It certainly can be frustrating after a few weeks of hard work, you step on the scale only to find the number hasn’t budged at all. Things you might not realize your doing can counteract your hard working efforts to shed those unsightly pounds. More often than none you can’t figure out why you moved that muffin top. Let’s be realistic you won’t start to look like that celebrity or fitness model unless you can clone them. Everyone’s genetic makeup is different. It’s like your finger prints. NO two sets are the same. Even identical twins are one egg that split but they are very different in more ways than one. The fact is some people are wired to simply burn fat better than others. Don’t raise that white flag and give in, just yet. See there are a few sneaky little things that can secretly halt your weight loss success without you even realizing. I’m going to try to help you get to the root of your problem. I want you to make changes in your life that are doable and successful.
First of all , dieting can be stressful. Never restrict your calories that will produce stress hormones and your fat cells will increase the amount of abdominal fat because your body is thinking your starving. Next, keep a food diary . I want you to write down everything you stick in your mouth, everything you drink, how many ounces and even look at the body products you use, house hold chemicals and the exercise that you do. Do this for a week. Now, you will have a overall picture of what you are doing and how you need to adjust and change things. So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of it all.
Looking at the big picture. Like an onion, You must start to work on each layer and see what needs to be addressed, peeling it back, layer by layer.
You have the power to make a difference in your life. You’ve always had the power. No one can force you to become more aware of what you put on your body and what you put in your body. What you eat is just as important as what you put on your body. Adjusting your life, reading labels and catering to your specific health needs isn’t easy but it will benefit you in the long run. This is one of the smartest decisions that you can make. Not only will you start to look and feel better but think of the medical cost that you could be saving your future self.
Most importantly before you begin to read this … Embrace your body. Whatever size and shape you are always think positive about yourself.
Do you have a underlying health condition that will make you gain weight?
There are other health conditions other than hypothyroidism that will contribute to weight gain. Whatever other medical issues you might have don’t feel you are a lost case because you can take this in consideration. What you need to do is research about your medical condition on how to lose weight or get with a registered dietitian who can help you create a meal plan just for your specific body needs.
17 Underlying health conditions/reasons that add can weight
Underactive thyroid, Diabetes treatment, Ageing, Steroid treatments, Cushing’s syndrome, Stress, chronic fatigue syndrome, Fluid retention, fibromyalgia, Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Menopause, Depression, heart disease, hormonal disorders, sleep disorders, Adrenal fatigue, Cellular toxicity, leaky gut, Candida, No motivation , No extra time
Are you on a medication that makes you gain weight?
Certain medications, notably steroids, and also some antidepressants, antipsychotics, high blood pressure drugs, allergy medication, birth control, and seizure medications has been linked to adding the extra lbs to your waistline. Keep in mind we are all different not everybody will experience the same side effects if any with medications.
Don’t ever stop taking any medications without first consulting your doctor. Your on that medication for a reason and it just may be critical to your health. Please always consult with your doctor so they can try to help you figure out what’s going on but be honest. Don’t go into the doctors office saying your gaining weight and you can’t figure it out knowing you had that diet coke & twinkie for breakfast!
Here is your check list!
1.Are you eating to cater to your bodies needs? For example: if you hypothyroidism, are you eating to cater to that? ( click on this link to read more on hypothyroidism)
2. Are you on medications that make you gain weight? If you don’t know, research the medications and then consult with your doctor to see what can be done to help you shed those lbs.Maybe change your medications?
3. Do you have a underlying health condition that has a history of weight gain in patients? If so, research on how other people have successfully lost weight with that medical condition, join a support group if need be to get idea’s and tips and extra support.
4. Have you taken antibiotics? Did you know that it has been proven by scientist that it can take up to a year to fix your gut flora after taken antibiotics. ( click on this link to read more on this)
5.Did you know artificial sweeteners will stale or mess up your gut flora, causing a inflammatory response and your body will become resistant to weight loss. Read labels. Avoid all those fake sugars. No diet diet drinks, processed food or artificial anything! if its made in a lab, avoid it.
