Weight Loss Today
Dukan Diet: Newest Fad or Weight-Loss Answer?
It’s supposed to be the French version of the Atkins Diet and it’s making big waves – both in Europe and now in America, but one New York City-based dietitian said the Dukan Diet can be a dangerous choice – despite the fact that princess-to-be Kate Middleton and her mother are allegedly using the diet to shed pounds before Middleton’s big day.
“The Dukan Diet is not based on any scientific data, and seems to be a modified version of the Atkins Diet,” Tanya Zuckerbort, a Fox News contributor said.” This diet is protein-centric and highly restrictive in the initial stages, without much research to back it up.”
The Dukan Diet has been popular in France for years, and now Dr. Pierre Dukan is bringing his weight-loss plan overseas to North America. It consists of high-protein, low-fat meals—which is nothing new—but adds very large amounts of water and oat bran. The diet is cut into week-long cycles with some including vegetables. There is no fruit allowed, but wine and dessert are allowed for a certain number of days—thus appealing to the French.
And what about exercise? The requirement is very light, about 20 minutes a day, with no elevators allowed.
Zuckerbrot was concerned about the restrictions on fruits and vegetables in the plan.
“A diet consisting of high fiber carbohydrates, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables and a small amount of heart healthy fat is the key to looking and feeling your best,” she said.
Dukan’s book has already sold millions of copies worldwide and has been translated into 14 languages—but is it all just hype?
According to Zuckerbrot, the Dukan Diet already has a bad reputation in the world of dietitians.
“France’s National Agency for Food, Environmental and Work Health Safety pointed out the Dukan Diet as one of 15 imbalanced and potentially risky diets. The British Dietetic Association, has also listed the Dukan Diet as one of the five worst diets of 2011,” she said.
By eliminating key foods from your diet, Zuckerbrot said Dukan’s plan can create a nutrition deficiency as well as high cholesterol and even kidney problems.
The bottom line with this diet, is it will more than likely come and go with the rest — there is just not enough variety, Zuckerbrot added.
“You will initially see weight loss on the Dukan Diet, but this eating plan is not sustainable. Also a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates is expensive. This diet is just that, a diet, not a healthy maintainable lifestyle,” she said.
HCG is High Markup, Fast Selling Weight Loss Supplement
Back in the 1950s, one of the trendy activities for overweight and wealthy Americans was to travel to Europe for special, “HCG Drops,” unavailable in the states. Times have changed, and now these same drops are available for general consumption for anyone looking to shake off a few pounds. A great source of HCG for independent retailers is Buywise.biz. “I did the six week program myself and lost 30 pounds, as well as 16” total around my body,” says Debbie Burks, owner of Buywise. “The program really does work. This past holiday season was the first one for me where I not only didn’t gain weight, but actually lost weight instead.”
HCG is an all natural and homeopathic product that works in conjunction with the body’s hypothalamus gland. “You use it along with following a strict protocol and diet,” Burks says. “You take it three times a day, 10 drops at a time, and there are many doses in a bottle. Depending on how much weight you want to lose, you can do a three or six week program,” she adds.
Burks has studied up on the product, and is very knowledgeable on exactly how it works. “The body consists of three types of fat,” she says. “Structural fat, around your face and cheekbones; reserve fat, which is what the body normally draws from when it needs to, and abnormal fat. If you do a low-calorie diet without the drops, you’ll be affecting your regular fat,” Burks says. “Yet with the HCG drops, it actually works with the abnormal body fat, and because you’re on a low calorie diet, your body will draw what it needs from your abnormal stored fat. That’s where the weight loss comes in.”
Because of its high success rate among users, HCG is selling well, with a high markup for retailers. Buywise wholesales a starter pack of twelve, two oz. bottles for $192, or $16 each, and Burks has seen them advertised in a national vitamin chain store for $159.98 for the two oz. size. “I recommend keeping one bottle at the register to generate POS interest,” Burks says. “We have brochures we can email to our customers. Once they buy HCG, we also have an ebook that we can send, so retailers can read about the product and then pass that knowledge on to customers.” Buywise has a $100 minimum order. However, new customers receive a 10 percent discount off any order over $100. “This is a product that’s going to be a fast seller with a big markup, and it really works,” Burks says. “I’m living proof of that.”
