A lot of my clients tell me they’re able to lose a certain amount of weight right off the start of a new diet, and then they plateau and they can’t lose anymore.
They’re frustrated and wondering what they’re doing wrong because they feel that they’re doing all the right things. They’re working so hard to say NO to to all the things they want to eat and they’re working out 5 days a week....and yet the scale won’t budge. What gives? They’re so tempted to give up, and yet they also know that if they do, they’ll feel even worse. Since this is such a common frustration, and I want to help people get their efforts to work in their favour, I decided to put together a list of lingering habits that people commonly hang onto. I’ve got a lot of great information here for you, so I’m going to break this list into two separate posts, for this week and next week. 1. You Overeat Healthy Foods Just because a food is "healthy" doesn’t mean you can eat as much of it as you want. Some of the healthiest foods out there, like nuts, avocados and dark chocolate are good for you, but if they’re eaten in excess, they can lead to weight gain. When you eat more macronutrients than you need at one time, anything in excess is stored as fat. 2. You Haven’t Removed Temptation Every successful plan should start with one thing: cleaning out the old and making room for the new. You need to get rid of the goal-destroying temptations in your cupboards and fridge and fill them with the healthier options. This is why I teach people how to do a kitchen clean out from the get-go in my programs. 3. You’re Not Eating Enough It sounds like it would help, but under-fueling your body is actually just as harmful as over-fueling. Many of us have wrongfully believed that eating as little as possible in an attempt for quick weight loss, is the best solution. Not only can this lead to nutritional deficiencies, but it can actually have the opposite effect on weight loss because when you severely reduce calorie intake, the body holds onto fat and uses muscle stores as energy, which can slow metabolism. 4. You Don’t Get Enough Sleep Regardless of eating well and working out, without the proper sleep, long-term weight loss will still be hard to achieve. There’s a strong connection between weight gain and sleep deprivation, and this is because of the increased levels of your body’s stress (and fat-storing) hormone cortisol. It also sabotages the efficiency of your hunger-regulating hormones. 5. You Have All-Or-Nothing Thinking Have you ever noticed that whenever you start a diet, you automatically begin obsessing about the foods you “can’t” have? Now, you suddenly want them more than you did before your diet, and if you do have some, you feel that you’ve totally blown it and you might as well give up and eat the whole cake. Having an attitude of “I can have that piece of cake, I’m just choosing not to,” is way more helpful and puts you more in control. If you do have a piece now and then, no worries, be ok with it and get right back on track. Wallowing in guilt and shame will only keep you from your goals and keep you stuck in a cycle of self-disappointment. If this has been your issue, I encourage you to follow the steps above and let me know of any changes you see. I'll be back next week with the remaining tips! Until next time, May Anne xo P.S. If you want my support and guidance, as well as personalized tips and strategies to help you lose the weight easier (without dieting), send me an email HERE and we'll set up a complimentary 20 minute Discovery Call. We'll chat and see if we'll be a good fit!
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I Used To Be A Wreck.
When you first glance of this picture of me, you might naturally assume that my life has always been great and that maybe even things have come easily for me. I know I've assumed that about people lots of times. It's natural to assume based on what we see on the outside. People have told me they think that I have it all together. They assume that I haven’t experienced struggles and challenges like they’ve experienced. That’s likely because I’m a bit of a perfectionist and a people pleaser, and I care too much about what other people think. So, even when life has been really, really hard, I haven’t let many people see that. I’ve always wanted everyone to think that I have it all together and can handle everything that comes my way. What I want to share with you is taking a lot of vulnerability and openness on my part. It’s really really hard for someone who has cared way too much about what other people think to be transparent. If what I’m sharing helps anyone to feel like they’re not alone, and that there is hope, then it’s worth it. The reason I’m choosing to share these things with you is because the times that other people have been brave enough to openly share their challenges and struggles, it has really helped me. It helped me see that I’m not alone and the things that I’ve gone through, others have gone through as well. Over time, I’ve learned that no matter how perfect someone else’s life might look, no matter how flawless their appearance, there’s always more going on behind the scenes that the rest of us don’t see. Life for me is good now, and I’m grateful for the challenges and struggles that I’ve gone through because they’ve helped me to grow, and they’ve helped me to help