Having Trouble Losing Weight?

Common Sense Weight Loss Tips

I have been working with weight loss and detoxification for the last three years in Koh Samui, Thailand.  The most common mindsets I see in weight loss goals are punishment, battle and deprivation.  I want to share with you some ideas that encourage you to work with your beautiful body instead of against it.

Start by focusing on your goal as one of health and vitality and then find ways of giving your body those gifts.  Do not focus on the deprivation of your favourite foods but the abundant choices available in the world of good nutrition!  Here are my five top tips for working with your body to achieve weight loss without the fight.

1. Increase your Intake of Essential Fatty Acids (omega 3 and 6). 

These good fats will create a permeable, high quality cell membrane and allow the release of unwanted stored fat.  The wrong type of fats will make the cells rigid and as a result weight loss will be more difficult.  The omega fats actually help to speed metabolism and create balance in the body.  A diet low in essential fatty acids is a dangerous one which can cause a lot of damage to our hormonal balance and may reduce our brain function and deplete energy levels.  For the right choice reach for avocados, nuts, seeds and oily fish.

2. Choose Regular Balanced Exercise.

It may feel beneficial to pound away in the gym until you almost pop, but our body appreciates balanced, regular exercise much more.  Over-exercising produces harmful free radicals which take a lot of nutritional support to rebalance.  Regular swimming, brisk walking and ‘fresh air filled’ bike rides are much more beneficial to the body than hurling yourself around the gym twice a week.

3. Reduce Portion Sizes and Simple Carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates turn to glucose in the bloodstream, choose slow release choices such as whole grains which will sustain you. Try to avoid simple carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta, cakes and biscuits which may spike your sugar levels and result in energy slumps.  Blood sugar must be kept stable to avoid cravings so aim to go for meals with good quality protein, essential fats and plenty of vegetables.   The portion size is also vital, overloading the digestive tract causes havoc with our body’s metabolism and gives us more energy than we could ever hope to use.  The result?  Stored fat.

4.  Cut Back on Alcohol and other Toxins.

Our bodies are going to function best when they are in a clean and vibrant state.  Trying to lose weight when your body is loaded with toxic waste is going to be hard.  Cutting back on smoking, drinking alcohol, sugary foods and chemical additives will get your body in a positive state to start reaching goals.  Don’t expect results if you are not treating your body with love and respect.

5. Aim to get Healthy and Weight Loss will Follow.

Our body responds well to reassurance, encouragement and happy thoughts.  If you focus on healing and regenerating with a well balanced, nutrient rich diet then weight loss will be an unavoidable by-product of this lifestyle.  Pushing, hating and punishing your body are mindsets which create a negative basis for any physical goal.


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Weight Loss Tips!

Check Out My Latest Guest Article on Weight Loss at:

http://www.tomcorsonknowles.com/blog/how-to-lose-weight-by-working-with-your-body/

What is gluten? Is gluten bad for you?

Gluten is a protein found in rye, wheat, barley and some of the other main grain and cereal food groups.  Gluten gives these food groups a gluey texture, the gluten present in bread is what makes it chewy.

Gluten can be found in wheat and cereal grains that contain gluten such as durum, spelt, and einkorn, as well as farro, graham, kamut, and semolina.  It can also be found as a thickener in soups, sauces and gravy.  Basically it is snuck into a lot of things that you would never be aware of unless you scoured the back of the packet.

Who should avoid gluten?

Some people can tolerate gluten with no severe or noticeable side effects, whereas others such as those with Celiac's disease must eliminate it completely.  Then, there are those of us in the middle who have a few digestive complaints or fatigue which they cannot seem to solve. 

If you have digestive complaints or health problems which are persistent and hard to treat then removing gluten from the diet with a food tolerance test is a good idea.  An elimination diet helps people to slowly refine their food choices and identify any aggravating foods which could be creating their problem. 

Anyone with a thyroid complaint or imbalance may particularly benefit from a gluten free diet, it is certainly worth eliminating it and seeing if there is an improvement.  For more information on this check out the fabulous coach Magdalena Wszelaki.  I am more than confident to recommend her personally to anyone with a thyroid imbalance http://thyroiddietcoach.com/blog/.