6. Are you drinking plenty of water? Not drinking enough water or being dehydrated will halt your weight loss. Take your weight divide by two and that is how many ounces you should be drinking each day. Here is a simple yet effective flavored water drink of mine.
Water Boosts Metabolism
Lots of people don’t realize the true importance of drinking enough water everyday and how it can impact both your health and your weight loss efforts. “Water’s involved in every type of cellular process in your body, and when you’re dehydrated, they all run less efficiently — and that includes your metabolism. Think of it like your car: if you have enough oil and gas, it will run more efficiently. It’s the same with your body.”
Your metabolism is basically a series of chemical reactions that take place in your body,” says Trent Nessler, PT, DPT, MPT, managing director of Baptist Sports Medicine in Nashville. “Staying hydrated keeps those chemical reactions moving smoothly.” Being even 1% dehydrated can cause a significant drop in metabolism
Aim for at least 100 ounces a day – especially in the first couple of weeks until your body adjusts.
7.Eat breakfast- breakfast is the most important meal to the day. never ever skip breakfast. the right breakfast foods can help you concentrate, give you energy and get your metabolism moving. In my book : A survivors cookbook guide to kicking hypothyroidism booty I have over 25 amazing breakfast recipes that will teach how to make the perfect overnight oats to make your mornings totally effortless, quick and you’ll have no reason to not eat breakfast again!
No Bake Dairy Free Sugar Free Overnight Oats
Ingredients
3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
3 cups unsweetened almond milk
3 tablespoon of chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- In a large bowl stir together all ingredients except fruit toppings.
- Let stand for 30 minutes.
- Divide mixture into 4 mason jars, about 3/4 cup each or 6 mason jars, about 1/2 cup each.
- Add fruit toppings to each if desired.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
8. Replace a meal with a smoothie or a fresh juice!
8 Hypothyroidism Juicing Recipes
10 Hypothyroidism Fighting Smoothies
9.Do you have chronic candida?
Click on this link to see if you chronic candida and what you can do to fix it.
10.Do you have parasites?
Did you know that products we use every day may contain toxic chemicals and has been linked to women’s health issues? They are hidden endocrine disruptors and are very tricky chemicals that play havoc on our bodies. “We are all routinely exposed to endocrine disruptors, and this has the potential to significantly harm the health of our youth,” said Renee Sharp, EWG’s director of research. “It’s important to do what we can to avoid them, but at the same time we can’t shop our way out of the problem. We need to have a real chemical policy reform.” The longer the length of ingredients on your food label means how much more unhealthy it is for you to consume. When an item contains a host of ingredients that most likely you cant even pronounce or remember to spell you can bet your lucky dollar that the natural nutrients are long gone. These highly processed frank n foods are very difficult for the body to break down and some of the chemicals will become stored in your body. Click on this link to see what you should avoid.
12. Did you know that it takes 26 seconds for the chemicals in personal body care products to enter into your bloodstream? Endocrine disruptors are tricky chemicals that play on our bodies.They increase production of certain hormones; decreasing production of others; imitating hormones; turning one hormone into another; interfering with hormone signaling; telling cells to die prematurely; competing with essential nutrients; binding to essential hormones; accumulating in organs that produce hormones. You can start avoiding these chemicals by starting with detoxifying your beauty routine. If you want to protect your body from the harmful ingredients that are used in most commercial brands, you should check out organic skin care products and organic make-up. Start reading labels and asking questions. Click on this link to read more on
21 Successful Tips on Clean Beauty Swaps
13. Do you food allergies? Many people have food sensitives continue to eat these foods that causes a leaky gut, candida and ph imbalances. Gluten, dairy, soy, eggs and processed foods are just to name a few.
14. Do you have adrenal fatigue? The adrenal fatigue put my body in a battle and my cortisol levels were out of this world! Cortisol add fat around my mid-section. So, the harder I exercised, the more “cortisol”-fat added to my stomach.