others. But it wasn’t always that way. Anxiety has plagued me my entire life, for as long as I can remember. Anxiety, depression and panic attacks were so bad in my early 20’s that I had to quit my job and go on disability for a year. I had been fulfilling my dream of modelling with an agency in Toronto and had just finished my reign as Miss Metropolitan Toronto - and I had to give it all up because I couldn’t cope. Anxiety, low self-esteem and a distorted body image were no doubt the cause of a lot of really bad choices that I made over the course of many years. I won’t go into all of the details here, because it’s not necessary and because truthfully, they sound too much like soap opera material. I’ve watched a loved one go on diet after diet for as long as I can remember, and when I was younger, I mistakenly came up with the distorted thought that I needed to be thin to be accepted and loved. I teetered on the verge of anorexia in my teens and practically starved myself for 6 months when I was 16, and at 5’7” and 113 lbs, I still thought I was too big. My view of myself and my worth was completely distorted. I looked sick and I felt even worse. Partying was something that temporarily made me feel better, and I partied all the way through my teens and into my twenties (even though, the next day I would feel a whole lot worse.) When I was 35, I became a mom for the first time, and although I was ecstatic at finally being a mom, it was bitter-sweet. I was a single mom from the time my son was born until he was 5 years old. That was not the plan I had for my life, to raise a child completely on my own, and that part of it really, really sucked. I faced a loneliness that I wouldn’t wish on anybody. I worked full-time with my son in daycare from the time he was a year old, and I felt like life was passing me by. It felt like all I did was work, pick up my son, get dinner ready, spend a bit of time with him, put him to bed, clean the house and drop dead-tired into bed by 9pm. And then repeat it all the next day. My son rarely slept for more than 2-4 hours at a time until he was 2 years old, so needless to say, I was a walking zombie for years. Physically, I suffered with IBS and digestive disorders, adrenal fatigue caused by stress, extreme tiredness, moodiness, candida overgrowth, food sensitivities, and I continued to battle with anxiety and depression on and off. I can’t tell you how many counsellors and doctors I had seen in those years and how many medications I reluctantly took for anxiety and depression, and some of them did help temporarily. The real changes and the lasting changes took place over the course of several years. Like I said, life is not perfect now and I’m certainly far from perfect, but looking back at everything I just wrote now, it all seems like a lifetime ago. Although I always had a passion for natural health (I grew up on a farm in the country where we basically ate off the land), that passion was hidden in the background while I was in the depths of everything I was going through. When that passion did resurface and I had the chance to go back to school to study natural nutrition, I used everything that I learned from my course, from naturopathic doctors and from my own experiences of what worked and didn’t work and put them all into action for my own healing journey. Through that journey and with the help of certain counsellors and pastors, I was on the way to health and wholeness. Along the way, I had hoped for a magic pill or supplement to make everything better, but I came to realize that it wasn’t one specific thing that was going to help, but a tool kit of many things, including changing how I ate, making lifestyle changes (sleep, stress, exercise), changing my mindset (with daily declarations, prayer, relaxation techniques) and in my case, a counsellor to work through issues that needed to be worked through. It wasn’t until I started feeling better that I realized just how awful I felt before, and that it really wasn’t how I was meant to feel. I had thought it was my normal. Even when I do indulge now and then (which does happen), I notice a huge difference in how I feel afterwards, because now my norm is feeling good. I no longer believe the distorted lie that I need to be thin to be accepted. I ‘choose’ to be the size I am now because it makes me feel good. Regular exercise, eating well, getting enough sleep, reducing stress and Mindset are huge for me when it comes to how I feel physically, emotionally and mentally. They all work together, and what affects one part, affects the whole. Looking back, I can appreciate every lesson I learned and every challenge that I faced, because they helped me become who I am today, and it’s blessed me with a compassion and understanding for what other people are going through, that I may not have had otherwise. Thank you for letting me share my story with you. May Anne xo P.S. If any of what I shared resonates with you, please share it in the comments below. You may help someone else reading this. Or, you can send me an email HERE. Hi there, I’m May Anne, and I’m a holistic nutritionist and the founder of the Slim Down Program, where I help people to stop dieting and instead discover a strategic way of eating that boosts their metabolism, balances their hormones, reduces their cravings and boosts their energy, all while regaining their health.
