Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Holistic approach to weight loss

Why some people lose weight on particular diets while others don’t succeed to lose any weight? A study concluded that one weight loss diet can’t fit everybody.
Weight loss process shouldn’t be oversimplified to just reducing caloric intake. Everybody is different. There may be different reasons for weight gain. Some of the reasons are the health related ones that should be identified and addressed in order for someone to lose weight successfully and maintain it.
Some of the health-related reasons for weight gain are hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, estrogen dominance, insulin resistance, dysfunctional liver. Decreasing the caloric intake and exercising regularly will not work in these cases.
While it is important to see a medical practitioner for the right diagnosis and take the prescribed medications, a complete lifestyle change is necessary to get the sustainable results.
If you have hypothyroidism, for example, you need to choose the foods that don’t suppress the thyroid function; if you have liver problems eat liver-friendly diet. Detoxify your body with one day fasting with lemon water or just filtered or spring water or if you can’t fast consider a one day mono-diet. Take psyllium husk powder or ground flax seed with water in the morning and in the evening to cleanse the colon. Do yogic postures. Yoga massages internal organs and can help normalize hormonal functions.
These are some of the basics of the holistic approach to weight loss. This approach helps eliminate the cause of weight gain. By choosing the food that improves your health and by adapting a healthy lifestyle you’ll be able to lose weight and maintain it without constant calorie counting and struggle.

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Hidden Food Allergies and Weight Gain

Do you have cravings for a particular food? Food allergies often result in food cravings. This seems to be a controversial statement but it is a fact accepted by medical establishment. This kind of allergy is called type B allergy and means food intolerance. Such intolerance can lead to weight gain, bloating, fatigue, water retention, etc. Some foods we crave will not necessarily make us fat, but others can be major contributors to weight gain. Some famous allergens are coffee, wheat, milk, corn, eggs. Rice is sometimes recommended as a safe substitute for allergens however some people can be allergic to rice!
If you always crave a particular food and can’t go without it then you are allergic to it. If you are overweight and have difficulties losing weight the food you are allergic to might be the cause. There are some tests that can help uncover allergies to more than 200 substances. One of these tests is called ELISA. There are also blood tests that can help uncover type B allergies.
Here are some steps to follow:

1. Through the tests discover what foods you are allergic to and then refrain from those foods for at least 10 days. You should be able to see the difference in how you feel and have dramatic results with your weight loss.

2. Follow a detox program those 10 days to help diminish or eliminate the negative changes caused to the body by offensive food. Detox can also help with cravings.

3. After refraining from allergens for 10 days, start to introduce them one by one into your diet. For example, if you are allergic to wheat and eggs start eating wheat after the 10-day period and wait for 2-3 days to see your reaction to wheat before introducing eggs. If the symptoms return, stop eating that particular food.

You can facilitate the weight loss process by simply refraining from the foods you are allergic to.

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