Rock Around the Clock :: Weight Loss :: Hormones and Metabolism

Rock Around the Clock
by author Brad J. King, MS, MFS

According to The New York Times (May 6, 2004), surgeons will perform over 144,000 weight-loss operations in 2004. This is way up from 20,000 in 1995. Obviously, some people are willing to do almost anything to remove excess fat quickly–even if it means putting life at risk.
The fact remains that many people are interested in losing excess body fat the quickest and easiest way possible, even though most of us know that if you really want to deflate fat cells, effective dietary choices and exercise principles are essential.

Having said this, faster weight loss results are possible if you enhance your metabolism so that fat burning takes place 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To achieve this, there’s a new class of nutrient formulas that boosts metabolism around-the-clock.

Morning Energy Boosters

Daytime metabolic formulas (or fat burners) are best taken first thing in the morning, preferably before exercise. These formulas help boost the chemical messengers (epinephrine and norepinephrine) responsible for fat breakdown. Research published in June 2000 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that norepinephrine levels often drop by 50 percent when we lose just 10 percent of our body weight, one of the major reasons dieters hit that dreaded weight-loss plateau.

In order for daytime metabolic formulas to increase norepinephrine levels, they should contain high quality extracts–in effective dosages–of ingredients such as yerba maté, guarana, and green tea (with high levels of epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG). Research from the Department of Human Nutrition in Copenhagen, Denmark, indicates that when norepinephrine levels are increased, the number of fat calories used by the body substantially increases. When the body chooses fat as a primary fuel source, abundant energy always follows.

Evening Relaxants

Although stimulating norepinephrine via daytime metabolic enhancers may be great for continual fat loss, too much of a good thing can cause wear and tear on the adrenal system. By incorporating a nighttime formula on a regular basis, you can help replenish your body and help avoid adrenal fatigue.

Nighttime formulas also lower excess cortisol levels and aid in deep restorative sleep. To encourage the body to maintain proper metabolism and increase fat loss, the best time to take a nighttime formula is between half an hour to an hour before bed.

Nighttime anti-stress formulas often include adaptogenic herbs, such as ashwagandha and Rhodiola rosea, and sleep-promoting nutrients, such as valerian root. These offer unprecedented support to the adrenal system so that you can continue to benefit from an daytime metabolic enhancing formula 24/7.

Any way you look at it, healthy fat loss is a lifelong commitment. With the right lifestyle choices (i.e., proper food and exercise), proven daytime/nighttime nutrients can help you fight your fat war.

Brad J. King, MS, MFS, is the author of the international best-seller Fat Wars: 45 Days to Transform Your Body (Wiley, 2002) and the new Fat Wars Action Planner (Wiley, 2003). fatwars.com.

Source: alive #267, January 2005

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