Gary Null's Ultimate Lifetime Diet: A Revolutionary All-Natural Program for Losing Weight and Building a Healthy Body

One of the more underserved segments of our society is the over 90 million individuals who are constantly fighting the battle of the bulge. Our misconceptions and biases overflow when they concern people who are overweight. Over the years I've counseled thousands of people who are trying to lose weight and I've seen that, contrary to popular myth, overweight people are anything but lazy. They go to great lengths to try to get themselves trimmer, making every honest effort to follow the advice of diet books and weight-loss "experts." The fact that they usually don't succeed is due not to lack of will or work but rather to the quality of advice they're following.

Well, the advice here is going to be a little different from what you're used to. You probably purchased this book with the hope that this is the last diet you'll ever have to use. That's certainly my intention too. But at the outset, I would ask you to understand the difference between this book on weight control and all the other diet books out there—namely that this isn't really a diet book! There is no diet here, at least not in sense of a traditional deprivation-oriented regimen. Instead, this is an altogether new way of helping you understand why it's not your fault you're fat and of getting you on the road to never being fat again. I'm confident that if you simply approach this with an open mind and a sense of determination, you'll soon be seeing positive results.

First, let's get an overview of the problem. More American adults are overweight than ever before—about 97 million. This constitutes over half the adult population, up from 43 percent in 1960. We spend about $33 billion a year in efforts to slim down, but obviously all that money isn't doing the trick. Many overweight people have been grappling with the problem for years and have been on just about every diet there is. They have gone on high-protein diets, on calorie-counting diets, and on fat-free diets. With each attempt there is a belief that "This time I'll succeed," but in the end they ultimately fail.

Nobody wants to be overweight, although sometimes our society implies they do. We blame people for being chronically lazy and suggest that it's heir fault that they're fat. But I don't believe that they are necessarily to blame. There are so many factors that influence a person's level of fitness—and fatness—and if we're not aware of how these factors affect us, we can end up battling extra pounds for an entire lifetime and never understanding what's going on or why we are losing the battle. The physical factors include food sensitivities and allergic reactions, carbohydrate intolerance, and hormonal imbalances. Also, misunderstandings about what constitutes proper eating—for instance, isn't a fat-free diet ideal for a fat individual?—can perpetuate a weight problem. We'll be looking at all of these factors in this book as well as at how to overcome them.

But factors that go beyond the physical are even more important in determining whether you conquer your problems with your weight. What I'm referring to are some basic misconceptions that you may have. First, have you, like many Americans, bought into the idea that there's a magic-bullet solution to all physical problems? If so, not only will you probably not lose weight, but you may ultimately gain weight as you become disillusioned with each "miracle" weight-loss supplement or approach you try. We'll be discussing some of these illusory approaches here and why they fail.

Second, if you believe that losing weight involves feeling deprived and unhappy, you're not going to succeed. You'll sabotage yourself first, out of fear of feeling awful. The good news is that the truth is just the opposite—after a short period of adjustment, the healthy lifestyle you adopt in order to lose weight the right way will make you feel more energetic, fulfilled, and happy than you did previously. And to take this one step further, or perhaps one step deeper down into the heart of the matter: I don't believe you have a good shot at controlling your weight until you are happy.

That's why it's never just a person's weight that I'm concerned with. In fact, I never put anyone on a diet, even when guiding a health-study group of people from my radio audience who are desperately seeking to lose some girth in order to reduce the dangers of diabetes, heart disease, or other illnesses that are running parallel to their chronic overweight condition. Instead, my initial purpose is always to try to get a person to be happy. Now, why would I want a happy person instead of a slim one? Well, for one thing it's because you can be slim and still be unhealthy. You can be a model on a runway doing cocaine or heroin and starving yourself to keep your figure. You could be of average weight but an angry and aggressive person, thus harming not only yourself but others. For another thing it's rare to find people who are truly, genuinely happy and honoring their higher emotional and spiritual self who do anything that contributes to body toxicity and a resulting weight problem. In other words, happy people are less likely to intentionally harm their bodies. And I'll even go beyond that to say that you will not be as healthy until you're happy.

It was about ten years ago that I began to notice in my own day-to-day clinical experiences that most of the individuals I encountered were overweight. They were coming to me hoping that there would be some magic pill or herb that would melt away fat, painlessly and effortlessly. Or maybe it would be some miraculous supplement that could expand in the stomach and suppress the appetite mechanism. People were coming to me who had had part of their stomach stapled together, or part of their intestines resectioned, or had tried drastic liquid diets, all in a futile effort to shed those unnecessary pounds.

