Eric Bakker N.D.April 4, 2022

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Are Weight Loss Pills Really THE Answer?

This is a good page for those who want to lose weight naturally. Have you struggled with your weight and found it hard not just to lose weight, but to maintain that weight loss and stay slim? Read on, I’ve got plenty of natural solutions for you, and I’ve worked with many patients that wanted to successfully lose weight. Most achieved their objective, and so can you. It’s totally achievable.

Your body has three main sources of energy. It can burn fat, glucose (carbohydrate), or protein. When we burn fat, we produce substances called ketones. These are produced normally, and when we measure these ketones in our urine, we know we are burning fat efficiently.
High levels of dietary carbohydrates, also known as high glycemic load foods (e.g. sugars and starchy foods such as bread, rice, pasta and potatoes), work with the hormone insulin to ‘switch off’ fat burning and increase fat gain.

Blood Sugar Control

Did you know that it becomes virtually impossible to lose fat if you have raised insulin levels? When your body’s blood sugar and insulin levels are low enough you will switch to a higher level of fat burning. This is the secret to weight-loss. To burn fat you need to restrict high glycemic load foods to a level where your body will produce less of the hormone insulin thereby increase the rate of fat burning. Eating less food is not the answer; you need to specifically reduce the highest glycemic index, carbohydrate-rich foods in order to ‘switch on’ fat burning. Click here to see a list of the highest glycemic index foods. This document contains Eric’s 5 of the best tips for low GI eating. Place it on your fridge, another free hand out for you.

In many Western countries, the prevalence of obesity is skyrocketing with almost 55% of men and women currently overweight or obese. It is concerning for me to know that 20 to 25% of children are also obese or overweight.

Many people want to lose body fat simply so they look good, however, having a high percentage of body fat is known to be one of the most serious causes of ill health. Elevated fat mass also increases the frequency of muscular aches and pains and reduces energy production causing fatigue.
Excess body fat is undoubtedly one of the biggest health threats facing both us and our children’s lives. The good news is that losing even a small amount of body fat (as little as 10%) can reduce your chances of developing numerous diseases.


Good Reasons To Lose Body Fat

  • Looking good means feeling great. Excess body fat can really affect your self-esteem. Meeting a challenge, improving your health and looking better can improve your sense of accomplishment, self-esteem and health in countless ways. And – less guilt about the fact that you are overweight too.You can do it!
  • Improved energy levels. We have found that when you lose weight, your energy will have a tendency to go right up. Overweight and obese people have much less energy than people who have a healthy body weight. More energy means more vitality, happier life, more fun and enjoyment for you.
  • Reduced risk of developing many chronic and degenerative diseases. Being overweight dramatically increases your risk of developing a number of chronic diseases. Losing weight and keeping it off improves your long term health!
  • Healthy ageing. Obesity is related to unhealthy, premature aging. Consider fat loss a type of ‘life insurance’. It is not a great idea to get older and continue to have unresolved issues such as being overweight or obese. Your risk increases considerably of developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer if you don’t maintain your body weight.
  • You can empower yourself. Losing body fat is an incredibly powerful experience. The “pay-off” emotionally is tremendous! You are actualising something that only you have the power to do and only you will truly experience the personal reward.

Think about what your personal goals are for losing weight. Do you have the same goals as this list?Do you have more?Or different goals?Write down your goals and refer to them regularly to keep you motivated. Here now are some tips for staying on track, for socialising and eating out and for exercising.


