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A DUBLIN woman who lost more than half her body weight has lifted the lid on the radical diet overhaul that saw her shed those excess pounds.

Wendy Deacon was named Slimming Worlds Woman of the Year for 2019 after losing an astonishing 12st 4.5Ibs.

She was inspired to change her eating habits after discovering her daughter had expressed concern to her grandmother that Wendy would eventually eat herself to death.

"Hearing that broke my heart and I knew I needed to change. The thought of my daughter being so worried about my health really spurred me into action," she said.

Wendys incredible journey saw her go from a dress size of 32 to an astonishing 10.

She achieved it with a combination of regular Slimming World meetings and a major shift in diet that saw her ditch takeaways and chocolate in favour of fruit and salads.

"By far the best thing about losing weight though is seeing the pride in my family's faces, especially Amy's. I've finally started to feel proud of myself too - I've got my whole life back, she said.

Now planning her wedding and about to celebrate her 50th birthday, the Dubliner has now shared an example of the kind of food she now eats during the average day.

Breakfast: Nothing

Lunch: Hot chicken roll with crisps

Mid-afternoon: A couple of chocolate bars

Dinner: A takeaway

Evening: More chocolate

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with grilled tomatoes, or yogurt and fruit

Mid-morning: Fruit

Lunch: A big home-made salad with turkey or ham

Dinner: Chicken stir-fry or spaghetti Bolognese

Evening: Fruit or a Slimming World hi-fibre bar

Read more here:
Dublin woman reveals diet that helped her lose over 12 stone - Irish Post

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While getting in your veggies is a great way to keep calories low if you're trying to lose weight, they're also jam-packed with fibre. But you don't have to just eat veggies all day long in order to lose weight. We asked a dietitian, and here's what she said about how much fibre you need a day to lose weight.

Registered dietitian nutritionist and NASM-certified personal trainer Whitney English Tabaie, MS, said fibre slows digestion and helps you feel fuller longer, which may result in less overeating or snacking between meals, which can lead to weight loss. Fibre also slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream, which helps to maintain energy levels and prevent spikes and crashes.

The recommended daily amount (RDA) of fibre is 25 grams a day for women and 37 grams for men, Whitney said, but the average American probably only consumes about 15 grams of fibre per day. "I recommend people aim to consume at least the RDA, but really, when the fibre is coming from whole foods versus supplements, the more, the better. Some hunter-gatherer societies consume an upwards of 100 grams a day!" She added to just make sure to consume plenty of water to aid in fibre digestion.

Don't just start eating a ton of fibre if you haven't been! Whitney warns that a drastic increase in fibre, especially coupled with low water intake, could cause digestive distress and constipation. "My recommendation is to increase fibre intake slowly, drink plenty of water, and aim to get your fibre from whole foods versus supplements," Whitney said.

Great sources of fibre include whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruit. Here are some ways you can increase your fibre intake:

See original here:
Don't Eat Just Twigs and Berries a Dietitian Says to Eat This Much Fibre to Lose Weight - POPSUGAR Health and Fitness Australia

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The afternoon slump

If your daily lunch consists of a shop meal deal including a sandwich, crisps and a fizzy drink, then you are more likely to hit a wall in the afternoon.

Also known as the carb crash, which is another warning sign of pre-diabetes and type 2 Diabetes.

Dr Rathurs advise is to reduce the amount of carbohydrates and sugars you consume, such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and swap for apples, nut butter, hard-boiled eggs, pistachios, or hummus with celery sticks.

Aches and pains

Even if pain is the result of trauma from an injury, your symptoms may be prolonged by the consumption of foods high in sugar, which can cause joint inflammation and or pain - a sure warning sign that you are at risk of type 2 diabetes.

Dr Rathur advises that whether youre trying to get fit or simply enjoy the gym, getting your exercise right, alongside better dietary management, is key to ensure a faster recovery of pains.

Excerpt from:
Type 2 diabetes: Five main symptoms to look out for - have you experienced any of these? - Express

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A heartbroken mum lost 41kg after doctors said her weight could have contributed to her unborn baby's death.

Charlotte Doughty, 43, was filled with "self-loathing" when she discovered her 24-size figure could have triggered the tragic outcome.

During the pregnancy the British woman was diagnosed with pre-diabetes in early 2015 and doctors said her weight was seriously impacting her health.

Tragically Charlotte's unborn baby was later diagnosed with Edwards Syndrome, a genetic disorder, and passed away in the womb at 37 weeks.

Due to Charlotte's family history of diabetes, her later age and obesity, she was at a higher risk of developing diabetes.

