Why do some people seem to be eating right and exercising religiously, yet struggle with the last 5 or 10 pounds? Here are three factors that cause our bodies to hold onto weight:
1. Cravings – if you go for the whole tub of Ben and Jerry’s at 10pm, it doesn’t matter that you have been eating lettuce all day! One single best tip for beating cravings is to stay hydrated. The sensation of thirst/dehydration is often mistaken by our bodies as hunger. Grab a glass of water, and wait 10 – 15 minutes, before you go for food.
2. Waste = Weight – you retain weight when your body holds onto metabolic waste, fluid, and toxins. Your body retains fat to protect itself from fat-soluble toxins. Until you let the toxins go, your body will not release the fat. You want to help your body get the existing toxins out, while reducing the amount of environmental toxins that you put into your body.
3. Stress Management – when we are stressed, our body produces the stress hormone cortisol, which packs a triple whammy. Cortisol slows metabolism, affects blood sugar level, interferes with insulin secretion, increases fat storage – especially around the mid-section, and promotes cravings for fatty, salty and sugary foods.
Plus, if you are stressed, you can’t relax and get the rest you need, which further spikes cortisol production – creating a vicious cycle.
What can you do?
Let’s focus on reducing our toxic load to tackle “waste = weight”:
Use a holistic and natural approach to those last few pounds. Implement these 5 tips to reduce your toxic load:
- Use herbs that support your detox organs – liver, kidney and colon. E.g. milk thistle and dandelion.
- Encourage elimination through skin, our largest organ for elimination. E.g. sweating and dry brushing.
- Buy and eat organic food as much as possible – learn about the “Dirty Dozen” list and try to shop organic for these fruits and vegetables.
- Reduce processed and packaged foods, which are loaded with chemicals.
- Replace household and personal products containing a lot of chemicals with those made with natural ingredients.
