The summer is only 26 days away. You want your clothes to be comfortable and make you feel good, right? If you are currently stressed about your weight, I’d like to share with you a few reasons as to why nothing changes no matter how hard you try. It’s often the smallest things that have the biggest impact.
You can prevent weight loss by avoiding these common mistakes:
Snacking on Mindless Food
This is something I know from personal experience. Working from home makes it very easy to snack mindlessly, since the kitchen is only a few steps from your desk. This is a situation where I can offer you three pieces of advice.
Avoid buying the foods that are tempting. Chips, cookies or anything else. Take it to a food bank if it is already in your pantry.
Track your food intake (for a couple of days). Long-term, it can lead to an unhealthy relationship with eating, and can even become obsessional. But for a couple of days, it’s a great way to see how much you eat.
Instead of grazing throughout the day, schedule a snack in the morning and an afternoon. Snacking is not bad in general. You should eat if you are hungry. You can schedule a small snack between 10 am and 3:30 pm, so that you are allowed to eat one snack per meal. If you constantly eat/graze, your insulin levels will remain elevated throughout the day, making it difficult to lose weight.
Artificial Sweeteners
While it may be tempting to switch to artificially sweetened foods to maintain that sweet taste, in a study those who were given Sucralose to sweeten the food experienced a 20% rise in blood sugar levels. The reason for this is not fully understood, but some believe that the blood sugar response of the body is psychological and based on tastes. This means that, even though you aren’t consuming any sugar, artificial sweeteners can trick your body into thinking that you are. The insulin response that results from this is what causes weight gain.
Protein
It’s not counterintuitive for weight loss to switch from a low-calorie breakfast to one that has added protein. You need to balance your blood glucose with protein in order to lose weight. This is the most important thing in this article.
Genuine Health has recently released a fermented Greek yogurt proteins+. I thought that I would share with you a recipe high in protein, which is perfect for starting your day. You can also have a half portion for an afternoon snack.
The nutrients and proteins are better absorbed by your body because the protein has been fermented. Why is this important for weight loss? Studies have shown that intestinal bacteria play a part in weight, as well as the importance of protein in balancing blood sugar. This is a protein that has both benefits: quality, absorbable protein and gut health. This is a dairy food, and while I don’t recommend dairy-based foods all the time, this one is grass-fed (WIN!) It’s also easier to digest because it is fermented.
Hidden sugars
I went sugar-free for 4 weeks a couple of months back. I mean, totally sugar-free – no maple syrup, dates, honey, or cane sugar. It’s crazy: I thought I was eating sugar-free, but I found that there were still tiny bits of sugar in my diet. Does a little bit of sugar really matter? It’s unlikely that it matters if the sugar is a small amount, but it can be easy to forget about the other “little bits” you had on that particular day.
I was surprised to find sugar in some of these items.
- Sriracha hot sauce
- Check the labels of certain brands of broths made with chicken and vegetables.
- Every granola-bar that ever existed (except Simply Protein)
Eating out
Eating out can be a lot of fun and a great experience. I believe it is something that should be done occasionally. If you eat out more than once a week, this can be a major hindrance to weight loss. You don’t know exactly what is in your meal, and the portions are larger. Was it cooked in oil that you wouldn’t normally use at home? Here are my top restaurants for Toronto and Vancouver. If you are struggling to decide what to cook for the week, I recommend my Weekly Meal Planning Program.
Cortisol Levels
has been proven that if your cortisol level is too high or low, it can also impact your weight. You may feel as if nothing you do is working, no matter how healthy you eat. You may not be familiar with cortisol. In normal amounts, cortisol can be beneficial for your body. Cortisol levels can be elevated in the short-term and then fall too low over time if you are under chronic stress. It leads to chronically high insulin and glucose levels in the body. Excess glucose is then stored as fat. The first step is to reduce stress. However, a salivary test can help you determine your cortisol level. Click Here for more information about how balancing cortisol levels can help you lose weight.
When it comes to losing weight, remember that it’s not just about what you eat. Weight loss can be complicated by hormones. Click here to book a free chat to discuss your weight.