I just wanted to say to everyone else with food cravings, that I get it. Before I was a nutritionist, I was chronically exhausted and relied on pick-me-ups like sugar, pastries and bread to get me through the day. I would start my day with carbs like cereal, toast a bagel or a muffin and then would need a mid morning pick me up a short while later. I would then have a sandwich or a basic salad for lunch with just veggies on it, and would wonder why I would constantly have afternoon energy crashes, with foggy thinking, emotional ups and downs and food cravings. I found it really hard to say no to foods like pastries, muffins, pizza, baked goods, especially in the afternoon when I was tired. I didn’t understand it because I thought I was eating healthy enough. I was buying foods that said “light,” “low fat” or “low calorie” or “healthy” on the package. I didn’t realize that the problem was not only WHAT I was eating but it was HOW I was eating it and WHEN I was eating. Since becoming a nutritionist, I’ve learned that almost always, cravings for carbs indicate a blood sugar imbalance. I hadn’t realized that when I was buying foods that were marketed as “diet foods” or “healthy foods” I was missing out on some much-needed nutrients and my body was letting me know by signalling cravings. Many times when we experience that afternoon energy crash, it’s because of what we ate at breakfast and lunch. When simple carbohydrates are eaten on their own it can quickly satisfy your hunger and give you an energy boost, but both are only temporary, and it leaves you craving more simple carbs when energy drops a few hours later. And then you’re on a blood-sugar rollercoaster, and the cycle continues over and over. This cycle will ultimately lead to weight gain, as well as a lot of other health issues, because many diseases actually begin with blood sugar issues. And, if you team willpower up against blood sugar issues, the willpower will lose every time. Your lack of willpower is not your fault. The solution is to balance your blood sugar, which I’ve learned for myself, will go a long way towards getting rid of those cravings. Reducing your cravings for sugar and starch is a great step towards feeling better and lasting weight loss. I invite you to click HERE for FREE access to my 5-Day Sugar-Free Challenge, where you will receive all of the tools you need to crush your cravings. If you have any questions or comments please let me know. I’ll see you next time. Eating on the go does not have to derail your health and weight loss efforts. Being prepared and having a strategic plan will allow you to travel and to eat out at almost any restaurant and still stay on track.
I’m on vacation in Florida as I write this. My family and I began our drive down here from Ontario just over a week ago, staying in a few different hotels on the way down to break up the drive, landed in Disney Springs for two days, and ended up at our current resort here in Orlando last Saturday. We’ll stay here for a week and then hop on a ship and sail over the Caribbean ocean with seven days with an all-you-can eat mentality. Why am I sharing all of this with you? Because, when you do your best to eat healthy whatever given situation you’re in at the time, and your given situation is going to be varied and changing over the next 20 days….you have to do some planning! Eating on the go can be tough when you want to eat healthy. You can’t always be perfect...that’s a given, but it’s extra tough when you’re on the go for an extended period of time. I packed a LOT of healthy snacks for our drive here, as well as to have down by the pool or when we’re out and about. Take my day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom for example - I brought plenty of healthy snacks along in our backpack to help us through long lineups, and so that we wouldn’t be stuck eating junk ALL day long. I knew we were going to be eating out for lunch and dinner, so I wanted to ensure we had ‘something’ nutritious during the day. My choices for lunch were: hot dog, pork ribs or a gigantic turkey leg. Hmmm...given those choices, I went for the turkey leg with a side of coleslaw minus the creamy dressing. That turkey leg was half the size of my 10 yr old (slight exaggeration only) and had a lot more flavouring and colouring than I’m used to. For dinner, I was able to find a feta-greek salad with chicken and asked for the dressing on the side. Not too bad, despite the iceberg lettuce. I did what I could. Today I’m beginning my day with a protein smoothie with fruits and veggies in it, and will start over. Now, the pool is calling my name and it’s time to head out for the day. Before I do, I want to share some tips with you for eating on the go…. TIP 1 - Plan ahead: GPS some healthy pit stops along your route. A grocery store is a great place to pick up fruit and cut veggies to munch on. If dining out, most restaurants have their menus online and some even have the nutritional info posted (chains mostly). Go online, search for the nutrition information of the restaurant you want to go to, and plan out your