Tag Archives: weight loss

Weight Loss Tips By A Naturopathic Doctor

Healthy Me,

Have you every tried to loose weight? Have you ever tried different diets and had some success but then gained the weight you lost back after a few months of stopping the diet? Or have you been on diets your whole life, stressed and always cautious about what you eat and how it will affect your weight? If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you might want to read the following.

As a naturopathic doctor, I see various clients coming in for weight loss and management, who have tried and tired of different fad diets or diet of the month, had some success and then gained back the weight. So here are some simple tips that I have found to be useful for people trying to loose weight.

ADEQUATE NUTRIENTS WITHIN CALORIE NEEDS

Quite often people associate dieting with having to starve themselves to a maximum of 800 calories a day. Well, when you are looking to loose weight, look to consume a variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages within and among the basic food groups such as vegetables, fruits and complex carbohydrates and healthy fats, while limiting the intake of foods that are high saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, salt, and alcohol. This way you can intake good calories with healthy foods as opposed to limiting yourself to a thin slice of cake and some rice cakes all day long. Nutrition is key when it comes to loosing weight and eating the right foods is extremely important.

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

To maintain body weight in a healthy range, balance calories from foods and beverages with calories expended or burnt. To prevent gradual weight gain over time, make small decreases in food and beverage calories and increase physical activity.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Regular physical activity and reduce sedentary activities to promote health, psychological well-being, and a healthy body weight.

To reduce the risk of chronic disease in adulthood: Engage in at least 30 – 40 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, above usual activity, at work or home on most days of the week.  For most people, greater health benefits can be obtained by engaging in physical activity of more vigorous intensity or longer duration.

To help manage body weight and prevent gradual, unhealthy body weight gain in adulthood: Engage in approximately 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity on 3- 4 days of the week while not exceeding caloric intake requirements.

To sustain weight loss in adulthood: Participate in at least 60 to 90 minutes of daily moderate-intensity physical activity while not exceeding caloric intake requirements. Some people may need to consult with a naturopathic doctor before participating in this level of activity. If you are looking to build muscle and not prevent bone loss especially for women going through menopause, it is very important to add weight bearing activities into your work out routine.

Achieve physical fitness by including cardiovascular conditioning, stretching exercises for flexibility, and resistance exercises or calisthenics for muscle strength and endurance.

FOOD GROUPS TO ENCOURAGE

A good balance for fruits, vegetables, proteins, good fats and complex carbohydrates is key.

Consume a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables while staying within energy needs. Two cups of fruit and unlimited amounts of low carbohydrate vegetables such as all the different leafy greens and 1 serving of high carbohydrate vegetable such as sweet potato or yams per day are recommended for a reference 2,000-calorie intake, with higher or lower amounts depending on the calorie level.

Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. In particular, select from all five vegetable subgroups (dark green, orange, legumes, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables) several times a week

Consume 2 or more ounce-equivalents of whole-grain products per day, with the rest of the recommended grains coming from enriched or whole-grain products. In general, at least half the grains should come from whole grains. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding having grains for weight loss – my recommendation is generally to get tested for food intolerances to figure out if you are intolerant to any grains before adding them into your diet. We offer testing for up to 220 foods at our naturopathic clinic.

FATS

Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids and less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol, and keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.

Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.

When selecting and preparing meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low fat, or fat-free.

Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oils.

CARBOHYDRATES

Choose fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains often.

Choose and prepare foods and beverages with little added sugars or none.

Reduce the incidence of dental caries by practicing good oral hygiene and consuming sugar- and starch-containing foods and beverages less frequently.

SODIUM AND POTASSIUM

Consume less than 2,300 mg (approximately 1 teaspoon of salt) of sodium per day.

Choose and prepare foods with little salt. At the same time, consume potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

Those who choose to drink alcoholic beverages should do so sensibly and in moderation—defined as the consumption of up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.

