Simply Cin-ful!

It has a long and interesting history. At one point it was considered more valuable than gold – at another it was used to cure athlete's foot. Cinnamon has been thought to have a variety of health benefits throughout the ages. Modern scientist have actually confirmed many of them including: stopping bacterial and fungus growth, preventing ulcers, and improving memory.

For us, the real interest is in its relationship to glucose. We've already talked about a few supplements that help with fat and carb metabolism, cinnamon is (almost literally) the icing on the cake. In a recent study, researchers found that taking a daily dose of cinnamon reduced blood sugar, increased the body's production of insulin, and lowered cholesterol (the bad part, HDL levels remained the same).

Why is this good news? Love handles and beer belly. The fat cells in you mid-section are more sensitive to insulin levels than those elsewhere. Specifically, high levels tend to mean those fat cells will store more up. And with their shared network of blood vessels with your abdomen, they are the preferred warehouse for glucose related fat! Not only does cinnamon help with glucose metabolism, but it keeps your insuline levels in check so that you are less likely to be storing it in you mid-section! (Don't rush out to the store yet, at least finish this blog post and then go.)

So, cinnamon is my final supplement recommendation. Take about two table spoons a day. If, you aren't going to buy it as a supplement (that's what I do, sooo much easier – both to keep track of and to remember), then keep in mind these two things:

1) make sure you are buying real cinnamon not powder that taste like cinnamon

2) don't...and I mean DO NOT try to eat it by the spoonful. Why? Well, I'll let the video do the talking.

Weight loss update – lost another pound. Down to 260 for a total of 15 lbs lost.

A Litle Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

At first, today's supplement suggestion won't seem like an aid for weight loss as much as just a good idea. After all, those of us trying to loose weight tend to modify our diet. Almost by definition, we intentionally under nourish our bodies in order to lose weight. So, taking a multi-vitamin just seems like a good idea, if for no other reason than to replace some of the vitamins and minerals we have cut out of our diet when we cut calories. And it is a good idea, but it actually has weight loss benefits as well.

A study conducted over the course of 10 years with more than 15,000 participants found that participants taking multivitamins overall had more weight lost than those not taking it. To me, this simply means a healthy body is more capable of losing weight than a less healthy one. Not really all that surprising is it?

Of course, I like supplements that have more than one advantage. Other benefits of multi-vitamins include: aid in digestion, give energy (burn more fat!), help brain function, increase immune resistance, and slows the signs of aging (if I didn't have your attention before, I bet I do now!).

Don't take a “megadose” you don't need it and too much can cause problems...like kidney stones. So read the label - you want 100% or less of most of the ingredients. Also keep in mind, if you are using other dietary aids like protein bars during the day, a lot of them have vitamins as well. On an average day, I probably approach 200-300% of daily recommended allowance and I've never had a bad side effect.

Also, if this is the only source of added vitamins in your diet (no other dietary aids with vitamins) don't take a tablet. They are harder for your body to break down. Take gel caps or liquids instead.

Now – I think my multivitamin is kicking in... I feel like a bike ride. Let's go!

Keep at it – you can do this! And let me hear from you.

This Ain't No Tea Party

Tea is great for weight loss. I'm not talking Tea Party tea here (that stuff is full of sugar and usually comes with a side of crispy, buttery, sugary, flaky tea biscuits). The tea we are talking about is Green Tea and while you can drink it if you want, I'd suggest taking it in pill form (without the side of cookies).

Much like some of my other favorite supplements, there are lots of benefits associated with taking green tea. You won't be surprised that my favorite is - it speeds up metabolism! (Score). That's right, a number of studies showed that people talking green tea had measurable increases in the body's themogenesis (their metabolic rate). It also seems to help regulate (slow down, reduce) the amount of body fat we store (Score, again!).