choices. Tip 2 - Pack snacks. There's no need to stop for food. Keep a few healthy snacks in the car for long rides or bad traffic. A trail mix of seeds, nuts and dried fruit is an easy, non-perishable option. Granola bars with protein and less than 6 grams of sugar also work. TIP 3 - Drink please! Keep a filled water bottle in the car too. We often think we're hungry when we are just thirsty. If at a restaurant, try ordering a warm drink first thing such as hot water with some fresh lemon slices. You’ll be surprised how this warm calming drink can fill you up and soothe the craving/hunger beast. Herbal tea is also a great option while coffee tends to throw off blood sugar levels and may lead to cravings and bad decisions later on. TIP 4 - Be an assertive orderer: Don’t be afraid to modify the menu. Trust me, in this age of “nutritionism”, waiters are used to it. My son and I are both gluten-free and dairy-free, so asking questions about the menu is a given for us. You’d be surprised at how many restaurants are exceptionally accommodating. Ask questions and know the terminology. Grilled, steamed, broiled, boiled and baked are fine but beware of terms such as creamy, smothered, lightly breaded, deep fried. Ask for sauces on the side and leave out the fries/rice/pasta/potatoes that usually come with the main and ask for extra veggies instead (most restaurants are happy to do this). TIP 5 - Start with soup or salad: both can be filling and satisfying. Order the dressing on the side and dip your fork lightly in the dressing before every forkful. Stay with non-creamy soups. Ask the server if dairy is added. That will let you know if they add cream or cheese (you can even tell your server that you are lactose intolerant to make sure they don’t add cream or cheese) When choosing your salad, remember the darker the leaves, the more nutrients they contain. TIP 6 - Appetizers as the main course: Try ordering from the appetizer menu if you don’t find anything you want on the main menu such as grilled calamari, Caprese salad, or shrimp cocktail. Ordering from the appetizer menu ensures smaller portions and is less expensive. TIP 7 - Liquor Control: Alcohol can stimulate hunger so never drink on an empty stomach (really throws off blood sugar) and try to follow the 1:1 rule; follow a glass of wine with a full glass of water. Even try to cut the wine with ½ club soda or Perrier in a wine Spritzer or mix vodka with soda water. Red wine actually contains some health benefits, like antioxidants, but remember that after 1 or 2 glasses, the harm outweighs the benefits. TIP 8 - Portion Control/Leftovers for the next day: Most restaurants provide huge portions-take a look at the size of the plate or bowl! Eyeball your serving size (palm of your hand) and divide your portion accordingly. Make a mental note to have the rest packed-up for home, or better yet, ask the waiter for a to-go container and box it up right away. Bonus: Less for you to cook the next day. TIP 9 – Eat protein before a long trip. Protein helps to stabilize blood sugar which, in turn curbs hunger. Eat a meal with protein before embarking on a long journey. TIP 10 – Keep to regular meal intervals. Eat a meal every 4-5 hours regardless of time zone changes. If the journey doesn't allow for a real meal, be prepared with a substantial snack like seeds, nuts, dried fruit or cheese. Until next time, May Anne Happy Valentine’s Day!
Did you know that February is heart month? It makes sense that the heart is the health focus this month, since February is also the month of love. The number one way look after your heart is with a healthy lifestyle. Here are some great tips for a healthy heart:
We know that there can be a greater risk of heart disease for people who have depression, are socially isolated or do not have good social support. Having a good social life with family and friends can help. Since this is heart month as well as the month of love, why not give ‘yourself’ some love (I know, it’s not always as easy as it sounds, but give it time. With practice, you will begin to LOVE it.) Take a time out for yourself. Whether it’s a quiet walk in the woods or a walk around the block by yourself, a candlelight bubble bath, reading a book with a blanket….whatever works for you. Just be sure to do it. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have a reeeallly strong tendency to push this task aside and get everything else checked off your to-do list first, but the reality is, the to-do list will ALWAYS be there. You are important, and you need self-care too. I want to share with you an amazing dessert recipe that is not only delicious, but healthy as well. It’s a winner in my household. Simply click the link below: CHOCOLATE POTS DE CREME Until next time, May Anne P.S. If you want to take your self-care to the next level, simply send me an email HERE to set up a Complimentary 15 minute Discovery call with me. We’ll chat and see if we’ll be a good fit! This time of year can be harder for some people than others, and it’s usually because of something called Seasonal Affective Disorder or S.A.D.
