Have you ever wondered how your genetic structure can affect your weight? Curious to learn how to utilize this to optimize your health and get back control of your weight? Diet and Nutrition are not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Numerous studies show that your genes play an important role in your tendency to gain unwanted weight. Let us help you discover your unique nutrigenetic profile, with your own in-depth personalized DNA report which details customized serving units for each macronutrient and exercise plans, specific to your genes, while outlining your personal behavioral tendencies.
Your DNA report will show an appropriate proportion of fats, carbohydrates and protein based on your genetic test results. The proportion of these macronutrients in your daily food intake plays a key role in maintaining healthy weight and optimal energy levels. Knowing your own genetic predispositions can help you choose your nutritional and fitness goals.
Proper dietary levels of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins are all necessary for good health, so fad diets which severely restrict one or more of these macronutrients’ groups have many disadvantages. A better approach is to adopt the best diet for you based on your unique needs.
For a solid two weeks, you followed your weight loss program to a “T”. You followed the menu plan, you bought new kitchen tools, etc. But you step on the scale and feel defeated -the number is the same as it was two weeks ago. Or worse, it’s gone up! First, keep the motivation, but tone down the tension. You are definitely doing the right thing. Plateaus can happen. The really good news is that most plateaus are temporary and short-term.
A study tracking 16,000 men and women provides strong evidence that the scale is one of the most effective tools for losing body fat and keeping it off. So, if you have goals of losing weight, it might be better to shift your relationship with the scale. Here are five ways you can begin to make friends with your scale:
1. Weigh yourself daily.
Provides accountability and you can see your progress. In one study, daily weighers dropped twice as many pounds as weekly weighers.
2. Take the weekly average.
It’s normal for your daily weight to go up and down. However, the key is to avoid riding the emotional roller coaster with your shifting scale weight. Keep the big picture in mind and look for signs of long-term progress.
3. Don’t sweat fluctuations. There can be so many reasons why the scale is not moving. Keep in mind all the reasons for scale fluctuations, including:
You didn’t have bowel movement.
You consumed a lot of sodium.
You ate more food later at night, so it would be sitting in your stomach in the morning.
Carbohydrates will hold on to water, so if you consumed more carbs yesterday, you would retain water.
You are dehydrated.
You’ve had intense workouts, causing inflammation.
You’ve been sick.
You started a new supplement.
Your sleep hasn’t been consistent.
You feel stressed out.
Menstrual cycle approaching.
4. More muscle is a good thing.
If you are exercising, there is a good chance you are adding muscle! And muscle is much denser than fat, which means it takes up less volume than an equal mass of fat. This explains why it’s possible to become slimmer without a significant drop in weight.
5. Promotes good habits.
Another study found that daily weigh-ins led to “greater adoption of weight control behaviors”, such as reducing snacks between meals, cutting back on dessert portions sizes, exercising for 30 minutes or more and increasing daily steps.
We all know that we need to eat our “five a day” portions of vegetables, but do we really know why? Here are the most important reasons:
Keeps you fuller longer.
They are great if you want to lose weight.
Good for your gut.
Keeps your skin hydrated.
Provides much needed essential nutrients and vitamins.
Boosts your mood.
Keeps you fueled for extra energy.
Assists in fighting off cravings.
Improves bone health.
Helps to minimize or prevent chronic diseases.
You’ve always known vegetables were good for you, and now you know more about why. So, if you don’t like vegetables, here are some techniques and tips to learn to like vegetables:
Pair with food you already like, for example add some chopped tomatoes with spinach to a beloved mushroom into an omelette.
Roast your veggies. Roasted are more delicious! Just add your favorite seasonings.
Enjoy more soups. Prepare blended soups or smoothies to increase vegetable and fruit consumption.
Add great flavors such as olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar, lemon, and your favorite spices.
Add grains + protein for a full meal. When your greens and veggies are accented by grains, protein, healthy fats, and a fun dressing, it’s hard to get bored of them. The combinations are endless!
Emotional eating can greatly affect our weight-loss efforts. While food can give us a sense of comfort, we can also use food to relieve stress or to simply feel better. This type of eating is a way of filling our emotional needs and not our stomachs. Unfortunately, emotional eating usually makes us feel worse afterwards and leads to overeating accompanied with guilt. Emotional eating can be controlled as long as we can identify our triggers which are key to staying in control.
