Waist vs Weight (4)

What the numbers on the bathroom scale really mean/daily weight fluctuations

We all know the frustration of working hard to maintain a healthy body weight, only to step on the bathroom scale and see the numbers going in the wrong direction – or not quickly enough in the right direction!  

Here are 6 truths about those annoyingly normal daily weight fluctuations:

1 – Scale weight is not a true measurement of your health.

It is simply one of many variables you should be taking into account to determine if you are approaching or maintaining your optimal body weight.

2 – When you wake up after fasting – usually for around 12 hours, you’re completely dehydrated and at your lowest weight of the day 

This is why it’s recommended to weigh yourself first thing in the morning after you’ve voided, and before you eat or drink anything.

3 – Speaking of voiding

You can experience daily weight fluctuations of 1-3+ lbs due to waste that could be lingering in your large colon. Who knew poop could be so heavy? 

Be sure to keep the bowels moving with plenty of fluids, plant-based fibre and targeted supplementation, if necessary.

4 – Your scale doesn’t just weigh fat

 It weighs muscle, bone, organs, water, and as you just learned – poop!

When you lose weight, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve lost body fat as the average bathroom scale has no way of telling you what bodily tissues you’ve lost. Weighing “skinny” on the scale does not always translate into healthy off the scale.

  • FACT: The more muscle you have the more energy your body burns, even when you’re just sitting around – due to the fact that it’s a metabolically active tissue. That’s one reason why a fit, active person is generally able to eat more than say the chronic dieter who is unknowingly breaking down and losing muscle.

5 – Likewise, the scale can’t tell if you’ve gained muscle.

Building muscle makes it possible to drop clothing sizes (and lose inches) without a significant change, if any, in scale weight.

  • THINK OF IT LIKE THIS: a pound of muscle is like a small, compact brick, whereas a pound of fat is like a bulky, lumpy pillow. So that’s why when you gain muscle and lose fat, your figure appears slimmer and more firm – but your scale weight may not change much.

6 – For all the ladies out there…it’s not you, it’s your HORMONES! 

Some women can gain up to 10 lbs right before or during their period. No joke. This is because of the natural drop in Progesterone just before your period often causes digestive issues like water retention and constipation. And, let’s not forget how heavy poop can be!

Our bodies also tend to lose Magnesium in the days before menstruation, which drives our Insulin levels up leading to an increase in food cravings – especially for sugar.

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that keeps blood sugar levels in check but is also considered a fat storage hormone.

  • THE BOTTOM LINE: these yo-yoing numbers have nothing to do with your long-term progress and they are just part of the overall health optimization journey.

Simply do your best to maintain an overall healthy lifestyle and understand that daily weight fluctuations are completely normal!

The scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That’s it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength or love

Recipe  (Papaya Avocado Berry Salad – serves 2)

Here’s a fresh, high-fibre, plant-powered recipe to keep that digestive system happy and moving along as it should. (no heavy poop or bloated bellies weighing you down here!)

Combine the following in a medium bowl:

– 1 medium papaya, diced

– 1 medium avocado, diced

– ¾ cup jicama, diced

– ⅓ cup fresh berries, sliced or whole

– 2 Tbs or 4 halves walnuts, chopped & toasted

Then make the dressing:

Berry Balsamic Salad Dressing

– 2 cups mixed fresh berries, frozen thawed ok (like blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries)

– ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

– ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

– 1 Tb fresh citrus juice (like lemon, lime or orange juice)

– 2 tsp honey, unpasteurized

– 1 tsp Dijon or spicy mustard

– 1/8 teaspoon Himalayan Pink or Grey/Celtic Sea salt

– Freshly ground pepper to taste

Optional additions: to kick your dressing up a notch, add 1 small clove garlic, chopped &/or 1 Tb finely chopped fresh thyme leaves.

Instructions:

In a blender or mini food processor, puree berries. Place a small strainer over a bowl. Pour pureed berries into strainer, pressing with the back of a spoon to remove the seeds. Return pureed berries to blender or food processor. 

Add all remaining ingredients except oil; process until smooth. Add the oil slowly (by teaspoons), again until smooth. Taste, then add more honey, salt and pepper if desired.

Gently toss the salad with 2-3 Tbs of the dressing. Enjoy!

References

New Health Guide: Weight Gain During Period

Dairy-Free

Going Dairy Free

If you’re reading this, you likely are or are considering going dairy-free. You may have an intolerance, have been told to eliminate dairy, or just want to have less of it.

