Take a Look at Chapter One of “The Healing Code of Weight Loss”

Newly revised! Now including my Somato Emotional Repatterning Technique!

COPYRIGHT 2009©

November 2009 revision

Dr. Michael B. Roth

Integrative Wellness Publishing

1787 Mesa Verde, Suite 140, Ventura, CA 93003

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or information storage and retrieval methods now known, or to be invented, without the written permission of the author except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in an educational publication, newspaper, magazine, radio or TV broadcast.

Table of Contents

 

 

Introduction

 

1. Body Types and Belly Fat……………………………………………………6

 

2. Body Fat and Obesity ……………………………………………….……….10

 

3. Dairy, Wellness and Weight Loss  ……………………………………..20

 

4. What and How Much to Eat…………………………………………….….25

 

5. Build Your Visualization Skills…………………………………….…….36

 

6. Fad Diets vs. Healthy Eating………………………………………….……41

 

7. Exercise – Move your Body!……………………………………………………..48

 

8. Using Hypnosis to Develop a Healthy Body and Mind……….62

 

9. The Triad of Health…………………………………………………………..67

 

10.  Emotional Eating and the Somato Emotional Repatterning

Technique………………………………………………………………….…..70

 

11.  A Day in YOUR Healthy Life………………………………………..…..77

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Overeating. Overweight. Belly fat. Super-sized food and extra-large clothing. Obesity was not nearly as prevalent, even 20 years ago, as it is now. We know that our genes have not changed in more than 40,000 years.  What is the real cause? I believe, for the majority of people, the cause is lifestyle and the stress that puts on our body: stress physically, chemically, and emotionally.

Every week, during my workshops on Belly Fat and Stubborn Weight Loss, I hear the same stories over and over: “I watch what I eat, yet still I gain weight” or “I am unable to lose weight.”

For most people there is quite a bit of confusion. Many diets and diet programs:  Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, Atkins, the Zone, etc., all promise that you will lose weight. Many are trying to sell you their menus of prepackaged foods. Some even allow ice cream, known for its high fat and sugar content!

Now imagine this:

It’s a beautiful day in Yellowstone National Park.  You emerge from your tent into the morning sunlight, a gentle breeze delighting your senses.  As you prepare breakfast over the camp stove, you notice a movement out of the corner of your eye. It’s a bear!  Your heart starts to pound, your blood pressure goes up, your breath accelerates, and your digestion turns down. This is the normal and appropriate physiological response of your body dispensing the stress hormones you need to prepare the body to “fight-or flight.”

This well-documented biological event is the response shared by humans and animals and is extremely helpful when an individual faces physical danger. If the problem can be solved by “fighting,” taking action to scare the bear away, or by “flight,” running away so fast the bear can’t harm you, the solution itself dissipates the stress and bodily functions return to normal. When stress is caused by a problem, situation, or condition that can’t be solved through such a response, the impact extends for a longer period of time.

During the body’s stress response the adrenal glands secrete cortisol. One of the functions of cortisol is to stimulate the liver to break down glycogen into sugar for energy. When we eat a meal that is high in carbohydrates and sugar our pancreas secretes insulin. Insulin is a fat storing hormone. Insulin removes the sugar in our bloodstream by storing it in our muscles and the liver, and what’s left over is stored in our bodies as fat. It is very difficult to lose belly fat when insulin levels are high; increased sugar levels equal increased insulin levels equal more fat storage.

I recently read that the average American consumes 175 lbs. of sugar per year. When we indulge in that type of diet, it’s almost impossible to lose weight and belly fat.

My contention is that underneath much of our obesity issue is stress: chemical, physical and emotional. My solution: eat well, move well, and think well. Then we will no longer be a nation of overweight, sedentary people.

Dr. Michael B. Roth

Roth Wellness Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

Body Types and Belly Fat

 

Belly fat—lots of people have it!  Where does being fat and overweight come from?

The answer is… lifestyle and environment.

