Operation Bikini

Yes, it's that time of year again.  The weather is getting slightly warmer and the days slightly longer... all pointing to the nearing of summer.  I don't know about you, but I still suffer a fair amount of anxiety when I start wondering if I am going to be able to fit into last summer's clothes or have the winter munchies taken their toll on my figure.

Or at least that's how I used to feel before creating the F.I.T Method.

The beauty of the F.I.T Method is that once you try it and you see the results in the first 4 days, you learn to eat properly for your body and you will be at a healthy weight for life.  There will be no more dreaded seasonal wardrobe changes and you will be able to enjoy your food and have great health and a fabulous body too!

There is so much information about what is the optimum diet for weight loss while maintaining health and a lot of that information is conflictive.  There are those who believe in a high carb diet and others in low carb... the Atkins, the South Beach, the Paleo... if fats are harmful or healthful... it can be very confusing.  It seems to me that every week there is a new article contradicting the previous week's information.  So I totally understand the confusion most of us have to deal with.

However, there is one thing that is clear to me and that is that none of us is the same.  We are all unique individuals and what may work for one person does not necessarily work for another.

The F.I.T Method is perfect because it takes the whole person into account.  It discovers which foods YOUR body can not tolerate, but it also takes into account your lifestyle.

When your body can not tolerate certain foods inflammation of the digestive tract occurs and this causes a lot of problems:

• Gases
• Feeling full when you've eaten little
• Fatigue
• Weight gain and the impossibility to lose weight
• Headaches
• Constipation
• Diarrhea

To name but a few.  You may think that these are just normal complaints that we all suffer from, but the truth is that when you sort our your intolerances you don't just lose weight, you get healthier.

We all suffer from intolerances, we just don't realize it.  I have never seen two people with the same intolerances - even from the same family.  What's more, the foods you are intolerant too tend to be thought of as "healthy" foods.  You could be intolerant to any number of foods, from 1 to 20 something - that depends on you.

All the foods I test for are deemed healthy:  vegetables, fruits, cereals, meats, fish and poultry.  This doesn't mean you will be intolerant to something from each category.  However, what I do see is that the main intolerances are:

• Dairy
• Cereals
• Nuts

Some people may be intolerant to one or two animal proteins but most aren't.  To see someone with several intolerances to animal protein is rare.

When you find out what you are intolerant to and exclude those foods from your diet, you will be amazed at the changes in your life.  Weight loss happens NATURALLY with almost no effort at all, but you also have more energy, you sleep better, headaches disappear and those annoying afternoon gases also disappear.  It it truly amazing.

So, when you are thinking of losing weight to look fabulous on the beach this summer, why not think long term instead.  With the F.I.T. Method you will lose weight, feel great and you won't put it back on - unless you want to!

So give me a call or send me an email, I can help you get that great beach body all year round!



I can help you improve your health.  
If you would like to make an appointment with me or ask for more information about the treatment, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com or a Whatsapp to 699.995.611

Clinic in:
Las Rozas or Madrid
Online, via Skype or Hangout

SPECIAL OFFER: 25% discount during April 2015

F.I.T for 2015

January... another year begins and all those New Year's resolutions have usually gone down the drain by now.  Just one week into the New Year and most people have already given up on all those good ideas they were going to implement like going to the gym, going on a diet, giving up alcohol for January, getting fit...

We all tend to start off with a lot of enthusiasm but it tends to wane pretty quickly.  It isn't easy to make radical changes and make them stick, those big changes are usually so big that we just can't cope with them.  So what is your aim for 2015?  Is it to get healthy?  Well here's an easy way to do it.

I have told you about my F.I.T Method (Food Intolerance Technology Method) before.  What is so ideal about this method is that it is an all-rounder.  You won't just lose weight, you will get healthy too.

We all have food intolerances which cause imbalances in the body that are manifested in:

• Headaches
• Gas/ bloating
• Constipation/ Diarrhea
• Impossibility to lose weight
• Weight gain
• Feeling full when you've eaten little

Among others.

