Weight Loss
For some people, eliminating refined foods and eating whole foods will be enough to start the process of weight normalisation. But for many others there will be a lot of other things going on underneath that also need to be addressed.
If eating real food isn’t enough for you, consider these other aspects. If you feel you need some extra guidance, contact me for a consultation.
Having the right mind set
Firstly, rather than thinking of weight loss, think of reducing excess bodyfat. Weight could mean muscle, and you definitely don’t want to lose that!
Know what your goal is. You’ll probably want a measurable goal, and most people tend to have a desired end weight. As well as that, have a measurement or clothes size in mind. If you’re exercising, you may decrease in inches without seeing any change on the scales.
But even more important is to have a “feeling” goal to focus on. Know why you want it – to feel more energy, to be able to buy nicer clothes, or whatever it is for you. Then focus on the why and how you’ll feel when you get there. Think of that every day, and get excited about it. This is what will carry you through if it gets tough, not some theoretical numbers.
Get the food right
For any kind of therapeutic diet, as well as eating real food, you need to consider your metabolic type and get the right ratio of nutrients for your body’s needs.
You may have food intolerances. Until you eliminate those from your diet, your body won’t come into balance.
In lesson 8, we talk about how to balance the protein, fat, vegetables and starchy carbs in a meal. On top of that, to burn up bodyfat, you may need to limit your starchy carbohydrates to around 75 grams a day. At the end of the appendix is a chart showing some typical serves of 7.5 grams. If you’re eating a lot of carbs, gradually reduce your intake till you’re eating no more than 10 serves a day. If that still isn’t making a difference, reduce to 5 serves day for a couple of weeks to kick start your metabolism. If you’re a Mixed or Carbo type, gradually come back up to 10 serves a day. If you’re more of a Protein type, you can stay on the lower carbs for a bit longer.
You also need to be sure you’re digesting your food properly. As we discussed in Lesson 1, make sure you chew your food well to start the digestion process. If you don’t have a gall bladder, supplementing with bile at every meal will help digestion. If you have any reason to think you’re not digesting well, supplementing with digestive enzymes can be very helpful. Some people find that supplementing with them between meals as well is beneficial for moving stubborn fat.
If your metabolism is slow, or you have thyroid problems, it can be helpful to supplement with unprocessed coconut oil. Start with ½ teaspoon dissolved in warm water before breakfast and lunch and gradually build up to a maximum of 1 Tablespoon. This will speed up your metabolism, and support your thyroid. There are some cautions to this though:
- If your adrenals are under-functioning, don’t use the coconut oil. You need to repair your adrenals first. If fatigue is a problem for you, you could have an underactive thyroid, or could have adrenal stress. Contact me for more information on these.
- Coconut oil can act like “speed”, so be careful not to have too much
- If you start to feel sick after taking the coconut oil, reduce your dose, or cut it out for a few days.
- If your coconut oil starts to smell bad to you, it probably hasn’t gone off, as it’s very stable. But your body might be signalling that you’ve had enough for now.
Are you exercising?
Everybody can benefit from being active, and finding something physical that you enjoy will enhance all aspects of your health. But to burn fat, you may need to look at what kind of exercise you’re doing. It’s important, especially for women, to be doing some sort of weight training or resistance exercise, to help build muscle. And short bursts of intense exercise will build your fitness, and boost your metabolism. Talk to a trainer to discuss this further.
Is there something else physical going on?
There may be some other physical problem that needs to be resolved before your body will burn fat. Some common ones are:
- Under functioning thyroid
- Overgrowth of candida in your system
- Holding heavy metals or some other kind of toxin in your body. These will be stored in rhe fat cells, making it dangerous to burn fat and release them.
Contact a health practitioner to help you investigate these.
Is there something emotional going on?
This could be any number of things. If you’ve had weight issues for a long time, there are probably a number of beliefs about how hard it is to get thin, that will keep you stuck. eg:
- Your body may think it’s unsafe to reduce weight for some reason.
- There may be some underlying benefit you’re getting from being overweight, that you’re not even aware of.
Seeing an experienced Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) practitioner is one very good way to work through some of these issues. EFT can also help with cravings, not wanting to do your exercise, and any number of other aspects that might be sabotaging you. Contact me to discuss this more.
| Starchy carbs
Each of these servings is about 7.5 gms of usable carbs (Total carbs, less fibre). Approx serves per day:
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| Vegetables
Beetroot – ½ cup Carrots, cooked – ½ cup Green peas – ¼ cup Corn on the cob – ¼ cup Kumara – 35gms Leek – ½ cup Parsnip – 1/3 cup Potato – ¼ med Pumpkin – ½ cup Swede – 1/8 large Turnip – ¼ cup |
Fruit
Apples – ½ small Applesauce – 3/8 cup Apricots – 1 medium Avocado – 1/4 Bananas – ¼ medium (occasionally) Berries – just under ½ cup Cherries – ½ cup whole Dates – 1 medium Fig, fresh or dry – 1 Grapefruit – ¼ large Grapes – 8 Kiwifruit – 1/2 Orange – ½ Melon – ½ cup Nectarine – ½ Passionfruit – 1 ½ Papaya – ¼ cup Peaches – ½ medium Pears – ¼ large Pineapple – 1/3 cup Plums – 1 Strawberries – ¾ cup Watermelon – just over ½ cup |
Legumes
2 Tbs – Black beans, Chick peas, Haricot beans, Lima beans 3 Tbs – Aduki beans, Black-eyed peas, Kidney beans, Lentils, Pinto beans, Split peas, White beans
Gluten-free Grains Buckwheat – 3 Tbs Polenta – 3 Tbs Rice crackers – 5 Rice, brown – 3 Tbs Most breads – ½ slice Quinoa – 2.5 Tbs
Gluten Grains Oats* (eg. in porridge) – 1/3 cup Ryvita crackers – 1.5 Vogel Bread (original) – ½ slice Pasta, wholewheat – 3 Tbs * Technically gluten free, but often contaminated |
| Alcohol
While it is best to avoid alcohol in the healing phase, there may be special occasions where you want to have a drink or two. Replace 1 or more of your carbs serving for that meal. 1 serve approx = ¼ glass beer, 1 glass wine, 1 shot spirits |
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