Category Archives: Weight loss

Overeating at the Holidays - gut irritants

The best tip for not overeating at the holidays!

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Every year, the holidays present a myriad of problems and challenges. The one I hear about most is: how to indulge without overindulging. In other words, how to eat healthy through the holidays; how to enjoy and participate but not blow your health and weight goals.

This year, 2020 presents even more stress and challenges. Although perhaps due to social distancing regulations, you will have less parties and gathering centered around eating!

Either way, here is a tip for this year or any year or every single day of your life.

Take a sip or small bite. First.

By ingesting a small small taste, you can assess if you need this or want this. If this is your favorite, then you shall continue with a full portion. But if it is just ok (or terrible), you can leave it, and not have any more.

For instance, you might like pumpkin pie but feel neutral about pecan pie. So eat the pumpkin pie (and enjoy!) and leave the pecan. Most people just eat it all, and it isn’t worth it. If it doesn’t contribute to your enjoyment, leave it. In that case, it is all down side.

This tip can be used for the main meal as well. Love sweet potatoes but not stuffing? Eat the sweet potatoes and leave the stuffing! You don’t have to eat it all. Where we get into trouble is the foods we aren’t passionate about, but eat anyway.

You want to balance enjoyment with health. The way to do that is to indulge in what is worth it and leave what isn’t.

Why you aren't losing weight

9 reasons you aren’t losing weight

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Weight loss is tough. Keeping weight loss off, is even tougher. A question I get asked time and time again is: why aren’t I losing weight? The person asking is dieting and exercising and the scale won’t budge. So here are my answers:

  1. You are eating too much.

Maybe you are eating more than you think. Calories hide everywhere and add up real fast. Plus, it is convenient to ‘forget’ about that pint of ice cream that we had the other night. A food diary, kept honestly, and analyzed by a professional (app or person) might help.

  1. You are not eating enough.

You read that right. This happens more than #1. People are eating 1200 calories (or less!) a day, and that simply isn’t enough to operate a grown body. Your body needs fuel. Your metabolism slows down and you go into a primal starvation mode. Eat at least 1500 calories a day (more if you are a bigger person).

  1. You dieted too much in the past

You tried every diet under the sun and yoyo-ed yourself dizzy. And now your metabolism is messed up, unfortunately. A sustainable healthy diet is better than any short-term fad any day.

  1. Your blood sugar is out of whack.

You are eating too many sugars and processed carbs, perhaps. Your insulin is high (from a lack of exercise or a lifetime of eating too many sugars and carbs). When you eat sugar or processed starch, it goes out of your gut and into your blood stream quickly. This causes a large amount of insulin to be pumped out and now the calories get pushed into your fat cells (that is insulin’s job). Meanwhile you are hungry again. Plus, the insulin stays around and pushes anything else you eat into your fat cells. When insulin is high, you are in fat storage mode not fat release mode.

  1. Your sex hormones are off

Hate to say it, but as we women age, our estrogen goes down and so does our metabolism. Sometimes progesterone and testosterone are out of range too. All these can affect weight. Little known fact: estrogen and the gut are intricately related. Check out my eBook for more details.

  1. Your thyroid is running low

Testing thyroid hormones is one of the first things I think of when someone comes to me and isn’t losing weight. Hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s (the autoimmune version of hypothyroidism) mean your thyroid hormones are low, slowing down your metabolism and making weight gain common (and weight loss very hard).

  1. You’re are stressed out

Cortisol, the main stress hormone, is high and it’s messing with your calorie usage and storage. Let’s face it, we are all stressed. And while adrenaline goes away after that meeting with your boss or fight with your spouse, cortisol sticks around. And if you are stressed day in and day out (like many of us) then your cortisol is chronically high. This not only causes weight issues, but many health problems as well. (addressed in my eBook)

  1. Genetics suck

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: genes are not your fate. It doesn’t matter if diseases run in your family, diet and other lifestyle factors play a bigger role in your health. However, genetics can be a factor too. I perform a genetics test on patients and we find out that yes, they don’t respond to cardio exercise by losing weight or they need more carbs and less fat to lose weight (or vice versa), or their genes just are stacked against them in all the weight loss areas.

  1. Your gut is unbalanced.

Research study after research study ties being overweight to the microbiome. If you want more information on the gut and the microbiome, read past blog articles and read my ebook.

