Advice for Weight Loss

The body keeps blood sugar levels balanced through the secretion of the hormone insulin which allows glucose to be transported into the cells from the bloodstream. Elevated levels of insulin may be associated with weight gain and difficulty with weight loss. This is why balancing blood sugar levels is key in controlling weight.

Possible causes of weight gain

Unstable blood sugar levels caused by eating too many high sugar foods
Poor food choices/unhealthy food intake
Lack of fibre
Lack of fruit and vegetables
Lack of water
Low levels of exercise
Imbalanced hormones
Too many calories
High intake of fatty foods
High intake of stimulants such as coffee, tea and alcohol
Some birth control pills
Medication
Genetics
Slow metabolism
Thyroid problems
Poor digestion
Food allergies/intolerances

How to balance blood sugar and lose weight:

• Eating protein at every meal and snack is crucial in balancing blood sugar levels. Protein foods such as fish, eggs, meat, dairy, tofu or pulses have virtually no effect on blood sugar levels and help insulin to be transported into the cells.
• Increase soluble and insoluble fibre. Fibre plays an important role in promoting healthy blood sugar levels. It appears to slow digestion and bind to excess waste improving excretion. It also makes you feel full and binds to excess hormones for excretion.
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables - The fibre and water content of these foods assists in the elimination of waste products. Foods such as onions, spinach, pak choy, celery, cucumber, pineapples, pears, blueberries and apples are all great foods for assisting weight loss.
• Eating essential fats such as oily fish (salmon, tuna, trout) nuts, seeds and avocados enhance the response of insulin to work more efficiently thereby helping blood sugar levels to be balanced.
• Tryptophan foods turn into serotonin the happy hormone which makes us feel less hungry. These foods include chicken, turkey, eggs, oats, avocados, bananas, fish nuts and seeds.
• Increase water to help flush out any unwanted waste products building up. Try herbal teas too such as green, peppermint, nettle and dandelion tea. These are particularly good weight loss herbs as they are natural diuretics and help digestion.

Foods to avoid:

• Avoid refined foods such as cakes, white bread, white pasta, biscuits, chocolate etc. These are refined and processed foods. These are often high in fat, sugar and calories which leads to unexpected weight gain. Choose whole/natural foods instead such as wholemeal bread, brown rice, oats, lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans etc.
• Avoid stimulants such as tea, coffee and alcohol. These disrupt blood sugar levels.
• Avoid red meat as it is very high in saturated fat. Saturated fat is stored as body fat very easily and red meat is also difficulty to digest.

Other helpful tips

• Increase exercise. Regular exercise helps to decrease body fat, stabalise blood sugar levels, improve cholesterol and lower blood pressure.
• Stop eating when full.
• Eat little and often and don't skip meals.
• Always eat breakfast to ensure blood sugar levels don't fall too low.
• Stop smoking. Cigarette smoke interferes with insulin function and can make balancing blood sugar levels and therefore weight loss difficult.
• Eat the majority of your food before 7.30pm and try to make breakfast and lunch the largest meals of the day. This way the body has time to burn the calories for fuel during the day.

Supplements for weight loss:

5HTP - This is an amino acid which converts into serotonin in the body. This can reduce the desire for food.
CLA - Conjugated linoleic acid is an essential fat that helps to burn fat while increasing muscle mass.
HCA - Hydroxy citric acid curbs your appetite. It is extracted from the tamarind fruit garcinia cambogia.
Magnesium- Magnesium increases cell sensitivity to insulin which can help to decrease cravings for certain foods.
Chromium- Chromium regulates blood sugar levels and helps to reduce cravings.
Digestive enzymes - help to break down food and assist better digestion and better elimination. They are very useful for sluggish or weak digestive systems.
L-carnitine - is an amino acid that helps burn fat for energy. Essentially it speeds up the metabolism.
Co-enzyme Q10 - This is a vitamin needed for the conversion of fat into energy within the cells.
Pysllium husks - This is pure fibre from a plant which help you to feel full, decrease constipation.
Full? Stop! - Full stop from Higher Nature is an appetite suppressor. It works by enhancing the release of the body's own CCK, a known satiety factor.
Iodine - This is a sea mineral that helps with low thyroid activity.

Miss Nutritionist
http://www.missnutritionist.com