Grief-stricken, Charlotte, from King's Lynn, Norfolk, became locked in a vicious circle of eating and drinking to help numb some of the pain she was feeling.

"I fell pregnant later on in life when I was 37-38 and I was massively overweight probably around 15-16 stone at that point," Charlotte says.

"I was told by health professionals that my weight along with my age may have played a factor in my babys condition.

"Due to my grief and self-loathing that I may have caused my babys condition, my eating escalated further and despite the warnings from my GP, I continued to eat fast food and drink pints of lager. "

"I blamed myself, at the time I did think what if I hadn't been as big as I was, would things have been different? "When that happened I just swung completely the other way. I started eating more and drinking more to get through the pain.

"It became a vicious circle of feeling depressed about my weight by turning to food and alcohol."

But being so big was impacting Charlotte's life.

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"I was drinking really heavily, I would have a bottle of wine at night and then at the weekend I would drink eight pints in the evening," she admits.

"Then I joined Slimming World in 2017 and haven't looked back since. I'm still not a great cook but it's just simple food- you don't need to be the best cook in the world.

"I then started walking which gradually turned into running. My partner was a godsend. If I was crying and telling him I couldn't do it, he would pick me up and tell me I can."

Charlotte followed Slimming Worlds Food Optimising eating plan and started cooking healthy meals from scratch.

In less than two years, she has already lost 41kg and has dropped from dress size 24 to a size 12.

"I really am a completely different person, I look back at old photos of myself and I don't recognise her," she says.

"I honestly feel ten years younger. For a long while I couldn't get my head around how much I had lost. Probably six months back I would still look at myself and feel like I was really big.

"The past six months I have really changed. Before I was hiding away from photos but now I don't mind them. "My self-esteem is massively different and it's really helped my confidence.

"Slimming World has literally saved my life as I was only heading one way."

7NEWS.com.au has not received any monetary benefit from this story

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British mum reveals diet that helped her lose 41kg after death of unborn baby - 7NEWS

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RyanJLane/Getty Images If youre about to start lifting for the first time, and youre over 40, you should follow these 5 pointers for better results.When Marian Cass of Long Island, New York, turned 50, her doctor gave her a prescription she wasnt expecting: weight train twice a week.

I have always been pretty fit for my age, says the 63-year-old retired medical professional. I walk at least five days a week, go to my favorite dance class on Saturday mornings, and swim every day in the summer. While her doctor acknowledged the benefits of her preferred cardiovascular exercise, he said adding strength training to her routine would help boost her metabolism, strengthen her bones, and improve her balancesomething that would help prevent falls as she aged.

(Transform your body with weights! These 10-15 minute workouts help you tighten and tone fast. Get Strong with Betina Gozo now!)

Cass started working out with a trainer twice a week and was almost immediately impressed with the results. Within a month, I felt stronger, had way more energy, and was even fitting into dresses I hadnt worn in years, she says. Now, years later, I still lift weights three times a week and have no plans to stop.

Casss results are fairly typical, too. According to countless studies, weight training offers incredible benefits, particularly as we age. But if like Cass, youre about to start lifting for the first time, and youre over 40, you shouldnt just pick up a set of weights and go. Armed with the 5 pointers below, youll get better results and stay safe while you lift so you can make strength training a life long habit.

Hero Images/Getty Images Learn proper form and stick to the basics.Doing any exercise with poor form has the potential to cause an injury. However, when youre performing an exercise with poor form while using weights, those injuries can be even more serious, says Rachel Straub, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and co-author of Weight Training Without Injury. To play it safe, Straub recommends starting with little to no weight (think: 2- to 5-pound dumbbells) and sticking with exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, and assisted pull-ups. Though these exercises are basic, they work multiple muscle groups and joints simultaneously, helping you make the most of your time at the gym. They also help you build baseline strength, which sets the foundation for lifting heavier weights and performing more targeted moves as you advance, says Spraul.

While watching instructional videos and reading articles can certainly help you learn proper form, Trinity Perkins, a certified personal trainer and performance nutrition specialist in Woodbridge, Virginia, suggests hiring a personal trainer to learn proper alignment. Even if you only work with a trainer to teach you the basics, it can be very beneficial, she says. Not only will learning proper form from a pro help you prevent injury, but itll also help you see better results. (Try this to firm up, lose weight, and feel amazing.)