Staying on Track Tips

  • Do not reward weight loss with ‘treats’. Rewarding yourself for losing weight by allowing yourself ‘treats’ will only slow your progress and inevitably lead to frustration.
  • Remove as much food as practicable from your home that is not on the allowable food list. Remember: “If it’s in your pantry it will be eaten”. Give food to charity, friends, throw it away, or pack long life foods away out of sight until you have reached your weight loss goal.
  • Ensure you get a good nights sleep. Being well rested will ensure you’re not looking for extra energy from food.
  • Drinking a large glass of water before your meal will make you feel full and help to avoid over eating.
  • Ensure you have a good support network. Tell your friends and family that you are on the program, your reasons and motivations for doing it and how important your goals are to you. Ask them to be supportive and not offer you junk foods etc. as it only makes it harder for you.
  • Keep a chart of your progress of fat/weight/inches lost, seeing your results proves that you can do it and will help to motivate you to continue the good work.
  • After cooking, put away all excess food immediately to avoid unnecessary and unaccounted snacking.
  • If making meals in advance split into correct serving sizes and refrigerate or freeze immediately.
  • Have a goal and stick to it. While losing weight it is easy to fall into the ‘close enough’ thought pattern and let treats and temptation slip through, never reaching your true goal. ‘Close enough’ will never leave you feeling accomplished as reaching your goal.
  • Realistic expectations. Many fad diets and TV reality programs show people losing a large amount of weight each week. In reality a weight loss of 0.5 to 2kg a week is an achievable and maintainable goal.
  • Avoid emotional eating. Breaking your diet because you are emotional will not only not make you feel better but can lead to feelings of guilt and regret making you feel worse in the end.

Socialising and Eating Out Tips

  • Instead of meeting friends for coffee/lunch/dinner meet for a walk. You can still chat and be sociable while also avoiding unneeded food and getting exercise.
  • Talk to your waiter/waitress. Many restaurants are happy to adjust a menu item slightly to keep a customer happy.
  • Order your meal with out danger foods (e.g. chips, potato, rice etc.). It is easier to avoid it if it is not on your plate.
  • Have a small protein snack like a small handful of nuts or a piece of cheese before you go out. It is easier to make the right food choice when you are not hungry.
  • Ask for a bottle or jug of water for the table and drink that instead of soft drinks, juices or alcohol.
  • Familiarise yourself with the allowable food list so you can easily recognise them on a menu. If you are not sure of the ingredients of a dish ask your waiter/waitress to tell you.
  • Ask for all dressings/sauces to be served on the side. Substitute creamy salad dressings for a vinaigrette. Be aware of the hidden ingredients and sugars that can be included in many sauces.
  • Assess serving sizes in relation to your palm size and approximate handfuls. If the servings are too large ask for a side plate to place excess food on and have it taken away immediately.
  • Substitute more of one thing for less of another. e.g. If your meal is served with salad and chips or ask to substitute chips with more salad.
  • If you cannot resist ordering something for dessert try ordering a black coffee or go for the cheese platter instead of cake/sweets.
  • If the restaurant has generous servings ask for a main dish in an entree size. Or order an entree as a main.
  • If possible have a look at the menu online before you go out. Make note of the healthiest options or decide on what you are going to eat before you get there to avoid impulse decisions.
  • Avoid buffet and ‘all you can eat’ style restaurants. A BIG trap, you will come away having eaten too much, it just happens, all that food!
  • Trim all visible fat from meat and skin and fat from poultry. Leave some fat, just take most of the visible fat away.
  • If the establishment is unable or unwilling to alter a menu item choose something else that is more suitable or find another place to eat if practical.
  • Avoid alcohol. If you must drink set yourself a limit and stick to it. The more ‘tipsy’ you become the more your likely to drink and your resolve to stick to your weight loss plan is lowered, making it more likely for more food to be consumed.
  • Don’t feel pressured to eat something because ‘it’s a special occasion’ there will be other special occasions once you have reached your goal.

