What works to release weight but more importantly keep it off!  

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These worked for me and they can work for you too!

1. Balancing the weight loss key hormones (Leptin & Ghrelin) – I was a serial dieter and snacked constantly on fruit and low fat ‘good” snacks like yogurts and rice cakes etc. When I stopped snacking I balanced Leptin and Ghrelin and now I can go 4 – 6 hours without even thinking about food!

2. Balancing blood sugar – this is not new but still important. I used to eat breakfast because I thought it was a must to be ‘healthy’ but I was never hungry. My breakfast used to be a typical dieters breakfast – Special K or Porridge, skimmed milk, chopped banana and black coffee or sometime just a banana and black coffee – I didn’t realise that these meals were causing me to have a blood sugar high, releasing lots of the fat storing hormone (insulin) – I was encouraging fat storage not fat burning! No wonder I was struggling to lose weight around my waist. Also, not being hungry was a clue that I shouldn’t be eating until the hunger hormone Ghrelin kicked in, I was ignoring my body’s request. Now if I’m hungry I eat breakfast, if I’m not I don’t (shocking I know!). Whenever my first meal of the day is, it always contains protein or fat (I adore village bakery rye toast and almond butter or scrambled egg, smoked salmon, tomatoes & mushrooms on 1 slice of toast with yummy goat’s butter)

3. A temperature test to check my thyroid function – I always felt tired, had a low mood and found it incredibly difficult to lose weight. I was shocked to see how low my basal temperature was, indicating that my thyroid wasn’t working at its optimum level (even though my doctor’s tests said it was in the ‘normal range’). I supported my thyroid with foods like Brazil nuts but importantly I focused on my reducing my stress. (Ask me if you want details of this test).

4. Supporting Adrenals and the long-term stress hormone (Cortisol). I knew I was in a stressful job, commuting to London and juggling everything with a young son too but I didn’t realise how stress was making weight loss almost impossible. Self-hypnosis, good multi vitamin containing lots of the B ‘Stress’ vitamins’ and a monthly aromatherapy massage helped me bring these hormones back into balance and the weight around the middle started to disappear. Email me to receive a FREE hypnosis recording to help reduce your stress – keren@slimforgood.co.uk

5. Stop using artificial sweeteners – I was always craving carbohydrates, fruit and sugar and thought my sweeteners ticked the “I’m being good box”. Unfortunately, they were making me crave more sugar and altering the balance of bacteria in my gut which didn’t help weight loss either. Now, if I use any sweeteners in cooking it would only be xylitol, but I don’t have a sweet tooth anymore, so this is not a problem. If you have a sweet tooth you will appreciate what a relief, it is to say that. I can help you with this!

I hope these 5 mini tips help you.

Are you addicted?

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We all know how addictive sugar is and those of us who like sweet treats appreciate how challenging it can be to stop at just one biscuit or a single square of chocolate. However, it’s interesting that it is not just sugar, chocolate and ice-cream that are addictive; pizza and bread are too, with one of the big reasons being flour!!

Inside our body sugar mostly breaks down into glucose and fructose, but flour breaks down just into glucose. Fructose can only be processed by our liver, but glucose is absorbed by all our cells. They both release feel good hormones which give us a “high”, particularly when they are packaged together.

At Slim for Good we always compare how a food affects us when it’s digested, and we imagine it in a glass of water to compare how it will be broken down in our stomach. The more refined a food is, the more quickly it dissolves or goes mushy and turns into a blood sugar spike with high insulin release (fat storing hormone) followed by a drop-in blood sugar, leaving you feeling low, tired and craving even more sugar or flour!

So, flour acts in our bodies the same way sugar does, hence the addiction. Whole grains have been in our diet for thousands of years but milling and grinding grains is a relatively recent process. Whole grains take much longer to be digested than refined flours. Any bread made from refined grains such as rice flour (a regular gluten free alternative), is likely to trigger the same addictive reaction as rice syrup: both are highly refined. White flour is nearly all starch, another form of sugar…and sugar is one of the most addictive substances on the planet! It’s no wonder, then, that we crave bread, pizza, and anything made with this highly over-processed grain.
A bread that seems to help keep blood sugar balanced better is dense rye bread albeit there could still be an addictive nature to the rye flour. So, a suitable alternative is to consider a naturally grain-free option like coconut flour instead. Give the recipes below a try and see if you feel more in control around sugar and flour foods!