They didn't want to be overweight because they didn't like how they looked and they liked even less how they felt. They felt that people were making judgments about them, which people do. Even worse, they were making even more critical judgments about themselves.

So I would recommend what I still consider a very good diet, one that was primarily vegetarian, with all organic produce. And I would suggest appropriate supplements. People would walk out of the office with three or four pages of notes and a couple of books for reading and reference. But then I would see them six months later, and they would sheepishly say, "Well, I tried, but it just wasn't working." Sometimes they'd even gained weight. Clearly, the tools I had been using were inadequate for the job at hand.

Naturally I wondered, "What's wrong here?" At that point I decided to take a step back and examine the problem from a wider perspective—that of all of our modem-day physical ills. Looking at the war on cancer, I knew that what we needed was not more money, doctors, chemotherapy, or new technologies. Even with all of those things, we hadn't made major change the incidence or outcome for most adult types of cancer. The same was true for heart disease. What we needed was not more people taking beta-blockers and other medication or undergoing coronary bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty. At that time, 50 million people were dutifully fitting themselves into the accepted medical paradigm, and hypertension was going up instead of down. The incidence of people dying from heart disease was actually on the rise. Similarly, increasing numbers of people with arthritis were merely reaming to live with their pain and taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory hormone drugs for their temporary effects. People with depression were taking mood alterers, like Valium, Thorazine, lithium, and later Prozac.

Then a few years ago we began to pathologize childhood. Just being a child meant that you were now at risk for a disease to which Ritalin would be the answer. Millions of children were classified as having attention deficit disorder, and many were ordered to take a prescription medication or forfeit going to school. It was largely genetic, the experts said. What I wondered, though, was how just one generation before, in the 1950s and 1960s when I was in school, we had had no attention deficit disorder and kids were able to function normally. How was this possible? Did we develop this genetic predisposition in one generation? The answer clearly was no.

It seemed that suddenly everyone had diseases resulting from a deficiency of some medication and that the blame was increasingly being put on inherent predispositions. Outside of cigarette smoke and alcohol, nothing external was ever blamed for anything. It was all in our genes. Whether you were overweight or depressed, suffering from cancer, arthritis, diabetes, or Crohn's disease, you could always say "It's in my genes." Then you were given a medicine that would supposedly correct the problem.

I looked at this trend toward medicalization and it made no sense to me, as other societies around the world were experiencing none of the conditions we were, and their citizens were living longer and healthier lives. So I went on a journey. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s 1 spent a lot of time traveling the world and studying other cultures to see if there was something I could learn from what they were doing differently. What I found was that diet was not always the most important thing, and genes certainly were not. The key was in lifestyle.

Upon my return to the United States, I put a major effort into creating a new protocol for health using whatever tools would work. I took nearly 5,000 people over a two-year period, divided them into categories, and put each group on a different six-month program. The programs were not geared to disease conditions but to improving overall wellness.

There were five main groups. Group 1 experienced a change in diet. I gave people what, for all intents and purposes, would be considered a perfect diet, meaning that I excluded animal protein, including all dairy products. The only animal-derived food they could have would be six ounces of fish a day. Otherwise they had ample servings of grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes and moderate amounts of nuts and seeds—all organic. Participants consumed about fifty grams of fiber daily. No processed sugars were allowed. They could have raw, unheated, unfiltered honey and crude molasses or rice syrup, but no other sweeteners. Also, they had to give up all processed foods, and everything had to be as close to its natural state as possible, with minimal heating, so that the food was rich in enzymes, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. And they had sea vegetables, such as sea palm, wakame, kombu, and nori--one serving per day. Men averaged 3,000 calories a day, and women, about 2,500. It was a dynamic diet, but—and this is the crucial favor—nothing else in their lives was changed. These people lost, on average, one to two pounds per week until they reached their ideal weight and stabilized.

They were very happy about the weight loss--while it lasted. The problem was that at the end of the six months, fewer than 5 percent of group members were able to sustain the diet. They gave such excuses as "It's too difficult." "Too many changes had to be made." "It was upsetting my social life." "I don't know how to make this food." "I feel deprived." But the diet did work, because those who did stick with it experienced sign)ficant health benefits and lost a considerable amount of weight.

A second group was put on an energetic exercise program--without a change in diet. This program was so vigorous that it enabled participants to run the New York City Marathon. They went from total novices to marathon-ready in just six months. It was a graduated program, with general exercise five days a week, up to an hour a day, plus exercises geared to specific body parts every other day for one hour. These were in the form of sit-ups and presses that affected every muscle in the body to create strength all over. This group talked about how much better they felt and how their overall sense of well-being had improved. Fewer than 10 percent were able to complete the six-month program, but the ones who did certainly lost a substantial amount of weight as their bodies became strengthened and toned.

