A holistic approach to weight loss
Nourishing your body rather then depriving it
Focus on the food that you can have, instead of thinking of the food you can’t have. It’s a mindset of eating for your health & well being rather then eating out of habit or emotions. I’m sure you’ve heard of mindful eating right? Choose foods that nourish you and make you feel good. That doesn’t mean your not aloud to indulge once in awhile, but I believe in the 80/20 rule. Monday to Friday I have a strict healthy eating rule and on weekends I allow myself to indulge whether it would be a burger and fries on a Saturday or a few glasses of wine and some cheese. Just make sure to keep it in your calorie intake for that day. Don’t over indulge!
Base your results on how you feel not how you look
Ever Body is different, so DON”T COMPARE! You are on your own fitness journey and make it based on the goal to make the best version of yourself. Any progress is progress and you should focus on the little victories that gets you closer to a healthier & happier you. Try to remember when you started and where you are today. How do you feel? What do you need to change to help you reach your fitness goals? Remember this is a lifestyle change not a quick fix.
Set fitness goals rather then weight scale goals
Goal setting is important when it comes to weight loss, but try not to get hung up on the number on the scale. Actually, throw out your scales! There are many other important numbers when it comes to your health; Blood Pressure, Body Fat percentage, Visceral Fat, Waist-to-Hip ratio, Blood Sugar levels, etc. The scale can sometimes do more damage then good to your progress on your weight loss journey. Muscle weighs more then fat and if you have added resistance training to your workout regimen then you might not see actual fat loss on the scale. Your body composition can still be changing which is a good thing!! You want to increase your lean body mass (overall muscle tone) so your body burns more calories during rest.
So try setting fitness targets such as 10 pushups from your toes, run a 5km, hold a plank for 2 minutes, do 20 burpees in a row. Once you’ve reached your goals; try setting more challenging targets.
Know what you’re putting into your body
This is a big one for me. Read ingredients list. What we put in our body effects our mood, energy levels, our appearance, & overall health so shouldn’t we know what we are eating?? There are about 10,000 food additives in the U.S. food supply, including a laundry list of chemicals we should be avoiding. Before I buy ANY product I read the ingredients list. The ingredients that are listed first are most in that product. When products contain a lot of “fake” ingredients it can mess with your hormones, which effects your metabolism and weight loss. Not to mention the links to diseases such as cancer, diabetes and digestive issues. I look for as natural as possible in the list. Here are just a few that I avoid and never buy if a product contains.
MSG
Artificial Food Coloring (Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6)
High-Fructose Corn Syrup
*High-fructose corn syrup is associated with weight gain, diabetes and inflammation. It’s also high in empty calories and contributes nothing but calories to your diet
Artificial Sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, saccharin and acesulfame potassium)
Carrageenan
* *Believed to negatively impact digestive health, and may be associated with the formation of intestinal ulcers and growths
Artificial Flavoring (anything that has added “flavoring”)
So bottom line, do your research and eat as close to nature as possible. Your health will thank you for it!
*https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-food-additives#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6
**https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1242073/
