Godhaer.co.uk :: weightless

herbs and weight loss

 

As many as two in three adults in the UK are either overweight or obese, putting pressure on their hearts.
Obesity may reduce the average life exectancy by nine years, while being overweight or obese can lead to real health problems which include:
- high blood pressure
- coronary heart disease
- high cholesterol
- type 2 diabetes
- fertility problems
- certain cancers
- liver problems

The good news is that just a small weight loss of 5-10% of your total body weight can really help reduce your risk of health problems caused by being overweight or obese. And that's something everyone can achieve.

It is is best to lose weight gradually at a rate of about 1-2lbs (0.5kg) aweek. So it could take you 3-6 months to lose your first 5-10%

Remember, it's also just as unhealthy to be underweight as it is overweight. Contact me for more info about maintaining a healthy weight.

Understanding weight loss... ENERGY IN vs ENERGY OUT
Weight gain is all about how much energy (calories) your body takes in through eating and drinking compared with how much energy your body uses. In other words, energy in vs. energy out.
Here's how it works. Your weight will stay the same if you take in roughly the same amount of energy (food) as your body burns up through your physical activities.
If you regularly take in more energy thatn your body burns up, you'll gain weight.
But if you regularly take in less energy (food) than your body burns up, you'll lose weight.
So the best way to lose weight is to eat and drink fewer calories and burn more calories by being more more active. IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT!

Measure your waist
Women with a waist measurement of more than 3.5 inches or men with a waist measurement of more than 37 inches may have a higher risk of heart disease than people with smaller waist measurements because of where their fat lies.
If you BMI score is over 25 and/or your waist size is putting you at risk of heart disease, it's a good idea to try and lose wome weight.

Weight-loss success
- Write down your reasons for losing weight
- Recognise where you feel tempted to overeat
- Watch out for boredom eating
- When stressed do something else eg go for a walk or visit a friend
- Drink water or tea or herb tea before you eat
- Drink more water through the day (6-8 glasses per day)
- Cut out all junk foods eg crisps, chocolate, sweets, cakes, nuts, etc
- Only buy healthy food (clear your fridge and pantry of junk food like ice-cream etc)
- Avoid heavy meals; keep to regular meal times
- Plan your meals the day before and keep your meals balanced and healthy
- Eat slowly
- If you fail one day don't give up; keep your WILL strong for SUCCESS

Your Food for Healthy Weight-Loss
- Bread, cereals, rice, pasta (wholegrain only) and potatoes (boiled or baked; not fried) - 30% of your diet is recommended
- Fruit and vegetables - eat 5 portions or more a day (no snacks); include salad every day
- Milk and dairy - only semi-skimmed or skimmed milk; low-fat cheeses/yoghurts
- Meat, fish and protein - two portions of fish each week; lean meats (remove fat and skin); cook with no extra fat or oil; beans and pulses are low in fat and an alternative to mean
- Fats and sugars - use low-fat spread sparingly instead of butter or margarine; do not fry foods; replace sugar with artificial seeterners (use our completely natural Stevia); low calorie in everything (look at the label before buying)

Some Diets that May Help:

THE HUNTER-GATHERER DIET: PALEO DIET

Watch Dr Wahls talk at a TED seminar about her remarkable recovery from a severely debilitating form of aggressive multiple sclerosis following a simple diet, the modern hunter-gatherer diet, called Paleo* Diet. She confirms the benefits of whole herbal powder support like the ABC Daily Powder as opposed to restrictive multivitamins, and the like, due to the range of nutrients it supplies. Watch her compelling story of recovery: Dr Wahls on YouTube. These foods are ripe for good health, supporting and feeding your mitochondria in every cell of your body, removing toxins, and building the immune system for a long and healthy life.
*Paleo is shortened for Paleolithic, hunter-gathers in the stone age.

WHAT ARE THE FOODS USED IN THE PALEO DIET?

The Paleo Diet Food List
Meat
Beef, pork, lamb, veal, rabbit, goat, sheep, horse, bison, wild boar, venison…

Game meat
Deer, pheasant, bear, moose, woodcock, elk, duck, rabbit, reindeer, wild turkey …

Poultry
Chicken, turkey, duck, quail, goose, …

Fish
Salmon, tuna, trout, bass, halibut, sole, haddock, turbot, walleye, tilapia, cod, flatfish, grouper, mackerel, anchovy, herring, …

Shellfish
Crab, lobster, shrimps, scallops, clams, oysters, mussels, …

Fats
Avocados, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, butter, clarified butter (ghee), lard, tallow, duck fat, veal fat, lamb fat, fatty fishes (sardines, mackerel, salmon), nut butters, nut oils (walnut, macadamia), coconut flesh, coconut milk, …

Eggs
Chicken eggs, duck eggs, goose eggs, quail eggs, …

Vegetables
Celery, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, leeks, kohlrabi, green onions, eggplants, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, cucumber, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, artichokes, okra, avocados, …

