If you’ve noticed that a pair of your old jeans fits a little tighter than a year ago, you are not alone. 2020 was an unforgettable year for many reasons, one of which was the global pandemic that struck. Everyone tried to do what they could to stay safe, and during periods of crisis, looking at the scale was not a high priority.
“We were blinded by the coronavirus pandemic. When the virus hit and the quarantine hit us, most of us went to stress eating, and many gained weight, known as quarantine 15 or Covid 19,” he explains. Dr. Daryl Gioffre, certified functional nutritionist and author of Get rid of your acid and Get rid of your sugar.
It was not uncommon to find between piles of toilet paper and disinfectant wipes, many homes also loaded on ice cream, potato chips, cakes – classic comfort foods. And that created a problem.
“The more stress you have and the more sugar you eat, the more addicted you become. When we’re under stress and we stress, the first thing we do is reach the worst, and that is comfort food“Says Dr. Gioffre.” Comfort foods are loaded with sugar, and the reality is that they do not comfort us at all. They can give you the immediate satisfaction due to the dopamine hit you get [but], it actually increases the stress in your body because these foods loaded with sugar are very acidic and lead to inflammation in our bodies. And the more sugar you eat, the more you will burn for energy and therefore the more sugar you will crave. It literally becomes a vicious circle that feeds on sugar addiction. “
It was not just what people ate that played a role in their quarantine weight. The fact that everyone had to stay did not help, as this made many people move less daily.
“Add to that, most of us stopped exercising and moved less when we increased our session with Zoom meetings. This was literally a perfect storm for weight gain, among many other health problems that people have suffered from,” says Dr. Gioffre.
But now it’s time to turn the latest weight gain!
So how do you do it exactly?
Do not worry – Dr. Gioffre explains that it is much easier to start adopting healthier habits right now than you may realize. Here are some simple things you can do to help you lose those pounds. Check out these 15 underrated weight loss tips that actually work to keep you on track as well.
“At meals or when you feel hungry, you want to eat foods that strengthen your body, foods that strengthen your energy, foods that strengthen your immune system, your focus and mental clarity and foods that make you burn fat, not sugar,” says Dr. . Gioffre.
Here’s what you should aim to see a mix of on your plate:
- Green: green juices, green smoothies, green soups, green salads
- Healthy fats: avocado, raw nuts (almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts), raw seeds (chia, flax, hemp), crude oils (EVOO, avocado, coconut oil, MCT oil)
- Moderate protein from a pure source: 2 to 4 ounces (wild-caught fish, grass-fed, grazed meat)
- Fiber-rich slow-burning carbohydrates: quinoa, wild rice, sweet potatoes, butternut squash (½ cup per meal)
“This is what a strength-eating plate should look like, where you should fill your body with two (if intermittent fasting) or three meals a day and not graze, which makes you long for more sugar,” he explains.
“Start with meal planning with what you can add – dark leafy vegetables, healthy fats and nutritious foods that are high in alkaline and low acids, low in sugar compared to limiting your meals to what you can not have,” says Dr. Gioffre. “When you start adding the good stuff, it will soon outweigh the bad stuff.”
So what other foods should you add more of to your diet?
“Add mineral-rich foods such as red peppers, Brussels sprouts, spinach and avocados that are not only full of minerals but also healthy fats,” suggests Dr. Gioffre. And talking about …
“When most of us want to lose weight, we think we need to avoid eating fat, but it’s one of the biggest mistakes we make,” says Dr. Gioffre. “To burn fat, you need to eat more fat to burn fat. Once you have started adding the fats, you will feel full so much longer that you will not only have room for carbohydrate-rich foods, but will also have an appetite for them as well. “
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You do not have to completely give up what you like to eat to lose the unwanted weight!
“Start by choosing a better version of the things you love. Once you have decided on that habit, take it to the next level with an even better version and ultimately the best version,” says Dr. Gioffre. “For example, instead of having milk chocolate, have dark chocolate (better) and [then] instead of dark chocolate, have raw cocoa. Dieting and deprivation can actually cause sugar cravings! Strength eating focuses on moderation, never deprivation. “
“Weight gain is an acid and inflammation problem. When we become toxic, inflamed and over acid from stress and stress eating, our body must stick to fat to buffer or neutralize these toxins, so that they do not damage our more important and vital organs like ours. lungs, liver, heart, brain, kidneys and blood, “explains Dr. Gioffree. “The body literally binds these toxins to our adipose tissue or fat and puts them into our connective tissue, which I call the body’s acid magnets (your stomach, buttocks, etc.) so to burn fat and lose weight, you have to remove your acid. Detoxifying the body with alkalizing foods will kick the acid and fat attached to it. “
The easiest way to do that is to start getting green. Or sipping on green, we should say.
“That’s why the core of a strength-eating diet begins with green juice, Says Dr. Gioffree. Many years ago, when I was addicted to sugar, I added two things – I drank two green juices a day and bounced on a rebounder (mini trampoline) for 10 minutes. Within 21 days, my lifelong addiction to sugar and stress eating was gone, and in just under four months, I lost 42 pounds[42 kg]and became a fat burner. “
Do not think that you will magically change your diet and lose the weight you recently gained overnight. It takes time! So do not be too hard on yourself and even if you are slowly making changes, it is all steps in the right direction to reverse any new weight gain.
To really go from stress-eating to strength-eating, you need to give your body what it needs to break free from its addiction to sugar – minerals that help curb cravings; healthy fats to encourage the transition to fat burning so drive to replenish glucose is reduced , the right proteins to provide lasting energy and lifestyle changes that give you alternative tools to keep yourself fulfilled, rewarded and relaxed, says Dr. Gioffre. “It’s not like turning a switch; it’s a slow building where you add more of the good things so that the unhealthy things you have eaten naturally start to fall away. “