2 Coconut Flour Flatbreads
Ingredients:
 1 1/2 Tablespoons coconut flour
 1 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted
 1 Egg
 1/8 Teaspoon sea salt.
 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix coconut flour, sea salt, and baking powder together until combined.
3. Add egg and melted coconut oil and mix well.
4. Let batter sit for a few minutes to allow the flour to absorb the liquid.
5. Scoop half the batter on baking pan and use a spatula to spread batter into a circle the size of a bun.
6. Repeat using the rest of the batter. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Onion Herb Coconut Flour Biscuits (8-19 small biscuits)
Ingredients:
• 6 Tbs. coconut flour
• 6 Tbs. coconut oil, melted
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup very finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 Tbs. yogurt or coconut milk
• 1 Tbs. fresh chopped herbs (parsley, dill, thyme… whatever you have) OR ¾ tsp. dried herbs
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. apple cider vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
• Preheat the oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Mix together the coconut flour, oil, eggs, onion, garlic, yogurt/coconut milk, and herbs Let sit for 5 minutes; the batter will thicken slightly.
• Mix in the baking soda and vinegar. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the baking sheets. Use the back of a spoon to spread the batter into circles about ½” thick. The batter will not spread very much when baking.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, until moist but cooked through. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving, or they will be too crumbly.

Do you always start a diet on a Monday?

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If so you may be a perfectionist!

Many of us are just because of what we learned as a child and how we tried to please our parents, teachers etc in our aim to do things the right way.

Setting the bar high, can make you successful in many areas of your life but it can make successful long-term weight loss challenging.

The desire for “perfection” is constantly being reinforced by the media displaying what you could have or look like if you just worked a little harder or had more control. When you start a new weight loss program, it’s normal for us to ‘be good’ and follow the rules exactly but most of us will be faced with a challenging time that will test our progress and sabotage our efforts. At that time perfectionists can fall into the all or nothing syndrome. Does this sound familiar?

Perfectionists generally

1. begin dieting on a Monday

2. get cravings for unhealthy foods/drinks or not have the energy for exercise

3. use the words “good” or “bad” to describe certain foods and eating behaviours

4. throw in the towel and go completely off track even after making one unhealthy food choice

5. struggle with feelings of guilt if not perfect.

Being a perfectionist is not great for your self-esteem or weight loss success so follow these simple rules to be more relaxed and to break the pattern:

• Go for an 80/20 approach. Make healthy choices about 80% of the time. The 80/20 approach leaves room for both planned and surprise indulgences.

• Avoid using the words “good” or “bad” to describe you, your food, or your behaviour. Instead, choose the words “supportive” or “unsupportive.” The words “good” and “bad” express judgment and can easily mean “good me” and “bad me.” We often reward ourselves when we’ve been “good” and punish ourselves when we’ve been “bad.” These words promote the all-or-nothing pattern that you’re trying to escape.
• Focus on a range of goals to make you feel happy and energetic and not just food/drink/exercise related ones. Make your goals very realistic if they are to be achieved every day otherwise if you miss one day you will think you have failed and get disappointed and frustrated.
• If you have special occasions or a holiday don’t try to do the impossible. Go into ‘maintenance mode’ to help you relax and enjoy the rest. Focus on being more active and keeping to 3 meals a day – you may be surprised how successful this approach is and come back lighter too!
• Remind yourself that it’s OK to be “average.” Slim people are not perfect; most them simply make healthy choices most of the time.
• Be accountable to a professional. The easiest way to reach your goals and stick with your program is to be accountable to a nutritionist, personal trainer, or life coach. Choose someone who understands what you are going through and has the knowledge to get you through the challenging times.
• Don’t go for the quick fix! Aim to lose smaller amounts consistently, but recognise that plateaus are a normal part of the journey. Remember that slow and steady wins the weight release race!
So, this week just focus on 2 new mini behaviour changes to improve your energy such as 1 pint of water before each of your 3 meals, going to bed earlier and listening to my hypnosis recordings.

Release the perfectionist and weight release will be so much easier.

Cravings for Sugar/Alcohol linked to your Cappuccino?

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So many of us enjoy the occasional ‘posh’ coffee from one of those well-known cafes but have you noticed how the occasional one can become more frequent and soon they become a habitual daily event? I’m finding a link with those clients who eat the Slim for Good way during the day but also enjoy their decaf lattes/cappuccinos.  The link is they get strong cravings in the evenings for carbohydrates/sugar/alcohol.  This can make weight loss challenging as we tend to have less willpower later in the day.

So, let me share with you how much sugar is in a small coffee so that you have the facts and can then choose the best option for you:

Latte Whole Milk 9 grams (2 1/4 teaspoons) and if you think Skimmed Milk would make a difference, well not really 8.8 grams (so just under 2 1/4 teaspoons)

Cappuccino Whole Milk 9.6 grams (almost 2 1/2 teaspoons)

Soya Latte 5.1 grams (1 1/4 teaspoons)

Soya Cappuccino 5.5 grams (just under 1 1/2 teaspoons)

American and Milk 1.3 grams (1/3rd of a teaspoon)

Definitely avoid these:

Chai Latte 17.8 grams (4 1/2 teaspoons)

Mocha Latte 25.9 grams (6 1/2 teaspoons)

Some are now offering Almond and Coconut Milk so I thought I would just share how much sugar they contain in 100ml

Alpro Almond Original 2.4 grams (just over 1/2 teaspoon)

Alpro Almond (unsweetened) 0.1 gram – not worth mentioning!

