One of the biggest myths about losing weight is the idea that you need to eat less in order to shed pounds. New studies have shown that this is simply not the case.  As a matter of fact, it’s just the opposite. Let’s take a look at why you need to eat if you want to lose weight.

The Scientific Benefits of Breakfast

People who eat breakfast on a daily basis tend to lose weight easier. The National Weight Control Registry performed a study that showed people who eat breakfast have a better chance of maintaining a 30 pound, or more, weight loss for at least a year. Studies in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed similar results.

Another research group analyzed government data on over 4,000 adults and found those who ate a regular breakfast tended to take in fewer calories during the day and had a lower fat intake. They also noted that regular breakfast eaters were more likely to engage in routine exercise.

Eating breakfast also jump-starts your metabolism, says Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, nutrition manager for the Duke Diet and Fitness Center at Duke University Medical School.  She states; “When you don’t eat breakfast, you’re actually fasting for 15 to 20 hours, so you’re not producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight.” In fact, sumo wrestlers don’t eat until late in the day for the sole purpose of gaining weight.  If you don’t eat breakfast, you are actually following the sumo wrestler diet.  Now, that is a scary thought.

Keep Your Metabolism Going All Day

With the right mechanisms in place, your body will naturally burn fat.  But, what are the right mechanisms’  That’s your job;  to find your body’s balance between energy consumed and energy burned.  Metabolism is the name of the game.  When you eat healthy small meals, starting early in the morning, your metabolism is set in full swing, mobilizing and converting fat stores into energy.

When you eat breakfast along with regular snacks and small meals throughout the day, your body gets the nutrition it needs and goes to work, breaking down your food into energy.  If you wait until you’re starving before you eat anything, that gnawing feeling in your stomach is telling you something. Your body will start by robbing your muscle tissue of anything it needs first, like protein, then it will store fat because it thinks it’s in famine mode. By eating early and often, not only are you protecting the muscle that supports your frame and allows you to walk, sit, and stand, but you are also keeping your metabolism going so it works all day to give you energy.

Simple Weight Loss Tips to Get You Started:

• Eat slowly. It takes twenty minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you are full.  Don’t eat and run.  You’ll be looking for your next meal way before you need it.

• Pick out foods you need to chew. Try apples, whole grain hearty breads, celery, and other raw vegetables. These foods will slow down your eating and satisfy your chewing instinct. Raw nuts are another option. Just be sure to monitor the serving sizes as you snack.

• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of cold water per day. This helps to feel full and as your body works to raise the temperature of the water, you are burning calories.  Keep bottles of water filled in the refrigerator and sip, sip, sip.

• Eating whole fruits are much more satisfying than just drinking the juice. Keep this thought when choosing other fruits and vegetables.  Whole is usually better.

• Have a healthy snack before you start cooking dinner. This will help with overeating while preparing the meal, and after.  Munching on celery is the perfect way to keep you satisfied while cooking. I like to munch on romaine lettuce leaves or carrot sticks.

The less you eat, the more your body protects itself and begins to go into starvation mode, holding on to more food, storing it as fat and robbing your muscles of nutrients. Make sure you eat a good breakfast to start your day right. Then, keep your metabolism working throughout the day with small meals and healthy snacks.

Stop starving yourself so your body can relax and start to lose that weight.  Adding foods instead of subtracting foods’  It’s so crazy it might just work.

6 medium size crisp tart apples

6 dates

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

juice of one lemon

1 Tbsp light olive oil

pinch salt

romaine lettuce leaves

Wash and core the apples, then slice each apple into 12 wedges and put into large glass bowl.

Pit the dates and chop into small pieces, then add to bowl with apples.

Toast the walnuts in a dry (no oil) skillet over medium heat until just fragrant, then add to bowl.

In separate bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt, then immediately drizzle over salad in bowl.

Cover bowl lightly with waxed paper or parchment paper and put in refrigerator to chill for 10 to 20 minutes.

Serve by arranging romaine leaves on chilled salad plates, then spooning apple date mixture over the top.

While we know that exercise can relieve stress, balancing your diet to improve tension and stress is another facet to achieving overall good health.