If one of these factors is applicable to you, I suggest addressing it. Eat more, eat less, get your hormones checked, practice stress management, and fix your gut. Get an assessment done by an expert. I recommend reading my eBook that addresses these topics.

And what is the sustainable diet I recommend? Dropping the sugar and processed food. By doing so, you get rid of the empty calories, the insulin stimulating carbs, and the inflammatory foods, and the gut disrupting foods. Eat whole real foods. A sweet potato instead of bread. More fruits and veggies. You can do it! And it’s the best thing for you, in every way.

 

 

 

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Treatment for PCOS

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Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal endocrine disorder in women of childbearing age, affecting approximately 5 million women in the United States.(1,2) It is also the most common cause of ovulatory infertility but research shows that lifestyle changes can help restore ovulation and improve pregnancy rates.(3) High androgens (“male hormones”) like testosterone, high insulin/insulin resistance, and low progesterone are just some of the clinical markers of PCOS.(4) Symptoms include irregular and/or a painful menstrual cycle or no menses, facial hair, acne, infertility, and balding.(5) The term PCOS can be misleading as not all women with PCOS have ovarian cysts. Another common misconception is that all women with PCOS are overweight or obese, however, there are plenty of women (about 20%) with a “normal” BMI who are diagnosed with PCOS.(6) Regardless of BMI, a combination of diet, lifestyle, and supplements should be the primary treatment choices for addressing PCOS.

It is estimated that 50-70% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance(2) so making some simple changes to the diet like eating protein with each meal can help to stabilize blood sugar.  Sleep disturbances and obstructive sleep apnea are also common in women with PCOS and since sleep affects a variety of things including hunger hormones and insulin resistance, making sure to get adequate z’s is an important part of treatment.(7-10) Stress is an equally important factor to address and is even a potential cause of PCOS. Stress can cause the disruption or total loss of menstrual function in women (11) and as we know has an effect on everything else in our lives from what we eat to how much we sleep.

For these reasons we recommend treatment that focuses on the following 5 factors:

  1. Diet
  2. Sleep
  3. Stress
  4. Supplements
  5. Self-care
  6. The gut

Diet

  • Focus on whole foods with a variety of fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans/legumes, meat, fish, poultry, and oils
  • Limit starchy processed carbohydrates (high amounts increase insulin & trigger inflammation)
  • Have carbohydrates, fat, and protein at each meal to help stabilize blood sugar
  • Aim for 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables each day
  • Consume up to 6 ounces a day of whole grains like brown/wild rice, rolled oats, bulgur, and quinoa
  • Include healthy fats like olive oil, olives, avocado, nuts, nut butter, seeds, eggs, and fish
  • Use cinnamon which has been shown to improve insulin resistance and dyslipidemia
  • Add garlic to your diet to reduce total cholesterol and triglycerides, just one clove a day shows improvement! (12)

Sleep

  • Aim for between 7-9 hours a night (If you don’t feel rested with 7, you may need more.)
  • Choose a relaxing bedtime routine and aim to turn off electronics 30 minutes to one hour before you go to bed
  • If you have a hard time falling asleep consider taking a supplement like magnesium glycinate

Stress

  • Take 5 deep breaths when you feel stressed to remind yourself that you’re okay!
  • Take some time, even a few minutes, to practice yoga poses
  • Make a list of what needs to be done so you don’t have to think about it
  • Keep areas free of clutter to calm the mind

Supplements (5, 13-15)

  • D-chiro-inositol (DCI) & Myo-inositol (MYO) – helps with: Ovulation, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, androgen lowering, hypertension
  • N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) – helps with: Insulin resistance, infertility, inflammation, androgen-lowering, dyslipidemia, bronchitis, & immune support
  • Chromium Picolinate – helps with: improving glucose and insulin
  • Cinnamon Cassia – helps with: decreasing HbA1c and fasting glucose
  • Fish oil – helps with: Anti-inflammatory, dyslipidemia, hypertension, depression, androgen lowering, infertility, insulin resistance, Fatty Liver Disease
  • Magnesium, Vitamin D, and B12 – helps with: insulin resistance, infertility, dyslipidemia
  • Various herbs such as licorice, chasteberry, and milk thistle have been effective in the treatment of PCOS.
  • Many of these supplements can be found on my online dispensary

Self-care (16, 17)

  • Make the time to acknowledge your needs
  • Examples include taking a bath, sipping a hot cup of tea, or going shopping
  • Self-care is shown to improve health outcomes
  • Mindfulness, bringing one’s attention to the present moment, can help with all of these components and has been shown to improve outcomes in women with PCOS.(18,19)

The Gut (20,21)

The research on the gut and PCOS is strong and growing more astounding by the month. An unbalanced microbiome is the root cause of most hormonal issues. And fixing the gut is an evidenced-based solution for PCOS. For more on how PCOS and the gut are related and how to fix your gut, check out my eBook!

