Overcoming Obesity Step by Step

I am sure that it comes as no surprise to you that obesity is a HUGE health epidemic.

Some are saying it is the #1 preventable killer. This means that it tops even smoking!

Whether you watch the Biggest Loser or Dr. Oz, the media trumpets about America’s obesity problem.  The sad part is that even though our obesity epidemic is “old news,” the problem continues to grow!  Currently, one third of America is obese.  Some are predicting that by 2030 obesity will consume half of the American population!

Obesity is defined as an accumulation of body fat that is 20% or more than someone’s ideal body weight. Most doctors use something called the BMI (Body Mass Index) to calculate obesity.

Your BMI = your weight in kilograms divided by your height in square meters.

• Under 18.5 BMI = Underweight
• 18.5-24.9 BMI = Healthy Weight
• 25-29.9 BMI = Overweight
• 30+ BMI = Obesity

Here is a quick and easy way to calculate your BMI without having to do the math yourself. http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

3 Steps to Overcoming Obesity

Many obese individuals don’t even realize the way they are eating is contributing to their weight problem.  Unfortunately, most obese adults were also obese as children.  Hundreds of thousands of kids are raised on fast food and junk food; some have never even touched a green vegetable or piece of fresh fruit!  This has become the reality of America – and an extremely sad reality it is.

• The average American typically gains approximately one pound a year.
• Those over 50 years old gain around 2 pounds a year.
• Those with diabetes gain more than 4 pounds a year!

Some may scoff and say that really doesn’t add up to that much but, when you gain year after year, the pounds tip the scale into obesity.

The irony in all of this is that obesity is one of the simplest health problems to treat!  Reversing obesity doesn’t require surgery or multiple hospital visits.  Yes, there are a small number of genetic predispositions to being overweight, but most of the time a person struggles with obesity because of their choices.

Tackling obesity involves a strong will and an intense desire to change. But, when you do overcome obesity, it is well worth the benefits:

• Greatly reducing your risk of heart disease
• Lowering your chances of becoming diabetic
• Increased energy and stamina
• Greater self confidence

When someone approaches me trying to solve their obesity problem, I ask them a lot of questions to find out how serious and committed that person is.  Many times I find that they just want a quick fix or a magic pill to solve their weight problems.  I, however, don’t offer those magical promises.  What I do offer is a step-by-step plan to overcome obesity that results in:

1. Identification of possible weight-loss inhibiting health factors
2. Cleansing of accumulated toxins in the body to increase weight loss capacity
3. A well rounded plan for lifelong health and nutrition 

#1 Correcting Obesity’s Roadblocks

Before beginning your journey towards losing weight and improving your health, you should eliminate any possible underlying health factors. Many times obesity itself causes health issues.  But, sometimes, there are imbalances in the body that contribute to weight gain.  Those imbalances can inhibit one’s ability to lose the substantial amount of weight they need to lose to overcome their obesity.

Here are the 3 most common body imbalances that become roadblocks to losing weight:

Hypothyroidism

Before you begin your weight loss journey, have your doctor run a thyroid panel.  A slow thyroid causes weight gain and can greatly impair your efforts to lose weight. (1) Your thyroid hormones play a significant role in both your metabolism and your utilization of nutrients. Some people see the pounds start falling off simply by having their thyroid working properly again!

If your thyroid levels are low and your doctor suggests medication, request a natural thyroid medication like Amour or Naturthroid.  They work much better and are safer than the typically prescribed synthetic versions like Synthroid.

Fortunately, you can help normalize an underactive thyroid gland by increasing your intake of the mineral iodine and increase your weight loss chances. Iodoral tablets are a great form of iodine to take and are recommended by many medical professionals.  Take the simple iodine test and accurately assess your need for iodine.

Hormone Imbalance

Our sex hormones can also greatly influence our ability to lose weight.  One of my clients ran 5-6 miles a day and ate extremely healthy, but his weight just wouldn’t budge.  His thyroid came back completely normal so we ran a men’s hormone panel.  His lab results showed that his testosterone levels were extremely low.  After using bio-identical testosterone cream for a couple weeks, his excess weight began to fall off!

Too much estrogen can also cause weight gain in both men and women.  We are exposed to toxic estrogen on a daily basis through our diet.  These toxic estrogens, or xenoestrogens, are in our plastics, body care products and even our food!  One of the best ways to filter out excess estrogen is with supplements to help you break down and eliminate the excess estrogen in your body:

• Indol-3-carbinol
• DIM (Diindolylmethane)
• Calcium d-glucarate

It is amazing how just one hormonal imbalance can cause such dramatic weight gain. Having a hormone panel run is a wise choice before your journey to weight loss.  This is especially recommended if you’re over 30 years old.