Green leafy vegetables
Lettuce, spinach, collard greens, kale, beet top, mustard greens, dandelion, swiss chard, watercress, turnip greens, seaweeds, endive, arugula (rocket), bok choy, rapini, chicory, radicchio…

Root vegetables
Carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, radish, jerusalem artichokes, yams, cassava, …

Winter squash
Butternut squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, pumpkin, buttercup squash, …

Summer squash
Zucchini, yellow summer squash, yellow crookneck squash, …

Fruits
Bananas, apples, oranges, berries (strawberry, cranberry, cranberry, blueberry, blackberry), grapefruit, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, pomegranates, pineapple, papaya, grapes, cantaloupe, cherries, apricot, water melon, honeydew melon, kiwi, lemon, lime, lychee, mango, tangerine, coconut, figs, dates, passion fruit, persimmon, …

Nuts and seeds
Pistachios, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, chestnuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts

Mushrooms
Button mushroom, portabello, oyster mushroom, shiitake, chanterelle, crimini, porcini, morel…

Fresh and dried herbs
Parsley, marjoram, thyme, lavender, mint, basil, rosemary, chives, tarragon, oregano, sage, dill, bay leaves, coriander, …

Spices and other natural flavor enhancers
Ginger, garlic, onions, black pepper, hot peppers, star anise, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cayenne pepper, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, paprika, vanilla, cloves, chilies, or combinations of spices eg Chinese 5 Spice, Thai 7 Spice, etc…

Have you noticed? No grains and starchy foods! Avoid grains, bread, potatoes, chips, pasta, pizza, and other stomach bloating foods based on wheat and refined grains.

The Paleo Diet is what HerbActive Clinic recommends for super health with half to one teaspoon of ABC Daily Herbal Powder every day.

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Alan, I've been taking your WeightLess Tonic for over a year and rely on it to keep my weight stable even though I jog I tend to put fat on easily, WeightLess keeps me slim. I also like using your Stevia liquid and find it so sweet I don't need sugar at all, I share it with my daughter.
Thank you for your wonderful work! Maggie.

NEW FAT-BUSTING HERBAL FORMULA!!

*NEW FAT-BUSTING HERBS ADDED
* natural herbal blend improves weight loss
* specialist formula tried and tested
* supportive, eliminative, detoxifying
* appetite suppressive
* formulated by medical herbalist Alan Hopking MA MNIMH
* ideal tonic to accompany a weight controlled diet
* ideal tonic to support an exercise regime
* ideal tonic to help increase metabolism and burn fat
* supports the heart and the liver

If you are way too under-weight try our WeighMore Tonic, it may be the answer. See WeighMore

Weight Less

Rich in nutrients
Encourages the body to burn more calories (metabolic stimulant)
Improves elimination and detoxification. Appetite suppressant
Balanced with the herbs that support the body and increase fat digestion
2-4lbs lost in first week and following weeks (on average, according to feedback by hundreds of users)
Our most popular and successful tonic (it is also used in the ABC LemonDetox Diet Programme)
Use alongside your changeover to the Paleo Diet
Try it - you won't be disappointed

WeightLess

New Formula. The purpose of this tailor-made tonic from our Herbalist is to increase the metabolism and assist a more efficient digestion of foods and fats (new fat-busting herbs added). The tonic acts as a stimulant to the blood circulation hence burning more calories. It helps to increase the excretion of water, draining the tissues, reducing water retention. The bowel will also be more active: improving elimination of waste, helping to remove encrustation on the walls of the intestines that impedes digestion and causes the uptake of toxicity in the body and a constant feeling of unwellness and low energy. Taken regularly through the day you should find that you have less of an appetite, a better mood, and more discrimination as to what you want to eat. The tonic balances your nerves and liver. It is rich in trace minerals, vitamins, amino acids and other nutrients.
WeightLess Tonic includes bladderwrack (sea kelp) in which fucoxanthin has been discovered. This is a carotenoid that targets stored fat cells in our body causing them to shrink and also to decrease in number. Kelp also boosts metabolism.

The Herbs in WeightLess - please request list.

Diet

Although the WeightLess Tonic can be taken by itself without changing your lifestyle and good results can still be achieved. However, we recommend a sugar controlled diet. Lots of vegetables, salads, and fresh fruits; and very few carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, bananas, etc). Keep sugar intake to below 15g per day and you will restore your shapely figure (lose your belly). Keep oily foods/fish down to the minimum. Not much meat, chicken or dairy. Buy a juicer, and enjoy the special benefits of drinking juices while also promoting weight loss. Drink plenty of natural water, herb teas and juices. Coffee and tea can be drunk during this programme (we have a high stimulant alternative coffee to support your weight loss programme, called High10NGen, click here). Replace a meal with soup every other day (no salt or oil and do not blend - just drink the soup water). Follow the Paleo Diet and keep to a maximum of 1200 calories daily (and try to go to 600 calories (men), 500 calories (women) on 2 consec days each week [see below on 5:2] to lose weight consistently and keep healthy throughout, and with a load of good energy as well.

