Diet Trials : Paul McKenna

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Well that’s what I’m trying to convince myself, that this year will be the year when I finally knock this weight issue on the head. But like we all know it’s just not as easy as that and we all carry on with the yo-yo pattern or gaining and losing weight. I know that it is a lifestyle change that I need to undertake but food is just so enjoyable that it’s hard not to indulge.

There are still conflicting views on what is the best diet to go on. The Golden Rules that Paul McKenna teaches make absolute sense. The eating what you want, when you want but being aware of when you have had enough… but sometimes you are just too hungry to eat consciously. But that’s a failing of the diet plan you really have to learn your body’s messages.

Then there’s the whole community, Weight Watches approach which makes perfect sense to follow a diet plan, count points so that you can eat what you like, within reason and be part of a group where you are supported and encouraged.

The only diet that actually works for me is the Atkins Diet, so that’s what I’m back on. But it’s the weekends where I always struggle and then fact the Monday / Tuesday trying to get back into ketosis (the fat burning state). Anyway I have a goal for the next 10 days and that’s to fit back into my dinner suit for a black tie do.

Body mass index (BMI)

I know that most people have a distorted idea of what is an ideal weight, not surprising when you consider that we are surrounded by images of glamorous looking people on the fronts of glossy magazines, most of whom are in fact underweight! The medical fraternity however, use a more accurate method BMI.

BMI uses a mathematical formula that takes into accounts both a person’s height and weight. BMI equals a person’s weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. (BMI=kg/m²). For ease we have already done the calculations for you and have converted this into a more familiar imperial weight and measure. To use the table, find the appropriate height in the left-hand column. Move across the row to the given weight. The number at the top of the column is the BMI for that height and weight.

Ideally a person should fall into the 18.5 to 25 category, but it must be emphasised that this will vary, for instance an athlete will have a greater BMI.

Remember that weight is also related to build, and you should make allowances if you are stocky or of heavy build. Your BMI will vary slightly according to gender.

For the sake of your health, if you fall into the overweight, obese or extremely obese category, you should consult your health professional. However, increasingly people are turning to online professional medical advisors for advice on weight loss, diet plans, and weight loss medication. Your health will be at risk if you do not reduce your weight to the recommended level.

I have just been reading about a new weight loss drug, and started to get excited that it may be the cure to all my problems. But as it turns out Slentrol is a new diet pill for your dog. Apparently it blocks the digestion of fat in dogs but has nasty side effects if humans try and take it. I’ll be back with more info on Slentrol in the next day or so for you.

How far have I come in a year since starting this blog about my diet trials with Paul Mckenna? Well I have started 2007 off with a diet!

I doubt that I am alone in my, what seems like and endless struggle with my weight, but I have piled it on over the weeks leading upto Christmas. I am currently at 18 stone and 4 pounds which is 4 pounds heavier than when I started off a year ago. Not too great! But along the way I have learnt a lot about losing weight and various methods that do and don’t work.

I started off with the Golden Rules to Losing Weight with Paul Mckenna which did work but I found that I just didn’t stick to the eating consciously part which meant I was eating as much as I had been doing. I had always managed to lose weight on the Atkins Diet and I was back on it by March. I managed to lose some weight but was shocked when I went to the doctors for a cholesterol test and was told mine was much higher than it should be. So I decided that it was more important for me to try and have a healthy diet of lots of fruit and veg. This made me feel generally better and healthier.

One big health push was stopping smoking back at the end of June which is still going well. I have also learnt on the way a lot about diet pills and it is one thing that I am considering as my next option, so I may be trying out Acomplia some time in 2007… but for now I’m doing a few weeks of the Atkins.

Today Allen Carr who is a best selling author of quitting smoking books, has sadly passed away.

He died of inoperable lung cancer that is said could be attributed to his long term smoking habits. He stopped smoking 23 years ago when he kicked his 100 a day habit. If he had not have stopped it is very doubtful that he would have reached the ripe old age of 72.

I bought the Allen Carr book after I had stopped smoking 5 months ago, just to have it as a back up and to find out how he encouraged thousands of people to quit. It is an excellent book and will always be to hand.

More can be read about it on BBC news online

I have been reading up a bit more on Acomplia, or do we now have to call it Zimulti and it seems that there is still more to be done to get Acomplia passed by the FDA. There is lots of information on this website about how to Buy Acomplia. The manufacturer of Acomplia / Zimulti, Sanofi-Aventis, is still adamant that this new weightloss drug will be released before the end of 2006. There is though no information from Sanofi as to what is causing the hold up. It seems that the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) is still in constant discussion with the Acomplia manufacturers about it.

Sanofi are still confident that Acomplia / Zimulti will get the approval that is needed and is in the meantime collecting data from European patienst currently taking Acomplia to pass on to the FDA. This information from patients who have been taking Acomplia since June in the UK will help identify what side effects are to be expected in the US. It seems that for some reason the FDA are very cautious of approving Acomplia / Zimulti which has not helped the share price on Sanofi-Aventis.

Well not the best ever thing I have done in my whole life, but the best thing that I have done in a long time.

At first when I stopped I really didn’t want to and for a few weeks I was really grumpy at home and at work convinced that I had been forced into giving up. Not that I had been but the cravings or the withdrawl, or whatever it is was driving me crazy. The main thing I found was the breaking of the habit of that first cigarette in the morning and cigarette breaks at work, but I got there.

Now it’s coming up to 4 months no smoking which I am really proud of when I look back at what I used to be like with cigarettes. I went to the pub last night and the smoke in the bar really made me realise how disgusting it is, and the smell that was on my clothes when I left. When you’re a smoker you lose that sense of smell, and become unaware of the smell of stale smoke.

Why do they have to do this….do they like to confuse us so that we are never sure what we are taking, or is it like giving plants and flowers in your garden really long latin names that no one can remember.

We have all got used to the word Acomplia, meaning weight loss drug that surpresses appetite. The magic ingredient of Acomplia is called Rimonabant which you may have heard of before.

You may also heard of Sanofi-Aventis who manufacture Acomplia / Rimonabant. This pharmaceutical company also manufacture along with many others wonder drugs, Ambien / Zolpidem which is a sleeping tablet.

When Acomplia finally gets released into the USA there are plans to rename Acomplia to Zimulti… why? What sort of name is Zimulti anyway? I really would like to meet the guy who has the job to make up names like Zimulti; not that Acomplia is any better a name!

Why do pharmaceutical companies do this? Is there a valid logical reason why a drug gets a different name in different countries? I know that we call them “chips” and in the USA they call them “fries” but it doesn’t mean we have to have 2 names for everything does it?