Contents

• Food Shop Leads to Pounds Drop
• Hoodia–Don't Be Hoodwinked
• Success is in the Bag!
  
• Counselor's Corner - Tricks Only Please!
  
• Pumpkin Spice Smoothie
  
  
  

Holly: A free consultation led to an
"Aha" moment.

Client of the Month

Food Shop Leads to Pounds Drop!

It’s not often that a quick trip to buy food results in a life changing experience, but that’s what happened to landscape designer Holly Christensen.

When Holly walked into Lite For Life of San Carlos she had no intention of signing up for a weight loss program.  She had been battling on her own to lose those stubborn last ten pounds, and thought some of our food might be helpful.  However, she reluctantly agreed to a free consultation with store owner Tris Harms.  The result was an “aha” moment that put Holly on the path to freedom from a life long struggle to make peace with her body.

Even before coming to Lite For Life, Holly had a clear goal in mind.  She was turning 50 soon and wanted to be fabulous, healthy, and fit.  However, her usual tactics were no longer working.  Yo-yo dieting and semi-starvation regimes were amplifying cravings and ultimately making her feel depressed and out-of control. 

“I’d make great promises to myself in the morning,” she explains.  “It definitely created some sadness that I could never follow through with my commitments to myself.  Lite for Life provided the structure and support I needed to make realistic commitments and follow through.”

Holly immediately grasped that blood sugar stabilization was the missing piece to her weight loss puzzle.  She knew that she was addicted to sugar.  When she discovered that the Lite For Life program was specifically designed to eliminate sugar cravings, she took the plunge and committed to changing her eating habits.

Her courage and commitment paid off.  Within three weeks, she lost those final stubborn pounds.  “The minute I took myself off the sugar, my body just clicked,” Holly remembers.  “When I ate sugar, I used to struggle so hard.  I felt like I was at war with food and my body.”

“Holly was great to work with,” says Sandra Neff, one of her counselors in San Carlos.  “She really wanted to succeed.  She was always so enthusiastic, and she really enjoyed doing the program because she felt so much better eating healthy food.”

Holly says using the meal planning sheets and scheduling regular meals and snacks into her daily routine created the structure she needed for success.

Before Lite For Life, she remembers experiencing dips in energy and hunger pangs in the mid-morning.  These days, her cravings are minimal and her energy is steady throughout the day.

“My cognitive abilities and clarity of thinking have improved as my blood sugar has stabilized,” she says.

She also found what she originally came in for:  new, healthier foods.  Among her favorites are Sweet Earth Tofetti on AK-MAK crackers, Sweet Earth Mock Chicken Salad, and the Eat-Rite Mexican Enchilada.

Holly is now heading into Maintenance, which she views as the most important part of the process, with a completely different outlook.  “This program taught me to work with my body instead of against it,” she says.  She now feels that she has made friends with her body, a friendship she is looking forward to exploring for many happy and healthy years to come.

Congratulations Holly, and Happy Birthday!

Hoodia: No weight loss miracle.

Nutrition in the News

Hoodia:  Don’t Be Hoodwinked

As American waistlines continue to expand, marketers continue to promote quick and easy weight loss with the latest magic pill.  The newest to hit the market is Hoodia, which has been featured on television and is being aggressively promoted over the internet under the names Desert Burn, Mega Hoodia, Anatrim, HoodiaSpa, Slim Cactus and Hoodia Slim.

So what exactly is Hoodia?  Is it safe to use?  Can it actually help you lose weight? 

Hoodia Gordonii is a bitter tasting cactus-like plant native to the Kalahari Desert of South Africa.  The current fascination with this plant lies in its reported ability to curb appetite and thirst.  The Kalahari bushmen have been using it for thousands of years to stave off hunger pangs when food is scarce.

