Posts Tagged ‘thyroid and weight’

Fat-Loss Programmes: common challenges!

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Fat-Loss/Weight-Loss Challenges!

It’s important to know that there are definite challenges associated with weight loss and fat loss in some people.  The good thing is that at New Leaf we know what to do about it.  Many programmes are designed for the quick weight loss only – low calories, lots of shakes, small portions – and that’s fine.  But what we find is that there is rarely enough protein in these diets and people lose muscle mass: this leads to exhaustion and thyroid problems.

The ongoing stress with this is that people will ALWAYS put on weight again afterwards!  And low fat diets lead to hormonal issues since hormones are made of proteins and fats!

We also find that people don’t detox whilst losing weight, the problem here is that fat mass holds huge amounts of toxins – it’s a fantastic storage space, so by losing weight without detoxification, we’re simply pulling toxins out of the fat mass and less it flow through the blood stream and land in the nerves, the spine, the liver, the kidneys.  This can cause a multitude of other health problems.

So, the two tips here are 1. eat heaps of protein and 2. detoxify while losing weight!

Madonna Guy ND
New Leaf Natural Therapies

6 Naturopathic Tips to Weight Loss

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Here are a few quick tips for weight loss, with the reasons why listed below.  Weight loss can be challenging.  Australia is gaining 6000 tonnes of fat per year, most weight loss programmes are NOT helping long term.  Our weight loss programme focusses on FAT-LOSS and MUSCLE-GAIN and FLUID-BALANCE:  this is the way to have sustained weight-loss long term without creating other health issues such as thyroid issues and diabetes.

  1. Eat a small portion of protein every 3-4 hours to keep your blood sugar balanced.  Proteins and good fats contain little glucose which stores as fat.  About 80-100g protein per meal, 5-6 x daily.
  2. Eat plenty of salad veggies and low-carb veggies.  We need to eat 5-6 cupfuls of veggies per day to keep us alkaline throughout the weightloss process.  The more acidic we are the less weight comes off.
  3. Know your thyroid numbers… take your temperature first thing in the morning before getting out of bed.  If the temperature is less than 36.5 (consistently) your thyroid may be sluggish.  Jacqueline Dekoke ND or I can prescribe natural supplements to help this problem.  When the thyroid is dysfunctional it slows down every metabolic function in the body.
  4. Drink oodles of water.  When the BMI is over 28 we find the body is ALWAYS dehydrated.  Our high BMI and/or waist measurement over 88 are both high risks for many chronic diseases, which are also linked to dehydration and de-oxygenation of the body’s tissues.  We get oxygen from breathing, water, and green leafy veggies.
  5. Avoid grains: rice, breads, cakes, biscuits, rolls…  In weightloss grains have no value.  Grains make the body more acidic which impacts negatively on weight loss.  Grains are mostly carbohydrates and raise blood sugar, therefore causing the body to store fat.
  6. If weight loss doesn’t begin quickly, have yourself checked for the foods you are eating.  Jacqueline Dekoke ND has a technique whereby we can find out if the body has an issue with particular foods.  Sometimes we are eating a healthy food which isn’t doing us any favours – it may be making us acidic, not digesting and creating allergies, slow down our metabolism and cause tiredness and digestive issues.

Mostly, you need to know what your muscle mass is to start with.  When we have held weight for a long time, we often lose muscle mass.  This causes thyroid issues and chronic fatigue.  Our Cellular Analysis (VLA) machine takes these measurements accurately and quickly.  Therefore we can start you on the right treatments immediately to support your weight loss goals!

Madonna Guy ND
New Leaf Natural Therapies