So many people suffer from those extra pounds that they just don’t want. I was one of them! I can’t count the number of diets I went on! From low-cal, to eating processed pre-made meals, to shakes! Ugh, I did them all.
What I didn’t do until recently was approach weight loss from a holistic standpoint. I am going to show you how in a few simple steps.
1. Time is your friend, not your enemy! So often we put time limits on our health. Unrealistic time limits cause fear and anxiety, making us feel rushed to reach our goals. That’s why you see so many “diets” aimed at helping you losing 30 pounds in 30 days, etc. The only problem is, that isn’t fair to your body, and it truly doesn’t help you to lose weight at any speed other than what’s naturally comfortable for your body.
We are really good at thinking that we know better and that somehow our body is flawed. Nope! If you are carrying extra weight, your body is doing that to save you. It has stored toxins that could otherwise hurt you in those large quantities. So, losing that weight really fast–not so wise, is it? Unless you’d like a chemical, toxic cocktail reintroduced into your body.
Allowing your body to heal as IT sees fit is really the first key to holistic weight loss. You must remove the timelines and other constraints that you want to force on your body. Realize that your body will release those toxins and shrink those fat cells when it feels like it can process them. If this process occurs before your body is fully ready, it can put your health at risk, even though you might be “skinny.”
I have a client who sees me at my practice in Atlanta, and she is 74 years old. She has spent her entire life eating the Standard American Diet. She is 50+ pounds overweight, has fatty liver disease, and was taking medicine for diabetes and acid reflux. Her goal is to lose weight. I explained to her that her victories are going to not be seen at first. Her body took a beating for over 70 years. It is not just going to say, “Hey, ok… I am going to release years and years of toxic build up and lose 50 pounds in a month.” Nope…not on my watch it’s not! She has seen the scale move down a little, but her victories are taking place inside. She has had stable and wonderful blood sugar levels for a month now. She had never achieved this before without the aid of medication. Now, she is completely off her acid reflux and diabetes meds. She feels better. THAT is a victory. Now, we remove the time limits and let her body heal. It might take months, it might take years. The good news is she has years now–she is extending her chances to have a beautiful life.
So do yourself a favor and remove those time limits and take in the beauty of the fact that your body will heal when it has what it needs to.
2. Take away what is damaging to your body and put in what it is deficient in.
Sounds really easy, and yes it can be, but there is a whole boatload of misinformation out there. Let me start this off here by saying this: There is no one-size-fits-all for diets. What works for me is going to be slightly different for you as your needs are different and the damage and environmental aspects are different in my life than yours, so simply going on a low-cal, or low-carb diet isn’t going to cut it. You need to discover what your body is trying to tell you.
Your body speaks all the time. We just get really good at ignoring its needs. Like when my family and I are driving in our RV and my kids are having fun and being loud, and my husband loses his mind! He says, “I can’t concentrate! You guys are so loud!” Then he looks at me and says, “that doesn’t bother you?”. . . Nope! I tuned that out miles ago! Same is true for what we do with our bodies. We tuned that out years ago!
The good thing is that it still speaks. It doesn’t give up. It will continue to speak, and you can learn to listen again. What it’s trying to tell you is that maybe you are intolerant to bananas and when you eat them it causes inflammation… and you eat them all the time, thinking you are healthy!
Remove what is damaging to your body, and your body will thank you by repairing and healing, therefore eventually causing you to lose weight. If you need help with knowing what to remove, contact a good holistic nutritionist and get advice, or go a step further and get a Food Intolerance test done. (I’d be happy to help you all with that, just ask!) Once you know what is happening, you can map out the plan to freedom and enjoy success from that.
Of course, if you’re removing staple foods from your diet, you must put something else in to replace those staples. Finding really good, healing foods to put into your everyday diet is key to the healing process. This can be via supplements as well and should include some probiotics. You can eat fermented veggies and drink coconut kefir, which will add some extra healing.
So remember, Remove, Replace, Listen!
I urge you to think of the whole picture. Your existence in this great big beautiful world has so many meanings and layers. You can focus on that, then slowly start the healing process. In time, you will see that you will lose the weight you were wanting to, and your body will thank you for doing it the right way!
*I successfully lost 80 pounds by doing it the right way and enjoy freedom from what was a prison I was in for many, many years. It can be done!
If you have any questions, I would love to help! Just ask!
Also by Ange: How I Became Organic Vegan, Lost 40lbs & Changed My Life
Related: Plant-based Diet: How I Lost Weight and Changed My Life
Want To Lose Weight in 2017? New Study Shows Vegans Burn Calories Faster
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Photo: Pexels, Ange Alex
