How to maintain a healthy weight!
I really love the discussions that come up when I am with my patients that are in the maintenance phase of their health journey. The most repeated comment I hear is, "I am glad I now know the BIG secret to weight management"! Yes, there is no big secret at all, no one ingredient, no one amazing shake, no one amazing set of supplements. It's your whole lifestyle! You have to make changes, changes to your food choices, your movement goals, your work hours, how you are spending your down time. Yeah, it's usually an overhaul!
Once you have created a new platform to live from, which takes a certain amount of rigor, routine and dedication then you start opening up your food choices, to include more starchy vegetables, whole grains, fruit and legumes. Yes, you can maintain your weight, you just have to take it slowly and add back nutrient dense foods one at a time. This is not about going back to eating the way you were before, that will just send your weight right back up again!
Our bodies are not intended to eat all the carbohydrate load that is in this environment, all the white goods and sugar, white bread, pasta, pizza, candy, cakes and cookies. This is the main reason why 42% of Americans are obese and 69% are overweight. For the past 3 decades obesity rates have more than doubled and child obesity is on the rise. The World Obesity Federation released a report stating that by 2035 over 4 billion people, more than half of the world's population will be obese.
It's not that you will NEVER eat any of those foods again, the right amount needs to be eaten in moderation. When you are in the second phase of your maintenance plan you can start to add in a little of these foods now and again. They are not always off the table, it is how you incorporate them into the whole scope of what you are eating.
So now is the time to direct your health towards being as healthy as you can!
What I usually see in maintenance is that my patients will keep losing weight until we have found the right amount of starch they can eat. Their bodies are lean, that is under 28% body fat for women, 20% for men. So the body becomes the combustion for the extra calories, that is their bodies are working from a place of high function, metabolizing and burning calories at a higher rate. It was the fat in the body that was the main impediment.
Do you know that 12% of Americans are metabolically healthy? Once you move into the body fat percentages noted above, you move into this category - and yes you start to feel amazing and energized!
Most of my time in the office these days, is with patients in their maintenance phase. The packages we offer are for 6 or 12 months, a combination of bi monthly and monthly visits. You will also have a wellness check with Dr. Gail midway through your program.
Come and start your journey with us, towards your best health!
Love and light,
Cassale Sherriff
Nutritionist, Exercise Physiologist, Meditation Teacher