Obesity and Excess Weight

Top 10 Superfoods to Reduce Belly Fat

Belly fat, also known as visceral fat that accumulates around the midsection, is a major concern for many. Not only does belly fat make your figure unattractive, it also increases your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and fatty liver disease.

Many people try dieting to lose belly fat, but this is not the optimal solution. The ideal way to get rid of belly fat is to choose your foods wisely and do some physical exercise daily.

Knowing what to include in your diet is half the job, the other half is doing exercises daily that suit your body type. Certain foods actually help reduce stubborn belly fat and will get you well on your way to enjoying a slimmer physique.

Here are the top 10 superfoods to reduce belly fat.

Home Remedies for Obesity

Obesity, which is excessive accumulation of fat in the body, is determined by measuring a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI). Generally, a BMI between 18.5 and 25 is considered desirable. If your BMI is 30 or more, you are considered obese.

You can calculate your BMI using the following:

    • BMI=(Weight in lbs / (Height in inches x Height in inches)) x 703, or if you measure with the metric system use BMI= Weight in kg / (Height in meters x Height in meters), or

    • the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s online BMI calculator.

This problem is mostly attributed to poor lifestyle choices, such as eating processed foods high in fat, oversized food portions, overeating, excessive drinking, lack of physical activity, lack of sleep, and other similar habits. Genetic factors and hormonal problems also tend to increase the risk of developing obesity.

1. Almonds

Almonds contain a good amount of healthy fats — polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Both fats help prevent you from overeating. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has proven that eating almonds suppresses hunger. They also help fight against heart disease.

High in magnesium, almonds are a key component for muscle building, and having more muscle will help you burn more belly fat.

In addition, the high fiber content in almonds will keep you feeling full for a longer time. Because almonds contain few calories, they will not contribute to belly fat. So, always keep roasted almonds handy and enjoy them as a snack or in salads or other dishes.

2. Watermelon

The American Dietetic Association declares watermelon as a perfect food to reduce belly fat. Watermelon contains 91 percent water and hence acts like a natural diuretic. It will help you feel full longer and aid in the reduction of water in the body.

This juicy fruit is also rich in vitamins B1, B6 and C, as well as potassium and magnesium. It contains very little calories and is also cholesterol-free.

An interesting study done at the University of Kentucky revealed that drinking two glasses of watermelon juice every day for eight weeks reduces body weight (especially the fat around the belly) without altering muscle mass. Regular consumption of watermelon also lowers the risks associated with coronary artery plaque accumulation and heart disease.

3. Beans

Regular consumption of different types of beans helps reduce body fat, develop muscles and improve the digestion process. Beans also help you feel full for a longer time, thus keeping you from overeating.

This happens as beans are an excellent source of soluble fiber. This fiber especially targets belly fat, helping to break it down so the fat can be eliminated from the body. Plus, the protein in beans provides energy to your body. You can easily include beans in your daily meals by adding them to salads, soups or side dishes.

4. Celery

To get a flat tummy, fill your plate with green leafy vegetables like celery. Celery is extremely low in calories, full of fiber, and contains calcium and vitamin C that aid in weight loss.

You can drink half a glass of celery juice before eating your lunch or dinner to help cleanse your system. You can also add celery to salad or soup. An additional benefit of celery is that it contains apigenin, a natural compound that reduces the risk of ovarian cancer in women.

5. Cucumbers

Cucumbers are an extremely refreshing and low-calorie food. 100 grams of cucumber contains approximately 96 percent water and only about 45 calories. They are packed with minerals, dietary fibers and vitamins.

Eating a plate of cucumber salad daily is an effective and healthy way to cleanse your body of harmful toxins released by the digestive system and lose weight. As an added benefit, eating cucumbers daily can give you radiant, glowing skin because they are rich in vitamins B and C.

6. Tomatoes

One large tomato has just 33 calories. It contains a compound known as 9-oxo-ODA that helps reduce lipids in the blood, which in turn helps control belly fat. This compound also fights chronic diseases associated with obesity.

Plus, the powerful antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes offers plenty of additional health benefits like reducing wrinkles, fighting cancer and reducing cholesterol levels. Tomatoes are an excellent source of nutrients like iron and potassium and are rich in vitamins A and C. So, to enjoy a healthy body, include tomatoes (in both raw and cooked form) in your daily diet.

