Are You Struggling Losing Weight?

Back in our 20s and 30s, losing extra weight was a matter of simply eating a little less and moving a little more. After the age of 30 or so, there are many functional reasons that we can no longer just eat a little less and move a little more to easily shed pounds.

Many women, and men, are told by health professionals and experts that if they eat right and exercise, they will lose weight. It's just not that simple anymore. If we really knew the reasons why we are gaining weight as we get older, we wouldn't suffer unnecessarily, go on every fad diet, and starve ourselves over and over again.

So what's going on? Well, as we age our metabolic rate (our ability to burn calories) slows down every year. We lose our muscle tone, which in turn flips our fat-to-muscle ratio. More fat and less muscle slows our metabolism even more. If we are eating the same foods and not making any changes year after year, we would still gain weight! How frustrating is that? Throw in stress, thyroid issues, medications, diabetes, lower hormone levels and other medical conditions, and you have a very resistant weight loss journey.

Here are some things you can do that can jump start your metabolism:

Phase One:

• Eat smaller, portion-controlled food during the day, rather than three square meals.
• Avoid all sugar, especially in the morning. Eating sugar first thing will trigger your fat-storing mechanism, so that most everything you eat for the rest of the day will be stored as fat.
• Participate in a weight-bearing exercise (resistance training) class or use home exercise DVD’s for 30 minutes, three times a week.
• Do cardio exercise for one hour, four times a week.

If Phase One does not produce the results you are looking for, you need more:

• Check your thyroid; look at the medications you are taking to see if they are the culprits to stalling normal weight loss. If they are, then you need extra help in the form of getting your thyroid issues under control. If medication is your issue, then supplements to help you lose weight can be very useful to jump-start your metabolism. At Fresh Vitality, we can direct you in the right direction. 
• Is daily stress destroying your weight loss effort? If you're chronically stressed, your body will hold more visceral fat in your midsection. Find an outlet every day to reduce your stress. Read more, take baths, or enjoy the company of friends. Again, if this is not helping, you may need a supplement to help.

Still having trouble losing weight?

Lack of sleep, irritability, loss of sex drive, dry skin and irregular periods can be signs of loss of hormones. As we age, we are losing estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, thyroid, and other hormones that were abundant when we were younger. Hormone loss will also make losing weight very difficult. Consider making an appointment with Dr. Ariss at Fresh Vitality who can perform tests to check your hormone levels and suggest treatments for Bioidentical Hormone Replacement. We are able to help our weight loss patients achieve their goal weight. When our weight loss program is combined with hormone replacement therapy, our patients are able to realize their goal weight more efficiently and effectively.

Holiday Survival Tips for Dieters

The solution to almost any holiday challenge is to have a plan and be prepared. Here are some tips to help dieters survive the holiday season.

• Plan and prepare for parties and events one at a time. Ask yourself, what is the biggest challenge this poses and how can I overcome it?
• Never go to a party hungry. Trying to save calories is the surest way to ensure you will overindulge. Eat all your meals as you normally would before you arrive.

Reap the healthy rewards of an anti-inflammatory diet

Inflammation is a component of essentially all autoimmune diseases. From a naturopathic perspective in treating the cause of inflammation, one of the first ways to address this is through an anti-inflammatory diet. This upstream approach to treatment focuses on avoiding pro-inflammatory foods and eating a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods.

Additionally, since medical research is converging on inflammation as the common link in most diseases (heart disease, Alzheimer’s, asthma, diabetes, cancer, etc.), eating an anti-inflammatory diet is a great model of dietary health for everyone.