We’ve all been there. As you pull up your pants and take a deep breathe in hoping that you can get the button done up you take a mental note that tomorrow you will start your diet again.

Although you can’t remember the last time a diet actually worked for you it doesn’t seem like there are many other alternatives to help take the weight off and lose the unhealthy belly fat.

There are now hundreds of ways to lose weight and most diets work in the short term when they are followed. The problem is the weight always seems to creep back on and land exactly where you don’t want it to…your tummy.

As a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Certified Cancer Coach and fat loss expert I teach my clients two simple methods for weight loss. Yes, as we move through their journey together things can get a bit more complicated but if you follow the 5 fundamentals below you will be able to

• Regulate your blood sugar levels
  
• Decrease cortisol (stress hormone)
  
• Improve digestion
  
• Have more energy
  
• Wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start the day
  
• Choose better quality foods because your food cravings are gone 
  

We’ve all heard before that balancing hormones is a sure fire way to achieve weight loss. It’s true. Hormones like cortisol, insulin, leptin and ghrelin are responsible for regulating your stress response, blood sugar levels and feelings of hunger and satiety (fullness).

When the 4 hormones are unbalanced due to high stress, food cravings, eating processed foods, belly fat, yo-yo dieting and a sedentary lifestyle weight loss proves to be a challenge. Cortisol and insulin love to help us store our left over calories as belly fat for later use.

A rough day, one too many cups of coffee and a bagel all add up to a muffin top hanging over your pants. This is something we seriously want to avoid.

When we have a couple rolls of fat hanging over our pants we tend not to feel as confident or as attractive. Also, belly fat is unhealthy and is one of the major risk factors that can lead to Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and increase your risk of certain cancers.

So how do we lose weight and beat the battle of the bulge once and for all?

Before I outline the 5 weight loss fundamentals to shrink belly fat it’s important for us to understand our daily energy needs.  This is part one of the 2-part strategy I teach my clients.

Your daily energy needs are the number of calories you need to happily live out each day. This includes adding extra calories for exercise or if you have a physically demanding job. A quick calculation is to add a 0 to your weight.

For example if you weight 150 pounds then you require approximately 1500 calories per day. So whatever weight you are right now, add a zero to it.

Part two of the equation is to evaluate the quality of the calories you eat. Meaning that you avoid high fat, high sugar processed foods and opt for whole foods instead.  I believe this is more important then the amount of calories consumed. Still it’s important to know the range of calories you need daily. After all the goal is to lose weight and that isn’t achievable by eating twice the amount your body needs.

Listen, there will always be controversy and conflict regarding the right and wrong way to eat, to lose weight and to reduce belly fat. I’ve learned from working with thousands of people that there are 5 fundamentals that help to balance hormones and promote healthy weight loss.

Fundamental # 1 Eat breakfast within 1 hour of waking up

When you skip breakfast or delay it because there is no time your blood sugar levels drop and you become starving. At that point saying ‘no thank you’ to the cookies or bagels in the workplace kitchen is too hard so make sure you fuel your body within 1 hour of waking.

Fundamental # 2 Add protein and a healthy fat to breakfast

Protein and fat help to balance your blood sugar levels, keep you feeling full and regulate your hormones.

Protein                                                           Fat

1 cup Greek yogurt (plain)                               8-10 nuts (raw)
2 eggs                                                           1-2 tablespoons hemp seeds (protein and fat)
1 scoop protein powder                                  1 tablespoon coconut oil

Fundamental # 3 Eat every 4 hours

Your meals should be large enough that they fill you up for about 3.5 to 4 hours. When you snack (eating every 2 hours) or nibble throughout the day you don’t allow your body to digest well or utilize the food as energy.

Fundamental # 4 Include a protein source at every meal

Protein is the building block for your immune system and lean muscle mass. Without protein at your meal you are more likely to overeat carbohydrates.

A protein size for females is about 4 ounces and a portion size for males is about 6 ounces.

Fundamental # 5 Choose high fiber carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are not something to be afraid of when you choose the right ones. Stay away from the white processed carbs. Instead opt for carbs that digest slowly because they have at least 5 grams of fiber or more per serving.

Make 5 grams of fiber or more per serving a rule when choosing your carbs.

