How I Shed Excess Weight and Feel Healthier?
- Juliette Ries
- Oct 14, 2016
- 3 min read
In my own experience I have noticed that cutting out meat, dairy, and processed foods really helped my body to lose excess pounds. Not only that, it made me feel a whole lot better overall. Whenever I would eat meat I felt like it sat in my system for days. It seemed to take a lot of energy to break down the meat so it made me feel tired because a lot of my energy was being used to break down the meat. When I would eat dairy, like cheese, I would notice a slight sickening feeling over my body and the same exhaustion. I haven't had milk in about 6 years. I don't miss it either. For a while I couldn't go a day or even a meal without cheese but now I hardly ever touch the stuff.
If you really wanted to shed some pounds the best way would be to take control of your meat and dairy intake. If you can't cut it completely out just eat it in moderation. Fill your plate with fresh whole foods, like greens, beans, grains, and snack on fruit often. I also notice that when I take processed sugar out of my diet I tend to eat a lot healthier throughout the day. If I eat something sugary for breakfast then for the rest of the day I am craving sweets. So I try to start out eating something like a green smoothie or oatmeal bowl with a banana, nuts, and chia seeds. I have a 9 month old so I have to eat something that will fill me up for hours because I don't know when I'll get a chance to eat again.
<-----quinoa burger yummm! Quinoa is a complete protein! Meaning it contains all the essential amino acids just like meat.
Another thing I do is eat only when I'm hungry. A lot of times we feel 'forced' to eat because a certain occasion or event calls for it and we don't want to appear rude. Like at family get-togethers. I noticed when my brothers come to visit we all gather around food. By the time we were done with lunch we would jokingly say, so what's for dinner?
Recently I have tried intermittent fasting. I eat until about 8pm, then fast for 16 hours and then eat during an 8 hour period. I make sure to hit my macros and micros within that time period. Doing IF for a week at a time has made my stomach less bloated and burned off some fat. Because you are putting your body into a fasting state it is going to turn to the fat to use for energy.
Take probiotics. I take a probiotic everyday with my multi-vitamin. If I don't have probiotics then I usually buy a probiotic drink. I don't eat yogurt but it does contain probiotics, I would just make sure to buy an organic variety low in extra ingredients and fillers.
And exercise! Whether it be 15 minutes of intensive workout or 2 hours, get some exercise to get things moving. I've become obssessed with weight training and some days I don't have the time, but I do have 15 minutes so I will push myself hard and some days I have time so I will push myself and do an hour to hour and a half of HIIT and weights.
As a nutritionist I recommend eat fresher whole foods in their truest form. This way your body can readily use it for energy and not spend so much on breaking it down. If you are trying to go vegan or vegetarian make sure you do your research. Get a cookbook. Some people cut out the animal product but eat tons of sweets. Find the right healthy foods to replace what you're missing. Vegans can be deficient in vitamins and minerals if they aren't watching what they eat. If you're vegan and feeling tired it could be low B12 and iron which are typical in meat. A B12 supplement might be a good idea. Iron can be found in beans and greens so stock up on those and make sure to eat it in combination with Vitamin C foods so help absorption.