Involuntary Weight Loss: The One You Don't Want

Involuntary weight loss is weight loss that you did not intend. In other words, you were not dieting or trying to loss the weight.
Involuntary weight loss of 5-10% of one's body weight is a "red flag" that something is amiss. You should immediately make an appointment with your physician to find the problem. If it's not you, but a family member then make them an immediate appointment for a check up.
Often those with involuntary weight loss are elderly adults but it can to happen to anyone.
There are three basic causes of weight loss. Decreased intake of food by intentional or unintentional dieting. Increased fluid-nutrient loss as can be found in malabsorption diseases (ie Crohn's disease) and diabetes. The third basic cause is excess metabolic demand as is often found with malignancies but also metabolic diseases such as hyperthyroid disease.
Your physician will take a complete history and do a physical exam. Initial laboratory tests will commonly include CBC, HIV, blood chemistry, urinalysis, stool guaiac (checking for blood in the stool), thyroid function, chest x-ray and routine recommended cancer screening (ie mammogram to check for breast cancer, colonoscopy or abdominal CT scan).
Approximately one fourth of patients will have a medical cause (ie thyroid disease, diabetes, etc), one fourth will have a malignancies (ie colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, etc), one fourth will have depression or some psychiatric disease, and in the other fourth no cause will be found.

Green Valley Spa Now Offers hCG Weight Loss Therapy

During this time of economic instability, there is a different type of belt tightening going on at a luxury destination spa in Utah’s red rock canyon country. Green Valley Spa has become the first destination spa in the U.S. to offer a medically guided weight loss program founded on the Simeons hCG hormone diet. Average weight loss on the 23-day program is a pound a day. The minimum stay for the hCG weight loss program at Green Valley is seven nights with a cost of $995.00 above the basic, all-inclusive spa package.
Over 30 people have already completed the three-week program, with very promising results. While most spas are reporting revenues down as much as 20% over this economically rocky time, Green Valley is experiencing a 30% increase in bookings over the same dates last year.
Gordon Reynolds, M.D., a former Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA and Loma Linda University with over 50 years of experience practicing medicine, including five at Green Valley, is very enthusiastic about offering the program.
“We are witnessing a resurgence of one of the only truly safe, successful weight loss programs for both men and women ever supported by five-year follow-up studies,” explains Dr. Reynolds, renowned for his work in holistic wellness built on a solidly traditional medical background and for founding the Life Fitness & Longevity Program at La Costa Spa in California in the late 1980s. “Not only did the hCG diet study reveal absolutely no negative side effects, but it also showed that 85% of the participants in the study remained within 10% of their newly achieved weight goal, with none regaining all their weight. No other program can claim this.”
The use of hCG in the treatment of obesity was discovered by the late British Physician, Dr. A. T. W. Simeons, and he published his first report on the topic in 1954. He devoted years to researching the causes and treatments of obesity and his work showed that with low doses of hCG and a 500 calorie a day diet, users reported no headaches, hunger pains, weakness, or irritability and an average weight loss of one pound a day and no muscle loss. Those interested in the program are invited to download Dr. Simeons’ complete study from the spa’s Website, at no cost to them.
“We opened this spa over two decades ago in concert with a program about resetting your fat thermostat,” explains Green Valley’s co-owner, Alan Coombs. “We’re thrilled to have come full circle to a proven, safe and permanent solution. And in these turbulent times, it is so gratifying to help people get control of a key part of their lives.”
Green Valley has garnered a list of accolades since it was founded 23 years ago by the Coombs family. The July 2008 issue of Health Magazine named the 50-room, family owned destination spa as one of the “Top Ten Healthiest Spas in America.” Luxury Spa Finder readers said Green Valley had the “Best Rooms” and the “Best Hiking” program of any U.S. destination spa while a Travel & Leisure Magazine Reader’s Poll named the luxury wellness retreat the #3 spa in the world.

