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Home Remedies to Lose Weight
Fat is not always your fault. Even people who exercise good control over their appetites can face unexpected weight gain.
Usually this kind of weight gain has little or nothing to do with eating. In fact, the most common culprits in unnatural weight gain are medications and lack of sunlight. Fortunately, where there's an unnatural way to pack on the pounds, there is usually a natural approach to take them off. Below are some home remedies to lose weight, as well as some more on why you might have gained this weight in the first place.
No class of prescription drugs packs on more pounds than steroids.
While steroids have invaded our culture as an illicit drug, they are also used for many legitimate mediacl purposes. Most steroid drugs have names that end in –sone: betamethasone, dexamethasone, prednisone, and so on. They relieve pain and inflammation and can even save lives, but they increase weight by encouraging fluid retention. A few home remedies to lose weight can go a long way in reversing this unnatural weight gain.
What is a natural approach to stopping this all-too-common side effect of steroids? First of all, do not hesitate to ask your physician if a lower dose would work for you. Then, ask the doctor if it would be OK to try some home remedies to lose weight that could even help steroids work better in lower doses. The best herbal home remedies to lose weight are just about any herbal formula that contains a small—emphasis, small—amount of licorice.
A compound in licorice called 5-alpha-reductase causes the human body to break down steroids at a much slower rate. This applies both the body's naturally produced steroids and steroids from medications.
With licorice, a little is enough. A single tablespoon of real licorice for tea, available from almost any herb store, taken only once a day, is adequate to make a gentle change in the way the body uses steroids. To be completely on the safe side, never take more than 3 teaspoons or 15 grams of licorice in any one day, and take a "vacation" from licorice for at least two weeks every two months.
Another class of drugs that has caused years of grief for diabetics is the thiazolidinediones, or TZDs.
This is a group of drugs including Actos and Avandia. What doctors did not know when they first began enthusiastically prescribing them was that they very literally trigger the metamorphosis of non-fat cells into new fat cells.
TZDs make insulin far more effective. Unfortunately, it is about 300 times easier for insulin to move fatty acids into a cell than it is for insulin to move glucose into a cell. So any drug in this class turns a cell into a fat factory and even creates more fat factories that were not there before.
Fortunately, while every diabetic has to have some source of insulin, whether from the pancreas or from injection, no diabetic has to have TZDs. Simple home remedies to lose weight that help diabetics who have enough control to keep their sugars under 200 mg/dl include cinnamon, vitamin C, and vitamin D.
None of these home remedies to lose weight are adequate for total management of diabetes, either, but none of them pack on the pounds. For some diabetics, just 500 milligrams of vitamin C a day, or 1-3 teaspoons of a good quality Asian cinnamon a day (the more orange, the better the quality), or 1,000 milligrams of vitamin D can make just enough difference to allow discontinuation of the obesity-inducing drug. The supplements are safe, easy to get, and gently effective.
If you happen to have heard that cinnamon contains coumadins, don't worry. The kinds of coumadins in cinnamon are not the same as in the well-known Plavix and heparin, and they only exist in cinnamon in minute traces. Unless you eat a bowl of cinnamon with your spoon of oatmeal, you should not have problems.
What are some other unnatural reasons for weight gain? Would you believe that having to work a night shift can contribute to putting on the pounds regardless of good diet?
People who work at night and sleep during the day tend not to get enough sunshine to keep their bodies supplied with vitamin D. Not getting enough vitamin D affects many body processes, but the way this deficiency causes obesity is by shutting down a pathway for magnesium. Get your vitamin D, and your body can use magnesium. Your muscles work more efficiently, and it's a lot easier to burn calories. Vitamin D is also useful for anyone who retreats to air conditioned comfort to escape summer heat.
Sometimes you gain weight despite your best efforts. The good news is that natural healing processes can take the pounds right back off.
If you're still having trouble keeping the unnatural weight off, you may need more than just home remedies to lose weight. Speaking with a qualified nutritionist or personal trainer could help a lot in the long run, as they can assist you with a diet plan or workout regiment. Masterful Living is a new online consultation system that allows you to schedule appointments and chat live with qualified nutritionists, personal trainers, life coaches, and much more. Check out the consultant's profiles, and schedule an appointment to have your most questions addressed. You'll be glad you did!
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