Long term weight loss: How to lose it naturally!

I wanted to lose weight naturally. But it seemed impossible for me. I thought maybe it wasn’t in my genetic code to be skinny.

Eating less and even “healthy” didn’t seem to  be working. I thought maybe I needed to try something more drastic, like sketchy weight-loss supplements. I even wondered if gastric bypass surgery was the solution.

The problem with these dramatic weight loss methods (apart from the scary medical risks) is that they don’t address the root issue.

The underlying thing keeping you heavy is your relationship with food, as this study shows. To keep off weight, you need to understand why you eat and why you’re addicted to certain food.

That was hard for me to face. But once I realized it, a lightning bolt struck. It completely changed my approach to losing weight forever.

Long Term Weight Loss Without Pain

Once you know how to strike at the core of the issue, your fat will literally melt away. You don’t have to sacrifice an unnatural amount of time at the gym. You don’t have to go through a risky operation and painful recovery.

If you have an unhealthy relationship with food, even surgery or liposuction won’t solve it. You’ll go back to eating, and looking, the way you used to.

If you lose weight naturally, you’ll actually enjoy it. You’ll feel better physically and emotionally and the weight will finally just go away!

I’ll break down food choices and lifestyle changes that will help you lose weight naturally.

Food choices to help you lose weight naturally

1. Eat whole ingredient foods

Avoid processed and packaged food as much as possible. Shop the outer edges of the grocery store.

Staple foods:

• Produce (Mostly green veggies and low-sugar fruits)
• Meat/poultry/fish/tofu
• Dairy or vegan products
• Whole legumes, beans, etc.

If it’s in the middle of the store and is packaged for long shelf-life avoid it!

Avoid:

• Chips
• Cookies
• Crackers
• Bread  
• Breakfast cereal

One of the most important parts of this is making sure you eat enough protein. Protein helps you feel satisfied for longer. That way you don’t eat more calories than you need and you’re not tempted by sugar. Which brings me to the next food tip.

2. Eat healthy fats and carbs and subtract the sugar

Sugar converts quickly into fat. And it isn’t just in the typical foods you’d think of like cookies and soda pop. Sugar can mean all kinds of quick-burning carbs.

Avoid:

• High sugar fruits and fruit juice in general
• Crackers
• Bread
• Cereal
• Chips

Eating healthy fats and avoiding sugar is a true weight-loss hack. They fuel our bodies with slowly burning calories.

Staple foods:

• Avocado
• Coconut oil
• Nuts

Healthy carbs that burn slowly are also important.

Staple foods:

• Chickpeas
• Beans
• Lentils

The key to avoiding extra sugar is to keep yourself fueled by protein, fats and slow-burning carbs.

3. Add spices!

Weight-loss super spices:

• Black pepper
• Cinnamon
• Cumin
• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Cayenne pepper

Spices help you lose weight through natural compounds that work with your body to burn fat and block fat cells from forming.

They also make healthy food taste AMAZING! With flavorful, satisfying food on your plate every day you won’t even miss the junk food that’s making you feel like an inflating balloon.

Click here to get my Ultimate Guide on How to Lose Weight Without Exercise. It’s an exhaustive breakdown of what you need to do to lose weight, exactly which foods to eat and even how much space each food should take up on your plate.

Lifestyle Changes for Long Term Weight Loss

1. Get Enough Sleep

When you interrupt your sleep cycles, you interfere with your body’s hormone regulation.

The hormones controlling your appetite don’t know when to say stop. Stress hormones flood your system and trigger fat storage on your tummy.

Lack of sleep can undermine all the other work you do to lose weight.

• Get 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night

2. Don’t skip meals

Some people think that by skipping meals, they’re cutting calories. But when you skip a meal your body goes into starvation mode.

When that happens, the body stores every last morsel as fat right away. It’s a survival instinct.

We all get busy and forget to eat. Always prioritize healthy meals and ALWAYS have quick, low sugar high protein snacks in your purse just in case.

Snack ideas:

• Nuts
• Half an avocado
• Quest protein bar

This will sustain your energy levels. It will also signal to your body that you are safe, and that shedding those stubborn 10 pounds will not mean imminent death!

3. Eat mindfully

That means taking time out to eat, rather than devouring food you barely taste. Staring at a computer monitor and scrolling through emails on your phone should NOT be part of your mealtime routine.

You don’t have to take a long lunch, but make sure you turn everything off and sit down with one purpose – to EAT.

Mindful eating tips:

• Taste the food in your mouth
• Enjoy the flavors
• Think about how it’s nourishing your body

This helps you to digest better and also helps you register what you’ve eaten. When you speed-eat, sometimes it feels like you didn’t eat at all. That will have you roaming to the snack drawer in no time and taking in more calories than you need.

You could even keep a food journal. They help you focus on what you’ve eaten and also notice any sugary foods sneaking in. Sometimes you don’t even realize how much of something you’ve eaten.

Long Term Weight Loss Summed Up

Start making better food choices today:

• Eat whole ingredient foods ( + more protein to stay satisfied)
• Add healthy fats and carbs and subract sugar (avoid quick carbs, fruit juice and high sugar fruit)
• Add spices (adds flavor and jump-starts your metabolism)

Start reframing your behavior around food to lose weight naturally:

• Get enough sleep (7-8 hours a night)
• Don’t skip meals (Keep your hormones and blood sugar levels steady)
• Eat mindfully (Enjoy your meal and don’t eat distracted)

What has your experience with crash diets, juice cleanses and diet pills been? Share in the comments!