5 Ways to Lose Weight Naturally

I’m going to take great care of my body because it houses the sacred being that I am”.
Dr Wayne W. Dyer

Would you like to end the struggle with your Weight Loss?

If you’re tired and frustrated with the endless cycle of dieting like I was, then maybe it’s a good time to go back to basics and look at the foundations of your health.

You know the drill – reduce your food intake, exercise more and improve your lifestyle. If you master these things you will lose your weight.   Yes, these factors are absolutely vital to weight loss and will always remain so.  But for many of us, it’s not always that simple.

Many clients I see actually have a healthy diet and lifestyle but they are still unable to lose weight.  Others are often crippled with such strong sugar cravings that no amount of willpower can stop them from indulging. Or some just feel their energy and vitality are so low they can’t find the motivation to just get started.

So stripping it right back to basics, let’s look at 5 barriers that could be affecting your weight loss and the suggested ways you can accelerate your weight loss naturally.

1.     Your Body is Overloaded With Toxins

It is very difficult to get motivated to lose weight when you just don’t have the energy or mental focus to get started.   It could well be your body is overloaded with long-standing toxins that are hindering you from shedding pounds.

How would you know? 

• Symptoms such as these could be a sign your body is not able to remove toxins efficiently.
• Feeling sluggish, tired or lethargic.
• Difficulty concentrating or your mind feels foggy.
• Experiencing digestive problems such as indigestion, bloating or constipation.
• Mood swings.
• Strong sugar cravings.
• Hormone imbalances.
• Poor skin condition or skin problems.
• Repeated colds and illnesses.

Your body is constantly producing waste and toxins and these are removed via the bowels, urinary tract and lungs.  If these organs are not working efficiently, for example, you are constipated or you don’t drink enough water, the body has to seek other ways to remove the toxins and does so via the skin, mucous membranes, and menstrual blood in women.

If these organs are under pressure and unable to process the excess waste, the toxins remain in the bloodstream and are stored away in tissues such as fat.

Solution: Detox Your Body

Homeopathy is an excellent way to detox as it supports and enhances your body’s natural cleansing ability while minimising detox side effects.  It doesn’t have to be painful either. As part of the detox process, I select homeopathic remedies according to your particular needs and these gently stimulate and improve your body’s own natural elimination and detoxing process. Not only will it cleanse your body, it will help increase your overall vitality and energy, setting the foundations for your weight loss naturally.  You can read more about how to supercharge your health, detox, cleanse and revitalise your system here.

3 Self help tips

• Swap processed foods for real foods. Processed foods are high in refined sugar and often packed with artificial ingredients which are low in nutrients and fibre.
• Drink a minimum of 1.5 litres of still water daily to help flush the toxins.
• Increase your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables and choose seasonal for maximum nutrition.

2.     You are Stressed or Emotionally Eating

We all react to stress differently. Some people will eat more and some will eat less. Some will overeat and gain a huge amount of weight while others will lose their appetite altogether.

Stressed symptoms you might experience include

• Cravings for chocolates, sweets, bread, cakes, caffeine and alcohol.
• Mid-afternoon slumps at 3-4pm and craving coffee or something sweet to get you through the afternoon.
• Frequent colds, infections and headaches.

Emotional eating or comfort eating is one of the biggest stumbling blocks I see in preventing weight loss as food is used to suppress feelings such as boredom, anger, loneliness, lack of confidence, or poor self-esteem.  Soothing ourselves with food is often a call that you need emotional healing and it is important to address what underlies using food as an emotional substitute.

Solution: Address the Underlying Cause 

To learn how to control your weight it is vital that I understand how you cope with stress, how your body reacts and what can be done to reduce its impact on your life.  I also look at areas where you feel stuck, triggers for eating and your relationship with food and yourself. For example Natrum Mur may be prescribed to someone whose overeating has been triggered by depression or grief, and Calc Carb may be suitable for the woman who is a worrier, comfort eats with cakes and biscuits and suffers from constipation and thyroid problems.

3 Self help tips

• Get moving. Exercise is a powerful way to decrease stress levels and even if it is only a brisk walk, the distraction will help boost your energy and clear your mind.
• Take a Deep Breath: We are inclined to hold our breath when we are stressed or anxious yet one of the most effective ways to relax is to breathe.   An easy 3-5 minute exercise is to sit up straight in a chair with your feet firmly on the floor.  Allow your breath to drop down into your belly and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth for a count of five each way.
• Talk to a friend or trained professional about how you are feeling.   One of the things my clients repeatedly tell me after our first session is that they feel so much better after talking and getting things off their chest.  Sometimes just hearing yourself name what is bothering you can help release some of the built-up tension.

3.     You have poor digestion

Your digestive system needs to be working well so that it can break down and absorb the nutrients from food. If this is not possible your body will continue to crave what it needs, often leading to a cycle of overeating. It might also explain why those who eat sensibly can still feel hungry after a meal or find it difficult to stop eating.

Candida overgrowth can also be a significant barrier to weight loss.  Candida is a type of yeast that lives naturally in the digestive tract. With a healthy immune system, the body can keep the natural balance of good bacteria in check.   However, when Candida overgrowth occurs it can create a host of problems including fatigue, bloating and sugar cravings – sugar being its fuel source.

