Stress Management is a Natural Appetite Suppressant
There’s more to it than meditation and breathing - did you know that your stress response system interferes with hormone balance, blood sugar levels, metabolism, and sleep?
The truth about stress management and long-term health
It’s no secret that stellar stress management techniques are essential to holistic wellness.
But have any of your healthcare providers ever explained why or how?
There’s more to it than meditation, breathing, and bubble baths - did you know that your stress response system interferes with hormone balance, blood sugar levels, metabolism, and sleep?
Hi friends. I’m Hilary Beckwith, ex-dieter and holistic nutrition expert. Clients come to see me with signs of adrenal stress and inflammatory conditions, and my job is to find the root causes so we can address their symptoms more effectively, and fill in the gaps between what their doctor is saying, and what their body is saying.
I’m about to walk you through the ins and outs of how your stress response works, and how that impacts what you see on your annual bloodwork (and why you wake up at 2:00 am - it’s not because you have to pee!).
In this article, you’ll learn:
how your body responds to stress
internal and external causes of stress
how stress is connected to female reproductive hormones, sleep quality, and blood sugar levels
what you can do to improve stress management, and ditch the sleep gummies, appetite suppressants, metabolism rate calculators, and blood sugar monitors
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how your body responds to stress
Stress is a normal part of the human existence, and is modulated by the Autonomic Nervous System. This automated system has evolved to protect us, to keep us alive. Survival of the fittest!
The amount and type of stress you incurred throughout your life plays a big part in how well your body responds to stress.
Evolution has not been able to keep up with the types (and amounts) of stress we encounter in our modern world, and because of that, you are wired to respond to every stressor as though it is a tiger.
Let me explain.
Your body responds to stress by way of the Autonomic Nervous System, meaning, it responds automatically in response to a feedback system. That feedback system is modulated by the HPA axis (or hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal axis) [1].
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:
stressor or danger is sensed, and fight or flight response (a part of the Autonomic Nervous System) activates, signaling a cascade of events
the hypothalamus releases Corticotropin Releasing Hormone (CRH)
the increase in CRH signals the pituitary gland to produce AdrenoCorticoTropic Hormone (ACTH)
ACTH travels to the adrenal glands, signaling them to release stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline
these hormones begin the processes of energy metabolism (to fight or flee the stressor), and increase blood flow to large muscle groups, heart, and lungs
When the stressor is dealt with, the fight or flight response is turned OFF, and the body returns to rest and digest mode, another part of the Autonomic Nervous System.
here’s where things go wrong
Stress management becomes more difficult and necessary when the HPA axis has been overworked. This happens when stressors are left unaddressed and the threat causes a continuous stimulation of the fight or flight response.
HERE’S THE MISSING PIECE:
Stressors are not exclusively external, such as traffic, relationships, or work deadlines.
Your brain views internal stressors as just as much of a threat to your survival. According to your brain, every argument you have with your partner, every time you run late for a meeting, every unaddressed emotional trauma, and every gut pathogen, is a tiger.
Back in the nomadic days of human existence, stress management more commonly entailed external stressors, such as:
predators (tigers, lions, bears, snakes, etc.)
lack of shelter
exposure to extreme heat or cold
avalanche, rockslide, or mudslide
injury
poison from food sources
hunger
Consider, also, that these stressors likely did not present themselves multiple times a day, either, as modern stressors do.
Examples of modern stressors that activate your fight or flight response:
poor blood sugar regulation
toxins in processed foods, air, water
unaddressed emotional trauma
caregiving
negative self-talk
people-pleasing behaviors
unaddressed infections or gut pathogens (candida, mold, parasites, bacteria)
cell damage from free radicals
busyness with little regard for rest. (burnout)
poor or untimely exposure to light
exercising in the evening or night time, or overexercising
toxic burden on the liver, due to medications, recreational drugs, hormone imbalance, constipation, excess glucose, or poor liver health
how chronic stress affects your health
Hormone imbalance symptoms, weight gain, insomnia symptoms, and stress headaches are signs you should not ignore. These are all common signs of poor stress management, and can be helped without medications, sleep gummies, or appetite suppressants.
Take another look at the HPA axis. Components of this feedback system are also components of other important feedback systems, including the HPT (hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid) axis, and the HPG (hypothalamus, pituitary, gonadal) axis.