It’s generally worse in that period of time between the end of Christmas and New Years and the beginning of spring. If you struggle with winter depression, this time of year is not filled with joy and fun winter activities. Instead, you probably feel like hiding under the covers until spring arrives in a few months. What is Seasonal Affective Disorder? Everyone has the blues now and then. But SAD is a depressive state that occurs seasonally, year after year, usually in the fall and winter. If you suffer from SAD, you may feel perfectly normal during the spring and summer months, but starting around October or November, symptoms begin showing up. Because this type of depression come and goes with the seasons, you may wonder if it is all in your head. It isn’t. This is a real condition and can have a devastating impact on your life. Researchers still don’t know the exact cause of SAD, but there are some factors that seem to be involved, and they involve the decreased amount of sunlight that fall and winter bring.
SAD will often manifest itself as feelings of sadness or depression. You may feel as though you cannot get enough sleep—struggling to get out of the bed in the morning, feeling drowsy during the day and going to bed earlier than you usually do. Your energy and concentration may also run low, and this can affect your productivity at work and at home. Of course, not having the energy to ‘get things done,’ only leads to frustration and more feelings of depression. You may also notice weight gain. Typically, SAD sufferers will crave foods high in carbohydrates and can gain between 9 and 30 pounds each year. Finally, your social life may suffer. If you are depressed, you just won’t enjoy being around others as much as you used to. This can turn into social withdrawal which makes your feelings of depression and sadness even worse. Now for the Good News – Ways to Combat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) If you think that you may be one of the millions of people who are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder, you will be happy to know that you have many treatment options available. Try experimenting with different treatments until you find one or a combination that works for you:
You are not alone if you are beginning to feel depressed with the shortened days that we are experiencing. Experiment with some of the treatment options and especially start exercising. Before you know it, the days will begin lengthening out again! If you haven’t been taking Vitamin D throughout the winter months, I highly suggest purchasing a good quality brand and start taking it, to improve your mood and mental health. Don’t forget, you have access to practitioner-grade supplements with specialty pricing through my account at Fullscript. Simply click HERE for access. Until next time, May Anne Statistically speaking, by this time (the end of January), most people (80% actually) have already thrown their New Year’s Resolutions out the window. Crazy, right?
That’s a lot of ditched and thwarted hopes and dreams. Doesn’t make a person feel very good to think that they failed. Can I just say, that if this is you, and your resolution was to lose weight...that it’s not your fault. Not likely, anyways. You probably just didn’t have the proper tools to set you up for success. If you’re relying on the same old same old, then you will continue to get the same old results. The fact is, dieting has failure written right into it. Diets aren’t sustainable and they don’t last. Lifestyle changes, however, do work. They’re made to be sustainable and they’re made to set you up for success - lifetime success! Can I get a heck yes! My job - no, my PASSION, in life is to set people up for lifetime success with their health and weight loss goals. No more guilt, shame, blame or lowered self-esteem from failing at yet another diet. YOU are NOT the failure - the DIET IS. There are a few very important pieces to the puzzle that dieting doesn’t include and that is eating in a way that balances hormones and blood sugar and reducing cravings. Without doing that, it will be next to impossible to lose weight and keep it off. If you’ve dieted in the past, chances are your metabolism is damaged and your hormones and blood sugar are out of whack, and until they’re brought back into balance, trying to lose weight will be a never-ending battle. If this is a struggle that you’re experiencing, and you keep doing things the same way you’re doing them now, you’re probably going to be in the exact same position this time next year. “If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” This is one of my favourite quotes, because it’s so true. So what’s different about how I do things? I teach people to stop dieting and instead to use food as fuel for their bodies, so that food works WITH their bodies instead of AGAINST their bodies. The result? They’re able to lose weight more easily, their hormones and blood sugar are brought back into balance, their cravings are reduced, they have more energy, their moods are more balanced and they’ve reduced inflammation. They’re overall health is improved as a result. If you want to find out more about what I do and how I can help you achieve your health and weight loss goals, send me an email HERE. I offer a 15-minute complimentary Discovery Call, where we would discuss the best options for you and to see if we would be a good fit! Until next time, May Anne We've all heard of MSG, or Monosodium Glutamate, and I think it's something we don't really give a lot of thought to- I know I didn't for the longest time. However, there are BIG reasons why I think we should.
