​HORMONE IMBALANCE:
It's very possible to have a hormone imbalance that will lead you to gaining or retaining weight, as much as losing weight.  Think of your thyroid as the simplest example here.  If you think you have an issue that could be hormone related, please ask your GP to do a blood test to check your levels.  Hormones can be rebalanced NATURALLY without the need for pills (chemicals!!) - get in touch if you'd like to know more.

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DIGESTIVE ENZYMES;

A very common reason why people fail to lose weight is also due to a poor digestive system!  Unfortunately, a lot of the foods we buy these days are full of preservatives, corn syrup so many other unhealthy additives that play havoc with the bacteria in our gut causing a lack of adequate nutrient absorption.

 

In order to improve the digestion and uptake of nutrients from our foods, you need to ensure you have enough of all 3 enzymes; Lipase, Amalyse and Bromelain!  So, how to go about that?  Easy, make sure you're eating pineapples, bananas and avocados regularly - those three natural, delicious beauties will sort you out!

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Eat regular quantities of PINEAPPLE**, AVOCADO AND BANANA

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CHEMICALS (preservatives!)

Every processed food, fizzy drink (diet ones especially!!) and low calorie / fake product is going to go and sit in your fat stores..why?  Because your body will always try to look after you by storing unknown quantities away from vital organs. 
 

PRESERVATIVES GO STRAIGHT TO YOUR FAT STORES - FACT!

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Margarine or Butter..?

All of the advertising tells you to eat Flora, Bertolli, or Clover, for example - that they are healthier than butter because they have less saturated fat!  What they don't tell you is that margarine is just 1 chemical chain away from PLASTIC and because the body doesn't recognise it as a 'real' source of food, Margarine will get stored in your fat stores!

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BUTTER IS HEALTHIER THAN MARGARINE - FACT!

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Use it in moderation, but choose real over fake, every day of the week - the body will synthesise the protein and fat in butter and use it for muscle, skin and cell repair and good hormonal function.

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CHOOSE BUTTER* OVER MARGARINE EVERYTIME - FACT!
(*the key word is MODERATION!)

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CAN STRESS MAKE ME FAT..?  YES!

It is very true that increased levels of stress cause our body to produce more of the stress hormone 'cortisol'; the fat magnet hormone!

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TRY TO MEDITATE OR BREATH DEEPLY FOR A MINIMUM OF
10 MINUTES EVERY DAY TO HELP RELAX

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FOOD MANUFACTURERS AND THEIR EVIL WAYS...

Talking of hormones - food industries play with our 'hormones' (I'm very sad to say this is not a joke!) is to combine foods in a way that bypass a very important hormone in our body that regulates food intake, 'leptin'.

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Tests of rats found that the right combination of fat and sugar in a single product  (think of cheesecake as a great example) is able to somehow bypass our leptin sensor.  The means instead of our body telling us we've had enough, we continue to eat much more than we normally would if the fat and sugar elements were to be separated.

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High fructose corn syrup is used in just about every sweetened product on the shelves today, and in lots of savoury products, including bread (Hovis, Burgen, Warburtons to name but a few!).  This is one of the most problematic for a lot of people.  If you buy processed food or almost any description (biscuits, cakes, sweets, bread, pies, cereals, fizzy drinks), this little gem will be hidden there and it goes STRAIGHT TO YOUR FAT STORES..!!!!

 

FOOD MANUFACTURES DESIGN FOOD TO ENSURE WE EAT MORE OF THEIR PRODUCTS
- AWFUL FACT!​

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TOXINS

It is posssible to have issues with the drainage of toxins from your body, which causes additional bloating - especially of limbs, but it can affect the whole body.  A good massage can help to move the toxins by increasing the circulation in your body!

