Weight management mistakes
I have decided to hi
ghlight 4 of the main mistakes people make when they are trying to lose weight. It’s no wonder we get lost in the diet maze and end up taking pathways that lead to nowhere when we are surrounded with SO much hype, conflicting information, and retail pressure. The shelves are lined with “low fat” this and “artificially sweetened” that but do these foods actually help??? And are we forgetting some basic tools essential to successful weight management?
1. Cutting out all fat
Now this one is really big fallacy. Fats are an essential part of every diet even when you are losing weight. What matters most is the type of fat you are eating. The fats we should be eating are the natural saturated and monounsaturated fats in whole foods such as avocados, olives, nuts, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, flax seeds, chia seeds, and fish. Every cell in the body needs fats and they are an essential component for insulin receptivity, metabolic processes and energy production.
Avoid trans fats and polyunsaturates found in processed foods and vegetable oils.
2. Eating diet foods
NO NO NO! Diet foods are usually low fat (not necessarily a good thing) but to make up for it very high in sugar…the artificial type. While the lengthy list of dangers of artificial sweeteners is not possible in this article let me tell you they serve no benefit to you whatsoever. They confuse the body into thinking it is getting sugar and when it doesn’t blood sugar levels drop and you hit a big slump. Studies have proven that artificial sweeteners do not lead to weight loss and can actually perpetuate weight gain.
3. Ignoring inner health
Inner health is crucial to successful weight management. The gut lining produces many of our neurotransmitters that send messages to the brain and influence hormone activity. If the gut is in a poor state neurotransmitter production drops and our mood and emotions can be negatively affected. I can’t imagine any weight management program working if you are depressed, anxious, and unmotivated..can you?
Gut health is also important because it is in the gut that nutrient absorption occurs. If you are not absorbing nutrients your health will start to suffer, your energy flag, and your metabolism will slow down.
4. Forgetting an inner cleanse
Detox plays a really important part in weight management. Detox assists the body to eliminate the toxins, pollutants, and endocrine disrupting substances we consume, absorb, and breathe in. Toxins contribute to fat gain, slowed metabolism, they alter hormone activity in the body, and cause oxidative stress. A quality detox will boost your energy levels, improve your mental and emotional state, strengthen your immunity, and assist your weight management goals.