If the HPA axis is chronically activated, this will interfere with thyroid health and hormone balance, impacting inflammation levels, the immune system, affecting sleep quality, blood sugar levels, and so much more [2,3,4,5].
To dedicate enough space to discuss each of these components and their correlation with chronic stress would require many more blog posts. I have developed this online course to help you dig into it deeper.
ways to improve your stress management skills
As a fellow human living in the twenty-first century, you probably know that stress management is not as simple as flipping a switch. But you do have more control than you might think.
The difficult truth is it comes down to what you value. Stress management often requires the difficult self-reflective question:
Do your actions align with what you value?
You have control over:
who you spend your time with
when and what you eat
whether or not you choose to say ‘no’ or communicate boundaries
whether or not you choose to seek mental health support
Signs of prolonged chronic stress often include:
suppressed immune system (never get sick)
overactive immune system (always get sick)
waking up tired, no matter how much you sleep
energy drop in the afternoon
“hangry” when meals are delayed
catch your second wind in the evening or at night (“night owl”)
signs of hormone imbalance (irregular periods, PMS, mood fluctuations)
feeling troubled on the inside, but calm on the outside
weigh gain around the middle
5 WAYS TO BUILD STRESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS FOR LONG-TERM HEALTH:
practice saying ‘no’: you don’t owe anyone an explanation
start a journal: writing is a proven effective way to process emotions and thoughts. Keeping it in your head leads to rumination, whereas writing is a path to an end. Need help getting started? Try this.
balance your macronutrients: focusing more on quality protein and green vegetables will support blood sugar levels, and reduce susceptibility to candida, bacteria, and parasite infections. I developed this PDF guide to help you get started.
get help: I cannot recommend therapy enough, but finding the right therapist can be challenging. With the right fit, therapy can be the scariest and most beautiful things you can do for yourself. Here’s a great resource for finding a therapist.
pick a day to really rest - and follow through!: it’s easy to get caught up in what “rest” looks like, but I think it’s different for every person. My recommendation? Engage in joy. Pick an activity, typically it’s going to be something you claim to “never have time for”, and dedicate time to doing it, with no multi-tasking.
instead of watching your favorite show while working on finances - just watch your favorite show
instead of doing a craft project while listening to an intense self-help book - just enjoy your craft project
get the picture?
If you experience any of the above-mentioned symptoms of prolonged chronic stress response, TAKE THIS 3-MINUTE QUIZ to help you figure out if your adrenals need support.
was this helpful?
Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
NUTRITION SERVICES
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
BLOG REFERENCES
Slominski A. (2009). On the role of the corticotropin-releasing hormone signalling system in the aetiology of inflammatory skin disorders. The British journal of dermatology, 160(2), 229–232. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2008.08958.
Segerstrom, S. C., & Miller, G. E. (2004). Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Psychological bulletin, 130(4), 601–630. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.4.601
Ranabir, S., & Reetu, K. (2011). Stress and hormones. Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 15(1), 18–22. https://doi.org/10.4103/2230-8210.77573
Kahn, Barbara B., and Jeffrey S. Flier. “Obesity and Insulin Resistance.” The Journal of Clinical Investigation, American Society for Clinical Investigation, 15 Aug. 2000, www.jci.org/articles/view/10842.
Hannibal, Kara E., and Mark D. Bishop. “Chronic Stress, Cortisol Dysfunction, and Pain: A Psychoneuroendocrine Rationale for Stress Management in Pain Rehabilitation.” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 Dec. 2014, academic.oup.com/ptj/article/94/12/1816/2741907?login=false.
Calorie Deficit and Low Calorie Snack Ideas
…low-calorie diets and calorie deficits are a surefire way to ensure you slow your metabolism over time and destroy your relationship with food, and view your body as a threat.
Food is a main source of nourishment for humans, and when you begin labeling it as good or bad, and disregard your body’s queues for hunger (or other symptoms and signs), food becomes a threat and source of anxiety.
Put differently, calorie deficits and low-calorie diets are harmful to mental health, deprive your body of nutrients, and do not address the underlying root-causes of symptoms.
Is calorie deficit really the best way to lose weight?
The short answer is no.
In fact, low-calorie diets and calorie deficits are a surefire way to ensure you slow your metabolism over time and destroy your relationship with food, and view your body as a threat.
Food is a main source of nourishment for humans, and when you begin labeling it as good or bad, and disregard your body’s queues for hunger (or other symptoms and signs), food becomes a threat and source of anxiety.