Every person is different and will need an individualized plan which is why working with a registered dietitian nutritionist who understands your needs and specializes in PCOS is so important.  Remember, it is our patterns over time that impact our health so don’t feel pressured to make all of these changes at once.  Making changes to an already busy life is stressful in and of itself so pick one of the five factors to start with and focus on that! For more information and help, read my eBook.

References

  1. How many people are affected or at risk for PCOS?. Nichdnihgov. 2017. Available at: https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/PCOS/conditioninfo/Pages/risk.aspx. Accessed November 7, 2017.
  2. Grassi A. 30 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PCOS. PCOS Nutrition. 2017. Available at: http://www.pcosnutrition.com/facts/. Accessed November 7, 2017.
  3. LEGRO R. Pregnancy Considerations in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2007;50(1):295-304. doi:10.1097/grf.0b013e31803057ed.
  4. Sirmans S, Pate K. Epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. Clinical Epidemiology. 2013:1. doi:10.2147/clep.s37559.
  5. Grassi A. Popular Supplements For PCOS. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-1AdyQf8ICwTXAtdzJLc0RXT1k/edit; 2017.
  6. Marshall J, Dunaif A. All Women With PCOS Should Be Treated For Insulin Resistance. Fertility and Sterility. 2012;97(1):18-22. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2011.11.036.
  7. Moran L, March W, Whitrow M, Giles L, Davies M, Moore V. Sleep disturbances in a community-based sample of women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Human Reproduction. 2014;30(2):466-472. doi:10.1093/humrep/deu318.
  8. Helvaci N, Karabulut E, Demir A, Yildiz B. Polycystic ovary syndrome and the risk of obstructive sleep apnea: a meta-analysis and review of the literature. Endocrine Connections. 2017;6(7):437-445. doi:10.1530/ec-17-0129.
  9. Donga E, van Dijk M, van Dijk J et al. A Single Night of Partial Sleep Deprivation Induces Insulin Resistance in Multiple Metabolic Pathways in Healthy Subjects. Endocrinology. 2010;151(5):2399-2399. doi:10.1210/endo.151.5.9998.
  10. Why Is Sleep Important?. Nhlbinihgov. 2017. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why. Accessed November 7, 2017.
  11. Berga S, Loucks T. Stress Induced Anovulation. Emory University School of Medicine; 2007. Available at: http://booksite.elsevier.com/brochures/stress/PDFs/berga.pdf. Accessed November 7, 2017.
  12. Zeng T, Guo F, Zhang C, Song F, Zhao X, Xie K. A meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials for the effects of garlic on serum lipid profiles. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2012;92(9):1892-1902. doi:10.1002/jsfa.5557.
  13. Regidor P, Schindler A. Myoinositol as a Safe and Alternative Approach in the Treatment of Infertile PCOS Women: A German Observational Study. International Journal of Endocrinology. 2016;2016:1-5. doi:10.1155/2016/9537632.
  14. Grassi A. THE 4 BEST SUPPLEMENTS FOR FERTILITY. PCOS Nutrition. 2017. Available at: http://www.pcosnutrition.com/4-best-supplements-fertility/. Accessed November 7, 2017.
  15. Goswami P, Khale A, Ogale S. Natural Remedies for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) : A Review.IntJPharmPhytopharmacolRes. 2012;1(6):396-402.
  16. Lorig K, Sobel D, Laurent D, Hobbs M. Effect of a self-management program on patients with chronic disease. Effective Clinical Practice : ECP. 2001;4(6):256-262. doi:11769298.
  17. Adams R. Improving health outcomes with better patient understanding and education. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy. 2010:61. doi:10.2147/rmhp.s7500.
  18. Stefanaki C, Bacopoulou F, Livadas S et al. Impact of a mindfulness stress management program on stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. Stress. 2014;18(1):57-66. doi:10.3109/10253890.2014.974030.
  19. Raja-Khan N, Agito K, Shah J et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for overweight/obese women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome: Design and methods of a pilot randomized controlled trial.Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2015;41:287-297. doi:10.1016/j.cct.2015.01.021.
  20. Association between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Gut Microbiota.Guo Y1, Qi Y1, Yang X1, Zhao L1, Wen S1, Liu Y1, Tang L1.
  21. Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiota (DOGMA)–a novel theory for the development of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.Tremellen K1, Pearce K.

