LowCarbDirect.net Issue 03

When what you eat
is just not enough to
lose weight
By Nicky Perks
Stressed out?
Are you eating LCHF, yet not losing weight? It could be
that your weight loss struggles have its roots in your stress
levels. The problem is that in today’s fast-paced modern
world stress has become our new normal. Sometimes we
aren’t even aware that we are stressed, but trust me, if you
work – you have stress, if you have kids – you have stress,
if you are married – you have stress, if you have sick and
aging parents – you have stress. So, if you are confident
that your LCHF diet is spot on, yet you aren’t losing weight,
it might be time to pay more attention to effective stress
management.
How exactly does stress impact weight loss?
Stress raises the hormone in your body called cortisol.
Raised cortisol pushes up blood sugar. When blood sugar
becomes elevated, insulin levels rise as well. Raised insulin
puts the body into fat storage mode. Picture someone
closing and locking the door on your fat cells, and throwing
away the key. It now becomes almost impossible to
burn fat and slim down. Therefore, an effective weight loss
programme should always include stress management, so
that blood sugar and insulin can be kept as low as possible
to facilitate fat loss.
10 Ways to reduce stress
1. Take time out for yourself and recharge
your batteries doing what you enjoy.
2. Go to bed by 10 pm and get at least 7 to 8
hours of sleep a night.
3. Stop intermittent fasting as it can stress
your body.
4. Rethink your exercise routine and perhaps
take it down a notch.
5. Forgive others and stop holding on to
negative emotions.
6. Set boundaries and know when to
disconnect from social media.
7. Breathe, breathe, breathe – long and
deep.
8. Take a bath before bed and add some
essentials oils for stress relief.
9. Cut the caffeine and alcohol.
10. Laugh more.
This article is
contributed by
Banting Buddies.
Find a coach
near you.
www.bantingbuddies.com