Is Lymphatic Stress The Reason You’re: Fat? Bloated? Hungry for food?
Woman's World Magazine - 3/2/2004
Try the EASY DETOX CURE and Lose 15 lbs this week!

New research reveals that 80% of overweight women have sluggish lymphatic systems-and that getting them running smoothly again is the key to easy weight loss and feeling great! Emily lost 20 pounds, Kathy’s down 3 sizes and Charli got rid of half her body fat! Now it’s your turn to get in on the fat-melting magic….

When Emily Stinnett decided she needed to lose the weight that had crept onto her 5’ frame, she was prepared to do whatever hard work it might take. But she wasn’t prepared for the frustration of seeing her hard work end in failure.

“My mindset was low fat, fewer calories, more exercise. When that didn’t work, I ate less fat, cut more calories and worked out up to two hours a day,” sighs Emily, a realtor from New Lenox, Illinois. “I was always hungry, I had intense cravings, my muscles were always sore, my hair was thinning and I would start crying out of nowhere.” Emotionally and physically drained, she figured she’d better treat herself to a massage. And is she glad she did! It was the massage therapist who suggested that a sluggish lymphatic system might be the source of Emily’s problems. After doing a little research and beginning a “lymph-stimulating” regimen… “It was so refreshing!” says the 23-year-old. “I was eating more, I was drizzling fat on my food, and I didn’t even go to the gym.” Her junk-food cravings disappeared including her relentless cravings for sweets at night. Her fat began to disappear, too. “I’m the thinnest I’ve ever been-and it’s effortless!”

Such remarkable transformations are all in a day’s work for nutrition expert Ann Louise Gittleman and fitness expert Joanie Greggains, who discovered that, together, their lymph-friendly weight-loss programs had double the fat-fighting power….

Check out these amazing success stories!

“I tried the program myself, and for the first time in my life, those five extra pounds that I’d never been able to shake dropped off without effort,” says Greggains, host of TV’s long-running Morning Stretch. Clients who followed her lead also saw a dramatic difference. “Suddenly, they were losing the extra belly fat that had always plagued them, their bodies became incredibly sleek and toned and their skin was clear and glowing. “To explain these results, the pros began to look at the science behind their approaches and says Gittleman, “we discovered that they shared a key biological premise: that cleansing the lymphatic system is crucial for overall health and weight loss.” Soon their joint effort, the Fat Flush Fitness Plan, was born.

Kathy Moore learned about it at work-the Greenhouse Spa in Arlington, Texas, where Gittleman hosted an event. “The most I’d ever lost before was a slow 18 pounds. But with Fat Flush, I saw instant results. I was down six pounds the first week and 28 pounds in two months or so,” says the reservations director, 50. “Once you’re doing it, you don’t crave anything. Plus, you can breathe better, you’re not feeling bloated.” Adds Charli Sorenson, a mom of two from Beverly, Washington: “It’s amazing! After the first week, I felt like the Energizer bunny. After two weeks, my cellulite was gone!” All told, Charli lost 58 pounds and five sizes in just over five months. And her nonstop yearning for pizza? Gone!

So, what is the lymphatic system and how can yours help you get skinny? Read on…

THE SURPRISE LINK BETWEEN LYMPH AND WEIGHT LOSS:

The lymphatic system is a complex network of fluid-filled tubes that continuously bathes our cells and then carries away the body’s “sewage”-toxins, waste liquid-to filters called lymph nodes, where harmful substances are trapped and neutralized. “Believe it or not, there is three times more lymph fluid then there is blood in the body,” says Patricia Fitzgerald, a doctor of homeopathic medicine and author of The Detox Solution. But while blood has a pump-the heart-to keeps it moving, lymph must be pumped by the movement of our muscles. “The less we move, the more stagnant the lymph system becomes,” explains Greggains.

Other factors-such as illness, chemicals and pesticides in food, pollution-can also overload and stall the lymph system. And then there’s everyday stress. “I believe that stress will shut down lymphatic flow,” says Gittleman. “The muscles and motion of breathing becomes shallow.”