7. Avocado

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Obesity is a great concern not merely because of the excess weight, but also because it makes you susceptible to a number of serious health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and others.

It is important to adopt healthy lifestyle changes to combat this problem. In addition, you can use some easy yet effective natural remedies to help with your weight loss efforts.

Here are the top 10 home remedies for obesity.

1. Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is one of the best home remedies for fighting obesity. It helps improve digestion and aids in detoxification. Healthy digestion is an essential pre-requisite for weight loss as it helps your body get the nutrients required to burn fat. Furthermore, it helps remove toxins from your body that slow down your metabolism.

    1. Mix three teaspoons of lemon juice, one teaspoon of honey, and one-half teaspoon of black pepper powder in one cup of water. (If you use freshly ground black pepper, then just add one-quarter teaspoon.)

    2. Drink it in the morning on an empty stomach.

    3. Do this daily for at least three months.

Alternatively, you can simply have a cup of warm water mixed with a teaspoon of lemon juice.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is another popular home remedy to reduce excess weight. Though the actual weight loss benefits of it are still unknown, preliminary research has shown that it can help protect against obesity. It helps breakdown fat and hence prevents the accumulation of body fat.

    • Mix two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. Drink it daily in the morning and preferably before meals.

    • You can also drink a cup of water mixed with one teaspoon each of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice.

You can have up to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a day. Do not exceed this amount, as it may reduce your blood potassium levels over time and lower your bone mineral density.

3. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is useful in treating obesity because it stimulates the metabolism, increases energy consumption, and mobilizes unused fat in the body. It contains natural collagen proteins that make the body work harder in order to absorb the proteins. In addition, it helps remove toxins from the digestive system and colon.

    1. Take two fresh aloe vera leaves, peel them, and scoop out the pulp.

    2. Put it in a blender along with one cup of citrus juice, such as orange or grapefruit juice, or simply water. Blend it for two to three minutes.

    3. Drink this daily for at least a month.

4. Green Tea

Green tea is another popular natural remedy to promote weight loss. A study at Penn State revealed that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a compound found in green tea, helps slow down weight gain by limiting fat absorption and increasing the body’s ability to use fat.

Furthermore, green tea is packed with nutrients such as vitamin C, carotenoids, zinc, selenium, chromium, and other trace minerals.

Drink about three to four cups of green tea daily to combat obesity. You can also combine it with ginger tea or cayenne pepper.

5. Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper helps control obesity and aids in weight loss. It contains capsaicin that stimulates your body to burn fat and increase energy expenditure. In addition, it stimulates digestion and suppresses excess appetite caused by malabsorption of nutrients in the body.

    • Make cayenne pepper tea by pouring a glass of hot water over cayenne pepper (start with one-tenth of a teaspoon or just a dash of cayenne pepper and gradually increase its quantity to one teaspoon). Squeeze the juice from half a lemon in it. Drink this tea regularly at least for a month.

    • Mix two tablespoons each of lemon juice and maple syrup in 10 ounces of water (one glass contains 8 ounces). Stir in a dash of cayenne pepper and drink it.

    • Use cayenne pepper and other spices, such as ginger, black pepper, and mustard seeds, generously in your meal preparations.

6. Curry Leaves

Eating 10 fresh curry leaves daily in the morning works as a great Ayurvedic remedy to deal with obesity and diabetes caused by obesity. Continue this treatment regularly for at least three to four months.

Research shows that curry leaves contain mahanimbine, an alkaloid that has anti-obesity and lipid-lowering effects. Thus, it helps lower body weight and reduces total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

7. Tomatoes

An important amino acid known as lecithin in avocado helps in managing body weight. Also a source of good fats—monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, avocado helps burn belly fat easily.

Its rich fiber content also helps keep hunger at bay and keep you from overeating. Plus, avocado has anti-aging, antifungal and antibacterial properties that provide many beauty and health benefits.

8. Apples

Eat a couple of tomatoes every morning on an empty stomach. Make sure you eat the peels and seeds as well because they contain dietary fiber. Tomatoes contain compounds that tend to alter the levels of hormones that affect your appetite.

