Strategies 8-14

If you haven’t had a chance… check out Part 1 Strategies 1-7 and how to use this list!

STRATEGY #8. Sync Eating With Energy Levels

Align meals with your activity and hormonal cycles.  Sounds more complicated than it is.   Just means shift your feeding window earlier.   We have the most energy demand 1-2 hours after rising till 3-4 hours before retiring.    Typical intermittent fasting or even our busy work routines are the opposite… It goes something like this:

Cup coffee in the morning only

Not eating till 12 or 1 or later

Then eating a large meal for dinner

That routine works against our natural energy/ hormone cycles.  INSTEAD…

  • Eat your first meal within 1-2 hours of waking.
  • Avoid snacks and have your lightest meal in the evening
  • Finish eating by 5-6
  • Sample schedule could look like:  8:00 – 12:00 – 5:00
  • PRO TIP: You will know your macro combo (protein, carb, fat) ratios are right for you when you are not hungry in between meals. 
  • If dinner is the only meal you sit down as a family, you can still join everyone, just eating a lighter meal (like soup or salad or smoothie) and have what was fixed for dinner as your lunch the next day

Inside D.R.E.S.S. Weight Loss Program:  Clients are guided through implementing this intermittent fasting model and what it could look like for them as they get started!  We create customized macro ratios that work best for you so you can implement 3 meals – no snacks easily to stay full and satiated and lose weight!

STRATEGY #9. Combat “Languishing”: Blast the Blah’s to Return to Joy

It’s not really depression exactly, it’s more feeling unmotivated, bored but busy, loss of joy in the little things, sometimes it means brain fogginess or feeling distracted and spacey. When you’re mentally blah, it’s challenging to lose weight. You’ve more vulnerable to bad habits, poor food choices and lack of exercise because you have very little desire to accomplish anything, and have to talk yourself into doing something every time.

HORMONAL: Sometimes this blah is cyclical for women.  Based on 28 day hormone fluctuations.  Progesterone, for example, turns on GABA (anti anxiety neurotransmitter).  So when progesterone drops so does our mood. Also, Hypothyroidism can cause apathetic type depression or lack of drive/motivation. 

SEASONAL: Sometimes it’s seasonal (SAD) Seasonal Affective Disorder when weather is gloomy, sun is absent and darker days mean darker moods.   Keeping Vit. D levels optimized by supplementation can help during the winter months. 

SPIRITUAL: Sometimes we can experience periods of discouragement and loss of joy rooting in our spiritual health when: 

  1. Our mindset is fixed on the things we are missing in our lives rather than the many things we do have
  2. We allow the demonic world to trouble us with besetting lies
  3. We neglect our time with the Lord in prayer or His Word – the blah’s are His call to return to Him
  4. There is a chronic sin in our lives we have not turned away from

“The joy for the Lord is our strength.”  Nehemiah 8:10

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.”  Psalm 51:12

PHYSICAL:  Sometimes the blah’s are a result of low thyroid function or dehydration or sugar addiction 

SOCIAL: Sometimes the blah’s are a natural result of missing connection. Maybe a loss of a spouse or close friend, an estranged or broken relationship or marriage, relocation or lack of meaningful relationship connections overwhelm with loneliness when the busyness subsides each day. Building new social connections can be the answer!

STEPS TO BLAST THE BLAHS:  Solution lies in the source.  Where is the blah coming from? 

#1 – Journaling daily gratitude – more than “I am thankful for…” but rather how is God meeting your every need

#2 – Take your idle moments to capture time with God. (in the shower, driving, waiting in line, cooking, etc)

(anytime you are not mentally engaged, instead of looking at your phone, take time to pray, think on Scripture and listen to God)

#3 – Get thyroid and hormone levels checked if the blah’s continue for more than 2-3 weeks consecutively or you experience a clear drop every month on your cycle.

#4 – Engage in a new hobby or social activity or ministry project that excites you!

#5 – Invest in someone else’s need, and gain a new friend too!

Inside D.R.E.S.S. Weight Loss Program:  Our self assessment questionnaires, Nutri-Q nutritional assessment plus NutriStat lab testing help us easily identify the source of your blah’s.  Our Group Coaching and 1:1 Coaching supports clients in their specific Blah Blasting strategies and mindset so they can return to joy! 

STRATEGY #10. Stick to <5 Ingredient Foods

Consume whole, nutrient-dense foods with minimal processing to ensure better nutrition and fewer toxins.  There are definitely some healthy foods that have more than five ingredients, but as a general rule less than 5 covers it!  

Weight loss resistance is often a protective mechanism.  We store toxins in fat cells and our bodies innately know if our detox pathways are not open to release so they hold onto these toxins so they don’t affect vital organs.   Nutrient dense whole foods greatly lowers our toxic burden.  

Inside D.R.E.S.S. Weight Loss Program:  Food lists, recipes, meal plans can all be provided as tools to implement a whole foods, nutrient dense diet.   We focus on what we CAN eat!   When we do that, we naturally avoid the bad ingredients!  Learning how to make healthy food exchanges to modify go-to recipes to be healthy versions are what the Diet Coaching side of the program is all about. 