Even this 10 percent did not continue after the meals. A third group was not given a special diet or exercise regime but was put on an ideal supplement and juicing protocol. I suggested vitamins, such as C, E, and B complex as well as oil of primrose, phosphatidylcholine, and coenzyme Q10, among other natural supplements. In addition to the supplement program, the participants drank a variety of fresh, organic juices, starting with one 10-ounce glass of juice a day for the first month and increasing intake by one glass per day each month, so that by month 6 they were drinking six glasses per day. Carrot juice was excluded because of its high sugar content, but any other combination of diluted vegetables with mineral water and aloe vera juice could be used. At first, they would drink only vegetable juice, but by the third month they could begin to add fruit juice, including grapefruit with lemon, orange, or lime, using the whole peel and skin. Added to the mix was nondairy acidophilus and raw flaxseed. Participants also did eat meals, although breakfast was generally a juice-only meal.

Again, everything in participants' lives stayed the same, except for the supplements and juices. If they did not already exercise, they weren't to start. They were given no dietary instructions except that they had to drink a total of one gallon of liquid per day, which included filtered or mineral water plus their juices. This group also lost weight and experienced other health improvements, although many were glad to get off the protocol--they hadn't been used to drinking a lot of juice, which can be an acquired taste.

Another group made no changes whatsoever in their exercise, diet, or supplementation, but they were to clean up their work and home environment. That meant that they were to go room by room and see what that they could do to minimize the impact of that environment on their well-being. They had to get rid of carpets and get down to hardwood floors. They had to seal all cabinet insides with shellac to make sure that no particleboard--from which much modern cabinetry and furniture is made--would outgas, or emanate fumes. They had to clean their basements and garages of all toxic chemicals: lawn pesticides, paint cleaners and thinners, furniture-finishing products. And they had to install proper air and water filters in their house. Water filters would get rid of lead, cadmium, mercury, parasites, industrial solvents, viruses, and bacteria. And in the air at work and at home, they needed to get rid of animal danders, molds, fungi, and formaldehyde--anything that could cause the body's internal milieu to become imbalanced. This group had no weight changes, but they did experience improvement in some of their allergies and felt that breathing was easier.

The last group was to keep everything physical the same, except they were to answer a series of questions that were presented at monthly lectures. The questions had them examine their core values and attitudes, with an eye to destressing their lives and raising their self-esteem. Generally I would give them fifty questions: twenty per lecture and an additional thirty to take home with them. I also provided my own answers to these questions, explaining that these were not the answers, merely a springboard from which to formulate their own. Following are examples of these questions and the ways I had answered them:

Were you given negative messages as a child?

As a child, you probably believed whatever your parents told you. You accepted their messages, positive or negative, at face value. The question is, how have you dealt with the negative messages they conveyed to you? To sort through this issue, make a list of your parents' attitudes, noting whether they are positive or negative. Then go back and note which attitudes you have adopted as your own, both toward yourself and regarding your expectations about the world.

Until you evaluate these messages and discard the negative ones, they will remain a guiding force in your life. With your adult mind and adult ego strength, you have the ability to tolerate pain that you could not understand or handle as a child. You also have the opportunity to make important changes in yourself, provided you can find the courage to ask the hard questions about your past and present. When you stop blocking your awareness of your past hurts and current fears, you will gradually become energized, and your pain and fear will be less each time you make contact with them.

Do you have attitudes and behaviors that sabotage your health, happiness, and growth?

Some of your attitudes and behaviors can prevent you from doing things that are in your own best interest. If you are somewhat lazy, for example, you might like to sit around and watch television on Saturday mornings. Then, when a friend suggests going for a jog, power walk, or bicycle ride, you find it difficult to break your routine. You might get defensive and deny the benefits of exercising, and you might even overreact and make your friend feel bad for having suggested it. Since you work hard all week, you argue, you need Saturday mornings to do what you want to do. You feel upset that someone is infringing on your time and wants you to do something else.

That sort of thinking can undermine you. Why not look instead at the benefits that come from a change of pace? Ask yourself, is this something that will make me feel healthier, live longer, be happier, have more energy, and be a better person?

Do you avoid responsibilities for fear of failure?

Society measures success by what you have accomplished. You are deemed a failure if you attempt something new and fail. This concept is reinforced when others praise you for your successes and reprimand you for your failures. You do not receive credit for having tried; rather, you are considered inadequate for not having succeeded.

A fear of failure prevents many people from taking on new responsibilities that would allow them to grow. In reality, however, most successes are preceded by many failures. Go back in your life and assess your own failures. What did you learn from these experiences? Acknowledge yourself for having tried and for the lessons learned.