Furthermore, being rich in vitamins A, C, and K, and magnesium, manganese, choline, folate, and other nutrients, they are good for your health. Also, they are packed with antioxidants that protect against cancers.

8. Cabbage

Apples are high in dietary fiber, flavonoids, phytosterol and beta-carotene, which make your belly feel full and help you avoid overeating. According to a Brazilian study, women who ate three or more apples a day lost more weight compared with those who did not.

The natural compound in apples known as pectin aids in weight loss. Fruits rich in pectin usually require more chewing and when the pectin dissolves in the stomach, it forms a gel-like substance that traps dietary cholesterol and fat. In addition, pectin also reduces the risk of colon cancer, and the antioxidants and vitamin C in apples will help keep your skin wrinkle-free.

9. Tart Cherries

Make raw or boiled cabbage an integral part of your weight loss diet. It contains tartaric acid that inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat. Moreover, it is rich in vitamin C and low in calories but high in fiber and water content.

Being a cruciferous vegetable, it contains phytochemicals that help improve the imbalance of estrogen metabolism that not only causes your body to store fat but also promotes breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and others. Other cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and Swiss chard are also beneficial in this regard.

9. Fennel

A study conducted at the University of Michigan found that a diet containing tart cherries helps lower symptoms of heart disease and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of belly fat as well as heart disease and diabetes.

These cherries reduce cholesterol levels in the body and can reduce body fat to a great extent. Tart cherries also have antioxidant properties that have anti-aging benefits, making you look younger and feel better.

10. Pineapple

Fennel seeds are believed to be useful in weight loss because of their diuretic properties. Diuretics help you lose weight quickly by reducing water retention. They do not cause long-term weight loss though.

    • Slightly dry roast and grind fennel seeds. Sieve the powder. Take one-half teaspoon of this powder twice daily with warm water. This remedy will also help relieve abdominal gas, indigestion, and constipation.

    • You can also drink fennel tea 15 minutes before meals.

10. Honey and Cinnamon

This tropical fruit contains the enzyme bromelain, which has anti-inflammatory properties. This enzyme metabolizes protein that contributes to a flatter tummy.

A study done at the University of Maryland revealed that bromelain’s antibacterial properties also help combat the bacteria that causes diarrhea and is also very effective in healing bowel disorders. Relief from stomach conditions can result in less abdominal bloating and a slimmer waistline.

Plus, pineapple contains vitamins B-6 and C, manganese, thiamine, copper, and fiber that provide a number of health benefits.

With these superfoods, you can fight that belly fat and enjoy a slimmer waistline. However, these foods will only play a major role in attaining a better figure when coupled with regular exercise.

Top 10 Superfoods for Weight Loss

Did you wake up one morning and find that you couldn’t button your favorite jeans anymore? Has extra weight crept up on you so slowly that you didn’t realize it until you saw a photo of your former, slimmer self? If you abhor dieting, like most of us do, and don’t have time to get to the gym every other day, a few selected food choices could help move your scale in the right direction and you’ll hardly break a sweat.

Certain foods can help you slim down or maintain your weight while also packing your body with nutrients that aid in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure and preventing conditions such as heart disease,Type 2 diabetes and dementia.

Here are top 10 superfoods for weight loss.

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Include honey and cinnamon tea in your diet to boost your metabolism, increase your energy, and detoxify your body. All of these effects support weight loss. Honey fights obesity by promoting fat metabolism. Cinnamon helps you avoid overeating by fighting insulin resistance and also reduces oxidative stress associated with metabolic syndrome.

    1. Pour a cup of hot water over one-half teaspoon of cinnamon powder (you can also use cinnamon sticks). Let it steep for half an hour.

    2. Mix in one teaspoon of organic honey.

    3. Drink half of it in the morning on an empty stomach, about half an hour before breakfast. Store the rest in the refrigerator and drink it at night before going to bed.

Along with these remedies, make sure you drink eight glasses of water throughout the day to flush toxins out of your body.

Studies have found that plant-based foods can help fight obesity becausethey contain phytochemicals that prevent oxidative stress, which contributes to obesity. So, opt for more plant-based foods rather than processed, fast foods. Plus, include grapes, peaches, figs, carrots, and blueberries in your diet.