Some individuals, including those who cannot restrict their alcohol intake, women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, pregnant and lactating women, children and adolescents, individuals taking medications that can interact with alcohol, and those with specific medical conditions, should not consume alcoholic beverages.

Individuals engaging in activities that require attention, skill, or coordination, such as driving or operating machinery, should avoid alcoholic beverages.

FOOD SAFETY – These are common sense when it comes to food preparation.

To avoid microbial food borne illness:

  • Wash your hands, and clean any contact surfaces where you prepare foods, and fruits and vegetables. Meat and poultry should always be washed or rinsed.
  • Separate raw, cooked, and ready-to-eat foods while shopping, preparing, or storing foods.
  • Cook foods to a safe temperature to kill microorganisms.
  • Chill (refrigerate) perishable food promptly and defrost foods properly.
  • Avoid raw (unpasteurized) milk or any products made from unpasteurized milk, raw or partially cooked eggs or foods containing raw eggs, raw or undercooked meat and poultry, unpasteurized juices, and raw sprouts.

None of this information constitutes for medical advice. Talk to your naturopath before making any changes.

If you are looking to loose weight and keeping it off, here is a link for more information on losing weight naturally.

Trying To Loose Weight? Focus On The Following:

Healthy Me, ,

Most of us are constantly worry about weight gain or not being able to loose weight. We also dread putting ourselves through ridiculous diets and exercise regimens, when all we want to do is: loose weight and not have to put as much effort into it, right? Here are some simple and easy modifications you can focus on, on a day to day basis and see how those pounds melt away:

1. Eat slowly and chew your food properly. For each bite you take, chew at least 11 times. This allows the food to break down into smaller particles and also allows the digestive juices in the saliva to start working on digesting the foods – especially starches.

2. Have a glass of water with a squeeze of lime or lemon before each meal and before each second helping. This will help you decrease the number of calories you would otherwise consume and make you feel fuller faster as well. However, make sure you are not drinking water with your meals, as this will have a negative impact on digestion, as the water will dilute your digestive enzymes.

3. Try to practice food combining. Simply put: Eat your foods in a way that is most favorable / optimal for your digestion. Here are the three simple rules to go by:

– Eat fruits with fruits.
– Eat carbohydrates (potatoes, starchy vegetables, rice, noodles and pastas) with vegetables, and not with protein (meat, fish and vegetarian proteins).
– Eat proteins with vegetables, and not with carbohydrates.
I know, at first you might think – that you have been eating your carbohydrates with proteins all your life, and its been fine. Try to eat for a week with the three simples rules above and let me know what you feel as a difference in your digestion.

4. Avoid foods you are intolerant or mildly allergic to. When you consume foods that you are sensitive or allergic to, you will experience quite a few symptoms including not limited to weight gain and water retention among others. A simple blood test can reveal what your food intolerances and or allergies are. Once you have identified these, try to eliminate them for a few months, and also try to rotate the foods you are eating and add variety to your diet. Do not eat the same foods everyday.

5. Drink at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces or about 8 – 10 glasses of water daily. Hydration is key. Quite often the body mistakes hunger for thirst, especially if you are not used to drinking water, and this leads to consumption of empty calories.

6. Plan your healthy meals and snacks ahead of time. I find this very helpful especially if you are going to be out and about or working long hours daily.  When you have healthy snacks around – you will be less tempted to go and buy unhealthy calorie laden junk foods.  Here is a list of 5 snacks that i usually carry around and love, maybe you can give these a try: dried cherries mixed with cranberries, sliced cucumbers, carrots and peppers with a dash of herbamere seasoning (sea salt with dried herbs), rice crackers with babaganouj or hummus, raw almonds with cashews and walnuts, sliced mangoes or green apples.

7. Try to have most your calories in the early part of the day, for the best utilization of the calories in the food, and spend at least 20 – 30 minutes to eat  your meals and snacks, as opposed to eating too quickly and stuffing the stomach. Try to avoid having snacks while you are engaged in doing something, as this leads to consumption of extra calories you would not have otherwise consumed.