How to Test for Gluten Sensitivity

A challenge test for gluten involves excluding it from the diet and then slowly reintroducing it and monitoring its effects carefully to detect any kind of sensitivity.

For a two week period you should remove all gluten products or foods containing gluten/wheat from the diet completely.  You need to read the labels of all pre-packaged foods and sauces for traces of wheat/gluten.  Some sauces such as soy contain wheat and you will need to be aware of this for the test being a success.

During this two week period you should keep a food diary including any supplements and medications.  This will allow you to keep a record and detect any foods which may have contained wheat and at the same time increase your own awareness of food ingredients and labelling.

At the end of the two weeks introduce wheat very slowly, starting with something very small like a wheat cracker.  Wait for four days making a note of any reactions.  If there is a reaction, gluten should be excluded for 6 months, then tested again.  A slight reaction suggests it can be tolerated in small quantities.  If there is no reaction, a larger amount can be tested.  This type of test can be very beneficial to detect gluten intolerance.

If you think you may have problems digesting gluten, give this test a go.

What can you eat if you have a problem with gluten?

Grains and starch sources generally considered suitable for gluten-free diets include amaranth, arrowroot, millet, montina, lupin, quinoa, taro, teff, chia seed and yam.  Nut flours are often used instead of wheat in gluten-free products make with flour.

So, listen to your body, enjoy your life and take care of your health, you can do them all!

Josie

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Which foods to avoid?

I get so many questions from clients about which foods are 'good' and which are 'bad' and there seems to be an awful lot of confusion about what we should be eating to be vibrant and healthy.

Now I am afraid there is no exhaustive list of foods that are bad because the truth is that everybody is unique and their individual biochemistry determines which foods are going to be beneficial to their body or rob them of energy.

Humans have been fighting with food since the beginning of time.  Even natural foods which are health giving sometimes have toxic properties.  The food was designed to survive too, some seeds are highly toxic so humans will not chew them and they will get passed with the stools in a bush and the seeds will be sown (or more likely emptied down the toilet these days).

There are some naturally occuring proteins such as gluten found in wheat, spelt and rye that can be highly damaging to the thyroid gland and the digestive tract in certain individuals.  Dairy can be a big problem for some people, especially if they produce low levels of lactase, the enzyme which breaks down the milk sugar lactose.

SO, it really is a minefield, and that is why I suggest treating your body as a unique and wonderful machine which is alike to no other.  If you think a food is aggravating you then try an elimination diet and see if reintroducing it causes symptoms http://therealfoodcoach.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-can-i-test-for-wheat-intolerance.html.

Foods are not good or bad, they have reactions in the body and these can be negative or positive dependent on your body.  Most often the problem is people are having portions which exhaust the digestive tract and eating foods which are in unhelpful combinations to the body.

So here are list of foods which I am sure are not serving your health:


1. High Sugar Foods (refined white flour products/fizzy sweet drinks/sweets)

2. High Salt Foods (crisps, canned foods, ready meals, packed sandwiches, added salt)

3. High Saturated/trans/hydrogenated Fat (animal fats, dairy, fried foods, crisps, pies)

4. High Coffee/Tea (reduces nutrient absorption, dehydrates, stimulates stress hormones)

5. High Dairy Diet (often causes excess mucus, digestive problems and fatigue)


Notice that I say a 'high' intake can cause problems.  A balanced diet can have all of these in moderate amounts if it is controlled and there are no serious allergies.  It is never one cup of coffee with cake that causes the problem, but a habitual pattern that creates disaster.

So, listen to your body, enjoy your life and take care of your health, you can do them all!

Josie

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Is aspartame bad for you?

Aspartame is a sweetener that is often used in place of sugar in 'no sugar' or 'diet' food and beverages.  It was formulated in 1965 when it was discovered by accident by James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, who was testing an anti-ulcer drug. 

It is about 200 times more sweet than sucrose, or table sugar and is used in diet fizzy drinks, 'no sugar' products and as a sweetener for you to add to your own tea and coffee.


But does it cause us damage? Have you ever heard that aspartame can make spaces in your brain? 

