Lose Weight and Burn Fat with 7-Keto and Other Natural Herbs and Nutrients!

The subject of healthy weight management has been at the forefront of the health care discussion for more than a decade. Medical practitioners preach moderation, portion control, exercise, and healthy food choices to their patients. Consumers, on the other hand, are slow to change their eating and exercise habits and instead search for a non-existent “magic pill” to melt away fat while they continue their fast food eating, sedentary, couch potato lifestyles.

But the fact remains, obesity is killing us and the solutions to both prevent it and reverse it are out there. So why isn’t it happening? The simple four word answer: knowledge, patience, movement, and motivation.

Understanding these four simple principles—and how to apply these principles in your daily life—could mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to losing unwanted pounds and maintaining a healthy weight thereafter.

What you do know, may hurt you!

Let’s start with knowledge, or better still factual, informed knowledge. As stated up front, there are no magic pills for weight loss. But the big food companies, the media, and even the US government have for decades been telling America that shedding unwanted pounds is easy provided you eat what they recommend. And those recommendations have been appalling. Low fat, high protein, low cal, low carb, sugar free—the list goes on and each recommendation, when taken at face value, can lead the unsuspecting and trusting dieter down an unhealthy, unsatisfying, and ultimately unsuccessful weight loss path.

Additionally, if you follow the government sponsored recommendations, the odds are you will actually gain weight. The American diet and the outdated USDA Food Pyramid have been manipulated by the food industry to actually encourage people to eat more, not less. And the economic forces behind this manipulation are not about to let up.

So what do we really know? The food conglomerates claim low fat, low calorie processed foods are “healthy alternatives.” But the fact is these heavily processed foods often deprive our bodies of necessary nutrients essential to health. Yet, the big con game continues and what we think we “know” is really only what the food hucksters and hypesters want us to know. So when it comes to healthy weight loss, a little factual knowledge, along with informed decision making, can go along way.

Patience is a virtue

It’s true, patience is a virtue. But it is a virtue quickly forgotten by all involved in the weight loss world. Dieters want the weight to melt away quickly and easily, and the weight loss marketers spin tales that aim to please. “Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Days” shouts an ad for one weight loss drink. But heaven help you if you actually do so. Losing 30 pounds in a month, even if you are severely overweight, simply isn’t healthy. The strain such excessive dieting puts on your heart, kidney, liver, and other internal organs, puts not only your health, but your very life at risk.

When it comes to weight loss, patience is probably the most forgotten, yet most important success principle. It took time to add the extra 10, 20, or 30 pounds that a typical dieter wants to lose, yet they want to lose it all in a matter of weeks or months. It simply doesn’t make sense. What does make sense is to approach weight loss not as a temporary diet or quick fix, but instead as a healthy lifestyle that is, once your weight loss goals have been met, to be maintained for the rest of your life.

“What does make sense is to approach weight loss not as a temporary diet or quick fix, but instead as a healthy lifestyle that is, once your weight loss goals have been met, to be maintained for the rest of your life.”

Move it if you want to lose it

Movement is not a euphemism for exercise—unless you want it to be. While most people correlate exercise with a healthy, fit appearance, exercise in and of itself, need not be an exercise. Truth be told, any movement of the body utilizes and exercises muscles. Also, vigorous movement burns calories and will also burn stored fat, once you’ve used up the available stores of caloric energy.

So if movement is not exercise, just what is it? The answer is just what it seems. Movement means moving your body. Period. Walking, lifting, stretching, swimming, dancing—these are all things that cause our bodies to move. But they need not be exercise. A stroll around the block, for most people, is an enjoyable experience and not equated with exercise. Walking up a flight of stairs—or two—can not be equated to a step aerobic exercise class. Dancing with a loved one at a special event—or even in your own living room—is hardly comparable to jogging laps around the high school track.

“Simple, everyday movements have the potential to be life-extending, healthy weight-maintaining habits.”

Now of course, to truly lose a lot of weight, you will need to go beyond everyday movement and into the realm of exercise. But thinking in terms of “just get up and move” is a great place to start. Here’s why …

Simple, everyday movements have the potential to be life-extending, healthy weight-maintaining habits. But to reap the benefits of movement you need two things. The first is consistency. You need to move your body each and every day. The second is energy—and this is where many people fall short. And it’s not because they are lazy. If you don’t have the energy to get off the couch, but you want to, you are not lazy, you are energy deprived. Movement takes energy and we get our energy from the food and nutrients we ingest. If we are not getting the proper energy-enhancing food and nutrients we need, no amount of knowledge, patience, or motivation is going to get us moving.

