Hitting the plateau in your diet

We have all experimented that moment on a diet when you hit a plateau and you just can't seem to lose any more weight.  There are many reasons for this, a popular one is that your body gets used to the reduced calorie intake (if that is the type of diet you are following) and so stops burning fat to get the calories it needs.  However, there are other reasons.

There are certain foods that are thought of as healthy but are actually a major obstacle in weight loss.  They can also alter the focus of your metabolism as the body can perceive them as a toxin.  This sends your body into stress mode which makes it store fat "just in case".

These metabolism altering foods can cause; weight gain, thyroid dysfunction, fatigue, hormone imbalance and digestive disease.

Here are six examples of diet destroying foods:

1.  WHOLE GRAINS.  Most people are carb conscious nowadays - or at least I hope they are!  Refined carbs, in my opinion, are the number 1 cause of weight gain.  So lots of people have swapped refined white bread, pasta, etc for whole grain.  However, whole grains contain three compounds; starch, gluten and phytic acid that ruin your metabolism.

I am not a fan of carbs, especially when trying to lose weight, I tell most of my patients to reduce them to a bare minimum.  However, some say that they miss their daily morning carb intake and that swapping that for fruit just makes them more hungry.  My advice is to eat avocados.  Don't be afraid of their high fat content, it's healthy fat and won't hurt your diet.

2.  FRUIT JUICE.  Consider this a refined carb.  When you extract the juice from fruit you are effectively removing ALL the fiber from the fruit, turning it into liquid sugar.  Sugar is a carb and carbs make you gain weight.  If you want fruit then eat the whole fruit as the fiber content means you will release the sugars more slowly and avoid blood sugar spikes.

DRINK WATER!  Water is such a necessity and we drink far too little in general.  The other thing I like to do in the summer is to make mint tea or herbal teas and then drink them chilled with ice.  Coconut water is also a great refresher but remember, no more than one a day.

3.  VEGETABLE OILS/ MARGARINE.  These types of oils tend to be high in hydrogenated fats which cause high levels of inflammation in the body and disrupt your hormones and metabolism.

The best fats to use are in fact coconut oil, grass fed butter and olive oil.  Butter from grass fed cows is high in CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) and thus supports metabolism and coconut oil motivates fat loss because it is high in MCFAs (Medium Chain Fatty Acids).  Coconut oil is also better for cooking as it doesn't oxidize at high temperatures.  You can use extra virgen olive oil to drizzle on your salad or steamed vegetables.

4.  ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS.  Really?  Do I have to go through this again?  Poison in a packet.  Aspartame is related to at least 92 adverse health problems .  Also when you consume something sweet - even if it doesn't have any calories - the brain perceives the sweetness and sets the antiglucose spike mechanism in motion.  Effectively reacting in exactly the same way it would if there were calories, so you will NOT lose weight.

Stick to Stevia in cases where you can't live without making your coffee or tea sweet.  I ditched the sweetener from all teas.  It took me a week to get used to the taste.  I still have Stevia in coffee though.  Honey may be nature's sugar but it is still sugar and therefore still a carb.

5.  PEANUT BUTTER.  Touted as a healthy way to boost energy, but peanuts are prone to a fungus called aflatoxin because they are grown on soil and stored in damp silos.  Aflatoxins can affect gut health.  Peanuts are also one of the most common allergens and have been linked to other health problems such as leaky gut, food intolerances and a slow metabolism.

Almond butter is better.  High in an amino acid; L-arginine which increases HGH (growth hormone) production in your body which causes your body to build lean muscle which motivates your metabolism.  Almond butter is also very easy to make at home.

6.  GRANOLA.  There are many health benefits to eating nuts - especially raw nuts.  But the mix in granola of grains to nuts weighs heavily on the grains and not many nuts.  Granola bars are also stuck together with honey - which is sugar however natural honey may be.  Also the honey used for making commercial granola bars is usually heavily processed and void of any pollen.  All these commercially made granola bars will do for you is sabotage your weight loss.

A handful of raw nuts will do much more for you than a granola bar or you can make your own healthy trail mix.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com