Female Food Plan For Weight Loss Program
Introduction
Congratulations! You have taken the first step to transitioning into a happier, healthier and more productive lifestyle. As you begin to implement the lifestyle changes outlined in this program, you will experience increased energy, better sleep patterns, improved libido and a general sense of well-being in addition to the rapid and sustainable change in body composition.
The dietary portion of this program is designed to identify what foods are most compatible with you and which foods should be eliminated from your diet. By doing this we can achieve rapid, safe and most importantly, permanent weight-loss. You are going to be provided with numerous options when it comes to meal planning. When food choices are bland or limited, boredom sets in and we tend to get off course. You will be provided with foods that you can enjoy as well as foods to avoid. Keep your focus on the plethora of foods that you can have rather than dwelling on the foods that are not good for you. Try to see food as fuel for your body.
We understand that life events happen such as vacations and holidays that can make it challenging to stay on track. Try your best to make the best food choices possible during these trying times. When these minor indiscretions occur it is important to get back on track quickly to maintain consistent weight loss. You don’t have to be perfect to be successful.
There are a couple of very common issues related to eating that we must address. First, it has become commonplace to skip meals on a regular basis. Believe it or not, you will usually make up for it later in the day, rewarding yourself for your deprivation with higher calorie foods and beverages and the pounds start pouring on. Skipping meals can actually cause you to gain weight, specifically in your midsection. That’s right, the dreaded belly fat!
A study conducted at The Ohio State University found that mice that were given all of their food as a single meal and fasted the rest of the day developed insulin resistance in their livers, a sign of pre-diabetes. When the liver doesn’t respond to insulin that tells it to stop producing glucose (sugar), the extra sugar that is produced ends up being stored as fat.
Eating regular meals is important to keep your metabolism burning and keep your blood sugar on an even keel. You are much less likely to overeat at your next meal. You are also more likely to make healthy choices when you eat every meal because you are not desperate to grab anything you can get your hands on. Regular, healthy meals help you to maintain healthy weight because they positively impact your metabolism.
That brings us to our next dietary issue: emotional eating. If you’ve ever made room for dessert even though you’re already full or dove into a pint of ice cream when you’re feeling down, you’ve experienced emotional eating. Emotional eating is using food to make yourself feel better or eating to fill emotional needs, rather than to fill your stomach or fuel your body.
Using food in moderation from time to time as a pick me up, a reward, or to celebrate isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But when eating is your primary emotional coping mechanism and your first impulse is to open the refrigerator whenever you’re upset, angry, lonely, stressed, exhausted, or bored, you get stuck in an unhealthy cycle, the real feeling or problem is never addressed. Unfortunately, the foods that are high in carbs and sugars actually provide a temporary mood enhancement.
Emotional hunger can’t be filled with food. Eating may feel good in the moment but, the feelings that triggered the eating are still there. And you often feel worse than you did before because of the unnecessary calories you consumed. You beat yourself up for messing up and not having more willpower. Compounding the problem, you stop learning healthier ways to deal with your emotions, you have a harder and harder time controlling your weight, and feel increasingly powerless over food and your feelings.
Food addiction is another problem that is closely related to emotional eating. When rapidly absorbed carbohydrate foods such as potato chips, popcorn, candy, ice cream, sugar, etc. are consumed, the pleasure center of the brain is stimulated and “feel good” chemicals are produced. Research shows that high carbohydrate foods have a similar effect as drugs and alcohol on the brain. After consuming sugar, the brain craves more sugar to continue producing the “feel good” chemicals, which can result in binging.
To overcome food and more importantly, sugar addiction, it is important to completely eliminate sugar and processed carbohydrates from your diet. We utilize a combination of dietary supplements and prescription medications when necessary to help make this process much easier. Awareness is a very important component in overcoming food addiction. A sample journal is provided in this manual for you to use. Make copies if needed and remember we are here to coach you along the way.