When our immune system is out of balance, we are more vulnerable to everyday stresses and tension.  However, if our daily diet consists of foods that strengthen the immune system, we are more able to survive the effects of stress and tension we face on a daily basis.

What kind of balanced diet should we engage in’  Remember your mom telling you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day’  She was right.  Without eating a proper breakfast, we tend to stop at a coffee shop and choose a sugary delight.  Instead, why not opt for a bowl of oatmeal and a couple of hard boiled eggs with a glass of water. Substitute caffeine with chamomile tea, which is a wonderful stress reducer.

If you don’t have time to sit down and have a nourishing breakfast, try a protein shake.  Packed with vitamins and nutrients, this is more fulling and contains more nutrients than coffee and toast.

Sugar contributes to stress.  You may notice that a while after eating a sugary snack or a bar of chocolate, you feel wired and then fatigued.  While the sugar may help in the short term, you are just adding wood to the fire in the long run.  Conversely, snacking on protein is much healthier for you and helps to maintain blood sugar levels as well.

Another tip is to stay away from foods that contain fat.  Instead, opt for vegetables, fruits, lean meats, fish, chicken, beans, and leafy green vegetables.  These are not only healthy for you, but contain antioxidants that are beneficial in reducing free radicals in your body.  For example, you can choose turkey burgers which are much leaner than regular beefburgers.

Instead of going out to lunch, you can make lunch at home and bring it to the office.  Cut up some carrots, celery, and add some cottage cheese or tuna in water.  Or, you can make a nutritious salad with pieces of chicken and lemon vinaigrette.  Also, drink plenty of water each day.  This serves to keep you sated and hydrated at the same time.

Balancing your diet to improve tension stress is as important as exercise.  You will not only feel good, but your energy level will be constant and productivity will increase.

One way I like to balance my stress is by using Chinese herbs. I can buy them individually or you can purchase a great product called Ionix Supreme. Since I started using this product, I have slept soundly through the night and waking up before my alarm clock feeling refreshed.

Stress can have profound effects on our mental health.  It can cause us to lose focus, or it can trigger depression or anxiety.  It might affect our memory, and it can have a negative impact on our relationships with others.  But did you know that stress can adversely affect our physical health as well’

The Physiology of Stress

In addition to the changes that stress brings forth in our minds, it causes a number of physiological responses.  Here is how it works:

1. First, we experience the stress alarm reaction.  This is commonly known as the “fight or flight” response.  Hormones and chemicals, including adrenaline and endorphins, flood into the bloodstream, and we experience a sudden burst of energy.  This increases our blood pressure and breathing rate.  Digestion slows down, and blood rushes to our major organs.
2. Once the initial threat has passed, our bodies move into a stage called stress resistance.  The body begins to function somewhat normally again, but it is still on alert.  It begins to repair any tissue that was damaged during the initial stage of stress.
3. The third stage is stress exhaustion.  This occurs when we experience ongoing stress.  This stage is where the most damage is done.  The immune system may be suppressed thanks to an overabundance of certain chemicals, and the cardiovascular system often suffers. Your cortisol levels are increased causing you to hold on to fat and lose sleep. This lack of sleep causes you to potentially eat more.

What Do These Responses Do to Our Bodies’
The end results of too much stress can be detrimental to our health.  The strain it puts on our cardiovascular system can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure or stroke.  We might gain weight due to changes in metabolism or eating habits.  Our immunity might become impaired to the point that we get sick more frequently.  Stress has also been known to be a major factor in the formation of many stomach ulcers.

Stress can also affect our bodies in ways that are less serious but rather bothersome.  It can cause headaches and body aches.  It might lead to skin breakouts.  It can affect our sleep patterns.  It can cause sexual dysfunction.  And it can make us more susceptible to allergy symptoms.

Health problems that we already have are often made worse by stress.  This is especially true for disorders that are connected to the nervous system, such as chronic pain, digestive problems, and bowel disorders.  If these ailments are present, excessive stress can make a bad situation worse.

We all experience stress.  It is a normal, unavoidable part of life.  But too much stress can cause numerous problems for us.  That’s why it is so important for us to learn how to handle stress effectively.  Doing so will reduce its harmful effects on both the mind and the body.