Either way, dairy is not an essential nutrient, and there are lots of things you can have instead. 

These include not just milk, but also yogurt, butter, parmesan, and even pudding and ice cream!

Dairy-free products are becoming more and more popular. Nowadays you can easily find them in the grocery store. But read your labels! Some contain way too much sugar, or other ingredients you may not want to eat or drink.

I’ve put together some simple recipes to make delicious dairy-free foods right in your kitchen.

Go ahead and try my dairy substitutes.

Dairy-free milk

Dairy-free milk is so easy to make and flavour yourself. You can make milk out of just about any nut or seed. You can even make alternative milk out of grains like rice, oats, or quinoa. And you can flavour them too.

It just takes a high-powered blender, some water, and cheesecloth to filter out any remaining bits.

For flavouring, you can add a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, or vanilla extract. You can also sweeten your milk with soaked dates, maple syrup, or honey.

To make a super-simple dairy-free milk just soak ½ cup of almonds, coconut, or even hemp seeds for a few hours (if you have the time). Soaking is optional, but it makes the blending process easier and the final milk creamier. Then drain the soaking water, rinse, and add to a blender with 2 cups of fresh water. Blend on high until smooth (about 1 minute). Add your flavourings, if desired. Then strain through a nut milk bag, fine mesh strainer, or a few layers of cheesecloth.

If you want to make a dairy-free cream, just blend your nuts, seeds and/or grains with 1 cup of water instead of 2 for a thicker, creamier, dairy-free milk.

Dairy-free yogurt

Technically, with the right yogurt starter probiotic culture, you can make yogurt out of any dairy-free milk. The most common one to ferment into yogurt is coconut milk. But you can use almond milk or other nut or seed milk.

The trick here is with the fermentation. Follow the instructions on the label of the yogurt starter culture, and enjoy delicious dairy-free yogurt in a few days.

Dairy-free butter alternatives

Nut and seed butter is a fabulous substitute for dairy butter. Plus, they have the bonus of fibre, protein, and other nutrients that real butter doesn’t have.

Have you tried coconut oil? It’s a great dairy-free substitute for butter. You can fry with it, or even bake with it. You can even use it to pop popping corn in a pot on your stove.

I love the mild flavour of coconut oil in anything I bake with bananas. It tastes better than butter anyway.

Dairy-free parmesan

If you haven’t tried nutritional yeast, you will be pleasantly surprised at how much it tastes like grated parmesan. Plus, it contains some B vitamins as well.

It’s a salty, cheesy, flaky powder that you can use wherever you want to add a pop of savoury flavour to any dish.

TIP: After you’ve popped your popcorn, sprinkle it with a bit of nutritional yeast for a salty, cheesy flavour.

Dairy-free puddings

Did you know you can make a delicious and thick pudding without dairy? That’s right; the plant kingdom has some natural thickeners that are full of fibre.

You can make a chocolate pudding with avocado. Take one whole avocado and blend it up with ¼ cup cocoa powder, ¼ cup dairy-free milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and honey or maple syrup to taste. Then add dairy-free milk to thin if desired.

For chocolate chia pudding, use ⅓ cup chia seeds and place in food processor with 1.5 cups dairy-free milk. Wait for 5-10 minutes until the seeds soak up the liquid. Then add ¼ cup cocoa powder, tsp vanilla extract, and honey or maple syrup to taste. Blend into a smooth pudding.

Dairy-free ice cream

N’ice cream is another delicious dessert made with frozen bananas. I’ve included the recipe for this below.

Dairy-free is easy! Making delicious dairy-free yogurt, milk, butter, parmesan flavour, and even pudding and ice cream is simple.

Are you going to try any of these recipes? Do you have a great one to share as well?

Let us know in our Instagram!

Recipe (dairy-free): Chocolate Almond N’ice Cream

Ingredients (Serves 2)

2 bananas, chopped and frozen

1 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened

2 tbsp almond butter, unsweetened

Instructions

1 – Add chopped frozen bananas to a food processor. Pulse or lightly blend until almost smooth.

2 – Add cocoa powder and nut butter. Pulse or lightly blend until mixed.

Serve immediately & enjoy!

Tip: Try different nut and/or seed butter. Or instead of cocoa powder and/or seed butter, use just the bananas with a ½ cup of frozen berries. The recipe combinations are endless.

