If you’re like most people, you probably have a few extra pounds to lose. Maybe you’ve tried losing weight in the past. Maybe you’ve even been successful but gained it back. Whatever the case may be, following these rules will have you down a dress or pant size in no time! You’ll be shocked at how simple losing weight really is.
CAUTION! Side effects of implementing the following the science-backed information include – losing weight, shedding fat and getting healthy!
Rule #1 – Stop consuming sugar!
Liking “sweets” is ingrained in our DNA, believe it or not. Our ancestors figured out a long time ago that sweet tasting foods were not acutely poisonous, and consuming fruits during the summer was a great way to “bulk up” for the winter famine to come. BUT consuming foods seasonally is WAY different than the onslaught of sugary sweets we now endure daily. Companies know it sells so they put it in everything. Beware! Sugar comes in many different forms and can be labeled under multiple names (including, but not limited to, high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose, dehydrated cane juice, et cetera). It’s easy to understand that sugar can be found in candy and soda, but sugar is also often used in breads, condiments, processed foods and even salty snacks!
Here are just a few reasons sugar is bad for you, and will ultimately block your efforts to lose weight.
- Sugar spikes your insulin levels (which is the body’s fat STORING hormone). Not only will those excess calories be stored as fat, when your blood sugar drops suddenly, you’ll feel irritable and crabby (oh, and hungry).
- Fructose. Table sugar is made up of 50% fructose, and unlike the other 50% (glucose), fructose can only be metabolized in the liver – 30% of which ends up as fatty deposits inside your liver. Yup, 30% right off the top goes directly to fat. As the liver fills up with fatty deposits, it’s harder for your body to remain healthy.
- There is NO nutritional value to sugar whatsoever. Products with added sugar likely have it in there just to make you want it or to hide something. There is absolutely no need to consume sugary foods or beverages – none.
- Sugar fails to trigger your satiety hormone, leptin. That’s the reason you can eat a whole bag of skittles, and a large soda, and still have “room” for popcorn. Your body doesn’t recognize those calories because they’re empty. So, you keep eating.
- Sugar feeds the bad bacteria in your gut. If you’ve got tummy problems, sugar is likely the cause – well, technically it’s the bad bacteria in there manipulating your brain to make you desire even more sugar.
- Sugar is abrasive, and as it streams through your arteries, it damages (or nicks) the artery walls. Your body fights back by repairing the scratches by laying down a protective “band-aid” of sorts. That patch is made of cholesterol and commonly referred to as plaque. More sugar = more scratches = more repairs = clogged arteries.
- If you’re struggling with high triglycerides, high cholesterol, and/or high blood pressure…it’s likely due to sugar. Triglycerides, especially, are converted sugars into blood fats.
- Cancer cells thrive on sugar!
If you MUST consume something sweet, consider using Stevia – but don’t use it as a crutch. I think you’ll find your body will adjust quickly, and cravings will subside faster than you think.
Rule #2 – Eliminate processed and packaged foods
This is a big one, and it covers everything from fast foods to microwavable meals, diet sodas to low fat dressings. Basically, if it has a label – don’t eat it. Cook your own meals from real, natural foods. When you buy food products that are already made, you entrust that company with your health and well being. Do you really think McDonald’s gives two hoots about your blood pressure? Not one bit. All they care about is profit.
- Processed foods should really be classified as “engineered” foods, because these products are literally designed to keep you eating them. Ever hear someone say, “Man! These chips are addicting!”? That’s because they are. They’ve been chemically tailored to trigger intense dopamine responses in your brain to make you feel good about eating crap and strip you of your willpower to stop. They are likely high in sugar, artificial sweeteners, excessive amounts of sodium, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and trans fats (which in case you didn’t know are bad for you), and they’re highly likely to contain cheap “genetically modified organisms”
(GMO) products (which have been proven to disrupt normal hormonal processes). - These foods contain chemical additives to enhance the product’s color, shelf life, flavor and texture – chemicals that can be toxic to your body (like aspartame and nitrites). Chemicals that can upset your bowel flora – making it harder for you to absorb what little nutrients are in there and disrupting your body’s immune system and serotonin production.
- I say, “what little nutrients are in there,” because many packaged and processed foods have little to no nutritional value. If they do, it’s because they’ve been fortified with a chemical likeness. “Pyridoxine hydrochloride,” commonly used as Vitamin B6 and “cyanocobalamin,” commonly used as Vitamin B12 (just to name a few) are not complete vitamins and are not in a bio-available form that your body needs to put them to good use.
