Alright,  I’m always on the “don’t go on a diet” bandwagon, “diets don’t work”, “studies show that almost 100% of everyone who loses weight on a diet gains it back”, blah blah blah.   I’ve touted eating healthy proteins and fats, tons of vegetables, some fruit/nuts/seeds/dairy, and NO grains or sugar.  I still get asked how to lose weight when there’s no dieting involved. I’ve also been asked about Weight Watchers, the Lean Protein Diet System, and Juice Cleanses/Fasts, as a means to lose weight.

Here’s the answer.  “Dieting” is an Industry.  Last year, between diet foods, diet drinks, diet pills and diet programs, Americans spent billions, and got heavier and sicker.

“Dieting” is a business, and everyone is selling it, from the drug store to the health food store to your doctor.  “Buy this product”,  “Buy this plan”, and you’ll lose weight.   It’s not true, and it never has been.  Again, the studies show this.  But do you need a study to believe that?

Ask yourself, how many times in the past have you lost weight?  I had a woman tell me that Real Whole Food didn’t appeal to her, and she was going to try Weight Watchers – AGAIN – ** because it had worked for her before!!!**  If you lost weight, and couldn’t keep it off, I wouldn’t count that as “worked”.  I would look at that as a “didn’t work”.

Media and Advertising have hypnotized bazillions of people into believing that losing 10 pounds in 10 days or even a month is possible if you use a special product.   Unless you are VERY VERY overweight,  It’s Not.  Not permanently at least.   There are no magic pills, or magic drinks, or magic foods, that will melt off your fat.  While I believe in the power of fasting or cleansing for your liver and organs, I’ve never known ANYONE who lost FAT doing a fast or a cleanse.  Making yourself go to the bathroom a little more due to laxatives DOESN’T PULL ANY FAT OFF YOUR BUTT, THIGHS, OR STOMACH.   Using stimulants doesn’t change your eating habits or pull the fat off either.   No concoction of cayenne, syrup, and lemon will make fat cells spill their contents.

If you need to lose weight and you want to get healthy (because Food is 100% connected to your physical and mental health.)  it’s about your day in day out habits. How to stick to a plan for life?  Two things:

1)  Eat Real Whole Foods.  Get rid of the grains, sugars, and chemicals.  Eat plenty of Fat and Protein and Vegetables – they contain the Nutrients that Build Your Body and Mind.  They Trigger Satiety Hormones. They satisfy your brain chemistry.  They Keep Cortisol Low. They keep your Thyroid humming.   Space your meals out to 3x a day, and hormones will be released that compel Fat Cells to spill their Fatty Acids and Triglycerides, and they’ll be used to fuel your body.  Keep the Carbs low, and Body Fat will be burned.

If you eat Grains and Sugars, then they have to be used for Fuel INSTEAD of body fat.  Excess Glucose/Blood Sugar is DEADLY to the body, and a priority of the body to GET RID OF. Fat, believe it or not, is NOT a priority to get rid of.  God gave us the capacity to STORE TONS OF FAT.   Our body actually turns ALL THE EXCESS CARBOHYDRATE INTO BODY FAT.

Here’s an interesting fact:  Our bodies can store OVER 40,000 calories as Fat, but only about 2,000 calories as Carbohydrate.  Our body doesn’t WANT to store carbs or keep carbs; our body turns excess carbs (more than a few TEAspoons!) into Fat.   Let that soak in and then consider Main Stream Nutritional Advice to eat several serving of Whole Grains and other starchy foods EVERY DAY.  That doesn’t make any sense!

2) Become aware of what processed, refined, sugar/grain/chemical laden foods do to you.  Here’s one:  Starbucks Reduced Fat Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake.  Here’s the scoop on this disaster:  340 calories/slice, 62 grams of Carbohydrate!!  That’s 13 teaspoons of Glucose/Blood Sugar!!  Your body can accommodate 3 or 4 (ish) teaspoons at any one time, a little in the muscles, a little in the liver, a little in the blood – the rest get repackaged into triglycerides and fatty acids – and STORED in the fat cells.   There are a MINIMUM of 65 ingredients ( flavors, colors, scents,  and additives don’t have to list all their ingredients), 15 sources of carbohydrate; hydrogenated fats, soy, food colorings, and more.

Think about this:  It’s called “Reduced Fat”, but do you really think eating food products like this could help you lose any weight at all?  No.  Could this have ONE positive effect on your physical or mental health?  NO.  This junk makes you sick, overweight, and depressed, and ***it stimulates your brain and gut to WANT MORE****,  NO satiety hormones are triggered at all.

Back to “How to Lose weight”?  Practice, think on, meditate on, read about, focus on the connection between every single thing you put in your mouth and your health, your weight, and your mood.  Our body builds itself from the nutrients we feed it.  Quit thinking of food in terms of calories.  Become a Nutrient Seeker.  Space out your meals.  Look at your habits and patterns, do you need to change them?  Email me if you need help establishing meal plans or habits and patterns that lead to good health and optimum weight.  You can get off the Diet Roller Coaster.  You can feel energetic and positive.  You can reverse poor food induced health conditions.  Don’t wait another day.