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FOOD INTOLERANCE

Another common issue with people not managing to lose weight can be the result of food intolerance.  It's amazing how seriously food intolerance issues can affect the body. A lot of people will automaticlaly think gluten and dairy as the two main highly marketed 'intolerances' these days.  It is quite likely that a few people may have issues with these, however it's quite likely that  most of us are just intolerant to the chemicals found in our foods or FODMAPs (see below)

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Unfortunately food companies are quite devious and they like to come up with new, inventive ways of keeping us hooked on their products so we spend more money with them.  What better way than to create a new 'gluten' hype.  Of course, this isn't to say there aren't people with gluten insensitivity, but there are far less in society than current marketing strategies would have us believe!

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YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE AN INTOLERANCE TO THE CHEMICALS FOUND IN FOOD,
THAN TO GLUTEN!

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MINERAL DEFICIENCY

It is also possible to have a mineral deficiency that can cause an upset in the body leading it work inefficiently.  Mineral deficiency, such as magnesium, can lead to an inefficient body and subsequently the body does not process nutrients as effectively.  This crucial mineral is quite often reduced as a result of too many fizzy drinks and sweet products.   

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FIZZY DRINKS AND SUGAR HELP TO REDUCE VITAL STORES OF MAGNESIUM

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CARBOHYDRATES

It's been been banded about for many years that carbohydrates make you fat, and that they are the devil-in-carnate, but let's be clear - carbohydrates, like all macronutrients (carbs, proteins, fats) are ESSENTIAL to the body and should be included in your diet in the healthy form.

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Carbohydrate is converted to glucose by our body for use as energy - if you are a very active person you will require more if you are not active, you will require less.  If you eat too many carbohydrates and don't burn them off (with activity) they will be converted to fat. (simplistically speaking!)

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If you are trying to reduce weight, my recommendation would be to reduce junk food, sweetie products, fizzy drinks and alcohol and get moving more.

 

Stick to healthy complex carbohydrates; whole-wheat pasta and grains, oats, quinoa, couscous, rice, for example.  Eat a small portion with each meal while increasing your quantity of colourful vegetables & healthy proteins; fish, lean meats, poultry, for example.

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FATS

Unfortunately a lot of damage and mis-information has been in existence since the 60's/70's about fat, with advice that eating fat makes you fat and therefore to lose weight, you must reduce your fat intake.  This is quite simply untrue and unhealthy.   The body needs to have a certain amount of 'healthy' fat to maintain good hormone function and for cell repair, to name but two good reasons!

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As per the 'carb' section, it's all about the types of fat you eat.  Avocados are very high in fat, but they are fabulously healthy and should not be avoided just because you are trying to lose fat from your body - your body knows what to do with this ingredient!

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Olive oil, rapeseed oil (unfiltered, cold pressed) and coconut oil are all good sources of healthy fat - I would avoid refined oils, vegetable and sunflower oils.  I would most certainly avoid any oil that can be 'sprayed'

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As a NASM certified weight loss specialist, my recommendation would be to opt for items that are REAL, versus synthetic (man-made!) or altered!  Choose natural over 'low-fat', 'reduced sugar', etc, etc.   Full cream over elmlea synthetic sludge for example, as the former is full of natural goodness and the body recognises what it's made of, the latter is a concoction of nasty chemicals that might be lower in fat, sugar and calories, but it's poisonous and your body doesn't want it anywhere near your vital organs!

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TRY ELIMINATING CERTAIN FOODS AND KEEP A DIARY - YOU MAY BE SURPRISED AT WHAT IS CAUSING YOU TO RETAIN WEIGHT!

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**Please note that some foods, such as grapefruit and pineapple, can be contra-indicated with certain medication so please check your medication for specific advice.

At all times, professional advice should be sought before starting any form of radical eating or diet regime.

In my opinion you should focus your energy on buying fresh produce and cooking your own meals, reduce snacking between meals, mind your portion size and increase your water intake.

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Lifestyle coach, executive coaching, mentor, personal trainer, NLP Coach, sports therapist, sports massage therapist, Time Line Therapist, Online Personal Trainer, Online coaching, NLP Coach Practitioner, Move 4 Fitness Personal Training, Move 4 Fitness