Alpro Coconut 1.9 gram (just under 1/2 teaspoon)

Adults recommended daily intake of added sugar is 6 teaspoons (Women) and 9 teaspoons (Men).  So, food for thought.  A couple of tips to help avoid these cravings are:

Let’s work together to overcome sugar/alcohol cravings.  If this is a concern for you please view the website and the 14 days beat sugar/alcohol cravings programme.  This is so challenging to do alone and we can support you wherever you are.

Craving Chocolate?

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Magnesium deficiency is so commonly overlooked, which is strange because it is essential for more than 300 different processes in the body with countless functions including heartbeat, muscle movement, and the production of hormones (like our weight-loss ones!). Chocolate is a major source of magnesium and it’s the most frequently craved food in the UK, so could it be that you are using it for self-medication because of dietary deficiencies? Magnesium is used in the regulation of glucose, insulin (both key for weight release) and the neurotransmitter dopamine (one of our feel-good hormones), therefore a deficiency can manifest in the form of intense sugar cravings, especially for chocolate!

Over the last 50 years, there’s been a general decline in the mineral content of our soil where our cereals and vegetables grow. Modern refining techniques have helped to strip magnesium from the food we eat, but even if you choose whole foods and unprocessed foods many of these don’t contain the levels of minerals that they once did.  Have a look at these symptoms, do any apply to you? If so help is on hand!

Many of us find that increasing our magnesium intake can make chocolate cravings go away. Although the occasional piece of dark chocolate indulgence could help too!  The darker the chocolate the more magnesium it contains, so at Slim for Good we recommended 85% chocolate which is low fructose and so much less addictive!

Eating other magnesium-rich foods can helps to keep your chocolate cravings under control and these include: dark leafy greens (particularly spinach), flax seeds, nuts, seeds, soy beans, avocados yoghurt/kefir, figs and bananas.

Because Magnesium is vital for everything from our nerves to our bones and immune system, you might want to consider a supplement particularly if you drink caffeinated drinks (tea/coffee/energy drinks) which are diuretics, and which can quickly deplete our mineral stores.

If you don’t want to take a supplement use Epson Salts or Magnesium Flakes in the bath and relax. (The Flakes are on offer in Revital http://www.revital.co.uk at the time of writing – contact me if you want to use the Slim for Good discount). If you’re going to spend money on a magnesium supplement, it would be best to pick a supplement that will give you the best results so these are recommended:

Magnesium citrate which is inexpensive and easily absorbed. It has a mild laxative effect so good if you suffer with constipation.
Magnesium taurate is the best choice for people with cardiovascular issues, as known to prevent arrhythmias and guard the heart from damage caused by heart attacks. Easily absorbed and it contains no laxative properties.
Magnesium malate is fantastic if you suffer from fatigue.
Magnesium glycinate is one of the most absorbable forms of magnesium, and also the least likely to induce diarrhoea. It is the safest option for correcting a long-term deficiency.

If you are taking medications, just check with your chemist should there be any interactions particularly if you are taking any high blood pressure medication as magnesium can decrease blood pressure which might cause your blood pressure to go too low and if you take any muscle relaxants because magnesium relaxes muscles so it could increase the risk of side effects.

So, it’s time to act and overcome those chocoholic cravings! Do these suggestions and in 3 months you could find that your cravings have disappeared – it’s magic!

Could Probiotics be the missing link to help you lose weight?

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Research into our own bacteria living in our gut has found that these microorganisms strongly influence many aspects of our health including weight loss and overcoming obesity. Could probiotics be the missing link for you?

Everyone has microorganisms (bacteria) known as your gut flora,of which there are about 100 trillion in our intestines. The key is the balance between good and bad gut bacteria. It can get disturbed by things such as antibiotics, sugar, alcohol, a high carbohydrate diet and can cause significant health problems.

Probiotics can help to restore and maintain the healthy balance of bacteria in the gut. But how does it affect our weight?

One study found that certain strains of the Lactobacillus family can help you reduced body fat by 3–4% over a 6-week period. Another study over a 3-month period found women taking the probiotics lost 50% more weight compared to the group taking a placebo. They also continued to lose weight during the weight maintenance phase of the study.

Another impressive study of 210 individuals with high fat around the middle, who took the probiotic Lactobacillus gasseri, saw those individuals lose 8.5% of their tummy fat mass over a period of 12 weeks.

