Wouldn't it be amazing to never have to think about how much you're eating or counting calories ever again?
What if you always had the will-power to stop eating when you were full and have no need to snack in between meals?
What would life be like for you to be at your optimal weight without ever feeling hungry?
I remember the days of battling with my weight and feeling completely powerless, like all my efforts were futile. I wanted to eat all the time. Momentarily, whilst eating, I felt good, maybe even happy. Then, as soon as I reflected on how much I had consumed, I was miserable again.
Also Read-build your own backyard splash pad
When I would calorie restrict, I felt that I would go insane and food would become a total obsession. I have coaching clients that, in their desperation, hope that there's something medically wrong with them which will prove that it's not their fault that they can't lose weight; that it's just genetics and nothing to be done. I'm sure you will be able to relate to at least some of these feelings.
Recently, whilst reflecting on the work that I've been doing with coaching clients, I've noticed that there are two key elements to sustainable weight loss;
1) Food quality.
2) Mental state.
Yeah, I'm a genius, I know!
Let me unravel the first for you in this article. The second is also fundamental, which I will discuss in my next post.
What foods allow you to achieve and sustain your optimal weight?
This is so simple that I'm sure you won't like it: Eat real food.
Yes, you've heard it before; eat whole foods, such as wholewheat pasta and bread, brown rice and plenty of veg, coupled with cutting out processed foods. So, what's new?
There are plenty of nuances around what's healthy and what's not, and so much misleading "health" advice that needs to be navigated through that it's no wonder that most become disheartened and give up.
The key to unlocking your weight-loss
You would do well to eat only whole, unrefined, natural and organic foods, but there is one calorie source, one evil, health-sabotaging-trip-wire ingredient that is in almost every ready-made, commercially produced food-stuff and readily available in your home.
It's also highly addictive and wants to make you obese. This stuff is as bad as heroin, only more covert, as when you consume it you have absolutely no idea that you're on a downward spiral to increasing weight gain, liver disease, diabetes, mood swings, cardiovascular disease, as well as a number of other serious health complications.
What is this evil I speak of?
It's sugar.
This includes the sugar you bake with and sweeten your tea or coffee with, as well as fructose, the sugar found in fruit and, increasingly, in almost all processed and ready made goods.
You may also like to read-How to do perfect smokey eye
Our body can deal with sugar in small amounts, such as in a couple of pieces of fruit, but in larger amounts it is toxic.
Benefits of giving up sugar and starch by Ania Nowicki Health and Transformation Coach
Sugar supresses the satiety hormone, leptin, thereby never allowing you to feel like you've had enough (unless you physically can't fit anymore in – that's a very clear sign).
Sugar does not suppress the hunger hormone, ghrelin, so if you eat something sugary, you'll still feel hungry and want more, resulting in you consuming more than you would have otherwise.
Sugar raises insulin in the body which makes you store more fat.
Sugar is increasingly being believed to be the main cause of obesity in the western world.
Sugar is highly addictive.
If you're wondering right now why I'm talking about sugar and what it's got to do with real food and weight-loss, let me put it this way: sugar, including, fructose, whether it be in a carton of orange juice, or as a seemingly innocuous ingredient in your cereal, sauce, or "healthy" snack bar, is making you fat, sick and miserable.
All of my clients that have given up or severely cut down on all sugar, fruit and starchy carbohydrates (such as white pasta, white rice, potatoes, etc) have reported that they feel freeed from their anxiety around food and the weight comes off effortlessly. Not only this, but migraines disappear, skin texture improves, acne goes away, aches and pains are reduced and energy increases all within a few weeks.
If this solution sounds like a magic pill or golden key, that's because it is!
To find out more on the science of how damaging sugar is, from Dr Robert Lustig, a leading researcher in this field, watch this video:
For summaries and to understand why this mass poisoning is being allowed, check out these articles:
Why our food is making us fat – The Guardian
Sugar, not fat, exposed as deadly villain in the obesity epidemic – The Guardian
Still believe "a calorie is still a calorie"? – Huffington Post
How to avoid fructose
Here are my top 6 tips for accessing this golden key to your weight-loss and long-term health.
Read the ingredients. If you have to get something that isn't a single ingredient, check the label. Look out for sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and glucose-fructose or fructose-glucose. Also bare in mind that any other word ending in "-ose" is also a sugar.
Eat seasonal whole fruit, not juices. The fibre is needed to moderate how much you consume, so it's best to eat a whole orange rather than having juice (even if it is freshly squeezed). Wherever possible, eat local and seasonal fruit and treat tropical and imported fruit as an occasional, special treat.
Eat plenty of fibre with every meal. Fibre limits the amount of sugar you can consume, slows down the absorption of sugar into the blood stream and aids in the process of signalling to your body that you've eaten enough. This means, that eating whole brown rice, whole wheat and other whole grain products instead of refined, "white" or half-half products is going to make a huge difference to your waist line. Another point to remember is that fibre contains other essential nutrients needed by the body.
Eat good quality fats. Fats are an essential part of the diet as they are vital for the proper working of various systems in the body, including the hormonal system. Vitamins A, D, E and K cannot be absorbed without fat. Essential fatty acids, such as omega 3, 6 and 9 cannot be synthesised in the body and therefore must be taken through the diet. Fats also keep you fulller for longer and don't spike your blood-sugar. Healthy fats include extra virgin olive oil, virgin coconut oil, flax oil, fish oil/oily fish and so on.
Read more-bow tie themed baby shower
Eat the right amount of protein. We each need to consume between 45-60 grams of protein a day, with a maximum of 20 grams of protein per meal. Protein keeps you fuller for longer and doesn't spike your blood-sugar at all. By consuming 15-20 grams of protein at each of your main meals, you'll prevent hunger pangs and cravings.
Make your own food. Don't trust big food producers to care about your well-being – they're in it for the money and so they want you to eat as much of it as possible. The ingredients will never be as good as what you have at home, additionally there will be all sorts of damaging additives to make the food more palatable and last longer; more often than not you'll find added sugar, that you're unlikely to even be aware of (eg. ketchup, which is well over 20% sugar). When you prepare your own food, you know exactly what's in it. Whenever possible, make your own food; box it up and take it with you if you're not going to be at home.
Conclusion
The overall message of this post is to cut right down on sugar, fructose and starch as the way your body reacts to these refined foods is to store more fat and cause hunger pangs, weakness, dizziness and cravings as well as long term illnesses such as diabetes, liver disease and cardiovascular disease. The question is, what will it cost you to carry on as you have been?
Keep reading-sleeping with wet socks