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Whether it’s 2 pounds or 10 pounds, many of us have felt the effects of the pandemic in the form of excess weight that wasn’t there when the stay at home orders went into effect.
For those of us fortunate enough to not be seriously affected by Covid-19, we still have felt the impact of added stress, less physical activity, and being close enough to the kitchen to grab a snack anytime. And for some of us, that means 5 times a day, in addition to meals!
I’ve also noticed people seem to be drinking more, which can contribute to weight gain. And then, of course, there is stress eating – turning to sugar whenever negative thoughts or emotions take hold.
All of these factors add up to extra pounds, and as warm weather is here to stay for a while, the last thing we want is to feel bloated and overweight in our summer clothes.
Before I share my top 8 strategies to help you take off the stay-at-home weight gain, I’ve got to share my biggest and best strategy first.
Take the Emotions Out of Eating
How often do you pull out the chocolate stash when you’re worried? Or open a pint of ice cream when you’re stressed?
If emotional eating is a crutch for you, you’ll go a long way toward your dieting goals if you get rid of the crutch and handle the stress or emotions without using food to do it.
Often, emotional eating is a self-sabotaging cycle. You eat to compensate for how you feel, then you feel guilty because you know you shouldn’t have eaten that, and then you eat because of the guilt.
Work on the stress and underlying emotions, and you won’t feel the urge to eat some of the foods you’re better off avoiding.
And if a craving arises, look deeper to that craving for what it means. For example, if you are craving sugar, what your body is really telling you is that you have a huge mineral deficiency , especially magnesium. Eat more dark, green leafy vegetables, and drink Alkamind Daily Minerals at least once daily.
Second, when a craving arises, many times your body may be dehydrated. You see, hunger and the thirst mechanism go to the same part of the brain. So what I recommend is first, have a big glass of water with the juice from half of an organic lemon. Wait 15 minutes, and if that craving or hunger is still there, then go for a 10 or 15-minute brisk walk.
Tony Robbins says, “Motion is emotion.” Simply by moving your body, you’ll be amazed at the choices you make next (healthier more than not). Now, after your brisk walk, if you are STILL having cravings, have a healthy alkaline snack.
8 Strategies to Lose Excess Weight Easily
Eat high fiber fruits and veggies.
Fiber keeps your digestion functioning at full speed, which is a major key to your metabolism. But keep in mind… high fiber doesn’t have to mean pasta and cereals that advertise fiber on the package! In fact, those foods are usually loaded with sugar and processed ingredients that actually slow down digestion.
The best ways to get fiber are through plants like:
- Salad greens
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Avocados
- Okra
- Grapefruit
- Brussels sprouts
- Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds
- Lentils, chickpeas, adzuki beans, and black beans
- Quinoa (actually a seed, not a grain)
Curb snacking.
Snacking in between meals leads to not only weight gain but also more serious blood sugar regulation problems. Fill up on nutrient-dense foods like veggies and healthy fats (keep reading) at meal times to keep you full and your blood sugar stable until your next regular meal.
If you do need a snack, aim for no more than 1 per day (with 3 regular meals) and go for a choice that will suppress hunger without spiking your blood sugar like:
Just say no to bad fats (but keep eating good fats).
Foods high in trans fats and saturated fats like fried foods, baked goods, animal fats, and canola and vegetable oils overload your digestive system, slow it down, and result in storing extra body fat.
In contrast, good fats like coconut oil and avocado actually speed up your metabolism. The lie that’s been perpetuated for decades about consuming fat and weight gain can stop right here. Once you see the results, you’ll know the truth.
Cut out sugar (and artificial sweeteners).
It’s not a surprise that eating and drinking sugar makes you gain weight. But it’s not just the extra calories that pack on the pounds.
First, sugar makes your blood sugar levels spike (when we eat like this way all the time, our blood sugar is spiking so much, it leads to chronic levels of high insulin, also known as insulin resistance), so you feel a burst of energy. But that isn’t the kind of lasting energy that comes from a healthy metabolism. Instead, you crash after a little while, and your metabolism slows in the process, making weight gain even more likely.
Artificial sweeteners are no better. In fact, they might be worse – after all, they are one of the most acidic ingredients on the planet! They trick your body into craving more refined carbohydrates and sugar, which slow down the metabolism. Eliminate soda, fruit juice, diet drinks, sugary snacks, and other sugar-filled foods from your daily diet.
Stay hydrated.
If you’re dehydrated – and 90% of Americans are most of the time – your body starts to function differently because it’s on the search for life-sustaining water. That includes retaining excess fat and calories.
If you want to stay hydrated so weight loss happens easily and naturally, drink half your body weight in ounces each day. So in other words, if you weigh 150 pounds, you need to drink 75 ounces of water each and every day. Look for water that is clean, filtered, and has a pH of 8.0 to 9.5.
Lay off the alcohol.
You’re not alone if you’ve had more nights with a glass of wine lately. But that alcohol may be contributing to weight gain, AND making it harder to lose weight. Find other ways to relax and unwind at the end of a long day – do some stretching and deep breathing, give your partner a massage, make something new in the kitchen, or take a walk and enjoy the summer evening.
Use intermittent fasting.
This is the PERFECT way to reboot your metabolism and allow your body to start running on stored fat, rather than the sugar and carbs you eat, which just leads to craving more sugar.
Intermittent fasting means you choose an 8-hour window to eat in, and fast for the other 16 hours of the day. You can decide if your window is 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM, or whatever time works for you.
During the 8-hour window you eat in, you want to maintain my 80/20 alkaline to acid rule, and the best part is that you can eat as much as you want, and you can finally throw counting calories out the window!
You can start by incorporating intermittent fasting 1 or 2 days a week, or you can do it daily. Just be gentle with yourself at first. The more you build up to, the faster you’ll drop excess weight, and the faster your body will shift from fat storage to fat burning.
Read more about how to try intermittent fasting here.
Replace one meal with a smoothie.
My breakfast nearly every morning is a smoothie made with some combination of:
- Dark, leafy greens
- A couple healthy fats like coconut oil or chia seeds
-
A plant-based protein source like raw almond butter or Alkamind Organic Daily Protein
- a frozen fruit to make it taste great
By replacing a meal with a smoothie, you’re getting a ton of vitamins and minerals, protein, and healthy fat without excess calories or carbs. What could be easier?
For a few smoothie recipes to try, take a look at my:
Go green first thing in the morning.
By starting your day with Alkamind Daily Greens , you’re getting 5 whole servings of green superfoods in less than 30 seconds. That includes lots of the foods on the lists above the help speed up weight loss like wheatgrass and other greens, broccoli, cucumbers, and celery.
And unlike other brands, you’re going to absorb more of the wheatgrass and other beneficial ingredients in our greens powder. So take your Daily Greens first thing every morning and a dose of the most powerful, alkaline food on the planet as you lose weight.
Our Citrus Flavor Greens are a customer favorite!
Great Product!
“Dr. Daryl has become my go to source for natural health-related questions and delicious recipes. I used Daily Greens for a couple of years when he first developed the product, then fell off the wagon. I'm glad to be back on. I feel an immediate surge of energy when I drink my morning glass of it. It’s amazing how fast you’ll start noticing these improvements. And then before you know it, you’re out of the withdrawal dip and starting to feel great.” –Jody M. (Verified Buyer)
GET OFF YOUR ACID,
Dr. Daryl
