I am Frequently contacted by people who after adopting a whole-foods plant-based lifestyle in order to lose weight, have become frustrated due to not seeing the results they had been hoping for. Some become extremely discouraged and contemplate giving up on this way of eating entirely. If that is you, please do not give up. My heart goes out to you. I sympathize because for some of us, weight loss is not easy.
There is gratitude in my heart for those that reach out and share their frustrations with me because it allows an opportunity for me to share with them some other factors that might be a consideration in their unique situation. Here are some tips that often help to shed some additional light:
1. Insulin Resistance
When we eat one bite (just ONE bite!) of the substances which create insulin resistance, we may experience the effects of insulin resistance for 10 – 14 days thereafter. NOT fair! The effects of insulin resistance are food cravings (hunger) and body-fat storage. Among the causes of insulin resistance are animal protein, fats (yes, even whole-foods, unprocessed, plant-based fats), caffeine, and alcohol.
2. Colon Bacteria
When we eat one bite (just ONE bite!) of the substances which destroy the alkaline-loving bacteria of the colon, then that one acid-forming bite of animal protein can leave only the acid-loving colonic bacteria alive. The acid-loving colon bacteria make all the calories available to us, unlike the alkaline-loving colonic bacteria, which cause us to defecate out some of the calories before we can absorb those calories.
3. Timing of the Meals
Big savory breakfasts filled with legumes, intact whole grains (no flour), and veggies satisfy our hunger so well, yet allow us to eat lighter, earlier suppers. The less calorie-concentrated the supper and the earlier the supper, the easier it is to lose weight.
4. Bedtimes
Two hours of sleep before midnight are worth four hours of sleep after midnight, when it comes to cortisol, grehlin, and leptin, which influence our weight.
5. Thyroid
I order blood tests for antibodies against the thyroid, which can occur when the immune system is stressed by sleep-disordered breathing or by eating animal protein at any time in the month. The thyroid is a key organ to help us regulate our weight.
6. Sleep Hypoxia
This can thwart our weight loss. When you get tested, make sure your MD orders a sleeping pill just for those nights of the sleep test, to test you at your most sedated.
As you can see, while our food choices are by far the biggest factor, there are other factors that might be at play. If you have adopted a whole-foods Plant-based lifestyle with the intent of losing weight but are not seeing the results that you were hoping for then I would like to recommend you Please Click Here to Learn About My Starch-Smartest Program. It is free to you and I recommend that you follow it TO THE LETTER for 30 days. What have you got to lose? Except perhaps a pound or more.
For More Information:
(1) Can a Starch-Smart® diet help me lose excess weight?