8. Exercise is important, but not if its going to create stress in your life, in an already packed schedule. Try to get at least 10,000 steps in a day – be it walking, brisk walking, jogging, among other activities. If going to a gym is not your thing, take a look at various different activities available and see what you feel drawn to and feel comfortable with. Try it out, you never know, you might actually like it! Talk to your naturopathic doctor about your health goals, and how to optimize your health and well being, using diet and exercise, and also get them to look at your hormone, thyroid levels and metabolism levels, as these could be an issue if you are trying to loose weight at no avail. For more information on weight loss and how to loose weight, please click here.

By: SUSHMA SHAH, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor.

Detoxification And Weight Loss For The Fall

Healthy Me,

Fall is a great time for detoxification for the body, which also helps with loosing excessive weight and toxins built in the body over the summer. During this season, the body goes through changes just like the environment, for winter, restoring nutrients and storing away for the cold season. There are various detoxification programs available hence I usually suggest talk to myself, at the clinic to see what detox might be most suitable for your health. Here are some fantastic tips for detoxification:

1. Juice of ½ lime squeezed in warm water, a pinch of cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon of maple syrup.

Great for cleansing colon and the liver of all the toxins built up due to exposure to the environment and in foods. I recommend at least one 8 oz. glass before breakfast. This combination is great for weight loss as well.

2. Include lots of dark colored leafy green vegetables especially beets, carrots kale, spinach, dandelion and celery in your diet.

Packed full of anti-oxidants, nutrients and enzymes, these vegetables are great for detoxifying the liver as well. I recommend at least one serving of these juiced every morning.

3. 2 tablespoons of Kefir mixed with 1 heaping tablespoon of freshly ground organic flaxseeds.

Kefir is a fermented dairy product that is really good for the digestive tract. Flaxseeds are high in fiber and omega 3 fatty acids. Flax seeds help to reduce cholesterol as well bulk up the stool. This is a wonderful combination in the morning for people who suffer from constipation or other digestive issues.

4. Glass of warm water before each meal

With the weather getting colder, most of us crave fatty warm foods, which helps us feel nourished and better, but do not help the sizes of our bellies. One of the ways to decrease the cravings and appetite is having a glass of warm water with each meal, and before you know it you will have lost a pound!

5. No more eating after 8pm. 

This is one of the simplest ways to loose weight without trying and its also great for people who suffer from acid reflux. Try to have all your meals before 8pm, along with your drinks and allow your digestive system to rest overnight. This will also improve your sleep, especially if you suffer from sleeping issues, as well, 6 hours into sleep, your body will start to break down fat for fueling the body.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

 

How To Loose Weight Quickly Over The Holidays

Healthy Me,

With the holidays rolling in, there will be tableful’s of cakes and cookies in almost every household, and all kinds of other tasty temptations all around us, so how do we loose weight or avoid weight gain over the holidays? listed below are some wondering strategies that you can apply to keep the weight gain at a minimal this time of the year.

1. Do not deny yourself everything and almost anything.  With all the tasty treats  around, it is hard to say no. So one thing you can do, is whatever it is that you feel like eating, eat a small portion of it and by that I mean – just enough to satisfy your craving in the earlier part of the day, say about 100 calories worth. Treat it as a treat for you for the long busy day ahead of you and the calories you will burn running around all day.  This way you did not deny you wants and needs and did not over indulge in your guilty eating pleasures. its a win- win situation, but remember, only a SMALL portion.

2. Keep your regular meal times. Most people will have some time off over the holidays, and most people try to catch up on their sleep during the time off. Sleeping in is okay as long as you still have your breakfast at a decent time. If you are going to be out and about all day, try not to skip any meals because skipping meals leads to overeating all kinds of foods later in the day.  If you don’t have time for a full meal, try to eat a healthy snack or meal replacement bar instead. Try to take some snacks with you if you are going to be spending the better part of the day in the malls with all kinds of temptations.

