Common Rules on How to Lose Extra Pounds

Annie Sawyer, PhD

Losing pounds is a constant battle with those unwanted pounds, especially for people suffering from metabolic syndrome, hormonal disbalance, diabetes 1 and 2 etc. Many people suffer of low self-esteem due to chronic accuses from colleagues and families. They are blamed that they overeat; being lazy or that they eat too much. All of the above is simply wrong and oversimplify the problem. Please remember that is not your fault that you experience the same struggle as many others. It is simply your genetic preprogramming.

We are all different and our biochemistry and genetic makeup is quite different too. What is good for one is bad for the other. There are people who have carb oriented metabolism and those are mainly women. But there are people with protein metabolism. Of course there are people with complex metabolism. You have to investigate what your metabolic type is and to go along with it. You need to eat what is good for your proper biochemistry. If you starve your body you will be always tired or angry. The body rejects starvation or low calorie intake and fights back.

There are few common rules that must be considered:

• Do not diet. There is not such a term” perfect diet” for everyone.

• Love your body and detoxify it. The way how you looked while being young should be motivational ‘modus operandi’.

• Never let the others to blame, or/and humiliate you.

• Never blame yourself if you admitted to eat wrong or more than needed.

• Become an investigator. Learn what works for you and what does not.

• Be flexible and enjoy different foods.

• Select preferably seasonal foods.

• Skipping meals doesn’t make you slim.

• Eat unprocessed, wholesome, and organic food.

• Eliminate low fat, low carb diets. Eating fat or carbs doesn’t make you fat. But eating the wrong fats or simple carbs does.

• Eat everything with moderation. Do not measure or count calories. Create a visual portion control.

• Be vigilant while dining out. Stress, anxiety, and depression can make you also fat. Eat stress-reducing foods.

• Learn to read labels when you purchase your food.

• Add 25-30g fibers per day with your food on a daily basis.

• Eat only balanced meals constituted of complex carbohydrates, good fats (3-omega and monosaturated fats) and lean proteins.

• Focus on the vegetable proteins from beans and lentils instead to the animal proteins.

• Learn deep breathing, guided imagery, listen relaxing music, yoga, Qi gong, Tai chi, meditation, hypnosis, or take saunas or steam baths, and activate the relaxing response.

• Prepare a daily diet record book and write everything what you have eaten.

• Try to avoid “empty calories”. Those are foods, that contain: trans fats, refined carbs, fructose corn syrup, MSG, hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated oils, hydrolyzed vegetable protein( flavor enhancer in soups, hot dogs), hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, all artificial sweeteners as aspartame, saccharin, cyclamate, sucralose, acesulfame- K, artificial colorings, sugar alcohols as sorbitol, mannitol, artificial fats as olestra, heptyl parabens, potassium bromate, nitrate and nitrite, sulfites( sodium bisulfate, sulfur dioxide- preservatives in wine, dried fruits, instant potatoes and mash potatoes), propyl gallate( in mayonnaise, oils, baked goods, dried meats).

• Foods to reduce or simply avoid: white rice, white flour, poultry with the skin on, processed meats, grain fed red meats, bacon, deli and organ meats, sweet and alcohol beverages.