Insulin Resistance

Another impeding factor to weight loss is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance happens when the body’s cells no longer respond to insulin.  The cells then cannot utilize glucose, so the pancreas pumps out even more insulin in an effort to stabilize the body’s blood sugar.  Because the sugar isn’t properly utilized, it is stored as excess body fat.  A tell tale sign of insulin resistance is an accumulation of fat around the abdominal area. In fact, most obese individuals struggle with insulin resistance and have no idea. After a while, the pancreas can give out and diabetes becomes the result.

Overcoming insulin resistance typically calls for a low sugar and low carbohydrate diet.  Following this diet can eventually “reset” the cells so that they begin to respond to insulin again and your body starts to shed excess weight.

#2 Eliminating Toxic Fat

Once you have identified and corrected any imbalance in the body, it is time to begin to consider a detoxification plan. I highly recommend detoxification because when you start burning fat, the toxins accumulated in those fat cells are released into your system.

Most weight loss plans do not address the potential seriousness of this toxic release. This toxic bombardment is why many people feel terrible when they begin losing weight.  They may be shedding pounds, but they are also being overwhelmed with chemicals that have been stored away for years inside those fat cells! Here are some frightening examples of the toxic chemicals hidden away in our body fat:

• The National Human Adipose Tissue Survey was performed by the EPA in the 1980s.  They analyzed human fat samples looking for toxic chemicals. They found that in 100% of their samples had 4 different industrial solvents and one dioxin.  In more than 90% of the samples they found 9 different chemicals, 3 more dioxins and one furan, which are highly toxic by-products from industrial manufacturing. Also, 83% of the fat samples contained PCBs that can affect our immune, neurological, and endocrine systems resulting in thyroid disruption, fertility issues and low immune system activity.(2) (3) (4)
• When fat cells are broken down during weight loss, the surge of pollutants in the bloodstream can trigger disease. Some of those include heart disease, diabetes and arthritis. This is why it is so important to detox in order to buffer the effects of this potentially toxic onset. (5)

In my professional opinion, detoxification is KEY when beginning a lifestyle change of healthier eating.  It’s the body’s way of breaking down and eliminating anything that doesn’t belong. And, these days, there are a lot of things our bodies come into contact with that don’t belong. If you are struggling to lose weight despite eating well and exercising your butt off, toxins may be interfering with your body’s metabolism.

Some promote detoxes and cleanses to “jumpstart” weight loss.  However, detoxing should never be looked at as a quick and easy way to lose weight.  It is, instead, an integral part of maintaining good health and protection while you’re burning fat. Detoxification enhances your body’s natural healing system.

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Pre-Weight Loss Cleansing Steps

To avoid those side-effects from fat loss toxic release, it is beneficial to do some mild cleansing or detoxification during the weight loss.  While it’s true that we live in a toxic world, it’s important to remember that there is a lot you can do to enhance your body’s natural ability to detox.

Detoxification for the first time should be done both gently and in steps. Jumping in and doing an extreme cleanse can cause more harm (vitamin deficiency, cardiac arrhythmia, depression, anemia and even brain damage) than good.

Focusing on one organ at a time to mobilize, transform, and excrete toxins will give you the safest results.

The Colon

Cleansing should always start with the colon.  Your colon is your largest channel of elimination. One or two well-formed bowel movements every day are one of the best ways to give toxins a one-way ticket out of your body.

Once your colon is cleansed and restored, it frees up your other channels of elimination and can result in weight loss.  It is not a loss of fat, but rather a loss of weight from accumulated fecal matter and water in the colon!  Some people carry around several extra pounds of fecal matter and have no idea!  This “backing up” of your system inhibits your ability to get toxic material out of your body.  A cleansed colon allows you to get those toxins out of your system quickly and efficiently!

I believe there are two very important things to incorporate into a colon cleanse plan.

Fiber

One of the best ways to cleanse the colon is the addition of fiber in the diet. Fiber cleans out the colon by making our stool heftier and easier to expel.  Having a cleansed colon has numerous benefits.  Some of those include:

• Feeling lighter and less bloated
• Improved digestion and elimination
• Mental Clarity

I typically recommend a fiber like flax for the daily diet – 2 tbsp a day is typically beneficial enough.  However, I have also been recommending Renew Life’s Bowel Cleanse formula.  I am a big fan of all in one formula’s and Renew Life is a fantastic company. Their formula uses flax, oat bran, and acai fibers and combines them with the gentle laxative rhubarb (a gentle laxative is beneficial for colon cleansing, as well).

Bentonite Clay

Bentonite clay, otherwise known as montmorillonite clay, is one of my favorite detoxification tools because it is very gentle, yet extremely effective.

Bentonite carries a negative charge, which helps draw positively charged toxins to it.  Taking bentonite clay internally binds up toxins and carries them out of the colon.   I prefer Sonne’s brand and recommend 1 tbsp twice a day.  Don’t take it within an hour of your other supplements as it may absorb them.  You can also add powdered bentonite to your bath to pull toxins out through your skin. I have bathed in bentonite often and I am always amazed how I can feel it working!