When food intolerances are treated by a change in diet, all these problems disappear - and then some:

• Migraines are improved - not cured, but less frequency of attacks and less intensity
• Psoriasis improves 
• you sleep better
• you have more energy 
• Digestive problems disappear
• Easy weight loss 

The digestive system is closely linked to the brain - so much so that the digestive system is the only other system in the body that produces neurotransmitters - that's how important your digestive system is.  This is also the reason why you need to look after it.

And it is so easy to look after.  You can detect which foods you are intolerant to by way of a blood test, it is quick and easy.  I sit down with my patients for about an hour before they go and do the blood test and ask them lots of questions about what they eat normally, what their lifestyle is like; if they are active or have a sedentary life, etc so that I can get a complete picture of what their day to day life is like and what they want/ need to achieve... weight loss?  Digestive problems?  General health?

Once I have received the results of the blood test, I team those with the lifestyle information I have and then have another session with the patient.  Each diet is individualized to suit that person.  No two lives are the same neither are the goals so each diet has to be tailored to each individual so that all their necessities are covered.  After all, it isn't just about losing weight, it is about optimal health on all levels.

It is very important to address all the body's needs.  You can't just opt for a diet without exercise or vice versa.  You may remember a post of mine from a long time ago about NASA's take on exercise and how the body needs constant movement.  Movement is a necessity for health and is equally important as a well balanced healthy diet.  The combination of the two is a guarantee for success.

So what do you want for you and your family this New Year?  Health and happiness?  Here is where you can start... at least on the health part where I can help you... the happiness part is up to you!

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

Why you need to know what foods you are intolerant to.

Last week I introduced the F.I.T. Method, a revolutionary new way of addressing food, weight issues and illness in order to obtain optimum health and lose weight - if needed.

Yes, this isn't just a weight loss program, it is a new lease of life which benefits everyone.  You don't just have to have a weight problem to incorporate the F.I.T. Method into your life - this method is about improving ANYONE'S health.

In my experience of helping patients on a daily basis I have seen it all; obese people, overweight people, people with digestive problems, people with migraines, people who can't shift extra weight however hard they try, people with skin problems... and the list goes on.


YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE OVERWEIGHT TO HAVE INTOLERANCES.

Even people with healthy diets and lifestyles can have intolerances.  Just because a food is deemed healthy doesn't mean it is the right food for YOUR body.

As I said last week, all my intolerances were "healthy foods" the ones any nutritionist will tell you will do you the world of good.  There is no reasoning to food intolerances... except maybe one:

How varied is your diet?

One of the main causes of an intolerance is eating the same foods constantly.  We tend to eat without
thinking and we tend to prepare the same foods over and over again.  We are, after all, creatures of habit.  Well not having enough variety in your diet is a sure way to create your own food intolerances.  However,  there are also foods that people are intolerant to and they don't eat them often.

For example, I have had many patients who are intolerant to lemons!  How many lemons is a person liable to eat?

What is Food Intolerance?

Here is a standard definition and signs of a food intolerance issue from the Wikipedia:

"Non-allergic food hypersensitivity is the medical name for food intolerance, loosely referred to as food hypersensitivity, or previously as pseudo-allergic reactions. Non-allergic food hypersensitivity should not be confused with true food allergies.

Food intolerance reactions can include pharmacologic, metabolic, and gastro-intestinal responses to foods or food compounds. Food intolerance does not include either psychological responses or foodborne illness.

A non-allergic food hypersensitivity is an abnormal physiological response. It can be difficult to determine the poorly tolerated substance as reactions can be delayed, dose-dependant, and a particular reaction-causing compound may be found in many foods.  Non-IgE-mediated food hypersensitivity (food intolerance) is more chronic, less acute, less obvious in its presentation, and often more difficult to diagnose than a food allergy.  Symptoms of food intolerance vary greatly, and can be mistaken for the symptoms of a food allergy. While true allergies are associated with fast-acting immunoglobulin IgE responses, it can be difficult to determine the offending food causing a food intolerance because the response generally takes place over a prolonged period of time. Thus the causative agent and the response are separated in time, and may not be obviously related. Food intolerance symptoms usually begin about half an hour after eating or drinking the food in question, but sometimes symptoms may delayed up to 48 h.