So, food for thought! These supplements are available in the UK (ask if you want advice). I do take probiotics daily and I eat natural yoghurt (without any sugar/sweeteners added as this defeats the purpose of a probiotic yoghurt!). This is still a very new area of research and more information will follow when more studies provide further evidence but I still feel that probiotics can help improve digestion, reduce cravings and help in our weight loss journey.

Could fruit be hurting your waistline?

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Those who know about the Slim for Good Programme, know that I try to make the food element of this programme simple and achievable long-term. For me fruit was a big reason for being overweight because during my 35 years of slimming club dieting I always ate a lot of fruit, when I was being ‘good’ and also when I was being ‘bad’! I told myself that I was being healthy because of fruit’s wonderful nutrients and with most diets having a ‘free fruit option’ I certainly took advantage of that!

What I hadn’t thought about was fruit’s high fructose content and what this would do to my cravings, my mood and my waist line. So let me share some of these facts with you:

o If we eat a lot of fructose, we will crave more
o Foods high in Fructose encourage us to store fat without making us feel full
o Fructose increases our weight
o If we get a lot of your calories from fructose we are wrecking our metabolism
o Sugar (which contains 50% fructose) is more addictive than cocaine & morphine
o Cakes & biscuits are the perfect combination of sugar & fat to alert the reward centre of our brain and release feel good hormones serotonin, dopamine & endorphins – no wonder we want more!

If we remove fructose our appetite control goes back to normal and our weight returns to the normal range and stays, there.

So, I tend to recommend low fructose food at least 80% of the time and ideally not more than 1 portion a day. Low fructose fruits include berries, avocado, oranges, grapefruit & lemon). If you wanted a higher fructose fruit like apples, bananas and grapes, then aim to have at breakfast time rather than the evening so that you can get active and use up that potential fat storing fruit which will help overcome afternoon or evening cravings. Steer away from higher fructose fruit if you are just having a lazy day or sat for a long time at your desk or in the car.

Could Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) work as well as sit-ups for fat around your middle?

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Consuming a daily dose of ACV has been shown to lower body weight, waist measurement and belly fat mass, according to a 2009 study (1) and there are many studies backing up these claims. I am particularly interested in the investigation into ACV’s ability to improve insulin sensitivity. Insulin enables your body’s cells to use energy from glucose in your bloodstream and when levels of insulin remain high after eating a high-carbohydrate meal your body is more likely to store fat. Many over-weight are resistant to insulin, and so will produce more insulin to reduce blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, insulin is known as the ‘fat storing hormone’ so we want as little as possible in our body. One human study showed that adding vinegar at a high-carbohydrate meal improved insulin sensitivity by 34% (2). This is music to my ears!

Getting rid of fat around the middle is much easier if you are fuller for longer and ACV may help you eat less by increasing your feelings of fullness after a meal. A study published that year in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (3) found that when vinegar is consumed with a meal, calorie consumption throughout the rest of the day drops by 200 to 275 calories.
The 12-week study (1) had groups drinking a beverage that contained either two tablespoons of vinegar or no vinegar at all. At the end of the three months, those who consumed the vinegar had a lower body weight, a smaller body mass index, less visceral fat, a smaller waist measurement and lower triglyceride levels than the placebo group.

So, it seems that adding 1 or 2 tablespoons to ½ litre of water before meals can:

• Lowers blood sugar levels
• Improve metabolism
• Reduce fat storage:
• Burn fat:
• Suppresses appetite
• Weight loss

Other benefits of ACV are shown as:
• Improves Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) symptoms
• Decreases cholesterol levels
• Lowers blood pressure

So, ACV is regularly recommended at Slim for Good to complement the hormone balancing diet and is well worth adding to your daily diet, either mixed with olive oil as a salad dressing or I like 1-2 tablespoons per day mixed with water before your 3 meals a day. It’s also best to start off with 1 teaspoon and build up to 1 tablespoon per litre of water. Buy the one ‘with Mother’ that includes all the natural goodness that you need.

It also tastes like diluted wine – so what’s not to like!!

1) Kondo T et al, 2009, Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese subjects.

2) Panayota Mitrou, et al, 2015 Vinegar Consumption Increases Insulin-Stimulated Glucose Uptake by the Forearm Muscle in Humans with Type 2 Diabetes

3) Frost G1, et al 2014 The short-chain fatty acid acetate reduces appetite via a central homeostatic mechanism.

The wonders of lemons for your weight loss & health

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Those who follow the Slim for Good eating habits will know that I constantly recommend 1 pint of lemon water before meals. It’s a simple but delicious drink and has so many other impressive benefits. See below how great it is for your body and mind!