Over the past few years, national attention has started to focus on the main contributors to the obesity epidemic in the United States: too much fast food, too many soft drinks, and lack of physical activity.  The movie Super Size Me tells one man’s story of eating only McDonald’s food for one month, and the damage it did to his health.

The high sugar and fat content of fast food, combined with lack of exercise, creates a chain of events that put the body into chemical stress. The digestive system is down-regulated when the body is under stress and one of the symptoms is belly fat.

Adrenal            Ovary            Thyroid            Liver

Four Basic Body Types

First of all, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Eric Berg for his work on belly fat and body types, and credit him for the following information.  There are four basic body types: Liver Belly, Thyroid, Adrenal, and Ovary. Most of us are a combination of these body types; however, we all have a predominant type. See www.thebellyfat.com for more information. There are general characteristics or symptoms that go along with each type.

 

Liver Belly: Imagine you’re at the beach and you see a man small in stature, with thin arms and legs, yet his belly sticks out (pot belly).  This is the characteristic liver belly type. This type of fat distribution is not exclusive to men. Women may have this type of belly fat as well, simply not as extreme. Often the person will experience bloating, flatulence, belching, right shoulder and mid back pain or soreness without any trauma. Generally, there are digestive disturbances.

Thyroid: This body type had fat distribution throughout their entire body (face, neck, shoulders and legs). Characteristics are fatigue even after having a full night of sleep, cravings of carbohydrates and fat for energy, hair loss, thinning of the outer portion of the eyebrows, and brittle fingernails. They are often cold, especially their hands and feet. This is the person who chooses to wear socks to bed at night, even in the summer time.

Adrenal: The belly fat on the abdomen drops or sags down towards the legs. Because our adrenal glands are our stress glands, generally men and women who have this body type have been under an enormous amount of stress for a sustained period of time. Adrenal body types often complain of chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia, and fatigue. When walking up the stairs, their thighs feel heavy and often they crave salt at night.

Ovary: Exclusive to women. In this body type, the woman is usually petite above the navel and from the mid-thigh down. The progression of the OVARY type of adipose fat deposits seems to be basically in the hip and thigh.  The development of increased fat increases the potential of ovarian cysts. Women with this body type often experience fatigue during their menstrual cycle, and also some “brain fog.” Their menstrual pain is in the lower back or hip areas, and sometimes in the knees. Often these women will have a history of pre-menstrual syndrome, and they gain weight (water retention) during their cycle. They may have a history that includes lack of libido, infertility, hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and menstrual cycle acne and mood swings. During their period they experience heavy flow, constipation, and thinning of the hair.

Good News for Your Body Type

When you recognize the type of body fat you have (www.thebellyfat.com) you will be able to address weight loss with a plan and a purpose. There are specific, managed diets that address each body type and allow you to release the fat and keep it off.

The most proven method of losing weight is a combination of eating healthy, natural foods and exercise. Sometimes nutritional supplements are recommended.

Fat Back?

Those with the baby fat or brown fat usually need to exercise in order to burn this fat. This refers to people who have their fat on the back, along the upper half of the spine and towards the shoulders. Exercise is the best way to burn this type of fat. Usually this type of fat disappears as people grow from childhood to adulthood, but it can be a problem as fatty deposits develop in these areas because of a lack of activity and exercise.

Exercises that target this area of the body include upper body movement exercises. Aerobics and Pilates are great examples of exercises that burn this brown fat. White fat is used as energy storage cells. This is the weight that is on the thighs, hips and waist area. Some people have fatty deposits on their faces and chests. This is usually a matter of genetic patterning. Exercises that reduce overall body fat and those that target these areas are the best. Running, jogging, brisk walking and swimming are the best exercises to reduce body fat all over the body.

Men vs. Women Body Shapes

Estrogen stores fat in the buttocks, thighs, and hips in women. When women reach menopause and the estrogen produced by ovaries reduces, fat migrates from their buttocks, hips and thighs to their waist; later fat is stored in their bellies. Thus, females generally have relatively narrow waist and big buttocks, and this along with wide hips make for their bigger hip section and lower waist-hip ratio, around 0.7. Estrogen increases fat storage in the body, which results in more fat stored in the body of females. Body fat percentage recommendations are higher for females. This serves as an energy reserve for pregnancy.

