Losing weight and keeping it off can be a real struggle for many.
Taking control of your weight can be a nightmare, and if you are someone who has struggled for years with weight issues, no doubt you have gone through a long list of so called “wonder” diets in an attempt to achieve, what you perceive, to be the perfect weight.
In this issue Dr Britt Cordi, PhD who has a research background into molecular biology, and over 20 years’ experience in optimising health and wellbeing through superfoods, writes about her experiences with clients who have struggled with weight issues.
Britt explains: “we have clients who used to have a real struggle with their weight. For example, they have tried different diets and although they might have worked, this would only be short-term. Long-term, any weight they would manage to loose would typically return along with some extra pounds”.
According to nutrition expert Dr. Traci Mann, who has studied dieting for over 20 years, and runs the Health and Eating Laboratory at the University of Minnesota, all weight loss programs are likely to fail.
As Dr. Mann told the Washington Post, this is because for dieters, food “looks more tempting, as they’re hungrier than they should be, their body is getting by on fewer calories, and everything is just working against them.”
Nathalie Chantal de Ahna, a well-respected nutritionist also used to struggle keeping the pounds off longer-term. She stopped dieting many years ago, and instead started living better. She started making a list of all the natural weight loss tricks and suggestions she had ever come across (Literally hundreds). She then printed them, cut them apart and put them in a jar, as if they were cookies.
Natalie explains: “Two or three times a week, I would then grab a “cookie” (really, just a health tip) and if I liked it, I’d make it part of my routine.
Here is a list of the 30 best weight loss tricks based on Nathalie’s and Britt’s experiences. Give them a try and see how they can help you lose the extra pounds – And maintain your ideal body weight!
- Drink a glass of lukewarm lemon water first thing in the morning.
- Make sure to get at least seven hours of sleep every night. This will help balance your hormones, including the ones that regulate appetite.
- Have some protein with every meal.
- Eat a handful of nuts every day.
- Buy yourself a pedometer and start moving. Your daily goal? Min 10,000 steps. Make sure you keep track, so it becomes a routine and is measurable. Join a regular gym class and make it a routine, go a couple of times a week. Joining a class helps, as you are with others and it becomes easier and more fun. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so as you get fitter you will automatically find it easier to lose the excess weight.
- Drink at least 1.5 litres-2 liters of water throughout the day. Make a point of filling a 1.5 or 2 liter bottle. By the end of the evening, it should be empty! You can add lemon or other fruits to liven up the taste, so it becomes easier to drink.
- When you feel like you need comfort food, make a point of going for a min 5-minute walk and drink a glass of water before you snack.
- Rinse your mouth with vitamin C powder dissolved in water when cravings strike.
- Find 10 recipes with oats and make one whenever you need a snack or a healthy breakfast.
- Drink a glass of grapefruit juice 30 minutes before every meal.
- Have three main meals and two snacks every day and don’t eat between meals.
- If you find yourself tempted to snacking, snack on water-rich foods, such as cucumber, celery, lettuce, radishes, carrot or tomatoes.
- Drink a green smoothie/juice every morning instead of the usual breakfast (see the week’s recipe below for inspiration). This will load you up on health promoting, energy giving vitamins, minerals, amino acids and beneficial enzymes. We often over-eat, but we are actually under-nourished. With such a boost you will not be hungry until lunch time and you will have loads of energy.
- Add wheatgrass juice to your green juice. 1 oz of Wheatgrass juice is equivalent to 1.5 lb (700 gr) of broccoli in nutritional value! Wheatgrass juice also curbs your cravings very effectively.
- Eat more black beans.
- Instead of watching TV while you eat, download a free 20-minute nature sound. Only have a second portion if you still feel hungry after listening until the end.
- Spice up your food with HOT sauces and salsas.
- Always sit down to eat. And make a break away from your laptop or television!
- Buy yourself a beautiful journal and note what you eat, how this food makes you feel and WHY you eat. Stop buying anything that makes you feel bad.
- Had a big lunch? Make it a small dinner.
- Eating out? When waiting for dinner, don’t fill up on bread, ask for a side salad instead.
- Find five ways to move more. Some ideas: walk your (neighbor’s) dog, skip or run instead of walking, take the stairs, or dance while brushing your teeth. Have fun with this one!
- Use a small spoon for sampling dessert instead of eating the whole thing.
- Make a point of not having any sweets in the house. This way when you want to snack, you end up with the carrot sticks J
- Find at least five recipes with avocados and have them as often as possible in the morning.
- Drink milk thistle tea.
- Wear fitted clothes when dining out.
- Eat foods high in omega 3 fatty acids and load up on essential fats, such as flaxseed oil, nuts, fish.
- Instead of the usual deserts, make a yummy dessert from 0% fat-free yoghurt, add a handful of healthy oat muesli, bran flakes and berries.
- Think of healthy alternatives such as: instead of potatoes eat sweet potatoes; instead of pasta eat rice; instead of jar sauces make your own low salt and sugar etc.
| The Green Alkaliser Juice |
 Drinking this green juice will alkalise your body and leave you feeling fabulous. Even better, it contains parsley, which is loaded with Vitamin C and iron, which can be difficult for many vegans or vegetarians to get enough of. Ingredients 1.5 cups coconut water 2 Wheatgrass Juice shots 5 stalks celery 2 apples Juice from 1 lemon 1 Half bunch of parsley Note: add the coconut water at the end to your juice. This is what you do Juice the apple and celery. Then transfer to a blender and add the rest of the ingredients. Then add the coconut water at the end to your juice. |
| Sweet Green Flush (digestive miracle worker) |
|
This is great for anyone with digestive issues, because the apple aids in digestion and improves bowel function. It’s a fun and easy treat for juice enthusiasts at all levels. Ingredients • 4 green apples • 2 pears • Half inch fresh ginger • 1 lemon, peeled • 2 cups of frozen Wheatgrass or Barleygarss Juice • Broccoli stalk • handful of Spinach leaves (optional) This is what you do Simply juice everything and transfer to a blender then add the frozen Superfood Juice (Wheatgrass or Barleygrass Juice) and wiz for 10 sec. Just so health and delicious!
|