But there are ways to increase energy—and thus our ability to move—and ultimately, to succeed in a safe and satisfying weight loss program.

Improve your chance of success by supporting your mind’s motivation

The fourth weight loss principle is motivation. When it comes to weight loss, motivation is a double edged sword. An individual can be motivated to lose weight, and thus they try to eat right and start an exercise program. But that same individual can also impulsively be motivated to down a couple of fast food burgers or polish off a quart of high-fat ice cream. Both actions—starting a plan to lose weight and gorging on fast food, started in the mind as motivative thoughts.

Another thought to keep in mind is the concept of “triggers.” People tend to react to certain situations—good news, bad news, no news—in a habitual fashion. Good news may trigger a celebratory mood and you reward yourself with a banana split. Bad news might trigger a “woe is me” mood and the banana split is eaten to feel better. Knowing what your triggers are, and having an appropriate response plan in place once your trigger has been set off, is an important part of managing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

One more thing regarding motivation … please do not confuse motivation with willpower. Many unsuccessful dieters blame a lack of willpower for their weight loss failures. This is unfortunate, because willpower, or lack of it, is not the culprit. You see, in weight loss, the term willpower is connected to resistance. It implies that one must have the “strength to resist.” This is the exact opposite of motivation, which is all about desire. Motivation, or desire, is actually a much stronger human trait than willpower. Willpower fights desire, and as most dieters know, desire often wins.

So clearly, another key to success in weight loss—or anything for that matter—is conquering the mind and controlling motivation.

So there you have it … knowledge, patience, movement, and motivation. Four simple principles that when properly applied to a healthy weight loss program ENSURE success.

But let’s not stop there. Modern science—combined with the insight of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic medicine (from India)—has made great strides in identifying herbs, nutrients, and other compounds that can assist you in applying these principles and allow you to lose unwanted pounds safely and, more importantly, keep them off forever. Here’s a quick list of some of these substances and the principle(s) they support:

7-Keto …	patience, motivation
Coenzyme Q10 …	movement
Ashwaganda …	knowledge, movement, motivation
Panax ginseng …	knowledge, movement, motivation
Schisandra …	knowledge, movement, motivation
Peony …	knowledge, motivation
Ferulic Acid …	patience, motivation
Green tea extract …	patience, movement

Let’s go ahead and take these in the order listed, and explain how these substances work in the body and how they can assist you in applying the four principles previously discussed.

7-Keto®—the proven fat burner

7-Keto is a natural substance produced by the body in our adrenal glands that has been scientifically proven to aid in weight loss. Again, this is not a miracle pill and it won’t provide much benefit if you don’t take the necessary steps to help it work, but it has been proven that this substance, combined with moderate exercise and a sensible diet, does assist the body in burning calories and thus losing weight.

“7-Keto, in conjunction with a program of diet and movement, has been shown to accelerate weight and fat loss by 200% over the same period of time compared to a similar program with a placebo.”

7-Keto is a natural metabolite that is produced in the body from the adrenal hormone DHEA. 7-Keto was initially discovered in the 1950’s, however, its usefulness in weight loss was not discovered until the 1990’s by researchers at the University of Wisconsin.

Scientists believe 7-Keto plays an important role in up-regulating key thermogenic enzymes in the body, thereby enhancing resting metabolic rate. It has extensive clinical evidence supporting its ability to aid in weight loss. These clinical studies have shown that 7-Keto works naturally with your body to enhance the activity of three key fat burning (thermogenic) enzymes. The up-regulation of these key enzymes provides a higher metabolic rate during periods of calorie restriction and diet modification. 7-Keto, in conjunction with a program of diet and movement, has been shown to accelerate weight and fat loss by 200% over the same period of time compared to a similar program with a placebo. This is important as it supports both the patience and motivation principles. When you embark on a weight loss program and you see early results, it satisfies the natural impatience you may have, and motivates you to continue the program.