Put differently, calorie deficits and low-calorie diets are harmful to mental health, deprive your body of nutrients, and do not address the underlying root-causes of symptoms.
Hi friends. I’m Hilary Beckwith, ex-dieter and holistic nutrition expert. Clients come to see me with signs of adrenal stress and inflammatory conditions, and my job is to find the root causes so we can address their symptoms more effectively, and fill in the gaps between what their doctor is saying, and what their body is saying.
Weight management is commonly listed on my clients’ list of health concerns or goals, but as a holistic practitioner, we focus on non-scale victories, although most begin to shed weight after addressing root causes.
In this article, you’ll learn:
why calories in vs. calories out isn’t working for you
harmful effects of dieting
how to know if you’re eating enough calories
reasons for weight gain that do not involve calories
Follow my email feed to stay up-to-date on new articles like this one. Click here to subscribe.
CLICK HERE to read more about weight loss from a holistic perspective.
calories in vs. calories out
For decades, we’ve heard you must burn more calories than you eat in order to lose weight. And as much as I hate to say that is technically true, it’s not as simple as making sure the number on your Pelaton screen is higher than the number on your calorie deficit calculator.
Here’s why.
First off, your body burns calories in ways that you do not have control over, and are not easy to measure. Additionally, your body preserves calories during chronic stress. The complexity of calculating if what you are consuming is less than what your body is burning or holding onto is far too dependent on each individual for calorie deficit techniques to work in most people.
Here are some things to consider before you download a calorie deficit calculator:
calorie restriction slows metabolism over time (1, 2) - The human body is great at adapting! Research shows that the body adapts to long-term calorie restriction, rapid weight loss, and frequent high-intensity workouts, by significantly decreasing RMR (resting metabolic rate).
weight gain and weight loss are modulated by hormones, not calories (3, 4) - hormones that modulate hunger and satiety (ghrelin and leptin, respectively) have an impact on what and when you eat, but more importantly, studies have shown that the main hormone involved in metabolism, insulin, is a driver of belly weight gain, and is further affected by cortisol levels (another hormone).
Put differently, stress, sleep, and blood sugar handling have far more to do with weight gain and weight loss than calories.
the liver is responsible for clearing excess hormones - the liver is responsible for finding and neutralizing toxins for elimination. In addition to many other types of toxins, excess hormones are considered toxins that must be cleared from the body so as not to cause imbalance. If your liver is congested, produces poor-quality bile, or is struggling with detoxification efforts, your body is holding on to toxins, which are stored in fat tissue, and your body will make more fat tissue to accommodate that storage need. Supporting your liver is essential to weight loss attempts.
harmful effects of using calorie deficit calculators for weight loss
The harmful, long-term impacts of dieting are what should concern you most about tracking calories. But as humans, we tend to react the most strongly when a strong emotion is attached, as is often the case with your body.
Feelings of inadequacy, brokenness, and above all, fear, are all common reasons we turn to dieting. Those are all real emotions and should be approached with gentleness, compassion, and curiosity, not deprivation.
COMMON REASONS FOR DIETING:
you’re afraid of others seeing you as unhealthy or ugly
you judge yourself for how you look in photos and in the mirror
you’re afraid that gaining weight means you are unhealthy or have done something wrong
you or others have placed a responsibility on you to be and stay attractive to your partner (as in high-control religion)
you’ve been told by years of reality television, magazines, social media, and pornography, that thin is beautiful (and fat is not)
you’ve learned from growing up in a home that negatively talked about food or bodies, that food is and enemy or a problem to be resolved
HARMFUL EFFECTS OF DIETING AND CALORIE DEFICIT
metabolism slows with calorie restriction
chronic stress due to self-judgement
loss of intuition, ignoring hunger signals, and signs of dysfunction
judgment of others - the belief that certain foods are inherently “good” or “bad” causes us to inevitably judge others as well as ourselves
negative self-talk activates the Sympathetic Nervous System and is a threat to the brain
over-exercising is a form of stress
carbs have fewer calories than protein or fat - low-calorie snacks and low-calorie foods are generally higher in carbohydrates, contributing to insulin resistance and further impacting your ability to lose weight
signs you’re not eating enough calories
you feel peck-ish or hungry at the end of the day
it becomes more difficult to lose weight
you feel cold easily
your periods are changing
constipation
increased anxiety or depression symptoms (or both)
non-calorie causes for weight gain
As we discussed earlier in the article, calorie deficits are not effective for weight loss for many people, but especially perimenopausal women, because too many other factors are at play.
