Let’s Simplify Weight Loss + Optislim with OptiBiome Review
To effectively lose weight, it’s essential to look at every facet of our health; our digestive system, stress levels, exercise regime and diet. To accomplish this, a weight loss coach can provide valuable guidance and strategies.
So, what are my simple weight loss tips?
- Drink more water. Drinking water can increase feelings of fullness and bring overeating to a halt. Studies show that drinking water may promote weight loss in overweight women.1
- Reduce your intake of added sugars, as they’re associated with increased weight gain, as well as a heightened risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.2
- Speaking of sugar, let’s cut back on the refined carbohydrates too – think white pasta, white bread and white rice. Instead, go for the whole version whenever possible, like brown rice, whole oats and spelt.
- Aim for at least 30 grams of fibre a day to improve the body’s response to insulin, increase fullness and help out the ol’ digestive system. Fibre keeps up full, which means we’re less likely to reach for the chocolate and chips… and ice-cream… and burgers… and pizza.3
- Incorporate a mixture of aerobic and resistance exercise to support healthy body weight and mental health, too.4
- Sleep is highly underrated when it comes to weight loss, but is just as important as food and exercise. Poor sleep can increase our hunger hormones, increasing our consumption of energy-rich but nutrient-poor foods.5 Aim for eight hours of sleep a night.
You’ll be well aware that the ‘gut’ is now regarded as the last frontier of the body, with trillions of bacteria swarming in there. We're only beginning to fully understand the importance of healthy, balanced and happy gut, and significance of the gut/brain axis.
As we now know, the health of our gut contributes to our ability to gain or lose weight. When the microbiome is in balance, it can help control our appetite and battle hunger cravings effectively; when it’s out of balance, we can feel more stressed, hungry and tired (I’m looking at you, 3 pm sugar cravings). Prebiotics are positively associated with weight loss and help support the gut by promoting the growth of probiotics. Who doesn’t want to kill two birds with one stone?
If you’re looking for a healthy and maintainable approach to weight loss (that doesn’t involve eating air for three weeks straight), I’ve just discovered a new product which can help. OptiBiome is a patented formula created by Stephen O’Hara, a scientist and microbiologist.
OptiBiome is transforming the way we approach weight loss, offering a healthy and safe way to manage weight (starvation not included) while caring for the gut. OptiBiome uses a weed and feed approach to help suppress harmful bacteria and encourage the positive kind.
OptiBiome’s OptiSlim combines three prebiotic ingredients to help conjure up a perfectly balanced digestive system to support your weight loss journey.
Konjac root, known as glucomannan, is rich in dietary fibre and low in calories, helping to increase feelings of satiety while delaying gastric emptying. Glucomannan helps regulate blood glucose levels and relieve constipation.
Chicory root fibre helps stimulate the growth of favourable bacteria in the gut, increasing micro-diversity and promoting a positive mood. Chicory root is also excellent for our liver health, helping our liver detoxification pathways.
Chromium is a mineral that helps stabilise normal blood glucose levels by enhancing the bodies use of insulin to assist carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
I know what you’re thinking, this sounds great, but I’m here for weight loss, not solely gut health – and to that, I say: have I ever lead you astray before?
OptiBiome helps cure sugar and fat cravings, with consumer studies showing an average weight loss of up to 1.3kg per week, reduced systolic blood pressure and reduced caloric intake by up to 20%.
I'm was very interested to know more about the product, so I sat down to ask all of my questions to Stephen O’Hara himself and find out some more information.
Here’s what he had to say:
Who is the OptiBiome recommended for?
OptiBiome is a weight loss and wellbeing formula that is recommended for anyone that wants to lose and maintain a healthy weight. OptiBiome could be used by people who want to drop a dress size for a special occasion or people with health issues related to weight and obesity.
OptiBiome is safe to use by everyone.
Why is fibre important for a healthy gut?
The principal advantage of a diet high in fibre is that it improves the health of the digestive system. Dietary fibre also contributes to other processes, such as stabilising glucose and cholesterol levels.
A high-fibre diet is protective against weight gain, as high-fibre foods tend to have a lower energy density, which means they provide fewer kilojoules per gram of food. As a result, a person on a high-fibre diet can consume the same amount of food, but with fewer kilojoules (calories); this is because fibrous foods are often bulky and therefore filling.
What essential prebiotics does Optibiome contain?
An enormous quantity of bacterial communities colonises the human gut, and there is a complex interaction between bacteria/microbiota and the gastrointestinal and immune system.
OptiBiome contains the prebiotic Chicory Root Fibre that helps stimulate the growth of positive bacteria in the gut, increasing micro-diversity and good gut health.
Is it suitable for people with gut issues/IBS?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) develops in as many as 1 in 5 Australians at some point in their lifetime and is twice as common in women as it is in men. Around one in five Australians experiences the unpleasant symptoms of IBS at some time. These include abdominal pain, mucus in the stools, and alternating diarrhoea and constipation.
Used correctly, OptiBiome is suitable for people with IBS as it regulates digestion through fibre and prebiotics.
How does it work and do people get hungry when replacing meals?
The OptiBiome products can be used as a partial meal replacement by replacing two meals per day and incorporating a third well-balanced meal and two OptiBiome hunger buster snacks in between meals to prevent hunger.
OptiBiome promotes satiety and satisfaction throughout the day due to the action of Glucomannan.
Alternatively, the OptiBiome shakes can be used as part of a VLCD program, providing less than 800 calories per day by replacing two meals a day and incorporating a third meal from the VLCD meal plan available on their website.
And I think that about covers it!
OptiBiome’s OptiSlim is available in four different delicious flavours – espresso, chocolate, vanilla and a variety pack (but chocolate is my favourite, obviously.). There are ten gluten-free, protein and fibre-rich shakes per box. OptiBiome even has a hunger-busting snack bar to keep hunger at bay between meals.
OptiBiome is available in Chemist Warehouse and Woolworths from November 2020.
References:
1 Stookey, J.D., Constant, F., Popkin, B.M. and Gardner, C.D. (2008), Drinking Water Is Associated With Weight Loss in Overweight Dieting Women Independent of Diet and Activity. Obesity, 16: 2481-2488. doi:10.1038/oby.2008.409
2 Vermunt, S.H.F., Pasman, W.J., Schaafsma, G. and Kardinaal, A.F.M. (2003), Effects of sugar intake on body weight: a review. Obesity Reviews, 4: 91-99. doi:10.1046/j.1467-789X.2003.00102.x
3 Nancy C. Howarth, M.Sc, Edward Saltzman, M.D., Susan B. Roberts, Ph D, Dietary Fiber and Weight Regulation, Nutrition Reviews, Volume 59, Issue 5, May 2001, Pages 129–139, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2001.tb07001.x
4 Joseph E. Donnelly, Bryan Smith, Dennis J. Jacobsen, Erik Kirk, Katrina DuBose, Melissa Hyder, Bruce Bailey, Richard Washburn, The role of exercise for weight loss and maintenance, Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology, Volume 18, Issue 6, 2004, Pages 1009-1029, ISSN 1521-6918.
5 Nedeltcheva, A. V., Kilkus, J. M., Imperial, J., Schoeller, D. A., & Penev, P. D. (2010). Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity. Annals of internal medicine, 153(7), 435–441. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-7-201010050-00006
there are more flavours now! strawberry!