MSG is a salt that is chemically converted into a flavour enhancer. It’s found in almost all popular processed foods, fast foods and restaurant foods, and research has shown that it causes weight gain and obesity by causing damage to the area of the brain that is in charge of the appetite regulation, known as the hypothalamus. This causes leptin resistance. Leptin is the hormone that controls how much a person feels like eating. When MSG is consumed, the fullness and satisfaction that come from having eaten is completely lost, leading to an urge to eat that never stops. MSG is added to over 80% of boxed, canned, processed foods and restaurant foods, and is disguised under many names. What is does is, it supercharges the taste of food, but not in the way you would think. You know how food can make you feel so good sometimes? MSG operates on the brain and it tricks it into thinking food tastes really great. It gives you a drug-like rush that provides a brief sensation of well being. It’s highly addictive, which causes people to keep coming back for more, and they end up overeating. MSG is a huge factor in the epidemic of obesity because of its effect on leptin. In fact, when researchers want to fatten up lab rats for experiments, they feed them MSG. Just google “msg to make mice gain weight.” Researchers have proven that MSG destroys the hard wiring in the brain of a rat like it does in the brain of a person. So knowing all this, why do corporations sell food that contains MSG? Because it makes cheap ingredients taste great and it keeps people coming back for more. The way MSG causes a person to gain weight is this...When you ingest MSG, your body tries to protect you from it, and it does this by adding fat stores in an effort to trap the MSG. The catch is, your body WILL NOT release those fat stores as long as you continue consuming MSG. The only way to release the fat is to stop consuming foods containing MSG and anything that your body can’t properly metabolize. The best way to avoid MSG is by buying whole foods and preparing them at home and adding your own spices and herbs. The next best thing is to become an expert at label reading and knowing the various disguises that is used for MSG. Even terms like spice and natural flavor can mean the presence of MSG. The term MSG is rarely seen listed on a food label, but it’s likely there in a disguised form. I created a Facebook and Instagram post on this the other day and listed 30 names that MSG can hide under. I want to make it easier for you to make the switch over to clean eating. I know not everyone has the time to figure this all out on their own. Life is busy, I get it. Because nutrition is my job, I’ve done the heavy lifting for you. I want to help you take the guesswork out of learning how to eat clean, so you can save time and energy from trying to figure it out on your own. My 14-Day Body Reset is family friendly and includes everything you need to make the switch to clean eating in an easy to follow, step by step manner and even includes recipes and meal plans the whole family can follow. If you’re ready to ditch the processed foods and make the switch to eating real, whole foods, check out the link HERE. Until next time, May Anne Let's talk about a widely misunderstood topic, and that is supplementing with vitamins and minerals. Should we do it and what kind should we use?
I used to be under the impression that if I ate my fruits and vegetables, got enough rest, drank enough water and exercised regularly that I shouldn’t really need to take a supplemental form of vitamins and minerals. The more I learned though, the more I came to understand that there are a few powerful reasons why most of us need to take dietary supplements if we want to be healthy and strong and able to fight off sickness and disease, regardless of how healthy our lifestyle may be. Let me begin by saying that relying on supplements alone cannot replace a bad diet. Let me repeat that, relying on supplements alone cannot replace a bad diet. What supplements can do though is fill in the gaps in your diet. Most of us, myself included, have gaps in our diet that need to be filled in, and not all of this is our fault. I believe in using food for nutrition first and foremost. That should be our primary source of nutrients. Food, in its whole form, untreated and unprocessed contains all of the cofactors needed to process and assimilate that piece of food. It makes sense then that when food becomes processed, those necessary co-factors are often removed or altered and because of that, our bodies aren’t able to assimilate food in the same way as we could in its whole form, meaning we’re not getting the necessary nutrients. Realistically, most of us aren’t cooking from scratch 100% of the time. I know I’m not. Commercial harvesting, shipping processes, long term food storage, processing, and the addition of preservatives degrades the nutrient content of food. Therefore, unless you're eating a very fresh plant, it is a far different species at the time you’re eating it than it was when initially harvested. Also, unnatural additives to our food during many of these processes like MSG, aspartame, splenda, colorings and flavors will increase your body's need for nutrients so that your body can deal with these synthetic derivatives that are damaging to our bodies. Additionally, our soil just isn’t the same as it used to be. Our soil has become so depleted that we we’re not getting the same nutrients in our foods as we would have 40 years ago. The plants aren’t getting the nutrients from the soil that they need, and if it’s not in the plant