The weight loss industry often complicates the issue of achieving a healthy body weight, through telling us that we need to exercise more, harder, faster and longer to release stored fat. Nutritionists tell us how many calories we must eat (and that we need to stay in a caloric deficit) in order to shed unwanted inches. Gimmick shakes, and plans that calculate your allotted calories for the day, measured portions of food, point systems, and so many more companies are making a pile of money off of people who are in a desperate state of trying to release weight, and keep it off. I want to open your mind to another way. A new approach.
The truth is, that it’s not really about losing weight.
It is, but it isn’t.
The number on the scale doesn’t tell us how healthy we are internally. How our organs are working, if we have inflammation and poor digestive health. If we have toxin build up from eating crappy food, if our adrenals are shot, or thyroid is sluggish. But excess and unhealthy body fat (predominantly around the middle) is a huge indicator of an internal imbalance, and perhaps even emotional and compulsive eating and mindless munching without any self-awareness around hunger and full signals.
I help women release themselves from emotional and compulsive eating, and uncover the psycho-emotional root cause of their health issues that might lead to unwanted inches. It’s about getting heathy from within, and finding the source of the problem.
Carrying around access body fat in all the wrong places (midsection being the most unhealthy) is dangerous to our health and well-being. It can have an affect on how we feel about ourselves, and how we feel physically. Carrying too much weight can make exercise a challenge, add wear and tear on joints and cause knee and back issues, and the reasons behind the weight gain can also cause low energy levels which make finding the motivation to even get active even more difficult, so it can be a vicious cycle! For these health reasons, it is essential to shed unwanted inches if you want to attain vibrant health, and longevity.
I feel the need to add another simple fact here that you may not be aware of.
If you are getting a healthy balance of exercise (and not too much intensive exercise!) including 20-30 mins of cardiovascular exercise 3-4 times per week and resistance training (body weight exercises, lifting weights, power yoga, Pilates) into your regular routine, over time you will be gaining muscle and losing fat.
Remember….
Fat weighs less than muscle, so as you slim down and shed body fat, you may not actually see it reflected on the scale. My advice? Ditch the scale, and focus on how your clothes feel, and how you are feeling, and of course, be proud of the changes in your appearance-(but please be kind to yourself, make sure what you are telling yourself about how you look in the mirror is loving and positive!) Taking regular measurements is a more accurate way to track progress, if you are a person that likes to see results in numbers. But don’t become obsessive about this. Take measurements at certain points, like twice monthly, and resist the urge to measure any more than that.
To be clear, when I say ‘weight gain’, it’s just a nicer way of saying ‘fat gain’.
Let’s face it, we all know we don’t really care about what the numbers on the scale tell us, if we are feeling good, and looking fabulous! It’s the body fat you want to lose, not necessarily just the weight itself, right?
Back to what I was saying before….to remedy a weight problem, most people focus on losing the weight (based on numbers on the scale). But, what it is truly about, is getting healthy from the inside out, so that the unhealthy body fat you may be carrying, is released naturally as a side affect of the body being in balance.
If the weight gain can be looked at as a side affect of an imbalance from within, we can then start to work at changing the habits, behaviors and patterns that lead to the condition in the first place. Quick fix plans, and diet pills do nothing to fix the underlying issues that lead to unhealthy patterns. Research proves that when weight is lost from dieting or the latest fad weight loss plan, the weight often comes back, because the unhealthy patterns that contributed to the weight gain, are still there lying underneath, and old habits return along with the weight that may have been lost. It’s like refinishing a carat an auto body shop to make it look shiny on the outside, but the mechanics are all out of whack, and it still runs poorly. It is on the brink of breaking down, because only the outside has been dealt with.
The solution is building healthy lifestyle habits into your daily life- permanently. What you do every day matters more than what you do once in awhile, or for 10 days or 6 weeks. If it is not something you can realistically carry on with, and is not sustainable over time- it is a waste of time!
I am speaking from personal experience, and this information I will share with you is based on my experience, and extensive research on the subject of food, body and creating health.
Please note: Talk to your doctor before making any changes to your current health regimen.
If you are currently sedentary, and have not exercised for a period of time, or have current health issues, you should check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program, or making changes to your diet.
My tips for a healthy body weight and vibrant health:
Nutrition
Pop (that includes diet varieties!), candy, cookies, pastries, white anything (bread,pasta,rice,sugar), packaged and boxed convenience foods are all on the ‘nasties’ list, so eat these foods as little as possible. It is unrealistic to try to avoid these foods at all costs, so just be mindful that they are not the foods our bodies thrive on, so be kind to your body by feeding it foods that keep it healthy and feeling great!
Exercise.
Avoid Toxins
Toxins both in your environment and in the foods you eat. Eat organic as much as possible. Avoid toxic house hold cleaners, artificial fragrances, scented candles, and body care products. Buy a juicer or good high speed blender and start drinking your veggies as juicing has a detoxifying affect on the body. I recommend the 3 day juicing detox suggested from the “Foodmatters” website. I love all of the ideas behind what they teach. If you are feeling really adventurous, head to the bookstore and buy their new book “Hungry for Change” based on the documentary. It is full of information about this topic, and healthy juicing and food recipes. It is one of my favorite health books right now. If you have not watched the 2 movies “Food Matters” and “Hungry for Change” I highly recommend you do. They are incredible! **Note: if you have adrenal fatigue it is not recommended to do a fasting type of detoxification.
Stress management
“There is not such thing as stress,only people thinking stressful thoughts” ~Dr. Wayne Dyer
Heal emotionally
Hormone Imbalances