Losing weight and pH balance

[Guest guest]

Does anyone here check their pH balance and, if so, how was it? The local

health food store is pushing us trying to change our pH balance and saying

that acidosis causes a whole slew of health problems. They also said that

folks that carry their weight the way that I do, mostly around the middle (I

call it my " Buddha belly " ) tend to do so because our body is trying to

protect our internal organs from the acid and, as a result, stores fat

there.

Well, my pH was waaaaaaaay off. Really acid from eating so much protein

(esp. red meat) and not having enough fruits and vegetables.

I'm working on it but thought I'd check how everyone else is doing with

their pH.

-

**********

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Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Digna-Petamus (That's Latin for " Let us

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[Guest guest]

> Does anyone here check their pH balance and, if so, how was it? The

local

> health food store is pushing us trying to change our pH balance and

saying

> that acidosis causes a whole slew of health problems.

GREETINGS --

As a point of information cancer cells need an acidic environment to

grow and thrive and if your body gets too acidic you can die. I

seemed to be getting progressively sicker and weeker when I came

accross an article that made the above point. The article led me to

a book by Bob Barefoot on Coral Calcium which was being hyped at the

time. I ended up opting for Calcium Citrate (because it is more

absorbable) and started taking sizeable doses between meals four

times per day. Over time my body pH became normal(it took 3-4

months) and within a week or so my nightly sleep changed from a

series of catnaps to seven solid hours of sleep -- both of which I

attribute to the calcium supplements I was taking (and still do).

> folks that carry their weight the way that I do, mostly around the

middle (I call it my " Buddha belly " )

The folklowing may be helpful:

The following is a two-part article from the shape.com website that

explains why it is so hard to get rid of that pooch any of us have

and then suggests some ways to lower stress and get depooched.

wambo

Lose that belly fat!You exercise, you eat right, but you still have a

pooch. Here's the surprising reason why -- and how to fix it.By

Candace Combe, M.S., R.D., L.D.N.

We crunch. We Ab Blast. We eschew carbs. Heck, we'll even go under

the knife to get rid of ab flab.Unfortunately, recent research shows

that you can crunch until you crumble and diet till you're drained of

energy, but if your days are full of stress, the perfect six-pack --

or even a flatter midsection -- will continue to elude you.

That's because fat in the abdominal area functions differently than

fat elsewhere in the body. It has a greater blood supply as well as

more receptors for cortisol, a stress hormone. Cortisol levels rise

and fall throughout the day, but when you're under constant stress,

the amount of the hormone you produce remains elevated. With high

stress and, consequently, high cortisol levels, more fat is deposited

in the abdominal area since there are more cortisol receptors there.

But ab flab is not the only price you'll pay for chronic stress (the

kind created by a marriage that's unraveling, a job you hate,

problems with your health -- rather than, say, tension caused by a

traffic snarl). Chronically high cortisol levels also kill neurons in

the brain and interfere with feel-good neuro-transmitters -- such as

dopamine and serotonin -- which can lead to depression and feeling

more stressed. More stress = more fatIn short, the whole issue of

abdominal fat goes far beyond how you look in a bikini: The fat at

your waist -- what researchers call central obesity -- is associated

with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and

several types of cancer. And while it's true that heredity plays a

role in overall body type (that is, whether you are more of

an " apple " than a " pear " ), says Davy, Ph.D., R.D., an

assistant professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, " genetics

accounts for only 25-55 percent of the tendency to develop the most

serious diseases associated with abdominal fat -- the remainder is

lifestyle.

" Ongoing research at the University of California, San Francisco

(UCSF), is showing that it doesn't even matter if a body is otherwise

thin; if stress levels are high, ab fat will increase. " People

called 'high-stress responders' [those who secrete more cortisol in

response to stress than others] have more central fat, regardless of

body weight, " says Elissa Epel, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the

psychiatry department at UCSF and the author of several studies on

stress and eating behavior in premenopausal women.

