The TRIFECTA for Holistic Weight Loss

Weight loss can sometimes feel like a taboo topic. With the body positive movements, we should feel happy in our skin, and grateful for everything our body can do for us. This type of movement can almost make us feel shameful when we would like to shed a few pounds (not that it should!).

I have many clients who have a primary goal of weight loss, and that is definitely something I can support them with. Do I do so by cutting out major food groups, overly restricting calories and taking the joy out of food? No, absolutely not.a

Do I make my clients send me bi-weekly measurements, weigh-ins or photos? NOPE.

Do I give them a list of foods that are “good” that they may include, and “bad” food that they must eliminate indefinitely? HECK NO!

This is not my style.

In my opinion, the above strategies to weight loss creates a negative relationship with food AND your body.

So, how do I support my clients who wish to lose weight? I do this through, what I refer to as the trifecta for weight loss.

I want my clients to feel UNSTOPPABLE, not restricted or missing out on their favourite foods. When it comes to weight loss, I dig deeper with my clients to look for potential systemic imbalances within their body systems (digestive system, intestinal system, endocrine system, nervous system etc) and how we can bring those systems back into a state of balance, using nutrition! Not only does weight loss often follow, but my clients also tend to leave feeling energized, less stressed and with better bowel movements!

The TRIFECTA for Holistic Weight Loss, involves the three categories listed below;

Blood Sugar Balance

Dysglycemia refers to an imbalance of sugar in the bloodstream. In someone who is susceptible to dysglycemia, the ingestion of refined carbohydrates leads to blood sugar levels abruptly rising with a surge of energy, only to fall dramatically a few hours later, leaving a feeling of tiredness and irritability. High sugar diets contribute to insulin resistance, inflammation and even depression. It should be no surprise that a high sugar diet will not support our weight loss goals (nor will it support our goals of better energy and less stress!)

Digestive Support

Healthy digestion is base for a healthy foundation, so it shouldn’t surprise you that it is also important for weight loss. We need to properly break down our food for nutrient assimilation and energy production, which all play a role in our gut health journey. Your body contains trillions of bacteria, with majority of these being located in your intestinal tract. Believe it or not, the state of your gut can impact your ability to lose weight due the the impact that these gut bugs have on inflammation, how our food is digested, cravings and hunger signals.

Sleep & Stress Support

Taking time to rest and recharge is critical to our weight loss journey. Did you know that stress could be getting in the way of your weight loss goals? Not only can an increase in our stress levels be related to making unhealthy food choices & overeating, but also contributes to increased cortisol production.

Cortisol is a stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to a stressful situations, and production decreases when the threat is removed. When stress is chronic with consistently high cortisol levels, there can be many ramifications in the body, like slowed digestion & digestive secretions, undigested food feeding microbes, contributing to dysbiosis (we know why this is an issue with weight loss from the section above), suppression of the immune system, increased nutrient turnover, tension headaches, depression and sugar cravings (due to the reduced serotonin levels associated with stress). Additionally, stress can contribute to mild subclinical hypothyroidism with a slowing metabolism, lowering body temperature, slowness, depression and weight gain. Stress also impacts our blood sugar balance, as stress hormones affect blood glucose levels in the liberation of energy to fight or flee from our stressors.

Stress is connected to it all, it is important to work on stress management for the prevention of many chronic diseases, but is especially important when our goals are to lose weight.