One last tip: please be patient with your body while losing weight. Losing weight and shrinking belly fat does not happen overnight regardless of what any quick fix diet scheme says. Follow the 5 weight loss fundamentals and you will see your muffin top disappear while you lose weight, reduce your risk of disease and feel healthy and happy.


In good health,
Cheryl Wahl, RHN, CPCC

Have you written your cravings off as normal because you’ve been experiencing them for so long? It’s possible that you’ve created quick fix solutions to satisfy those cravings just so they don’t drive you crazy.

There is no shortage of “health” products that make BIG claims to help you lose fat, get rid of cravings or balance your hormones. You’ve probably already bought or tried many of these products in an effort to slim down.

Even with all of the free information available now it’s seems harder then ever to get a straight and reliable answer from a trusted source on how to balance your hormones, stabilize blood sugar levels and lose weight without depriving yourself, feeling depressed or angry.

Here’s the harsh reality…

There is no one single food, pill, powder or tea that will give you the results you are looking for.

While that might be hard to hear, it’s true.

When you have cravings it’s a result of multiple of physiological triggers that come together to signal you to eat, usually a sugary or salty food. In fact, the signal to eat something sugary or salty can sometimes be so strong that no amount of willpower can overcome it.

So how do you overcome your cravings in a realistic way that is maintainable long-term? 

Tip # 1 Ditch The Idea Of The Magic Pill Solution

No matter what your friends, colleague’s, Doctor’s, health food store or Dr. Oz says there is NO one magic pill to get rid of cravings or help you to lose weight.

Yes, there are certain supplements that support blood sugar stabilization but if you first don’t remove the food triggers no amount of supplements will help you.

Common Food Triggers:

• Coffee
  
• Diet Coke or diet beverages
  
• Dried fruit
  
• Flavored oatmeal 
  
• Wheat
  
• Alcohol 
  

When you are constantly looking for a quick fix magic pill to end your cravings and solve your weight problems you deny your personal responsibility involved in your behavior (food) choices.

You can start by accepting that it will take work and effort to balance your hormones and lose weight. After all, you didn’t put the weight on in 14 days… it’s not going to come off in 14 days.

Tip # 2 Start Your Day With P & F

Do you know why oatmeal is considered to be a good breakfast choice?

Why are eggs a popular breakfast food?

What you choose for your first meal of the day is probably the most important food choice you can make when you are trying to calm cravings and lose weight. This is because your break-fast sets your hormonal tone for the day.

So when you choose foods that spike blood sugar, even if they are “healthy” you are not setting yourself up for an energetic, craving-free day. Just because something is touted as healthy doesn’t mean that it’s the right food choice for you.

Start your day with PROTEIN & FIBER to stabilize blood sugar and help you to feel full and energetic all day long.

Good P & F Choices:

• 1 cup plain Greek Yogurt + 2 tbsp of chia seeds 
  
• 2 whole eggs with 1 cup of blackberries (or mixed berries) 
  
• Shake with 1 scoop of protein powder with 2 tbsp of chia seeds 
  
• Chia seed pudding made with 1 scoop of protein powder 
  

Tip # 3 Know The Foods That Cut Cravings

Even when you make the best food choices, have the right breakfast, plan and prepare your meals you still might have sugar or salt cravings. We live in the real world where there is NO SUCH THING AS PERFECTION.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to know which foods satisfy you without setting you up for more cravings later on in the day. Since we all have different food likes and dislikes you will want to test out these foods to see which ones work best for you.

Foods That Curb Cravings:

• 1 tbsp of raw almond butter 
  
• ¼ - ½ cup of guacamole with 12 Mary’s crackers
  
• 1 ounce of full fat cheese 
  
• ¼ cup of homemade trail mix 
  
• 1-2 squares of 75% or higher dark chocolate 
  
• ¼ cup salted cashews 
  
• ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce with 1 tbsp of chia seeds 

Start using these 3 tips to calm your cravings this week and see how you feel.


If you have a favourite food that you feel helps squash your craving, post in the comments below.

In good health,
Cheryl Wahl, RHN, CPCC, Personal Trainer

Did you know that $700,000,000 is spent on laxatives every year!