Food intolerance can present with symptoms affecting the skin, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) either individually or in combination. On the skin may include skin rashes, urticaria (hives), angioedema, dermatitis, and eczema. Respiratory tract symptoms can include nasal congestion, sinusitis, pharyngeal irritations, asthma and an unproductive cough. GIT symptoms include mouth ulcers, abdominal cramp, nausea, gas, intermittent diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, and may include anaphylaxis.

Food intolerance has been found associated with; irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease, chronic constipation, chronic hepatitis C infection, eczema, NSAID intolerance, respiratory complaints, including asthma, rhinitis and headache, functional dyspepsia, eosinophilic esophagitis and ENT illnesses."

As you can see, this is a problem that can range from something trivial to other far more serious conditions.  Food Intolerances are not to be taken lightly, they can be easily dealt with and potentially serious problems avoided.

This is why food intolerance testing and the F.I.T. Method improves general health drastically and helps to prevent illness in the future.  It is very important to take food intolerances into consideration.  I have often heard of people complaining of problems that their doctor has not been able to diagnose - this doesn't mean that their problem IS a food intolerance but it is definitely worth checking out and is something that many doctors do not even consider.

I was shocked to hear Dr. Andrew Saul, say in the documentary Food Matters that during his time at medical school he did not receive ONE SINGLE CLASS on nutrition.  If you consider that water and food are essential for life, you would have thought that nutrition would be included at medical school.  

Another of my favorite "gurus" is Hiromi Shinya, MD who stated in his book The Enzyme Factor, that the problem with the medical industry is that everyone has become specialized... cardiologists, oncologists, dermatologists, etc... and treating the body as a WHOLE where everything works in harmony is being forgotten.  This is necessary for optimal health.

So, if the body runs on water and food, it is only logical to INCLUDE food and nutrition as part of the WHOLE workings of life.  Good, healthy food is essential for a good healthy body, but when a body becomes confused and does not see specific foods as a friend but as a foe, things can go wrong.  The effects of food on a person should also be included when striving for health or to overcome a medical problem.  I am not, by any means, saying that doctors have got it wrong, they just need to incorporate food and nutrition into the equation.

What I am trying to say is that foods can adversely effect our bodies, they can even cause illness, even if they are considered "healthy foods", it all depends on the individual.  So, discovering what you are intolerant to, and how to avoid creating a food intolerance is a logical thing to do to stay healthy.  Learning how to eat for your specific body is a sure way of staying healthy.

The F.I.T. Method will tell you exactly what you are intolerant to and will teach you how to eat correctly.

F.I.T Method:

• Scientific method
• Immediate guaranteed results
• Improvement in general health
• Personalized method

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

The F.I.T. Method

My story:

I am a Clinical Nutritionist and Dietitian.  I suffered from severe headaches for years - and I mean years.  If you add to that the fact that I am allergic to Asprin, all Non Steroid Anti inflammatories (NSAIDs) - this means Ibuprofen, etc and Nolotil (metamizol - a painkiller which isn't even available on the American market, which means it isn't a great choice of painkiller)... which left me with only paracetamol as a painkiller.  I was taking up to 3g of paracetamol a day and there were days I had to stay in bed.  I never even stopped to think that my headaches could be related to food.  So went to see a specialist.  He told me that my headaches were due to stress.  Yes, there was a lot of stress in my life, I was a single mother with a full time job and a difficult personal situation.  The only solution the specialist gave me was: "You have to go and float in a pool and relax."  At this stage I burst out laughing, as if I had time to float in a pool, as I said, I had a full time job, a 5 year old daughter and no back up - when was I going to have time to float in a pool?