Research suggests that aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as "excitotoxins." They "excite" or stimulate the neural cells to death. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/06/aspartame-most-dangerous-substance-added-to-food.aspx

Although even though this research exists some associations suggest it is. "one of the most thoroughly tested and studied food additives the agency has ever approved" and its safety is "clear cut" Henkel, John (November–December 1999). "Sugar Substitutes: Americans Opt for Sweetness and Lite". FDA Consumer. 

When regarding research it is always good to look at it with a critical eye and work out which researcher will have your best interests at heart. I will certainly not be consuming products containing aspartame.  Somewhere along the line someone made a mistake when they said it was ok to allow certain chemicals into our foods without sufficient research.  Often medicines or additives that have been used for years will suddenly be found to be highly damaging.  This is a such a wooly area which is riddled with financial motives and consumer confusion.

I feel that it is not a wise move for us to be adding artificial chemical compounds to our food when it is not necessary and possibly not safe. 

When it has reached the point that we are looking at consuming things even though they are possibly damaging to us, we need to pay attention.  If you are doing a 'weigh off' in your mind against weight gain and aspartame intake then it is time to really consider your diet and your views on health.  If you are craving sugar so much that it is worth the risk of causing potential damage to your body then reducing these cravings is a good place to start.

Make your choices based on what makes sense to you.  It makes sense to me to keep it natural.

Josie


Aspartame Food/Beverage List

Diet Coca Cola (all varieties) Coca Cola Zero (all varieties) Diet Pepsi (all varieties) Pepsi Max (all varieties) Diet Irn Bru (all varieties) Lilt Zero (all varieties) Sprite Zero (all varieties) Tango (all varieties) Tango no added sugar (all varieties) 7up Free (all varieties) Lucozade Sport (all varieties) Schweppes Slimline Drinks (all varieties) Fanta Zero (all varieties) Fanta Orange Dr Pepper Zero Oasis Summer Fruits Extra Light Oasis Citrus Punch	Soft Drink
Ribena Really light (all varieties) Robinsons Orange Squash Robinson’s No added sugar range	Cordial
Muller Light Cherry Muller Light Blueberry Muller Light Raspberry Muller Light Banana and Custard Danone Activia Cherry Weight Watchers Fromage Frais Weight Watchers Toffee and Vanilla	Yoghurt
Wrigleys Airwaves (all varieties) Wrigleys Orbit (all varieties) Wrigleys Extra (all varieties)	Chewing Gum
Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Light	Cooking Sauce
Walkers Sensations Sweet Thai Chilli Walkers Sensations Lime and Thai Spices Walkers Prawn Cocktail	Crisps
Canderel Silver Spoon Sweetness and Light Silver Spoon Light Granulated Sugar	Tabletop Sweeteners
Cadburys Highlights (all varieties) Options Hot Chocolate Drink (all varieties) (http://supersweetblog.wordpress.com/list-of-products-containing-aspartame/)

Related Posts:

Controlling Sugar Cravings:

http://therealfoodcoach.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-sustain-your-energy-levels.html

Sugar More addictive than cocaine?

http://therealfoodcoach.blogspot.com/2012/01/sugar-more-addictive-than-cocaine.html

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Dehydration and Water Retention.

How do you get rid of dehydration, water retention and its associated symptoms?

When you retain water it may be a sign that the body is in fact in need of fluid.  When we are not taking in enough of the right fluids then our body takes measures to retain the remaining water in the system as effectively as possible.  Extracellular spaces in the body will fill up with water and this is called 'fluid retention'.  People experience this as swollen hands, feet or legs. 

Dehydration and water retention can also lead to  headaches.  The  eliminatory organs may not be getting enough fluid to eliminate toxins from the blood.  Being dehydrated can also bring on muscle aches and cramps, especially if potassium is low.  This may also lead to abdominal cramping. If there is not enough water and electrolytes (such as essential minerals sodium and potassium) present in the body, your muscles will not be able to perform correctly and you may experience muscle spasms and cramps. The essential minerals sodium and potassium need to be in a good balance to retain optimal hydration levels and overall good health.

