I have observed that, in general, people over complicate weight loss. When I have thought about weight in my own life, listened to the components of what it took for my patients to lose weight and hearing the stories of other people in the world who have lost and maintained their desired weight, I have learned that weight loss boils down to a couple of simple things. Here are the two things that are the absolute keys for weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight.
1. The Right Habits.
2. Consistency. Consistency. Consistency.
That’s it. It’s easier said than done, I really get that. But this is what I see as the keys to losing and maintaining a healthy weight. Conversely, you have gained weight or cannot keep it off because you have habits that most likely don’t support a healthy weight and you are not consistent. Or you have consistent bad habits. Consistency takes something. You have to dig deep.
Here are the consistent habits that never change for me. These are the habits that work for me that have allowed me to maintain a healthy weight for much of my life. I have seen these same habits work for many others too.
1. I exercise at least 7 hours every week, sometimes as many as 10. I rest 2 days per week. The exercise I do is something I LOVE, so it is super easy to be consistent. Nothing gets in the way of me from exercising every week. Nothing. It is like taking a shower every day for me. I don’t think about it, make excuses for why I can’t, have to plan for it, or moan about doing it. It just happens, consistently.
If I was not able to play the sports I love, I would do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). When I was on a 10 day cruise last year, I did this every day. On a stationary bike, I pedaled as hard as I could for 30 seconds and then rested for 90 seconds (If you are sedentary and haven’t done this before, I would not go this hard right away, but would ease into it). I repeated this 8 times. In total, I did only 4 minutes of exercise. That’s it…4 minutes.
HIIT has been proven to be great cardiovascular fitness for those with time constraints in their life. The health benefits could be twice as much as moderate exercise. Calories are burned quickly with HIIT, up to 25-30% more than regular exercise. HIIT raises your metabolic rate and helps you to burn calories AFTER you are done working out, despite a reduced time commitment.
One study found that people doing HIIT three times per week for 20 minutes per session lost 4.4 pounds, or 2 kgs, of body fat in 12 weeks without any dietary changes. Body fat tends to melt away faster. One of the best benefits of HIIT, is how it can effectively lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels. You can also do HIIT with lifting weights, isolating different body parts during each exercise interval. This will melt away fat and help you to build muscle. A simple search on the internet will reveal many different types of workouts that you can do using this approach. I would consistently do this 3-5 times per week. This would be 3 hour commitment every week.
2. I juice vegetables every day. Most days, I juice 32 ounces. Usually, it is 16 ounces of celery juice and 16 ounces of carrot and apple. Again, this stays ultra consistent. I don’t love juicing or eating vegetables. It is not the most enjoyable thing. But, I really understand how important it is, so I make time for it every single day. This takes me 7 minutes every day, including the washing of the juicer. Don’t have a juicer? I highly suggest the Breville (#ad), it is easy to use and very easy to clean.
3. I avoid every food on The Nasty Nine (except some organic sugar found in dark chocolate). This is my “cheat” food, which I have a little of almost every day. I don’t feel tempted to have dairy, wheat, corn, soy, fried food, alcohol, pork, artificial sweeteners or eggs. This applies even in social situations. I have processed through the emotions (cravings, fears, pressure, frustrations) that come up for me in social situations surrounding these foods, so that things are not tempting for me when I go out.
I also consistently plan ahead. I feel empowered to show restraint, knowing that I choose health and not whatever donut, drink of alcohol, piece of cheese or french fry that comes along. I know full well how those foods make my body feel awful. I choose health. I don’t see it as “I can’t” have those foods. I see it as, I CHOOSE to be healthy. This leaves me feeling empowered, not tempted or afraid of missing out on something. Dealing with the emotional wounds from the past that we try to fill with food in the present moment is perhaps the most important aspect of healing and losing weight. This is where The Sedona Method (#ad) helps immensely. If you don’t want to navigate these waters on your own, feel free to contact me to set up an appointment.
4. I sleep 8 hours every night. This is a must for me to function optimally. The quality of your sleep is intricately connected with the health of your digestive system. When you avoid The Nasty Nine and eat many more vegetables and fruits, over long periods of time, sleep improves. I have seen this occur over and over again in the clinic. People who sleep for shorter periods of time weight significantly more than those that get adequate sleep. People who sleep well generally tend to eat less calories. Not getting enough sleep can lead to diabetes and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Poor sleep has been linked to inflammatory bowel disease and colitis. A wonderful book that many have raved about helping them to sleep better is The Insomnia Solution (#ad).