STRATEGY #11. Follow the Light

Optimize sleep by following the sun’s natural cycle. Aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep.  Rising within 1 hour of sunrise and retiring within 2-3 hours of sun setting.   Benefits of following the light for weight loss:

#1: Helps reset circadian rhythm (Cortisol & Melatonin cycles) to lower stress levels, balance blood sugar

#2: Liver detoxes between 1-3 am and by following the light sleep cycle allows for optimal detoxification

#3: Feeling refreshed from quantity and quality sleep helps improve motivation, stamina, avoiding bad habits of energy improvement (like sugary drinks, energy drinks, caffeine, etc)

Inside D.R.E.S.S. Weight Loss Program:  When it comes to rest, we focus on Habit, Hygiene and Hormones (Phase 1 = Habit)  In Phase 1 we help our clients create a Rest Rhythm by building a daily habit, weekly habit, monthly and yearly strategy for rest – which goes beyond sleep.  

STRATEGY #12. Faith Over Fear

Address fears that may be holding you back from continued weight loss.  Common fears that our clients have shared over the years include:

  1. Fear of expectations placed on me when I do lose the weight (fear of success)
  2. Fear of having an image I won’t be able to maintain
  3. Fear of how repeating the cycle of failure will make me feel or be perceived by others
  4. Fear of not being able to control my results
  5. Fear of becoming too self absorbed in the process
  6. Fear of not being consistent 
  7. Fear of being overwhelmed
  8. Fear of getting stuck and unable to do anything about it

The only thing we are to “fear” or reverence is the Lord Himself. Scripture has many verses on fear. “Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid, nor be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

The anecdote for fear is faith.  Believing God’s Word, His promises and person is a choice we make everyday (either subconsciously or consciously)  Faith is built when we remember God’s faithfulness in the past, so we can trust Him for our future.   

Faith says:

  1. Success will serve me and my loved ones in a very positive way, and any expectations placed on me that are unrealistic I will give to God and not carry those myself.
  2. My self image is a reflection of my true worth and value to God, and it is not rooted in how I look or even how I “perform”
  3. I will not repeat the cycle of failure, because God has given me the resources to overcome any challenge
  4. My results are in God’s hands. I am committed to the process and I am leaving the outcome to Him.
  5. Weight loss is a process of healing that better enables me to fulfill His purposes for my life
  6. I can start small, doing only those things that I can commit to easily at first. But I can do hard things too. 
  7. I choose to not be overwhelmed but will focus on only one priority at a time. God will help me stay focused. 
  8. There will always be a solution for getting unstuck.  God will always show me the solution if and when I feel stuck. 

Inside D.R.E.S.S. Weight Loss Program:  Having a Success Coach to help you identify your fears, retrain our thought patterns and grow in your faith is one of the most valuable parts of what this community and program has to offer to ensure long term success while drawing closer to God!

STRATEGY #13. Support Thyroid Health

Test thyroid function regularly and adopt a root-cause approach to balance these hormones. Include adaptogenic herbs, selenium, and iodine in your diet.

Nutritional Support:

  • Adaptogenic herbs: can be taken as a supplement or added to foods (ashwagandha, ginger, lemon balm, kelp, schisandra)
  • Selenium: eat 2 Brazil Nuts a day
  • Iodine: seaweed (kelp) chips or supplement
  • Avoid eating RAW goitrogenic foods (spinach, strawberries, soy, cruciferous veggies)
  • Limit or avoid gluten

Glandular Support: Raw desiccated thyroid gland supplementation can support your own thyroid to work properly vs. replace it’s function with medication

Switch to Natural vs. Synthetic Thyroid Medications: Armor Thyroid & NP Thyroid vs. Levothyroxine

Detox the Liver Monthly: There are several great liver cleanses (we have one included in our Coaching Program) Sometimes the thyroid gland itself is not the problem, but rather the conversion from inactive to active form of the thyroid hormone is the problem. That conversion happens primarily in the liver and gut. 

Inside D.R.E.S.S. Weight Loss Program:  Our Nutri-Q and Lab Testing help identify any thyroid or hormone imbalances and provide personalized protocols that are medically supervised!  Tired of guessing?  Know for sure plus know how to restore haywire hormones if needed!  Phase 3 of our Coaching Program includes a Liver Cleanse Protocol for natural hormone support. 

STRATEGY #14. Exercise Fasting

Enhance fat burning by exercising in a fasting state. Break your fast with protein (like boiled egg or BCAA’s or Greek Yogurt) to support muscle recovery. 

For AM Workouts:  Add BCAA’s (Branched Chain Amino Acids) in powder form to your water and drink during and after workout to keep blood sugar stable

For PM Workouts:  Try to avoid eating for 3-4 hours before working out to mimic a fasting state. 

PRO TIP: Workout for no more than 30 min in fasting state 

Benefits to Fasted Exercise:

  1. Improves insulin sensitivity
  2. Stimulates human growth hormone for muscle building and increasing lean muscle mass, reduces inflammation, helps increase fat burning
  3. Improved fat burning through ketone production and metabolic flexibility (mitochondria of our cells are able to burn glucose & ketones more effectively for energy)

Inside D.R.E.S.S. Weight Loss Program:  Exercise fasting is considered a more advanced strategy.  We want to make sure clients are ready and can implement this successfully.   We recognize that blood sugar would need to be regulated to a certain point before being able to do this strategy and Success Coaches can provide more pro-tips to help the client know exactly how and when to try fasting exercise!

Be sure to check back next week for PART 3 of the 25 Strategies for Weight Loss!

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This