 

Rehydration may alleviate symptoms and increasing your fluid intake to 2 litres a day and reducing your tea and coffee to one or two cups a day.  This may give your body the fluid it needs to avoid retaining it in the extracellular spaces.  Choose hydrating drinks such as water, juice and herbal tea as alternatives to tea and coffee. 

When drinking teas try to avoid drinking them with meals as the tannins in them may negatively impact your digestion.  Caffeine and alcohol with meals may also inhibit your digestion and interfere with nutrient absorption.  If you consume tea and coffee throughout the day you may have a low nutritional profile and therefore may be depleted of essential minerals.  If the body is low in essential minerals then all the body’s systems may get out of balance, especially the delicate fluid balance.

If in doubt, reach for a glass of water!

Josie

How to improve skin problems?

If you are suffering with bad skin in the form of spots, rashes or lumps and bumps it is important to think about where the problem is starting.  We all have bad skin from time to time as hormones and lifestyles change over the years, but putting up with skin problems constantly can be exhausting and bad for self esteem.  The skin is something we cannot hide and visible eruptions can be one of the most upsetting problems people experience.

I encourage you to first think about the role of the skin; it is one of our elimination organs. So the question is, what are you eliminating that is aggravating your skin?  The problem is not skin deep.  Topical applications can help to soothe skin but addressing the diet and lifestyle is going to be the most important step in getting your skin looking healthy and glowing again.

Do you...?

1. Eat a lot of high sugar foods? (look at the labels in your cupboard!)

2. Eat a lot of trans fats or hydrogenated fats (crisps, chocolate, cakes, pastries, biscuits, pies)?

3. Eat refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta, cakes/biscuits?

4. Eat foods which have artificial chemicals in them? Read the lablels, if you don't know what it is, don't eat it!

5. Have too many nights out without enough sleep? (or) Trouble sleeping due to stress?

These may be aggravating your skin by putting a strain on your body's elimination systems.  Try to slowly cut them down and replace them with healthy alternatives. 


Help your body detoxify...

1. Increase your intake of fresh vegetables.

2. Drink more water.  Check your urine to make sure it is almost clear about twice a day.

3. Make sure you are getting enough of the essential fatty acids omega 3 and 6 in your diet.

4. Do a detox or at least a colonic hydrotherapy session to try and remove the toxic load on your skin.

5. Try to take time to relax and unwind on your own sometimes.  Stress is a major factor in most health problems.  Learn to meditate and allow your body to heal naturally; it knows how to do it if you give it the time and the nutritional tools!


Good luck and remember that the body can heal itself of anything if you give it a helping hand.

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How much fibre do I need?

We all know that fibre is an important part of our diet but how many of us are getting the recommended 25-38 grams daily?  Sadly, very few!

Fibre is an essential part of any diet plan and something many people in the west are not getting enough of.  With a lack of dietary fibre people may begin to feel constipated, lethargic and can be more prone to developing metabolic syndrome and its associated symptoms.  Without the right type of fibre the digestive system will suffer and the G.I tract can develop problems which could lead to other illnesses.  Most people could significantly increase their current fibre intake and still not reach the recommended targets of 25 grams (for women) and 38 grams (for men) each day. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends consumption of foods containing at least 25 grams of total dietary fiber a day.  The WHO has identified dietary fibre as the only dietary ingredient with “Convincing Evidence” showing a protective effect against weight gain and obesity (WHO).’

Fibres are the non digestible part of plant cells and they move through the digestive system without being affected by the enzymes and secretions that break down other food substances.  Fibre absorbs water as it passes through the digestive system and sweeps other substances along with it which eases bowel movements. 

When a stool is well formed it will pass easily down into the descending colon and remain sufficiently hydrated so it can be passed easily.  It is held there until it is of sufficient volume to be released (Lipski pg. 53).  Without adequate fibre, stools will not pass through the colon easily and constipation can develop.  A sticky dehydrated stool can become impacted on the walls of the colon and cause more problems.  The walls of the digestive tract become clogged with waste and health problems can occur.  A high fibre diet may relieve these problems and ensure regular, healthy bowel movements.