Addressing hormone imbalance, chronic stress, blood sugar levels, and liver health is essential, and should be a priority over calorie deficit calculators, when trying to lose weight.
HERE ARE SOME NON-CALORIE CAUSES OF WEIGHT GAIN:
UNADDRESSED GUT PATHOGENS - Common pathogens that infiltrate the gut include candida albicans, parasites, overgrown bacteria, helicobacter pylori, and mold toxins. These pathogens and stimulate a chronic stress response that negatively impacts hormone balance, in addition to leaving behind toxic byproducts that further instigate a stress response and overwork the liver.
CHRONIC EXTERNAL STRESS - Having a highly stressful and busy life is not what our bodies were meant to do. Your body has not yet evolved to understand the difference between the danger of a tiger or lion, and the stress from trying to meet a work deadline. According to your brain, it’s all tigers. And not evaluating and addressing external stressors is causing harm to your health and preventing you from meeting your weight loss goals. YOU ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE:
when, what, and how you eat
who you spend your time with
whether or not you say ‘no’ or communicate boundaries
whether or not you seek help for past traumas, anxiety, or depression
how you approach sleep
LIVER HEALTH - The liver takes on a lot, and it is heavily impacted by the toxins you take in with food, medications, drugs, air, and water. But it is also impacted by blood sugar levels. The liver is responsible for dealing with your roller-coaster energy levels all day, by converting glucose into fat, and fat into glucose (read more about it here). This constant conversion throughout the day causes fatty liver deposits that impair your liver’s ability to neutralize and clear toxins, even excess hormones!
BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS - Regulating blood sugar levels is more than eating several small meals a day (I would argue that if you are getting enough protein, fat, and veg, you would not need to eat several small meals a day to regulate blood sugar levels). Blood sugar levels are modulated by the adrenal glands (your stress responders) and in doing so, stimulate the Sympathetic Nervous response (fight or flight). Those who eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, eat a lot of processed foods (even foods marketed as “healthy” can be heavily processed), or track calories, are more susceptible to insulin resistance issues, and will have trouble with weight loss, sleep, and anxiety.
TOXIC OVERLOAD - Toxins come from many different sources, including processed foods, medications, recreational drugs, air, water, pesticides, and the byproducts of pathogens that get into the gut. Toxins that cannot be eliminated due to poor hydration, constipation, or inactivity, will get reabsorbed into the body. And toxins love fat - many of them have an affinity for fat tissue, and in order to create enough storage for your toxic load, your body will create or hold onto fat tissue.
IMBALANCED HORMONES - I’m not just talking about periods or PMS symptoms. Hormones aren’t only for reproduction. They modulate stress, sleep, hunger, periods, blood sugar, and digestion. When liver and adrenal health are struggling, hormones will become out of balance, and when left unaddressed, the problem just gets worse.
so, what?
Wipe your tears, friend. Your body is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do, and the scale numbers are telling you that.
But before you download that calorie deficit calculator app, let’s figure out what the REAL cause of your weight gain is, so you can feel good about food, and your body again.
was this helpful?
Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
BLOG REFERENCES
Knuth ND;Johannsen DL;Tamboli RA;Marks-Shulman PA;Huizenga R;Chen KY;Abumrad NN;Ravussin E;Hall KD; (n.d.-b). Metabolic adaptation following massive weight loss is related to the degree of energy imbalance and changes in circulating leptin. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25236175/
Johannsen, D. L., Knuth, N. D., Huizenga, R., Rood, J. C., Ravussin, E., & Hall, K. D. (2012, July). Metabolic slowing with massive weight loss despite preservation of fat-free mass. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3387402/#:~:text=Despite%20relative%20preservation%20of%20FFM,or%20caloric%20restriction%20are%20maintained.
Ludwig, D. S., & Ebbeling, C. B. (2018, August 1). The carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity: Beyond “Calories in, calories out.” JAMA internal medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6082688/#:~:text=Insulin%20injection%20into%20the%20central,hunger%20and%20causes%20weight%20gain.