Latest and proven diet 2012 Called 5:2 (The Fast Diet)

Science has revealed the best diet following a study that has lasted many years. This was revealed in a report on Horizon on BBC2 in July 2012, in fact only the last 10 minutes of the hour-long documentary. The diet is very effective in balancing blood sugar, removing fat on the belly, hips, arms, chest and elsewhere, improves general blood pressure, and improves energy within a month. The advantage of this diet is its simplicity and do-ability.
The diet is as follows:
1. On 2 consecutive days eat no more than 600 (500 for women) calories per week for a year. That's it! [Best to follow the Paleo Diet both in and out of the 5:2]
I repeat: each week for 2 days keep your colorie intake to 600 calories or less (500 for women). On the other 5 days (if you're trying to lose kilos or stones) keep to 1200 calories max.
2. The remainder of the week (5 days) you can eat anything. It is ofcourse recommended that you be resonable and eat healthily with plenty of greens, salads, some fruits and grains, fish, cheese, nuts and beans, and not a lot of meat or fats. Drink plenty of water. A glass of wine or equivalent per day. Exercise at least 3 times a week as well. Apart from this you can eat what you like for 5 days a week. Use the list above in the Paleo Diet. For general health there is no calorie counting furing the 5 days; but if you're wanting to look younger and slimmer and you're needing to lose kilos and stones, keep to 1200 calories during your 5 days.
The result (the conclusion made by the US research in 2012): slow safe fat loss until your norm is reached with no loss of muscle which would cause sagging; enhanced vitality; brain cell regeneration; better memory longevity; blood sugar balance; restored normal blood pressure; improved overall organ functionality; ability to wean off dependance on drugs (or at least to be able to safely get onto herbal alternatives); reduction of stress and angst; and a figure you'll be confident to enjoy (and display on the beach or the bedroom).
More about this research and benefits of the 5:2 Diet below.

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5:2 - From the BBC documentary Horizon
Eat, Fast and Live Longer on BBC Two at 21:00 BST on Monday 6 August

Scientists are uncovering evidence that short periods of fasting, if properly controlled, could achieve a number of health benefits, as well as potentially helping the overweight, as Dr Michael Mosley discovered. I'd always thought of fasting as something unpleasant, with no obvious long term benefits. So when I was asked to make a documentary that would involve me going without food, I was not keen as I was sure I would not enjoy it. But the Horizon editor assured me there was great new science and that I might see some dramatic improvements to my body. So, of course, I said, "yes". I am not strong-willed enough to diet over the long term, but I am extremely interested in the reasons why eating less might lead to increased life span, particularly as scientists think it may be possible to get the benefits without the pain. How you age is powerfully shaped by your genes. But there's not much you can do about that.

Calorie restriction, eating well but not much, is one of the few things that has been shown to extend life expectancy, at least in animals. We've known since the 1930s that mice put on a low-calorie, nutrient-rich diet live far longer. There is mounting evidence that the same is true in monkeys.

Growth hormone

The world record for extending life expectancy in a mammal is held by a new type of mouse which can expect to live an extra 40%, equivalent to a human living to 120 or even longer. It has been genetically engineered so its body produces very low levels of a growth hormone called IGF-1, high levels of which seem to lead to accelerated ageing and age-related diseases, while low levels are protective. Professor Victor Longo with two Ecuadorians with Laron syndrome Professor Longo has investigated growth hormone deficiency in humans. A similar, but natural, genetic mutation has been found in humans with Laron syndrome, a rare condition that affects fewer than 350 people worldwide. The very low levels of IGF-1 their bodies produce means they are short, but this also seems to protect them against cancer and diabetes, two common age-related diseases. The IGF-1 hormone (insulin-like growth factor) is one of the drivers which keep our bodies in go-go mode, with cells driven to reproduce. This is fine when you are growing, but not so good later in life. There is now evidence suggesting that IGF-1 levels can be lowered by what you eat. Studies on calorie restrictors suggest that eating less helps, but it is not enough.

Cutting Calories and Protein

As well as cutting calories you have to cut your protein intake. Not entirely - that would be a very bad idea. It's about sticking to recommended guidelines, something most of us fail to do. The reason seems to be that when our bodies no longer have access to food they switch from "growth mode" to "repair mode".

As levels of the IGF-1 hormone drop, a number of repair genes appear to get switched on according to ongoing research by Professor Valter Longo of the University of Southern California.

Intermittent fasting

One area of current research into diet is Alternate Day fasting (ADF), involving eating what you want one day, then a very restricted diet (fewer than 600 calories) the next, and most surprisingly, it does not seem to matter that much what you eat on non-fast days. Dr Krista Varady of the University of Illinois at Chicago carried out an eight-week trial comparing two groups of overweight patients on ADF. "If you were sticking to your fast days, then in terms of cardiovascular disease risk, it didn't seem to matter if you were eating a high-fat or low-fat diet on your feed (non-fast) days," she said.