A healthy liver function is important for maintaining a balanced weight as it is responsible for breaking down fats and acts like a filter to clear toxins from our blood.  Everything we eat and drink is processed by the liver and if it is overburdened the excess toxins it can’t remove are stored in your fat cells.

Solution: Improve Your Digestion and Liver Function

In Homeopathy the way I work is to select remedies to help your digestive system work more efficiently so that you can better assimilate your food. This might include helping with problems such as bloating, heartburn, nausea, constipation, diarrohea, irritable bowel syndrome, pre-menstrual tension and migraines.

I also use remedies to help cleanse and tone the liver to help the body process fats better.

The homeopathic approach takes a holistic view of your health and remedy selection is individualised. For example, a woman with hormonal imbalances, constipation and headaches may be prescribed Sepia, someone suffering from IBS, liver and kidney problems and a lot of bloating may benefit from Lycopodium, or a person who is a big eater and drinker may require Sulphur or Nux Vomica. *

3 Self help tips

• Cut down on your alcohol consumption.
• Eat organic as much as possible to avoid environmental toxins like pesticides.
• Increase foods that are cleansing to the liver such as garlic, onions, beetroot, broccoli, asparagus, walnuts and avocados.

4.     Your hormones are out of balance

Underlying hormone imbalances can make it difficult to shift excess pounds and maintain a healthy weight.

Lower estrogen levels during our period and menopause can impact your moods and your cravings – how many of us have felt overwhelming sugar cravings during this time.

Many women also notice they gain weight during menopause or their shape changes particularly around the waist and abdomen even though their diet has not changed.  As your oestrogen levels decrease your body tries to compensate by producing it elsewhere and the fat around the middle manufacturers oestrogen to offset the lower oestrogen produced from the ovaries.

Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone is one of the main reasons for stubborn belly fat, sugar cravings and increased appetite. It is responsible for the flight or fright response and it rises during stressful times. The problem occurs when you are stressed for prolonged periods and there is too much hormone produced for too long.

Leptin is an important hormone that tells you when you have eaten enough and that you are full. When your leptin level rises, your appetite decreases and when your leptin levels fall your appetite increases. It also tells the body that enough fat is stored and we no longer need to eat. When the signal doesn’t work it is possible to become leptin resistant meaning you are unable to tell if you are full or not.

Insulin controls your blood sugar levels and it also regulates fat storage. When your hormones are balanced your pancreas produces the right amount of insulin to keep everything in order.  If your sugar levels rise and fall dramatically for example after eating refined foods, you go on a roller-coaster of craving sugary foods to help cope with the blood sugar drop and to raise your blood sugars quickly. In addition, excess glucose when not used as energy is stored as fat.

Solution: Balance your hormones

Hormone imbalances are complex and they look different from one person to the next. The way I work is to create a personalised treatment plan to help regulate your hormones with remedies selected specifically to your needs.

3 Self help tips

• Learning how to manage your stress is vital and this can be helped with homeopathy or other natural therapies, yoga, meditation, deep breathing and exercise.
• Keep your blood sugars balanced to manage healthy weight loss. Eat 3 meals daily with 2 small snacks and add a little protein to each meal and snack. For example nuts or seeds to your porridge, a handful of nuts with your fruit.  Reduce your coffee intake which elevates cortisol levels.
• Use natural skincare products.  Think about what you put on your skin.  Our body absorbs the lotions and potions we apply and many commercial skincare products contain an array of hormone-disrupting chemicals. Your local health store will offer a great range of alternatives.

5. You’re not getting enough sleep

Inadequate or poor quality sleep often makes you overeat as you tend to reach for sugary treats to help get you through the day. It also impacts the hormone leptin which regulates our fullness signal.  With insufficient sleep, your leptin levels decrease and it tells your brain it needs more food.

Solution: Treat the Underlying Cause

Sleep problems differ for each of us whether from worry or stress, having difficulty falling asleep or waking at certain times.  As part of our consultation, I look at the underlying cause of your sleep problems and prescribe remedies specific to your needs.

3 Self help tips

• Avoid caffeine and stimulant foods that can keep you awake such as coffee, tea, coke and chocolate. Instead try chamomile tea to encourage relaxation.
• Keep to a sleep routine for the same time each day and write out your to-do list about an hour before bedtime so you are not overthinking when it’s time to relax.
• Try to unwind by having a warm bath and practicing relaxation techniques such as relaxing music, visualisations, meditation, or yoga.

By getting yourself in the best of health and having your body working at its optimum you can hope to enjoy positive changes that will motivate you to make better lifestyle choices and in turn lose weight.  You will also feel empowered to enjoy a healthier and happier relationship with yourself and food.

If you would like to find out more about my Reset, Detox and Cleanse Programme, personalised to help, release emotional blocks, reduce sugar cravings and increase your energy why not book a Free Clarity Call, email me at [email protected] or call 086 0891037  (International: +353 86 089 1037).

*Remedy selection is based on many factors and requires individualised homeopathic prescriptions. Only a small part of the remedy picture is included here to explain different remedies. Please feel free to contact me to find out how we find a remedy specific to your needs.