Males have less subcutaneous fat in their faces due to the effect of testosterone. Testosterone also reduces fat by aiding fat metabolism. Males generally deposit fat around the waist and abdomen (“apple shape”) due to lack of estrogen.

Want to find out more?  Check out the rest of this breakthrough book at:  RothWellnessCenter.com!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mood, Food and Weight Loss

Emotional eating is eating as a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness. Both major life events and the hassles of daily life can trigger negative emotions that lead to emotional eating and disrupt your weight-loss efforts. These triggers may include:

• Unemployment
• Financial pressure
• Health problems
• Relationship conflicts
• Work stress
• Bad weather
• Fatigue

Flickr photo credit photo and share cc

Although some people actually eat less in the face of strong emotions, if you’re in emotional distress you may turn to impulsive or binge eating — you may rapidly eat whatever’s convenient, without even enjoying it. In fact, your emotions may become so tied to your eating habits that you automatically reach for a sweet treat whenever you’re angry or stressed without stopping to think about what you’re doing.

Food also serves as a distraction. If you’re worried about an upcoming event or stewing over a conflict, for instance, you may focus on eating comfort food instead of dealing with the painful situation.

Photo credit Christy

 

Whatever emotions drive you to overeat, the end result is often the same. The emotions return, and you may also now bear the additional burden of guilt about setting back your weight-loss goal. This can also lead to an unhealthy cycle — your emotions trigger you to overeat, you beat yourself up for getting off your weight-loss track, you feel badly, and you overeat again.

What can you do to break the cycle of overeating?

1. Understand that weight loss is not about depriving yourself of food. Instead allow yourself to eat healthy foods so that you feel satisfied. Healthy Rule of healthy choices: Roamed, Swam, Flew, or Grew Unprocessed.
2. Use your body’s internal hunger cues, not your eyes.
3. Eat slowly, and savor every bite. This will help you to eat less while more thoroughly enjoying your meals.
4. Exercise in some form or another.
5. Reset those often unconscious emotional triggers that drive you to overeat.

How do you access and change those unconscious emotional triggers?

The Emotional Weight Loss™ system uses QNRT, Quantum Neurological Reset Therapy, to make these shifts. QNRT is a system of healing that happens from within and recognizes and restores the connection of the brain, the body, and nervous system to remove the blockages so that the body can heal itself.

QNRT combines a unique biofeedback technology with a nervous system relay therapy to neurologically reprogram the brain/relay access points – the places where our body’s neurological and emotional programs reside. Simply put, the QNRT process actually “re-wires” the nervous system.

QNRT is non-invasive, requires no prescription, no manipulation, no physiotherapy and no extensive talk therapy.

Dr. Michael Roth is a certified practitioner of QNRT and The Emotional Weight Loss™ system.  For more information, go to www.qnrt.com and www.rothwellnesscenter.com. To schedule an appointment, contact drmroth@sbcglobal.net or call 805-644-0461

New Treatment for Weight Loss that Targets the Brain Instead of the Belly!

By Dr. Michael Roth

As a generation and as a nation we are gaining weight, growing tired, and sleeping less. Diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer are all on the rise.  Trends in medicine show that the “baby boomers” – those born between 1946 and 1964—are being haunted by the ominous shadows of increased weight and chronic illness as they reach age 50 and beyond.

There has been an alarming rise in obesity and heart disease in the United States in the last 20 years:

• Two-thirds of America’s adults are overweight or obese.
• As many as 30% of U.S. children are overweight.
• Childhood obesity has more than doubled within the past 25 years.
• Within the past 20 years, childhood diabetes has increased ten-fold.

We’ve been told over and over that to lose weight, we must eat healthy food and exercise.  Which foods, how much food, when and how to exercise—these parameters vary from person to person and are influenced by the popular diet plan of the moment.  Yet, many of us find ourselves in the repetitive pattern of losing weight and gaining it back.