Tips for Exercising

  • Make it Fun! Start your exercise routines by doing something you enjoy. Your exercise motivation can be to do something you enjoy like dancing, gardening or walking. Although your favourite activity may not be as strenuous as an aerobic workout, it’s a place to start.
  • Plan your exercise. Most people nowadays have a very busy lifestyle and feel they can not fit exercise into their day. Plan a specific time for 40 minutes of exercise 4 times a week and you will be surprised how you can fit exercise into your life.
  • Don’t give up because you miss one or more workouts. If you miss a workout just start again as soon as you’re able. Missing a workout is not a good reason to give up.
  • Exercise with friends. Having people to exercise with who share the same exercise interest will keep you motivated. Knowing there is someone counting on you to be there to exercise will help you fight off excuses.
  • Mix it up. If you get tired of doing the same thing every day change your routine. You don’t have to walk the same route each day, or only ever ride a bike. Try doing different activities and different environments to keep you interested. This will also help to exercise different muscle groups.
  • Set goals for exercise you can follow through with. Choose activities you know you can do well and build up to harder more strenuous activities as your fitness improves. If you are constantly frustrated with your workout or finding it too difficult you are more likely to give up.
  • Incidental exercise gets you moving without feeling like you are ‘working out’. Take the stairs instead of the lift, park a little bit further away from the door at the shops. Take a walk during your lunch hour, take public transport when able and walk from the stops/stations to your destination.
  • Reward yourself for the effort your have put in. Give yourself a bubble bath, rent a movie, get a massage, or buy that item you have been longing for. Try putting away a few dollars every time you exercise and use that money to treat yourself at the end of the month. (Remember do not treat yourself with food!)
  • Listen to music or books on tape while exercising. Pull a exercise bike/treadmill etc. in front of the TV and watch your favourite show. You will be surprised how quickly the time passes. If you don’t have equipment at home most gyms have equipment with TV’s built in so you can watch any program you choose.
  • If you feel you need more help to get and stay motivated while exercising look into hiring a Personal Trainer to help you with your workouts. They can help you to get the most out of your workouts while having the knowledge to ensure you don’t injure yourself.
  • Get out there and make it happen! It won’t unless you get out there and DO IT!

Nutritional Support for Weight-Loss and Weight-Management

There are many different products you can take to help you with your weight management program. Nutritional support forms an integral part of our weight management program. The correct supplementation can improve digestion, reduce  sugar and carbohydrate cravings, improve your energy and well-being, and help maintain your protein intake and improve the efficacy of your fat loss. We recommend a few different products to be used as part of your program. Here are a few suggestions.


Optimise your Digestion

Digestive Enzyme Tablets contain enzymes which support the efficient digestion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates and are very useful to support the digestive processes for those with pancreatitis, indigestion, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, passing lots of wind, burping, fullness after meals, and many other digestive complaints. Also a great product for those on a weight-loss program because you will optimise the digestive system, which will mean that you will utilise foods better, they will be broken down more efficiently and absorbed as well as excreted more efficiently. This leads to better elimination, and as you lose weight you will want to ensure your digestive system is in peak condition to maximise your body’s ability to burn fat and metabolise it. Use Lipotropic factors at the same time if this is the case and you are on a weight-loss program.

Increase your Fat Metabolism

Lipotropic Factors  are a good choice to facilitate the break down of fats in the digestive system. Lipotropic is a supplement used for breaking down fat during metabolism. One thing I have found through my clinical experience and observation with many women is that several end up with gallbladder problems after weight-loss. This may occur six months after losing a lot of weight, but more commonly twelve to eighteen months after losing weight, ranging from five to twenty kilos.
But why is this so? What ends up happening to all that fat you lose off your thighs and tummy? What organs end up doing all the work? What organs were becoming increasingly more under strain as you gained all that weight, and then you placed these organs under strain when you lost those kilos? That’s right – your liver and gallbladder. Lipotropic Factors can assist and support your liver to metabolise fats more easily, taking the strain off the gallbladder and liver.
You may like to read our article on gallbladder problems.  Lipotropic Factors is specially formulated to target and support a healthy liver function. A high potency combination of Choline, Inositol and Methionine help to support detoxification and healthy fat and cholesterol metabolism in the liver. This product can in addition assist those who are looking at ways of optimising their “fat burning” ability of their body. Your liver is the main fat-burning organ and by detoxifying the liver and bowel, you are more likely to stay more committed and really lose weight, not just casually, but for life.


Blood Sugar Control

Chromium Picolinate is a good mineral to use if you want to regulate your blood sugar. Chromium as a mineral is great to use with:

  • Reactive hypoglycemia: Chromium supplementation decreases blood sugar in people with high blood sugar levels and raises blood sugar in people with low blood sugar levels. It is a good product to use with sugar cravings and particularly when you keep wanting sugar. Please read my article on blood sugar problems called Hypoglycemia.
  • Weight-loss: Chromium Picolinate can help to increases lean body mass which helps to prevent obesity.

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