Another very important yet ignored tip to fight obesity is to have a proper breakfast. Research shows that those who have a big breakfast are more likely to lose weight and even a few inches off their waistline compared with those who eat a large dinner.

1. Soy Protein

Protein is at the top of the list of foods that require more effort to digest. Regular consumption of soy protein will help your system digest proteins more effectively and promote weight loss. Soy protein also fuels your muscles to help you burn fat faster while toning your body up and giving you a more contoured physique. If you are serious about weight loss, the most important addition to your diet plan should be soy protein.

2. Brown Rice

Instead of eating polished white rice, opt for brown rice. Brown rice is low in calories and high in fiber content to keep you feeling full for longer time so you’ll eat less throughout the day. As little as one-half cup of brown rice provides healthy carbohydrates that boost metabolism and burn fat. Also, brown rice is one of the best sources of vitamins B and E, magnesium and iron which help regulate bowels, hunger and metabolism. Finally, it will reduce your risk of heart disease by decreasing cholesterol levels, blood pressure and the potential for blood clots to form.

3. Grapefruit

Studies have shown that eating half a grapefruit before each meal will help you shed extra pounds. Some believe the vitamin C present in grapefruit leads to weight loss, while others say the fruit naturally boosts metabolism. Tangy fruit like grapefruit also can lower insulin, a fat-storage hormone, and has very few calories. Grapefruit is also a good source of protein, is high in fiber and contains about 90% water. This helps fill you up so you eat less. Try eating half a grapefruit before breakfast and the other half before lunch to lose weight quickly.

4. Green Tea

There are many health benefits to be gained from drinking green tea instead of sweetened coffee or other beverages. First and most important, green tea can help bolster your metabolism and reduce your appetite. The caffeine in green tea helps the heart function properly and its antioxidants will increase the rate at which you burn fat and calories. For optimum health benefits, drink two cups of freshly brewed tea or concentrated green tea drinks each day.

5. Salmon

Cold-water fish like salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which may boost your body’s metabolism and help you burn fat faster. Omega-3 fatty acids also will improve your heart health, reduce depression, and prevent arthritis. Salmon and other cold-water fish are leaner than red meat, so you’ll take in less fat content. Try to eat two to three servings of salmon per week. You can try grilled or baked salmon dishes.

6. Eggs

To lose weight, eggs are good choice for the meal to start your day. Studies suggest that eggs contain an ingredient that can help cut down calories consumed during a meal. The protein in eggs will help you feel fuller for a longer period of time reducing the urge to eat frequently. Eggs are also preferred over a bagel breakfast to help keep your cholesterol at healthy levels. You can mix it up from day to day by boiling, scrambling, baking or frying your eggs.

7. Dark Chocolate

Many chocolate treats contribute to weight gain. But dark chocolate can actually help you lose weight. Dark chocolate with a high quantity of cocoa powder is rich in antioxidants that help in slimming down. A nibble of dark chocolate here and there also can slow down digestion so you feel full longer and eat less at your next meal. Studies also show that regular consumption of dark chocolate can revive your metabolism to burn more fat and calories.

8. Beans

Many varieties of beans can promote weight loss. For example, a cup of black beans contains a healthy amount of protein and fiber without any saturated fat often found in other protein sources, like red meat. Similarly, a cup of white beans contains fiber and healthy carbohydrates that boost metabolism and burn fat.

9. Berries

A wide variety of fruits, especially small berries, contain a large number of antioxidants and soluble fiber to aid in digestion. Also berries contain ample amounts of fiber that produce a feeling of fullness so you’ll stay satisfied longer, while improving digestion. Eating berries such as blueberries, blackberries and cranberries also promotes heart health and reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

10. Oranges

Last, but certainly not the least, is the well-known superfood – oranges. The fruit aids weight loss due to its large amount of fiber and vitamin C that boost metabolism. A single orange provides the full recommended daily amount of fiber. One glass of fresh orange juice in morning can make you feel full and help you eat less throughout the day.

In addition to including these superfoods in your diet, remember to drink eight to ten glasses of water daily when trying to lose weight.

Obesity and Excess Weight Causes and Solutions – Dieting makes you fat.