So I carried on with my 3g of paracetamol every day - putting my kidneys and liver at high risk and consequently my health.  Then I started investigating the effects of food on our bodies and how even foods that are considered HEALTHY seemed to have negative effects on people,

"Oh I can't eat that," people would say, "It gives me indigestion."

And I began to put two and two together... I researched food allergies and knew I didn't have an allergy as there were none of the reactions I had experienced to medicines; rash, bloating, breathing problems, etc...  So I started reading up on food intolerances.  I found a clinic that did a blood test to determine which foods my body could not handle, and I was very surprised with the results:

My food intolerance results:

• Garlic
• Almonds
• Hazelnuts
• Mushrooms
• Plums
• Frijoles
• Eggs
• White beans
• Pinto beans
• Peanuts
• Apples
• Peaches
• Bananas
• Soy
• Grapes

Well that knocked me for six!  If you talk to any nutritionist they will tell you that the healthy foods are fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans, etc) and nuts!!!!!  And here I was with intolerances to the HEALTHY stuff!

My first reaction was, how the hell can I live in Spain and NOT eat GARLIC???????  Apples and bananas were not my favorite foods so that was ok, but having already been diagnosed with lactose intolerance I had been drinking soy milk for years - everyday!  Mushrooms and eggs were one of my favorite things and a mushroom omelette was a staple for me.  I was shocked.  So I decided to devise a plan, I had to see if there was anything that I could do to improve my headaches and digestive health with the proof I held in my hand that these foods were doing me no good at all.  I have always believed in modern medicine and if my blood was telling me I had a problem, then there was no reason to doubt it.

So, I decided to eliminate these things from my diet for a minimum of 3 months and to see what happened.  However, I also devised a diet plan to go with the elimination of these foods (I had just had a baby a few months before and needed to lose that extra baby weight!).

So, I radically quit everything on the above list starting on a Monday.  For the first few days I had the most horrendous headache that not even the paracetamol could lessen and my gas seemed to get worse!  I stuck to the healthy eating plan I had devised and decided to give it at least a week to see what would happen.  

Suddenly on day 5 a miracle happened.  I had no headache, any bloating and water retention had disappeared literally overnight, I had no gas that day - at all and I was really really hungry.  I still stuck to the healthy eating plan, but did not limit the QUANTITY of what I could eat.  Suddenly I was eating MORE than I had done for years!  These were the benefits I noted:

• No headaches
• No gas
• Regular bowel movements
• No bloating
• No water retention
• Better quality of sleep
• More energy
• INSTANT WEIGHT LOSS

In the two months that followed I lost just over 10kilos - eating more than I had ever done before - and enjoying it too!  There was no feeling of having eaten too much, I could hardly feel my stomach at all such was the efficiency of my digestion.  My headaches were due to the SOY, and suddenly I was headache and paracetamol free!  This was the most amazing feeling in the world!

The F.I.T Method:

At the same time as writing this blog every week, I also have a clinic where I havebeen treating patients for a whole host of problems; weight issues, digestive problems, people with minor health issues that can be resolved through diet.  It is a side of me that I haven't publicized much - until now.

Motivated by my own experience, the knowledge I have acquired over the years treating my patients, and information available from blood tests and a lot of investigation on the effects of food on the human body, I have created the F.I.T Method.

What is the F.I.T. Method?  F.I.T. stands for Food Intolerance Technology.  The Method consists of:

• An extensive blood analysis that determines which foods the patient's body can not manage correctly.
• An analysis of the patient's lifestyle.
• A report that includes what the patient CAN NOT eat, what he/she CAN eat and HOW he/she is going to eat it, and ways to improve their lifestyle and improve their health.
• Follow up on progress.