1. Helps weight loss – lemons contain pectin, a type of fibre and helps you feel fuller for longer with less cravings. It encourages your body to process absorption of nutrients from your food more slowly. This helps insulin levels remain steady, you get more nutrients out of the foods you consume, less bloating and less of the fat storing insulin hormone. It’s also a mild diuretic, so you might find yourself using the bathroom more often, but this is good as you will be getting rid of any unwanted toxins and encouraging weight loss.

2. Lemons are alkalizing for your body – they are acidic on their own, but inside our bodies they’re alkaline. In fact, they are one of the most alkaline-forming foods, which is great to balance out acid foods eaten like meats & cheese.

3. Lemons are rich in vitamin C and flavonoids that work against infections like the flu and colds.

4. Aids in digestion and detoxification – It tricks the liver into producing bile, which helps keep food moving through your gastrointestinal tract smoothly. Lemon water also helps relieve indigestion or ease an upset stomach and the citric acid in lemon juice helps to dissolve gallstones, and kidney stones.

5. Keeps you looking younger! The Vitamin C is an antioxidant and helps to neutralize free radicals linked to aging and most types of disease. They fight damage caused by free radicals, keeping your skin looking fresh and keeps the body producing collagen, essential in smoothing out lines in the face so that you get less wrinkles.

6. Good for your eyes – It helps maintain the health of your eyes and helps fight against eye problems

7. Boosts energy and mood – Your body gets energy from food molecules. When negative-charged ions, found in lemons, enter your digestive tract, they result in an increase in energy.
8. Reduces stress – just the scent of a lemon has been found to reduce stress and improve moods. (JK, Graham, et al. Olfactory influences on mood and autonomic, endocrine, and immune function. 2008)
9. Reduces aches and pains – It helps reduce inflammation in joints and knees as it dissolves uric acid

So, start drinking lemon water because, you deserve these health benefits!

Are you being unsuccessful because of your thoughts?

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Have you heard the saying that we are the product of our own thoughts?

Do you have some limiting beliefs that are holding you back from long term success in any area of your life?

Our thoughts & our subconscious mind make or break our success because our thoughts and imagination are a much stronger force than willpower – imagination always wins!

Science has shown that most of us make the critical mistake of trying to make change using our conscious mind and willpower and that’s the reason that most of us don’t achieve our dreams and repeatedly fail.
We need to stop struggling and start focusing our attention on the subconscious part of our mind that deals with habits, routines, attitudes, accomplishments, achievements and beliefs.

The biggest barrier to make long term change is limiting beliefs holding us back and these beliefs live in our subconscious mind, that part is running the show!

So, it’s time to set your mind in the right direction and keep it on track. This is why hypnotherapy is so successful in making changes because it accesses our subconscious mind which makes change so much easier.

If you are successful is so many areas of your life but struggle in one area let me help you. email me and I will send you a free hypnosis recording to help you. keren@slimforgood.co.uk

Stressed or want to lose a few pounds? Buy a cucumber!

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And just add it to water!
Not only does it taste wonderful but it has so many other benefits:

• It’s Great for Weight Release

When you drink a glass of cucumber water, your stomach feels fuller and the taste of cucumber can trick your brain into thinking that you’ve eaten something. You’ll feel more satisfied, and less likely to snack.

• It’s Good for your Muscles & Bones

Cucumbers contain silica, which is essential to keep connective tissue healthy. They are also rich in Vitamin K which helps transport calcium to bones.

• It’s Good for your Skin

Cucumber is full of B vitamins and pantothenic acid. Both help to give you naturally clearer skin and help to balance out the oils.

• Improved Immunity to fight off those Winter bugs!

It is not just Vitamin C that your immune system needs! It also needs Antioxidants which help to fight the free radicals which cause the build up of toxins. Cucumbers are a great antioxidant as well as being a natural diuretic to release toxins.

• It Lowers Blood Pressure

Cucumbers are high in potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure.

• It helps overcome water retentionCucumber adds a lovely flavour which encourages more hydration/detoxing which can reduce water retention throughout your body.

o Cucumbers can help with Stress
Cucumbers contain many vitamins, including Vitamin B, B1, B5, and B7. These vitamins are known to help fight anxiety and stress and are far cheaper than supplements and heathier than medication!

So, give this a go!

And maybe try these special twists to your Cucumber Water:
o Add Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). ACV has so many benefits – but many are not that keen on the taste. If you add a tbsp to a litre of water with cucumber you will not even notice the taste – I promise! But you will gain all the wonderful benefits.
o If you get energy dips, then add some rosemary to your cucumber water. This will add some iron which is essential for energy. Just a few sprigs of fresh rosemary is all you need and it’s also full of magnesium and calcium to help you improve your bone health, and boost your immune system at the same time.

CUCUMBER WATER IS GREAT FOR YOU, YOUR BODY & YOUR WAISTLINE
A WIN/WIN/WIN!
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Do you believe you can lose weight forever? 