The best diet to lose ab flabAll of this means there's one simple

place to start: If you want to get rid of the fat at your midsection,

begin by introducing stress-reduction techniques such as meditation,

exercise and deep breathing. The Mind/Body Medical Institute in

Chestnut Hill, Mass. -- founded by Herbert Benson, M.D., author of

The Relaxation Response (Quill, 2000) and an expert on the harmful

effects of stress -- utilizes all of these techniques in its Lighten

Up program, in which participants learn to manage the stressors that

trigger the hormone changes that play a role in weight gain.

The Lighten Up program has one other component that's essential to

successful weight loss: Participants follow the Mediterranean Diet,

which emphasizes nutritious foods such as fish, nuts and seeds, whole

grains, beans, fruits and vegetables. Unlike the typical American

diet, the Mediterranean eating plan eliminates or limits saturated

fats and processed foods and includes a moderate amount of healthy

fats, especially omega-3 essential fatty acids. (The best sources of

omega-3s are fatty fish such as salmon, herring, sardines and

mackerel; if you don't like fish, try flaxseed or walnuts.)

The Mediterranean Diet appears to have what researchers call an anti-

inflammatory effect on our bodies' many systems and organs, meaning

that it fights the destructive effects of chronic stress. True anti-

stress foodsEating so-called " comfort foods " (carbohydrate-rich fare

such as cookies, bread and pasta) may help you feel calmer in the

short term, but proceed with caution (and see " Beware of 'Comfort

Carbs' " ). Over time, the price you'll pay for trying to reduce your

stress with low-fiber, high-carb (and high-calorie!) foods is more

abdominal fat.In her most recent study, Epel found that men and women

who overate in response to stress had higher levels of both insulin

and cortisol, elevating their risk for more-serious diseases,

including diabetes.The nutrients that show the most promise for long-

term stress relief are the Mediterranean Diet's keystone: the omega-3

fatty acids. As odd as it may sound, getting more of these " good "

fats has been associated with a reduction in body fat, including

abdominal fat. Several recent studies show that eating omega-3 fats

can reduce output of another stress hormone, epinephrine (aka

adrenaline). While experts do know that high cortisol levels

contribute to abnormal accumulation of abdominal fat and the

subsequent development of life-threatening diseases, they haven't yet

come up with a magic nail to permanently deflate your spare tire. In

the long term, adopting habits such as regular exercise, relaxation

techniques and a Mediterranean-style diet are the keys to creating a

healthy, happy life -- and not just the antidote to ab flab!

Candace Combe, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., is a nutritionist and freelance

writer who is based in Norfolk, Mass

6 simple ways to shrink stress (and ab fat)

1. Eat more foods with omega-3 fats. These essential fatty acids have

been linked to a decrease in both stress and body fat including ab

fat.

2. Take a hike, a vigorous walk or a bike ride. You've heard it

before, but daily exercise is truly one of the best stress reducers

you'll ever find -- and it will also help you lose weight.

3. Go Mediterranean. The Mediterranean Diet is a boon twice over: It

reduces weight and chronic disease.

4. Relax -- every day. Deep-belly breathing, meditation and muscle

relaxation therapy (in which you tense and then relax your muscles,

moving down the body from head to toes) are all tried-and-true ways

to beat stress.

5. Limit stress-fueled noshing. People who frequently turn to food

when stressed have higher levels of both insulin and cortisol.

6. Think positively. Negative thought patterns create stress, but if

you learn to look on the bright side more, you can cut tension.

Pick up the book Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, by D.

Burns, M.D. (Quill, 1999), which is filled with tips on how to

improve your outlook and fight negative thinking.

wambo1941

[Guest guest]

<< 6. Think positively. Negative thought patterns create stress, but if

you learn to look on the bright side more, you can cut tension >>

That was realy great information about belly flab. I also wanted to add

something I learned in school. When working out, all the other muscles in your

bod

take a full 72 hours to recover, thus you can work out every 3 days and still

get results.. Lifes cruel joke is the belly recovers after 24 hours meaning to

get results you have to work those muscles daily. Not fair!