I also want to touch on long term stress. The above I will say is short term stress — for example you work in a high stress environment — like a doctor, nurse, some form of first responder where you are put in a dangerous situation and then you go back to normal. This can also be said for when you are on a deadline. Long term stress is for what I call those who are CONSTANTLY stressed about something.  This stress isn’t followed by any need to pull a baby from under a car or run for your life.  Still it causes physiological reactions in your body. The main reaction is the release of cortisol and adrenaline. When these 2 hormones are used to lift that baby from under the car, they need to be used up some how, so that’s why when you are stressed out you want to eat and you typically crave foods that are comforting — cheesy, creamy, greasy, sugary — OMG must stop I’m have food fantasies.

If you say to me I’m good, I’m not stressed — I ask you to track you hunger in the morning. Do you walk up hungry or not hungry. Not being hungry regularly in the  AM is a sign that you are stressed.  That’s why I always stress for you to eat within 30 min of waking up. This helps to stem the rising cortisol levels.

Are you someone who is a stress ball” I’ve found that once I started meditating and writing down what was on my mind it helped me to release it out of my brain and caused me to relax much more. The one thing I added was I started taking 1 full day off from any form of work. It’s been amazing for my mental health and my marriage.

If you are someone who finds themselves battling stress, I highly recommend the product Ionix Supreme. It really chills me and and gives me clarity. Ionix Supreme is a powerful, nutrient-rich tonic infused with natural vitamins, minerals and extracts from around the world that help support bodily functions, reduce stress, increase energy and protect the body from the effects of free radicals and oxidative stress—a key factor in aging.

Today’s assignment:
When feeling stressed I will do one of the following:

1. Eat within 30 min of waking up
2. Exercise — over exercising is just as stressful — so make sure your workouts don’t exceed 1-1/2 hours
3. Sleep
4. Make sure I’m eating protein with every meal
5. Eat every 2-3 hours
6. Have some unsweetened cocoa or my favorites IsaDelights

Apple cider vinegar has been used in many ways for many years.  It has been an important ingredient in numerous home remedies, and it has frequently been used for weight loss.  This simple, inexpensive substance has seemingly endless uses.  Here are some of them:

• For a cold or the flu, take a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in water several times a day.  This will help balance the body’s pH, making it a less favorable environment for the germs.
• Apple cider vinegar is great for getting rid of dandruff.  Applying it to the scalp and letting it stand for 30 minutes to an hour before washing will kill the fungus that causes dandruff.  It also helps soothe an itchy scalp.
• Diabetics can benefit from taking apple cider vinegar in water once a day.  This has been proven to help lower blood sugar.
• Apple cider vinegar is often used to relieve sinus problems and ear infections.  Depending on your symptoms, you can drink it, add it to a vaporizer, inhale it, or squirt it in your ear with a syringe and let it drain back out.
• Digestive problems and diarrhea can be relieved with an apple cider vinegar tonic.  The vinegar soaks up liquid and forms a protective coating in the intestines, and it activates stomach acid and enzymes.  It may also relieve the symptoms of acid reflux.
• Apple cider vinegar can soothe a sunburn.  You can soak a towel in it at full strength and place it directly on the burn, or you can take a bath in water with one cup of the vinegar added.

* Painful and unsightly varicose veins can benefit from treatment with apple cider vinegar.  Apply it full strength twice a day, and drink two teaspoons in water twice a day.  It may take a month to see results.

* Apple cider vinegar is good for a sore throat.  Gargling with a vinegar and water mixture every hour can help you feel better faster.  But it is important to remember not to swallow the mixture once you’ve gargled with it, because it draws out germs.

* Muscle soreness can be treated with apple cider vinegar.  It can be applied full strength with a small amount of cayenne pepper added, or you can soak in a bath with a few cups of vinegar added.

These are just a few of the myriad ways that we can use apple cider vinegar for health.  Drinking a vinegar tonic each day can improve our health in a number of ways.  We can also apply it topically to rid ourselves of many more aliments.  Stocking up on apple cider vinegar will put the remedy for a variety of problems right at your fingertips.

The amount and quality of sleep you’re not getting may be to blame for stalled weight loss, according to Canadian researchers. Fewer Americans are getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep than previous generations. The lack of restful sleep causes an increase in the release of appetite-stimulating hormones. You may be reaching for quick sugary food to help keep you awake.