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Without the magic of belief, you will probably fail to achieve long term weight release, and this may be the one reason for your yo-yo success/failure pattern.

Using your dynamic power of belief, you can stop dieting and achieve your healthy, happy weight/body size.

So, do this simple exercise to start building your belief:
• Write down what you really desire – make it positive and present tense as though you have already achieved it. Make it exciting and motivating. Don’t ask how or question whether it is possible!
• Now set your subconscious mind into action to help deliver this for you. Again, don’t question that your subconscious mind never sleeps and has the power to perform miracles, but it will NOT take the trouble to work for those who do not believe in it. You must feel and think and see yourself already being successful
• Use the following mirror technique to strengthen your belief in just 5 minutes!
 Look in a mirror
 Breathe deeply 3 or 4 times until you feel a sense of power, strength and determination
 Look into the very depths of your eyes
 Say to yourself “I am releasing thoughts that have held me back & I demand that this time I’m successful & slim for good”. Say it aloud if possible so that you can see your lips move and you can hear the words.
 Make a regular ritual of it. Practice daily – maybe every time you clean your teeth. You will be surprised and delighted by the results!
 Within a few days you will have developed a sense of confidence and belief that you never thought possible.
 Don’t tell anyone you are doing this! Keep it secret because it may appear a little whacky and a lot of people won’t understand!

Don’t try to lose weight with willpower – you will fail! Use your imagination, it’s far easier and much more fun!
Whatever we focus our thoughts and imagination on, is what we attract.

See your exciting written goals daily so that your subconscious mind accepts it. Listening to my hypnosis recordings will also help to imprint these into your mind.

Stop sabotaging my weight loss!

Habits can sabotage our weight loss success. Habits can be just our thoughts such as “I wish I could lose weight but I bet I won’t”. I believe that THOUGHTS ARE THINGS and so an ‘innocent but negative’ thought can manifest in negative behaviours and actions. Wanting to lose weight and even writing it down won’t make it happen we must recondition our mind to believe that we can achieve it. 

For most people, particularly yo-yo dieters, the biggest barrier is that we don’t believe it will happen and if we don’t believe it is almost guaranteed that it won’t. This belief lives in our subconscious mind and that part is running the show!If you focus on 10 pounds you want to lose your brain focuses on the 10 pounds and it will look for all negative information in your brain which will back up any negative weight loss belief you have and ignore all the positive support which could help you be slim long term.

If you don’t change your mind you will forget about staying on your healthy eating/exercise programme and go into automatic eating pilot. Any change that takes us out of our comfort zone sends chemical signal to our nervous system. Our mind interprets this at doubt, fear and anxiety = danger. You will then be stepping out of the normal comfortable range and you will be steered back to comfort and what you normally do. 

So, acknowledge your fears and doubts but replace them with what you really want, so that the resistance gets less every day.The key is to do this daily – our mind loves repetition. Take some time to write down your negative beliefs about your weight loss and then write down what you really want – For example “I can’t say no to chocolates” v “I can say no to chocolate and everyday this gets easier to do” “I will always be a yo-yo dieter” v “This time I am determined to keep to my new healthy weight, I can do this”. ​

This is a simple technique but it works we just have to do it daily until it becomes our new belief.

So go for it, you can do it this time!

Does your metabolism need a boost?

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The more muscle mass we have the higher our metabolism and every year as we age our muscle mass reduces naturally (about 5% every 10 years from age 30). So, if we don’t protect our muscle mass we will lose it which usually results in us gaining more fat even though we may not be eating more.

The number of calories we burn depends on the size of our meal, the ratio of carbohydrates to protein to fat and the amount of fibre in the meal, caffeine content and spiciness. The harder our body must work to digest what we eat the higher our metabolic rate.

So, it’s time to get your body working so that you start burning fat and not storing it. Here are a few tips to help you:

 Love your liver! It’s responsible for burning the most fat in your body. Things that your liver struggles with are: too much sugar, too much alcohol, too much saturated fat, too much caffeine as well as toxins from antibiotics, painkillers, hormone replacement medications etc). Give it a rest! If you need help, try my 14-day programme to support your liver.

 Avoid high-fructose corn syrup – it’s in so many processed foods. When you eat it, your body releases lots and lots of insulin which decreases your metabolism. It also reduces your appetite suppressing hormone Leptin. Fructose is more readily metabolised to fat in the liver than glucose. Try to avoid high fructose foods (ask me for a list).

 Avoid artificial sweeteners – they make you crave sugary foods and can lead to overeating (so no diet drinks!)

 Add some spice! red peppers, salsa, cayenne pepper, chilli, paprika, tabasco will all give your metabolism a boost (up to 50% for 3 hours after digestion).