So increase your intake of fibre today by adding more fresh fruit and vegetables to your day, your colon will thank you for it! :)

Josie

How do you live in the 'now'? Living in the now.

Living in the now involves releasing thoughts and judgements based on 'the past that we cannot change' and 'the future that we cannot know'.  Right now is all we have.  Today is all we can know.  The only power we have to change and create our experience of life is this moment we are living in.

I think almost everyone who stumbles across this concept struggles with it at first.  Even people who have been practicing it for years still find themselves retreating into thoughts of the past and the future and living their experience today based on one of these invisible realms.

Often we find ourselves procrastinating and delving into things that have already happened to put our problems today into context.  We compare them with our experience of life so far...the past.  Or, we find ourselves over thinking a future that we cannot know, being fearful of a story we are imagining that will probably never happen (unless we create it).

By living in the now, we practice the art of releasing our own judgements and ideas of what was and what will be.  Instead, we learn to be aware of the moment we are existing in.  Fear of something we think we cannot control is an epidemic that leaves us powerless to life's pathway.  By creating the pathway step by step, day by day, we can relax into a rhythm which needs no deep analysis or control.  We can make decisions based on the knowledge we have today and know that they must be flexible and may change as new knowledge, ideas and opportunities arise in our consciousness and our days.

Personally, I am in the process of releasing thoughts of how this year will develop and attempting to live in the now rather than trying to plan the year ahead in a way that is inadequate.  I simply cannot have all the information or knowledge I need yet to make any plans, so I have been searching the Taoist approach to life which involves focusing on what I do have and working with today.  I am finding it very useful in making life a more graceful and enjoyable process by releasing societies pressures and finding stillness in the 'now'; the only moment we exist in.

So if you are finding yourself in a similar position, here are my Five Top Tips for living in the now...

1. Meditate:  Set some times aside and focus on your breath and sit in stillness, allow your mind to empty of thoughts and relax in the knowledge that in that moment there is nowhere else to be and nothing else to do. 

2. Repeat the mantra: 'There is nothing to know' or 'I let go of needing to know'

3. Look up at the limitless sky occasionally: Remind yourself that there is something much more massive than the problem you are focusing on.

4.  When you find yourself in a point of confusion? Simply release the weight of the decisions and try to return to a point of stillness.  Problems often solve themselves when they are left space to evolve.

5. Casey Kochmer, Taoist teacher, suggests you: Change the angles of how you look at something when feeling stuck. Till you find an angle that unsticks your path ahead.  The future is always uncertain, so the feeling of uncertainty is normal, embrace that half, and then practice awareness, step by step awareness to move ahead. In chaotic times, this is the most efficient way to live. In orderly times, it is possible to plan and stash away for future points. But in times like ours a Taoist approach is very graceful indeed (http://www.personaltao.com/).

Is brown rice better than white rice?

I often get asked whether brown is really best when it comes to food choices. White products are usually softer and more comforting, whereas their brown counterparts are more fibrous and healthy-looking (and take more chewing). 

Clients often want to hear that white rice isn’t actually that bad because they prefer the texture so much...

...but if you take away the preference for the taste, white rice starts to feel less and less appealing.  If you look at the nutritional facts, brown wins hands down.

One cup of cooked brown rice contains 3.5 grams of fibre, whereas white contains only 0.7 grams!  But why?

A grain of brown rice contains all the fibre and minerals in the bran layer.  To produce white rice, this nutritious bran layer is milled away and you are left with a less nutritious simple carbohydrate (white rice). 

Five Reasons to choose Brown Rice

1. Brown rice will sustain you for longer so it aids weight loss.

2. It will maintain your digestive tract with regular bowel movements due to its high fibre content (less toxicity in the body).

3. It contains the antioxidant selenium which could help prevent cancer.

4. It contains almost three times more zinc than white rice - 'zinc deficiency plays a role in almost every major disease' (Holford, P)

5. Brown Rice is a ''whole food' so it is a more natural choice.

Brown rice takes about twice as long to cook, which sometimes puts people off, but having some ready in the fridge at all times is a great time saver. 

Enjoy it...you might actually start to prefer it (if you are not already a convert).

Josie :)