Research is also looking at the use of technology before bed — ie your kindles, ipads, iphone, etc.  The artificial light created may disrupt normal sleep patterns.

When attempting to lose weight, look at the quality of your sleep. You may want to consider adopting a regular bedtime schedule and relaxing bed time routine as well as avoiding the use of bright electronic devices in the hour prior to bed. Looking for more sleep solutions‘

Add protein to every meal. Successfully committing to a reduced calorie diet can be difficult when you are bombarded by cravings and hunger pangs. Ravenous hunger will only encourage overeating and weight regain. Research has shown that diets that are higher in quality lean protein causes a feeling of fullness, leading to lower calorie intake. Sustaining weight loss over the long term is challenging but not impossible. A higher protein diet offers numerous metabolic advantages that will not only help a person lose weight, but may also prevent regaining pounds, or worse, surpassing your starting weight. Need some protein ideas’ Shoot me an email and I’ll send you a list of lean protein sources.

I hear from so many about salt intake and worrying that they are taking in too much. Recent studies recommend that you should be sticking to around 2,300 mg a day. You shouldn’t be eating salt without restraint— focus on limiting salty processed or restaurant food. Also reduce use or stop your use of the salt shaker. Be sure to eat plenty of potassium-rich fruits and vegetables to balance sodium in the body—but you also shouldn’t be obsessing about keeping your salt intake super low. Your body needs salt to function.

Over the past few months it seems as through a number of my clients are struggling with hormonal and/or thyroid problems. I’ve found myself doing a ton of research on this just to educate myself and to help my clients find some answers. If anyone has encountered the same, I’d love to hear about it.

Would you know if your thyroid gland slowed its production of thyroid hormone’ The symptoms of decreased thyroid hormone synthesis, known as hypothyroidism, are hard to spot. About 10 million Americans have thyroid disease and many others are undiagnosed, under-diagnosed, or under-treated.  Many times the symptoms—including weakness and fatigue, weight gain, persistent constipation, or thinning hair—are often mistaken as other illnesses or simply the progression of aging.

Our thyroids stores and produces hormones that affect the function of virtually every organ in our bodies. The hormones produced by the thyroid gland, T3 and T4, regulate the body’s metabolism by providing cells with energy they need to function. When your thyroid does not produce enough of these hormones, the balance of chemical reactions in your body can be upset and many times results in a slowed metabolism.

If levels of thyroid hormones are low, you burn fewer calories per day AKA clients will begin to put on weight and have no idea what’s happening even if they have been consistent with their eating and work out programs.  An underactive thyroid makes every calorie count more, sometimes double. It makes losing weight a slower and more challenging and frustrating process.

When helping your client(s) manage thyroid challenges here are 6 tips.