3. Read food labels when you are purchasing food items.  It is very important to pay attention to the portion size, the number of calories in each portion, and the amount of saturated fat in each portion. Majority of the times our view of the “supposed ” portion size is very different from the “actual” portion size and the amount of calories that a portion size makes up and before you know it, you will have gained a pound of weight in a week by just adding an extra 500 calories in your diet per day. Reading and understanding the calorie count and where the calories these calories are coming from – carbohydrates, protein and fats, helps you make the healthiest food choices. With smart food choices, you will have no problems loosing weight without even thinking about it!

4.  Make small substitutions in your diet when eating out to cut out extra unwanted calories.  With so many family dinners and lunches to attend where you might have little choice over the food that is served, it is important to be mindful of what you eat especially because not many of us are going to run to the gym after to burn it off. So its important to remember to eat just enough rather than engorging your self with a lot of food. Make small substitutions for example, drink water, diet soda, or unsweetened iced tea instead of high-calorie sugary drinks.  Choose low-calorie and low-fat versions of salad dressing, cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise.  Go easy on fried foods – go for foods that are baked, broiled, poached, or grilled instead. This way you can enjoy a great meal, be a gracious guest and be discreet about what you put into your mouth without offending your host. Oh, and please skip the seconds!

5. Share an entrée with a friend at sit-down restaurants.  If you are  going to be dining at  a restaurant, you have a lot of choice over what you order.  Try to share larger more calorie laden meals but order a personal salad or side of vegetables.  Ask restaurants to: “Please hold the cheese,” “Leave the sauce on the side”, “Use low-fat salad dressing,” and “Please substitute vegetables for French fries.”  As always try to avoid fried dishes. As well, avoid alcohol laden drinks and mixed drinks, instead settle for unsweetened iced tea or sparkling water and you will have saved your self from weight gain due to extra calories, and if you keep up with this pattern, you will in fact start to loose some weight naturally!

6. Avoid situations that trigger eating – Replace the candy or cookies on your desk with fruit or avoid walking near the office candy bowl.  Avoid eating while watching television, reading, or driving.  Many people do not recall what they’ve eaten while doing other things. Place a bowl of healthy fruits on your desk that you enjoy eating, this way you can avoid the cookies and the cakes passed around at the office. If this is unavoidable, take a quick walk, or take the stairs and try to burn off and avoid the extra calories and in no time you will start burning off the excess weight with minimal input…

7. Avoid late night snacking at all costs! Feeling hungry at 9:00 pm? Munch on some popcorn or snack on some fruits, but do not go raid the fridge for that last piece of pie worth 350 – 500 calories. You can always have a small slice first thing in the morning.

Here are my simple natural suggestions for easy ways to loose weight and not gain weight over the holiday, However if your still need some help with weight loss, please check out our Toronto naturopathic weight loss center.

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic, in Toronto.

 

 

Simple Naturopathic Tips For Weight Loss

Healthy Me,

Here is a list of simple tips that work wonders for  naturally losing weight:

  • No eating after 8:00 pm. If you are craving all sorts of things even after having a proper dinner, it is not related to being hungry, is most likely related to stress or comfort of the mind that you are feeding. So try having a tall glass of water with a squeeze of some lemon juice instead and a pinch of stevia instead.
  • Smaller meals through out the day. Rather than having 3 large meals, have six small meals through out the day, this way you are distributing you calories through out the day and using them up as opposed to strong the excess and gaining weight unnecessarily.
  • Have a tall glass of warm water 5 – 7 minutes before each meal. This has clinically been shown to reduce weight.
  • Eat slowly rather than wolfing down your meals as quickly as possible, enjoy your food – the colors and textures of the food, and savour each bite.  This will help improve your digestion and make you more aware of how much you eat.
  • Eat up until you fill your stomach feels satiated not full.