Clinical research and findings

The science behind 7-Keto is quite impressive. There are two clinical trials using 7-Keto for weight loss at a dose of 200 mg per day. Both of these studies have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Both studies were double blind and placebo controlled and performed in population of overweight men and women over a period of eight weeks. The results of each study confirm that administration of 7-Keto at a dose of 100 mg twice daily when combined with a program of diet and exercise will result in a three-fold increase in weight loss and fat loss compared to placebo¹. There have been two other placebo-controlled studies investigating the effectiveness of 7-Keto in weight management, each of which confirmed 7-Keto’s effectiveness for weight loss.²

Other physiological effects

Researchers have studied 7-Keto for other benefits including helping to improve the immune system and improving memory. 7-Keto does not have any known side effects. It has been put through very rigorous testing to insure that it is safe.

Coenzyme Q-10—the spark of life

Coenzyme Q-10, commonly called CoQ10, is a vitamin-like compound that acts as an antioxidant protecting cells against free radical damage. It exists in every cell of your body and you could not survive without it. CoQ10 is essential in the body’s production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which produces energy within the cells and is the basis for normal functioning of all body systems and organs.

If you think of the cell as a little engine that uses oxygen to burn the organic fuels that come from the organic foodstuffs, you may think of CoQ10 as the part of the engine that provides the spark for this process. No other substance will substitute for CoQ10. Without it there is no spark and therefore no production of energy for the cell. And without energy there is no life!

Clinical research and findings

As we age, it becomes more and more difficult for the body to produce enough CoQ10. An 80-year-old person has approximately half the CoQ10 levels of a 20-year-old. In the early 1980s, Karl Folkers, Ph.D., one of the researchers who pioneered CoQ10, conducted the first study of CoQ10 in the treatment of cardiomyopathy, a form of progressive heart failure. Nineteen patients who were expected to die from heart failure rebounded with an “extraordinary clinical improvement,” according to Folkers.

Clearly, a healthy heart is the key to a healthy body, and ensuring that the heart has the necessary spark of life is critical to activating the body’s stores of energy. So if you want to get your body moving, ensuring proper tissue levels of CoQ10 is a good place to start.

Other physiological effects

Scientists estimate that once CoQ10 levels drop below a deficient level, a variety of health problems may take hold, so it is imperative that you maintain healthy CoQ10 levels in your body, and elevate them if you want an energy boost in order to get moving. CoQ10 has also shown to have an inhibitory affect on obesity in laboratory animals, which obviously is beneficial to anyone looking to lose weight.³

Adaptogenic herbs bring your body in to balance—and boost your brain power

Now before we get to these next three herbs, an explanation is needed for the term adaptogen. An adaptogen is a natural herb that increases the body’s resistance to stresses, anxiety, trauma, and fatigue. Herbalists used to call this type of herb a rejuvenating herb or restorative. Succinctly, an adaptogen is an herb that has a normalizing effect on the body—bringing it back into balance, either by toning down systems that are overreacting, or boosting bodily systems that are underperforming.

Adaptogenic herbs are antioxidants and support three of the four weight loss principles. They are well regarded as brain-boosters, allowing for clear thinking and decision making. Thus they support both the knowledge and motivation principles. Adaptogenic herbs also fight fatigue, which increases energy and brings about movement. Let’s take a look at three important adaptogenic herbs and see how they might assist in a healthy weight loss program.

Ashwagandha—3,000 years of brain boosting power

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. It comes from a woody shrub and is used as a tonic to rejuvenate the body and counter the ravages of aging. It boasts a 3,000-year history of effectiveness and safety.

Recent research confirms the effectiveness of ashwagandha in improving brain function, increasing learning ability, and prolonging memory retention. It also has a positive effect on reducing the impact of aging.

Clinical and research findings

Ashwagandha is a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals, providing a protective and restorative effect on all tissues including the brain. Research in India demonstrated that ashwagandha increases antioxidant activity in the brain, protecting neuronal tissue from free radical damage.⁴

Stress, anxiety, depression, and free radical damage

Stress, anxiety, and depression are key factors in impaired brain function and loss of motivation because they increase your body’s production of free radicals.⁵ Ashwagandha counters the brain diminishing effects of stress two ways. First, as a powerful antioxidant, it helps reduce free radical activity in brain tissue, which allows for better cognitive function.

Second, ashwagandha has been proven in research studies to be as effective as commonly prescribed drugs in reducing anxiety and depression. But it does not have any of the side effects associated with these prescription drugs.⁶ When you reduce stress and anxiety, you reduce the production of free radicals, and you improve brain function and your ability to stay focused and motivated. Ashwagandha’s ability to scavenge free radicals from brain tissue makes it a valuable component in your arsenal to bolster brainpower, enhance decision making, and control motivation. Thus it stands to reason that ashwagandha supplementation could benefit anyone embarking on a weight loss program.

