Weight Loss is a Byproduct

So, what is eating well? Eating well is eating enough food to satisfy your hunger. But more importantly to provide your body with adequate nutrition to function optimally.

The foods you need to eat for your health and weight loss objectives are what our species was meant to eat. If we want to live long healthy lives, we need to embrace unprocessed foods full of fiber. These foods are fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.

For those trying to gain weight, eating nuts, seeds, and avocados are the healthiest way to keep some body fat. But for most of us, that would be the problem of our dreams.

So, what’s the fastest way to derail your health and gain a lot of weight? Highly processed foods containing salt, oil, sugar, flour, and alcohol. Sure, they can be delicious, but they are highly addictive and have little to no nutritional value.

TOXIC FOOD

If you are carrying extra fat on your body, this is a sign of imbalance. Your body is trying to survive the onslaught of toxins that you eat on the Standard American Diet.

This extra fat storage is a safety mechanism to protect the body. Toxins are not just pesticides and heavy metals. Processed foods use a lot of preservatives, colorings, stabilizers and emulsifiers. Our bodies do not recognize these things as food so, to the body, they are toxins.  

Think back to when you initially started overeating a diet high in processed food and low in real food. That's when your digestive system went into overdrive. And your cleansing organs started to work harder to keep up with the greater supply of toxic food.

Your poor liver, to keep up with the constant onslaught of toxic food had to find a way of safely storing the toxins. So, the most efficient way to store the extra toxins was to 'bubble wrap' the toxin in a fat cell.

This is so the toxins wouldn’t poison the blood stream and hence the whole body. As a result, more and more fat needed to be stored to protect the body. So, extra fat/weight is the result of the body’s attempt to keep you alive and functioning.

By cutting off the supply of toxic food, it gives your body a chance to catch up on its housekeeping. The body can return to balance. The liver and kidneys don’t have to work so hard. The stomach can heal and become more efficient at emptying. The small intestines become more efficient with absorption and assimilation of nutrients. And the large intestines, on a high fiber diet, become more efficient at elimination.

If you eat a clean nutrient rich diet, your body will be able to stop storing toxins in the fat cells. And then safely release the toxins through elimination.

You will notice that your blood Ph will improve on an alkalinizing diet. Your energy will return. Your aches and pains will disappear. You will have a feeling of wellbeing as your body has a chance to do some serious housecleaning and repair. Finally, your body will be able to release the extra fat and safely get rid of the extra toxins.

CALORIC DENSITY

So, what foods have the highest caloric density? Processed foods, in particular fats and oils, and foods with little or no fiber.

​The foods with the lowest are vegetables, fruit, whole grains and legumes. These foods are high in fiber and water.

By eating only foods high in fiber and water, you are eating a diet that is low in caloric density. This means you can eat A LOT of these foods and still lose weight. This is because they are full of nutrients but low in calories.

By not consuming fats of any kind, you are reducing your daily caloric intake by hundreds of calories.

Remember why we are eating. It’s not for entertainment. It is not to escape our emotions. It is to fuel our bodies in the best possible way so that we can live long and healthy lives.

MY STORY

It is a rare beast indeed who can be obese and have no other health concerns. At my heaviest, I had so many other health issues. But alas I didn’t make the connection between my health issues and what was on my fork.

Not until I started eating this way did those health issues disappear. My acid reflux and stomach issues were the first things to improve. Shortly after, all my aches and pains from tendonitis disappeared. Finally, my thyroid function improved so I didn’t need to take medication. But the last to go completely was the extra weight.

This doesn’t mean that everything has to heal before there is a change on the scale. It means that with a consistent diet your whole body will steadily improve. So not only is weight loss a byproduct of eating well but also glowing health and that's great news.