Have you been happy on a weight loss plan, only to reach a stubborn plateau? Read on for some solutions.
1. Do you know your hidden food allergies? They can cause the body to hold onto weight. Most common are milk, eggs, and gluten. Try removing these foods for 2 weeks and then introducing them back in, one at a time. If you react with bloating, fatigue, or congestion, you are allergic.
2. Change up your exercise routine. Vary it between cardio, strength, and stress relief like yoga and deep breathing. Interval training WORKS best.
3. Eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch, and a pauper at dinner. Make dinner your smallest meal: you don’t need caloric energy in the evening when you are preparing for bed. Breakfast should be your largest meal, as you need the energy to get through the day. Eat 3 hours before bed so you do not go to bed with a full stomach. Avoid late night eating!
4. Try a cleanse! Toxins cause the body to hold excess fat. Toxins are stored in fat cells, and the body uses fat as a buffer to protect the organs from the toxins. Doing a gentle full body cleanse can help the health of your liver and can cleanse unwanted toxins. Talk to me about doing a cleanse! I run them in groups and privately with clients. You do not have to live in San Francisco.
5. Are you eating “diet foods?” Dump them! Low fat or fat free or sugar free foods are highly processed. Sugar replaces fat, or aspartame (a toxin) replaces sugar. These diet products are not whole foods, and sugar raises insulin, which causes the body to store more fat. Avoid!
6. Are you getting 8 hours sleep? Too little sleep can raise cortisol levels, which causes blood sugar instability. The result? Carb cravings! Too many carbs = weight gain.
7. Good segue into my next point: are you a vegetarian who has reached a weight loss plateau? Or gained weight on a vegetarian or vegan diet? You are not eating right for your physiology. I can’t tell you how many overweight vegetarian or vegan clients I’ve had that began to lose weight immediately upon changing their diet to meet their needs–and this includes high quality animal protein and good fats. Eating too many grains or high carb foods can cause weight gain.
8. Check thyroid function and assess digestive function (bad bacteria can cause your body to hold onto excess weight). Take a good quality probiotic. A cleanse can help digestive health, too.
We run holistic weight loss workshops in San Francisco, and I run them with private clients. I help people uncover the hidden reasons they’re not losing weight. Ask me for more details. Good luck!
Mary Vance is a Certified Nutrition Consultant and author specializing in digestive health. She combines a science-based approach with natural therapies to rebalance the body. In addition to her 1:1 coaching, she offers courses to help you heal your gut and improve your health. Mary lives in San Francisco and Lake Tahoe in Northern California. Read more about her coaching practice here and her background here.