5:2 Diet

I decided I couldn't manage ADF, it was just too impractical. Instead I did an easier version, the so-called 5:2 diet. As the name implies you eat normally 5 days a week, then two days a week you eat 500 calories if you are a woman, or 600 calories, if you are a man.

There are no firm rules because so far there have been few proper human trials. I found that I could get through my fast days best if I had a light breakfast (scrambled eggs, thin slice of ham, lots of black tea, adding up to about 300 calories), lots of water and herbal tea during the day, then a light dinner (grilled fish with lots of vegetables) at night. On my feed days I ate what I normally do and felt no need to gorge.

I stuck to this diet for 5 weeks, during which time I lost nearly a stone and my blood markers, like IGF-1, glucose and cholesterol, improved. If I can sustain that, it will greatly reduce my risk of contracting age-related diseases like cancer and diabetes. [But according to the researchers on the documentary the real benefits for health and regeneration of nerve cells, etc occur after at least 1 year on the 5:2 diet - in fact it is recommended that the 5:2 should be a long-term, lifestyle, ie either permanent or 3 months twice yearly. - Alan Hopking]

Current medical opinion is that the benefits of fasting are unproven and until there are more human studies it's better to eat at least 2000 calories a day. If you really want to fast then you should do it in a proper clinic or under medical supervision, because there are many people, such as pregnant women or diabetics on medication, for whom it could be dangerous.

I was closely monitored throughout and found the 5:2 surprisingly easy. I will almost certainly continue doing it, albeit less often. Fasting, like eating, is best done in moderation.

adapted slightly from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19112549

NB Alan Hopking recommends you keep on the Paleo Diet throughout the 5:2 programme because eating at McDonalds and BurgerKing or similar would defeat the purpose viz good health and keeping out of hospitals and avoiding taking drugs. See the Paleo range of foods above.

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Other diets reviewed

 

Cynthia Kenyon PhD


Cynthia Jane Kenyon (born c. 1955), above, is an American molecular biologist and biogerontologist known for her genetic dissection of aging in a tiny worm, Caenorhabditis elegans. Cynthia's research prompted her to make personal dietary changes. She stopped eating high glycemic index carbohydrates when she discovered that putting sugar on the worms' food shortened their lifespans.[1] Kenyon follows a low glycemic index diet similar to the Atkins diet[1], the South Beach Diet[2] and Jorge Cruise diet. This is what she says:

"No desserts. No sweets. No potatoes. No rice. No bread. No pasta. When I say ‘no,’ I mean ‘no, or not much,’ she notes. Instead, eat green vegetables. Eat the fruits that aren't the sweet fruits, like melon [and berry fruits but not much]. Bananas? Bananas are a little sweet. Meat? Meat, yes, of course. Avocados. All vegetables. Nuts. Fish. Chicken. That's what I eat. Cheese. Eggs. And one glass of red wine a day.[3]"

But the diet is unproven, she cautions, and she's not recommending it for all. Nevertheless, she's pleased with its performance for her. 'I have a fabulous blood profile. My triglyceride level is only 30, and anything below 200 is good.'[3]

"You have to eat something, and you just have to make your best judgement. And that's my best judgement. Plus, I feel better. Plus, I'm thin—I weigh what I weighed when I was in college. I feel great —you feel like you're a kid again. It's amazing.[3]
“I think a high-carb diet (which gives you a lot of insulin) is not good for you,” she explains. “But I don’t think insulin and insulin growth factor are evil. We need them to grow and to process our food.”
Refs:
1 Kingsland, J.: "I Want to Live Forever", New Scientist, Issue 2417, October 18, 2003.
2 Platoni, K: "Live, Fast, Die Old", East Bay Express, January 18, 2006.
3 O'Neill B: "In Methuselah's Mould", PLoS Biology Vol. 2, No. 1, e12 doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0020012

The Dukan Diet to lose weight and maintain a healthy slim body
Take WeightLess Tonic with the Dukan Diet. Carefully follow the 4 stages:

1. Stage One – Attack. Eat only protein for 5-10 days: just meat, fish, eggs and non-fat dairy products. Drink 3 litres of water each day. Foods to eat during the first 5 days:
- Shellfish: Prawns are allowed during the attack phase.
- Lean beef and veal or rabbit, not pork or lamb (trim all fat and avoid ribs as too fatty). Eat meat grilled, roasted or boiled and without using butter, oil or cream (not even low-fat versions). You could also 'dry fry' it - rub the surface of a frying pan with a few drops of oil on kitchen paper.
- Lean minced beef can be prepared as burgers or meatballs (mixed with an egg, spices, capers or gherkins) or enjoy frozen beefburgers (if less than 10 per cent fat).
- All chicken and turkey (not goose or farmed duck) but remove skin before eating and avoid the outside part of the wings (too fatty).
- Ham if low-fat and lean, also cut rind off. Avoid deli, cured, and smoked hams (too fatty).
- Beef, veal or chicken liver.
- All fish white or oily, fresh, frozen, dried, smoked or canned (but not in oil or in any sauce containing fat), even crab sticks.
- All crustaceans and shellfish.
- Up to two eggs a day. Stick to 3 to 4 yolks per week if you have high cholesterol, but the white can be eaten without restriction.
- Non-fat dairy products such as 0% yoghurt, fromage frais, quark, cottage cheese, and skimmed milk. Natural ( plain) and flavoured yoghurts (coconut, vanilla, lemon) are allowed without restriction, but non-fat fruit yoghurts (containing fruit puree) should be limited to two a day (or avoided if you want a lightning start to your attack phase).
- Sweeteners (Canderel, Silverspoon Sweetener) or Stevia (a natural sweetener available Godshaer Herbalist), vinegar, spices, herbs, garlic, onion, gherkins, pickled onions (as condiments, but not in large quantities), lemon juice (on food, but not to drink), mustard and salt (in moderation), sugar-free natural ketchup in moderation, sugar-free chewing gum (can slow down the mechanical swing towards eating whenever you feel under pressure).
Avoid all butter and oil. Take the weightLess Tonic 4 times daily.
Walk briskly for 20 minutes every day. This is a non-negotiable doctor's prescription.

2. Stage Two - The workhorse stage. This is where you alternate pure protein days with days when you include a delicious array of unlimited vegetables to your wide selection of meat, fish and non-fat dairy products. This phase consists of two alternating diets. This is the workhorse stage where you alternate pure protein days with days when you include a delicious array of unlimited vegetables to your wide selection of meat, fish and no-fat dairy products. Expect to lose around 2lb a week.
You can start a meal with a salad or soup, followed by a meat or fish dish gently stewed with flavoursome and fragrant vegetables. Take the weightLess Tonic 4 times daily.

3. Stage Three – Consolidation. When you reach your ideal weight - or your Dukan-prescribed true weight - the consolidation phase kicks in, gradually releasing dietary constraints and putting fruit, bread, cheese and starchy foods such as pasta back on the menu.
You are even encouraged to have two totally unrestrained celebration meals (with alcohol, butter, bread, chocolate ... whatever foods you truly love) a week.
This is not a tolerated indulgence, it is a doctor's recommendation, and an important part of the diet's acceptance that food, in all its variety, can be relished if you are going to stay slim for ever.
Eat as much protein and vegetables (together) each day as you want without any restriction on quantity, time of day or combination.
Add one serving of fruit per day (avoid high-sugar bananas, grapes, cherries, dried fruits and high-fat nuts)
Enjoy two slices of wholemeal bread per day, spread with fat-reduced butter.
Have one serving (40g or 1.5oz) of hard cheese per day (but avoid blue cheese, soft cheese or goat's cheese).
Factor in one serving of 'starchy foods' per week in the first half of your Consolidation Phase, increasing to two servings per week in the second half. This includes pasta (225g or 8oz serving in tomato, not creamy, sauce and with no oil), couscous/polenta (225g or 8oz cooked in stock, not butter or oil), lentils, beans, chickpeas, rice (ideally brown) and potatoes (but only occasionally and without butter).
Broaden your meat repertoire to include any quantity of lamb, roast pork and ham (remove all fat first) once or twice a week
Let your hair down and plan and enjoy one celebration meal a week in the first half of the Consolidation Phase, increasing to two in the second half. In this meal you really can eat whatever you want - and you should choose something you've missed during the weight-loss period. Take the weightLess Tonic 4 times daily if indicated at this stage.
But there are two important conditions - NEVER have second helpings of the same dish and NEVER eat two celebration meals in a row (if you splurge on Tuesday night, at Wednesday's breakfast the success of your diet is on the line). Have one of each: one starter, one main, one dessert and one glass of wine, all in a reasonable quantity but only once.
Keep one pure protein day per week - say, Thursdays. This is your insurance policy against gaining weight.
Take 2tbsp of oat bran per day (as a pancake or sprinkled on food).
Walk 25 minutes per day (longer if you enjoy it and have time).

4. Stage Four - Stabilisation. When your time in consolidation is up, and your new slender weight has stabilised, you are free to live the rest of your life the French way, eating and drinking whatever you like without guilt or restriction, but adhering to that one remaining Dukan rule: protein only on Thursdays. For ever. 
Go back to eating whatever you like, but continue to use the basic rules of the Consolidation Phase as a safety platform (eat unlimited protein and vegetables, one piece of fruit a day, two slices of wholemeal bread, a portion of cheese, two starchy foods and two celebration meals a week).
Keep this in mind as your point of healthy-diet reference, and use it as your safety back-up if you are under threat of regaining weight.
Pick one day a week - for the rest of your life - when you eat nothing but protein. This is the key that allows you to eat normally for the other six days of the week without putting any weight back on. (Drink at least two litres of water to flush the digestive system and reduce its craving for food).
Make a vow to walk (briskly) for 20 minutes every day, and never take a lift or step on an escalator. Going up or down the stairs makes the body's largest muscles contract and, in a short time, uses up considerable calories.
Take the weightLess Tonic 4 times daily if indicated at this stage.
Increase your daily oat bran intake to 3tbsp and stick to it for life.

