biancavalenta3 Things You Need To Know To Lose Weight
Working with hundreds of clients, from every walk of life, it is evident that most people know where they’re going wrong. The problem comes when they can’t get it right. After all, if you’re doing it right, then you’ll surely lose weight? Well, it’s not that simple.
Years of training, reading medical reports and working with client has helped build the plan. I’ve now come up with a fool proof plan called ‘Slim From Within’. This revolutionary program makes being slim, healthy and happy effortless. Here are some tips that will help you make a long term and lasting lifestyle change. You can make small changes to your lifestyle so that being slim is easier.
1. LOSE WEIGHT BY DECREASING YOUR STRESS
Argh, so this is the hamster wheel that’s hard to get off, but it is possible.
Stress and our mindset have a massive part to play in our metabolic function and the way our physiology work. We have all heard about the mind-body connection, but have you ever taken time to ask yourself “how does my mood affect the way my body works?”
Probably not!
It used to sound a bit ‘woo woo’ to me too. Even though the results were evident in my amazing body change, I still wasn’t convinced.
How your mood affects your weight
When you’re happier, you are likely to be more motivated
Unsurprisingly, women who were feeling unhappy in themselves generally felt unhappy with the way they looked. I was helping them change their mindset and manage their emotions in a healthy way. I started noticing that clients were developing healthier coping mechanisms and losing weight (without trying).
An example is Jules. Rather than reach for a curly wurly or a glass of prosecco in the evening, she started dealing with what was causing the tiredness in the first place.
Are you Jules?
Jules initially came to see me for anxiety and depression. Struggling with her career as a solicitor and had two young children under the age of 7. She felt out of control. Weight was mentioned but she had given up on that and didn’t care anymore. She stated “I’ve never been slim, I don’t want to be slim.” “I just don’t want to be shattered”. During her sessions, Jules realised she was over committing herself. When we worked on getting her a life where her health, happiness and wellbeing was a priority. She started building in time for herself. When she started feeling happier in herself, she realised that her energy levels improved. This allowed her to do more and the weight came off without her even thinking about it. She lost 6 stone in 18 months and has been happier with no deprivation.
She didn’t realise that she was creating the stress in her life. Worrying about things that were stressing her out, didn’t actually help her do what needed to be done. By spending time talking through her unrealistic expectations, she had for herself and others she started to noticed barriers. She identified that her inner drive to get things ‘done’ was actually stopping her getting things done. It was exhausting her.
How does stress play a part?
Undoubtedly, we all have stressors in our life, whether it be kids who won’t get dressed for school, demanding relatives or finances that never seem to improve. In truth, we actually need a little stress or activation, it helps motivate us to do stuff. But too much makes us ill and for the case of this post, it actually impedes weight loss.
With stress, anxiety or poor mental health employing a great deal of mental capacity, is it any wonder you feel drained and exhausted?
When we’re exhausted, we tend to go for high calorie snacks (or alcohol which is essentially just empty calories) Whilst we want to lose weight, in reality just surviving is a higher priority.
In addition, stress produces cortisol. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands.
“Cortisol stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy and stimulates insulin release and maintenance of blood sugar levels. The end result of these actions can be an increase in appetite and can cause cravings for sweet, high-fat, and salty foods. With elevated cortisol levels, the body also produces less testosterone, leading to a decrease in muscle mass. With less testosterone to build muscle mass, your body starts to burn fewer calories.” https://www.medicinenet.com/can_stress_make_you_fat/views.htm
So just by being stressed, you are affecting your body at a core level which will impact its ability to function effectively.
2. YOUR METABOLISM CAN BE CHANGED TO HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT
If you have heard yourself saying “I’m not one of those naturally slim people” then don’t read on. What I’m going to say in this point will crush your beliefs (but also feel you up to make effortless, long lasting change) You want to lose weight but you just think you’re body is stopping you.
So since Sheldon concluded in 1940 that there were 3 body types there has been a popular misconception that your physiology is somehow fixed.
The Ectomorph is long and lean, The Endomorph has lots of body fat and the Esomorph is athletic, strong and muscular. (read more about body types)
The truth is, we’re most likely to be a mixture of all three. But yes, we do have a bone structure that is pretty much fixed but it’s doesn’t mean our metabolism is.
What difference does our metabolism make?
Whether we know it or now, our metabolism determines the rate at which we burns the calories we consume.
How do we create a healthier, more efficient metabolism?
Firstly, you can raise your metabolism is to eat more protein. A study published in 2012 found that protein contributed to a higher RMR (Resting metabolic rate) However, that doesn’t mean you have license to eat endless amounts of burgers and bacon. The best proteins to eat are lean proteins like chicken or turkey and eggs.
Secondly, you can eat more protein. In addition to making you feel satiated( fuller for longer) protein is needed to make muscle. So, increased muscle mass in your body helps you to burn more calories even when you’re resting. In 2015 a study found that strength training raised people’s resting metabolic rate.
Finally, the last benefit of improving your metabolism is that in helps control mood and lower stress.
The hormones that affect our physical health also control mood, hunger, sex drive, and ability to cope with stress. When we create an environment where our body is working efficiently and our mind is producing the hormones that help us thrive, everything else becomes much easier.
3. SLEEP AFFECTS MORE THAN YOUR MOOD AND ENERGY LEVELS
So, how important it sleep? It is likely to be a major contributor to how you are feeling in yourself.
Yeh, yeh… You know that. You can’t change your 7 year old having a nightmare and your 3 year old needing a poo at 4:30am. (TMI?) So the idea of getting good sleep is a fantasy.
Ever noticed that after a couple of interrupted nights sleep, your biological clock seems to wake you anyway?
For example, one of my clients Sally, used to wake up at 1am and 4am every night. Unfortunately, it’s part of the job description for being a mum with young kids. However, there was a problem. Her sleeping habit had lasted for nearly 20 years. She had been living with the debilitating routine as her children were now 16 and 18 and.
So, let me explain the importance of sleep so that you can make a few tweeks. You know sleep is a priority, but do you really?
Sleep is when your mind processes the emotions and thoughts from that day. In addition, your body needs it to make recharge, repair and recover. The quality of your sleep directly impacts your emotional, mental and physical health on many different levels.
When we look at weight loss, studies show sleep will affect your production of leptin and ghrelin. So this will directly affect your appetite. There are two hormones which impact weight gain, leptin and ghrelin. “They are the two hormones that move in a seesaw mechanism,” he says. “When you are full, one goes up and the other one goes down. And when you are hungry, they change. When you are sleep deprived, these hormones are deranged so they turn towards an increase in hunger and appetite even if you are not [hungry].”Read more
In addition, The University of Michigan published a study that showed that just one hour more per night of sleep could result in a 14 pound weight loss in a year. Read more
In conclusion
In conclusion, most of us believe the old adage that in order to lose weight we need to eat less and exercise more. And whilst, to a degree, that is true there are better questions to ask. HOW do you eat less calories, HOW do you improve energy levels and HOW do you increase your motivation to do more activity?
Read more about how to become happy and healthy.
