6 Tips for Weight Loss -
Normalize Blood Sugar Levels
and Raise Metabolism
Nancy Hearn, CNC

Our top tips for weight loss are designed to provide a foundation for normalizing blood sugar levels, increasing metabolism and restoring hormonal balance.

Healthy weight loss is a complex issue. There are no magic pills or quick-fix weight loss programs that will bring lasting results.

Neither is there a specific diet or exercise routine that will work for everyone.

In spite of what we have been told for many years, losing weight is not just a matter of eating less and exercising more!  

The Calorie Restriction Myth

For example, my client Sandy [not her real name], a woman in her forties, was conscientious about restricting calories and exercised an hour a day.

Yet for the previous few years she consistently gained weight no matter how little she ate or how much she exercised. To make matters worse, not only was she gaining weight but she was losing muscle mass.

The main problem with Sandy’s approach (which is fairly common with many people who have tried numerous fad diets) is that in an attempt to lose weight, she was starving her body of essential nutrients. 

Thus, her body flipped into survival mode, significantly slowing down her metabolism, throwing off her hormone balance, and causing her to feel tired most of the time and unable to sleep.

In addition, increasing the duration and intensity of her exercise was actually causing her to burn muscle rather than fat. 

Fortunately, when I met Sandy she was open to a new way of thinking and was willing to try a different approach. We were able to work together to develop a food and exercise plan that fit her food preferences and metabolic type, as well as her lifestyle.

Normalize Blood Sugar Levels

The nutrition emphasis in her case was to make sure she was getting all the essential nutrients her body needed.

In addition, she was willing to minimize her intake of all forms of sugar and starchy carbohydrates for 6 weeks in order to normalize blood sugar levels and raise her metabolism.  

We also reduced her exercise to a more moderate level—a range of intensity and duration in which her body would burn fat rather than muscle.

It was definitely a paradigm shift for her to start eating healthy plant-based fats and not to count calories. But she did so—and magically the inches started to drop off. And she was never hungry!

Within a few weeks, people she saw on a regular basis started noticing that she was getting thinner. Yes, she was losing weight, but more importantly she was losing fat, not muscle. In addition, she was sleeping better and regained energy and a healthy appetite.  

Weight loss is more about ensuring that your body gets essential nutrients (from real food) at the cellular level to restore homeostasis (or balance).

This also involves ensuring the body is able to effectively remove toxins through proper digestion, elimination, and respiration.

6 Tips for Weight Loss

1. Stay hydrated. Although we usually take it for granted, water may be the only “magic potion” for permanent weight loss. Water helps the body metabolize stored fat and suppresses the appetite naturally. Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of clean, filtered water daily.
2. Eat whole, fresh foods. Choose foods that are nutrient dense and avoid fast foods, fried foods, and all processed foods as much as possible. Also avoid foods that are high in sugar, sodium, and trans fats (read labels). The simple tip to remember is this:  “If it is not real food, do not eat it.” 
3. Get moving. Our bodies simply cannot tolerate inactivity. The key is to find a low-impact exercise or physical activity that you enjoy. Start with walking or rebounding on a small trampoline if you are overweight and work with a fitness specialist to develop a program that you will stick with. 
4. Reduce exposure to toxins.  Most of us are exposed to thousands of toxins and endocrine disrupting chemicals on a daily basis. Long-term accumulation of toxins (especially heavy metals) can prevent weight loss and cause many health problems, including hormonal imbalances.  Buy organic food and personal care products whenever possible. Convert your home to non-toxic cleaning products. 
5. Cleanse your body regularly. Chronic constipation and toxicity is a major problem with many overweight people and significantly impacts health and immunity. Seek help from a natural health practitioner to resolve any digestion and/or elimination problems. Pursue natural ways to help your body detoxify through treatments such as saunas, body cleanse products, and colon hydrotherapy.
6. Seek guidance and support. Find a friend or partner who is committed to supporting you in your health goals. If you have specific health issues, work with a nutrition or weight management consultant who can help you transition to a healthier diet and lifestyle.

Expect success! Keep it simple and commit to the process of living a healthier lifestyle. Your body will shed the excess weight naturally.

Reference:

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Obesity - 5 Ways to Reduce Exposure

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