I think one is a bit of a no brainer, but since around 80% of our clients are looking for weight loss, I’m going to put it up and out here anyways!
When it comes to weight loss the simple answer is to eat less and move more. Yet we all know it’s so much more than that and when we begin to unpack weight loss holistically, we begin to understand just how different, the challenge of weight loss is, for each and every one of us!
So what does actually look like when you start to unpack it? How do you know when to change, or even what to change, how to you find the motivation to start, the perseverance to keep going, how do you decipher the enormity of misinformation, the conflicting information and then effectively apply it to you or your loved ones? All that when you feel less than your best!
This is where it starts to get complicated & then we see the wheels start to fall off.
Well, if you can believe it, there really is another simple answer!
You ask for help, you ask for support & (herein lies the secret) you keep asking, until you find the health practitioner that just feels right for you, even if there is a hard path ahead, especially when the path ahead is hard, because we all know it generally will be.
There are a few points I want to make very clear.
Weight loss is emotional!
Weight loss is extraordinarily personal!
Weight loss is a journey!
Weight loss is unique to each of us!
With the right support we can get on track much faster, it takes the guess work out of it. We are not left staring into a set of headlights trying to find a clear path ahead. When we have the right support, we no longer have to wait for our own confidence to show up, we can borrow a little from the support around us, lean on them so to speak, until we start to build back up our own confidence stores.
Weight loss is a very personal thing, which is why you need a Nutritionist on your side, one that knows you (or is willing to get to know you) one who is prepared to really listen to you, one who find those stepping stones to support YOU where YOU currently find yourself in this challenge. The stepping stones you need will be different to the ones your partner needs or those of your friend too, even if only slightly. The greatest weight loss success stories are the typically the ones who have that support with them throughout the ups and downs, support that walks the long road beside you, all the way.
Weight loss is about more than food & exercise, although they are still pretty big hitters. It’s about the state of your overall health too, your physical health, your mental health, the symptoms, or conditions you’re also struggling with at the moment, the medications & supplements your taking, your sleep, your digestion, your stress your … I think you getting the picture, right. It’s all connected, it’s big, and there is a lot to think about.
That doesn’t mean is has to be complicated, it simply means you reach out and ask for professional support, you ask for help.
Let’s shift gears for a minute.
Have you ever wondered why you can’t stick to those fad diets or why they just don’t work. Well, they are on the most part designed to SELL they are not designed for your health or your wellbeing. To be perfectly honest, they are not designed with YOU in mind at all.
Have you ever wondered why those diets seem to change name every decade or so and come back with a vengeance – well that’s all the name of marketing my dear friend, it is not in the name of health or well-being at all.
Marketing Conglomerates sell those FADS to us as easy simple solutions, yet more times than not they create stress, guilt, shame and lead us further away from our health goals, rather than closer to them.
When you work with a Nutritionist, you won’t see any prescriptions for FAD DIETS or Instagram algorithms. What you will see is good honest holistic health support to meet YOU and your health where you are right now. You will see the latest scientific evidence not the latest best seller, you will see whole foods not super foods (nothing wrong with super it’s just marketing at work again) you will see real change, free of guilt, shame & blame!
Its funny weight loss is one of the most common goals we see in clinic especially with women, however it is actually not the reason why they booked the appointment in the first place. Often weight loss is secondary to a whole host of other health complaints or health challenges. Sometimes is sleep, more often is stress, increasingly its autoimmune and most commonly its hormonal. For Men, that focus shifts slightly, sometimes its fertility, more often its digestive complaints, increasingly its pain & inflammation and most commonly its mental health concerns. All those different reasons people seek our natural health care and support, and weight loss remains one of their top five goal in almost all cases.
Thankfully when we start to make positive health changes in one area (let’s say digestion) often we see other areas or concerns simply correct themselves. Imagine correcting chronic constipation and bloating which has been plaguing you for years, only to find your skin clears up, you can think more clearly, your mood seems brighter or more stable and then as if by magic you realise the scales have (quiet literally) tipped in your favour! That is some serious motivation right there.
Health is complex topic. Weight loss is also complex. This is why so many incredible people work in this field. Its why the field of health is so big. It is why having a health network that supports you in a way that empowers you is your best defence, your greatest ally.
So, what are my tips for weight loss, well I have a few 😊 for now I’ll share my top three.
& Yes, your totally right, they also change with each person that sits in my chair. So, they bloody well should!
1#
Let’s start with YOUR STORY, for those of you have been following me on Facebook or Instagram for a while, you know I love a good story (#sundaysareforstories). I feel humans are deeply connected by sorties, I feel we learn best through the art of storytelling, the best public speakers, for me at least, are always the ones who can bring a story to life. So, when it comes to weight loss (or your health) we start with your story.
Ask yourself, what is your story? The whole story. How far back does it go, what paths has it taken, can you see anything on the horizon? What do you tell yourself? How much is true and how much has become your truth? What do you love about your story, what would you like to change?
Sounds a bit bonkers right, yet getting clear on our own personal story can really make a difference when it comes to kicking goals in your weight loss journey!