References:

https://www.thepaleomom.com/the-great-dairy-debate/

https://www.thepaleomom.com/5-easy-swaps-favorite-dairy-products/

http://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dairy-substitutes

https://yumuniverse.com/plant-powerful-dairy-free-milk/

Weight Loss Myths

Common Weight Loss Myths Busted

Weight loss advice is so common (and contentious) now. There are competing opinions everywhere.

I say, forget about “who’s right” and let’s focus on “what’s right.” Because what gets results is what I’m focusing on in this post.

I respect you too much to make empty promises and try to sell you on something that doesn’t work.

There are too many weight loss myths out there. I’m going to tackle the top ones I come across in my practice.

Myth: Calories cause weight gain, and fewer calories are the path to weight loss

Calories are important for weight loss. If you eat and absorb a ton more than you use, then your body’s wisdom will store some for later. Calories matter.

But, they are not the “be-all and end-all” of weight loss; they’re important, but they’re the symptom, not the cause. Let’s think about the reasons people eat more calories. Let’s focus on the causes.

People eat too many calories, not because they’re hungry, but because they feel sad, lonely, or bored. Or maybe because they’re tired or stressed. Or maybe even because they’re happy and celebrating.  And all these feelings interact with our gastrointestinal, nervous and hormonal systems; all of which influence our calorie intake.

Myth: “Eat less move more” is good advice

Well, then we’re all in tip-top shape, right? Because people have been doling out this advice (myth) for years.

The premise of this is based on the above myth that calories in minus calories out equals your weight. So, eat fewer calories, and burn off more calories (because human physiology is a simple math equation, right?). 

Even if people can happily and sustainably follow this advice (which they can’t!); it completely negates other factors that contribute to weight problems. Things like the causes of overeating we mentioned above. Not to mention our genetics, health conditions we’re dealing with or our exposure to compounds that are “obesogenic.” 

Myth: A calorie is a calorie

Can we please put this one to bed already?

Science has confirmed several caloric components of food differ from others. For example, the “thermic effect of food” (TEF) is that some nutrients require calories to be metabolized. They can slightly increase your metabolism, just by eating them. 

For example, when you metabolize protein you burn more calories than when you metabolize carbohydrates. Proteins and carbohydrates both have 4 calories/gram; but, the TEF of protein = 15–30%; and the TEF for carbohydrates = 5–10%. 

Here’s another example of a calorie not being a calorie. Different fats are metabolized differently. Medium chain triglycerides (fats) (MCTs) have the same 9 calories/gram that other fats do; but, they’re metabolized by the liver before getting into the bloodstream and therefore aren’t utilized or stored the same way as other fats.

#acalorieisnotacalorie

Myth: Buy this supplement/tea/food/magic potion to lose weight

There is no magic pill for weight loss. No supplement, tea, food, or other potion will do the trick.

There are products that make these claims, and they’re full of garbage (or shall I say “marketing gold?”). The only thing you will lose is your money (and possibly your hope). So, please don’t believe this myth. There is a reason most people who lose weight can’t keep it off. The real magic is in adopting a sustainable holistic and healthy approach to living your life. What you need is a long-term lifestyle makeover, not a product.

Weight loss is hard! There are too many people out there trying to make it sound like they have the simple solution (or the latest and greatest!). 

Don’t fall for the myths that say:

  • Calories cause weight gain, and fewer calories are the path to weight loss.
  • “Eat less move more” is good advice.
  • A calorie is a calorie.
  • Buy this supplement/tea/food/magic potion to lose weight.

Now check out my magical “weight loss salad” recipe below (just kidding!)

Recipe (Myth-free salad, filling and nutritious): Kale Cucumber Salad

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Salad

4 cups kale, divided
1 cup cooked beans of your choice (white beans, chickpeas, etc.)

1 cup cooked quinoa, divided
1 cucumber, sliced and divided

 

Cucumber Dill Dressing

½ cup tahini
½ lemon, juiced
2 tbsp dill
½ cup cucumber, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
½ tsp maple syrup
2 dashes salt

2 dashes black pepper
¼ tsp garlic, minced


Instructions

Divide salad ingredients into two bowls.

Add all dressing ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until creamy. You may need to add water to thin. Add it slowly, a tbsp at a time until desired thickness is reached.

Add dressing to salads and gently toss.

Serve & enjoy!

Tip: Extra dressing can be stored in the fridge for a few days

References:

https://authoritynutrition.com/top-12-biggest-myths-about-weight-loss/

https://authoritynutrition.com/metabolism-boosting-foods/

https://authoritynutrition.com/5-chemicals-that-are-making-you-fat/