Weight loss programs!

Myth #1: Carbs are the least of your weight loss concerns - concentrate on reducing fat intake instead!
Typical indicators that Carbohydrates are a factor in your weight gain:

** You are overweight but do not feel that you eat too much.
** You have tried low calorie and low fat diets to the letter but still have not lost weight.
** Others in your family are also overweight.
** You will lose several pounds in a week, but then gain them all back in one day.
** You are hungry shortly after having what you consider a normal meal.
** You crave sweet foods.
** You have mood swings or feel uncontrollably angry at times.
** You eat when you are stressed or emotional because it makes you feel better.
** You sometimes feel very tired. Especially in the afternoon.
** On the days that you skip breakfast, you feel shaky later in the day from not eating.
** You tend to have certain foods that you "can't live without".
** You often wake up often from a deep sleep for no reason.

Myth # 2: The Dangers of Ketosis?
Benign Dietary Ketosis, or BDK, is not the same as Diabetic Ketosis. BDK signifies the burning of fat cells for energy. It is the presence of ketones in the urine and breath. Ketones are the remnants of burnt body fat. BDK is a favorable state when dieting. It is only dangerous if it is not brought on intentionally, and if it occurs in diabetics or anorexics.

Myth #3: Low-Carb diets create bad breath and body odor.
Though it is a fact that ketosis can cause a change in breath and body odor, it is not a long-lasting effect nor not always even common.

Myth #4: All that Fat will Give you High Cholesterol!
Because insulin is responsible for cholesterol levels, adjusted insulin levels can actually DECREASE your bad cholesterol.

So, as it relates to the nay-sayers in life, do your own research and I think you'll often find less substance than some proclaim as it relates to concerns with losing weight fast via a low carb diet. And pertaining to Myth #3, one product that we like called CarbCruncher uses natural ingredients that actually improve blood sugar levels. It is perhaps the ultimate low carb diet - because it lowers and blocks carbs to allow you to diet without the low carbs. You can check it out at The best low carb
diet!

Other Weight Loss Myths and Tips!
Myth: Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain.
Fact: It does not matter what time of day you eat. It is what and how much you eat and how much physical activity you do during the whole day that determines whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight. No matter when you eat, your body will store extra calories as fat.

Tip: If you want to have a snack before bedtime, think first about how many calories you have eaten that day. And try to avoid snacking in front of the TV at night-it may be easier to overeat when you are distracted by the television.

Myth: Lifting weights is not good to do if you want to lose weight, because it will make you "bulk up."
Fact: Lifting weights or doing strengthening activities like push-ups and crunches on a regular basis can actually help you maintain or lose weight. These activities can help you build muscle, and muscle burns more calories than body fat. So if you have more muscle, you burn more calories-even sitting still. Doing strengthening activities 2 or 3 days a week will not "bulk you up." Only intense strength training, combined with a certain genetic background, can build very large muscles.

Tip: In addition to doing at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (like walking 2 miles in 30 minutes) on most days of the week, try to do strengthening activities 2 to 3 days a week. You can lift weights, use large rubber bands (resistance bands), do push-ups or sit-ups, or do household or garden tasks that make you lift or dig.

Definition:
Phase 2 Carb Blocker or commonly called a starch neutralizer, is an extract from the white kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). It is a primary ingredient for the weight loss supplement named: CarbCruncher carb
blocker, which is specifically designed to support weight loss and weight management by inhibiting the absorption of carbohydrates, reducing cravings for sugar, and supporting glucose metabolism and insulin efficiency.

Phase 2® is backed by extensive clinical research proving its efficacy and safety. In addition, the white beans used to produce Phase 2® are non-GMO (genetically modified), and are processed under the strictest quality control. The extraction process uses purified water, without solvents, and virtually all impurities are removed.

CLINICAL STUDIES
Investigation of the Efficacy of Phase 2® a Purified Bean Extract from Pharmachem Laboratories with Joe A. Vinson, PhD., Department of Chemistry, leading the study.

Background of study

Amylase is a digestive tract enzyme which breaks down starch into small units capable of being further degraded to glucose which is used for fuel for normal metabolism and body homeostasis. Clinical use of inhibitors of amylase activity has widespread appeal because a controlled reduction of starch digestion could influence carbohydrate uptake in diabetes and obesity, the latter of which is a current problem with 20% of the US population. Of course obesity is also linked to a greater risk of diabetes. A search in the National Library of Medicine Database reveals that there are 1098 articles concerning amylase inhibition. About 15 years ago there were a number of articles concerning the use of commercial bean-derived extracts. Also there were several articles indicating that some of these products which were good in vitro inhibitors were not effective when given to humans. Possible reasons for this failure were 1) insufficient activity; 2) destruction in the gastrointestinal tract; 3) suboptimal pH conditions; and 3) different gastric emptying rates of starch and inhibitor. A comprehensive experimental investigation by a group at the Mayo Clinic in 1985 found that the major reason commercial bean amylase inhibitors have failed to influence starch digestion in humans is their low antiamylase activity. Some inhibitors also have side effects such as diarrhea and an increase in intestinal gas.
We have investigated the effectiveness of a new commercial bean extract (Phase 2) prepared by Pharmachem Laboratories using normal human subjects.
Protocol

Five males and five females (ages 21 to 57) participated in a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study with informed consent. All subjects were employees at a commercial clinical laboratory and went about their duties as secretaries and technicians during the study. After an overnight fast, the participants were sampled for blood and then given in a random manner either 1) placebo consisting of 4 slices of white bread (60 grams of carbohydrate), 42 grams of soybean oil margarine and 4 grams of Sweet N'Low spread on the bread; 2) experimental comprising the placebo plus 1.5 grams of Phase 2 prepared by Pharmachem Laboratories. Plasma glucose was measured by a commercial enzyme kit (Sigma Chemical Company) from blood drawn at baseline, and every 30 minutes for 4 hours. After 1 week the regimen was repeated with the other supplement.?
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Results and Discussion

The subjects were normoglycemic as measured by fasting glucose concentration which averaged 98 mg/dl for the placebo and 104 for the Phase 2. From 60 to 120 minutes (as seen in the accompanying figure) the change in plasma glucose of the Phase 2 group from the baseline was ½ to 1/3 of the level of the placebo group. Phase 2 consumption caused the plasma glucose to return to baseline values 20 minutes earlier than the placebo without Phase 2. The average area under the plasma glucose-time curve from 0 to 150 minutes, which is a measure of absorption and metabolism, was 57% lower with Phase 2. Plotting the average change in glucose concentration from 30 minutes to 210 minutes, the area under the curve was positive for the placebo but negative for Phase2. This indicates that very little of the glucose from the starch in the bread was absorbed when co-ingested with Phase 2 and the glucose was cleared very rapidly. No side effects were observed with this product. The promising positive preliminary results of this single dose pilot study need to be confirmed. More control of physical activity is required to decrease the variability of plasma glucose between subjects. Ingestion of Phase 2 with a conventional meal should be examined. Other groups such as diabetic and obese should be studied with a single dose and also in a long-term supplementation study.

Phase 2 Carb Blocker Clinical Studies are available here.