drinking kefir while trying to loose weight.

[Guest guest]

I have been drinking kefir for about a month now all though I am

drinking it for health benefits I am also trying to loose weight. I was

just wondering if any one new if drinking kefir would make you gain

weight I use fat free milk from the grocery store and I drink one shake

in the morning for breakfast and then one for my dinner at night but I

am not seeing alot of weight lost and I thought maybe I was drinking to

much. I dont know much about the water kefir grains does any one know

if maybe the water grains would be better for me to drink. Thanks to

any one that has some answers, Tammie

[Guest guest]

Tammie,

From what I understand, the basic caloric value of kefir will be

composed of the calories in the milk you use to generate the kefir.

The idea is that what goes in, must come out. However, understand

that the basic calorie value may not change much, but the nutritional

value may be greatly enhanced by the kefir conversion process. Fats

and sugars in the milk are converted into more fundamental and easily

digested forms. Some of these fundamentals are vitamins and minerals

that are not available without going through the kefir fermentation

process.

A quick analogy: drinking plain milk is like building a fire with a

freshly cut tree, whereas drinking kefir is like building that same

fire with dried and cut firewood. Although the firewood may be from

the same tree, as it is split and cured, it becomes more efficient at

generating energy (heat). By drinking kefir, you are giving your body

a pre-digested product that is more readily assimilated into your

digestive system.

I can state that kefir has been an important part of my weight loss

diet. I lost about 50 pounds, going from 330 to 280 pounds in about 5

months. I regularly consume about 48 ounces of kefir daily... I drink

about a 16 oz in the morning. I consume another 16 oz throughout the

day which is used to mix a muesli (kefir, whole oats, and fruit), and

then I drink another 16 oz before bed. I believe that kefir has

helped to suppress my appetite, while is also allowing me to increase

my metabolism. After meeting with a friend that is a licensed

nutritionist, she confirmed that the 'kefir before bed' may be playing

a significant role in metabolism increase. This 'late night kefir

snack', is helping to stabilize my metabolism and blood sugar as I

sleep. Most people go through metabolism phases that follow their

eating patterns, as that our bodies build routines of feeding off the

sugar that we have digested. By eating smaller meals throughout the

day, metabolism increases and your metabolism curve becomes more

stable. Going back to the fire analogy, it much better to keep the

fire stoked with fuel all the time, instead of letting the fire go

out, and having to build another one every few hours.

Although I feel that kefir is a major contributing factor in my diet

and weight loss, it is just a component of other lifestyle changes

that are necessary for long term weight loss. I added more walking to

my weekly routine (it has become more difficult to walk now that

streets are snow covered and temperatures are below freezing). I

would regularly walk up to 15 miles each week. I avoid as much

processed and refined foods as possible... I can't tell you the last

time that I had a slice of 'white' bread! I have almost totally

eliminated soda beverages from my diet. As I stated earlier, I eat

whole oat muesli as a daily increase for fiber. I also am eating more

natural raw foods, such as bean sprouts. I grow my own sprouts, and

snack on them throughout the day. It is claimed that sprouts have an

extreme abundance of vitamins and enzymes that are quite beneficial.

With kefir, came an interest in naturally fermented foods. I make our

own sauerkraut and kim-chi which is now part of my diet... all made

from organic, raw vegetables.

BTW, I make my kefir with whole raw milk, that I get from a local

milk. This is high fat milk, that if I let it stand for a day forms a

big layer of cream on top!

[Guest guest]

Good Morning ,

Great information on Kefir & weight loss. Congratulations! My weight

has leveled off.

Have a wonderful day.

Jeff Price

NW Alabama

[Guest guest]

speaks with much knowledge. To add to 's statement, the

full fat milk will provide a satiety that cannot be achieved from

lowfat milk, you will tend to eat less. Your body craves and needs

quality, healthy fat. As hard as it may be, you must try to fight the

low fat mantra that has allowed our society to become such a mess

nutritionally. Check out Eat Fat Lose Fat, Nourishing Traditions,

Makers Diet, etc... for the other side of the " story " if your

interested. It has helped my wife and I lose 20 and 30 lbs

respectively and greatly improve our cholesterol numbers much to the

chagrin of my low fat friends. I use Raw, high fat milk in our kefir

and its wicked good.

As far as the water kefir I use it mainly (no pun intended) for my

youngest who cannot digest casein right now, we are working on that. I

have to ferment it slightly sweet so he and his sister will drink it.

I have to be careful with it though as it can cause sugar cravings.

Thats why if I want to enjoy water kefir I ferment it long enough that

its not too sweet and I save it for myself to consume.

Mainer2008

[Guest guest]

Thank you for your information. Although I was not the one asking the question I

think I have learned something from what you have expressed here. And read all

with great interest. Maggie

> From: brianklock <brian@...>

> Subject: Re: drinking kefir while trying to loose weight.

>

> Date: Monday, December 22, 2008, 4:01 AM

> Tammie,

> From what I understand, the basic caloric value of kefir

>