Back in November of 2004, 60 Minutes ran a segment on Hoodia.  Correspondent Lesley Stahl flew all the way to Africa for her report.  On a guided hike through the desert, she found the plant, cut off a stalk that looked like a small spiky pickle, and after removing the spikes, sampled some.  “I’d have to say it did work,” she reported. She wasn’t hungry all day, and even lost her desire to drink water.  Hoodia was subsequently featured on Oprah.

Part of Hoodia’s appeal is that unlike other “miracle” diet pills such as Ephedra and Phenfen, which eventually proved to have serious cardiac side effects, Hoodia is not a stimulant.  Hoodia works by tricking the hypothalamus (the satiation center in the brain) into thinking we’ve just eaten.  The active ingredient is thousands of times more active than glucose, making nerve cells in the brain fire as though you were full even though you have not eaten.

For a bushman who is slowly starving to death, Hoodia brings short term relief from discomfort.  Losing weight takes sustained effort, which would require use over a much longer period.  Like Ephedra and Phenfen, Hoodia is not approved by the FDA and there are no studies of its long term use. 

In any event, depriving oneself of food and water for extended periods, even if you can mask the pain of doing so, will certainly result in malnutrition and dehydration, both of which are seriously detrimental to your metabolism.  A healthy metabolism is the most basic requirement for lasting weight loss.

So far, no serious side effects have been reported from Hoodia.  However, that may be because it is doubtful whether the weight loss products being marketed in this country contain enough Hoodia to have any effect at all.

As it stands, Hoodia has only demonstrated effectiveness in fresh, raw pieces of the cactus. However, real, fresh Hoodia is very difficult to come by.  It is on the endangered list of plants in South Africa and export is currently illegal.  This raises serious questions about the quality and quantity of the ingredients in Hoodia supplements, which can sell for up to $60 for a 30 day supply.

Scientists at Pfizer and PhytoPharm, two major pharmaceutical companies, have identified a molecule called P57 as the active component in Hoodia.  However, none of the studies using the isolated molecule have ever been published, which raises serious question about P57’s effectiveness.  It’s a safe bet that if there were a way to capture the active ingredient, these companies would have a drug in the pipeline.

And even if Hoodia was effective and available to the general public, is it really the answer to ending the obesity epidemic?  As much as we grasp for a quick and easy solution, lasting weight loss can only occur when we commit to a lifetime of healthy eating habits and regular exercise.  There really is nothing new under the sun.

New Product News

Success Is In the Bag

Having difficulties packing a lunch and/or snacks because they won't stay cold or hot?  Don't want to grab groceries because you are on the run?  Want to take leftovers home from a restaurant but won't be home for a few hours?

Check out our new Thermal Bags that keep products hot or cold for up to 3 hours.  Not only are they reusable, they are durable, washable and so sturdy they hold up to 22 lbs!

As we all know, planning and preparing are pivotal aspects to this program, so having everything packed and ready to go is a great way to start your day off on the right track; the track to success that is!

Counselor’s Tip - Tricks Only Please

This month’s Counselor’s Tip comes to us
from the counseling team in Los Altos.

Getting into the Halloween candy can easily derail your weight loss program and come back to haunt you.  The average piece of candy contains 2-3 teaspoons of sugar.  Eat just five pieces and you’ll have downed about 1/3 of a cup, destabilizing your blood sugar and triggering cravings for more.  The best thing to do, of course, is not to get started.  Here are some concrete strategies to help you do just that.

If you will be handing out candy at your house, wait until the 30th or 31st to purchase the candy, and buy something you don’t like and won’t be tempted by.  Better yet, hand out some kind of small prize instead of candy.

Whether you will be handing out candy, escorting trick or treaters or attending a costume party, be sure that you eat on time and on schedule during the daytime, and eat a meal just before going out.  Chew sugarless gum (preferably sweetened with Xylitol) and have your water bottle handy.  Finally, refocus your attention on the other pleasurable aspects of the holiday and give yourself a non-food treat such as a beautiful fall wreath, a scented candle or a manicure for staying focused and on track.