1. Check in with their doctors —  If they are experiencing the symptoms of hypothyroidism, it’s essential to they get proper treatment from your physician or naturopath. Diagnosis through a blood test will determine if what is needed to help normalize your thyroid. Your client may also want to ask to have their c-reactive protein and cortisol levels checked out  It’s important to note that doctors may help your clients normalize hormone levels, but they won’t necessarily cause you to lose weight. Diet and lifestyle changes must still be followed to help shed the pounds (more about this below).
2. Avoid foods that hinder thyroid hormone absorption — When taking thyroid hormones, it’s important to avoid certain foods and nutrients that can interfere with absorption. For example, dietary calcium or iron can inhibit thyroid hormone absorption. For this reason, many doctors recommend taking thyroid medication immediately upon rising and two to three hours apart from consuming calcium- or iron-containing foods. Be sure to do your research as some calcium- and iron-containing foods and supplements may be surprising such as antacids, calcium-fortified orange juice, and multivitamins.It’s also important to avoid foods that can interfere with thyroid function, which are designated as goitrogenic foods. Common goitrogenic foods include non-fermented soy foods, legumes such as lima beans, and raw cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Preparation methods, such as cooking or fermentation, reduce the amount of goitrogens in these foods.
3. Eat balanced meals with quality protein — The greatest contributor to basal metabolic rate (BMR)—the rate that your body burns calories—is muscle tissue. Even when you are at rest (such as sleeping), muscle requires energy to rebuild and restore. For this reason, it’s beneficial to preserve muscle when you’re trying to lose weight. Meals higher in protein compared to other macronutrients (carbohydrates and fats) have shown to help maintain muscle mass resulting in a higher BMR, faster metabolism, and greater energy expenditure (1;2). The thermogenic effect of food aka  the digestion and absorption of protein—requires more calories than both fat and carbohydrate combined (2).
4. Choose calories wisely — When trying to lose weight, every calorie counts. This is even more emphasized when dealing with a sluggish metabolism. It’s important to limit “empty” calories such as sugary drinks, white-flour pastas and breads, and other sources of refined carbohydrates that can quickly spike blood sugar and leave you feeling hungry and fatigued.Instead of refined carbohydrates, choose portion-controlled meals that are higher in dietary fiber to help satisfy your appetite and keep you feeling fuller, longer. In addition to curbing cravings, a high-fiber diet can help avoid hypothyroidism-induced constipation as dietary fiber is an important bulking agent for solidifying and softening stools.
5. Get moving, even if it is only for a short time — The fatigue that often accompanies hypothyroidism can hamper motivation to exercise; however, physical activity—especially resistance training— is a major contributor to metabolic stimulation and muscle growth, which can fuel weight loss. If time and motivation to exercise are challenging for your clients have them give high-intensity interval training (HITT) a try.
6. Make sure you are getting sufficient vitamins and minerals daily — A diet supplying sufficient amounts of minerals such as iodine and selenium is important for thyroid health. Sources of iodine include iodized salt and sea vegetables such as kelp. It may seem like we should be getting enough iodine from a typical salty Western diet; however, many processed foods do not use iodized salt. Sources of selenium include animal products, seafood, dairy, and Brazil nuts.Evidence has been showing that vitamin D is particularly important for those with thyroid problems and other autoimmune disorders. Those with thyroid disease may be at greater risk for low vitamin D levels (4,5). Because of the many roles vitamin D plays in the body—from  bone health to brain health—it’s important to be sure you are getting enough through your diet, supplementation, or by soaking up the sun’s UVB rays. If you choose the latter, be sure to practice safe sun exposure.
7. Get enough quality shut-eye — Getting enough quality sleep is important for anyone attempting to lose weight, it’s especially important for those with hypothyroidism. Too often, people who are sleep-deprived try to increase levels of alertness by eating and those foods tend to be high-calorie options. This cycle of fatigue and self-medicating with unhealthy foods can be disastrous for your clients waist line and health.In addition to feeling tired and making bad food choices, sleep deprivation can decrease insulin sensitivity and essentially cause a metabolic meltdown. On average, adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

References:

1. Soenen S, et al. Normal Protein Intake Is Required for Body Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance, and Elevated Protein Intake for Additional Preservation of Resting Energy Expenditure and Fat Free Mass. J Nutr. 2013 Feb 27. doi: 10.3945/jn.112.167593
2. Westerterp-Plantenga MS, et al. Dietary protein – its role in satiety, energetics, weight loss and health. Br J Nutr. 2012 Aug;108 Suppl 2:S105-12. doi: 10.1017/S0007114512002589.
3. Shiraev T, Barclay G. Evidence based exercise – clinical benefits of high intensity interval training. Aust Fam Physician. 2012 Dec;41(12):960-2.
4. Kivity S, Agmon-Levin N, Zisappl M et al. Vitamin D and autoimmune thyroid diseases. Cell Mol Immunol 2011;[8:24]3-7. doi: 10.1038/cmi.2010.73
5. Bozkurt NC, Karbek B, Ucan B et al. The Association Between Severity of Vitamin D Deficiency and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Endocr Pract 2013;1-14.

Try a new good fat oil Good fat oils helps your metabolism. Plus ti gives you nice skin, hair and nails a nice shine. Good fat oils are yummy. Any oil works except veggie or corn. PS — there is more to life than olive oil and nut butters.

Do 30 min of strength training. Many of you focus on cardio. It’s the strength training that will give you the lean and tone physique that you crave.

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If you have questions, please contact me. I’d love to help you get started.