Natural Weight Loss

Isn't there a way to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, naturally.without starving?
By Karen F. Hyden, APN-BC, MSN, M.Ed Women's Health Nurse Practitioner, Wellness Solutions of TN

I remember as a tween moving into my teen years already concerned about weight loss, being so afraid of gaining weight because already in the media all we heard was œAmericans are overweight, and ˜Diet' this and ˜fat free' that. I remember a bald woman running across a stage on TV talking about how we all needed to œjust eat potatoes for weight loss. There was so much wrong information out there. It was as if becoming an adult in America meant that you would become overweight and unhealthy. Since then, weight loss information has become even more confusing. News about obesity in America has only gotten worse, and weight loss and healthy weight maintenance are not looking hopeful for the future unless we can become more educated about the right food choices for our bodies. We all can learn to know what foods put weight on quickly and make us feel groggy, and which foods don't cause bloating, water retention and headaches. Can't we eat anything in moderation? (I don't think that's even a good way to look at it, that could mean you could eat small bites of fast food and other mal-nutritious foods all day, and call it moderation.) What I have found is that weight loss and healthy weight maintenance is not just about how much food, or how many calories you ingest, but more about what types of calories you take in.

I start most of my patients on an individualized anti-inflammatory diet, which is non-calorie restrictive for thirty days to begin our wellness process. After that period, I have them add certain foods back in one at a time in order to get to know their bodies and which foods affect them negatively. I advise high fiber foods since they not only help you feel full, but fiber absorbs toxins, fat, and sugars, and moves them out through the bowels so your body won't absorb them. This is a very important part of a weight loss program. I like my patients to know that the diet should, and usually does, become a lifestyle change. Does it mean they can never have a bite of cake again, or a hamburger? No, but it means that if they can control what they eat 90% of the time from the anti-inflammatory food choices I will recommend for their individual needs for weight loss and healthy weight maintenance, they will not only not gain the average 3-4lbs Americans are gaining per year, but they will also lessen their risk for diabetes, infertility, heart disease, cancer, and a plethora of other diseases. They will sleep better, have less mood swings, have healthy and regular bowel movements, less painful and lighter periods, better energy, and will get sick less often.
I don't mind eating well, but I don't like to exercise.
I understand that, we are all very busy these days.and tired. I used to be a two-a-day exerciser and I think I still would be if I wasn't a full time wife, mom, and Nurse Practitioner. Would I trade any of them? No! But I do make time for myself at least 4-5 times a week to do at least a 15-minute burst training. You don't need a gym membership or a lot of time to exercise to incorporate this into your weight-loss and weight maintenance routine. What we used to call a hamburger in cross country is really catching on in the exercise world because it is truly effective. It is also called burst or interval training. After a short warm up and stretch, you do about 30 seconds of high intensity movement, like jumping jacks, running in place, or jump-rope.anything that you can do to keep your heart rate up for 30 seconds. Then you take a break for 90 seconds. Doing 8 rounds of that will definitely be a great workout, and you'll still have time