The 7 Principles of Fat Burning by Eric Berg – What You Need to Know

If you're tired of ‘trying' another diet that promises to burn fat and help you lose weight, you may be able to blame your lack of results on hormones. That's what Eric Berg, the author of the 7 Principles of Fat Burning suggests; he claims that your body can put a complete stop to weight loss if the hormones are out of balance.

He calls it ‘glanular weakness', a condition that prevents your fat-burning hormones from shifting into high gear and reducing your chances of starting or sustaining weight loss for the long-term. The book encourages every dieter to take a quiz to determine what type of hormone problem they may have, and then work through the principles that may help them jumpstart a fat-burning plan. Is the 7 Principles of Fat Burning the program you need to start losing weight? Here's a close look at how this weight loss program works:

Understanding Your Body Shape - The First Step to Weight Loss Success

The first part of the 7 Principles of Fat Burning outlines the four main body shapes. Your body shape dictates how you store and burn fat. Since the excess production of certain hormones can trigger the weight gain cycle, and your body type determines which type of hormones are released regularly, you may be able to better understand how to stop the weight gain cycle and get your health back on track. Dr. Berg defines the different body shapes as follows:

Adrenal - suffers from excessive adrenal production which can cause excess fat in the midsection and the face. Many people with this body shape have a ‘loose' or ‘sagging' stomach, and may even have a small bulge of stubborn fat below the belly button. Excess weight is typically stored in the midsection only, creating a protruding stomach. Since this body type also produces excess cortisol, this can create a swollen face, puffy eyes and a double chin.

Ovary - this body type is suffering from an overpdocution of estrogen because the ovaries are not working properly. This often results in excess fat deposits on the thighs, buttocks and lower stomach. Women who have this body type may also experience severe cramping, hot flashes during menopause and other PMS-related problems.

Liver - when the liver becomes dysfunctional, the result is often a ‘potbelly' because excess fat is stored in the abdominal area. Excess fluid buildup in the abdomen is also a sign that you have a liver body type; this body type also experiences back pain, extremely low blood sugar in the mornings, and frequent joint problems.

Thyroid - a sluggish metabolism is the usual outcome of a dysfunctional thyroid, and often results in dry hair, cravings for starch, excess weight gain around the middle, and frequent periods of fluid retention.

How to Trigger Weight Loss with the 7 Principles

After determining your body type, you can then move on to select certain foods that reduce overproduction of specific hormones. Dr. Berg encourages you to eat foods that help keep the metabolism balanced while providing you with the adequate nutrition. Some of the key principles include:

• Reducing sugar in the diet

• Eating more whole grains for daily carbohydrate needs

• Increasing healthy protein intake, especially for the ‘Liver' body type

• Following an exercise regimen fit for your body type

• Stabilizing the endocrine system for optimal fat-burning