5. I drink at least 60 ounces of pure filtered water every day. I have at least 100 ounces on the days that I exercise. I drink 20 ounces immediately upon waking to get the day started right.
6. You must be committed and consistent in dealing with the underlying emotional components which drive weight being an issue. You have to put a consistent structure in place to deal with these issues, until they are not an issue for you any more. Here are the themes that are related to the childhood memories and traumas that we have which get projected into our weight issues and struggles. This information comes from The Secret Language of Your Body (#ad) by Inna Segal.
“Overweight—Guilt, shame, suppressed emotions. Carrying others’ problems and burdens. Trying to cover your vulnerability, hurt, or abuse from the past. Not feeling good enough. Feeling stuck. Punishing yourself with food. Trying to push people away or keep them at a distance. Not allowing your true beauty and essence to shine through. Keeping the weight as protection. Constant procrastination.”
How many of these themes are linked back to childhood memories and traumas that, deep down, you know are still causing an issue for you? The Sedona Method is not about talking about your health issues. While talking may be helpful, the aim of The Sedona Method is your total and complete emotional freedom. This was how I was able to heal from 11 years of very heavy depression. Freedom is possible for you.
These are the habits that keep me slim (and healthy) all year long. In more specific terms, weight loss is about creating a calorie deficit. It does not matter if you are exercising or not, whether you are male or female, have other existing health problems or anything else. If you want to lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit. This is simple physics. Energy in and energy out (expended). One guy on the internet proved he could lose weight eating fast food for 2 months. He just created a calorie deficit even eating junk food. This isn’t healthy at all, but proves a point that you can lose weight even eating junk food by creating a calorie deficit. For example, I have seen many people do Weight Watchers, eat many of the foods on The Nasty Nine list, and lose weight. They just created a calorie deficit.
When I have wanted to drop 10 pounds (or more) very quickly, I do a 10 day vegetables and fruit detoxification. Then, I just maintain the weight that I have arrived at by an even calorie exchange. With 60% or more of my diet consisting of vegetables and fruits, which are not very calorie dense, I find it relatively easy to adjust my protein and fat macros to suit my needs.
Lastly, if you want to lose weight and keep it off, inspiration is a must. Find yours. My inspiration is to be able to play the sports I love, be an example to people in my world and keep autoimmune issues at bay. This is what inspires me. What is going to inspire you?
Here are suggestions of what not to do:
1. I do not diet and will never advocate for that. Dieting invokes a notion of things not being consistent. Diets are started and stopped. This does not create consistency or generate sustainable habits. Do you have a dieters mentality? Have you tried everything under the sun to lose weight? Do you yo-yo constantly.
2. I don’t obsess about weight and get on the scale every day (or two or three times per day). Get a ballpark of where your even calorie exchange is without exercise and then be very aware of how close you are to that when you eat everyday. Weight gain or loss per day on a micro level can largely depend on water intake and how certain foods affect you. Keep your eyes on the forest, not on the tree. Are you getting on the scale every day, only to yo-yo every day? Do you get happy when you lose weight and sad, angry and frustrated when you gain? All of these things are issues to process through.
3. I do not calorie count every day. I know what most of my consistent food choices contain in terms of calories and am very mindful of this every day. Calorie counting tends to breed more fear, frustration and obsession. Are you obsessed with counting calories? I am also convinced that everyone’s body burns calories differently. Just because 1 cup of berries has 90 calories, each person’s body may process the energy of those calories just a little differently (slower or faster). You just have to be mindful of your own body.
4. I don’t ever give up on my routine and habits. Do I binge at times and go way over my calories for the day? Yes. In times of stress (not often) I have been known to pound away a 1500 hundred calorie bag of dark chocolate in one sitting. I’m human just like everyone else. BUT, the very next day I get right back at it. This rarely happens though. I also don’t totally give up because I had one moment of weakness. The next week I exercise a little more, consume even more vegetables, and start once again with the habits that I know work for me. When you make poor choices, how quickly do you recover and get back at it? Does it take you weeks or months to recover and get back on track or do you get back at it the next day?
Consistent weekly exercise, avoiding The Nasty Nine, eating lots of veggies and fruits, getting good sleep and drinking lots of water are the habits that work for me and have worked for so many other people. Consistency is the name of the game. If you have trouble with consistency, it is so important to deal with the underlying emotional structures which get in the way of you being consistency. But, don’t use this as an excuse to get started. Pick one of the habits that I mentioned above and just start with the first one. Add in another habit when you got the first habit down and go from there. You got this.
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