then you're not going to get it from eating the plant! Unless we’re growing our own foods or buying organic all the time, we’re also receiving a good dose of pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals from our food supply and those, combined with environmental chemicals in water and the air pollution and our health and beauty products that we put on our body form free radicals in our body and attack our metabolism and immune system. All of these elements together vastly increase our need for extra vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to fight against the formation of free radicals and the attack upon our metabolism and immune system. With all of these factors combined, it’s not hard to see why good health does not just happen. It’s something a person has to be intentional about with our day to day choices. All is not lost. We can begin making small changes every day to improve our diet and our home environment. Little by little, these small changes add up to big change in the health and strength of our bodies. As a bare minimum, along with improving your nutrition, I recommend a good quality multi-vitamin and mineral supplement and vitamin D. Since the majority of supplements sold in the grocery store and pharmacy are of poor quality (see my article here on this topic), I’ve teamed up with a company called Fullscript, who allows me to provide access to practitioner-grade supplements to those of you in my healthy community, along with special pricing by using my link. I’ll include the link HERE. If you have any questions, just send me a message HERE. Until next time. May Anne If I were to ask a group of women how many times their New Years resolution has been to lose weight, most of them would say “way too many.”
If it's been more than one or two times for you, you are so not alone. Do you know what the Top 2 New Years Resolutions are? 1. Staying fit and healthy 2. Losing weight Did you also know that statistics show that 95% of people who diet gain the weight back again? And MOST of those gain back even more weight than they lost? It’s no wonder the dieting is a billion dollar industry. People pay hundreds and thousands of dollars for quick fixes and temporary solutions involving needles or specialty shakes, counting calories, weighing food or counting points, and most of these can’t be maintained long-term. The fact is, diets don't work - at least not long-term. They're not sustainable, which makes it almost impossible to maintain any weight loss. Most people can’t wait to get off their diet because they feel restricted and deprived or it’s just too hard, and they’re craving junk food. As soon as the diet is over, they fall back into familiar patterns and all of the weight creeps back on again. Each time a person diets they run the risk of damaging their metabolism, making harder and harder to lose weight the next time. Each time they gain back the weight, the confidence level takes another hit, which makes it even harder to try again. It's really a lose-lose situation. If this is your experience, the thing is, it's not your fault. You've just never learned how to do it properly. What you need is to learn how to work with your body, and not against it. There are a few very important pieces to the puzzle that dieting doesn’t include and that is eating in a way that balances hormones and blood sugar and reducing cravings. Without doing that, it will be next to impossible to lose weight and keep it off. If you’ve dieted in the past, chances are your metabolism is damaged and your hormones and blood sugar are out of whack, and until they’re brought back into balance, trying to lose weight will be a never-ending battle. If this is a struggle that you’re experiencing, and you keep doing things the same way you’re doing them now, you’re going to be in the exact same position this time next year. My goal is get people off of diets, and teach them simple and very do-able way of eating that brings their hormones and blood sugar back into balance, allowing them to lose the weight more easily, reducing their cravings, increasing their energy, boosting their mood and reducing inflammation. It truly benefits their overall health. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change. And it’s one that allows for everyday living because it’s simple and completely do-able and it allows for life’s indulgences, without the guilt or shame. It's a win-win! So, if you're ready to make 2018 the year that you stop dieting for good and instead, discover the metabolic boosting foods that balance hormones, level blood sugar and help you drop the weight, without having to count calories or spend hours in the gym click on the link below. And please share this with anyone who you feel could use this information. My 6-Week Slim-Down Program is now open for registration, just for a couple of days, and the early bird special is available until this Wednesday at midnight. I don't want you to miss it. Until next time, May Anne Click HERE to sign up or for more information on my 6-Week Slim Down Program. |
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AuthorAs a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, May Anne's passion is working with women who have lost themselves in the busyness of life and don't feel comfortable in their skin anymore. She uses a step-by-step program that includes nutrition and lifestyle strategies, along with coaching and support, leading them to feeling vibrant, energetic and confident in their skin, without dieting or spending hours in the kitchen. Archives
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