Straight Talk About…
Stimulants, Health, and Weight Loss
Today we continue our Straight Talk Series with some real strong straight talk! I hope you are ready to take your health up a notch or two by laying down a destructive, deceptive habit or two! (How’s that for giving it to you straight right off the bat?)
Over the past 33 years in practice and 12 years in wellness coaching, we have acquired the reputation for responding to our patients and clients questions and concerns with compassion and expert knowledge. And, over and over we also hear that certain something extra we add that many others don’t is simply our straight talk that leads to real answers and real results!
This straight talk, delivered with that compassion and true care about those we serve, has become a hallmark of the wellness training our clients count on. Our standard, in person and on the website, is to never compromise the truth because real lives depend on it.
For example, one uncompromising truth that sets us apart is that we teach people that their body is fearfully and wonderfully designed and they, you, CAN rightly learn how to make better choices to produce a better outcome! We say it again and again, but it remains unchangeable truth: if you work with the body’s design, it works for you to produce the health you desire! If you work against, it will produce dis-ease.
That’s just one example of straight talk. Black and white. Easy to understand and simple to implement.
So, we kick off today’s blog with some Straight Talk About… stimulants! Stimulants are among the very worst offenders, the worst deceivers, as folks endeavor to reclaim their health, balance hormones and lipid levels, and regulate a proper healthy weight.
First, lets start with a proper definition so we are all clear on what fits into the category of the chemicals we are addressing today. Here is the listing as defined by http://dictionary.reference.com
stim·u·lant [stim-yuh-luhnt] noun
1. Physiology, Medicine/Medical . something that temporarily quickens some vital process or the functional activity of some organ or part: Adrenalin is a stimulant for the heart. (Editorial note: too much adrenaline will stimulate you right into a heart attack.)
2. any food or beverage that stimulates, especially coffee, tea, or, in its initial effect, alcoholic liquor.
3. a stimulus or incentive. (Editorial note: We all know how well that package worked, now don’t we!)
But to fully understand what fits in the category of stimulant, one must also look at the action they provide:
stim-u-late [stim-yuh-leyt] verb, (used with object)
1. to rouse to action or effort, as by encouragement or pressure; spur on; incite: to stimulate his interest in mathematics.
2. Physiology, Medicine/Medical . to excite (a nerve, gland, etc.) to its functional activity. to invigorate (a person) by a food or beverage containing a stimulant, as coffee, tea, or alcoholic liquor.
So let’s quickly discuss this. “To excite a nerve or gland to it’s functional activity, to invigorate, to quicken.” Given those accurate descriptions, let’s list some things that fall in these categories. These are things like the obvious, coffee, caffeine, caffeinated teas, caffeinated sodas and other drinks, but also things like headache medicines with caffeine, PMS medicines, and energy drinks (please see other articles here on those).
Additional things that fall in this category of stimulants are the -ine drugs like morphine and codeine. Now, granted, most of our readers, in endeavoring to gain health, tend to steer clear of these two items. But did you know that caffeine is a chemical cousin to morphine? Are you steering clear of that? They have a very similar response in the organ functions and the endocrine or hormonal system of the body! Seriously. They do. And they each have a long half life in the body, meaning the reactions they cause linger for hours past the perceived effects, as many as 6-8 hours past when you think you “feel” them. Long after the feeling goes away, they are still hindering and hampering your hormonal system – including your blood glucose and insulin levels – STRONG STRAIGHT TALK: this is specifically why many diabetics die from a heart attack.
Then, there is a whole category of “natural” stimulants like ephedrine, ginseng, maca, yerba mate, guarana, and others. These are particularly sneaky because people think they are safe and healthy because they can be labeled “all natural”. Natural does not mean safe and healthy!
Many people turn to one form or another of stimulants to do two things: produce energy and lose weight (increase metabolism). The straight talk about this is…
Using stimulants to produce energy and/or for weight loss is counter-productive.
Period. End of discussion. Not good for you. Not good for permanent weight loss. Not good for blood glucose levels or insulin control.
Straight Talk: Stimulants elevate insulin levels, estrogen levels, and cortisol levels exactly the same as sugar does – which is also a stimulant. And, all those hormones are FAT-STORING hormones!!! Can you just read that again?
It does not matter the calories in an item. It’s all about the chemistry.
You know, in real estate they always say… What? Location. Location. Location.
People, in your body, the body that is electrical, chemical, structural, it is all about the Chemistry, Chemistry, Chemistry!
Again… NOT calories. NOT calories. NOT calories.
Recently my grandkids were staying with me and I noticed that my little Eli, age 7, was completely occupied with how many calories things had. He is a boy, age 7. How on earth did he start that? The culture around him. And he is not even exposed to worldly things much, they don’t even watch commercials! So where must he have gotten it? The community of adults around him, men and women, at church, school, camp, grocery store, where ever they go, people everywhere are obsessed with calories!
This week, on the Jay Leno show, the precious Olympic star Gabby Douglas said she celebrated her gold medal with an egg mcmuffin. First Lady Michelle Obama teased her not to encourage Jay (with poor eating habits). And many, if not all, the newscasters missed the point totally. Mrs Obama referred to eating whole grain bread on that mcmuffin. But many in the media felt she was cautioning about fat and calories, chiding her for starting the pressure about weight with a girl so young and athletic. But you see, the comment was not about calories at all. All five of the people on the news broadcast I was seeing the replay on simply presumed and went that direction of weight and calories automatically.