But how does this affect our waistlines? First, fluid backs up, causing bloating. “In many cases, bloated tissue can cause you to swell two extra dress sizes,” Gittleman notes. “Many experts also believe that a lazy lymphatic system is directly connected to the formation of cellulite because backed up fluid ‘sticks’ to fat cells.” Second, bloated tissues prevent cells from properly absorbing nutrients and oxygen. In a sense, the cells begin to starve, says Greggains. And as cells starve for nutrients, it only makes sense that intense hunger and cravings will set in. Worse, without adequate oxygen to ignite the metabolic process, fewer calories are burned and less energy is produced.

Gittleman acknowledges that more studies are needed to determine the full extent to which poor lymph flow causes weight gain. But “I’ve seen the treatments for a sluggish lymphatic system work time and time again, so I have complete confidence in them.” She advises everyone to get their lymph pumping. Here’s how….

Harness the get-slim power of your lymph system:

I would say that over 80% of overweight women are affected by poor lymph flow,” says Gittleman. Luckily, improving the health of your lymphatic system is easy as…

Eating to flush away toxins

When your lymphatic system is stalled, a “detox” diet should be your first course of action, says Gittleman, whose now famous Fat Flush regimen takes special aim at stagnant lymph. One key reason: lots and lots of drinking. See, lymph needs a plentiful water supply to keep the fluids flowing, says Gittleman. Fruit acids also help. “Cranberry juice, for example, is packed with flavonoids, enzymes, malic acid, citric acid and quinic acid, which, based on my research, have an emulsifying effect on stubborn fat deposits in the lymphatic system. Cranberry juice actually digests lumpy deposits of lymphatic waste, which could very well be the reason Fat Flushers report that their cellulite disappears.” On this cleansing diet (see how-tos and sample menus), you’ll also consume a variety of superfoods-from flaxseed and eggs to green vegetables-which further saturate the body with detoxifying enzymes, antioxidants and other nutrition's. And you’ll give your body a break from large meals, foods loaded with chemicals, and foods that are most difficult to digest-namely certain fats and carbohydrates.

De-stressing your lymph system

We already explained how chronic stress interferes with healthy lymph flow. The antidote? Plenty of Zzzs. “Sleep is the secret fitness aid, because it gives your body a chance to get rid of fattening stress hormones and to rejuvenate itself in a number of slimming ways,” says Greggains.

Moving lymph with massage

Studies show that virtually any type of massage can push up to 78% of stagnant lymph back into circulation, making it perhaps the most pampering way to speed weight loss! “Massage can also free trapped toxins so they can be readily carried away by the lymph,” notes Gittleman.

While many massage therapists are trained in manual lymphatic drainage, the cost can be prohibitive. As an alternative, try recruiting a loved one to give you a weekly rub. Better yet, begin performing do-it-yourself dry brush massage.

Using this easy lymph-stimulating super-exercise

Getting muscles pumping in any form will increase lymph flow significantly, say pros. But you might want to consider investing in a mini-trampoline. “Rebounding,” as experts call jumping on a mini-trampoline, “is a unique exercise in that you achieve a weightless state at the top of each jump, then land with twice the force of gravity. This bounce forces the millions of one-way valves in the lymphatic system to open expansively, increasing lymph flow up to 14 times,” says podiatrist Morton Walker, author of Jumping for Health.

Greggains’ recommended rebounding workout for beginners: Walk-bounce at an easy pace, five minutes; flat-bounce with feet about a foot apart, five minutes; march-bounce with swinging arms, five minutes, walk-bounce, five minutes. Repeat five days per week. As you become stronger, add an extra five minutes of march-bouncing, plus five minutes of “lymph activator” bouncing during which legs stay straight and feet come three inches off the mat.

“Women who detox their livers and get their lymph flowing also notice they have clear, smooth, glowing skin and firm, toned bodies,” says Gittleman. They also notice junk food cravings vanish. You see, since more nutrients get to your cells and more calories become energy when lymph flows freely, craving cycles are broken. Swelling and bloating disappear. And radiant good health settles in. “There isn’t a lot of info on lymph in this country, but we feel the more people who know, the more will benefit,” says Gittleman. How can you benefit from the strategies detailed on these pages? Folks on the Fat Flush website have posted losses of up to 15 pounds in a single week.