THE POWER OF EXERCISE on Dukan
Exercise is not just an add-on to the Dukan Diet, it has a genuine role to play and is just as important as dieting in this fight against weight problems.
We all know that being active burns up calories, however, for most of us exercise is a chore to be avoided.
But for anyone who wants to lose weight it should be your most powerful ally and friend. The more active you are, the less you need to limit what you eat and the less you'll suffer.
Exercise allows you to more easily absorb any wild dietary lapses or moments of madness (a 20-minute walk effectively neutralises three squares of chocolate or a therapeutic glass of wine) thereby lessening their impact and your feelings of guilt.
Exercise also triggers endorphins, chemical mediators produced in the central nervous system that give us a feeling of exhilaration. Through this chemical process, exercise reduces the equally neurological need to find solace in eating.
Finding pleasure in being active while burning up the calories is THE best way to protect your weight loss.

Dukan Diet and Oat Bran
Throughout the Dukan Diet you can enjoy a carbohydrate respite in the form of a tablespoon of oat bran every day.
Oat bran is rich in sugars and protein, but its benefit lies in the high levels of soluble fibre, which absorbs water in the gut, swelling up to 20 times its size.
This helps you feel full and satisfied. It is also great for heart health and eases constipation (which can affect people in the early stages of the diet).
But once digested, it attracts fat molecules, sugars and toxins, and carries them out of the body before they can be absorbed into the bloodstream.
If you follow the plan to the letter, and your new weight becomes established and stable, the Dukan Diet eases you back to a life of normal, unrestrained free eating, with one caveat - you must agree to one proteinonly day (Dukan suggests a Thursday) every week for the rest of your life. 'By sticking to protein one day a week, you can lose 1.5lb to 2lb instantly and, in so doing, correct any excess that may have occurred during the rest of the week,' says Dr Dukan. Grateful acknowledgements to the Daily Mail

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Here's another highly commendable plan for weight loss
Draw 8 circles for 8x 16oz glasses of water per day. It boosts metab 30% within 40 mins and keeps it elevated for over an hour (drink 1oz water for every 2lbs body wt (ie 160 lbs drink 80oz water/day).
Emotional eating: ask "Is this what I REALLY need?"
Eat no more than 1450 cals/day. (I recommend a low carb diet with this method; it cuts the bother with calorie counting - Alan Hopking). (1200 if your trying to lose your belly fat, etc)
NB It is critical to know that anytime you allow more than 3 hours to pass between meals, your body preserves body fat and begins to cannibalise precious fat-burning muscle.
Yes, by waiting more than 3 hours to eat, you lose muscle tissue.
Muscle is your metabolism... Lose muscle and you slow your fat burning mechanism. (Jeorge Cruise). Throughout, continue to take the WeightLess Tonic and ABC Daily Herbal Powder.

Supplements

For information: the following vitamins and nutrients can affect our digestion and metabolism; they work well with the WeightLess Tonic: CoEnz Q10, Kelp tablets, B5 (controls fat metabolism), Choline (metabolism), Magnesium and B1 (for the metabolism of carbohydrates), Zinc (helps digest food and assists metabolism), B complex (increases metabolism), Lecithin granules (prevents fat build-up in organs). Support your local herbalist and please buy your supplements from us. Phone us free for next day mail order: 0500 90 96 97 or come to our shop. If you're on insulin or if you are particularly metabolically resistant to losing weight, the following supplements taken with the WeightLess Tonic should assist: chromium, vanadium, alpha lipoic acid, zinc, biotin and CoEnzQ10.
Or if you dislike taking vitamin tablets because they give you indigestion or because of the high-tech industrialisation process gone into making them along with all the binders, chalks, glazing agents, colorants, etc, added to them, I highly recommend our ABC Daily 50 Herbal NutriPowder Plus which is totally organic, herbal and has the full complement of vitamins, minerals, micro-elements and amino acids: a perfect support for your programme of weight loss. For more info, click here

Exercise

Extra exercise is essential, and aerobic type exercises are very useful, preferably 5 times a week (or more), 30-40 minutes continuous exercise at each session. Best done first thing in the morning (and again in the evening if you can) (morning exercise is useful because it turns up the 'metabolic dial' and then remains turned up throughtout the day, thus burning fat throughout the day even if you've got a desk job). Skipping, jogging, dancercise, cycling, power walking, swimming, team sports, are the best. This increases your metabolism and sustains weight loss throughout the day. Or if you're older try to walk 1-2 miles three times a week in one activity. When you go to sleep at night the metabolic dial resets and the next morning you need to turn it up again by exercising in this way. Exercise is healthy for your mood, your joints, your organs, your immune system, your heart and circulation as well as your shape.

Godshaer's WeightLess

Its value has been proved over the years. This tonic is organically made. The extracts are cold extracted in pure spring water as organic tinctures using organic ingredients wherever possible. Shelf life one year; no need to keep in the fridge. Keep it where you can best see it so you will take the prescribed dose every day. 555ml lasts a month. Tell us how many stone you have lost in the months of taking the WeightLess Tonic.

