The fat just falls off!

Yale discovery! Easy fix for the GI glitch secretly stalling fat burn in women over 50

Recent studies from around the world reveal that we’re developing food allergies, sensitivities and intolerances faster than ever. “And it may be the number-one reason our best efforts to get healthy keep failing,” says mega-selling Happy Gut author Vincent Pedre, M.D. “When we make a point to eat more foods we think are good for us— like yogurt or salmon—we can inadvertently trigger system-wide inflammation that blocks weight loss, speeds aging and drives disease.” The good news: “It’s easy to identify and avoid your reactive foods. After that, weight loss and health improvements are rapid,” promises Metabolism Plan author and food sensitivity expert Lyn-genet Recitas. “Everything from energy and eczema to autoimmune problems get better.” And women report losing up to 16.6 pounds in five days!

For the record: A true food allergy causes a fairly severe immune response; if you’ve had one, you likely know. Sensitivity and intolerance refer to a less severe immune response or an inability to digest certain foods. After working with more than 300,000 folks, Recitas says she’s found that by age 35, most of us develop negative reactions to three or four foods. “If you

don’t take them out of your diet, chronic inflammation begins to interfere with all your body’s systems—plus, you can’t lose weight when you’re inflamed. Over time, inflammation weakens your gut wall, allowing particles of food to escape. This leads to reactions to more foods.” Adds Dr. Pedre, “You also produce less stomach acid as you age, so you may struggle to break down certain proteins.

Foods you’ve always eaten, like grains and dairy, can become an issue.” But which foods cause trouble for you personally?

Find your fat triggers

Experts agree the most accurate test is an elimination diet. That means you’ll remove potentially problematic foods—like wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, farm-raised fish, deli meats, beans, asparagus and grapefruit—for a short period “then reintroduce them one at a time, gauging your body’s response,” explains Dr. Pedre. Signs you’ve eaten something inflammatory: itchy throat or skin, red cheeks, stuffed nose, headaches, abdominal discomfort, fatigue or weight gain. “Most people lose half a pound a day when they stop eating inflammatory foods, so gaining even a tenth of a pound is significant,” says Recitas, who suggests daily morning weigh-ins. See signs of a reaction? Avoid that food; otherwise, enjoy it freely. (You can retest foods later to see if your reaction improves as your digestive tract heals.) Recent Yale research confirms diets that eliminate a person’s reactive foods are highly effective at reducing inflammation. And tests at Baylor University in Texas found that 98% of people who stopped eating reactive foods lost significant body fat! Plus, as weight pours off, many chronic problems driven or worsened by inflammation—“ibs, arthritis, diabetes and many more,” says Recitas—begin to disappear.

Real-world wow

Jamie Baker tried Recitas’ approach because she heard it might help her severe heel pain. “I figured out that things like bratwurst and pizza crust made my heels throb and swapped in grass-fed beef and glutenfree crust,” says the Michigan executive assistant, 56. “I never reduced my portions or felt deprived, yet both my pain and 60 pounds disappeared!”

California English teacher Dee Keller also transformed. “I used to be so unhealthy that each night I worried I wouldn’t make it to the morning,” she recalls. Her cousin convinced her to try Recitas’ guidelines. “From day one, I was astonished by how much better I felt.” She quickly learned that beans and most cheese led to instant bloat, but she could enjoy chocolate and feta to her heart’s content. After dropping up to a pound a day, she says, “My doctor is blown away. I’ve lost 67 pounds in a matter of months. My liver was covered in fat and an ultrasound showed it’s now all gone. Arthritis, dangerously high blood pressure, bladder issues, tachycardia— gone. At age 66, I feel 15 again!”

Wish you could get results like Dee’s? “All you have to do is concentrate on finding what makes you feel great,” she insists. “The weight comes off automatically!”