It has been associated with lots of different benefits. It contains caffeine and, while some will argue the point, caffeine gives you energy and is a pretty decent fat burner (and like so often, there will be more on that in a latter article...is anyone keeping a tally on all these “later article” subjects?). It also seems to reduce how many of the carbs you eat that are turned into fat (reducing fatty acid synthesis can lead to remarkable weight loss). And those are just the diet related benefits.

Other up sides include: helps prevent cardiovascular disease, lowers cholesterol (improving the good HDL), reduces the risk of esophageal cancer, may help reduce pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis, and it helps regulate insulin.

As far as I'm concerned, this is another of those maybe-might-kinda work supplements that has enough research backing it up that it is simply worth taking.

Good news for me - back on track. Today's weigh in : 261- lost two more pounds for a total of 14 so far.

Keep at it – you can do this! And let me hear from you.

Gaining to Lose

This one's for those who don't mind building a little muscle. It is also only for those who have a long range perspective on weight loss.

The next supplement I want to talk about is Creatine. Our kidneys, livers and pancreas naturally produce it. It's purpose is to help our bodies store up extra phosphates – and our bodies use those when we need energy (particularly in anaerobic exercise). So, having plenty of Creatine in your system will do a number of things for you.

As you exercise, your body will use up the naturally store Creatine. Having a little extra on board means getting to stay at those muscle building exercises longer...which means building more muscle (those FANTASTIC fat burners).

It also helps in the recovery period, so you can both grow muscle faster and regenerate those wonderful little enzymes that help breakdown fat, carbs and protein (yea, for increased metabolism!).

There are also other health benefits in taking Creatine. Research in two different Universities found that taking Creatine raised people's IQ scores – yes, seriously. It also has benefits in fighting cancer and slows the progression of Parkinson's.

If you are taking it for weight LOSS purposes, take it in pill form. Most of the powders out there, which are used to mix fruity drinks of Creatine, are packed full of sugars. You don't want that.

How much? Take 5-15 grams per day (depending on how hard you are working out). The one side effect that some people have is the feeling of bloating in the stomach. If you experience this side effect just reduce the amount you take until it goes away.

So, it is obvious why I started off saying this one was for those who don't mind building a little muscle, but why did I say it is for people with a long range perspective of weight loss? Well, because if you are working out, it really is good at helping grow your muscles fast. Muscle weighs more than fat. At first you are likely to GAIN weight – arrgh. But over the long term, every pound of muscle you gain will burn an extra 30 calories per hour AT REST. That's right, an extra 1 ½ pounds a week lost while you do nothing!

I started taking Creating about 5 days ago. I have lost no weight sense then, but I have lost about an inch around my waist and I can see a noticeable difference in my arm and chest. So, if you are willing to take a short term hit (in terms of weight loss), Creatine is the way to go for long term gains...um, loss!

You Could Eat Tons of Liver..Or...

Other than “they are things I really don't want to eat,” what do liver, kidneys, cauliflower and soy flour have in common? They are places where Biotin occurs naturally. Why should you care? I'm so glad you asked...

If you've been reading this blog from the beginning (what seems like a very long 7 days ago), you probably already have a very good guess at the fist benefit of Biotin – it plays a very important role in energy metabolism. Among other things it helps get rid of carbon dioxide, metabolizes amino acids, helps break down fat,carbs and protein, and helps produce certain enzymes (and again, if you've been keeping up with the blog, you know how important it is to rebuild enzymes).

But if the vanity of being thinner isn't enough motivation for you – how about the vanity of hair loss (or more precisely, preventing it). It turns out that one of the side effects of rapid weight loss is hair loss (yes, the universe can be wickedly cruel at times). The good news is, one of the main benefits of Biotin (which while sometimes called Vitamin H is actually part of the B-complex family) is the prevention of hair loss.

Other benefits of Biotin include: keeping nails in good condition, improved skin condition, aids in the growth and repair of muscle tissue (remember muscles are FANTASTIC fat burners), helps reduce cholesterol, helps maintain proper sugar levels and it has been shown to be beneficial to treating a number of diseases including Parkinsons, Rett syndrome, Crohn's desease and a number of others.

