10 Simple Steps to Reach Your Weight Loss Goals
Recently I decided to make some changes to my diet to help with a tooth problem and I got an unexpected surprise: WEIGHT LOSS! I'm not very overweight, I only had about 13 pounds to lose to get to my ideal weight. So far I've lost about 7 pounds and about 2 inches off the waist. Everyone notices the difference. I can fit into my old clothes! I wanted to share the tips I've learned recently and other tips I follow all the time to maintain my weight.
1) Avoid Refined and Processed Foods
This is something I've been doing since I started eating healthy about 7 years ago. I completely avoid highly refined and processed foods like white flour, white pasta, white rice, and white sugar which have been stripped of their fiber and nutrients.
Why should you avoid refined foods?
Refined foods that are low in fiber and nutrients cause blood sugar highs when consumed. What most people are not aware of is that controlling blood sugar levels is critical for weight loss. Refined foods flood the blood stream with glucose, causing insulin surges. Too much insulin secretion promotes fat storage in the body. As our insulin levels continue to soar, more and more fat is stored and a vicous cycle is created.
Most Whole Wheat Breads Are A Scam
Don't be fooled by "whole wheat" breads. Store bought whole wheat breads and flour are often just white flour with some bran throw in for color. They do not contain the wheat germ - the most nutritious part of the bread. Brown sugar made from sugar beets or sugar cane is also toxic and should be strictly avoided.)
2) Eat (Joseph's Organic Bakery) Bread
You may be wondering how you can possibly eat bread and lose weight at the same time. The truth is that it's possible. I am doing it!
To heal my tooth I had to cut out brown rice which I used to eat almost every day. Brown rice is full of arsenic and PYHTIC ACID. Phytic acid erodes the teeth. I had noticed that brown rice was causing me some trouble with my hair, but when I completely removed it from my diet, I noticed that it was the culprit behind bloating and swelling (inflammation) around the waist.
The only bread I am eating right now is Kamut bread from Joseph's Organic Bakery. Their bread is made from ancient grains and is also stone ground. Stone Ground bread maintains and even reduces Blood Sugar Levels because it is high in natural fiber and nutrients. Additionally, the large particle size of the flour prevents blood sugar surges. Maintaining healthy blood suger levels is critical for weight loss. Ancient grains like kamut are the only healthy grains to eat as modern wheat is has been tampered with so much that it has become quite toxic.
According the Talmud eating bread sprinkled with salt in the morning has 83 physical and spiritual benefits. I eat about 2 slices of bread sprinkled with sea salt or umeboshi for breakfast. Eating breakfast speeds metabolism. I also eat bread with a big alad and cooked veggies for lunch.
3) Avoid Coffee, Black Tea, and Hot Drinks
While we all love coffee and tea, caffeine had some serious drawbacks. Coffee stresses out the liver and adrenal glands. This stress can promote inflammation and weight gain in the body. Additionally if you have mercury fillings like I do (I got them in my teens), when you drink hot drinks you are virtually flooding your body with mercury vapor. If you're trying to lose weight but are hitting a brick wall, try nixing your morning cup of coffee.
I haven't had coffee or black tea in 2 months. To get my energy boost I drink choemisu every day. I love it, (read more about chomeisu below) I also drink an amazing weight loss herbal tea or Japanese mushroom tea, I just wait for my drink of choice to cool down before I drink it.
I went off coffee cold turkey, and I've found that the typical swelling that would come and go around my waist throughout the day is totally gone. If you find that its too hard to cut out caffeine completely at first, another good option is to consume a blend of coffee and medicinal mushrooms. The mushrooms mitigate the negative affects of the coffee.
4) No late Night Dinners
Eating late slows metabolism and prevents proper detoxification. Eating meals after 8 pm disrupts the body's rhythm. If you find that you can't handle going the night without food, opt for a light salad or veggie soup. Avoid grains, meat, fish, legumes and sweets late at night. Since I stopped eating late meals, I've noticed I wake up feeling lighter and looking slimmer in the morning. My digestion has also improved.
5) Chomeisu
This is one of my favorite weight loss herbs. Chomeiso is a ancient Japanese herb that supports healthy blood sugar levels and promotes detoxification and weight loss. Chomeiso's anti-obesity effects can be attributed to the fact that it contains a compound called pteryxin. Pteryxin is a natural slimming agent known to reduce the adipocytes, otherwise known as fat cells. Personally I take chomeisu daily. I add a packet to a 1/2 cup of water. I especially love chomeisu because it gives me a natural energy boost.