Are you looking to the right people for support?

You must share your dreams and goals with the people who offer positive support. Some people will always find a hole in your plans, yet you may return to these unsupportive people time and again for support. Since their advice will only discourage you, be more aware of whom you turn to for help. Watch your patterns and learn to interact with people who will be the most supportive and understanding of your needs and goals.

These are the types of questions that the fifth study group grappled with on their own and discussed as a group. They weren't told to make any physical changes whatsoever, and none of the other groups ever dealt with these issues.

The results of this experiment? At the end of the study, no group had retained more than a small fraction of its original members, except for the group that had focused on examining their life choices, value systems, and destressing. Most members of the other groups had dropped out. It was interesting to note that although the values-examining group had been given no dietary guidance, a number of its members had lost some weight and now reported feeling more energetic. Perhaps it was because while doing so much questioning about what went into their attitudes they were also learning to question what went in to their bodies.

What I learned from these groups is that trying to implement physical changes without taking into account what's going on in our inner lives rarely work. Sure, it did work in a few cases, but by and large the one-approach-only method was a failure. What I did after that initial study was combine the protocols for each of the individual study groups and put them into one single study, to see what the synergistic effect would be. Just as I'd suspected, the dropout rate plummeted, and people reported dramatic improvements in their health and vitality, with impressive weight loss in many of the participants for whom weight had been a problem. That's why now I use only the integrative approach when I organize health support groups and weight-loss seminars. Today the groups always combine diet--with an emphasis on detoxification--with exercise, supplements and juicing, an environmental clean sweep, and a thorough examination of life choices and a thorough examination of life choices and values.

And that's also why now, when someone asks me, "Gary, what supplement should I take for my arthritis?" or "How do I lose weight real quick?" I no longer have an easy answer, as I might have had years ago. I'll say, "It's not about an arthritis supplement" or "It's not about a quick-fix diet." I tell him or her, "It's about the whole body. You've got to look at your whole body. And you've got to look at your mind."

Some people get frustrated by this kind of answer, and you can see their eyes kind of glaze over and disconnect. "Look at my mind?" you can almost hear them thinking. "Give me a break! Maybe I can go to my doctor and get a pill."

In today's society, we have been led to believe that being overweight is a medical problem, which therefore requires medical intervention. And it will probably be a superficial intervention, because we tend to want to change the symptoms of a problem without getting to the root of it. That we may have created the problem ourselves is not something we want to see; our idea is to resolve it simply by masking the symptoms. If you've got arthritis, get rid of the pain. If you've got a headache, get rid of the pain. If you're overweight, get rid of the fat. And we want the fastest, least taxing way of doing it; a quick fix. As for the side effects or consequences--well, we'll think about those later. Maybe they'll have come up with a quick-fix solution for the problems created by the original quick fix by then.

This book is designed to be a comprehensive, long-term fix to your weight problem. As a result, it is not a crash program but a slower, carefully managed one. What I have done here is taken everything that I have seen work for weight loss and explained it so that you can adapt it intelligently to your life. While implementing what's here will take time and effort, you won't have to count calories, you won't have to go on a fat-free anything, and you won't ever have to feel guilty about going off your weight-loss diet because you won't ever be on one. Rather, you'll be on a long-term body and mind cleanup and refueling program that will make you feel great.

Everything you'll be reading about has been put into practice by those multifaceted wellness-oriented support groups I now organize In addition to substantial weight loss, members report high levels of success in ameliorating or even eliminating such conditions as arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, depression, and chronic fatigue. In the process, these people also often find that their looks improve: Their skin becomes smoother, their eyes gain sparkle, and their hair thickens and reverts from gray to its original color.

In this book, we'll be looking at these people's success stories. We'll also, of course, be explaining exactly what they did in order to lose the weight and achieve other health benefits. We'll be looking at diet, particularly from a cleansing and detoxification point of view, because you don't want to be "throwing good stuff in on bad." We'll be looking at what, when, and how to eat, at what not to eat--and why. You may be surprised to find that some of your forner "no-nos" have fumed into "yes-yeses." Recipes are included, so you'll never be at a loss for how to turn all that healthful stuff in your refrigerator into actual meals. Supplements, exercise, and other aids to weight loss and health will be covered. Also, we'll be exploring the all-important area of your core beliefs and attitudes.

I wish you not just success in using this book but joy--in eating drinking moving and living in exciting new ways.



Excerpted from Gary Null's Ultimate Lifetime Diet by Gary Null, Ph.D.. Copyright 2000 by Gary Null, Ph.D.. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.