Healthy Weight Loss

I’m sitting on my deck as I write this blog.  I have a pot roast in my pressure cooker with some celery, carrots, and garlic.  A pot roast is a chuck roast for all of you reading this north of the border.  If you still don’t know what that is, look it up.  Haha.  Anyway, I was going to say it probably sounds a little plain.  Potatoes cooked well are actually quite good for you as a healthy starch, but they do boost the immune system, so I don’t always eat them.  If you have immune issues, not always recommended.  I didn’t have any and was too lazy to go to the store.  The parsnips I had, which add a really nice, sweet flavor to the roast were a little too far gone. ? Couldn’t use those either.  It is a plain meal, but we have gotten way to used to doctoring up the foods that we eat with processed-just-add-water sauces or spices that aren’t that clean and we no longer savor the foods for their own flavors.

The way that as a majority we eat, has contributed to the state of obesity in Western society. 

It is no secret that obesity affects 100 million Americans. That is 1/3 of our population.  At least half of that number are people over 65.  The percentage of overweight people is at least half.  Sad percentages. It is a huge statement to the health epidemic that is going on and I do believe we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg.

Weight loss is complicated. 

The answer as to why is not a simple one.  To understand weight loss, it is important to understand that it isn’t just one thing that causes weight gain.  Of course, processed foods, fast foods, overeating and lack of exercise are big contributors but that isn’t the whole story.  Genetics play a role, stress, lack of sleep, poor gut health, hormones, chronic infections, lack of nutrients and environmental toxins all contribute.  And the type of fat that develops in the abdomen area is very toxic and difficult to eliminate if the digestive system is not healthy enough to handle the toxic load and guess what, it just stays in the body no matter what you do.

When it comes to weight loss, it is important to do it healthy.

There are many fad diets out there that can result in weight loss, but the consequences can be detrimental to your health.  Forcing that toxicity through a body that can’t handle it can kick start disease and that isn’t good.  For healthy weight loss, it is important to build up the health of your gut, reduce inflammation in the body and support your digestive system so it is healthy enough to handle the toxic load of the weight loss.

How do you do that?

I know, you are getting so tired of hearing me preach the same thing over, and over again but it isn’t rocket science.  It is so much simpler than most people want to hear.  But the reality as I say over and over again is that it isn’t easy.

1. The first step is to decide you want to lose weight and commit. You are either all in or you aren’t.  I’ve told you before that you can’t half ass your health, right?  Ya, I did.
2. You must be committed ‘cause you are still reading.  Good.  That first step can be a big one.
3. You are going to get started on a Paleo diet. I have written a few blogs on eating Paleo which you can find here and here.  Before you get started, I highly recommend that you eliminate all of the tempting foods and snacks in your kitchen.  You know you will eat them in your weak moments.  Gluten, dairy, sugar and morning coffee are the hardest for my clients.  Better to be gone that sitting there in your cupboard tempting you.
4. Load up on clean meat, veggies, and healthy fats.  This is what you are going to be eating.  Good thing it’s summer.  That means lots of barbequing.  It is easy and tasty making the transition a little easier, hopefully.  Don’t just live off salads, you will hate them.  Make sure you mix in a few starchy veggies daily but not in massive quantities.  They do convert to sugar in the body and although they are full of  fiber, they can still be detrimental in larger quantities.
5. Plan your meals because you are going to have to have food for your lunches too. Yep, that’s right.  No more eating out. We have lots of Paleo recipes on our Pinterest page for you to choose from if you need a good resource.  You can find our page here.  I realize that you are going to run into difficulties with not eating out at some point so find yourself a couple of easy goto’s so you can stick to the plan.  Chipotles is a great option.  Sonic is not although their ice cream is gluten free and I have been known to eat it on occasion but not for you, not right now.  You can give that to yourself as a treat after you have made through 30 days of eating clean.
6. Get started. Dive in and start feeding your body the way it was meant to feed.
7. Three meals are better than grazing. No grazing unless you have a medical need to eat in between meals.
8. If you need something little before bed, make sure that you have something small and that you are eating protein and a healthy fat. That will help keep your blood sugar level while you sleep.

Some of you are going to find that your body is very responsive, and the weight loss will be fast.

Some of you are going to find that you don’t lose much if at all.  This can happen when you have insulin resistance or other dysfunction in the body that has it wanting to hold on to that fat.  The reality is that sometimes, being healthy is better than being thin.  I want you to keep going because it is helping to heal your body.  It might be time to consider finding a practitioner in Functional Medicine to help you dig into what might be getting in the way of your weight loss.  It is absolutely possible, but you might have a little more work to do with those other weight gain contributors before your body is ready to shed the weight.

Remember, if you’ve committed, you are committing to a lifestyle.

You won’t be doing your body any favors if you take this on and then fall off the wagon.  The roller coaster isn’t good for you either.  So, if you are in, you are all in, remember.

Happy Tuesday everyone.  Have a great rest of your week.

Photo by i yunmai on Unsplash