I’d like to talk with you about losing weight and then the more difficult part, keeping it off . There are many reasons why we gain weight. In the U.S., fast foods that are loaded with calories, bad fats, sugar and salt are cheap and easily accessible. We have gotten in such a hurry; home cooked meals are becoming a thing of the past. Perhaps you saw the movie, “Supersize Me”, and if you haven’t seen it, you should definitely watch it. It shows clearly how easy it is to gain weight and become very ill within a short time of eating fast-foods. So gaining weight has to do with the ingredients in what goes in the mouth on a regular basis. (I keep telling my clients that 50% of their problems are caused by what goes IN their mouths and 50% by what comes out!) White flour, white sugar, white rice, white pasta, white milk, foods fried in deep grease all cause weight gain.
Another reason for weight gain is eating in a hurry. When we are revved up inside, we do everything faster than we would if we are taking our time. Have you ever watched a hyper person eat? They cram food in the mouth rapidly without chewing. They swallow in gulps. They end up eating a lot more food because they don’t give their brain a chance to let them know when they are full. It takes time for the brain to let you know you are satiated. Eating too much, too fast causes weight gain.
Eating to soothe the emotions is a cause of weight gain. Some people eat out of boredom or loneliness. They eat foods that represent love to them. If parents gave them sweets as a child for a reward, they will eat sweets when they are sad. Sometimes, people sit at home at night and eat and eat. They are not even conscious of what or how much they have consumed.
Then there are biochemical reasons for weight gain. Caffeine, alcohol, sugar and artificial sweeteners can cause people to gain weight because they upset the biochemical balance of the adrenals and pancreas. All of these non-foods are stimulants and kick the adrenals to produce too much adrenaline, which kicks the pancreas to produce too much insulin. Insulin gobbles up the natural blood sugar in the body and drops us really low and causes us to feel starved. This can happen right after we’ve eaten a big meal that included any of these substances. I have clients tell me that even after eating a big meal, they still feel hungry. They are not really hungry. Their body is stuffed, but the blood sugar has dropped. Nevertheless, they continue munching even after the meal to try to stop that hungry feeling.
A low thyroid function can also cause weight gain. The thyroid is responsible for metabolism or the rate at which the food is processed and utilized. One simple test to test your thyroid is by putting a thermometer under your tongue 30 minutes after eating or drinking and doing this 3 times daily and getting the average. The temperature should be 98.6 for normal thyroid function. Below 98 and the thyroid is low. If the thyroid is low, Dulse tablets/liquid can help bring it into balance. Dulse is a seaweed high in iodine from the cold waters of Nova Scotia. We have numerous products to naturally stimulate, nourish and assist the thyroid to work better: Iodoral (natural iodine), Thyroid Activator, TG100 (glandulars), Dulse liquid, etc.
Worn out adrenal glands (responsible for producing over 140 hormones) that produce hormones in less quantity or in imbalanced quantities can cause weight gain. Lack of Testosterone, too much Estrogen compared to too little Progesterone, too much Progesterone, too much Cortisol, all lead to weakened thyroid function or weight gain, high cholesterol, and more, ultimately resulting in ill health, fatigue, mood swings, immune system down, etc. Acids create weight gain. When the body is acidic on a regular basis, it will create fat to protect it from acidity. Alkaline forming foods are vegetables. Acid forming foods are meats and all of the foods listed above. Fruits are alkaline forming but we should only eat one or two a day because they can also cause weight gain due to the sugar content. Avoid drinking too much fruit juice as well. Almonds and millet are alkaline forming while most nuts and grains are more acidic. We should have 80% alkaline foods each day and 20% acidic foods per day. Drinking liquid Chlorophyll daily (1 tablespoon 2-3 times daily) helps tremendously, lessens gas, improves bad breath, etc.
Poor digestion can cause weight gain. When the digestion is sluggish and food including sugars, carbs and fats do not digest properly, the body will turn it into fat. When the bowel is congested because of constipation, the fat will be absorbed from the bowel and taken into the body rather than out of the body. Correct use of enzymes usually eliminates this problem.
A lack of exercise can cause weight gain. Exercise raises the metabolism levels and burns fat for fuel. Regular exercise will keep the metabolism working at a higher level on an ongoing basis. We should walk about two miles a day at a vigorous clip (or at the least 1 mile!) or jump on the rebounder about half an hour per day. Other good weight loss exercises are swimming, hiking and biking.
So to lose weight and keep it off, we need to get in touch with our bodies. We need to move and breathe in rhythm, balance and harmony. Sit down for meals and eat slowly. Avoid all of the non-foods listed here that can cause weight gain. Try to eat three meals a day with lunch being the largest meal and dinner being the smallest. If you are hungry in between meals, stop and have a wholesome snack. If you don’t stop to eat, if you eat on the run, you will not metabolize properly and the food can go to fat. Choose most of your foods from the vegetable kingdom. If you eat meat, choose only lean meat, fish or poultry that is organic. Avoid pork because it is high in fat. Poultry and fish are lower in calories than red meat. Organic, fertile eggs with soft yolks are high in lecithin which emulsifies cholesterol in the arteries. Low fat yogurt with friendly bacteria is a better choice than pasteurized milk. Beans and whole grains are high in fiber and help to cleanse the digestive tract. Eat plenty of fiber each day.
