The Natural Health Taylor

I'm a Certified Life Coach and trained Health Coach with a doctorate in natural health. I'm going to share a truth with you that many of you may argue with me about but I'll give you an article that was in the NY Times in 2007 to back me up. Before I do that let's talk about weight loss and exercise.....

When I'm coaching someone who's goal is weight loss, we take things slowly. We take them slowly not necessarily because it's best to ease into a higher activity level but because there are a few lies I need to dispel.....one being that simply reducing calories will reduce weight another being simply increasing activity level will reduce weight and the third that reducing calories while increasing activity level will reduce weight. I know these recommendations are lies because I know how they have effected my life.....I know what it's like to work so very hard to get weight off - exercising and always being hungry but being told I cannot eat more than X number of calories - only to regain all the weight and then some. It was not until I coached people using HCG for weight loss that I began to fully understand what I was doing wrong. I now teach my clients what I've learned.

I also know that not everyone is over weight for the assumed reason - eating too much. Some are over weight for this reason but some are over weight because they do not eat enough and others are over weight because there is a real physiological reason - like the thyroid is not functioning properly or they are under so much stress that the adrenal glands are producing so much cortisol that weight loss can't happen while others are over weight for emotional reasons. I recently regained 80 pounds that I had lost using HCG for weight loss because my thyroid is not functioning properly and my stress level most of the time is "through the roof". So, I'm working on it again but now I am using what I've learned. How do we determine what the issue really is so we know how to move forward? It all starts with an assessment. I do an assessment with all of my clients during their intake session with me, which sometimes follows a complimentary session.

I'm not saying that there's no need to increase activity level. Increased activity level has been shown to improve overall health and improve overall emotional stability. What I am saying is that we all need to exercise to improve overall health not just so that we see the number on the scale finally moving in the "right" direction. We have a tendency to give up when the number on the scale doesn't move or, worse, moves in the wrong direction. I know that I sleep better when I've been active during the day and that's the primary reason that I have increased my activity level. I carry the laundry upstairs to our bedroom for folding which means I take the stairs several times every day and that is improving my health. My husband has suggested getting up before my children do because I prefer to exercise in the peace and quiet but this would mean rising around 4:00 am and I'm not a morning person so I've to become a bit creative and think outside the box.

So what's happening when we exercise? We are creating a situation that requires an increase in calories not a decrease and that's true regardless of what your weight is.....we are also creating a situation where the body needs to retain some water so that it can repair tissue and feed the cells that have just been exercised, which is why the scale is either not moving or showing weight gain. I've just given one bit of good news -- INCREASE YOUR CALORIE INTAKE AS YOU INCREASE YOUR ACTIVITY LEVEL. Believe it or not Weight Watchers has it absolutely right - you earn extra points for more food when you exercise and that's one reason why their program works!

Another thing that causes an increase on the scale when working out is that muscle weighs more than fat. Muscle also burns more calories than fat. So if you're including some strength training or have noticed sore muscles within about 24 hours of your workout then you've worked your muscles more than what they were used to so you can expect the scale to increase.

One last thing that impacts what the scale is telling you is that it may take up to 48-hours for your body to respond to dietary and activity level changes that have been made. Your body is not stupid. It's quite a remarkable machine and does think for itself. It knows what it's doing but most of us have no idea what the body is doing so we often get in the way; making matters worse.....

To read Part 2 of this post, click here.