- Many processed foods lack fiber. Fiber is beneficial to healthy bacteria and promotes a regular potty schedule. Fiber isn’t conducive to impatient customers waiting for their food. Ever try to freeze an orange? It doesn’t turn out too well, does it? That’s because of the fiber. Making food products cheap and available means processing out the fiber so they can be quickly plated for paying consumers.
- Processed, by the way, includes juicing. By squeezing the sweet syrup from your favorite fruit, you are stripped away the fiber and other phytonutrients that are intended to come along for the ride. Otherwise, it’s just flavored sugar water. Have a piece of fruit instead, if you must. Although the glycemic load of fruit is not ideal for people trying to lose weight, an orange is much better than a glass of orange juice.
This rule can be hard for people because of the “convenience factor” that fast food or ready dinners provided. Just remember, those aren’t real food – they are food like products. In order to lose weight, you have to make this a priority and that means taking a careful look at your day. Focus on time management. Find an extra 30 minutes in your day to steam up some veggies and brown some ground beef. We have tons of great recipes that don’t take long to prepare, and can even be done in advance for the week and frozen. Good healthy food doesn’t cost more than processed foods, if you plan your meals. Whatever you do, don’t trade short-term gains for long-term success.
Rule #3 – Avoid refined carbohydrates
The old food pyramid is out, folks! No longer do you have to consume a foundation of wheat and grain. Studies have shown that the nutritional information previously touted by the USDA, in fact, damaged your health. Think of it this way, if everyone followed this guidance since its inception in 1992, and it really was a healthy way of eating, why is the US leading developed countries in size and sickness?
Refined wheat and grains include breads, bagels, chips, pastas, cereals, muffins, pancakes, popcorn, oatmeal, waffles, crackers, cakes, cookies, et cetera. Don’t be fooled by marketing ploys like, “whole wheat,” or “whole grain.” These are no better for you than the former. And although rice, corn, millet, spelt and oats don’t technically contain gluten and are generally considered “less harmful,” they too need to be eliminated to maximize your weight loss success. Take a moment and get rid of them. Seriously, throw them away. Get them out of the house, your car, the office. Here’s why:
- Bottom line – humans cannot eat grasses. Cows? Sure. They, and other animal species, evolved specific gastrointestinal “plants” (pardon the pun) to break down and digest grasses. We have not. Early humans discovered that they could, but only by heavily processing the seeds of grasses – separating them from the husk, drying them, grinding them up, and then boiling them with water. This violates Rule #2 – Eliminate processed Foods. By bypassing the natural safeguards, these highly refined components now have a direct shot into our bloodstream where they wreak havoc.
- These foods are highly inflammatory and have been linked to arthritis, autoimmune diseases and even Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, grains are the most common intestinal irritant. By now, I’m sure you’ve at least heard of gluten – the protein that makes dough stretchy and gooey; however, you may not have heard of gliadin – a smaller protein within gluten this is the culprit behind many of the damaging effects of modern wheat. These proteins manage to pass through the intestinal walls and enter the bloodstream where they can bind to opiate receptors of the human brain – causing “fog,” paranoia, anxiety, depression and appetite stimulation. That is, if they aren’t targeted by your immune system first. See, when the body identifies foreign proteins inside the body, it mounts a vicious attack against what it deems an intruder. The process of your body trying to heal itself (i.e. inflammation) is commonly referred to as “allergies” (i.e. a hyperactive response to a “normal” stimulus). As it so happens, wheat is responsible for causing the most common allergens responsible for causing hives, asthma, cramps, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome and eczema.
- Refined AND “complex” carbohydrates get broken down extremely quickly. This process is often quantified by their high glycemic index – the scale of how fast a food turns into glucose. Grains are among the highest foods on the glycemic index, yielding blood sugar levels higher than that of table sugar; spiking insulin levels which stresses the liver and pancreas; leading to insulin resistance, diabetes, and weight gain. It’s important to note that both, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, have ceased to differentiate between complex and simple carbohydrates – as they negatively impact the human body in much the same way.
- Much, if not all, of the products these days are GMO, or “Genetically Modified Organism.” These foods are engineered to resist disease, pests and herbicides. Although seemingly ideal in theory, these crops are bathed in chemicals, which then end up in your food, and then ultimately your body. These chemicals (commonly referred to as glyphosates) have now been labeled as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization – to which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is formally reviewing whether or not glyphosates should be limited in use.
