How to Lose Weight
Starting your weight loss journey is both exciting and daunting. I help clients start their weight loss journey by talking about their health goals, vision, and current lifestyle. Together, we will collaborate on a step-by-step plan that will map out your unique path to optimize your overall wellness. We will peruse what dietary theories you’ve tried in the past, such as the low-carb diet, the keto diet, or even a plant-based diet, your current sleep habits, exercise level, and stress management. Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, traveling weekly for work, or looking to optimize your overall health and wellness, I will introduce you to new ways of healthy eating based on your basal metabolic rate, body composition, and lifestyle factors. There is no one size fits all diet or way of eating for everyone.
How To Lose Weight: Healthily and Safely
Step one is to create a new positive mindset and define what your health goals are. Surrounding yourself with positive people with like-minded goals is key to maintaining your positive mindset. Hiring a health coach, joining a local walking group, or asking a friend to join you in a buddy system are all ways to stay on track and focused on achieving your health goals. Incorporating journal writing, deep breathing, and meditation, and taking fresh air walks daily have been shown to make the mitochondria in your cells happy.
Learn to love exercise and movement daily. We know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends exercising 150 minutes each week, which could look like 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week for adults. Dividing up your daily exercise routine including cardio exercise, strength training, and balance is crucial for maintaining a level of health that will help you ward off metabolic diseases. Pick activities that you enjoy, such as walking, biking, playing tennis, shooting hoops, or yoga. Keep in mind that weight and resistance training multiple times per week is the most beneficial form of exercise for body composition goals. Daily exercise and mental health (anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue) are directly correlated with each other. Living a sedentary life also brings with it multiple health risks like sarcopenia (muscle wasting), obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease - that’s the beginning of metabolic dysfunction.
Hiring a health coach to help you achieve your health goals is a great idea to start your weight loss journey. A health coach will help you stay motivated, hold you accountable, and be your daily cheerleader while you move forward on your weight loss journey. There may be bumps in the road and a health coach will help you get back on track using mindfulness and coaching strategies. Health coaches use coaching strategies, such as Motivational Interviewing and Positive Psychology, and understand the stages of change that you will go through to achieve your health goals.
Whole food-based nutrition is necessary to lose weight. Most people are eating a SAD (Standard American Diet), eating too many processed foods, sugars, and carbohydrates. With so many dietary theories being marketed to the public, it’s no wonder that people remain confused, and frustrated and do not see their weight loss goals reached. Your microbiome and brain talk to each other all day long via the vagus nerve, sending positive or negative messages to our cells. Your gut may become inflamed by eating pro-inflammatory foods, such as gluten, dairy, and sugar, which create inflammation in your brain, such as brain fog, fatigue, and migraines. Your brain then sends a message back to the gut to go hunt for more unhealthy food. It’s a vicious cycle. Figuring out which foods work for your unique body composition and biochemistry is crucial to reaching your health goals. Ditching processed foods is a great starting point.
Intermittent fasting can be a helpful tool in one’s weight loss journey. An easy way to start is to stop eating after dinner until your first meal on the following day. Start with 10-12 hours overnight, 1-2 days per week.
Optimizing your daily protein intake is essential to fat loss goals. Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, keeping you fuller for longer. When you are on a fat loss journey, you must support your lean muscle mass and bone health, especially in midlife. Eating optimal amounts of protein at each meal helps to maintain, protect, and build muscle mass. How much protein should you eat? Check out this blog shedding light on the latest research.
My 3 favorite ingredients to use on a weight loss journey:
Healthy animal proteins. Increasing your protein will keep you satisfied and nourished for hours, curb your sugar cravings, and build muscle tissue. I have easy, meat-based recipes that you will love.
Healthy fats. Choose lean cuts of protein and add healthy fats to round out your satiety equation. Healthy fats include nuts and seeds, avocado, olives, olive oil, ghee, grass-fed butter, and avocado mayo, for example.
Electrolytes. While you are losing fat, changing your eating habits, and increasing your daily movement, it’s crucial to maintain a healthy electrolyte balance in your body. Low-carb diets especially need more electrolyte support because your body will let go of holding onto water and you may feel dehydration symptoms during the transition to a low-carb way of eating. Migraines, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, and constipation are all signs that you may need more electrolytes. Electrolytes are certain minerals we obtain from food and drinks and include calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and chloride. Read this blog on electrolytes.
My top three go-to’s for eating your electrolytes:
Grass-fed beef. For recipe inspiration, check out my protein options here.
Sardines with the bones
Dark leafy greens, cooked to minimize anti-nutrients
This blog is not to be used as medical advice or for making any lifestyle changes to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.