The Liver

The liver has been deemed by many as your “fat burning organ”.   That is because a healthy, cleansed, and well functioning liver is an absolute essential to weight loss. When your liver is overwhelmed with toxins – which is incredibly common these days – it makes it challenging for your liver to get around to burning fat.

As I mentioned earlier, when you start burning fat, the accumulated toxins that were stored in that fat start circulating in your body.  For every pound of fat you burn, all the toxins need to be metabolized by the liver.   Cleansing and continuing to support your liver before and during your weight loss can help you quickly and effectively process those fat and toxins out of your body.

I believe that keeping the liver cleansed will help you feel much better during the initial stages of weight loss.  A well functioning liver will process those toxins out of the body much faster, which will result in

• Clearer thinking
• More energy
• Faster weight loss

I recommend beginning a liver cleanse at least a week before you begin your journey towards healthier eating and weight loss.  When you ease your liver’s detoxification burden, your liver will have the space to burn fat.

I also suggest you stay on liver supporting supplements during your entire weight loss.  It will need all the help it can get during this time.  Some fantastic liver supporters and cleansers include:

Milk Thistle

Renowned for it’s ability to both protect and promote the growth of healthy liver cells, milk thistle promotes the flow of bile, which helps move toxins out of the liver and on their way out of the body.

Dandelion…

Stimulates bile production and assists the in the detoxification phases of the liver.  It is also great for the kidneys because it acts as a gentle and natural diuretic.  Dandelion is rich vitamins and nutrients like iron, calcium and magnesium to help balance its diuretics effects.

Artichoke

Artichoke both regenerates and protects the liver.  It too increases the flow of bile to support the digestion of fats.

I highly recommend Liver Cleanse by Enzymatic Therapy.  It not only contains these three ingredients, but several others, as well.

1. Take 3 pills twice a day for at least a month during the initial stages of your weight loss.
2. After one month, you can reduce the dosage down to just 3 pills once a day.

Other ways to support your liver on an on-going basis are to keep your lifestyle chemical-free and your diet as close to nature as possible. Processed foods, unnatural foods, and chemicals from all sources create a burden on our liver (that often leads to disease) and make it very hard for us to lose weight.

#3 A Healthy Eating Lifestyle Plan

The last secret to overcoming obesity is choosing a healthy eating plan.  I really hate using the word “diet” because it implies something short term and typically quite extreme in our culture.  Whatever you choose, it must be something reasonable and also something that can change your life positively for the rest of your life. Imagine, you can:

• Lose weight
• Fit into smaller size clothes
• Feel energized daily
• Experience zero cravings
• Never feel hungry
• Automatically stop eating when you are no longer hungry
• Stop overeating ever
• No longer suffer from food allergies
• And overall, feel fabulous!

Thinking long term will help you keep the weight off long after you lose it.   This step is a lifestyle change, not just a diet to follow to lose weight.

Many people think short term and look forward to the day they can eat whatever they want again.  Those people, unfortunately, are destined to gain their weight back.  This is why it is very important that you pick a plan you can follow and includes foods you enjoy.   In fact, this is the last “diet” you will ever need.

The two eating plans I recommend to my clients are:

• Eat Fat Lose Fat by Mary Enig
• The Fat Flush Plan by Anne Louise Gittleman

Both of these plans expose the great lie in the weight loss industry.  One lie is that “fat makes you fat.”  Low fat foods are not always healthy and many times contain artificial ingredients and excess sugar.  For example, Coke is 100% fat-free, but that doesn’t make it a health food.

I find both of these plans easy to follow and nutritionally sound.  I always recommend books rather than just a list of “do’s and don’ts” for foods.  This is because books give the science and reasoning behind their nutritional recommendations.  Knowing the why behind what you are eating is very empowering!  A very simple idea from these books can break through the confusion and plant the seeds of a health revolution. Our bodies were designed to run on real food. Our natural default state is health.  We need to simplify our way of eating.

Also, I recommend that you weigh the plan you choose, up to the Barton Publishing’s Healthy Food Plate.  This Food Plate is in my opinion a fantastic guide to true health and nutrition.  If your eating plan doesn’t resemble this chart, it is most likely out of balance.

Healthy Purpose

Remember, your primary purpose behind eating well, shouldn’t be weight loss!  If you make weight loss your only goal, then you may throw in the towel once the weight is lost.

True health should be your primary motivation!  The side-effects of losing weight are all good ones: reversal of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, clearing of brain fog, lifting of depression and fatigue and even better skin, hair and nails.

Start by saying “I’m going to get healthy!” and not, “I’m going to lose weight!”

Make your goals clear.  The roadmap to health is simple, eat real food, take care of the roadblocks, unjunk your diet and detox so you body can heal.

The solution to our health crisis and obesity epidemic is not complicated. Then not only will your weight change, but your whole outlook on health will be revolutionized!

 

References:
(1) http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hyperthyrdgraves/a/weightgain.htm
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1614818/?pageindex=1#page
(3) http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=55204
(4) http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/oby2012123a.html
(5) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41118846/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/#.ULaDg6k1FSU