Mrs. Obama’s comment really had to do with the nutritional content and the chemistry! Chemistry! Have your egg muffin just fine – just make it with great, healthy, ingredients! That is the point folks!
So how is that related to straight talk on stimulants? CHEMISTRY. Chemistry, not calories. And stimulants wreck your chemistry by fooling the body and up-regulating your FAT-STORING HORMONES!!!
So many of you may be saying right now… “But I’ve done it and it’s effective, Michelle!” “Stimulants help me lose weight.” Or, “stimulants don’t affect me that way.”
Define effective. Define affect. What is your real objective?
If you merely want to feel more energy right now no matter the long-term consequences, then sure go ahead. You could be dead later today of a heart attack. Over dramatic? Think again. Straight Talk. Performance athletes have that happen all the time. Haven’t you see the news reports and even commercials? “I am a marathon runner in perfect health and I had a heart attack. Now I take aspirin.”
Ludicrous.
Olympic athletes, professional ballplayers, ice skaters, basketball stars, coaches, reported every year it seems dropping dead of a heart attack, and then you see some report of stimulant use, drugs, alcohol, or natural stimulants.
As I close for today, I wanted to say that two things got me thinking this week as to why the need for this strong straight talk article. One is a friend who reported taking the advice of a new acquaintance to simply drink 4-5 cups of green tea daily and she would lose weight without doing anything else. And I am thinking, sure, and your blood sugar and sugar cravings will escalate during that time and after a few pounds of loss, you will be eating everything in sight. But she didn’t ask my opinion on it, so I am giving it to you instead as some straight talk!
The second thing that convinced me that this topic required some straight talk was a question posed by an up and coming health coach on a product she was researching. She asked my opinion so I checked it out. Here are the ingredients: Organic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Fresh – Top 3 Ingredient Dosages #1-Cacao, #2-Goji, #3-Hulled Hemp, Backed up by Chia, Flax, Lecithin, Maca, Green Tea, Yerba Mate’, Vegan Probiotics
This was a great teaching question and she received my answer wholeheartedly. As you learn to read labels and read between the marketing lines, you will see, like on this one, the things to avoid. Here in this product, all natural and organic!! At first glance, it looks amazing (all in the marketing!), but it is FULL of stimulants! WHY? Duh! So that people “FEEL” it, “FEEL” better, therefore think they are doing something healthy for themselves and buy more!!
There are at least four different stimulants in the ingredient list above. FOUR. Using just one is enough to mess up your blood glucose levels, impair your immune system, cause mood swings, and rebound weight gain. Just one. This health food shake has four!
So, the straight talk on stimulants is that they are a big boomerang to disaster in your chemical system, which then will also produce destruction and disease in the nervous system, the electrical system, and in the structural system. You will feel good at first and then later when you are well addicted, you will get the boomerang in your ever increasing b… err, uh, bottom and belly.
So ask questions. Change habits. Feed your body good healthy foods and plenty of water and you won’t even have withdrawal! If you do, you aren’t giving the body what it really needs! There are also powerful nutrition tools that can help you reclaim the territory and the good feelings you are after – but in a wonderfully health-building way!
Know someone who is uses stimulants??
You know you do! Be BOLD! Love them and share this with them.
Revelation can save lives.
Believe. Choose. Activate. Achieve. (Repeat.)
* Transparent Advertising Disclosure: Dr. Ray Pearson is an Independent Associate for ASEA. We do not receive any compensation for mentioning, reviewing, or recommending ASEA in our blogs or speaking engagements. Not a dime. However, if you choose to click through to our ASEA site and order product, we do receive compensation from that sale and you receive the most outstanding nutritional supplement currently available on the market!
Dr. Michelle's mission is to educate, activate, challenge and equip others to live a full, satisfying life, ever-growing in the Kingdom of God.
Michelle is a mountain-taker in all expressions of her calling. Sometimes it is on literal mountains leading ladies on spiritual adventures in faith. Other days, it is consulting with Kingdom-minded businesses and ministries to develop professional website platforms and social media strategies. Still other times, you will find her training mountain-takers to possess their physical land - their health, spirit, soul, and body - teaching classes and doing wellness evaluations for churches and corporations large and small, as well as providing "secret service" concierge wellness services for other speakers and ministers.
Wherever the call of God takes her, she firmly believes it is time for Christian businesses, entrepreneurs, and ministry leaders to be diligent to ‘write the vision and post it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may be able to read it easily and quickly as they hasten by.’ And then ACT on the vision.
Read more About and Experience here: http://thepictureofhealth.com/michelle-2
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- 2016 Annual Year End Ministry Report - February 4, 2017
I never thought of soda as a stimulant. But, duh, sugar stimulates, I don't drink a lot of soda. But, there is a change in how I feel after drinking soda. I would feel down and the soda lifted me up. I realized that the sugar was making the change in how I felt. I still have a soda once in a while, but I do drink more water now. This article is a stimulant and now I am naturally lifted up.. THANKS
Great article! Comfort foods can get you in big trouble as well as sugar drinks. Don't wait till you are my size to to stop making wrong decisions about what you eat and drink. One thing I am learning, it is never to late to change
This is geat! I would have not thought of avoinding the natural stimulants – umderstanding the chemistry behind it helps!
WOW! I love the straight talk, and I have never thought about the natural stuff that are stimulants that people use to lose weight! Thanks for sharing!
Great article!!! Eye-opening!! 🙂