 Add protein to each meal – your body will have to work twice as hard to digest it when compared to carbohydrates and fat. Not only will it increase your metabolism, but it also enhances the effect of leptin which helps you feel full. Always combining protein with carbohydrates slows down absorption and reduce the production of excess insulin – so a win win.
 Eat carbohydrates early in the day – carbohydrates are easily metabolised into fat, eat then early in the day so that your body has plenty of time to metabolise them. Exercising in the morning will also help to burn off those carbohydrates.

Incorporate these tips into your daily routine and start to see your metabolism fire up and your energy soar!

BUSTING SOME MYTHS ABOUT FAT IN YOUR DIET!

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If I learned anything during my 35 years of low fat yo-yo dieting, ironically, it’s that we need fat to stay slim and healthy. About 30% of your daily intake in fact. So why is this counter-intuitive idea so important?

Saturated fats serve essential functions including building cell walls, mineral absorption & absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E & K. Avoiding fat over the last 40 years has been cited to have increased the risk of obesity and heart disease (1). When food manufacturers reduce fat, they often replace it with sugar, refined grains or artificial sweeteners. Our bodies digest these very quickly, raising blood sugar and insulin levels, possibly resulting in weight gain and illness. (2 – 5).

So rather than adopting a low-fat diet, just make sure that you avoid “bad” trans-fat which can be found in some margarines, vegetable oils, cakes, pastries, ice cream, bread and fast/convenience foods. Check food labels to see if hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils are listed early on the list and before polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oils; if so you know the product contains lots of trans fat.

If you are worried about your cholesterol, it may surprise you that about 85 percent of the cholesterol in your bloodstream is manufactured in your liver and not directly from the cholesterol that you eat. A better idea would be to check that your liver is functioning well (my 14-day detox will tick that box! -https://slimforgood.co.uk/prod...
Fats are an essential nutrient, a primary energy source and play a significant role in weight management, healthy skin & hair, immune function, memory, mood and hormonal balance.

You can make sure that you eat essential fats daily by including these foods:
• Oily Fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring)
• Nuts
• Nut Butters
• Seeds
• Flax Seeds
• Olive Oil
• Avocados

So, don’t fear fat; sugar and refined carbs are the enemy!

References
1. Dr Aseem Malhotra British Medical Journal, Saturated fat is not the major issue, 2013
2. Siri-Tarino, P.W., et al., Saturated fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease: modulation by replacement nutrients. Curr Atheroscler Rep, 2010. 12(6): p. 384-90.
3. Hu, F.B., Are refined carbohydrates worse than saturated fat? Am J Clin Nutr, 2010. 91(6): p. 1541-2.
4. Jakobsen, M.U., et al., Intake of carbohydrates compared with intake of saturated fatty acids and risk of myocardial infarction: importance of the glycemic index. Am J Clin Nutr, 2010. 91(6): p. 1764-8.
5. Hu, F.B., et al., Dietary fat intake and the risk of coronary heart disease in women. N Engl J Med, 1997. 337(21): p. 1491-9.

weight loss and I am thrilled.  The eating principles are sensible and easy to follo…

Fake it ’til you make it!

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Our feelings drive us to overeat: “This cake will make me feel better” and diets don’t stop those feelings or what we believe, they only briefly suppress them because feelings and beliefs always overcome reasoning and they always win. When we are overweight our beliefs about our weight (I’m big boned, I have a sweet tooth, I have my mum’s genes, my metabolism is sluggish etc) keep us at what our mind presumes is our ‘comfortable’ size and it will do everything in it's power to get us back there (hence why keeping the weight off is the challenging part and why most people are yo-yo dieters).

When you were born you could leave food, you would say no easily and stop when full. Babies only eat when hungry not when they are tired, unwell or irritable! We have become conditioned over time to link food to comfort and to feeling good, but our mind can change, and it still remembers how to eat normally like a baby. Everything we do is linked to avoiding pain (our main survival mechanism) or gaining pleasure. The real challenge is when we link pain and pleasure to the same thing because our mind gets confused: “Cakes are delicious, but I can’t have them because they make me fat”.

You can change these feelings and beliefs, and then your body will change long term and here are a few tips:

• Eating when you are stressed does not end the stress but having a hot drink is beneficial as it releases endorphins in the brain and improves moods (hence the coffee shop habit!). So, avoid caffeine that only makes you more stressed and encourages weight storage around your waist! Choose a healthy drink like my favourite dandelion coffee with hot coconut & almond milk – yummy! and put your feet up and relax.

• Our words become our reality and our mind believes that every word you say. If you tell yourself, “I’m starving”, “I could eat a horse” your brain believes it and encourage you to overeat. So, change what you are saying to yourself:

• “I’m hopeless” replace with “I am getting better every day”

• “I can’t stop eating” replace with “I am more in control every day”

• “I feel so low” replace with “I could be feeling better, give me more energy”

Your mind believes what you tell it and then works to make you feel and act in ways that match the pictures you make in your mind.