Mikolette/Getty Images Start slowIf youve never picked up a weight before, your muscles will probably feel pretty sore after your first couple of strength-training sessions, says Perkins. That post-workout pain can be a big deterrent when it comes to sticking with your weight training program, she says. To pace yourself, lift weights just two to three times a week when you first start out. That will give your body time to adjust to the new demands youre placing on it. Straub agrees, adding that its also important to avoid weight training on consecutive days. Soreness takes time to subside, she says. (Are your leg muscles super sore? Learn about the benefits of throwing your legs up on a wall every day. It's a super easy move with major benefits.)

laflor/Getty Images Set realistic expectationsStrength training is often lauded as the best way to get fit fast, yet Tyler Spraul, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and the head trainer at Exercise.com, says its crucial to think about the big pictureespecially when youre first starting out. If youre focused on losing a certain amount of weight or dropping a few jeans sizes, theres a good chance youll workout too aggressively, he says. Its much smarter to work out consistently for 45 minutes a few times a week than going all out and trying to kill it every day at the gym, says Spraul. If you do that, the best case scenario is that youll end up being too sore or exhausted to get back to the gym until the following week. The worst case scenario is that youll end up getting hurt from trying to do too much, too fast. (If you havent strength-trained in a whileor everhere are the six best moves to get started.)

Oris Martin, a personal trainer and fitness director at Acts Retirement-Life Communities, adds that you probably wont see muscle definition until six to eight weeks after starting your weight-training program. Keeping this in mind can help you set realistic expectations and not get discouraged.

Hybrid Images/Getty Images Set a scheduleWhether you pencil your workouts into your calendar and think of them as mandatory meetings or make plans to hit the weight room with a friend, setting a schedule can go a long way towards making a new weight-training routine stick. I like to work out in the morning, so I dont have time to make excuses, says Martin. No matter what you do, though, choose a tactic that will inspire you to hold yourself accountable.

MORE: How 8 Exercise Devotees Over 60 Stay Motivated To Work Out

gradyreese/Getty Images Stay positivePerhaps you think youll hate lifting weights and youre just doing it because your doctor told you it would benefit your health. Or maybe the more experienced people at the gym intimidate you. Whatever the reason, if you go into a new weight-training regimen with a negative attitude, its not going to serve you, says Shaun Zetlin, a New York City-based personal trainer. Exercising is as much mental as it is physical, he says. The mind and body need to work as one functional unit during exercise to yield the best possible results. Its crucial to believe in yourself and your physical abilities if you want to get results and enjoy the exercise. Zetlin tells his clients to repeat a positive mantra when they start to doubt themselves. Something as simple as 'I know I can do this exercise' works great. Positive thoughts are your fuel to succeed, even when you feel doubtful or physically fatigued, he says.

Gallery: Health concerns women in their 40s should watch for

Originally posted here:
If You're Over 40 And About To Start Weight Lifting For The First Time, Here Are 5 Things You Need To Know - msnNOW

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Weight loss tips: Introspection is the first step on your weight loss journey. Read here to know how introspecting the duration and cause of weight gain and can help you lose weight in a healthy manner.

Tips for weight loss: Fat loss can be achieved by setting realistic goals for yourself

What is the first step towards weight loss and achieving good health? According to lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho, the first focus should be on fat loss achieved in a healthy way. Quick weight loss comes with several side effects like premature ageing of skin, weak immunity, thin, dry and dull hair to name a few. Thus, the first step towards fat loss and achieving good health is introspection-you should be aware of what you eat, the exercise you do and how it reflecting on your body and overall health.

When it comes to introspection, you need to ask yourself how long it took you to gain weight. Having figured out how long it took you to gain weight, ask yourself if you can lose that weight in a month, 6 months or 1 year?

For weight gain that happened over a period of 6 months or 1 year, losing that weight cannot happen in 1 or 2 months, says Luke in his live video session on Facebook.

Also read:Weight Management: 5 Practical Ways To Avoid Weight Gain

Setting a realistic target for yourself is the healthy way to lose weight, fat and gain good health. Setting unrealistic or too difficult to achieve targets for yourself can cause anxiety, frustration, disappointment and stress-which in turn can make you put on more weight.

After giving yourself realistic goals, you need to find out what made you put on that weight. It can be because of stress, overeating, partying too much, being sleep deprived, having high amounts of sugar or carbs, a new job that caused a change in lifestyle, being physically inactive or lack of exercise, etc. Doing this will make it easier for you to have an action plan for healthy and achievable weight loss.

A poor diet could be the reason behind your weight gainPhoto Credit: iStock

Work towards reducing or cutting down on the things that went wrong and caused you to gain weight.

The idea is to work on the causative factor of weight gain rather than only working on reducing weight.

Luke advises: Know your target and work only towards achieving that goal. There is no point in chasing a particular goal as it is only going to make you more anxious and gain weight instead.