That’s a lot of money down the toilet (pun intended). There’s one thing I know for sure and that is if you are constipated then it’s going to be much harder for you to lose weight and clean out your system.

Let me ask you a rather personal question… do you have a satisfying bowel movement daily? Yes, daily as in every single day? If not then you may be constipated. It doesn’t matter if you’ve always had this problem… it’s still a problem.

Chronic constipation can occur with a wide variety of intestinal and systemic illnesses that directly or indirectly slow the movement of fecal material through the large bowel.

Nervous system diseases and endocrine disorders frequently lead to chronic constipation. In some cases, constipation may precede other more specific symptoms of the underlying disease like hypothyroidism and Type II Diabetes.

You are considered constipated if you have two or more of the following for at least 3 months:

• Straining during a bowel movement more than 25% of the time
• Hard stools more than 25% of the time
• Incomplete evacuation more than 25% of the time
• Two or fewer bowel movements in a week
  
  

One of the reasons I promote cleansing with real food is to give your digestive system a break. This is necessary so you can better eliminate the toxins that have been stored inside you.  Although there are mixed reports on the link between constipation and colon cancer, it is believed that the toxins your body is trying to eliminate through a bowel movement can get reabsorbed into the body if you are constipated.

Today I’m sharing a recipe from my Detox 101 - Workshop with you. This recipe has helped many of my clients get things moving in the right direction.

Liquid Plumber

1 apple, chopped
2 stalks celery
1 tbsp cinnamon
3 dried figs, soaked in advance
3 tbsp ground flaxseed
water, enough for desired consistency

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender. It won’t be completely smooth. That’s ok - you want it a little more fibrous than a smoothie. Enjoy!

You can find many more recipes like this one in my Detox 101 - Workshop.  Details coming soon. 

Constipation is a serious problem especially when you are trying to lose weight and nothing else seems to be working. Give this recipe a try and let me know if you problem resolves itself. 

In good health,
Cheryl Wahl, RHN, CPCC, Personal Trainer

Fibre-rich foods generally have a low glycemic index (GI), although not all foods with a low GI necessarily have high fibre content.

Eating meals with the right amount of low glycemic index carbohydrate, i.e. the right glycemic load, lowers inflammatory markers and helps you fell fuller longer.

According to Harvard researchers, healthy, middle-aged women who ate the meals with the lowest glycemic load had the lowest levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in the body.

In overweight women who had greater levels of C-reactive protein to begin with, eating higher amounts of low glycemic index foods had an even greater impact on their inflammatory markers.

Glycemic Index and Inflammation

Insulin resistance means glucose is not effectively cleared from the blood after eating. This extra glucose in the bloodstream causes inflammation.

High-GI diet appears to increase insulin resistance after a meal. British researchers compared the effects of a high-fat diet, a low-GI diet, a high-GI diet and a high sucrose (table sugar) diet on insulin resistance in middle-aged men with heart disease risk factors. Despite containing the same number of calories, the high-GI diet caused greater fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin levels.

In a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Harvard researchers found that eating more high-GI foods significantly increases the amount of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) in healthy middle-aged women – regardless of whether they have other risk factors for heart disease.

Inflammation in Heart Disease

In the same Harvard study, researchers explain that high-GI carbs may boost heart disease risk by exacerbating of pro-inflammatory processes like insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means glucose from food is not effective cleared but lingers in the blood stream triggering inflammation. Eating lots of rapidly digested and absorbed high-GI carbohydrates increases the risk of heart disease, particularly in overweight women who are already prone to insulin resistance.

According to research in the May 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, long-term intake of grains with different glycemic indexes may affect the extent of inflammation in people with the heart disease risk factors. For example, researchers from Finland found that the glycemic response to the rye bread and pasta are lower than that of oat and wheat bread and potato - with the harmful effects of high blood sugar sticking around in the body for more than two hours. The people involved in this study had metabolic syndrome, which means they were already at higher risk of developing heart disease and other inflammatory conditions. 

Researchers from Tufts New England Medical Center found greater declines in CRP concentration after consumption of a low glycemic load diets in overweight people. In this study, published in the journal Obesity, 34 overweight people were given calorie-restricted diet that had either a high glycemic load or a low glycemic load. Weight loss aside, the people who ate the low glycemic load diet saw a drop in levels of inflammation in their body.