6) Bitter Melon
Bitter melon is linked to lowering the body's blood sugar. This is because the bitter melon has properties that act like insulin, which helps bring glucose into the cells for energy. The fruit contains at least three active substances with anti-diabetic properties, including charantin, which has been confirmed to have a blood glucose-lowering effect, vicine and an insulin-like compound known as polypeptide-p.
Bitter Melon helps control blood sugar levels which helps with weight loss. It is believed that drinking bitter melon juice or tea can actually help you burn belly fat and lose weight quickly. In fact, a 2010 study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggested that extracts from bitter melon hampered the formation and growth of new fat cells. The study concluded that bitter melon can be an effective natural treatment for obesity.
7) Chaga Mushroom
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a type of fungus. It mainly grows on birch trees in cold places like Siberia. Chaga mushrooms grow wild in places like Siberia. It has been used for centuries due to its medicinal properties. Chaga also helps control weight loss.
It has been said that Chaga mushroom contains a strong appetite suppressant that can stop your cravings for food making weight loss much easier.
Chaga has also been shown to help regulate hormones such as cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that can cause fluctuations in weight and weight gain. Regulating cortisol levels can help maintain a consistent and desireable body weight.
(If you are taking blood thinning medications such as aspirin or warfarin or have a bleeding disorder consult your doctor before taking chaga.)
8) Load up On Green Vegetables
Veggies are filling and best of all are jam packed with nutrients. At the top of the list are kale, swiss chard, spinach, romaine lettuce, broccoli string beans, asparagus and green peas. These green veggies have the highest nutrient levels. Then comes beets, carrots, red and green peppers, mushrooms, cauliflower. Eat as many green vegetables as possible, both raw and cooked. When you're first starting out, you will notice that the fiber in veggies will relieve constipation. If your stool gets too loose, however, lower the amounts of the raw veggies and opt for cooked veggies instead. If it's still too loose then just incorporate veggies slowly until you reach a comfort zone.
Although many western doctors recommend avoiding fruit if you have blood sugar issues, many holistic doctors do not agree. Fruits are filling and nutritious especially berries. Load up on blueberries, raspberries, cherries grapes, pineapple, apples, bananas. Make sure your berries are organic as non-organic berries and grapes are heavily sprayed with pesticides.
Its important to consume both cooked and raw veggies. Veggie soup is filling and comforting especially for dinner.
9) Identify allergens
Foods that we are allergic to may cause inflammation and swelling in the body. This will hamper our weight loss effort. Many people are allergic to dairy. Most Dairy products (including organic dairy) are pasteurized. Pasteurization destroys the healthy bacteria in the milk and allows the growth of pathogenic microbes. When we consume dairy we flood our bodies with toxins. The result? Inflammation and water retention. Many people with swollen stomachs and thunder thighs are actually carrying around loads of water weight, the result of inflammation.
The only exception to this rule are Organic Kefir, Yellow Butter from grass fad cows, and maybe raw goats milk if you can find it within a day or 2 of milking.
Trans fats also cause inflammation. I only cook with organic olive oil or extra virgin coconut oil. I avoid all vegetable oils because they usually contain trans fats even if the label claims otherwise. (Food companies can claim 0 trans fats if the food contains less than .5 grams per serving.)
To minimize allergies and replenish your gut flora add digestive enzymes and probiotics to your diet. The best digestive enzymes can be found here.
10) Detox
When our bodies are flooded with toxins and heavy metals, the liver runs out of space to store them. The best solution? Fat cells. Fat cells store toxins and keep them away from vital organs so they cant damage us. As a self defense mechanism, our bodies will hold on to these fat cells if we don't find a different way to detox. This is why detoxification is vital for weight loss.
We have to avoid foods that contain heavy metals and pesticides. Many pharmaceutical drugs also contain toxins that overload our livers. For this reason I haven't taken any meds in years. Many people on antidepressants gain a ton of weight. Anything that puts stress on the liver, can potentially create major problems when it comes to weight loss.
How to Detox:
a) Drink proper water. Water cleanses our bodies. Springs that are naturally high in Sodium Bicarbonate and magnesium help to cleanse and alkalize the body. These waters also remove kidney stones. Natural springs waters high in these minerals have been used for centuries for their cleansing properties. Russian waters high in bicarbonate and magnesium are available at Joseph's Organic Bakery.
b) Exercise: Our bodies release toxins through sweat. The sweating process gently and safely helps eliminate all heavy metals and toxic chemicals. Medical studies demonstrate that most toxins can be eliminated through the skin, relieving the burden on the kidneys and liver. I walk a lot every day. I walk to stores even if its inconvenient and time consuming.
c,) For deep cleanse: Calcium Bentonite Clay baths. Clay binds toxins and removes them from the body. To read more about clay baths click here.