We may be aware of when and why we overeat or choose to indulge in sweet or salty snacks.  We may know that we eat when we are angry, when our feelings are hurt, when we are bored, when we are happy, to reward ourselves for an achievement, or to console ourselves when we are feeling low.

These are examples of emotional eating. Yet despite all this diet information and self-knowledge, we find ourselves still overweight and struggling to change our eating habits.

Unresolved emotional stresses will shut down the brain, causing weight gain!

The body responds to emotional stress the same way it does to a physical or structural stressor. The brain stimulates the adrenal glands to release a hormone called cortisol, which acts on the liver to break down glycogen into sugar for “fight-or-flight” which in turn triggers the release of insulin.

The insulin brings the sugar into play for action, and if none is needed by the muscles, the sugar goes back to the liver. If not needed there because the liver has reached its maximum capacity for it, it goes to fat storage. High levels of cortisol cause the body to store fat.

The result of sustained high cortisol causes the three primary neurotransmitters to lower in the brain, contributing to weight gain, depression, and fatigue. These are the three most common complaints of all healthcare office visits in North America!

Three primary neurotransmitters typically depleted in weight gain:

• Serotonin: Depleted levels cause craving of carbohydrates, especially sugars. Low serotonin levels are also associated with depression. Normal levels feel grounded and satisfied.

• Epinephrine: Depleted levels do not allow the body to burn fat properly. Normal levels allow the body to burn fat effectively, and provide plenty of energy.

• Nor-epinephrine: Lowered levels are associated with lack of motivation and normal metabolism.  Normal levels have plenty of motivation and drive.

The target area in the brain for successful weight loss is the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus controls the feeling of full and it also controls the stimulation to eat.

Flickr photo credit Laura Dahl

Emotional hurts that occurred in our early childhood, that we may not even consciously remember, are responsible for our eating habits today.  We have been wired to react as a child and even now as adults, we impulsively eat not as a person of choice, but because emotionally, we are stuck at our earliest emotional wound.

The Emotional Weight Loss™ system calls these wounds “negative core drivers.”

Examples of negative core drivers are:

• Rejection
• Powerlessness
• Vulnerability
• Feelings of Being Unlovable
• Feelings of Being Defective
• Emotional Deprivation

Negative core drivers and beliefs about ourselves are not accurate or reliable – they are just plain false!  The problem is that our nervous system doesn’t believe it and acts accordingly, making the choices that support those false beliefs!

A Recipe for Weight Gain:

• Anger/struggle growing up will raise blood sugar and insulin causing fat storage.
  

• Emotional stresses, fear, anxiety, and anger will raise cortisol levels for fat storage.

• Poor diet habits rise insulin causing fat storage.

The key is to reset the brain to lose weight and keep the weight off!

A quantum shift can occur in our behaviors by resetting the brain from those pre-programmed emotional stresses. We do not have to remain a victim to our own nervous system. We can forgive, resolve, and let go of the emotional stresses contributing to dysfunction in our bodies.

True Health is not about what you are eating. It is about what is eating you!

The Emotional Weight Loss™ system uses QNRT, Quantum Neurological Reset Therapy, to make these shifts. QNRT is a system of healing that happens from within and recognizes and restores the connection of the brain, the body, and nervous system to remove the blockages so that the body can heal itself.

QNRT combines a unique biofeedback technology with a nervous system relay therapy to neurologically reprogram the brain/relay access points – the places where our body’s neurological and emotional programs reside. Simply put, the QNRT process actually “re-wires” the nervous system.

QNRT is non-invasive, requires no prescription, no manipulation, no physiotherapy and no extensive talk therapy.

Dr. Michael Roth is a certified practitioner of QNRT and The Emotional Weight Loss™ system.  For more information, go to www.qnrt.com and www.rothwellnesscenter.com. To schedule an appointment, contact drmroth@sbcglobal.net or call 805-644-0461.