3 wrong ways to lose weight, and what to do instead…
1. Diet pills / slimming teas / laxatives
Quite simply, these do not work and can even damage your liver and gut.
Usually the diet pills, slimming teas or laxatives completely replace or force meals to be processed faster, which means that your body is not getting, or is not able to absorb the nutrients it needs.
This is the quickest way to drive your immune system into the ground as your body is being fuelled with chemicals and toxins.
The body does not need to be filled with loads and loads of toxins to lose weight. If you want to lose weight, remove manufactured products from your diet, and focus on eating fruits, veggies, proteins & whole grains.
2. Juice cleanses
Yes, a juice diet might leave you feeling light and clean, but it will not help you to lose fat.
When you stop eating enough food to meet your energy requirements, you can become fatigued, irritable, depressed and start suffering from headaches. As your body tries to adjust to this new low, your metabolism will start to slow down.
You will lose water weight and even muscle mass, but not fat. Plus, you will put all the water weight back on once you start to eat real food again.
And then because you have now decreased your muscle mass, your metabolism will have slowed down even more.
Bonus: You will probably have diarrhoea too.
3. Cutting out food groups or banning foods – E.g. carbs, sugar, fat.
All food groups contain nutrients that our bodies need to function at it’s best.
Ever cut out carbs before? Notice how all you want is exactly what you ‘can’t’ have?
Psychologically, we don’t enjoy being restricted. Our inner rebel wants that second plate of pasta or that second piece of cake, when in the past, you would have been able to recognize that you were full and enjoyed just the one serving.
It’s all about balance.
The first step to losing weight for good, it realizing that it is NOT a quick fix, but requires a lifelong change.
If losing weight was as easy as taking a pill, or not eating sugar, then no one would be over weight. Lasting weight loss takes time.
Here are 3 healthy ways to lose weight:
1. Focus on consuming high quality food.
Balance out each of your meals with two fistfuls of veggies, one palm of protein and one thumb of fat. Purchase organic vegetables, focus on sustainable proteins such as legumes or beans, and include quality fats such as avocado, olive oil & nuts and seeds.
2. Move your body, often.
Find exercise that you enjoy, and show up, consistently. Book exercise into your diary and don’t cancel – treat it just like any other important appointment. The more you move, the the more your metabolism will increase, which means you will not only burn fat, but become more mobile & live longer.
3. Prioritize your mental health, recovery and sleep.
Spend time away from technology to improve your mental and physical health such as journaling, meditation, gentle stretching, walking or yoga. And also make sure you are getting 8 hours of quality sleep every night as when we miss out on sleep, we aren’t able to recover as fast and our metabolism slows down.
Bottom line: stop searching for quick fixes. Real, long-lasting results happen with high quality food, smart exercise, and sufficient sleep.
Whether you are a Box it Out client or not, if you need help, contact me for a complimentary chat. I will outline three strategies for you to lose that unwanted fat once and for all.
Deanna