Statistics show that over half, or 7.4 million, adult Australians are overweight. This figure is increasing every year. Overall, our lifestyle is more sedentary than our parent’s generation, yet we consume more calories and burn less. The junk food industry has been very effective in convincing us that we need to eat all the time. Large junk food industries are supporting Nutritional Institutes.

Social perception.

Social perception driven by fashion, moves, advertising, and the media has greatly warped our ideas of a healthy weight. If you are large boned tall and generally of a solid build and you are 50Kg you are not healthy! It is very sad to see young models that are obviously anorexic, and so skinny that they are not beautiful consider to be raving beauties. Be sensible, find you correct weight, admittedly, it is better to be a little underweight than overweight. There are extremes on both sides.

Factors involved:

    • Immobility results in less energy need and if the same amount of food is consumed weight will accumulate.

    • Stroke – Resulting immobility can result in increased weight and excess weight contributes to weight gain. Heart and artery disease (cholesterol, arteriosclerosis) will cause stroke.

    • Type 2 diabetes – 80% are overweight and physically inactive

    • Hypertension – common in overweight people and can be the result of obesity, lack of exercise, kidney disease, and heavy drinking.

  • Respiratory problems

    • Sleep apnoea (stopping breathing while asleep)

  • High cholesterol

    • Some cancers – Cancer is does not just drop on us, there is always a cause for every effect. Studies show that unhealthy lifestyle habits do lead to cancer. Simple, yet too often overlooked lifestyle habits such as exercise, correct nutrition, and water drinking can make the difference in preventing degenerative disease. It is far better to put forward the effort to make changes now than to try to turn disease once symptoms develop or gets severe.

  • Gall bladder disease

    • Hypothyroidism – The body is functioning at a slow rate using less energy, so a small increase in food intake above what is needed to maintain that energy level is stored as fat.

    • Hyperthyroidism – Irritability and unexplained, persistent increase in appetite that results in weight gain.

  • Growth hormone deficiency

  • Oral contraceptive use

  • Medication

    • Hypogonadism (low sex organ function)

The roller coaster effect:

Does describe you? You make a resolution to loose weight, but as time goes on you continue to gain instead of lose weight. You try this fad diet and that miracle pill that you found on the internet, or a friend told you about. You join a weight loss club, diet, binge, starve yourself, use laxatives, eat calories controlled meals, and exercise like crazy and maybe, in sheer desperation you have a liposuction, surgery or have your stomach stapled. Guess what, cutting it out only results in you’re putting it back there again. Stapled stomachs just stretch back to the size they were before. You find there are unwanted side effects to the pills and unnatural restrictions only create more problems then you had originally. You go into an emotional roller coaster of disappointment, grief, and guilt because of your failure that you try to drown by indulging in more food!

Why do some people just have to look at food to gain weight while others eat “like a horse” and cannot put on weight? Let’s look at how the body uses and stores energy, with the aim of finding some answers. Interestingly, some underweight people actually gain weight by eating less because they take the load off their overloaded digestion that has become inefficient from damage that it has sustained. There are two energy stores in the body. When you diet consuming fewer calories than your body requires, or fast, the easy to get to store is used up first, this is the glycogen store. Glycogen is stored with water. One kilo of glycogen lost results in 3 Kg (3 litres) of water loss. This loss can cause you to get weak and tired. So drink lots and lots of water! Note that the first week on a diet may result in very rapid weight loss that is mainly water coming out with the glycogen and may actually be the result, at least partly, from dehydration. The second energy store, fat, is used when glycogen is used up. Chemicals that the liver cannot handle at the time are stored with the fat when it is laid down. So what will happen when fat is used to supply needed energy? The chemical come back into circulation and you feel sick and terrible. One person, trying to help her fellow workers was trying to encourage them to exercise. The response was “I tried that but it made me terribly sick!” Can you understand why now? Your body may hold onto your fat store because it cannot handle the detox. Therefore, when you do go on this type of program it is well to go slow and steady, use liver support, and preferably have a professional monitor you. In most cases, correct diet and lifestyle, consistently and strictly adhered to will normalize your weight.