SO FAKE IT 'TIL YOU MAKE IT!​

Don’t use negative words or pictures. Stop punishing yourself. Praise yourself more and you will find it easier to change.A

The #mind magic element of the Slim for Good Programme really helps to change these feelings and beliefs to help long term weight loss. You can access this via the monthly members site. At the moment it is just £10 per month via PayPal (normally £14 per month but insert this discount code 4off218 to get £4 off! and you can cancel at any time)

You have nothing to lose except inches!

Increase your feel-good hormone and reduce your appetite! 

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When we have optimal level of Serotonin within our brain we don’t overeat carbohydrates or overdrink alcohol and we sleep well.
Plus, we feel:
 Hopeful, optimistic
 Calm
 Patient
 Caring & loving
 Able to concentrate
 Creative
 Focused

As we get older and with our daily stresses our levels of serotonin are compromised, which can result in low mood, anxiety, insomnia, cravings and weight gain.

Serotonin is made in the body, but it needs enough raw materials to be produced. In brief, serotonin is made from amino acids (proteins) called Tryptophan (foods high in tryptophan include eggs, cheese, tofu, salmon, nuts and seeds and turkey). Tryptophan is broken down in to 5HTP and this is changed into serotonin.
Unfortunately, many things inhibit or reduce the rate of conversion to 5HTP and these include stress, sluggish liver function, low levels of B vitamins (especially B6 and B3), low magnesium levels and insensitivity to insulin. Hence the reason for this blog because these tend to be issues for those who are overweight!

So, think about taking a 5HTP supplement to help you stick with your healthy eating programme and build long-term weight-loss success. It can help reduce your appetite and cravings for carbohydrates/alcohol (Ceci et al. 1989). The best time to take it for weight loss is in the morning or about 30 minutes before meals. Take it on an empty stomach to help it be absorbed faster and to increase the effects.
If boosting your mood is your priority linked to overcoming emotional eating, take a 5-HTP supplement any time you’re feeling a little low.
If you want to improve your sleep so that you have more energy for weight-loss, it’s a good idea to take 5-HTP around an hour before going to sleep. Your brain converts 5-HTP to both serotonin and melatonin (S Esteban et al., 2004 Dec); which is responsible for healthy sleeping patterns.

This can really help!
I like the Cytoplan supplement because it contains B6 and magnesium which is a great combination to boost the mood-boosting effects. CLICK HERE FOR CYTOPLAN
DON’T TAKE WITH ANTI-DEPRESSENTS (AS THEY DO THE SAME JOB) & DON’T TAKE IF PREGNANT.

1. Cangiano, C., Ceci, F., Cascino, A., Del Ben, M., Laviano, A., Muscaritoli, M., … & Rossi-Fanelli, F. (1992). Eating behavior and adherence to dietary prescriptions in obese adult subjects treated with 5-hydroxytryptophan. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 56(5), 863-867.
2. Effect of orally administered L-tryptophan on serotonin, melatonin, and the innate immune response in the rat, S Esteban et al., Mol Cell Biochem. 2004 Dec;267(1-2):39-46.
3. The effects of oral 5-hydroxytryptophan administration on feeding behavior in obese adult female subjects, F Ceci et al., J Neural Transm. 1989;76(2):109-17.

Stop Cravings With An Elastic Band!

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CRAVINGS CAUSE us to desire food, while habits cause us to eat UNCONSCIOUSLY.

We need to find methods of breaking the link between a craving and a habit and the shorter the time spent craving food, the more quickly you will break the habit.

Have you noticed the moment when you first crave something?  It starts with a thought and it creeps up on you.  You are doing well and eating sensibly and then suddenly you crave sugars and fats (chocolate/crisps/toast etc?  Your mind goes back to a point when you craved it before and immediately focuses on satisfying that craving and the wonderful smell, taste and those fantastic feelings (dopamine high) that satisfied your desire.  Your brain goes into overdrive.  You go into a form of trance & you indulge – you just can’t resist!

HELP IS AVAILABLE IN AN ELASTIC BAND!

Rubber Band Ball

The band will give you a small amount of pain which for an instant will take your mind away from the cravings you are experiencing. Then do something else that fulfils what you really need (comfort/distraction from boredom etc).  This will start to change the routine.

You will also soon relate a little pain with cravings and not pleasure.

This may seem strange but it will shorten the period of craving and break the resulting habit because the craving is a trigger to your unconscious behaviour, and when the trigger is broken so the habits will stop being stimulated.  The statement “STOP” is a reminder that you are in control and “I AM SATISFIED” is an affirmation which you brain will interpret as being satisfied nutritionally and emotionally and stop comfort eating.