Hello, my friends! I am super excited for this week’s post because I am going to address the topic most people are concerned about: WEIGHT LOSS! As a nation, we have become obsessed with weight loss, but, ironically, we turn to all of the wrong places for the answers. In this short blog post, I want to de-bunk three practices that can cause more harm than good when it comes to losing weight.
1-Stop Counting Calories!
I will be the first to admit that when I coach a client, I DO have them track their calories, and I do put them into a calorie range. I do this because most beginning clients have not tracked their food or their calories, and I, as a coach, need to see their eating patterns to determine if they are getting enough calories. In addition, many of them have been on numerous fad diets that have compromised their metabolic rates. These same people have a hard time getting enough calories to boost their metabolism, which is a prerequisite for maintaining a healthy body weight.
After you know your caloric needs and have restarted your metabolism through adequate caloric intake, you no longer need to worry about counting calories! In this physiological state, your body carries with it a built-in appetite control center that will literally regulate your hunger/eating cycles! Many have coined this as “intuitive eating” and have learned to listen to their body. They know when they are hungry, what to eat, and they also know when to call it quits! You, too, should listen to your body, and allow it to do the talking!
2-Eat Metabolically Appropriate!
Let me ask you a question: What do you think the majority of an Inuit’s diet consists of? The answer is up to 90% red meat! Yet, they are not afraid of cancer or many other diseases, and for good reason! These people have a metabolism that is literally built to eat these kinds of foods and, when they do, they thrive. The same can be said of the Bushmen who only eat figs, nuts, plants, and fruits! It is also why lions eat flesh, and gazelles eat grass.
We, human beings, all have a unique genetic make-up that pre-determines what ratio of carbs, protein, and fat that we consume. One may prefer more protein-rich foods, such as meats, nuts, and oils, while another may prefer more carbohydrate rich foods, like fruits, grains, veggies, and starches. Neither is right nor wrong, CONTRARY to conventional wisdom. I have coached many clients who have faced weight platues for years; however, once they begin eating foods that are appropriate for their metabolic rate, they magically begin to lose weight again!
The best resource for learning more about this is a book by William Wollcott called Metabolic Typing. If you are serious about eating specific for your metabolic needs, I would highly encourage you to read this book.
3-Stop Worrying About Your Weight!
This is truly one of the biggest problems and paradoxes that we face. When we constantly worry about weight loss, we stress, and when we stress, we release stress hormones! Your chief stress hormone is called cortisol. Cortisol is released by your adrenal glands, and it helps trigger the “fight or flight” response. On the front end, cortisol helps to liberate more energy in your body by helping release more blood sugar from your liver. This may sound like a good thing until you consider that often times you do not use all of the blood sugar that was released by your liver.
This blood sugar has to go somewhere, so it is then stored away, via insulin, into places that you probably would prefer it not be stored! If you can approach weight loss with the perspective of HEALTH, then you will naturally choose foods conducive to good health and vitality. So, do yourself a favor, and stop worrying. Your body knows what to do with the right kinds of foods.
Well, there you have it, my friends! Please promise me that you will disavow yourself from calorie counting and worrying about your foods! When you eat whole foods that are correct for your metabolic type, your body does what it does best. It provides you with health and allows you to lose weight in the process. Enjoy, my friends, and remember . . . Life is Good!