15.Do you have a leaky gut? Then let’s mention the leaky gut. My gut played a vital role in my autoimmunity. Most often undiagnosed.
16. Do you have Metabolic syndrome?
17. Replace Canola oil or other vegetable oils with coconut oil and grass fed butter because those other oils will slow down your weight loss and they will start to store unwanted body fat. Those genetically modified hydrogenated oils will cause inflammation in your body, along with cellular toxicity.
18. NO SOY products or NO GLUTEN products
19. Take THYROID-Boosting vitamins!
Theses Thyroid ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS: Provides an excellent source of any of these thyroid-boosting nutrients:
-
- Selenium
- Zinc
- Copper
- Iron
20. FREE your home and body of HORMONES, PESTICIDES & TOXINS: These things are thyroid endocrine-disrupting toxins that are found in our conventional food supply along with body products and household chemicals. This means NO BPA, PCBs, dioxins, rBST, PFCs, pesticides, antibiotics, artificial sweeteners, heavy metals, PFOA, chlorine, fluoride, harmful additives or preservatives.
21. No farm raised fish!
- Farmed salmon contain 10 times more carcinogenic toxins (PCBs, dioxin, etc.) than wild salmon, according to a study published in the journal Science.
- Eating more than one meal of farmed salmon per month contains enough PCBs to raise cancer risk.
- Farmed fish are administered more antibiotics by weight than any other livestock.
- Seven out of 10 pieces of farmed fish tested had concentrations of cancer-causing PCBs high enough to trigger health warnings from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Set Up Your Food Storage, Meal prep, Take out all the bad food in your house, go swimming, work your muscles, join a support group,get some sun, get sleep, reduce stress, Eat soluble fibers, Eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods & Drink water a half hour before meals.
I added more things like:
- Olives
- Avocado
- Cooked Cruciferous vegetables (Limit this to no more than 2x per week)
- Fermented foods
- Fatty fish (e.g., wild-caught salmon trout, tuna and mackerel. )
- Chicken and Turkey ( organic hormone & Antibiotic free)
- Grass Fed Beef
- leafy greens
- Nitrate free bacon
- Nuts, such as walnuts and almonds
- Seeds, such as pumpkin, chia and flax
- Coconut Flour, Almond Flour and hemp seeds
- Asparagus
- Mushrooms.
- Zucchini
- cooked cabbage
- any cruciferous vegetables cooked but no more than 2x per week
- cucumber
- lettuce
- tomatoes
- olives
- red,green and orange bell peppers
- onion
- sweet potatoe
- beet root
- Chia Seeds
- Kelp and seaweed
- Celtic or Himalayan sea salt
- coconut
- coconut oil
- organic butter ( preferably Grass fed)
- ghee
- Bone Broth
- Eggs: Look for pastured or omega-3 whole eggs. ( if you don’t have a food allergy)
- Cheese: Unprocessed cheese (cheddar, goat, cream, blue or mozzarella).
- Fish oil (EPA/DHA)
- Magnesium
- Vitamin B Complex
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D3
- Zinc
- Ancient Nutrition- Bone Broth Collagen Loaded with Bone Broth Co-Factors
Studies have shown that this lifestyle change will;
- Cholesterol. This lifestyle change has shown to improve triglyceride levels and cholesterol levels most associated with arterial buildup.
- Weight Loss. As your body is burning fat as the main source of energy, you will essentially be using your fat stores as an energy source while in a fasting state.
- Blood Sugar. Many studies show the decrease of LDL cholesterol over time and have shown to eliminate ailments such as type 2 diabetes.
- Energy. By giving your body a better and more reliable energy source, you will feel more energized during the day. Fats are shown to be the most effective molecule to burn as fuel.
- Hunger. Fat is naturally more satisfying and ends up leaving us in a satiated (“full”) state for longer.
- Acne. Recent studies have shown a drop in acne lesions and skin inflammation over 12 weeks.