 

*This is a non-sponsored post written by Crystal Longo Savoy

A weight loss plan as unique as your genes

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There are a lot of sensible weight loss recommendations (and many non-sensible ones). I have a lot of success helping people lose weight thru cutting sugar and processed starch and raising their protein and healthy fats. If that doesn’t work, I dig deeper and look at their stress hormones, insulin sensitivity, thyroid function and various other medical reasons for lack of weight loss. If that doesn’t work, now I have another trick up my sleeve: genetics.

I have started using GxSlim by Genetic Direction. Through testing your DNA, we find out how your body processes foods and deals with exercise. Then we can develop weight loss recommendations based on your unique genetic profile.

There are 7 components that are discovered through this test:

  1. if your body is resistant to losing weight
  2. how well your body is able to process carbohydrates in your diet
  3. how much body fat you can lose through cardio exercise
  4. how well your body is able to absorb folate
  5. how sensitive your body is to the amount of fat in your diet
  6. how your body responds to strength training
  7. how sensitive your body is to the amount of protein in your diet

This can show us which kinds of foods you should or shouldn’t eat and how you should exercise to optimize your weight loss. Very exciting stuff!

Wondering how to end your binge eating habit?

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Do you have secret issues with food?

I find that a lot of people do, but this is one area where I am not trained enough to help. I often find myself telling my clients that I will fix their gut and weight and fatigue and whatever else but “sorry, I can’t help with binge eating habits”. Well now, I’ve found a resource to recommend.

My friend and colleague Julie Latz is the expert on teaching people how to stop binge eating and putting an end to sneaking and hiding food. She has a free e-book on how to stop binge eating.

It’s jam packed with great insights about…

  • How to handle the out of control feeling you have around food without dieting
  • How to finally lose weight without an ounce of willpower
  • Why eating your trigger foods is actually crucial to stop binge eating

Key # 5 really did surprise me!

You can download your copy here.

She also has a great 8 week program, with daily support. Start with the free ebook and see if it speaks to you! Enjoy!

How to Lose Weight-the secret that you don’t know

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Have you tried numerous diets and even when sticking to them with perfect discipline, still can’t seem to lose weight? Well, within the last few years, research has revealed a fundamental breakthrough that could be the key to weight loss…a healthy microbiome!

What is the Microbiome?

I have written about the microbiome many times (here, here, here) as well as in my eBook. But let’s refresh our memories.

The microbiome is made up of trillions of non-human microbes that govern our gastrointestinal tract. The microbes are a combination of bacteria (both good and bad), yeast (both good and bad), and some viruses and other microbes. Bacteria make up the majority of the microbiota and we hope, ideally, that we have more good than bad bacteria.

The bacteria have many roles: digesting our food, controlling our appetite, metabolism, and immune system, as well as cuing our body to store fat. They can also affect our mood and how genes are expressed. The microbiome make up about 90% of all your cells, and they are not human. The microbiome is an entirely separate ecology that works in conjunction with the rest of our body’s processes. When the bacteria and organisms of our microbiome function at optimal levels, so do we. But when our microbiome is out of balance due to things like damaged intestinal walls, too much bad bacteria, not enough of the good bacteria, and stress, our microbiome suffers, and we will feel the effects. With lots of bad bacteria, our gut often craves sugar and can be responsible for: an individuals inability to lose weight, increased fatigue, anxiety, depression, brain fog, headaches, acne, congestion, frequent colds and infections, joint pain, and muscle pain- many things you may not realized were linked to our gut! In fact, an unhealthy microbiome is linked to ALL illnesses and diseases.

