January, 2006 Vol. 3 No.

Why Diets Dont Work

The reason diets dont work, no matter which one you contemplate, stems from the fact that diets are a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Anytime my patients informed me that they were going on a diet it implied that sometime in the future they would be going off that diet. Often diets fail due to the tremendous amount of willpower required. Whenever you rely on willpower, you will generally not do very well. Diets also fail because many eliminate, or dramatically limit, a major macronutrient like carbohydrates or fats. Such diets are out of balance, and, sooner or later, our bodies begin craving the nutrients they have been denied. The most significant reason diets dont work is because diets do not address the major underlying cause of weight gain, which is insulin resistance. So what is the answer to this obesity epidemic that will allow us not only to lose weight but to lose it permanently?

Reset Your Life

Another year passes and we look eagerly toward a new year. It is a time of reflection upon all the blessings we have received, and the changes we want to be making for the New Year. New Years resolutions abound and, once again, we refocus our attentions on doing a better job in our work, in our relationships, and with our lifestyles. In regard to lifestyles, perhaps you have gained a few extra pounds, or, perhaps you have not lost as much weight as planned over the previous year(s). Maybe the doctor informed you your cholesterol is too high, or that you are developing some elevated blood pressure. You may have concerns that you are at high risk of developing heart disease or diabetes. All of these thoughts most likely bring you back to the fact that you have just not taken care of yourself as well as you had hoped or planned. Maybe this year will be different and youll do a better job. Or maybe as in years past, those New Year resolutions will quickly fail to materialize. What diet it will be this year? Even though diets have never been effective in the past, most people gravitate back to some sort of fad diet or old diet for their solution. Many convince themselves that trying harder will produce better results this year. Well, the fact or truth of the matter is this ~ no matter which diet one chooses to follow, it will fail 98% of the time. Consider all the time, money, and energy spent adhering to a diet, in an attempt to lose some weight, and all you can expect is a meager 2% chance of success. Why dont diets work?

Your Metabolism
The main reason we are in the midst of the current obesity and diabetes epidemic is the fact that our bodies are just not as sensitive to our own insulin as they once were. Because of our inactivity and poor eating habits, we have become less and less sensitive to our own insulin. The body responds to this problem by actually making more and more insulin. As insulin levels rise to compensate for this insulin insensitivity, or insulin resistance, blood pressure goes up, bad cholesterol goes up, and good cholesterol goes down. The body experiences significantly more and more inflammation and begins to gain a tremendous amount of weight around the middle. At this point an individual becomes a very high risk candidate for developing both heart disease

Page 2 and diabetes. As the body tips over into this abnormal metabolic state, it holds on to fat like a sponge holds on to water. The fat burning hormones are essentially turned off, and, regardless of effort weight cannot be lost effectively. Over 25% of the adult population in the US, Canada, and Australia already has full-blown insulin resistance and another 25% is on the path to developing it. Many children have also developed insulin resistance, and many have already developed Type 2 Diabetes, or what used to be known as adult-onset diabetes. This is why I have seen so many patients in my office who have this problem. They are extremely frustrated because no matter what they try they cannot lose weight. The answer to this diabetes and obesity epidemic is found by fully understanding and attacking the underlying problem insulin resistance ~ the result that, while living in the land of plenty, finds us literally growing addicted to certain carbohydrates that quickly spike blood sugar. Carbohydrate Addiction What most people call cravings or emotional eating is really a carbohydrate addiction and the result of spiking blood sugar by eating highglycemic carbohydrates. These are foods that spike our blood sugar faster than spooning sugar on to our tongues. High-glycemic carbohydrates include common foods such as bread, bagels, cereals, chips, crackers, pretzels, potatoes, rice cakes, rice, sugar and white flour. Alarmingly, medical studies show that over 85% of the carbohydrates consumed in the western world today are considered high-glycemic. Eating high-glycemic foods rapidly raises and over stimulates the release of insulin. Insulins primary job is to transport blood sugar into the cell where it is utilized to create energy, or to be stored as fat or glycogen. This (process) drives the blood sugar level back down just as fast as it went up; however, it generally drops back into a low blood sugar range or hypoglycemic range. This state of low blood sugar then stimulates the release of our stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, to drive the lowered blood sugar back up to normal. Even though the blood sugar will eventually return to normal, these high levels of stress hormones in our blood stream now leaves us with an uncontrollable hunger, the need to eat again, and usually craving another high-glycemic meal or snack. The vicious cycle starts all over again leading to overeating and what I refer to as the carbohydrate addiction. Insulin Resistance First Begins in the Muscle Over time the muscle becomes insulin resistant and just cant utilize all the calories from our meals and snacks. Therefore, many calories are diverted to the fat cells of the abdomen where they are stored as fat. Once a person tips over into this abnormal metabolic state known as insulin resistance, a calorie is no longer a calorie. The muscles are unable to utilize calories normally and many of the calories are diverted to the fat cells of our abdomen and are converted into fat by these high insulin levels. Although eating habits and activity levels remained unchanged, an unusual amount of weight begins to settle around the abdomen. One of the hallmark signs marking the development of insulin resistance is the fact that you cannot lose weight no matter what you do. The only hope is to RESET your body and reverse this underlying insulin resistance so that you can tip back into a normal metabolic state. When this happens, the body is then able to release all its excessive fat that has been stored around the mid-section. The only way this can be accomplished is by developing permanent healthy lifestyles that improves sensitivity to ones insulin. Over the past 10 years in my medical practice, I have been able to accomplish this goal through my Healthy for Life Program.

