Natural Weight Loss

There are pills, supplements, meal replacements, and special diets you can take part in to lose weight. Trainers advertise their weight loss exercises and alternative practitioners recommend massage or hypnosis. There really is a way to achieve natural weight loss; a method that doesn’t cost you anything other than your usual grocery bills.

Create Balance

What you need to start with is balance, but that means identifying what is out of balance in your life. A psychological problem could be causing you to eat emotionally or you might be suffering from an eating disorder. Bad eating habits have potentially thrown your system out of whack, especially your metabolism and GI health. Start over with a clean slate by addressing the problems.

Keep a food journal and pinpoint the foods which cause gas, diarrhea, or constipation. Single out times when you abuse food to feel better, if only for a few minutes. Talk to someone about your behavior and make sure you don’t need significant medical or psychological therapy before you start thinking about natural weight loss.

You might choose to go through detox to get your GI tract back in order, but that’s not necessary. Your system will sort itself out after a few weeks of making better choices. Have patience though: cleansing and balancing can take time. Even hormones are affected by what you eat and they contribute to metabolism, processing sugar, hunger signals, and moods.

What’s a Natural Program?

All you really need to do is eat a healthy, whole-food diet. That’s it. If you’re not sure what constitutes whole food, take a whole-food fanatic with you to the grocery store or talk to a dietitian. Basically, food that has not been altered (ground up, fried, baked, mixed with other ingredients, or preserved) is whole. That includes meat, fish, chicken, nuts, milk, milk alternatives, fruits, and vegetables. Grains like whole wheat, bulgar wheat, spelt, quinoa, and barley are whole foods. Brown rice is a whole food but pasta is a refined food.

Forget about calories for a minute and concentrate on the nutritional value of what you are about to eat. A salad consisting of raw leafy greens, chopped carrots, celery, and walnuts with a light drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar is low in calories but high in fiber and contains good fat (walnuts and olive oil.) A piece of grilled chicken served with mango salsa and steamed vegetables is low in fat, offers up several hundred calories, but is balanced if veggies take up at least half the plate. You obtain vitamins and minerals to fuel your body, rebuild tissue, provide iron in order to build red blood cells, and fiber to bind waste and remove it from the body. Your dish is flavorful and colorful: colors are good news. Select a variety of shades and hues in order to support immunity, eyesight, muscles, neurological well-being, and skin health.

Next, Calories

Now that you have the hang of healthy eating, think about calories. What should portions look like? Keep your metabolic rate high by eating little and often, always with a mixture of carbs from vegetables or whole grains plus a protein so that the energy you supply your body will last. Add water and herbal tea to remain hydrated. Food is easier to digest this way and hydration is even more important than fuel.

Exercise

Add a regular fitness routine to your week, but forget about workout trends and expensive machines. Just do what feels good. Go swimming or take a brisk walk. Join a dance class or take up cycling. Take pilates and yoga classes or get involved with a local running group. You will soon give up an exercise which bores you or seems like a chore so stick with one or several pastimes that get your heart pumping and do something active every day.

No Program

A natural, healthy weight loss strategy is not a plan or a program. It’s otherwise known as a healthy, active lifestyle. You will eventually notice fat has melted away as long as you don’t obsess over measurements and weights. Stay away from scales and measuring tapes for at least two weeks. Your body needs time to turn itself around. Eventually, you will reach a healthy weight with minimal stress and no membership fees.