How to Accelerate Weight Loss

For those of you in the Serotonin-Plus program, you know we use our Serotonin supplement and safe prescription appetite supressants (e.g. phentermine, Bontril) to jumpstart the metabolism and reduce appetite and cravings. Although we have a comprehensive program that incorporates diet and exercise, the appetite suppressants do play an important role. But just what does phentermine and Bontril do and why are they important that we use them? Our program is based on a process of increasing the metabolism and reducing intake so you lose weight. However, we do not want to lower intake to the point of starvation because that will lower metabolism. So we use the appetite suppressants to help. They speed up the metabolism and help you burn more calories while taking the edge off appetite. They will also increase metabolism so that when you get to your goal weight, you are able to live on a higher calorie count to maintain your weight. This is a very significant point!!! So is it important to get those “2 halves” of the phentermine in or take the 3 Bontril tablets in everyday? Yes, if you can! The full dosage will help you burn more calories! They are great diet aids and many people tolerate them well. Phentermine and Bontril do accelerate weight loss and if you have the opportunity to be on them, use them as a jumpstart. If your goal is to lose weight, don't feel you have to do it on your own. We are proud that our average weight loss is in 12 weeks has consistently remained at 35 pounds.

I’m always looking at research to see how we can improve our program and I came across a study that really validates our success in our weight loss program. A recent study at Stanford University showed the effect of diet alone on weight loss. They compared 4 different diets (Zone, LEARN, Ornish and Atkins) and followed 311 overweight ( BMI > 25 but less than 30) premenopausal women for one year. Study participants either followed the Zone Diet( 40:30:30 ratio of carbs:protein:fat; the LEARN diet (Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitudes, Relationships and Nutrition) which follows the U.S. Dept of Agricultures Food Pyramid guide of low in fat and high in carbs; The Ornish Diet which suggests high carbs, high vegetarian and low fat; and the Atkins Diet which recommends high protein, high fat and very low carb. All study participants attended diet classes weekly for the first 8 weeks and then were monitored by phone for the next 10 months as they continued on their respective diet plans.

In one year, the results were as follows:
Zone Diet: Average lost in 1 year was 3.5 pounds
Ornish Diet: Average lost in 1 year was 4.8 pounds
LEARN Diet: Average lost in 1 year was 5.7 pounds
Atkins Diet: Average lost in 1 year was 10.4 pounds

So what does this data suggest? Weight loss needs to be a comprehensive effort of increasing metabolism, intake (diet), and calorie expenditure (exercise). Our experience with the Serotonin-Plus program shows that we have improved upon these study averages in a much shorter period of time.