"It's no wonder it's so hard to lose weight. Our bodies are made to hold on to weight at all costs; it's how we stay alive. It's part of who we are. Mark Hyman, M.D., says in his new best-selling book, Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss, that "in essence, we are made to gain weight." This book is just as helpful as his last best-seller, "UltraPrevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Keep You Healthy for Life," which he wrote with another author. Dr. Hyman, who has been interested in the cutting-edge science of Western medicine and alternative health for over 20 years, says that Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss is not just another weight loss book. Instead, the book is like the owner's manual for your body's health as a whole. He turns what he knows into a healthy way of life that reduces the risk of a number of epidemic health problems and degenerative diseases that are a problem for us right now, while also helping us lose weight.
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Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss gets right to the point by turning a lot of what we think we know about losing weight on its head. A lot of what we think we know about losing weight is making us gain weight. As proof, the book points out that even though Americans spend $50 billion a year on weight loss, whether it's diet pills, programmes, or exercise routines, none of them work very well. In fact, every diet we try makes us gain an average of five pounds in the long run. Obesity has now passed smoking as the leading cause of deaths that could have been prevented. Almost 70% of adults and a third of our children are now overweight. The problem is made worse by the food industry's push for profitable foods, the power of pharmaceutical companies, and the advice from our own government, especially when it comes to the "food pyramid" or eating less fat.
In part I, i>Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss/i> busts seven old myths that make us unhealthy, gain weight, and keep it on. First, there is the Starvation Myth, which says that you can't lose weight if you eat less and work out more. The second myth is that all calories are the same. The Fat Myth is the third. When you eat fat, you get fat. The fourth myth is about carbs. If you eat few or no carbs, you will lose weight. Fifth is the Sumo Myth, which says that skipping meals helps you lose weight. Sixth, there's the French Paradox Myth, which says that the French are thin because they drink wine and eat butter. Last but not least, there's the Protector Myth, which says that our health is protected by government food policies and food industry rules. Also, the book says that man-made substances like "trans-fats," which are found in almost all processed and packaged foods because they don't go bad, are adding to our health and weight problems, which have been getting worse over the past 30 years. This plastic that we eat actually turns on a gene in your DNA, which slows down your metabolism and makes you gain weight. The book also talks about how man-made supersugars like high-fructose corn syrup, which is used to sweeten almost everything, including soft drinks, are bad for our health. These supersugars get into your bloodstream quickly and cause hormonal and chemical changes. This causes insulin surges, which tell your brain to eat more and your fat cells to store more fat.
If there are things and foods we eat that can make us sick or make us gain weight, then there must be ways to make us healthy and help us lose weight. Part II of i>Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss/i> tells us how to turn on our metabolism and fat-burning genes, turn off our genes that make us gain weight, and programme our bodies to lose weight automatically. In part III, the book goes even further by giving menus, recipes, exercise plans, and ways to change your lifestyle to improve your metabolism and overall health. This part of the book is made so that you can change it to meet your specific genetic needs and get the most out of your fat-burning DNA.
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The book i>Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss/i> shows us how to get back to health and fitness. And if we do that, we won't have to count calories, fat grammes, or carbs to lose weight over the long term. We don't have to go hungry; we just have to eat the way our genes tell us to.