Lemon Detox fast

WeightLess Tonic is also used in our ABC Lemon Detox Diet Progamme where you can lose up to a stone (14lbs; 6kg) in just 7 days. More info, Lemon Detox Diet

100g Green and Black Organic Dark 85% Cocoa £1.99
100g Lindt Excellence Dark Supreme 90% Cocoa £1.55;
50g Lindt Excellence Dark 99% Cocoa £2.79

UnderWeight? Get Weighmore tonic

If you are under weight or too thin or you know a friend who can eat like a horse and is still underweight and complains about being too thin, recommend you take the WormLess Tonic as it is possible you have a parasitic problem, or an overactive thyroid. I have a specific herbal tonic for people who want to increase their weight: WeighMore Tonic.

Other tonics to take with WeightLess which could further assist weight loss:
Detox
LiverDetox
MoodStepUp
SynergyPluss
Herbal VW
MoveMore1 or MoveMore2
Lymphatic cleanse
see Tonics A-Z.

Prices

Find out about herbal medicine for treatment of this condition

Are you feeling the health benefits of Alan's ABC Daily Herbal NutriPowder? click here to find out more

Prescriptions

To make a donation to Godshaer Herbalist via PayPal click here

Our herbal tonic medicines are carefully prepared on a personal and individual basis for your healing by medical herbalist Alan Hopking MA MNIMH MRCHM FINEH. Only whole herbs are used in our herbal medicines. Nothing else is added. If you have symptoms which you consider might be helped with herbal medicine please contact herbal practitioner Alan Hopking for a friendly confidential professional consultation. Telphone using our freephone 0500 90 96 97.
Once you have received your herbal prescription you can contact Alan Hopking at any time for more free advice (preferably by email). When you have completed your bottle of herbal medicine and if you want a repeat prescription you are requested to phone or email so that your progress can be assessed and adjustments made if necessary so that there is no break in your treatment. To order or re-order, click here.

UK Government Dept - MHRA

General advice to consumers on the use of herbal remedies from the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

From the website of the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (www.mhra.gov.uk) Department of Health, UK

• Remember that herbal remedies are medicines. As with any other medicine they are likely to have an effect on the body and should be used with care.
• Herbal remedies may sometimes interact with other medicines. This makes it particularly important to tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking a herbal remedy with other medicines such as prescribed medicines (those provided through your doctor or dentist).
• Treat with caution any suggestion that a herbal remedy is '100% safe' or is 'safe because it is natural'. Many plants, trees, fungi and algae can be poisonous to humans. It is worth remembering that many pharmaceuticals have been developed or derived from these sources because of the powerful compounds they contain. Any medicine, including herbal remedies, which have an effect on the body should be used with care.
• Treat with caution any herbalist or other person who supplies herbal remedies if they are unwilling or unable to provide written information, in English, listing the ingredients of the herbal remedy they are providing.
• If you are due to have a surgical operation you should always remember to tell your doctor about any herbal remedy that you are taking.
• Anyone who has previously experienced any liver complaint, or any other serious health complaint is advised not to take any herbal remedy without speaking to their doctor first.

PRECAUTIONS:

Pregnant/Breast-feeding mothers
Few conventional medicines have been established as safe to take during pregnancy and it is generally recognised that no medicine should be taken unless the benefit to the mother outweighs any possible risk to the foetus. This rule should also be applied to herbal medicinal products. However, herbal products are often promoted to the public as being “natural” and completely “safe” alternatives to conventional medicines. Some herbal ingredients that specifically should be avoided or used with caution during pregnancy. As with conventional medicines, no herbal products should be taken during pregnancy unless the benefit outweighs the potential risk.

Volatile Oils

Many herbs are traditionally reputed to be abortifacient and for some this reputation can be attributed to their volatile oil component.(6) A number of volatile oils are irritant to the genito-urinary tract if ingested and may induce uterine contractions. Herbs that contain irritant volatile oils include ground ivy, juniper, parsley, pennyroyal, sage, tansy and yarrow. Some of these oils contain the terpenoid constituent, thujone, which is known to be abortifacient. Pennyroyal oil also contains the hepatotoxic terpenoid constituent, pulegone. A case of liver failure in a woman who ingested pennyroyal oil as an abortifacient has been documented.

Uteroactivity

A stimulant or spasmolytic action on uterine muscle has been documented for some herbal ingredients including blue cohosh, burdock, fenugreek, golden seal, hawthorn, jamaica dogwood, motherwort, nettle, raspberry, and vervain. Herbal Teas Increased awareness of the harmful effects associated with excessive tea and coffee consumption has prompted many individuals to switch to herbal teas. Whilst some herbal teas may offer pleasant alternatives to tea and coffee, some contain pharmacologically active herbal ingredients, which may have unpredictable effects depending on the quantity of tea consumed and strength of the brew. Some herbal teas contain laxative herbal ingredients such as senna, frangula, and cascara. In general stimulant laxative preparations are not recommended during pregnancy and the use of unstandardised laxative preparations is particularly unsuitable. A case of hepatotoxicity in a newborn baby has been documented in which the mother consumed a herbal tea during pregnancy as an expectorant. Following analysis the herbal tea was reported to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are known to be hepatotoxic.