Other physiological effects

Ashwagandha has been used in Ayurvedic medicine to boost physical performance and stimulate sexual capacity. Thus, it supports the movement principle of weight loss. Ashwagandha is well tolerated with no side effects when taken in normal clinical amounts.

Panax Ginseng—broad protection for many areas of your health

At the outset, it’s important to distinguish between true ginseng—Panax ginseng—and Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) or American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius).

Siberian and American ginsengs are not true ginsengs. And while they have positive physiological effects, they do not have the same mode of action as Panax ginseng, which is true ginseng. Panax ginseng has higher levels of important brain-protective components called ginsenosides than either American or Siberian ginsengs.

Clinical and research findings

A number of clinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of Panax ginseng in improving different aspects of mental functioning. In one study, 112 healthy volunteers older than 40 years were given 400 mg per day of Panax ginseng for eight weeks. They showed better and faster reactions to psychometric tests and improved abstract thinking.⁷

Two other studies—each involving healthy volunteers who received 200 mg daily of Panax ginseng for eight weeks—demonstrated improvement in attention, processing, and auditory reaction time, social functioning, and mental health.⁸

In another study, 20 healthy young volunteers received a single 400 mg dose of Panax ginseng. They showed improvement in cognitive performance, memory performance, speed of memory tasks, and accuracy of attention-related tasks.⁹

The ginsenosides in Panax ginseng have a variety of beneficial actions, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer effects.¹⁰ The importance of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds in preventing mental deterioration, improving over all mental acuity, and allowing you to control your motivating thoughts cannot be emphasized enough in this discussion.

Other physiological effects

In traditional medicinal uses, ginseng is used to enhance physical, sexual, and mental performance and to increase energy. Thus it can help “get you off the couch” and moving your body. Also, like the other adaptogens discussed here, it protects your body from the harmful effects of stress and aging. Ginseng appears to reduce blood sugar levels and increase levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol—the “good” cholesterol. Overall, ginseng has a good safety record. Because Panax ginseng is a stimulant, the most common side effects are nervousness and excitability, which usually decrease after the first few days.

Schisandra Berry – Protecting memory by protecting nerve impulses

Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis) is a climbing vine grown not only for its ornamental and medicinal properties but also for consumption. Fruits, leaves, and bark contain the active components (called schisandrins).

Schisandra has traditionally been used to treat hepatitis, but recent animal and human studies have shown that it improves mental clarity and concentration.¹¹ Both of which are important when trying to think clearly, make knowledgeable weight loss decisions, and control your motivation.

Brain-related clinical and research findings

In one set of experiments, mice were given the chemical scopolamine, which induces amnesia. One group was then given an herbal treatment containing schisandra. The researchers stated that the treatment “significantly reduced scopolamine-induced memory deficits.”¹²

Additionally, in vitro (test tube) experiments found that schisandra limits neurotoxicity induced by amyloid-beta peptide (which causes oxidation) in cultured cortical animal neurons. These results suggest that schisandra has “protective characteristics against neuronal cell death and cognitive impairments.”

Other physiological effects

Schisandra is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat poor circulation and heart function, diarrhea and dysentery, fatigue, liver disease, mental and emotional illness, respiratory disease, sexual function, skin rash, and sleep disorders. Schisandra is a natural food substance and is safe for long-term use. It is uncommon for schisandra to cause side effects.

Peony Extract—proven learning enhancer

The roots of peony plants (Peonia suffruticosa) have been used in traditional medicines in China and Japan for a wide range of physical problems.

Clinical and research findings

Paeoniflorin is one of the major constituents of peony root. Paeoniflorin has various biological actions including improving of memory¹³ and antioxidant activity.¹⁴ The importance of antioxidants in protecting against mental deterioration has already been discussed.

“Sharp minds make sharp decisions, can process information better, and are less susceptible to impulse decisions that could thwart your weight loss efforts.”

Research reported within the last few years has determined that peony protects neurons from damage. This improves cognitive function and memory and reduces the opportunity for mental deterioration to take hold.¹⁵ Sharp minds make sharp decisions, can process information better, and are less susceptible to impulse decisions that could thwart your weight loss efforts.