According to the WHO, it takes only $5.03AU to feed a Mongolian country family of 12 for one week, whereas a US family of 4 spends $341.98AU on food in one week. Looking at the pictures of the typical families with there weekly fare of food shown the WHO report, the amount of money spend increased as the amount of unhealthy food increased, and the appearance of the people became increasingly less healthy.

It’s not always a simple matter of reducing calorie intake and increasing calorie usage.

If you consistently: eat the correct types of food; don’t eat between meals and eat at regular times (at least 3 hours between meals, not a morsel of any food between); have regular exercise; and drink a minimum of 2 litres of water a day (more in hot weather) your weight should be correct. Eating breakfast is been shown in research to help you to lose weight (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 55, 645-651). If you do all this and still cannot achieve your correct weight, then you need to investigate further.

Hormonal Factors:

Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells that regulates energy intake and expenditure. It acts directly on the brain to reduce the urge to eat.

Oestrogen Dominance:

Excess oestrogen compared to progesterone can interfere with thyroid function causing weight gain. This situation is caused by reduced progesterone production. Chemicals in our environment are Oestrogen mimicking substances that can be stored in fatty tissue and can be 1000 time more potent than your own oestrogens that your body produces.

Cortisol:

Produced by Stress causes fat storage, especially abdominal fat, it can cause cravings for sweets to fill the abdominal fat cells. Sugar, containing empty calories cause vitamin and mineral deficiency.

Breathing, Exercise and Water:

Did you know you can reduce weight by breathing correctly? It is known that oxygen is essential to burn fat. Fat cells have the least amount of capillaries feeding them with oxygen and nutrients and carrying away waste. Hence fat accumulate where blood flow is slow. Fat and cellulite increases when oxygen and nutrient levels are low.

Let us think about how this works. Excess fat around the chest and abdomen make breathing properly difficult so people in this condition tend to breathe shallow using fast short shallow breaths that use the chest muscles and not the diaphragm. This is very inefficient as the chest muscle use much more energy that the diaphragm and less oxygen is put into the blood increasing the amount and size of fat cells. Airways are narrowed. Exercise is also difficult when oxygen levels are low. The amount of blood vessels in the body is much higher in overweight people than slim people increasing the load on the heart which will need to work harder because of low oxygen but the amount of oxygen available to the heart is less resulting in reduced ability to pump blood. The body compensates by lowing the metabolic rate meaning less energy is consumed and more energy from food is stored as fat. Many people don’t drink enough water causing the blood to thicken.

Weight loss breathing exercise:

Now we understand the way our body works we can formulate a simple exercise to breathe your weight away. Stand or sit straight and practice breathing deeply and slowly using your diaphragm. Put your hand on your stomach and breathe deeply in and out. Your stomach should go in when you breathe in and out when you breathe out. Focus on using the muscle underneath your rib cage, your diaphragm and stomach (abdominal) muscles. Now put your hand over your mouth and nose so as to restrict, but not stop that air when you breathe out. You can vary the resistance to the air you breathe out with your hand. The aim is to increase the pressure inside your lungs hence increase the oxygen exchanged into your blood.

Other benefits of abdominal breathing:

    • Increases lung volume

    • Increases respiratory reserve – you have more capacity in reserve in case you need it one day.

    • It massages the abdominal organs, liver, intestines, kidneys, and spleen making them work better for you.

    • Increases venous circulation.

    • Increases lymphatic circulation reducing leg oedema and cellulite

    • Improves the nervous system, improves sleep, relaxes you and reduces your stress

    • Reduces cortisol.

The Chronic Dieting Trap:

Did you know that dieting makes you fat? That’s right dieting makes you fat! Chronic dieting puts your body into survival mode and is a trigger to put on fat. It increases your hunger, decreases you ability to burn fat and decrease your metabolism. Your body tries to increase the amount of energy coming in, decrease the use of energy storage (fat) and decrease the amount of energy you use.

The answer is to stop staving the body and give it nourishment (physical, mental and emotional)

Fat triggers:

Your body can be put into survival mode by one or more of the following triggers, in fact there is usually one main one that started it and many others often follow:

  1. Chronic dieting

    1. Nutritional deficiencies – Bad foods are toxins and produce a hormonal response – Replace good food for bad – good fats, good carbs.