So go on grab a pen and write it down or sit in front of the mirror and tell yourself or tell your dog or your cat or your budgie. If you’re feeling particularly brave ask your partner or best friend to listen to you, to hear your whole story from bringing to end without interruption and see what comes up for you. It is a fascinating exercise.
2#
Check in on your SLEEP …
Over the past few years, we have seen the emergence of some seriously scientific data on the effects of inadequate sleep on our weight loss struggles. To be completely honest it’s been around in the science / literature world for a while but its finally starting to come through to the general population now too.
Ok, let’s imagine ‘sleep’ for a moment as a giant St Bernard puppy, when our sleep is ‘good’ our giant St Bernard puppy is also good, meaning they are running at full pelt dragging you along beside them. Now imagine that your sleep is ‘bad’ or ‘inadequate’, that giant St Bernard puppy is now laying down refusing to get up, whilst you attempt (unsuccessfully) to drag it along for a walk.
Obesity is very strongly linked with poor sleep for a number of reasons, far too many to cover here, so let’s just cover the basics!
When our sleep is disrupted, it affects our hormones our bodies internal signalling machine.
Inadequate sleep shoves our ‘Leptin’ signal right down into first gear, this is a bit like our satiety signal, the signal that tells us we are full, that we are satiated.
But our giant puppy doesn’t just want to lay down or refuse to go for a walk now it wants to chew up your favourite pair of shoes and pee on your bed too, just for fun right!
So now our signal for full is turned right down low, we can continue to eat mindlessly because our hunger signal “ghrelin’ is switched into overdrive. And just for fun (this is the peeing on the bed bit) it makes us reach for empty calories, high fat foods, high sugar and processed carbs, comfort foods – it’s all the junk you told yourself you wanted to avoid and now your hormones are betraying you.
So, let’s get that puppy to behave, puppy school is a great idea – so is sleep school, let’s get you having a better night’s sleep, a great night’s sleep. If you are a shift worker, you have the cards stacked against you already, so to all the nurses, ambos, miners, cleaners & hospo workers make sure you have extra support if weight loss is on your health goals!
Make a good night’s sleep your top priority over the next few weeks, focus on sleep hygiene.
- Keep to a regular bedtime.
- Keep your room dark, cool & quiet, void of screens, make it your sanctuary.
- Switch off & pick up a book, meditate or listen to music, chill out, chill down.
- Minimise coffee & stimulants.
- Alcohol too that stuff helps you pass out but come liver hour (2-3am) you’ll might just find yourself staring at the ceiling
Let’s recap.
Now you have your story, its playing on repeat in the forefront of your mind, tweaking here and there, shifting this way and that. Your story is moving with you.
You’ve also shaken up your sleep schedule, sleep is now in your periphery too, it’s sitting within your focus range, and you’re starting to see and implement little things to build that beautiful bedroom sanctuary, to wind down better at night, to remind yourself that 7 hours is your minimum and 8 hours is your sweet spot. You’re starting to tame that beautiful big puppy!
Now let’s move that body. Our bodies were made to move, there is no question here, it is quite simply a fact. Your body is better when you move. You do not have to be running a marathon or joining the latest FAD gym program (sales & marketing here again) you just have to be moving. Start slow, be gentle, be kind and celebrate the small wins. When we listen to our bodies, when we respect our bodies, they support us better.
Walking is amazing, do not underestimate the incredible benefit of something so simple! Walking around the block might be all you can do for now, that’s totally fine. Walk around the block (or along the beach or to the shops, whatever fits with you) walk as often as you can each and every day, from little things big things grow, right.
A walk after dinner can help us digest our food, help us sleep better at night and ultimately keep us tracking towards our weight loss goals too.
Walking with a friend or a partner or our kids can make for some really great conversations, walking and talking, talking and walking. This is such a simple exercise (if I dare call it that) and yet it can have such a profound effect not only on our physical health, but also our mental health and wellbeing. It can create and deeper connections with our loved ones, it can help us download our day, ignite ideas and being out in the fresh open air is quite frankly just good for the sole!
Your Story. Your Sleep. Your Walk. They may seem small, but they truly are heavy weights in our health journey. Little tweaks on each of them here and there and we start to build those healthy foundations can really shift your weight loss goals, your weight loss attitude and it might just help to bring about a little more confidence too!
When you work with a Nutritionist for your weight loss, you will feel supported, you will be reminded of the importance of all the little things that pack a big punch. You will also have someone there ready to fight the bigger battles, when the weight loss plateaus, and you feel like you’re stuck and everything you do is pointless. Working with a Nutritionist means you have a professional trouble-shooter, so you don’t get lost in the abys. Working with a Nutritionist means you already have someone who knows your story, your struggle, how far you’ve come, your triumphs, your other health battles, they have your back and keep you moving forward, they keep you focused, they help you find the little tweaks to keep you going.
When it comes to weight loss you can start to see how many little factors are at play, we start to understand how it really is so different for each of us, we can begin to acknowledge that weight loss strategies & support need to be tailored to each of us.
That’s why Weight Loss with a Nutritionist, just works!
Till next time,
Step into health your way!
Jess
