The biggest health concern coming into clinic at this time of the year is WEIGHT LOSS, so let’s look at this and for time’s sake, I have to limit all the different things I would love to say on this!
We are more than a number on a scale.
In clinic one of the biggest health concerns that get’s raised is around weight. Most clients want to lose weight, but there are few that would really like to gain weight. I promise you, believe it not when you can’t gain weight, it feels almost as impossible as when you can’t lose weight.
From looking at the completed online quizzes, what I am seeing is a number of people who have lost weight while being on a diet, then gain it again. When speaking to corporate clients this is also something that comes up; the question is often: “Why did I lose weight while I was on a diet and now, no matter how hard I try, I can’t shift weight?”
Well a couple of things! First, if you do any sort of calorie restriction you will initially lose some weight. What is often happening with calorie restriction is (yes, the obvious) you are eating less than you normally would, so it makes sense you would shift some weight. You are generally also getting yourself hydrated (hence why this is part of the meal reset plan on the 3 Steps to find your Power foods course.) The reason you lose weight when you get hydrated perfectly for your body, and we teach you the perfect individual formula for your body in this course, is you are losing water retention. Picture a cactus, right; when your body thinks you are not going to feed it water, what does it do? Well, it holds onto water of course. Also remember we are often not hungry but thirsty, so how often are you reaching for food when your body is really craving water?
Then the next reason you often lose weight when you are on a specific diet, whether it’s Weight Watchers to the ketogenic diet (an amazing therapeutic diet), is because you are often eliminating whole groups of food that cause most people inflammation. How many people eliminate gluten when they are on the ketogenic diet, or are so encouraged to eat more veggies and fruit on Weight Watchers that they don’t have the calories left over for toast in the morning? What we see in clinic often is that gluten, dairy, eggs, sugar, and nightshades are major causes of inflammation so what a lot of people are actually experiencing in their bodies is weight loss, but also the fact that inflammation weighs more than calories.
So, if you can drop inflammation you will also see your body weight in kgs decrease on the scales. It can often be very frustrating for you though if you have made lots of different food changes and, like many clients we see in clinic, you can’t track what foods were causing you inflammation. You often find once you add back in those foods after the “diet”, your weight goes back on again and you are back to square one. I really encourage you to work out what foods are causing you inflammation; use the number on the scales as a way to getting motivated to find out what is driving your health. Use it as a measure of wellness, not just weight loss or gain. When nothing is causing you inflammation you will be at the perfect weight for your body.
Side note: lots of you are probably scared to come into clinic in case we ask you to give up certain foods. The reality is we actually want you to keep in as much food as possible because, guess what? That’s where you get your good nutrients from! We don’t want you taking a pill for something you can get from nature. There is a time and a place for supplements when required.
The reality is we don’t want you removing foods that aren’t causing you inflammation. So don’t waste your time or energy removing food groups that are actually good for you. Remember, “good for you” is an individual thing. We want to teach you how to work out what your Power Foods are either online or in clinic. It’s so easy with just three steps, and if you are feeling overwhelmed, let’s get you on our winning meal plan!! You can then learn how to individualize your own diet for your body. When you learn how to eat right for your body it’s so much better than any diet! It’s empowering and it can be easy.
Remember, stress = inflammation!! Those two words can be used interchangable. When your body is stressed, you will be inflamed, which means you will not lose weight or even gain weight.
So we need to work out what the internal stressors on your body are. Is it:
- Diet
- Emotional eating
- Work/life stress
- lack of digestive function
- Any symptoms
- Eczema, acne
- Hormonal imbalances
- Lack of sleep
- Leaky gut
- Damaged gut bacteria
- Environmental toxins
- Trapped emotions in your body. (So often do we see this in clinic, when I have clients hold areas that represent areas of body weight that won’t shift and emotional health comes up!!)
Take this quiz today to find out if you have a symptom related to the food you are eating. Remember, if you do, then this is a hidden cause of inflammation in your body. And remember:
Inflammation = Stress = which equal, not your ideal body weight.
Whatever it is for you, we need to get to the bottom of it, heal it and move on so you can live the life you want to with the number on the scale that is right for your body.
Are you ready??!!
Just quietly remember the number on the scale isn’t a measure of your self worth, it’s a measure of your health!! What are you moving towards: better health or sickness? What is driving you today?
Shelley
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