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Healthy for Life Program

The Healthy for Life Program is a behavioral modification program that allows you to firmly establish new, healthier lifestyles that improve insulin sensitivity. It consists of a healthy diet that does not spike blood sugar (combining those good low-glyemic carbohydrates, good fat, and good proteins), a modest consistent exercise program, and what I refer to as high quality cellular nutrition. My patients never went hungry, described increased focus and energy, and they lost weight permanently as their blood pressure and cholesterol levels improved. The key factor related to these successful benefits is the fact that this is NOT A DIET, but instead, a behavioral modification program. Our lifestyles, especially our eating habits, are very well ingrained. Much of our eating is subconscious or in other words, we dont give much thought to eating. To ensure any chance of successfully improving ones lifestyle habits (thereby protecting health) requires a shift toward a greater awareness and a commitment to making positive changes. The Healthy for Life Program is the tool which provides the road map, or game plan, for your making the necessary changes successfully. I want to share with you the keys of why this program has been so successful for so many people who had previously only experienced failure every time they challenged themselves by dieting. RESET KIT Usana Health Sciences has developed a unique 5-day High Fiber Cleanse, which is a great start to the Healthy for Life Program. This convenient and easy to use kit provides all meals, snacks, and the highest quality nutritional supplements (cellular nutrition) needed for a 5-day period. These meals and snacks have been clinically tested and certified to be low-glycemic, meaning they will not spike blood sugar levels. From a behavioral management point of view, the kit prepares a complete break from ones normal pattern of eating. Within 3 or 4 days glycemic

stress is reversed and the majority of individuals will be out of any carbohydrate addiction. Experiencing more energy, more focus, and decreased cravings, many people will also begin to release fat. The immediate health benefits, and the key to finally unlocking unwanted weight and inches, occur as the body reverses insensitivity to its own insulin. To proceed from this tremendous 5-day start, it is imperative to move on to Phase 1 of the Healthy for Life Program located at www.releasingfat.com. This is a 15 month, interactive, internet program. The program will evaluate, educate, motivate, and document your progress throughout this program. You will receive daily emails from along with weekly trainings the first 12 weeks of the program and weekly emails and monthly advanced trainings the last 12 months. Those who complete the program experience permanent weight loss 80 to 90% of the time. This is a significantly higher percentage of the 2 to 3% success rate that diets have to offer.

