Of all the weight loss methods we hear about on a daily basis, the one most often left out happens to be the most effective one. One that is all encompassing as it considers the wholeness of the human being. In this article we will discuss the “holistic approach to weight loss.” When you lose weight holistically, the entirety of your being is considered. This includes all of the factors that go into weight loss and weight gain such as physiological and biochemical factors, lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise, and perhaps the most influential factor being the mental / emotional aspect that underlies eating patterns, habits and outlook on food . Eating food is an activity in which we partake 3 times a day, obviously it takes up some of our brain time. The holistic way to losing weight has been proven to work in my practice, many times over. When you take certain steps which encompass various aspects of your life, you are bound to lose pounds, keep them off and remain healthy over the long term. Let’s take a look at how losing weight the natural way is healthier for you.

The Holistic Approach
The holistic approach is designed to give you a new lease on life as a lighter you.  This approach helps bring your body into a healthy state of balance and equilibrium.  To put it in the most primal terms, the human body is a complicated eating machine and that can sometimes reflect your emotional state.  Some people eat for comfort while others eat to supply their bodies with nutrients and fuel to go  on with life. As they say: Some of us live to eat, while others eat to live.

The predominant paradigm in our society points to the idea that a thinner you is a better you. This idea does hold some truth. Making sure to maintain a healthy weight is very important so long as getting too thin or engaging in destructive eating behavior does not take place. Once again, balance is key. Adopting a holistic approach to losing weight allows for health to predominate. After all, healthy lifestyle changes, when sustained make for a more enjoyable life.  Unfortunately obesity runs rampant in North American societies. Being overweight taxes the body’s internal organs not to mention the body’s bone structure amongst many of the additional health complications caused by excess weight.

So what exactly do I mean by Holistic Weight Loss?
Step 1: The first way to achieve sustainable weight loss is to cleanse the body of toxins. In other words, detoxify in a way that is right for you.  Toxins abound in the very air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and since we can’t stop breathing, eating and drinking, the next best thing is engage in gentle cleansing in order to help a body out.  Many toxins come in the form of bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides and preservatives. There are many ways to cleanse the body and detoxify. Cleaning your cupboards of all processed and refined foods is a fantastic place to start. Cleaning your colon is the next best place to begin.

Step 2: The second step is to understand how your body works.  Awareness is key. As you learn more about your body you’ll understand how the foods you eat and the manner in which you eat them contribute badly to your weight gain.  Learn the basics of maintaining a healthy body and lifesyle habits in order to maintain a steady weight.

Step 3: The third step is to exercise. Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard it all before. Let me guess, you don’t have the time, energy or willpower to exercize. Well this may be one of the most important keys to keeping those inches off. Adding a few extra steps to your routine or a short jog around the block will help you keep your metabolism working in order to burn up the extra weight and fat that have become unwanted visitors on your body.

Step 4: Next, use herbs instead of food for comfort.  Many people these days eat to ease the emotional pain or emptiness they experience. There are many natural herbs that can help to re-balance moods and make you feel whole again. This is what us naturopaths mean when we talk about addressing the root and the underlying problem behind a symptom. Going even deeper would be effective as well to find out where the real unhappiness stems from and how to remedy that  problem. Getting back to herbs a few of my favorite spirit boosters include: Lemon balm, Oatstraw and St. John’s wort- to be used with caution if you are on medication.

Step 5: Another way to holistic weight loss is to replace all of your sodas and coffees with fresh filtered water. In addition to your abundant water intake, give Green Tea a try to increase your metabolism and flush toxins out of your system so you feel better and experience more energy. Green tea is full of antioxidants so why not take advantage of the extra anti-aging benefits as well?!

Step 6: The last way is to eat home cooked meals as much as possible. Make a vow to prepare larger portions and bring your lunch to work rather than eating junk all day at the office.  Home cooked meals are so much healthier for you and unlike restaurant eating, you’ll be able to control the amount of food you consume, not to mention, you’ll actually knows what goes onto your plate!  Restaurants and fast food joints pile on  way too much food with way too many calories. The worst part is that the added “flavor enhancers” salt and sugar cause your mind to be so captivated by the artificial flavours, you’ll eat it all!! The oils used in restaurants are usually less than fit for consumption and this is the hardest one to control. So eat at home more often!!!

So when you decide you want to lose weight and take healthy steps, consider the holistic way as it is the most effective and sustainable way. For personalized guidance and to learn what your body needs, let us help you build a custom made Naturopathic weight loss plan by contacting us for a free 15 minute initial phone consultation to see if our Naturopathic service is right for you!