By: Abigail Wiley- Holistic Nutrition Coach/Chef Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition
Culture has led us to believe that dieting and overexercising is what we need to do to lose weight. “Fat is bad, calories are bad, carbs are bad, etc.” I say, this restrictive dieting and mindset is bad!
Weight management goes far beyond calories in calories out. Calorie restriction for long periods of time is a stress on the body that can mess with our hormones. Over exercising is also a stress on the body that can mess with hormones and pretty much every biological process in the body. I want to offer you a different perspective when it comes to healthy weight management. What if you could still love the food you eat, the life you live, and have healthy weight management as a side effect to it all?
While a healthy, mindful diet is key, there’s so much more to it. The body uses fat a survival and protection mechanism. For example, we have too much sugar in the blood that the liver or muscles can’t store…it gets saved as fat. The liver is congested and can’t eliminate toxins effectively…they get bound up in fat. A woman is going through menopause or has her ovaries removed…well fat can secrete estrogen so the body may want to hang on to it for the hormones. Here you see why the body may be trying to hold on to that fat.
I want to mainly focus on the detox component of healthy weight management even though there’s other factors like diet, exercise, and stress management because this is not something that is talked about enough in my opinion.
Like I said, our bodies are smart and do everything to protect us and keep us alive. The body will hang on to fat in order to keep those toxins from entering the blood and damaging the body if it knows that the liver, kidneys, and other detoxification pathways are congested. Makes sense right?
So what can we do? My highest suggestion is to start working with a holistic practitioner to rebalance your body through food and lifestyle, and support detoxification.
The first step is to of course to identify and begin eliminating sources of toxic exposure. You can read some of my older blog posts on toxins.
Next, I always suggest to my clients to complete at least three liver detoxes per year as well as a parasite clearing once a year. The liver has hundreds of different functions and really needs to be supported. A liver detox usually includes using liver supportive and bile producing herbs to boost liver function, binders to grab on to those toxins, and supplements to make sure healthy bowel movements are happening to get rid of it all. Limiting foods that are harder on the liver is helpful during the detox as well. My favorite stand alone liver detox so far is by Perfect Supplements. You can use code ABBY10 for a discount! Parasites should be considered too as they are far more common than is talked about and for many this can be a factor in hanging on to weight as well. The parasite protocol I use for my clients is through CellCore and consists of supplements for about four months if it’s someone’s first parasite clearing. Actually this protocol works on the liver, kidneys, and systemic detox from heavy metals, environmental toxins, plastic, etc. This is what I’ve seen yield the greatest results for long term health benefits.
Now I’m not saying doing a detox for three weeks or even a systemic detox lasting four months or longer is going to magically make everything better. Consuming whole foods, joyfully moving your body, reducing stress, balancing hormones, and other aspects of health is absolutely important too.
Supporting detoxification means that all that hard work you are putting in to eat a whole food, nutrient rich diet and consistently move your body in a joyful way will pay bigger dividends over time. The other bonus, chances are you’ll feel so good you won’t ever want to go back to the habits that weren’t serving you.
There is no one-size-fits all approach. In my practice I see my clients for their unique self and circumstances. I hold the space and time to listen to the whole story and devise a plan to bring the best results together.
Are you ready to get to the root cause of your symptoms and get your health and vitality back? Email abby@chefabbalina.com to inquire or set up a FREE 15 minute consult. You will leave our call with a clear plan of next action steps and can choose to take matter into your own hands or pick out a coaching package to begin working with me!
You deserve to FEEL your best so you can DO your best!
In health,
Abigail HWP, BCHN
Holistic Nutrition Coach/Chef
Not ready to get started with 1:1 coaching? That’s okay! I have a number of FREE resources here on my website like my 6 Ingredient Or Less Ebook and other blog posts! I also have a low cost recipe subscription where members have access to all my balanced recipes, meal plans, and cooking demos. Check out all these resources here on my website chefabbalina.com in the menu bar at the top.
Abigail E. Holistic 