Janssen J. A. M. J. L. (2022). New Insights into the Role of Insulin and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis in the Metabolic Syndrome. International journal of molecular sciences, 23(15), 8178. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23158178
Why Weight Loss Medication Is NOT the Solution to Your Weight Loss Goals
One reason we gravitate toward fast weight loss methods, like weight loss medication, and even diet and exercise, is because we don’t understand what actually causes us to gain the weight in the first place.
I’m not suggesting you don’t ever choose healthy foods, or add regular movement into your routine.
But as a holistic nutritionist, I often find there are deep-rooted causes of weight gain that have nothing to do with calorie intake, and therefore cannot be solved with calorie tracking or appetite control.
Why weight loss medications aren’t working for you
The temptation for a quick solution to weight loss is REAL.
We all go through phases where we “fall off the wagon.”
Then out of nowhere, you’re blindsided with a photo of yourself, and you think, ‘Ugh! Is that what I look like?!’.
So you grab your phone and frantically search things like weight loss medications, weight loss app, calorie tracking app, and even weight loss gummies.
You want results FAST. You’re stressed, you’re worried about what other people see and think about you, you feel undesirable, or even unhealthy.
But, my friend, you have been here before.
You have tried the diets, the pills, the calorie trackers.
And yet, here you are again.
You need a different solution.
You need a solution that is longer lasting, that gets at the root of what’s causing weight gain for you in the first place. READ MORE ABOUT THE 4 REASONS YOU’VE STOPPED LOSING WEIGHT
“why am I gaining weight?”
One reason we gravitate toward fast weight loss methods, like weight loss medication, and even diet and exercise, is because we don’t understand what actually causes us to gain the weight in the first place.
I’m not suggesting you don’t ever choose healthy foods, or add regular movement into your routine.
But as a holistic nutritionist, I often find there are deep-rooted causes of weight gain that have nothing to do with calorie intake, and therefore cannot be solved with calorie tracking or appetite control.
Here are some common reasons for weight gain that you might not be aware of:
chronic stress - stress causes the release of cortisol and epinephrine, which cause glucose levels to rise in the blood. Increase in glucose triggers release of insulin, which leads to weight gain (and insulin resistance)(1,2). We tend to think of stress as being incoming events like relationship conflict, traffic, or work deadlines. But it’s important to remember your body also responds to internal factors as stress, such as elevated or low blood sugar levels, unaddressed pathogens (bacteria, yeast, parasites), and excess hormones.
liver congestion - fatty liver is a common result of a high carbohydrate diet, especially of refined carbohydrates (3). Interestingly, carbohydrates are lower in calories than protein or fat, and because of that, are prioritized in low-calorie foods.
gut pathogens - some pathogens are great at evading the immune system, and being seen on lab work. And since many pathogens thrive on the foods we eat, especially sugars, they can cause us to become more hungry than usual.
lack of sleep - sleep plays an important role in our liver health and immune function. Not prioritizing sleep can lead to increased chronic stressors.
food quality - marketing terms on food labels makes it difficult to know whether a food is actually healthy. Many packaged foods, even “health foods,” are heavily processed, causing a toxin overload. These toxins put stress on the liver, and are stored primarily in fat (called adipose tissue).
mineral imbalance - sometimes it can look or feel like we have excess weight, but it’s not always fat that causes that. Water retention occurs under chronic stress, and/or when minerals are out of balance. Minerals carry either a negative or positive charge - in order for fluid inside and outside of a cell to be balanced, we need to make sure we get a good balance of minerals in our diet.
nutritionist recommendations for effective weight loss
Before getting on the weight loss train, it’s worth questioning why you think you need to lose weight in the first place.
Our society is still filled with doctors misrepresenting weight as a measure of health, when it is simply not true.
BMI has long been outdated.
It’s all in the context, which looks different for each individual. Weight cannot, and must not, be a measure of health across the board.
To say that weight is a measure of health is irresponsible, and blatantly ignores the biochemical makeup of each individual.
Health can only be determined by an individualized assessment by a qualified practitioner. And when it comes to weight loss, it’s especially important to assess the whole body.
If it’s been determined that you do need to lose weight, here is what a nutritionist recommends for weight loss, before reaching for weight loss medication or calorie tracking apps:
weight loss tips from a holistic nutritionist
Address food quality and macronutrient balance - Many people in the US do not get enough quality plants or protein in their diet. Our climb-the-ladder lifestyle leaves us reaching for pre-packaged foods that are heavily processed or use low-quality ingredients, even if they are marketed as “heart healthy,” “low-fat,” “vegan,” etc.. Addressing the quality of foods you consume is the first thing I do when working with clients 1:1. That is why I developed a heavily researched online course to help with this.