  2. Lack of digestive power – If you cannot digest your food properly, you will have nutritional deficiencies.

    1. Toxins – stored to fat

Mental and Emotional triggers – produce a chemical change in the body, especially increased cortisol and brain chemistry.

    1. Mental stress – Assess your schedule carefully. Time management; balance your mental work with physical work or exercise. Gardening, walking in nature is especially good.

    2. Emotional stress – it is believe by some that there is need to be fat to be safe, but those who have a genuine faith they know can trust totally in there God and are totally safe from any threat. This experience lacking in many people.

    3. Limiting beliefs – Beliefs that limit what your were created to do in this life and lack of belief that the power to do is available from the one who created you.

    4. Sleep apnea – overweight people have a heavy head that drops down in sleep and cuts of the windpipe. They wake to almost consciousness with a start all night. Wake in the morning tired and crave stimulating junk food and caffeine all day.

A summary of what causes you to put on weight:

Stress of any kind flicks the switch to store fat by:

      • Increasing hunger

      • Decreasing ability to burn fat

      • Decreasing metabolism

    • Stress hormones promote fat storage by

        • Increasing cortisol

        • Increasing insulin resistance

        • Increasing inflammatory hormones

    • Hormone imbalances

    • Cold and poor nutrition – insulation and stored energy.

    • Poor breathing

    • Mental emotional factors

What can we do to reduce weight?

  1. Lifestyle and diet:

    • Exercise, walking is excellent. Mild exercise after meals will help greatly.

    • Do weight loss breathing exercises explained above.

    • Don’t eat between meals and leave at least 4 hrs between meals – Researches found that mice on a high fat restricted time diet did not gain as much weight and had less liver damage and less inflammation than those on the same diet, same calories, but with food available 24 hrs a day. With a good diet what could be achieved? (Cell metabolism, May 17 2012)

    • Eat a good breakfast of grains fruits and good quality protein

    • Eat a light tea or miss it altogether.

    • Drink at least 2 litres of water

    • Use Celtic sea salt for minerals

    • Eat lots of fresh green vegetables, fruit, legumes and whole grain.

    • Eat good quality protein for detoxification – Vegetable is best as it contains less toxins and contains more vitamins and minerals to utilize it. Animal protein tends to defeat the purpose.

    • Avoid like the plague – All refined foods, sugar, coffee, tea and other junk food.

    • Use Extra Virgin cold pressed olive oil. It increases digestion time so you don’t want to eat too soon and makes the meal more satisfying when other oils are not used.

    • Coconut oil stimulates the thyroid gland to lose weight if you are overweight.

    • Other fats then the above interfere with metabolism promoting increased body fat.

    • Reduce stress – stress produces cortisol increasing fat storage.

    • Deal with emotional and mental issues – Those with a genuine faith and who trust in one who has all power and is all caring deal with these issues the best.

  2. Vitamins and minerals: – The above diet with Celtic Sea salt used freely should supply these, but you may need some as supplements if you nutritional status is down and you are very toxic.

    1. Use Sea minerals concentrate ½ to 1 teaspoon daily as a general mineral supplement.

    2. Supplements:

    3. i. Vitamin B group – Essential for the production of energy, metabolism of carbohydrates, sugars and fats, for enzymes to work, and the production of insulin, detoxification of chemicals.

    4. ii. Iodine, Selenium, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc, Potassium – Thyroid function.

    5. iii. Selenium – helps to detoxify mercury in the Thyroid

    6. iv. Zinc – regulate appetite and hormones and is needed for over 300 different enzyme functions

    7. v. Magnesium – regulates metabolism to stabilize weight, needed for over 325 different enzyme functions

    8. vi. Manganese – regulates fat metabolism and Thyroid function

    9. vii. Chromium – regulates insulin (blood sugar)

  1. Essential Oils:

      1. Basil, Peppermint, Oregano & Lemon essential oils – inhale during the day to dull the appetite

      2. Peppermint oil – a drop on the tongue after a meal will trigger the brain to give a sense of fullness so you don’t want to have that last tip bit.

    1. Detoxify:

Heavy metals affect hormones and Thyroid function

5. Fat triggers: Check each of the above fat triggers and see which ones you have to deal with.