-Day Sample Eating Plan
Breakfast: Overnight Chia Seed Pudding
2 cup coconut milk
1 cup berries
1 scoop grass-fed protein
2 tablespoon chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- Add all ingredients except sweetener to a mixing bowl and whisk vigorously to combine. If not blending (which I preferred!), sweeten to taste with maple syrup at this time. If blending, you can sweeten later with maple syrup or dates.
- Let rest covered in the fridge overnight or at least 3-5 hours (or until it’s achieved a pudding-like consistency).
- If blending, add to a blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy, scraping down sides as needed. Sweeten to taste.
- Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for 2-3 days, though best when fresh.
Lunch: Greek Salad
1 sliced chicken breast
1 cup organic romaine lettuce
1/4 cup sliced cucumber
1/2 tomato sliced
1 ounce goat cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Dinner: Organic Meat (bison burger, salmon, chicken)
6 ounces organic meat
1 serving sautéed zucchini
1 serving sautéed sweet potatoe
or you can make a casserole dish, something in the crock pot
Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs green cabbage
- 1⁄3 lb butter
- 1 lb grass fed ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tex-mex seasoning
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2⁄3 lb shredded cheese, preferably cheddar cheese
- 1⁄3 lb leafy greens or lettuce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Shred the cabbage finely with a sharp knife or in a food processor.
- Fry the cabbage in 3 ounces of butter in a large frying pan or a wok on medium-high heat. Fry until soft, but don’t let the cabbage turn brown. This can take a little while; roughly 10 minutes.
- Add spices and vinegar. Stir and continue to fry for a couple of minutes. Set aside on a plate.
- Melt the rest of the butter in the same pan. Sauté the ground beef and fry on medium-high heat until most of the juices have evaporated. Lower the heat to medium-low.
- Add cooked cabbage and sauté together with the beef for a minute. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir ⅔ of the cheese into the cabbage mix and place in a baking dish.
- Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake for 15–20 minutes or until the cheese browns nicely.
- Serve with a green salad.
Cajun Salmon Patties
Coconut Paleo Mayonnaise
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp mustard (this is optional)
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- In a medium bowl (blender, food processor) mix the yolks, mustard, if using, and 1 tsp lemon juice.
- Start whisking vigorously (blender or food processor on low) while dripping the oil very slowly, even drop by drop in the beginning. You’re creating an emulsion and if you put too much oil at once, it will separate and will be very hard to save. Whisk non-stop and use a towel under the bowl to help stabilize it.
- As you add more oil, the emulsion will form and the mayonnaise will start to thicken and you can pour the oil faster at this point.
- When all the oil is incorporated and the mayonnaise is thick, whisk in the rest of the lemon juice and taste your creation. You can season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Enjoy without guilt and keep the leftovers in the refrigerator!
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Disclaimer
The information and recipes contained in blog is based upon the research and the personal experiences of the author. It’s for entertainment purposes only. Every attempt has been made to provide accurate, up to date and reliable information. No warranties of any kind are expressed or implied. Readers acknowledge that the author is not engaging in the rendering of legal, financial, medical or professional advice. By reading this blog, the reader agrees that under no circumstance the author is not responsible for any loss, direct or indirect, which are incurred by using this information contained within this blog. Including but not limited to errors, omissions or inaccuracies. This blog is not intended as replacements from what your health care provider has suggested. The author is not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any of the suggestions, preparations or procedures discussed in this blog. All matters pertaining to your health should be supervised by a health care professional. I am not a doctor, or a medical professional. This blog is designed for as an educational and entertainment tool only. Please always check with your health practitioner before taking any vitamins, supplements, or herbs, as they may have side-effects, especially when combined with medications, alcohol, or other vitamins or supplements. Knowledge is power, educate yourself and find the answer to your health care needs. Wisdom is a wonderful thing to seek. I hope this blog will teach and encourage you to take leaps in your life to educate yourself for a happier & healthier life. You have to take ownership of your health.
RESOURCES:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/water-for-weight-loss-diet#1
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1323303/
http://www.slenderkitchen.com/article/how-to-calculate-how-much-water-you-should-drink-a-day
thehypothyroidismchick 