Breast-feeding mothers

A drug substance taken by a breast-feeding mother presents a hazard if it is transferred to the breast milk in pharmacologically or toxicologically significant amounts. Limited information is available regarding the safety of conventional medicines taken during breast-feeding. Much less information exists for herbal ingredients, and generally the use of herbal remedies is not recommended during lactation.

Paediatric Use

Herbal remedies have traditionally been used to treat both adults and children. Herbal remedies may offer a milder alternative to some conventional medicines, although the suitability of a herbal remedy needs to be considered with respect to quality, safety and efficacy. Herbal remedies should be used with caution in children and medical advice should be sought if in doubt. Chamomile is a popular remedy used to treat teething pains in babies. However, chamomile is known to contain allergenic sesquiterpene lactones and should therefore be used with caution. The administration of herbal teas to children needs to be considered carefully and professional advice may be needed.

Perioperative use

The need for patients to discontinue herbal medicinal products prior to surgery has recently been proposed. The authors considered eight commonly used herbal medicinal products (echinacea, ephedra, garlic, ginkgo, ginseng, kava, St John’s Wort, valerian). On the evidence available they concluded that the potential existed for direct pharmacological effects, pharmacodynamic interactions and pharmacokinetic interactions. The need for physicians to have a clear understanding of the herbal medicinal products being used by patients and to take a detailed history was highlighted. The American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) has advised patients to tell their doctor if they are taking herbal products before surgery and has reported that a number of anaesthesiologists have reported significant changes in heart rate or blood pressure in some patients who have been taking herbal medicinal products including St John’s Wort, ginkgo and ginseng. MCA is currently investigating a serious adverse reaction associated with the use of ginkgo prior to surgery. In this case, the patient who was undergoing hip replacement experienced uncontrolled bleeding thought to be related to the use of ginkgo.

From the website of the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (www.mhra.gov.uk) Department of Health, UK

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Contact details

Post

Alan N Hopking MA MNIMH MRCHM
HERBACTIVE ABC
Advanced Botanical Centre of Medicine
5 Station Road
New Milton
Hampshire
BH25 6HN
UK

Telephone

+44 (0) 1425 839280
Freephone UK 0500 909697

Email

alanhopking@herbactive.co.uk
for general information: info@herbactive.co.uk

Road and Rail

HERBACTIVE Clinic and Shop is near the New Milton Train Station
Take the train from London Waterloo to Bournemouth, Poole or Weymouth and get off at New Milton; turn left at Station Road; 2 mins walk to Herbactive.
Buses from Bournemouth or Lymington take Wilts and Dorset X1 or X2 to Whitefield Road, New Milton (2-3 minutes walk over the rail bridge).
Buses from Winchester and Salisbury take Wilts and Dorset X3 to Bournemouth Hospital then take X1 or X2 to Whitefield Road, New Milton (2-3 minutes walk over the rail bridge).
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Disclaimer and pledge

As a professional herbal practitioner I am in practice in conformity with the laws of England and the 1968 Medicines Act. The UK legislative provisions for herbal medicine are to be found in the Medicines Act 1968, Section 12, paragraphs 1 & 2, and Section 56, paragraphs 1 & 2.

Section 12:1 specifies exemption for herbal medicines from licensing provided that they are supplied subsequent to private personal consultation. Section 12:2 exempts herbal medicines provided that they are produced according to standard traditional, non-industrial methods. It also specifies that no written claims may be made for the use of the remedy.

Therefore at HERBACTIVE no claims about any medical condition regarding the herbal medicines prescribed by Alan Hopking are made. Indeed, be it a doctor, surgeon or herbal practitioner, the successful outcome of our treatments cannot with any certainty be predicted, let alone guaranteed. Further, following UK and EU law, the information on this web site attach no medical claims and no claims concerning the medicinal herbs mentioned relating to any medical conditions listed. All the herbal prescriptions are unlicensed and made by Alan N. Hopking at the address of HERBACTIVE for patients of Alan N. Hopking.

I pledge that, I shall do all I can, using my knowledge of herbal medicines and natural treatment, to help you regain your deserved health.
Alan Hopking MA MNIMH MRCHM

All our herbal medicines are made from the raw herb at our dedicated clinic and dispensary at HERBACTIVE Botanicals. We collect the fresh herbs, or import the dry herb. They are organic if at all possible. We only use whole herbs. We are against the use of standardized extracts, or the concentration of herbs by adding more of the active constituent. We recommend you do not use such products in any form (dry, in capsules or as tincture extracts). To use our herbal tonics you should follow the prescribed dose. Any side effects or problems should be reported to us.