Losing weight can be challenging. There are many factors that need to be considered when trying to understand the cause of your weight gain, or your inability to lose it. The best weight loss programs are ones that are personalized to your needs, goals, state of health, and ones that yield gradual weight loss (1-2 lbs per week). Contact me if you want to chat about creating a personalized weight loss program, but in the meantime these tips will help you get started and move you in the right direction!
1. Eat protein with every meal, especially breakfast.
Protein slows down the absorption of carbs and therefore it helps regulate blood sugar levels and decrease insulin production. Insulin is the ONLY hormone that tells your body to store energy as fat.
How much protein is right for me?
Sedentary lifestyle: 0.8g/Kg body weight
Moderate aerobic exercise: 1.2g/Kg body weight
Intense aerobic exercise or if you are overweight, pregnant, recovering from an illness, or under chronic stress: 1.5g/Kg body weight
Weight training: 1.5-2g/Kg body weight
Sources of protein include: . steak (35g), chicken breast (24g), fish (20g), egg (7g), ½ cup cooked beans (8g), 1 cup 1% fat milk (8g), 1oz almonds (6g). You can also supplement with protein powder.
2. Don’t Deprive, Substitute!
Deprivation is not a good long-term strategy and is not a sustainable one. Instead, try to find creative way to substitute some of your existing food choice for similar but healthier options.
3. Don’t Drink Your Calories!
People don’t often think of drinks and beverages as a high source of calories and sugars but they should not be underestimated. For example at 12 ounce soda has 9 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR! A medium iced-cap has 11! No one would ever consume such a quantity of sugar in one sitting, yet we do it when we consume such beverages.
Rule of thumb: when reading food labels remember that 4g of sugar = 1 tsp. Think how many you are putting in your tea or coffee versus the pop/juice/iced capps you drink!
4. Frequent detox.
Supporting your body’s natural detoxification processes and organs (liver, kidneys and gut) will help you properly eliminate toxins, decrease bloating, maintain a healthy weight, and even help with skin breakouts, PMS, allergies, and any autoimmune conditions. Simple ways to detox regularly include drinking warm lemon water on waking, juicing vegetables, doing contrast showers (alternating heat or cold in a 3:1 ratio), saunas, exercise and plenty of water!
Note that there are many ways to detoxify and a detox program should be personalized to what it is that your are trying to eliminate (i.e heavy metals, excess hormones, food sensitivities, etc) and should also be medically supervised. There are many detox supplements out there that can be effective, however be cautious when self prescribing (especially if you are on any medications) and careful not to overdo it either. For instance, consuming laxatives on regular basis for the purpose of losing weight can cause more harm than good in the long-run.
5. Exercise, but not too much!
Strenuous, long, and frequent exercise sessions can actually be harmful. Exercise is a form of stress on the body and if you over-do it, it can do more harm than good and simply unnecessary.
Instead, aim for interval training where you are consistently changing up the speed but exercise for a shorter time span. For example: for cardio do 5 min warm ups-> then alternate 2 min max speed, 2 min brisk walking (for 20 min)-> 5 min cool down. With strength training, opt for 3 sets of fewer reps but greater weights.
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