Now that the holiday season is over and we’re setting goals for the new year, it’s a good time to think about shedding those extra pounds that may have snuck up on us as we indulged in mid-winter feasts.
Most of us are taught that calorie reduction and increased exercise is the primary way to lose weight. What is often not considered is the role of enhanced detoxification and elimination as a slimming strategy. This is where the magic can happen if reducing calories and increasing activity has not worked effectively in the past. Consider that the body may be holding onto adipose tissue as a way to sequester toxins and by enhancing the body’s detoxification processes you may open up another avenue to weight loss.
Try these uncommon weight loss tips:
1. Increase your hydration. We may not feel as thirsty when the weather is cold, but good hydration is essential for health. Detoxification and elimination processes are enhanced by proper fluid intake, so make sure that you are getting half your weight in ounces of pure water each day. (That’s 50 ounces for every 100 pounds of body weight.) And, remember that caffeinated, sweetened and alcoholic beverages don’t count! They have a diuretic effect, so each 8 ounce serving of coffee, soda, juice or alcohol must be offset by 12 ounces of water in addition to your daily minimum.
2. Add more fiber. Most of us don’t have adequate fiber in our diets. The American Heart Association recommends 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day. Most adults consume only about 15 grams daily. Good sources include beans, whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Fiber content is higher in unprocessed foods so, for example, eating a whole apple has triple the fiber of a similar sized serving of applesauce. A sprinkle of ground flaxseed (one tablespoon has 3 grams of fiber) on your morning meal can give you a jumpstart on your daily fiber tally. Plenty of fluids (see #1 above) are key, because increased fiber intake requires good hydration to prevent nausea or constipation.
3. Restrict your eating window. The body’s detox cycle occurs at night while we sleep. However, if you tend to snack after dinner, or eat dinner late, your body is tasked with digestion when it should be revving up detoxification processes. Aim for a 12-14 hour window of non-eating, for example between 7pm and 7am to give your system the time it needs to detoxify.
4. Reduce toxins. Eat high quality organic foods and pasture-raised eggs and meat. Skip processed foods that often have additives, dyes and preservatives. Monitor your exposures to other sources of toxins, like household cleaning chemicals or work exposures. Store paints, paint thinners, pesticides and other chemicals in the garage, not in your home. Consider a whole house water filter and/or filters at the kitchen tap and on shower heads to reduce exposures to volatile organic compounds.
5. Eat good fats with every meal and snack. Good fats are part of a balanced diet and are critically important for cellular detox mechanisms as well as providing a feeling of satiety. When it comes to fats, most of us are aware that hydrogenated oils are a no-no. What is less well known is that vegetable oils are also problematic for a couple of reasons. Vegetable oils such as corn oil, canola, safflower, and soybean are delicate and rancidify quickly. Most vegetable oils in transparent bottles on grocery store shelves are already rancid. Further, our modern diet is already too high in omega 6 fatty acids, which promote inflammation in the body and too low in omega 3 fatty acids which are anti-inflammatory. For optimal health we want to have a balanced ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids. Particularly for cooking or baking we want to use solid fats that do not rancidify at high temperatures. Good fats for heat applications include coconut oil, animal fats, butter and olive oil. Other good sources of dietary fats are nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and cold water fish.
6. Supplement with fish oil and vitamin C. As we just learned in #5, our modern diets are low in inflammation-reducing omega 3 fats. I recommend a mercury-free omega 3 fish oil supplement for all of my clients for this reason. A good starting dose is 1,000 mg per day divided between morning and before bed. Vitamin C is known as the detoxification vitamin and a good starting dose is 300-400 mg per day. Check with your doctor to make sure there are no contraindications for any medications or therapies you may be on before starting any new supplements.
7. Visualize yourself thin. Working with your mind is a potent method to attain goals like weight loss. Imagine what you will do when you reach your ideal weight. What will you wear? Where will you go? Visualize the new you for a few minutes in the morning as you awake and at night as you fall asleep. This will program your subconscious towards your weight loss goal.
And finally, celebrate every small success! The brain is like velcro for bad events and like teflon for good ones, teaches Rick Hanson, PhD author of Hardwiring Happiness. Remember to savor and celebrate every success and focus on the fun aspects of knocking off those pounds as these practices will provide motivation to achieve your goal.
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Madeleine Lowry is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner at Bhakti Wellness Center specializing in digestive issues, allergies & sensitivities and autoimmune conditions. She is the host of the Flourish with Functional Nutrition podcast and has a food blog called The Fanciful Fig.