The Key To Losing Weight and Maintaining It
Embarking on a weight loss journey is an empowering time in a person’s life. An opportunity to implement new, supportive practices that will eventually harden into habits. At Awaken Your Health, we know that making healthy and sustainable changes doesn’t have to be about deprivation, restriction, calorie counting, or fad diets. It’s about taking responsibility for your health, supporting your food relationship, knowing you deserve joy, and feeling your absolute best every single day!
Knowing the best methods to lose weight can be confusing. People can feel bombarded with information over-load baffled by fad diets, pills, potions and tricks – it’s no wonder it all feels ‘too hard’. So how do you know what’s right for you and the best way to achieve results?
What’s wrong with weight loss pills, teas & fad diets?
The main problem with fad diets is exactly that, they are a trend. It is both unrealistic and unhealthy to maintain those diets (and their results) over the long term. Weight loss pills are another common approach taken to weight loss. They can be detrimental to your health and often even come with an array of nasty side effects such as heart palpations, insomnia and anxiety due to the high caffeine content. I’m sure many of you have seen weight loss teas advertised on social media and magazines? These too can be damaging to health due to their diuretic and/or laxative action that can lead to severe dehydration and dependence.
A Naturopathic Approach to Weight Loss
A naturopathic approach involves a full health assessment, where your current health status, diet and lifestyle are all taken into consideration. Health investigations may be suggested to identify hindering factors affecting your ability to lose weight. This holistic approach allows us to design an effective, tailored plan to suit your unique requirements. It provides you with the best possible chance of achieving your weight loss goals, and the right tools and education to maintain your amazing results!
THE KEY TO WEIGHT LOSS
Making small yet effective changes is the key to weight loss success. These 5 steps can benefit anyone looking to improve their health or lose weight. The best thing is that you can start them almost immediately.
Include 1 Healthy Fat with Each Meal
Good quality fats digests slowly, helping you feel fuller for longer and you eat less overall. Try including one of the following with each meal; olive oil, macadamia oil, coconut oil, nut butters, nuts and seeds, chia seeds, flaxseed/oil, oily fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines).
Always Pack Your Snacks
This is a big one if find yourself reaching for a chocolate bar at 3pm. Being prepared with a healthy snack is the key to avoid overeating and making poor choices. Always keep a range of balanced snacks on hand or in the desk at work – raw nuts, bliss balls, dried figs or prunes, boiled eggs, chia puddings, hummus or tahini and carrot sticks, fresh fruit or yoghurt pots are all great options. Don’t have time to prepare snacks? The next tip will help.
Set a Prep Day
I am a huge fan of locking in a ‘prep day’ once a week. There’s no need to give up the whole day, even just 1 hour is sufficient (providing you have the ingredients available in the kitchen). Prepare snacks in bulk, put the slow cooker on and freeze a few meals for lunch, do a sufficient food shop and stock your pantry with clean wholesome food for the week ahead.
Switch on Fat Burning Mode (your metabolism)
Our body’s metabolism dictates how we burn fat and produce muscle. Stimulate your fat-burning power by increasing these food sources; chili, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, green tea and protein (eggs, lean meat, poultry, fish).
Increase NEAT
NEAT stands for (non-exercising activity thermogenesis), it is the energy expended for all physical activities that is not sleeping, eating or sport-like exercise – think of it as moving more and sitting less! Increasing regular movements into your day has the ability to increase your metabolic rate and burn more fat. This step is crucial for those who spend long hours sedentary for work or traveling in the car. Examples include typing, walking to work, taking the stairs, carrying your groceries, fidgeting, dancing, gardening, cleaning, housework, try doing squats or calf raises whilst brushing your teeth – it all adds up!