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic

Emotional Stress And Weight Gain Or Loss

Healthy Me, , , , ,

Weight loss is a tricky subject for most who have tried to yo-yo diet and follow starvation diets, with crazy workouts lasting hours on end.

Here are some things to think about when choosing a weight loss program that will benefit you holistically rather than just dropping the pounds. What caused the weight gain in the first place? What is the first factor that comes to mind – was it overeating? Was it a stressful event or turn of events that caused the weight gain, which also was compounded by other stress symptoms such as loss of sleep and fatigue? What was the stressor? Stressors could include anything that puts the body out of its normal state of being such as environment, diet change / modification, medications and emotional stress of varying degrees.

If in fact it was emotional stress related, here a few simple things that you can do that will significantly help improve your success at loosing the additional weight.

  1. Identify the emotional stress factor that caused this spiral with the weight and write it down.
  2. Rather than being stuck in past, come up with realistic strategies that are going to help motivate you to change your attitude towards certain things. Cognitive behavioral therapy would be great for this.
  3. Put your action plan to use. This might include a healthier diet change which will nourish your body with the nutrients that the body has a high demand for in times of stress. An exercise schedule might help, however, if there is a lack of motivation to start exercising because you have no energy, try to identify what you is causing the fatigue ( which could very well be hormone related if there was a prolonged period of stress), and talk to your Naturopathic Doctor about what tests need to be done to identify the root cause of the fatigue and weight gain.

Once this is established, and you start having more energy, you can get on an exercise plan, which will help with energy and stress management. Quite often however, its not so simple. The human mind is much more complex and we often need to change our mental behaviors in order to achieve some physical successes such as weight loss and break unhelpful and disruptive patterns that caused the problem in the first place and may cause a repetition in the future.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Why Is Our Weight Loss Program So Different

Healthy Me, , , , , , , ,

The majority of the weight loss programs are based on generic weight loss pills, crazy crash diets and exercise, however, what if you have tried all that and still not lost the weight… this is where we can help you as we provide holistic healing that combines the mental, emotional and physical aspect of you as an individual.

Why is our Toronto Weight Loss Program so different? Firstly you would have to come in for an initial assessment which includes a blood and urine test, and our naturopath may also recommend additional tests such as thyroid tests, adrenal function tests for stress, hormone tests, and food intolerance tests, among others depending on your specific reasons for being unable to loose weight or maintain the weight loss.

We will then provide a full physical exam as well. Our naturopath’s holistic treatments will be based on your comprehensive intake, tests and various forms, and our treatment plans are not a life long commitment, after the initial assessment and physical, we will provide your treatment plan based on natural therapies – such as nutrition, diet and lifestyle changes and specific natural supplements that address your situation.

Unlike weight loss clinics which tend to provide generic pills and diets for everyone, our naturopathic treatment is based on your symptoms and your health, once you have achieved your ideal weight, you will be able to maintain it without the need to pills etc. as you will be working with a healthy lifestyle change that is individualized to you.

I do not encourage starving crash diets, as they only make things worse, especially if your weight gain come after a stressful situation so the last thing you need to do is stress your body again with crazy diets.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathi Clinic

Successful Weight Loss In Women

Healthy Me, , ,

I have often found that the biggest problem with weight loss for most women is not actually about losing the weight, but is getting organized and pre-planning meals. I find that with lots of my clients, once we have narrowed down exactly what they should be eating as far as their health is concerned, weight loss is the fastest for women who tend to plan and prepare their meals and exercise schedules ahead of time.

For instance, with some of my clients, I found that if they had a schedule that they prepared and stuck it where they could see it daily, with a goal weight – say an actual number with regards to their weight, may be a pound lighter at the end of each week, they were more likely to reach that goal easily than someone who didn’t. So women, here is a simple tip to safe and effective weight loss – PLAN A SCHEDULE WITH MEALS AND EXERCISE AND STICK TO IT!

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.