I think by now we all understand that weight loss is an on-going, every day commitment to a healthy diet and lifestyle and that the fads won’t fix anything. However, it sure can be hard to not get caught up in the hype of all these new year diet deals and workout wonders that come our way.
I think every single one of us has probably, at some point, gotten seduced by a new weight loss book, a new year bootcamp, a January re-commitment to the local gym, or even some late night call to buy the latest, greatest workout equipment for your home (those shaking weights! the electric shock belly wrap!).
If you’ve gained a few pounds over the holidays - heck, if you’ve gained a few pounds over the holidays on top of the few pounds you gained during the last holidays - it can cause a feeling of panic and dread. We resolve to turn ourselves around and we get strict, restrictive, and punishing with our bodies, trying to beat them back into a slender, slim shape. We deprive ourselves of food, we exercise intensely, we cleanse and skip meals, we avoid all temptation, and we feel miserable.
So, we know what doesn’t work, right? But that leaves us with one burning question - if we want to lose weight, what exactly DOES work?
I have lost 60 lbs 2 times in my life (and in a relatively short period of time - a matter of a few months). The first time I was in my ‘20s, the second time was just recently, in 2014, after I had my daughter. Now, my friends tell me I am slimmer and younger looking than before I had my baby.
More important though, to me, than fitting in my clothes is how good I feel in my own skin. And that doesn’t come from seeing a certain number pop up on the scale, that comes from a near 20 year relationship with my body that honors the 4 phase-centric hormonal needs of both my body and my spirit.
I did none of the things we are normally encouraged to do at the start of a new year to shed those pounds. In fact, during those 2 weight loss periods:
- I did not diet and I never felt deprived of food
- My only exercise was walking
How did I do it? Good question!
Crash dieting and excessive exercising works against the hormonal science of your body - it increases and worsens hormonal symptoms like PCOS, PMS, cramps, heavy bleeding, and endometriosis. It sets you up, as a woman, for a cravings-plus-bingeing rollercoaster and a flagging, subpar metabolic system. It causes you to quit trying to lose weight before you reach your goal, because you feel awful and you can see clearly that it is not working.
All of the diets you hear about do not work longterm for women and have the potential to make your hormonal symptoms worse! Too much animal fat, diets that are protein heavy, too few carbohydrates - none of this helps us ladies to achieve lasting weight loss. You may shed the pounds at first, but you bet that same month your period will be a nightmare or you’ll have the worst PMS.
What your body wants and needs desperately is homeostasis, not deprivation. Your body craves balance and hates extremes. This means any diet that involves cutting down and cutting out or wildly fluctuating eating patterns is only going to cause your body stress - the kind sourced in your blood sugar stability and your adrenals - that will actually make your body hold on to fat for dear life, and then start signalling health breakdown with all kinds of symptoms.
So, what’s my weight loss secret?
Why, living in my Flo, of course! This lifestyle consists of 2 essential parts.
First - I feed my hormones what they need to keep my metabolism humming.
I understand what my body needs so that my blood sugar remains stable and my adrenals calmed. I know how to feel full and satisfied all day, every day and how to supercharge my metabolism. I nourish my body to make and process my hormones in a way that keeps everything humming along nicely.
The majority of diets you hear about cause out of control hormones and erratic blood sugar levels that come from their restrictive eating patterns - they rob your body and brain of the micronutrients that they need to create balanced appetite control-neurotransmitters and balanced metabolism-boosting hormone levels. Flo Living supports appetite control and boosts your metabolism, because it increases essential micronutrients and balances your hormones.
The solution you’re looking for is eating the foods your body needs for each phase of your menstrual/hormone cycle. This way you can optimize the levels of nutrients your body wants to balance the vital hormones that keep your metabolism working efficiently. You will, in fact, be revving your metabolism to keep you slim. When you eat in sync with your hormones, you will feel satisfied, less tempted by foods you should avoid, and happy to continue this “diet” (or lifestyle shift) for years to come.
Second - I channel my energy and health into playing a bigger game.
It’s not very interesting to play a continuous game of weight gain and weight loss. Of resolutions and self sabotage. You are so powerful, you are physiologically designed to create new life from the void in any way you choose. We’ve heard enough stories from the front to know that telling ourselves that we’ll be happier and live the life we dream about after our jeans are a certain size, is a lie.
The essential question to ask yourself is not how much weight do you want to lose, but what do you want to do with your life, with a body that is energized and focused on that purpose. For me, my body is my true partner, my GPS system.
I allow my body to guide me on the journey of my soul, my passion, and my purpose, I’d be lost without her wisdom, support, and intuition.
As a result, I’m super motivated to keep my frequencies clear so I can receive that guidance, which is so critical in playing a bigger game in my life. Health is not the destination, it’s the road you take that dictates how much fun you’ll have on the way.
Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this - the science of your body is on your side!
To your FLO,
Alisa
