Is there really any time of any year that there is not a need to lose weight? We know the enormous benefits of maintaining a healthy body mass index and how essential for our health that we have appropriate body fat levels. COVID-19 has only exacerbated the fact that such a large part of our population is overweight and obese. The stress of the pandemic has definitely given license for us to overeat, even though the sad truth of the matter is that there are many for whom this pandemic has left without enough food to eat.
It is also extremely unfortunate that being overweight and obese is one of the most dangerous conditions to carry during this pandemic. It is one of the comorbidity factors that can lead to disability and death from COVID. So while we joke about gaining the COVID-15, this is really a time to get serious about weight loss.
Permanent, long-lasting weight loss is not easy. You must be willing to employ LIFE-LONG strategies. There is no quick fix. There is no diet and there is no workout program that will get you there and then allow you to go back to your old habits while keeping your body fat percentage low. You have to commit to living a healthy lifestyle for the rest of your entire life.
Does this mean you can never have another french fry? No! It just means that you set yourself up for it. You do everything right the majority of the time so that, on occasion, you can indulge in something indulgent.
” The more nutrient dense your food intake, the more satiated you are AND the more nourished you are. “
I am fairly confident that everyone knows that in order to lose weight, you have to eat healthy. The more nutrient dense your food intake, the more satiated you are AND the more nourished you are. That means eating whole foods and eliminating processed and ultra-processed foods (I am looking at you protein powders!).
I am going to go against conventional wisdom here (which I believe is actually an advertising campaign) and teach you that eating 3 meals a day and forgoing snacks is another great tool for weight management. It just is not true that we require 5-6 small meals a day to maintain our metabolism. 3 meals will do just fine and those snacks add a lot of added calories.
And now, something you might not know is that two major impediments to weight loss are inflammation and blood sugar dysregulation.
Inflammation can be caused by a myriad of things including stressors like irregular sleep, not moving your body enough, an over-packed life, and poor diet. Sustainable weight loss requires that you get inflammation under control. This means stress management is key to lowering inflammation.
Surprisingly, one of the simplest foods you can remove are industrial seed oils (canola, peanut, corn, soybean, safflower, etc.). These oils are very unstable which makes them highly susceptible to oxidation. This means these oils, when ingested, cause inflammation in the body while trying to quench free radicals. Simply eliminating these oils and replacing them with high quality coconut, olive and avocado oils is a great tactic to help with your weight loss.
Blood sugar regulation is the other most important factor when it comes to weight loss. The real issue comes from eating foods that are both high in sugar and lacking in nutrient density, eating sugar too often, and from feeding too often in general. The body has to deal with all this sugar, and when your blood sugar is too high, the only thing you can do is store that sugar as fat.
While a lower carbohydrate diet can be helpful for some people, there are many helpful tools to stabilize your blood sugar. Once again, a healthy, whole foods diet is important here, as is eating less often (3 meals a day is enough). A light walk after meals, weight lifting, and moving throughout your day also help lower blood sugar levels. Fiber, along with herbs like berberine and cinnamon help to slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. Getting control of your blood sugar is essential for long-lasting weight loss.
There are, of course, some other very important factors to consider in weight loss such as thyroid function and hormones. However, decreasing inflammation and regulating blood sugar are two things that you can do on your own, in addition to a healthy diet and exercise, that will give your weight loss a huge boost.
If you need more help, give me a call at 970-328-5678! We will work together on a personalized plan to get you on a path to lifelong success.
Learn more about the right gut bugs for permanant weight loss here. Another great article to reference regarding weight loss is our article on being overweight or obese is the greatest health rish factor.
I hope we all get through this school year with minimal infections and no serious illnesses. Let’s do our best!