Phase 1 of the Healthy for Life Program

In Phase 1, you continue to substitute two meals and one snack daily using Usanas MacroOptimizers. Additionally, you have one regular low-glycemic meal and one regular lowglycemic snack. You should never go hungry or miss any meals. If you are hungry, simply eat another low-glycemic meal or snack. In Phase 1, you also need to avoid all sugar, white flour, bread, cereals, rice, pasta, and potatoes all the dangerous foods that spike blood sugar and can quickly set off carbohydrate addiction again. I have found that people need to stay with Phase 1 of the program until they are well on their way to seeing their personal health and weight goals. The interactive, online Healthy for Life Program is essential for your success. You are assigned your own personal Lifestyle Journal, which is automatically graded, for you to record exactly how you are eating, exercising, and taking your supplements. Journaling takes very little time yet

Page 4 provides the valuable step for bringing awareness to many unconscious lifestyle behaviors and makes them conscious behaviors. It is amazing to see what happens when you consistently recall and record how you are eating. You become aware of lifetime eating habits and finally begin to manage them. Over the 15 months of the program, better lifestyles choices will become a way a life, more and more spontaneous without the need for much thought to them. Better lifestyle choices recorded regularly and repeated over time will establish true long-term healthy lifestyle habits. I would personally recommend that you sign up for the Healthy for Life Program under a Certified Team Leader. I have personally certified every team leader to offer you an extra measure of tremendous personal support as you make changes in your lifestyle. Given your permission, your team leader will have access to your personal Lifestyle Journal and serve as an encourager and guide. The team leader will not have access to any personal medical information. Youll find the relationship between participant and team leader adds an amazing aspect of accountability fostering success. Team leaders also extend to you a 20% discount on the Healthy for Life Program of your choice (Self-Directed or the Coached Program). months of this program. Rest assured that success is not based upon perfection, but instead it is based upon ones honesty with self. In fact, the participants in our 2 clinical trials only had to do the program 80% of the time to experience tremendous results!

Why a 15 Month Program?

It is critical to understand why this is a 15 month program. Many people become discouraged when they think about doing this program for an entire 15 months. Well, since this is not a diet, but instead healthy lifestyles that you need to be doing for the rest of your life, it takes 15 months to firmly establish these lifestyles. As mentioned earlier, the main reason diets fail is because they are short-term solutions for a long-term problem. If you are going to have any chance of permanent weight loss, while significantly, and simultaneously, decreasing your risks of heart disease and diabetes, these new healthier lifestyles need deserved time to become a way of life. Remember the 98% failure rate associated with any diet; however, 80% to 90% of the participants who complete the Healthy for Life Program experience permanent weight loss. I strongly believe that you will prefer placing your time and effort in a program that can improve your success by an amazing 78% to 88%! All of the participants in our latest clinical trial, using the Usana products, the online Healthy for Life Program, and under the guidelines of the FDA, were very pleased with their results. They stated, What is so hard about never going hungry, feeling great, having more energy, losing weight permanently, and having health parameters improve? In fact, the groups blood pressures dropped an average of 10 points, bad cholesterol levels dropped an average of 17%, and triglyceride levels dropped an average of 20%. Individuals averaged a 13 pound weight loss and a waist reduction of 2 inches in just 12 weeks. Overall insulin sensitivity improved and group members tipped back into a normal metabolic state as they began releasing fat.

Phase 2 of the Healthy for Life Program

Once well on your way to achieving your health and weight goals, you move on to Phase 2 of the Healthy for Life Program. Here you will only replace one meal and one snack using Usanas MacroOptimizers each day, and you will eat two regular low-glyemic meals and one regular lowglycemic snack. Again if you are hungry, simply eat another low-glycemic meal or snack. You will also begin adding back those good, lower glycemic breads, cereals, rice, pasta, and potatoes. You will receive weekly emails from me along with monthly advanced trainings during the last 12

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I would encourage everyone to take a good look at my Healthy for Life Program located at www.releasingfat.com. Look at the overview of the program and take the web site tour. You are also invited to take the Free automated Health Risk Assessment located on the home page of the web site and see if you already have any evidence of insulin resistance. Talk to a Certified Team Leader who can share more program details and tremendous discounts while serving as a very important support and encouragement. After your Certified Team Leader discount, the program costs approximately $10 per month. Isnt this worth at least a look? I would love nothing more than to help you RESET YOUR LIFE and METABOLISM, which will allow you to lose your weight permanently as you protect or regain your health.