body fattening-wallet thinning latte habit.  Stop by your nearest Lite For Life for a sample and find your favorite flavor today.