Detox for Weight Loss. Lifestyle Changes to Keep It Off
Obesity and overweight are medical conditions leading to severe chronic illness such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, poor quality of life and premature death. A successful weight loss program includes weight loss and healthy weight maintenance. Weight loss and healthy weight maintenance require a medical holistic approach addressing the causes of weight gain. Weight gain has multiple causes from overeating for emotional reasons, to burning fewer calories than absorbed by lack of physical activities, to being the result of a medical condition or the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs.
Overeating
Emotional Eating as a Coping Mechanism
The first question one has to reflect upon is the following: Why do I want to lose weight now, while I have been choosing to consistently gain weight for the last years? Where was the person who wants to lose weight now hiding, when I was previously gaining weight for all of these years?
Unraveling and addressing the emotional issues that have fed the hunger for food will be absolutely necessary for permanent weight loss. Often we find a history of trauma, feelings of loneliness or boredom, poorly managed anger, depression, fear of being attractive, and self-hatred to be the underlying mechanisms to emotional eating.
Addiction to Processed Foods
Numerous studies have found that food could be as addictive as cocaine. Substances such as sugar, salt or carbohydrates, release dopamine in the brain and generate a feeling of elation. In addition, it is difficult to get satiated with processed foods because these foods are poor in nutrients such as minerals, trace minerals and vitamins that signal the brain to stop eating. These processed foods are high in simple carbohydrates such as white sugar and white flour and trigger an insulin spike in the blood that generates fat storage in the cells. Finding other sources of pleasure is essential to eliminate the addiction to processed foods; these can be sex, exercise, friendship or creative activities.
The following presentation covers some aspects of food addiction and you may find it interesting to view in conjunction with this article.
Sedentary Lifestyle and Lack of Exercise
Human beings are “hard-wired” to be continuously active. Instead, most people spend many hours sitting. They may drive to the office, sit in their office for 8 hours straight, drive back home, grab a quick dinner, sit at a table for dinner and finally sit on a couch to watch TV. Standing up every hour if you work in an office; is essential to keep the body happy and prevent many chronic illnesses. In addition, bicycling or walking can be substituted to the use of a car when possible. Other outdoor social physical activities involving multiple people such as volleyball, tennis, basketball and football all can add another dimension to physical exercise that could help satisfy your need for cooperation.
Hormonal Conditions and Weight Loss Resistance
Diet and exercise forms the basis of any weight loss program, but in some cases diet and exercise may not be giving the expected weight loss results. A few people will be weight loss resistant. That means that they may do all the right things, eat a proper diet and exercise and still not lose weight. Some others may lose one pound a day for a few days then hit a plateau. Some others may have been overweight for a long time or may weigh over 200 pounds and the weight just does not come off. Weight loss resistance calls for medical attention. Hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, heavy metal toxicity and hormonal imbalance are common causes of weight loss resistance.
Stress
Stress increases cortisol levels and chronic stress lead to adrenal fatigue and weight gain. Learning how to meditate and how to detach from our thoughts, emotions, or worries is an important step to lower cortisol and manage stress. Stress is an important cause of insomnia, the difficulty to fall asleep or stay asleep throughout the night.
Read the transcript to a great presentation by Dr. Maya Nicole Baylac on The Dynamics of Stress, Anxiety, and Fear in Modern Society and Strategies for Coping.
Poor Sleep
Overeating and having dinner too late, anxiety and stress, surrounded by too much electronic equipment, artificial lights, noisy environment, and being in rooms that are too hot or too cold room can raise our cortisol levels and generate insomnia. Poor sleep has been shown to be related to weight gain. Creating optimum physical and psychological conditions for eight hours of good quality sleep is an important aspect of our weight loss program. Supplements such as 5HTP, GABA, melatonin or herbs such as lavender, melissa or passiflora have beneficial effects on sleep without the adverse side effects of pharmaceutical medications.
Dysbiosis
Dysbiosis is common in overweight and obese people. Dysbiosis occurs when the pathogenic bacteria, yeast and parasites control the colonic environment to the detriment of beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus or bifidus bacteria. These bacteria are said to be beneficial because they manufacture vitamins (B and K), proteins and help digestion and immunity. Recent research found that the bacteria lactobacillus gasseri plays a role in maintaining a normal weight. Beneficial bacteria can be destroyed by antibiotics or candida overgrowth caused by overconsumption of sugar. An effective weight loss program includes a stool analysis test that will give us information on the nature of the gut macrobiota. A special diet will include elimination of sugar and inclusion of live foods and fermented foods and beverages. Stress management plays an important role in the maintenance of a healthy gut macrobiota.
Get recipes HERE for making your own fermented foods: sauerkraut, kim chee, rejuvelac, kombucha, etc.
Side Effects of Prescription Drugs
Many prescription drugs cause weight gain: Anti-depressants such as Paxil and Zoloft, anti-histamine, anti-psychotic, beta-blockers anti-hypertensive, diabetes medications, seizure and mood stabilizers such as Depakote and corticosteroids. Naturopathic medicine provides natural alternatives without detrimental side effects.
HELPFUL LINKS:
Toxic Element (Heavy Metal Exposure) Chart
Stool Analysis Info: Comprehensive Stool Analysis with Parasitology x3 (3 stool samples over three days). Some parasites don’t drop waste every day and a test kit with stool samples over several days will have a better chance of showing all the gut bacteria, friendly and unfriendly.
Residential Weight Loss Program – Lifestyle Change for Weight Loss
