Ave Cosgriff Hurley, now 66, dieted her life with little luck. As health problems pushed her weight ever higher, “I'd watch the show My 600-lb Life and think this is where I was headed,” she recalls. Then her doctor suggested chicory root powder. Daily doses eased her pain dramatically and triggered huge weight loss. When she encountered fat loss surgeon she'd once consulted, he informed her, “You have no need for surgery anymore – what you are doing is working better!” All told, Ave shrunk from the size 32 to some six in 18 months.

What is chicory root powder?

“Let's do this,” said Ave Cosgriff Hurley, 64, stepping on the exam-room scale. The Pennsylvania grandmother have been eating frozen diet meals for 3 months, and she was ready for good news. Suddenly, the display flashed: 339. “You gained 15 pounds,” the nurse said softly. No, no, no. This can't be happening, Ave panicked. Unless she lost 80 pounds, she couldn't obtain a much-needed hip replacement. And she had hernias that made her a poor candidate for gastric bypass, so she had to do it on her own. “I can't lose weight, and i am in agony every day,” she said because the doctor arrived. “Is it simply past too far for me to ever feel great again?” A doctor glanced at Ave's chart. “I have an idea,” she said. “Have you ever heard of chicory root?”

Later that day, Ave struggled to get comfortable in the recliner, where she'd spent most of the past seven years. Despite decades of diets, her health problems – lupus, degenerative disc disease, heart problems, and particularly her arthritic hip – had gradually worsened. Forced to retire and on her own after a divorce, her son James, certainly one of her five children, had moved in to help. Of course, he couldn't stop things from going steadily downhill: The less Ave moved, the more she gained and also the worse things got. Now even sitting hurt.

That means it feeds bacteria in your GI tract that aid digestion, help control blood sugar, reduce inflammation plus much more, Ave read. To her surprise, she felt hope tugging at her skepticism.

Ave used free tools at CarbManager.com to create healthy eating easy. At least once daily, she mixed chicory powder (Buy on Amazon, $21.95) into yogurt, a protein shake, or coffee. Experts say up to four teaspoons daily is protected, but up intake gradually to prevent gas. You'll get bonus doses of chicory from foods like radicchio, endive, Kashi GoLean cereal, and Fiber One bars. Always consult a doctor prior to trying a new supplement or diet.

While Ave waited for that chicory to arrive, she decided she ended wasting cash on frozen meals. A low-carb diet had worked for her daughter Katy. I'll perform a frugal version, she told herself.

She stocked up on dollar bags of microwave veggies, salad fixings, low-carb condiments, eggs, frozen shrimp, and ground beef. Once she'd the chicory, she mixed a teaspoon from it in water. I can't really even taste it, Ave noticed, drinking it down. The rest of the day she ate bowls of veggies topped with various kinds of protein and sugar-free sauces or dressings. This feels easier than when I've gone low-carb in the past, she thought. Chicory must be killing my hunger.

Ave kept in internet marketing. She tried blending the chicory in hot coffee and store-brand caramel protein shakes. Both were tasty. And she was definitely through an easier time staying on track with her simple, lower-carb meals. Days sped by. While Ave was not keen on the scale, she did finally step on: She'd lost 13 pounds in one week!

How will it help with weight reduction?

By day 14, Ave allow her to doctor know she was down 21 pounds, her pain noticeably better. “Let's look at your blood work, simply to be safe,” said the doctor. The outcomes? “I'm better than fine,” she gushed to her daughter. “It's like I hit the lottery!” The progress motivating her, Ave discovered chicory root powder was great mixed in yogurt. She also began simmering it with spices like cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and pepper. “I'd sip my 'tea' and within 20 minutes my joints and muscles would feel warm and any pain would melt off,” she recalls.

Did she ever hit a plateau?

Yes. “But I had been still losing inches. I learned to determine and have patience.” In 2 months she shed 47 pounds. After six months, she'd her hip replaced. Her pain and lots of of her other health issues were gone for good: “I reduced or eliminated all my medications!”

Today, she's down 206 pounds from her highest weight. “Fifty many years of diets didn't work for me, but using chicory with a lowcarb diet did,” Ave smiles. “When other people who are struggling, I just want to scream about how exactly much relief chicory provided. I want everyone to understand it's rarely past too far to feel a great deal better!”

This ancient fix for arthritis and liver disease is often roasted and used to “stretch” ground coffee (a brand new Orleans' tradition prompted by Civil War shortages). Modern tests reveal chicory comes complete with inulin, a prebiotic fiber that feeds bacteria in our GI tract “critically important to controlling blood pressure, body weight, inflammation plus much more,” says nutrition expert and Brain Maker author David Perlmutter, MD. The anti-inflammatory effect is so strong, one study found chicory can provide osteoarthritis sufferers dramatic relief in Two months.

As chicory fiber moves with the GI tract, it releases floods of fatty acids called butyrates which are proven to switch off fat cell function, fire up metabolic process and improve blood sugar and insulin by as much as 300 percent. Additionally, there are exciting early evidence that compounds in chicory like chicoric and chlorogenic acids force our muscles to speed-burn sugar – a trick that stops and helps reverse diabetes because it slims. No wonder studies show chicory boosts weight loss without dieting. Says Dr. Perlmutter, “When I hear stories like Ave's, I'm never surprised!

How are you able to add chicory root powder for your diet?

Here’s a day’s worth of recipes to get started.

BREAKFAST: Mix 1 teaspoon of chicory in yogurt. For a tasty coffee substitute, add two tablespoons roasted and ground chicory to coffee maker for every cup water.

LUNCH: Make a proper sandwich with ThinSlim bread and end the meal with optional Halo Top frozen treats. Both brands contain chicory fiber.