Let’s start from where we left in the last blog, Is it necessary to be healthy to lose weight?
Weight loss, more importantly, fat loss can occur when you heal your metabolism, and bring back balance in your body. This approach known as the functional approach may include eating more and not less. Based on the level of activity, blood glucose highs and lows, cortisol, and thyroid, your NT will be able to guide you on which type of exercise should be taken, for example, resistance training, HIIT, or cardio. As a Nutritional Therapist, I reiterate that it must be an individualised approach based on your unique symptoms, blood test results, genetic results, and any previously diagnosed diseases or illnesses. All the recommendations are part of an overall long-term plan which emphasises on
·A very well-balanced wholefood diet to decrease insulin fluctuation, and improve insulin sensitivity which will help decrease fat deposition, increase muscle glycogen, and spare muscle tissue.
·Blood tells a story, hence monitoring blood markers can help in the prevention and management of any underlying illnesses.
·Nutrient supplementation to correct deficiencies, to help the body rebuild structural proteins and fat supporting both physical and mental health
·Sleep is an important component of overall health. Vital hormones like growth hormone are released at night which helps in repairing the body’s tissues, hence working on improving the quality and quantity of sleep.
·Stress management, be it physical, mental, or emotional needs to be balanced to bring out our best self. Working on issues of self-image, self-control, self-worth, emotional connection with food, social impact, and community engagement all play an important role in rebalancing hormones.
Working on comorbid conditions like coeliac disease, diabetes type 2, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, psoriasis, etc would be part of the protocol. The good news is that all of these illnesses could be avoided or managed by encouraging a healthy lifestyle which is a doorway to enjoying health in older age as well as encouraging longevity.
Hormones like insulin, glucagon, thyroid, oestrogen, and cortisol work hand in hand to heal metabolism. A nutritional therapist/ naturopath would use a functional health model and address the interplay of contributing factors and systems like gastrointestinal, endocrine, nervous, and psychological stress, be able to unpick the complexity, and help you heal from the inside out.
The BODY-MIND connection
A nutritional therapist/naturopath would be able to approach obesity as a body-mind issue. The powerful effect of psychological stress on obesity/ weight gain is unavoidable if we are to heal and address weight-related issues. Food is information, the stories we tell ourselves when we eat are very powerful. Perhaps we tell ourselves a story of blame (this is a bad food, or I am bad for eating it), or associate guilt and shame with food. The goal of such a therapy would be to be in the present and away from self-judgment, foster self-awareness, self-acceptance, and the ability to change for good. Food is nourishment irrespective of its nutritional value. Nutritional therapy provides a safe space where the practitioner conducts themselves with patience, gentleness, and encouragement.
Get in touch with me to discuss your weight loss goals.
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