This rule is going to be tough for most people, because that’s the majority of everyone’s diet these days. There will be a learning curve, but Heading Healthy provides you with many alternatives. Keep in mind, sudden exclusion of any foods (especially the opiate-like foods as described above) may result in withdrawal symptoms (headache, fatigue, depression); however, these typically only last for a few days.
Rule #4 – Limit alcohol
Now we’re just taking all the fun out of life, aren’t we? Look, your liver is highly likely in need of repair from all that toxic food you’ve been eating. It needs a break. Need some better reasons?
- Alcohol contains 7 empty calories per gram, meaning there’s no nutritional benefit to its consumption at all; yet, it does promote a metabolic response, which will spike insulin levels and stop fat burning.
- Your body will prioritize the metabolism of alcohol before anything else. Due to its poisonous effects, your body must get rid of the alcohol before it can even think about digesting that steak and lobster.
- Your liver is the primary factory for burning fat, and only the liver can process alcohol. This means, when you have alcohol, you are essentially taking a sabbatical when it comes to slimming down.
- Alcohol actually damages the liver, which makes it harder for it to work for you in the case of dissolving stored fat.
- Alcohol induces hunger. Ever get the munchies when out drinking with friends? This leads to needless and uncontrolled consumption of (typically) bad calories that you’re trying to avoid in the first place.
If you can’t give it up all together, at least try to cut back. Managing good eating practices while “under the influence” is extremely hard and it will just make this process more difficult and take longer.
Rule #5 – Plant the SEEDS to success
Finally! So what SHOULD you do?
A word of warning – no matter how much you do the following, if you haven’t followed Rules #1 through #4, you’ll struggle with losing weight.
Are you surprised that we haven’t talked about “eating less, exercising more,” or “calories in, calories out?” Let me be brutally honest with you… Losing weight is not about math, it’s about survival. Weight gain, along with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, disease, cancer – these are all survival mechanisms. They are all normal adaptations of your body to its environment. It’s protecting itself from – you. You MUST change the environment! You have to remove the things your body is fighting so hard to cope with. It’s only a matter of time before it breaks down completely. There’s a reason the title of this post describes a “simple,” not “easy” method to losing weight. You have to commit, and in doing so you have to be prepared to abandon years of bad science and “group think” for sound, proven advice; push aside immediate gratification for a lifetime of health and happiness. Give it a solid effort and I promise you will see results.
So, back to Rule #5! What does it even mean? Well, you can’t simply change bad habits – you have to replace them with good ones. Trust me, you’ll need something to distract you so you don’t come hunting me down from making you give up sugar, processed foods, refined carbohydrates and alcohol!
Planting the SEEDS to success means you start implementing practices that create health, not destroy it. They are as follows:
Sleep – You must allow and encourage your body to rest. Sleep gives your parasympathetic nervous system the ability to do its job – rest, digest, repair. Without it, your body will constantly be in a sympathetic dominant (“fight or flight,” aka stressed) state. You can’t burn fat when you’re stressed. Once you dedicate time and effort to sleep, you will finally communicate with your body that it can focus on restoring itself. Not only will the weight of fat start to vanish, so will the weight of life.
Exercise – Get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day, if you can. This can be going for a walk or hitting the gym – whatever you can do to get up and move! Physical activity doesn’t have to be strenuous to achieve the health benefits. Although, the more you increase the amount (duration, frequency, or intensity), the more you increase the “reward.” Exercise promotes muscle, bone and joint health. It facilitates the flow of lymphatic fluids which is a key part of the immune system. Exercise encourages the release of endorphins which make you feel happy and reduce the perception of pain. Additionally, exercise can increase your energy levels, boost your self-confidence, reduce your risk for injury, raise levels of fat burning hormones, and even improve your quality and quantity of sleep. Exercise has been proven to reduce your risk of dying prematurely, developing diabetes, and reducing high blood pressure. Above all, it speeds up and conditions the respiratory and circulatory systems – both pivotal transportation mechanisms that deliver oxygen and nutrient rich blood to the cells in exchange for toxins and waste products.
