Your body is fed and shaped by a variety of factors including the food you eat, the thoughts you think, the emotions you feel, the smells and sounds you are exposed to; environmental factors; your relationships; and life’s work.  You can learn to use all of these to work in your favor to achieve a healthy, fit body and mind, and a life you truly love.

Weight issues are not entirely about food or the amount of calories you consume. There are many reasons; some are simple and some are complex. Three common causes of excess weight are: failing to target the real cause; being a scientific dieter; and a body being held hostage by your mind.  Some of the real causes are the focus of this article. The others will be addressed soon in future posts.

Margaret: Warming her Body’s Systems

Margaret struggled with weight issues for about 10 years and tried several trendy diets which she could not maintain. She had thyroid nodules and had been on Synthroid for years without results. Her physician was recommending surgery to remove the nodules, and her thyroid as well.

Along with the more obvious troubles, Margaret was freezing cold all the time, tired, bloated, constipated, depressed, anemic, and losing hair. Most of these symptoms indicate thyroid problems, but I did not see the thyroid as the main issue. When I met with her she was eating what she considered to be a healthy diet—lean proteins, plus lots of cooling foods, like salads, fruits, smoothies. I saw, though, that it was these particular foods that caused the problems with her thyroid. 

Margaret experienced amazing results by eating the recommended warming foods and taking two professional herbal formulas that support kidney, adrenal, digestive, and thyroid health. I also had her emphasize the salty flavor with specific foods and not the salt shaker.

In 7 weeks this is what happened:  

Margaret lost 12 pounds. Two of her thyroid nodules shrank, and one completely disappeared. Her physician decided to hold off on the surgery. She was no longer constipated and bloated. The pain and swelling in her throat was gone. Her painful periods, with sweats, became normal and healthy. Her hair stopped falling out. And she eliminated antidepressants with no adverse effects to her physical, mental or emotional health.

The cause of Margaret’s problems was not simply thyroid issues, and it wasn’t a matter of eating too many calories. The root cause of Margaret’s weight gain and health issues was a diet that was too cooling and weakening her kidneys, adrenals, and thyroid. With foods that were more warming, and nourishing for her kidneys, her body came into balance, her weight normalized, and her health was restored. 

Vince: Drying Up the Swamp

When I met with Vince he was puffy, bloated, overweight, and tired all the time.  He suffered from asthma, allergies, persistent sinus infections, and intense muscular pain from statins.  He blamed his yearly weight gain on aging. However, taking all of his concerns into account, I saw that there was one major issue at the root of all his problems.

Vince showed patterns of  having internal mold, yeast and fungal issues which were the root cause of nearly every symptom he was experiencing, including weight gain.  The origin of all of this was years of eating foods that created a damp, mucous condition in his lungs and digestive tract. Living in a house with mold exacerbated his health issues.

I crafted a diet for him to dry the dampness and mucus, and advised him to eliminate foods he was consuming that were feeding the yeast, mold, and fungi.  The plan included an emphasis on common foods with pungent and bitter flavors.  Other foods were added to regenerate his immunity, lung and digestive health. Vince also took some professional quality herbal formulas. 

Within days, his puffiness was gone, and within 8 weeks he lost 18 pounds. Vince’s doctor took him off all asthma medications except for one emergency inhaler. His allergies are 85% better, and his energy greatly increased.  His cholesterol also went down; he is off statins; and muscle pain is gone.  Vince also hired a professional to remedy his home’s mold issues.

The root cause of Vince’s weight gain was an internal condition much like a swamp, and not aging as he (and many others) believed.

Julie: Common Health Remedy Leads to Weight Gain

Julie was convinced by her physician and her previous alternative health practitioner that she needed to eat lots of protein from cheese and meat because she experienced low blood sugar. Following this scientific advice caused insatiable sweet cravings, irritability, and weight gain which she was unable to reduce.

The customized diet I gave her included many foods with sweet flavors that are rich in complex carbohydrates. These replaced simple, more quickly metabolized sugars and eliminated cravings for them. At the same time, she replaced the mineral-depleting foods she’d been eating with satisfying, nourishing ones that provide easily absorbed minerals. Julie lost the excess weight, her blood sugar has been normal, her moods have improved, and she no longer has to eat every two hours.

The real cause of her weight gain was an extreme approach to diet—excess animal protein that compounded her health issues.

Joan abandoned scientific dieting and lost 4 pounds in 9 days not by changing the food she was eating, but by changing the way she cooked it.  This worked by stimulating her metabolism.

Sam dropped 10 pounds in a month by having dinner at 6 p.m. rather than having dinner 30 minutes before going to bed.  He also cut his evening cocktails by 70% and says he doesn’t miss them.  Doing so eliminated night sweats, poor sleep, skin rashes, and improved weight loss.  He did not count calories, eat low-cal chemical food, or increase exercise–the approach espoused by scientific experts.

Restoring Balance

None of these clients had to count calories, control their cravings, deprive themselves, eat chemical-laden “diet” foods, or over-exercise. When internal balance was restored with a customized diet, their hunger was satisfied and healthy weight was the natural result.

While you may not have any of these health issues, if you are overweight something is out of balance, and when you create internal harmony your weight will normalize.  Consider some professional guidance for the right nutrition and customized holistic health plan for reversing your health and weight issues, and removing the degenerations that cause them. You can lose weight sustainably and greatly improve every aspect of your physical, mental and emotional health with a customized holistic approach. Schedule a Holistic Health and Nutrition session with Deborah Barr, 35-year Holistic Health and Nutrition Counselor. You’ll be on your way to better health. Sessions can be done by phone, Zoom, Skype, or at Pittsburgh office.

Participate in my next Holistic Weight Loss webinar.

 

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