Other physiological effects

Peony is traditionally used in Asia to treat muscle cramps, cardiovascular disorders, chronic viral hepatitis, and menstruation difficulties. Peony has no appreciable toxicity or side effects when taken at dosages below 4 gm per day.¹⁶

Ferulic Acid—powerful anti-inflammatory nutrient

Ferulic acid is not a traditional Ayurvedic or Chinese remedy as such. It’s a natural component of many plants, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. But it’s been isolated from a number of medications used in these ancient healing traditions. So these traditional medicines are undoubtedly deriving some of their effectiveness from ferulic acid.

Clinical and research findings

Animal studies have proven that ferulic acid is an effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. This action accounts in part for its brain boosting and protective power.¹⁷

Researchers at Hallym University (South Korea) gave ferulic acid to mice for four weeks. After four weeks, they injected beta-amyloid—a peptide that causes oxidation and inflammation—directly into the mices’ brains. The control mice—the ones who had not received ferulic acid—showed between 19% and 35% decrease in their ability to perform certain tests. The mice given ferulic acid not only showed no decrease in performance, they showed improvement! This showed that the ferulic acid helped protect the mices’ brains from the harmful beta-amyloid and allowed them to stay on task and complete the tests. The ability to stay on task is a benefit for anyone looking to find the patience necessary to “stick with” a weight loss routine, and may motivate one to continue their program.

Other physiological effects

Anecdotal evidence indicates that ferulic acid protects against cancer, bone degeneration, and menopausal symptoms like hot flashes. Like many other antioxidants, ferulic acid reduces levels of cholesterol and triglyceride, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.¹⁸ Additionally, no side effects were reported in animal studies using doses of up to 1,500 mg per day, which is about 7.5 times the amount normally taken by humans.¹⁹

Green tea extract—the natural starch blocker

Green tea has been used throughout Asia for thousands of years to promote longevity, improve mental functions, and promote health. But it is only within the past twenty years or so that green tea has become a popular healing tonic in the West.

Researchers have wondered about the Far East medical paradox for many years. Why do the Japanese people remain so thin, when obesity has become an epidemic in the United States?

The answer is the “starch blocking” effect of green tea may be part of the reason Japanese people living in Japan can eat so much rice but remain thin. They have a tradition of drinking green tea with every meal!

Clinical and research findings

One recent study confirms that tea catechins—potent antioxidants—are effective in suppressing increases of glucose and insulin concentrations in the blood. Since blood sugar tends to increase with age, this effect is an extremely important anti-aging benefit.²⁰ Another study indicates that one of the specific catechins, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), lowers appetite, body weight, blood sugar, and insulin levels.²¹

Plus, tea polyphenols inhibit the activity of amylase, a starch-digesting enzyme found in saliva and in the intestines. Starch is broken down more slowly, and the rise in serum glucose is minimized, so that you don’t crave sweets and other snack foods after eating a meal.²² Since insulin is our most fattening hormone and, with cortisol, our most pro-aging hormone, if you take green tea in the form of a nutritional supplement, you gain a wide range of benefits that accompany calorie and insulin control. Both the patience and motivation principles of weight loss are supported when you don’t have to fight cravings and you see results of your efforts.

Other physiological effects

Numerous population-based studies have demonstrated that green tea consumption is associated with a significantly lower risk for many types of cancer. In addition to the population-based evidence, green tea and green tea extracts have been shown to exert many healthful effects in experimental studies.

The right frame of mind

So there you have it … eight natural herbs and nutrients that support the four weight loss principles, and just might put you in the right frame of mind to not only start a weight loss program, but allow you to actually stick to it. Adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha, Panax ginseng, and schisandra can bring your body into balance. A fat burning compound like 7-Keto and a starch blocker like green tea can reduce cravings and show you early results to keep you going. Energy enhancers like Coenzyme Q10 can help get you moving, and you can keep your motivation level high with peony extract and ferulic acid.

“A fat burning compound like 7-Keto and a starch blocker like green tea can reduce cravings and show you early results to keep you going.”

As stated before … there is no miracle pill that will magically take off unwanted pounds. Sure, you’ve seen the ads and heard the stories. But don’t be fooled. The secret to weight loss is no secret. In fact, it is pretty straightforward. Arm yourself with knowledge and look for ways to enhance cognitive function. Take a patient approach and know that healthy weight management is a lifetime commitment. Remember, movement is critical, so move your body often. And finally, take control of your motivation; desire is much more powerful than willpower.

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