Eat – Yes! You get to eat! You get to eat a LOT, actually – a lot of nutrient dense, calorie packed, whole, real food! The key is eating good foods that provide your body with what it needs, and consuming those foods in 1 to 3 big meals per day. Don’t snack or graze. Instead, “refuel” at consistent and regular times each day. The longer you wait in between meals, and the fewer meals you have, the better! Don’t confuse this tip with “starving” yourself or reducing calories. This is simply a conscious effort to consolidate what you eat in the course of a day into meals. Examples of what now constitutes the bulk of your meals include: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, lettuce, et cetera – essentially unlimited amounts of a wide variety of wholesome vegetables. They might not sound mouth-watering to you just yet, but after a couple of weeks you’ll crave (and I emphasize “crave”) salad! Maybe the best part is that you get to indulge yourself in what you were previously scolded for eating – fats. Consuming foods rich in healthy, natural fats like eggs and bacon, nuts and seeds, cheeses and creams are now encouraged! All those colorful veggies, cooked in organic butters and anti-inflammatory oils, are the base to every meal that will satiate even the hungriest of food addicts. Think of proteins (fish, chicken, turkey and beef) as “condi-meats,” which now eloquently accompany your meal instead of selfishly overpowering it. If you can, go organic, non-GMO, grass-fed, free-range, pasture-raised, wild-caught, and especially antibiotic and hormone free products. Need some inspiration and direction? Heading Healthy has you covered! Don’t worry, you and your family won’t go hungry; and, I’d even bet you’ll feel more satisfied that you ever have because your body will finally be getting what it needs, not what you think you want.
Drink – Drink water, not calories! Water is the most important “nutrient,” second only to oxygen. Without it, you’d likely die within days; whereas, you can go for weeks (even months) without food. The human body is made up of over 70% water – it’s crucial for brain function and the circulatory system. However, drinking too much water can be bad for you, too, as it can further dilute deficient electrolytes which can lead to a retention of water outside the cells and dehydration inside the cells. If you’re constantly thirsty, drinking a LOT of water, and retaining most of it – chances are good you have an electrolyte imbalance, and water isn’t your problem at all. There are those guidelines that say, “drink half your weight in water per day,” or “8 to 10 glasses per day,” but they fail to accommodate for the individual (e.g. physical exertion, renal efficiency, et cetera) and the environmental (e.g. outside temperatures, humidity levels, et cetera) variables. The new rule of thumb is to simply drink when you’re thirsty. Don’t force yourself to drink. Make sure to drink good quality, non-fluoridated, non-chlorinated, filtered water whenever possible. Spring water is best. I encourage you to “spice up” your water with lemon or lime juice (or even apple cider vinegar). Stay away from artificial or sugary drinks. One black coffee and/or tea per day is fine.
Stress Management – Everyone has stress to deal with on a daily basis, but chronic stress can be deadly. Any form of stress forces the body into a sympathetic (“fight or flight”) state, which triggers the release of fat-blocking hormones (namely, cortisol). Take a good look into your life, at your environment, and ask yourself if you suffer from any extreme and/or longstanding exposure to stress. This includes any physical, chemical or emotional stress. We already highlighted some of the chemical stressors you are likely living with on a daily basis (e.g. sugar, processed foods, refined carbohydrates, glyphosates, et cetera), but environmental toxins like mold and airborne metals, even medications, are critical to identify and eliminate as soon as possible. Physical stressors promote a similar hormonal response, albeit with more overt symptoms, like pain. Consider walking around all day with a stone in your shoe or battling through joint discomfort for years – no doubt covering it up with more toxic chemicals like anti-inflammatories (which, by the way, are commonly associated with excessive weight gain). Finally, emotional stress, which may come from financial struggles, abusive relationships, poor working environment, lack of sleep, even the caring of special needs children or elderly parents – these not only have an impact on your ability to get through the day, they generally result in prescriptions (chemicals designed to alter your physiology) like anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, and anti-hypertensives. Maybe one of the hardest seed to sow, it’s imperative to find ways to lessen and manage your daily stress. Useful techniques range from breathing exercises to guided visualization meditation, yoga and exercise, even counseling – whatever works for you, but make your mental well being a priority.
In closing, be patient and act purposefully. Concentrate on ridding your self, your body, your life of what’s decreasing health and double-down on those that increase it. Ultimately, you get healthy to lose weight, not the other way around. Actually, losing weight is the easy part once you understand the principles behind it. Take command of your body, today! Join the Heading Healthy movement and discover your true potential! The only think you have to lose, is FAT!