Start a Food Diary
Keep a food diary and log everything you eat every day. Be sure to include when you ate and how you felt while eating. Over time you may be able to find patterns between your mood and the food you ate. Identifying emotional triggers will help you stay in control and help you differentiate cravings from real hunger.
Find Other Ways to Relieve Stress
Finding other ways to relieve stress will stop us from opening the fridge or scrounging the pantry. Activities such as yoga, reading a book or writing are all great ways to relieve stress. Even simple deep breathing is a form of meditation that can be done anywhere to help us regulate our emotions.
Keep the Temptations Away
If there is no junk food at home, then we can’t eat any! Toss out or give away foods that are high in fat, sugars or calories. Replace unhealthy foods with real foods. Whenever you are feeling a little down, grabbing an apple instead of a bag of chips will not only support weight-loss, but you won’t feel guilty about it afterwards!
Seek Support
During moments of sadness or anxiety make sure to resist isolation. Having a family member come visit or even making a quick phone call can relieve negative emotions. The key to overcoming emotional eating is to find other ways to cope with our emotions other than eating.
Including whole grains in the diet is important. Grains can help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic inflammation. However, consuming grains can also create other problems, like celiac disease. Should you eat grains or cut them from your diet? It’s not a simple answer. First, you must determine how the grain is processed and how it’s prepared for processing. Is it soaked, fermented, or sprouted? Is it whole grain or highly processed and bleached grain?
Grains are seeds, which have an enzyme inhibitor.
For a species of plant to survive, it must be able to reproduce. One method of spreading the plant and preventing overcrowding is via animals. Animals eat the seeds on the plant and eventually the seed is eliminated in their waste in another area. The plant will never sprout until conditions are right and they’re definitely not right in the digestive system of the animal. Even after the seed is eliminated, if it’s too hot, dry, wet, or cold, the plant still won’t sprout. An enzyme inhibitor in the seed prevents both. While the enzyme inhibitor protects the seed, it plays havoc on digestive system in people, since they require enzymes to digest food.
Grains contain phytic acid.
Phytic acid is considered an anti-nutrient and the main way phosphorus is stored in plants. It blocks the breakdown and absorption of magnesium, phosphorous, calcium, zinc, and iron. It does that by attaching to the minerals and creating phytates, making the nutrients unavailable to the body. In earlier times, grains were soaked, fermented, or sprouted for use. That helped eliminate the enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid.
Grains contain lectins.
Complex carbs are harder to digest than simple carbs, which absorb quickly. Lectins are a natural pesticide that protects the plant from insects and pests. It can cause digestive issues, making existing problems far worse. Grains also contain complex proteins that are difficult to digest. Gluten, a complex protein in some grains, has become more prominent since high gluten grain hybridized 50 years ago is now mostly what farmers grow.
Milling processes strip most of grains benefits. It removes the bran and germ, which contains fiber and nutrients, leaving only the starchy, high calorie endosperm devoid of nutritional benefits.
Processed flour not only lacks nutrients, but it also contains chemicals. It’s bleached and often mixed with sugar and chemicals to increase its shelf-life. If you’re selecting flour or grain products, read the ingredient list.
Fermenting, sprouting, or soaking grain makes it easier to digest by removing enzyme inhibitors, phytic acid, and lectins. If you soak grain, use an acidic medium by adding lemon juice, ACV, or yogurt to the liquid.
You don’t have to give up all types of grains. Choose ones using the best processing methods or select a type of grain that reduces digestive issues. Ancient pseudo-grains and brown rice could be good choices. Always select whole grains instead of highly processed grains.
For more information, contact us today at ProWeightLoss
A snack is generally defined as any food eaten between meals. A snack portion should be enough to satisfy but not to so much that it interferes with your appetite for a main meal. Snacks can absolutely fit into your diet if you are trying to manage your weight. Having a plan on the type of snacks you pack for work and on the go will help diversify your food selection, vary the nutrients you get and keep you from getting hungry between meals. Remember, think nutrient-dense (fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals) and your snacks will help you get the nutrition your body needs and keep you full.
Here are 10 healthy delicious snacks to try:
¼ cup hummus and veggie sticks (carrots, celery, cucumbers, or peppers).
6-ounce container plain low-fat Greek yogurt with berries (strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries).
21 almonds, 12 walnuts halves, or 45 pistachio nuts.
1 small banana with 2 teaspoons peanut, sunflower, or almond butter.
One ounce of dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao)
1 slice 100% whole grain toast (e.g., Melba or Ezequiel) with 1.5 Tbsp. peanut butter.
