Did you know that sometimes you need to eat MORE in order to lose weight?
Many people still think that the key to weight loss is counting calories. But that is not true, because as we have explored many times already, the body is not that black and white when it comes to weight loss!
Lets see why.
The Calorie Debate
Calories play a role in our energy and weight, but the quality of your foods makes a dramatic impact on your overall wellness, including how your hormones work for you (or against you!)
Here are some simple factors to consider, which are easy to implement, and may be the very reason your weight loss is perhaps at a standstill.
If you are wanting support and guidance around weight loss, struggling with hormone imbalance, food cravings, sleep issues or energy problems, you may need a functional assessment of your health.
Food Hacks for your weight loss
Different foods go through different biochemical pathways, some of which are inefficient and cause energy (calories) to be lost as heat.
Foods and macronutrients have a strong effect on hormones and the parts of your brain that control hunger, cravings and food choices.
The foods you eat can have a huge impact on the biological processes that control when, what and how much you eat.
Check out these facts to ensure your diet is working for you – not against you!
Fruit – too much can lead to weight gain
Even though the same weight of fructose and glucose provide the same number of calories, fructose has far more negative effects on hormones, appetite and metabolic health. While fruit is very healthy, full of vitamins and antioxidants, and fibre, excessive intake of fruit – especially high GI fruit – can be boycotting your weight loss and even contributing to fatty liver.
✸ Rule of thumb – no more than 2-3 serves of fruit a day.
Some foods burn calories – use them!
Proteins use by far the most energy to metabolise in the body than fat and carbs.
Whole foods also require more energy to digest than processed foods.
The more processed the food, the easier it is utilised in the body, meaning you get the full caloric value of that food.
The math taking in the thermic effect of metabolism: 100 calories of protein would = 75 calories, while 100 calories of fat would = 98 calories.
Another example – processed white rice will have a higher thermic metabolism value compared to brown or wild rice.
Therefore, eating a high protein diet with quality whole-foods puts you at a metabolic advantage for weight loss or maintenance.
Appetite factor
Balance your macros for the best satiety to stop mid meal treats and snacking.
Studies show that protein is by far the most filling macronutrient, so eating a good quality protein with every meal is a must.
In one study, people who increased their protein intake to 30% of calories, automatically started eating 441 fewer calories per day and lost 4.9 kg in 12 weeks – just with one simple change!
There are other factors that determine the satiety value of different foods, which is measured on a scale called the satiety index. If you choose foods such as beef, eggs, beans and fruits, that are high on the satiety index, you will end up eating less.
Carb Quality
Have you heard of the Glycemic Index?
The GI food scale measures refined carbohydrates that will lead to faster and bigger spikes in blood sugar, which ultimately leads to cravings and eating more regularly. Carbohydrates with a low GI value (55 or less) are more slowly digested, absorbed and metabolised and cause a lower and slower rise in blood glucose
So be sure to choose LOW GI foods to keep your blood sugars balanced. The worse offenders are sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup, and refined grain products such as white bread.
✧✧✧ When Hormones need Help ✧✧✧
If you are struggling with symptoms of hormones imbalance, functional testing and treatment can help you get your za-za-zing back
- Heavy irregular periods
- Premenstrual tension
- Perimenopause symptoms
- Tiredness & Sluggishness
- Dryer Hair or Skin
- Sleep More Than Usual
- Weaker Muscles
- Constant Feeling of cold
- Poorer Memory – brain fog
- Puffier Eyes
- Difficulty with Math
- Weigh gain easily
- Outer third of eyebrows sparse
- Clumsy – unsteady gait
- Irregular periods
- Carpel Tunnel
- Heart rate fluctuations
- Overly stressed
- Waking up tired
- Skin issues such as psoriasis, eczema, rashes and allergies
- Mid afternoon fatigue or napping
- Sleep issues
If you have more than 5 of these symptoms, you could have a hormone imbalance and find weight loss or weight management really hard – even when doing all the right things with your diet!
>>> We can help! Feel free to book a FREE 15 appointment and talk to one of my caring and up-skilled Australian naturopaths.
Book a FREE 15 minute appointment with a Lucy Rose naturopath