FDA loosens belt on weight loss surgery
REGION — Three and a half years ago, Mike Ross was headed for an early grave.
He weighed 405 pounds, led a sedentary lifestyle, and suffered from sleep apnea, high blood pressure and other health issues.
“I was in pretty rough shape,” Ross, a Norwalk resident, recalled. “I was told more or less by my doctor that I needed to do something, and do something soon.”
So Ross did do something.
He consulted with Dr. Neil Floch, owner of Fairfield County Bariatrics & Surgical Specialists, P.C. in Norwalk, and in October 2007, underwent laparoscopic surgery and had an adjustable gastric band– or LAP-BAND — inserted on his stomach.
Within 13 months, Ross had shed most of the 227 pounds he would ultimately lose. He now regularly visits the gym, is conscience of what he eats and has cured the conditions that once ailed him.
“I feel like I did when I was in my mid-20s,” Ross said. “The surgery really made a big difference in my life, and I recommend it to anyone that’s even considering it.
“It’s life changing,” he said, “and I think it’s something a lot of people can benefit from.”
Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the use of the LAP-BAND system to 27 million obese American adults who have failed more conservative weight loss alternatives.
Adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 30 and 40 who have at least one related comorbid condition, such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnea, are now eligible for the LAP-BAND system, created by the California-based health care company Allergan, Inc.
According to Floch, director of minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at Norwalk Hospital, the FDA’s decision to loosen the restrictions on the LAP-BAND system adds a new category of patients, specifically those with lower BMIs, but who suffer from a major medical problem.
“It’s really a great help to a lot of people,” Floch said of the surgery. “We know that only 5 percent of patients who are 80 pounds overweight will be able to lose that weight and keep it off, and long-term diets only work maybe 15 percent of the time.”
The approval to expand the use of LAP-BAND is based on a five-year study of 149 patients to determine the safety and effectiveness of the system as a treatment for obesity in adult patients with a BMI of less than 30 and greater than 40, with and without comorbid conditions.
Floch, whose practice participated in the clinical trial, said the study found that patients with lower BMIs did just as well, if not better, than heavier patients.
“There’s no magic about this,” he said. “This is a device to limit how much and how quickly you eat, and it also helps to take away some of your hunger.”
Laparoscopic gastric banding is the second most common weight loss surgery, after gastric bypass. With gastric banding, an adjustable silicone band is placed around the top portion of the stomach.
Squeezed by the silicone band, the stomach becomes a pouch with about an inch-wide outlet. After banding, the stomach can only hold about an ounce of food.
On average, patients who have undergone gastric banding lose about 60 percent of excess body weight, so a person who is 100 pounds overweight can expect to lose 60 pounds, Floch said.
Gastric banding is considered the least invasive and safest weight loss surgery, he said. The procedure can be reversed if complications occur.
Roberta Burn of New Canaan said she experienced complications, such as vomiting and internal bleeding, after having LAP-BAND surgery in 2006.
She lost 115 pounds after the surgery, but regained 50 pounds after the band was removed. She later had gastric bypass surgery and has since lost the weight she put back on.
And although Burn’s complications with the band forced her to undergo multiple surgeries, she still recommends it for people struggling with obesity.
“It did good things for me,” she said. “Only 10 percent of people have compilations and have to have it taken out. It doesn’t seem like a significant amount of people.”
Floch said the majority of people who struggle with gastric banding surgery are heavier patients with addictive eating habits.
Patricia Grissom of Southington identifies herself as a “depressed eater.”
She tried multiple diets with minimal success, which along with the embarrassment of being overweight, made her depressed.
“I would sit and eat for no reason,” she said. “I didn’t know how to stop myself.”
Grissom said she chose to have gastric banding surgery last year because she knew the surgery would force her to change her eating habits.
And it worked.
Instead of sweets and chocolate, Grissom now craves the taste of fruits and vegetables. Bread and red meat are difficult to digest, so she steers clear of those, as well.
“It’s a whole lifestyle change,” she said. “It’s not a quick fix. You can’t rely on the surgeon to do everything for you. He gets you started and you have to be accountable for yourself and what you do.”