Some helpers with weight loss are the following: get tested properly with a HAIR TISSUE MINERAL ANALYSIS, SALIVA HORMONE TESTING, and BLOOD SPOT THYROID TEST
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and then following the guidelines specific to your body type. So many time I see a client who “seems” to do everything right and still doesn’t lose the weight they need and want to - simply put - if they are following the dietary guideline and supplementary guidelines to a “T” then the next thing I look for is… are they MOVING their body enough during the day?! Many of us are so exhausted after working a full day at the office but aren’t really EXERCISING - working in the office is not the same as correct proper exercise!
DO NOT SIT IN FRONT OF THE TV AND DROWN YOURSELF IN A MILLION USELESS PICTURES BEING THROWN AT YOU!
Instead - get out and walk, breathe the air, and look around your environment - you will feel much better and start to lose those pounds!
By correct testing we can design a program specifically for you…you will know exactly what hormones to use: progesterone or estrogen or testosterone or DHEA or any combination as needed to balance you out…. you will know exactly what minerals and vitamins your particular body needs…. you will know exactly what you need to eat… all to rid your body of toxins and to rebalance properly.
A SPECIAL NOTE ON FAILURE!
Many people coming to a natural or holistic consultant (or any “doctor”) expect a miracle result over-night and really just want a “magic” pill to ward off all their illnesses. There is no such thing! If you follow the program outlined in this booklet along with correct testing and follow-up testing then you simply can’t lose - except for the following reasons:
1. Negative attitude (from self or others in your life) - “it just doesn’t seem to work for me” or “I don’t like eating vegetables”… “My friends tell me that this is bad” or “my spouse thinks I’m nuts” or “I just wanted one pill to do everything”
2. Wrong motivation - “I’m coming here only because my husband wants me to” or “my mom said I need to do this”.
3. Altering Program - “I’m substituting some of the foods because I just can’t do it all with my schedule” or “I want to also take these other supplements and follow this other person’s program along with yours”
4. No Follow-up Testing - It must be made particularly clear that follow-up testing is a must. These days, most people seem to think that one test is all that is needed. They sometimes have a pre-conceived idea that once they are tested and counseled with, now all they have to do is follow the recommendations. That’s not enough - as you get closer to health your body will be changing and you MUST test to see those changes and to allow your practitioner to change the protocol.
5.”Withdrawal symptoms” - Another name for this could be the “Healing Crisis”. You will go through some withdrawal from the toxins in your body and the purging of the unneeded garbage that has been put into your body for years - some just find this too uncomfortable and bail out of the program - that is the worst thing to do!
NATURAL HEALING METHODS:
HEALING BROTH (Use during a healing crisis or any illness but also great to do daily)
Peel 2 medium potatoes (1/4″ thick) and simmer peelings only in a pint of water for 15 minutes. Strain and drink only the broth. This is a potent broth for assisting elimination. You may want to try a more varied, but equally-potent recipe as follows: 2 cups potato peelings, 1 tbsp vegetable broth powder, 2 cups carrot tops (ask your produce manager at local store to sell or give you the tops only), 1 medium onion, 1 cups of celery tops, 1 cup of celery stalk. Chop all, add to water, bring slowly to boil, simmer 20 minutes. Strain off broth and drink 1-3 cups daily of liquid only.
LEG HEALING Baths
Another great healing method. Go outside where you can stand on grass or sand. Take water hose, without spray attachment, and starting from the toes go up the right leg to the groin, then around to back of right leg and down right leg to the heel. Repeat on left leg from toes to groin, around to back of thigh and down left leg to heel. Do each leg only one time up and down and do only one time each day. Do NOT dry with a towel. Walk on sand or grass until legs and feet are dry or approximately ten minutes. Drying with towel would lose the beneficial effect. Your circulation is greatly enhanced by doing this. This enables you to have a quicker elimination of toxic materials.
FASTING & HEALING
An easy to follow HEALING fast is done by following these guidelines (fasting is the quickest way to bring about elimination in the body and the fastest way of getting toxic materials out of the body). Note: You must rest during the 24-48 hour period of doing either of these fasts:
1.Healing Broth (3 cups daily made with or without veggies) and raw veggies to snack on for 24-48 hours with distilled water to drink; add nothing else
Or
2.Distilled water and using one teaspoon of a liquid chlorophyll to one 8oz. glass of water every three hours; you may also drink vegetable juice; add nothing else; this is a great way to handle any illness or healing crisis; usually done for one day; this is considered a master-cleansing diet for all illnesses involving elimination (colds, flue, coughing, diarrhea, vomiting, headaches, etc.)
LIVER FLUSH:
PURPOSE: This is an effective liver flush, and benefits all parts of the body. Eat with (or as) the evening meal for seven straight days each month.
7-Day Carrot Salad
1 Cup finely shredded carrots
1 Tablespoon Olive oil (cold pressed, virgin)
1 Tablespoon fresh Lemon juice (from a real, fresh lemon)
Mix together and serve (May add raisins, rice, apples, etc.)