Numerous studies have shown that overweight adults on low-GI diets have lower levels of CRP and lower blood levels of bad LDL cholesterol than their overweight peers who eat high-GI diets - even if they didn’t lose weight on the low-GI diet.

Inflammation in Type 2 Diabetes

Another study from Harvard showed that diets high in low-GI whole grains and portion-controlled carbohydrates may have a protective effect against systemic inflammation in diabetic patients. Portion control of carbohydrates – even low-GI carbs – means you’re eating the controlling your glycemic load.

In this 2007 report, long-term, epidemiological studies were reviewed to reach the conclusion that low-GI diets reduce oxidative stress and guard against system-wide inflammation that may mark the beginnings of type 2 diabetes.

Glycemic Response and Colonic Health

The strength of your gut, as determined by your rate of colonic fermentation, plays a role in the rise and fall of blood sugar levels after eating high-GI foods. In comparing a high-GI meal to a low-GI meal, Swedish researchers found that rates of colonic fermentation (a sign of a healthy gut) dropped as blood sugar levels peaked.

In this study, 15 healthy people ate evening meals with varying amounts of non-digestible fibre (the kind found in wheat bran). At breakfast, those who ate more non-digestible, low-GI carbs reported increased feelings of fullness and showed higher rates of colon fermentation. 

What are low-GI foods?

Veggies:
Asparagus, avocado, beet greens, bell peppers, bok choy, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, fennel, green beans, kale, crimini mushrooms, mustard greens, olives and olive oil, romaine, spinach, summer squash, tomatoes, yams.

Fruits:
Apples, blueberries, cranberries, cherries, grapes, grapefruit, kiwi, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, prunes, raspberries, strawberries.


Grains, breads, nuts and seeds:
Oat bran, rolled oats, pumpernickel, sourdough, brown rice, buckwheat, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, almonds, cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts.


Beans and legumes:
Lentils, pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans, chick peas (garbanzo), black eyed peas, yellow split peas.

Try some new, low-GI foods today and let me know what you think?  Oh, and remember to drink lots of water between meals if you're new at introducing these foods.

As always, connect with me if you have any questions about nutrition, health, wellness, exercise, etc.

In good health,
Cheryl

A healthy digestive system is essential for a healthy body and well functioning immune system. The following are some simple tips to keep your bowels in tip top shape.

1.    Ground flaxseed - Enjoy 1-2 heaping tbsp of ground flax or chia seeds daily – both are gentle sources of fiber that can help promote bowel movements. If you have been taking 1 tbsp try increasing to two, but don't start at two, slowly increase.  And did you know, ground flax can reduce your risk of breast and prostate cancer.

2.    Psyllium fiber - Adding 1 tsp of psyllium powder to your smoothie can be helpful. Or try adding ¼ cup of Bran Bud’s to your morning yogurt and berries. Bran bud’s is one of the few cereals on the market that contains psyllium fiber.

3.    WATER! WATER! WATER! Bowels need to be hydrated to pass stools. If you are experiencing hard stools that are difficult to pass it can often be lack of water as the culprit. Ensure you are drinking at least 2 litres of water per day.

4.    Drink fresh lemon juice and warm water in the morning. Lemon juice is great for the liver, stimulating bile flow which gets the rest of the digestive system moving.

5.    Magnesium –Magnesium is the 2nd most abundant mineral in the body next to calcium. Magnesium stimulates peristalsis, which is the rhythmic contraction of your digestive system, moving things along the digestive tract. Great sources of magnesium include; dark leafy green veggies, whole grains, pumpkin seeds and black beans. Talk to your Nutritionist about supplementing with magnesium.

6.    Probiotics – healthy bacteria in our gut is essential for the proper breakdown and absorption of nutrients from our food as well as proper elimination. Plain yogurt with probiotics is a good place to start. Other food sources of proboitics include naturally fermented sauerkraut, kefir, miso and tempeh. For many, supplementation is needed for a more therapeutic amount of these healthy bugs.  A brand I like is Udo's Choice Probiotics.

Have a great week, we'll check in with you soon.

In good health,
Cheryl Wahl, RHN, Personal Trainer