My goal in writing this article is to provide practical information to help you safely lose weight and maintain it.  To provide hope that achieving your desired healthy weight is definitely obtainable

It would appear that there is a simple weight loss equation:  consume less calories than you burn in a day = loss of pounds.  As many of you know, especially the older you get, it isn’t always that simple!  There are a variety of factors that affect weight loss.

Roadblocks on the Journey to Weight Loss

Toxins

Toxins are stored in our fat cells.  After years of toxic storage, a person becomes increasingly resistant to weight loss.   Fortunately, you can reverse the effects of chemical overload, as I have discussed in my article ‘Solutions to Your Body’s Pollution.’

Toxins also affect our nutrient absorption.  When we overeat, we are often looking for nutrients and we interpret that as hunger.  When we remove toxins from out body, it is better able to absorb nutrients during digestion and we are much less likely to overeat.

Vitamin D3

Research has proven that Vitamin D is among the most essential nutrients for good health.  The results of a study published in the March 2010 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found an astonishing 59% of study subjects had too little Vitamin D in their blood and nearly a quarter of the group had serious deficiencies (less than 20 ng/ml).   Insufficient levels of Vitamin D are linked to increased body fat, decreased muscle strength and a number of other health issues.

For those reasons, we added Vitamin D3 to our family’s vitamin regime. Not only are we seeing improvement in our overall health and avoidance of virus, cold and flu (please see my article ‘How to Safely Prevent Viruses, Colds and Flu’s‘), but I believe it is playing a role in maintaining a healthy weight. 

To learn more about Vitamin D,  ‘How Much Vitamin D Do You Really Need to Take’ is a good resource from Dr. Mercola.  Dr. Joseph Mercola is an osteopathic physician who is also board-certified in family medicine and trained in both traditional and natural medicine.   

“John Phillips, Health, Diet and Nutrition Researcher and author,  states in ‘Vitamin D Shown Critical to Weight Loss Efforts‘, “You can help your body burn abdominal fat and lose weight naturally by regulating your Vitamin D intake”.

Enzymes

Many people today eat mostly processed foods that are cooked.  Cooked foods have NO live, viable enzyme activity.   Stress depletes enzymes and as we grow older, our bodies make less.  

Enzymes are essential to the digestive and nutritional processes in the body.  The source of enzymes is FRESH, unprocessed food; fresh vegetables, grasses (barley grass), nuts, berries, grains and fruits are examples.  The enzymes in these foods aid in digestion and convert them into fuel for the body – as long as these foods are fresh and not cooked!

To increase enzyme activity:

1. Eat more raw food.
2. Eat less food in general.
3. Supplement with nutritional plant enzymes.
4. Do not eat the same foods excessively everyday.

Weightloss Essentials

 1.  Drink plenty of good, pure water.  Avoid sweetened soft drinks and fruit juices.

 2.  Get consistent quantity and quality of sleep.  Sleep has substantial effects in our ability to lose weight.  Scientists believe lack of sleep could disrupt the hormones that regulate glucose, metabolism rate, as well as appetite. In addition, people who sleep less often feel tired which naturally leads to eating more and exercising less, which affects our mood and stress level.  Chronic stress, or poorly managed stress, can lead to elevated cortisol levels that stimulate your appetite, with the end result being weight gain or difficulty losing unwanted pounds.  I find when I get 8 hours of sleep, I am on top of my game:  better mood, energy to exercise, and better able to focus and handle my stress. 

David Rapoport, MD, associate professor and director of the Sleep Medicine Program at the New York University School of Medicine in New York City says, “One of the more interesting ideas that has been smoldering and is now gaining momentum is the appreciation of the fact that sleep and sleep disruption do remarkable things to the body — including possibly influencing our weight.”

3.   Healthy Eating

     a.  Keep track of everything that you eat or drink. It is easy to underestimate the caloric value of the food you eat.

     b.  Adopt a whole food diet including plenty of fresh vegetables (uncooked to preserve the essential nutrients and enzymes), nuts, seeds and good fats.  Eat the right foods for your nutritional type and consume a good portion of your food raw.  I particularly like Dr. Mercola’s views regarding an eating plan: eating according to your nutritional type.  He states, “You and I process foods and utilize nutrients differently. Therefore, when you adopt a diet based on your specific ‘nutritional type,’ you will resolve most health disorders and achieve optimum health.”    

   c.  Avoid processed and prepared foods.  Cut out all corn syrup from your food supply.  Carefully read every nutrition label for the presence of corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and corn sugar.  High fructose corn syrup is one of the worst things you can put into your body.  The majority of it is made from genetically modified food and contains mercury.   It has been linked to diabetes, an increase in triglyceride levels and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, obesity and metabolic syndrome.

All sweeteners are not created equal when it comes to weight gain, according to a Princeton University research team.  Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when they consumed the same amount of calories.   

“These rats aren’t just getting fat; they’re demonstrating characteristics of obesity, including substantial increases in abdominal fat and circulating triglycerides,” said Princeton graduate student Mirian Bocarsly.  “In humans, these same characteristics are known risk factors for high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, cancer and diabetes.”  This sheds light on the factors contributing to the obesity trends in the United States.

4. Exercise.  Increase your activity level to burn optimum calories.

For more info on healthy living, please sign up for my “6 Solutions for a Healthy Body”.

In conclusion:

Whether you are losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight, it’s crucial that you make the commitment to a lifestyle change.  It is a process, NOT an overnight solution.  With the proper combination of exercise, healthy nutrition, sleep, and pure water you will be on your way to maintaining a healthy weight and overall healthy lifestyle.

I hope this material has given you hope that achieving your desired healthy weight is definitely obtainable.  I will be happy to answer any questions and come alongside and coach you during this process.