Rich Diet, Poor Diet? You Can Lose Weight on a Budget

Diet and Weight Loss for Low Budget

"How can people on a modest income eat a healthy diet and lose weight when they can't afford it?" The question stumped author Kimberly Floyd during a health seminar and she became determined to find the answer. Her new book "MoneyWise Weight Loss: The Faith-based Plan for Building a Better Body on a Budget" contains the strategies she uncovered.
Having lost 85 pounds herself, the former Registered Nurse found that conventional weight loss programs cost up to $14 a day. After reading that the average low income family can only spend $25 per person per week on food, she decided to see if she could still eat healthy while spending that amount each week.
"I did it for a month and it was challenging," Floyd said. "In my research, I discovered that there is indeed a 'rich people's diet' and a 'poor people's diet.' The rich diet consists of lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. The poor diet is high in sugar, fat, and starch. These foods contribute to obesity. In this country, higher obesity statistics run along socioeconomic lines."
To prove her point, Floyd sited an August 2006 article by Dr. Adam Drewnoski in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In the article Drewnoski states, "There is no question that the rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the United States follow a socioeconomic gradient, such that the burden of disease falls disproportionately on people with limited resources, racial-ethnic minorities, and the poor."
Floyd went on to discuss her difficulty in saving money on fruits and vegetables during her challenge. "To save money, many experts advise you to buy fruits and vegetables in season. But what are the seasons? After a lot of digging, I found the answers, and then combined other food budgeting strategies with the principles I used to lose weight. That's how 'MoneyWise Weight Loss' was born."
She concludes "Achieving our optimal weight is one way that we can regain our energy, joy, and live the abundant life that we are called to live. My dream is to make wellness affordable for everyone."
Published by Wellspring Omnimedia, MoneyWise Weight Loss (ISBN # 978-0979005428) is sold in bookstores nationwide, online at Amazon.com and at Floyd� � �,, s website moneywiseweightloss.com. The book retails for $15.95

Predictions for the Future of Bariatric Surgery

The Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery, a publication of the Ceatus Media Group LLC, has issued its prediction of trends for the future of bariatric (weight loss) surgery for 2010. Among the top ten trends is the forecast that the number of bariatric surgeries performed in the US will increase, particularly among adolescents and diabetic patients.
The number of bariatric surgeries in the United States has already doubled in the last six years. 220,000 people had surgery in 2008, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Technical improvements, improved outcomes, and greater education will likely lead to more patients investigating their weight loss surgery options.
Although the economic downturn has caused a drop in insurance coverage for many patients due to a loss of job or through restricted coverage, the group still foresees an increase in bariatric surgeries. Acquiring insurance coverage for weight loss surgery can be a huge obstacle in the pre-surgical process. Due to an increase in the number of procedures and the cost (average is approximately $25,000 per surgery), insurance carriers require strict preauthorization requirements before it will approve coverage.
Surgery may also be recommended for patients with uncontrolled diabetes. Currently, the minimum BMI for surgical qualification is 35. Research has been introduced to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to decrease the minimum for patients who are unable to control their diabetes through other measures to a BMI of 30. CMS has currently rejected the proposal, but with continued research on the long-term benefits and cost savings, there may be reconsideration in the future.
The number of surgeons performing single incision or incision free bariatric surgeries will increase. Single incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS) is being performed at a few bariatric centers for adjustable gastric banding surgery, where a silicone band is placed around the upper portion of the stomach. Transoral gastroplasty, also called the TOGA procedure, and Primary Obesity Surgery Endolumenal (POSE) are two incisionless surgeries that are being studied for weight loss. These create a stapled restrictive pouch that work by restricting the amount of food a person can eat, thereby reducing the number of calories.
Other new procedures are also on the horizon that do not involve invasive surgery. One is called the EndoBarrier Gastrointestinal Liner, by GI Dynamics. A “lining” is placed in the small intestine, which restricts the amount of food that is absorbed in that portion, thus reducing the number of calories that is taken into the body cells. The addition of an adjustable device, called a Flow Restrictor, that is placed at the outlet of the stomach at the small intestine can increase weight loss by delaying gastric emptying, allowing a person to feel full longer and reducing calorie intake.
Post-surgical cosmetic procedures will likely increase, as significant weight loss can result in loose skin around the abdomen, in the arms and thighs. Common procedures include abdominoplasty, brachioplasty (arm lift), mastopexy (breast lift), and medial thigh lift. Most insurance plans will not cover the cost of cosmetic surgery.
For more information about Bariatric Surgery options, visit the Consumer Guide for Bariatric Surgery at www.yourbariatricsurgeryguide.com or Obesity Action Coalition, at www.obesityaction.org

Avoid ‘More Slim’ Weight Loss Products

Health Canada is advising consumers not to use More Slim due to concerns about possible side-effects.
Product Description: More Slim is promoted for weight loss.
Reason for Warning: The Hong Kong Department of Health has warned against the use of More Slim because it was found to contain the undeclared pharmaceutical ingredient sibutramine.
Sibutramine is a prescription drug used in the treatment of obesity and should only be used under the supervision of a health care professional.
Possible Side-Effects: Unsupervised use of sibutramine may cause headaches, increased heart rate and blood pressure, chest pain and stroke.