When damaged, healing our microbiome and keeping it balanced is essential to our overall health. A healthy microbiome ensures we digest our food properly and get the vitamins and minerals we need.

Research shows our microbiome is tremendously dynamic and can change composition within 24 hours in response to stress, antibiotics, and illness, and can also change within weeks or days in response to diet, supplements, and exercise. The typical western-American diet is full of highly processed high fat and sugary foods which feed the bad bacteria and yeast.
The microbiome and your weight

Some scientists have argued that the destruction of the microbiome is a huge factor behind the obesity epidemic. There was a study done on mice, where germ free mice were given gut bacteria from an obese person and the mice became obese. What are some of the ways this happens?

  1. An unbalanced microbiome can negatively affect our immune system leading to inflammation. Inflammation is an immune system response that can lead to weight gain.
  2. An unbalanced microbiome has lead to damage of the intestinal wall creating a problem called Leaky gut. Leaky gut is a condition where the tight junctions of your intestinal wall open allowing contents/food to leak through. This causes the immune system to attack foods that normally would be healthy, leading to even more inflammation. In addition to inflammation, the research shows leaky gut leads to: impaired glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, obesity, and contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases, autoimmunity and carcinogenesis. (Study: The role of dysbacteriosis in obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and metabolic syndrome)
  3. An unbalanced microbiome can disrupt our hormonal balance. As a result, the hormones that make you feel full or hungry are out of sync, making it hard for you to notice when you are full or have eaten enough. (Study: Gut microbes affect satiety-inducing signaling leading to weight gain)
  4. Some bacteria species can extract MORE calories from the same foods, compared to other bacteria species. (Study: Bacteria causing weight gain are thought to induce the expression of genes related to lipid and carbohydrate metabolism thereby leading to greater energy harvest from the diet. )
  5. Bacteria can influence the way your cells store and release fat. (study:  Gut Microbiota interacts with the individual’s epithelial cells to indirectly control energy expenditure and storage.

All these things can cause the body to gain weight.

What to do

Fortunately there are things we can do to heal our guts back to health! In my practice I use the 5 R program which is more rigorous that what is described below (and in my eBook) but it is comprehensive and personalized. And it works! But what is described below is a good general plan for a lot of people.

  1. Eliminate the processed, high fat, sugary foods in our diet. By eliminating the processed foods and sugar we stop feeding the bad bacterial in the gut.
  2. Eat a lot of vegetables and fibers. These feed the good bacteria.
  3. Be sure to eat healthy fats such as avocado, fish, olive oil and nuts. These are good for the gut but also keep up your metabolism while you ‘diet’.
  4. Eat fermented foods such as kefir and sauerkraut. These fermented foods have tons of beneficial bacteria.
  5. Take a probiotic. (good bacteria in a concentrated pill form)

What is a good probiotic?

  • Can make it through stomach acid with the microbes still alive
  • Contains many (5-14) strains of bacteria
  • Has 25-225 billion CFUs
  • Some specific strains to look for:
    • Acidophilus
    • Plantarum
    • Rhamnosis
    • Gasseri
    • Bifido bacteria (many good strains)

Getting a good probiotic at the store is difficult. I recommend Klaire Labs or Pure Encapsulations, both of which can only be bought through a health care practitioner. Feel free to use patient assess code “dianne” at emersonecologics.com to order whatever you need.

Weight Loss Tips

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Losing weight isn’t easy. But over the years of coaching people towards their weight loss goals, the biggest barrier to weight loss is not the fat or sugar…

…it is the motivation!

It is hard to stay motivated. There’s a great article in HuffingtonPost this week on weight loss tips. Here are my favorite tips from it-the ones that deal with motivation!

Weight Loss Motivation

1. Set a small, specific goal. Stick it on the fridge or your bathroom mirror.

2. Use your scale as a gauge to track your progress and not as a body-shaming device

3. Take before and after pictures. You won’t believe how much real proof motivates.

4. Buy a new outfit that you want to rock. Hang it where you can see it daily for a visual reminder to stick to your goals. Or reward your small wins with new workout gear!

5. Focus only on losing the next two pounds. Whether you want to lose 10 pounds or 100 pounds, focusing on micro-goals can keep you from feeling overwhelmed. Think two pounds at a time.

These are tips I deem particularly valuable as we all approach our New Year’s resolutions. What do you find helpful? Leave a comment.

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