If you ate too much at Thanksgiving dinner, it’s probably not a big deal. But for many people, Thanksgiving is the beginning of a six week period of eating too much, and bingeing on way too many of the wrong foods. Of course, the easy access to food makes it difficult to resist. During the holiday season, so many people bring in “treats” to work, like cookies, cake and donuts. Therefore many people start gaining weight over the holidays that they usually never burn off, and so starts the cycle of gaining weight year after year.
But if you caught the Dr. Oz show last week, you realize that carrying excess weight is much more than a cosmetic issue. In fact, while most people know that being overweight is linked to heart disease and diabetes, many are surprised to hear how much it contributes to cancer. It’s now estimated that 1 in 3 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. But you can substantially minimize your chances of being diagnosed with the most common cancers by achieving a healthy weight.
However, if you have tried to lose weight by listening to the most popular health advice out there, you’ve probably discovered that it doesn’t work. For example, I was recently talking to a woman who told me she doesn’t understand why she can’t lose weight since she doesn’t eat much at all, and she rarely eats sweets, and she eats a lot of “low fat” and “low cholesterol” options. So what’s the problem? First, infrequent eating often works against you, because it slows your metabolism and creates wide swings in your blood sugar levels. Second, losing weight is much more about what you do eat than what you don’t eat. While it’s good to avoid a lot of sweets, it’s even more essential to get the right foods in every day. And finally, many of the packaged foods labeled “low fat” or “low cholesterol” are loaded with sugar and refined grains and artificial flavors. These strategies will not lead to weight loss.
I’ve spent a lot of time learning the research on what really leads to weight loss and reversal of chronic diseases, and I’ve learned how to cut through all the confusing information out there and get to the simple truths of what our bodies really need for optimal health. It doesn’t require laboriously counting calories, starving yourself with the hCG diet, or depriving your body of essential nutrients on a low carbohydrate diet.
Starting in January, A Healthy Tomorrow is launching our brand new Online Health Club, where I will lay out step by step the journey to permanent weight loss and incredible health gain for children and adults. The first month is free! Look for more details over the next few weeks.
Here’s a tip to get you started on your journey to a healthy weight:
Eat beans every day. Beans are high in fiber, filling, a great source of protein, and very versatile and inexpensive. Don’t like beans? Try this: grind up the cooked beans in a blender and mix the pureed beans into another dish. For great bean recipes, visit http://www.beanbible.com