The F.I.T Method is personalized and tailor made for each individual, it is only YOUR blood and lifestyle that determines what your plan is and in 90% of cases (depending on what your goals are) the QUANTITY of what you CAN eat is NOT RESTRICTED.  As I said before, the benefits of the F.I.T Method are:

• More energy
• Better quality of sleep
• INSTANT WEIGHT LOSS
• Better digestive function on all levels.

Food Intolerances cause inflammation of the digestive system, this means that it is extremely difficult for the body to assimilate the nutrients it receives correctly - leading to deficiencies and illness.  These symptoms are the body's way of begging for help and relief to the problems.

Food Intolerances are not food allergies.  A food allergy can be life threatening, food intolerances just make everyday life less enjoyable and are the cause of many minor ailments that people have come to believe are normal.
Symptoms of a Food Intolerance:

• Lethargy
• Bloating/ intestinal gas
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Headaches/ migraines
• Obesity
• Weight gain
• Digestive pain/ indigestion
• Acid refulx  
• Feeling full when you have eaten little
• Impossibility to lose weight

Motivated by my own personal experience I began to suggest trying this method to my patients.  Every one of them that has tried this has had enormous success in controlling their weight and improving digestive problems.  

I have also noted that migraines improve by about 70%. There is no cure for migraines, but what people experience through this method is an improvement; the attacks are less frequent and less intense leading to less medication and recovery after an attack is much quicker.  Even people with psoriasis have noticed an improvement in their ailment - some even have noted that their psoriasis has disappeared.  

The added bonus is that the weight literally just drops off.

My Dad:

I think my biggest achievement was with my own father.  My father has been obese for years, he ate too much, he drank too much and took no exercise.  Obviously with that kind of lifestyle he developed type 2 diabetes and has the beginning of heart disease.  I have preached to him for years about diet, but his usual reaction was,

"You're my daughter... what do you know?"  The fact that I have 2 degrees and a speciality didn't wash with him - I was still his little girl!

However, in March 2012 he came to visit and finally admitted that he needed help.  His diabetes specialist had given him 3 months to lose a minimum of 7 kilos or he would have to take insulin.  I was horrified... at the age of 70 going on insulin is a slippery slope downhill... I was scared.  But I decided to do what I could, if he would do everything I said.  He agreed.

We went to do the blood test, and I asked the clinic to do a regular check-up at the same time.  It took a while for the tests to come back, and by then he was back in the UK.  I was equally shocked by his results... 

On an empty stomach and medicated for his diabetes his blood sugar level was at 200 (max 110 on the Spanish system).  His cholesterol was also high... we had a lot of work to do and very little time to do it!

He was a fairly good patient.  He did the diet about 80% of the time for the next 2 months.  After that he went back to his specialist.  

The results:

He had lost 6.5 kilos in two months, his blood sugar levels were normal and his cholesterol had come down.  He sent me a very moving email, he said his doctor could not believe the improvement in such a short space of time and not only was he not being prescribed insulin but his actual medication was being REDUCED.  Yes, he still needs to lose weight, but the benefits from the F.I.T Method were immediate and long lasting and on all levels.

Other experiences:

I have to say, that at the same time my father did this, his wife joined in out of solidarity.  She is a naturally thin person but suffers from migraines and daily headaches.  She actually said to me recently that she no longer wakes up every morning with a headache as she used to - and that alone was enough to make her a believer.

Another one of my patients had suffered from acid reflux for years and had a persistent cough that she put down to her smoking.  After just a month doing the F.I.T Method she dropped two dress sizes, her acid reflux disappeared and her cough did too.

Another one of my patients was a man in his late 40s who came to me weighing 140k!  He lost 6k in the first 18 days and has persevered to lower his weight to under 100k and has kept if off.

So, if you want to improve your health and lose any extra weight easily, all you have to do is to get in touch with me via email: lucycarr@socialnutrition.com and we can set up a meeting either in person or via skype or hangout.  You will see the results within the FIRST FEW DAYS.

F.I.T Method:

• Scientific method
• Immediate guaranteed results
• Improvement in general health
• Personalized method

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