Since you are reading this report, chances are the consequences of an "unhealthy weight" have touched your life and you are looking for a solution that makes sense. I want to share with you an important "truth."

By now you are no doubt familiar and frustrated with "yo-yo" weight fluctuations and you hate your scale . . . it lies! Right? And indeed your scale does lie! It only tells you whether your weight is going up or down. But . . . is it "your weight" that you are interested in? Or, are you really interested in "looking and feeling better, having more energy, feeling more attractive, losing fat inches and slimming safely" . . . yet preserving your "vital" lean tissues like muscle—after all, it is your lean muscle that gives you shape and burns those calories!

This is how your scale really lies . . . it only tells you what your weight is doing . . . but gives you no information of critical importance regarding whether you are losing fat or losing your vital lean tissue, such as muscle, bones, organs, etc. To make this determination, special assessments of the relative amount of fat loss versus lean tissue loss are needed. This information is provided by underwater weighing, skin caliper measurements or special scales designed to measure percent body fat (*).

The result of the newer Body Mass Index (BMI) somewhat parallels measurements of percent body fat but is not truly a measurement of fat as only your height and weight are used in its calculation. In addition, small changes in your weight and/or percent fat and lean will not be notable by BMI due to the fact that only larger changes in weight are reflected in a BMI change. Also, if one loses inches in a desirable fashion, their weight may not change much as they lose fat and put on lean at the same time . . . thus no significant change in BMI in spite of desirable thinning and reshaping.

The goal . . . fat loss and lean gain! Unfortunately, disproportionate amounts of calorie-burning lean muscle are lost with most weight loss programs. With a lifetime of dieting, lean muscle loss can become critical to health and even life itself, as occurs in eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

So . . . what is the solution? Simple! In order to preserve your lean muscle and yet still be able to lose fat, move your body more (some call this "activity" and others “exercise”) and provide good nutrition at the correct times.

Can this really be done? You bet it can! Regular daily activity or exercise, combined with five to six small meals daily, will jump-start the process. Controlling and preventing elevated blood insulin levels associated with eating certain faster burning carbohydrates (high glycemic index or glycemic load) is critical to fat loss due to the fact that insulin is a "fat storing" hormone! Multiple feedings of high quality protein and the use of slower burning carbohydrates (low glycemic index and glycemic load) will result in sustained energy, fewer food cravings and help balance hormones critical to fat loss and lean muscle preservation. . . the chief hormone being desired is adequate Growth Hormone production. And don't forget to drink 8 glasses or so of "good" water--it will help prevent hunger and flush waste products from metabolism and fat breakdown.

In men, maximal Growth Hormone production will occur by not eating sugar or the wrong type of carbohydrates within a few hours of bedtime, and by providing only the highest quality protein within an hour or so of going to bed. The highest quality protein for this purpose is microfiltered-ion exchange whey protein. In men, Growth Hormone is mostly produced at night as a single large spike during the first few hours of deep sleep, but is inhibited from being made in normal amounts by carbohydrate intake within a few hours of going to bed.

In women, Growth Hormone is produced in smaller, but more frequent spikes throughout the day and night instead of in one big spike as in men. However, as in men, carbohydrate taken at the wrong times and of the wrong type will again interfere with the total production of normal amounts of Growth Hormone, i.e. late in the afternoon and at bedtime especially.

In both sexes, it is the production of higher total Growth Hormone levels coupled with increased activity or exercise that will help preserve and even increase lean muscle. Growth Hormone is like the conductor of a fine, harmonic symphony orchestra . . . the conductor fine tunes and coordinates the timing and flow of every note. All body growth, repair and recovery are under the direction and regulation of Growth Hormone. Without this finely tuned orchestration, full repair and recovery will not occur. Unless your body can repair and/or replace cells as fast as they are dying, aging and degeneration of tissues and organs will progress faster and result in symptoms of advancing disease.

Avoid the temptation to use "stimulants" such as ephedra (ma huang) and guarana—these are dangerous to your heart and brain, and will cause a disproportionate loss of lean muscle and relatively little fat loss.

Life Energy And Nutrition (L.E.A.N.) has developed a series of food source nutritional bars that meet the criteria you will need, i.e. slow burning, low glycemic index/low glycemic load, and containing the right kind of whey protein. These bars can be used as a meal alternative product (MAP) or snack. They are known to help stabilize blood sugar levels and keep insulin levels lower . . . the benefits being fewer mood swings, sustained energy levels, and fewer cravings for “junk food” and sweets.

Congratulations on taking your first step toward "the new you". You too can successfully lose fat and join the many around the country that have found success with this program. With this program you will have fewer food cravings, have more energy, and develop renewed confidence in yourself and your appearance.

And do not forget to start envisioning yourself as a fat-losing machine that is fading into thinness. Afterall, if you cannot see where you are going, you probably will not get there!

(*) Special Fat Scales, such as the Tanita scale, can be found in numerous pharmacies, department stores, catalogs or on-line.

Randall Boyer, M.D., is the editor of The Boyer Review, a periodically published review of the most up-to-date research on a wide range of health conditions and promising supportive therapies. Having practiced for 25 years, he acknowledges and embraces the consumer trend toward alternative therapies and the resultant need for medically evaluated information in making rational choices.