A reasonable question to ask is, “Don't I get enough Biotin in a typical diet?” The answer is a definitive – maybe...but probably not. Let's just start with the fact that you are on a diet. You are already staying below the amount of intake that is required to maintain heath. You are trying to breakdown unwanted parts and get rid of them. It is likely that in you reduced caloric intake you are also reducing a number of essential vitamins and minerals. Add to that the fact that freezing foods which naturally carry Biotin decreases their level of Biotin...and cooking them does the same. Now I'm just guessing here, but I'm betting that most of us are not on the Raw Food Diet.

Oh, and have you already forgotten?... Some of the main sources for it are liver, kidneys, cauliflower and soy flour - belckt!! Other things that negatively effect the level of Biotin in your system are egg whites (a good source of the much needed protein while on a diet), packaged foods, fast food...well, there's a lot of reasons why you probably aren't getting enough.

So, my second supplement that I strongly recommend is Biotin. 5 milligrams once a day should do the trick.

I'll be weighing in tomorrow and we will talk about another helpful supplement.

Fighting Fire With Fire (or Fat with Fat)

Now we venture into the dark side of weight loss. No, not weight loss pills – this is a respectable blog, don't go dragging the modern version of snake oil salesmen into this. Please.

The dark side of which I speak is slightly more respectable than that – natural supplements. Why do I call them the dark side? Well, because they may or may not actually do you any good. I put a lot of study into this a little over a year ago and came up with a list of the ones that I thought had the most potential to help with weight loss – not cause weight loss but help. The way I see it, they may help the littlest bit by themselves (um, probably), but as a part of a larger system and understanding of weight loss they combine to make a perfect storm.

So, for the next several post, I'll be taking the supplements one at a time and briefly talking about the benefits they might have (did I mention that whether the whole supplement thing works is a bit controversial?).

But first, lest you think I used a dartboard in picking the ones I use, let's very briefly look at my criteria for eliminating or picking supplements. It is very simple actually. First, I only read studies from universities with respectable medical programs (this included universities from around the world). Second, I then only considered studies that either included a double blind, a placebo, or a control – or some combination thereof. Finally, if the study was funded by, supported by, or requested by an outside organization or company, I threw it out.

So, let's get on with this. My single favorite supplement (the one I most believe probably has some outside chance of maybe working – was I non-committal enough there?) is CLA or Conjugulated Linoleic Acid (sounds yummy, doesn't it?). Well, it gets better – it's a fat! Yep, taking fat to lose fat. Go figure.

It is a fatty acid the occurs naturally in dairy products and red meats. Unfortunately, as we Americans have reduced our intake of beef and dairy (a good thing), we have also reduce our intake of CLA (a bad thing, because it has a number of weight loss advantages). Also, because of the way we now raise cattle, the CLA levels in what we buy have been lowered by 65%.

A number of very good studies have found that CLA helps you burn more body fat (particularly tummy or visceral fat – more on types of fat in a latter post) and it increases lean body mass. Here's the cool thing – it even worked for people who led fairly sedentary life styles! (OK, it didn't help them a lot – but it WAS measurable!). That means if you are exercising (both aerobic and anaerobic) CLA seems to increase the benefits of doing so.

Other benefits include, enhancing the immune system, helping maintain blood glucose and insulin levels (related to both weight loss and energy levels), helping lower cholesterol, may help fight off cancer, increasing metabolic rate (SCORE!), and it can even reduce food allergies (seriously, I can now eat raw celery).

So, I say take it. How much? Most studies showed no – and I mean NO – benefits until you reached about 3.5 grams per day. Most pills come in 1000 milligrams, so I recommend taking 4 a day (2 in the morning 2 in the afternoon), which is actually what is recommended on the side of most bottles as well.

Week one - 12lbs. lost. I wish I could keep that pace up! But that just isn't realistc - still, each pound (even a week at a time) is worth! Let me hear from you!