1 piece reduced-fat string cheese with 1 sliced apple.
Low-fat cottage cheese with blueberries and a sprinkle of granola
1 hard-cooked egg and 1 slice 100% whole grain toast.
4 cups organic popcorn sprinkle with 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan or Nutritional Yeast
Be mindful while you eat. Make eating a relaxing break, away from your computer and work. Enjoy it!
Spring seems like the best thing ever–all the showers and flowers and it is, because the season magically makes you lose weight. You can’t argue with these facts, actual proof that spring is all the things: Beautiful weather makes you want to be more active. Revealing spring clothes zaps your desire to overeat. Cold-weather drinks have fewer calories than warm-weather drinks. The season’s most delicious foods are incredibly healthy. With daylight savings you get more waking hours of sunshine. Green stuff is abundant in the spring and green stuff burns fat. And it just so happens spring is prime time for seasonal veggies like arugula, kale, spinach, and broccoli. Your mood is brighter! most people feel an increase in energy, optimism, and excitement with the arrival of spring. This positive feeling helps to lose weight!
Being stuck at a weight-loss plateau eventually happens to everyone who tries to lose weight. There will be good weeks and not-so-good weeks. Plateaus are a common part of weight loss. The important thing to remember here is that weight loss isn’t linear and it’s actually normal for your weight to fluctuate on a regular basis. If you are committed to losing weight, try these tips for getting past the plateau:
1. Reassess your habits. Look back at your food and activity records. Make sure you haven’t loosened the rules. For example, look at whether you’ve been having larger portions, eating more processed foods, or getting less exercise. Research suggests that off-and-on loosening of rules contributes to plateaus. 2. Don’t mess with your diet. As long as you’re eating a healthy diet, there is no reason to change it just because you hit that weight-loss plateau. The most important thing with dietary habits is being consistent. 3. Increase physical activity. Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. Adding exercises such as weightlifting to increase your muscle mass will help you burn more calories. 4. Focus on your non-scale successes. While it can be exciting to see the numbers on the scale go down, this isn’t the only measure of success when it comes to losing weight. Your weight loss journey isn’t just about numbers. Non-scales victories such as loose jeans, better sleep, more energy are also victories!
The key to avoiding a weight loss plateau is to make lasting changes to your diet, physical activity and let time do the rest.
Losing weight as a couple, or even with a close friend, may increase your chances for success.
Trying to lose weight isn’t as easy as it seems, especially when you’re doing it alone. If you have considered starting a new health or weight loss program but hesitated, consider grabbing a partner. Research shows couples were three times more successful at losing weight than people who were single. Here are a few tips for couples:
Make a date and go shopping.
Having healthy foods at home sets the foundation for healthy eating. Both fruits and vegetables should make up about half of your meals. Help each other limit snacking.
Design a healthy eating meal plan together.
Sit down together and write out a week’s worth of meals. Make sure that both of you agree on what you are choosing. Together, you can try new foods and explore new flavors. Don’t be afraid to spice it up.
Focus on habits, not the number on the scale.
Focus on the eating and activity habits you want to change together. Support each other. Do not make competition. It takes time to create new habits in order to lose weight with your partner.
Exercise together
Working out and exercising create bonding and intimacy between couples, which is very useful in successful relationships.
Spend more time outdoors.
A simple walk in a park with your partner may help to burn calories.
Many of us feel tired and wonder why we have no energy. On top of that, we have a very difficult time controlling our weight through the American food system. Pro weight loss is dedicated to creating a new you by giving your body the nutrient balance it’s looking for. You don’t need to be deprived to feel good about your food! Our program allows you to detox yourself from all the toxins, chemicals, and plastic enzymes that are stored in your body. These cause inflammation, among other problems, that are connected to being overweight.
It’s one of the fastest ways to transform yourself into the new you and feel better! Luckily, your body wants to heal. Given the right nutrients and path, it can rebound quickly!
Many people report that they feel great after they have done our program. One of the main reasons why is because of the process that we take to transform an acid filled body to a PH balanced body. When your body becomes overweight, it becomes acidic. A body that has too much acid creates inflammation. Inflammation starts to cause all kinds of problems! From your metabolism to health issues related to organs as well as sleeping and energy loss.
The Pro Weight Loss process is a chance to reset your body’s balance and start a new life through food that will energize you and make you feel great!
In a matter of weeks, you can feel completely different through our program! We would love to have the chance to help you!