Eliminate gut pathogens - Unaddressed gut pathogens cause a multiplicity of health problems, from disrupting neurotransmitter production, to adrenal overload, to blood sugar handling issues. What this looks like for you, is depression, anxiety, issues with sleep, not handling stress well, constantly hungry, getting “hangry” when a meal is delayed, and unexplained fatigue during the day. When a stressor goes unaddressed, it becomes chronic - this is when your body switches to danger mode - holding on to weight, shutting down cells, tissues, and organs that are non-essential to dealing with stress. Your body is doing what it’s supposed to do, but you are left with the consequences of weight gain, fatigue, and mood disorders. If you are looking for effective weight loss methods, get your gut checked.
Support detox organs - Toxins have an affinity for fat. If your body is full of toxins that it cannot get rid of, it will compensate by holding on to fat stores. Thus, supporting your detox organs, in addition to reducing your intake of toxins, is an important piece of long-term weight loss. Detox organs include:
liver: eating a diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods, especially leafy vegetables, drinking plenty of water, and eating good quality fats, will go a long way in supporting your liver.
lymph: lymph is a fluid that runs through a system similar to your veins and arteries. It is responsible for carrying away debris from damaged cells or killed-off pathogens, and carrying immune cells to places where they’re needed. Incorporating at least 15 minutes of intentional movement per day, and drinking plenty of water will help keep lymph flowing well.
sweat: your skin is a major detox organ. Finding ways to sweat every day is important to helping your body get rid of toxins. Infrared or dry sauna, cardio movement, and warm epsom salt baths are all great ways of inducing sweat. The key here, is showering right after you sweat, so that you don’t re-absorb the toxins your body is eager to remove. And (you might be noticing a pattern here), drinking plenty of water throughout the day is important to making sure you have SOMETHING to sweat out.
kidneys/urine: similar to sweat, your body excretes many types of toxins out through the urine. Know what I’m about to say? Drink plenty of water to support kidney health!
feces: Your digestive health is a big factor in ensuring you have at the very least, one good bowel movement per day. Feces are, yet, another major exit strategy for toxins. Digestive health is too complex and individualized to tell you here exactly what you need to do to optimize it, but this guide will help you determine for yourself what can be done to help you poo better.
Prioritize sleep - Not only is troubled sleeping typically a sign that adrenals are overloaded (and thus chronic stress exists), but sleep is when important healing happens in the body. It’s when tissues get to work repairing, the liver does its biggest work while we sleep, and the brain (4) flushes out toxins and waste that built up during the day (similar to lymph). Most adults need a minimum of 7 hours of quality sleep each night. Some ways to improve sleep:
get sunlight first thing in the morning
allow your eyes to see the sunset
prioritize your intense workouts before lunch, saving more calming movement for evenings
turn off all screens 2 hours prior to bedtime
put your phone to bed, away from your own bed
work to balance your blood sugar more effectively
takeaways
Before you turn to weight loss medication or calorie tracking apps, take a moment to listen to what your body is already telling you it needs.
Your body already has the answers. Restriction from food is the opposite of healthy.
You can lose weight effectively, and still enjoy the foods you love, without the guilt or shame.
If you need help learning to listen to and to trust, what your body has to say, I can help.
Tap that blue button below to view your options.
what’s your story?
What is your experience with weight loss medications and calorie trackers?
Have you ever considered a more holistic approach? How did that go for you?
Drop your thoughts in the comments below.👇
NUTRITION SERVICES
MORE RESOURCES
BLOG REFERENCES
Kolb, Hubert, et al. “Insulin Translates Unfavourable Lifestyle into Obesity - BMC Medicine.” BioMed Central, BioMed Central, 13 Dec. 2018, bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1225-1.
Kahn, B B, and J S Flier. “Obesity and Insulin Resistance.” The Journal of Clinical Investigation, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2000, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC380258/.
Ludwig, David S, and Cara B Ebbeling. “The Carbohydrate-Insulin Model of Obesity: Beyond ‘Calories in, Calories Out.’” JAMA Internal Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Aug. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6082688/.
Eugene, A. R., & Masiak, J. (2015, March). The neuroprotective aspects of sleep. MEDtube science. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4651462/