Also read:Too Lazy To Workout During Winter? Do Not Compromise On Your Fitness Goals With These Weight Loss Tips

Sleep well to lose weight quickly and efficientlyPhoto Credit: iStock

The above steps, when followed with consistency, can together help you lose weight, fat and gain health. Let us know if this works for you.

Also read:7 Health Benefits Of Regular Exercise Other Than Weight Loss

(Luke Coutinho, Holistic Lifestyle Coach - Integrative Medicine)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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Weight Loss: This Is The First Step Towards Achieving Fat Loss And Good Health - Doctor NDTV

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The keto craze doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. It's a buzzy diet among celebs like Halle Berry and Jenna Jameson, and for good reason: It's helped A LOT of people lose weight. The thing is, cooking keto-friendly recipes can present some challenges when you're used to a carb-heavy diet.

Quick refresher: Following the keto diet means that per day, 60 to 75 percent of your calories come from fat, 15 to 30 percent of your calories come from protein, and only 5 to 10 percent of your calories come from carbs. That usually means eating no more than 50 grams of carbs per day. If that sounds impossible, don't stress. There are plenty of cookbooks and keto diet cookbooks and guide books for beginners that take all the guesswork out of eating keto. Just pick the one (or two or three) that resonates most with you and your lifestyle and you'll be meal prepping delicious, keto-friendly dishes like it's NBD in no time.

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If you miss carbs

This book is packed full of recipes for all the stuff you thought you couldn't eat on keto: white bread, pizza crust, bagels, pop tarts, and so many other bread-like recipes.Keto dieters, get excited forlow-carb alternatives to your favorite higher-carb foods and meals.

If you like weekly meal plans

This book contains 12 weeks of keto meal planswith easy-to-follow, delicious recipes. And the readnot onlygives you a mapped-out meal plan for each week, it alsogives tips on how to batch cook, grocery shop for, and customize the plans to meet your needs.

If you like to meal prep

With more than 70 keto-friendly recipes for both meals and snacks, as well astips and tricks for meal prepping, this book is perfect for keto diet newbies looking to dive into the high-fat, low-carb lifestyle.

If you want to learn more about ketosis

This book talks about the history of the ketogenic diet, sharing the studiesbehind it and the research that's currently being conducted on the diet. It also contains keto-friendly recipes and tips for following a ketogenic diet.

If you're brand new to keto

This cookbook has everything you need to start (or renew your motivation for) a keto lifestyle, including a primer on how keto works, the easiest way to begin, keto swaps for your favorite foods, and 100 super simple keto recipes.

If you typically dine out

This book is great for anyone who's used to eating out for most of their meals. This cookbook will help you recreate all the restaurant dishesyou love (but in a keto-friendly way), andfeaturestips for eating out while you're onketowhich can be its own challenge.

If you want to be basic and fast in the kitchen

The blogging duo behind KetoConnect,Matt and Megha, really make following a keto diet super simple with their yummy, easy-to-make recipes. They don't have hard-to-find ingredients or complicated steps in their recipes, which is a huge plus for those that are new to cooking and following a keto diet.

If you want to do a keto trial run

This 21-day keto diet meal plan has 100+ recipes for that feel super indulgent.It comes with shopping lists, cooking hacks, and meal prep tips.

If you want more energy from your diet

This book explains how womencan use the keto diet throughout their lifecycle (from pregnancy to menopause and more), offering informationabout hormonal imbalances, why they happen and how to combat these with a targeted keto diet.

If you want to lose weight

This book explains how to combine aketo diet with workouts to kickstart weight loss. It features100+ keto recipes, along with keto lifestyle hacks to help with setting goals, reducing stress, and tracking your progress as you move througha 21-day challenge.

If you want to manage your mood with food

This book includes 80+ keto-friendly recipes meant to support gut health and boost your immunity and resilience to stress.

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The 11 Best Keto Cookbooks, According To An RD - Keto Recipes - Women's Health

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A Dublin mother of one who has lost half her body weight is celebrating by tying the knot with her long-term fianc.

Wendy Deacon, 49, shed a whopping 12 stone 4.5 pounds and went from a size 32 to a size 10-20.

She said the motivation to lose weight came after her daughter admitted she was worried her mum would "eat herself to death."

"I always came across as jolly and smiley but inside I felt anything but," she said.

"I was breathless, my joints were painful and at a doctors appointment where I said I was afraid of having a heart attack I was told I was pre-diabetic and at serious risk of having a stroke and then Id really be in trouble.

Take a look at Wendy's transformation below

"It was getting to the point where I felt uneasy whenever I left the house. I remember once a small boy pointed at me in the street and said 'look at that fat lady' to his mother. She tried to hush him, but the damage was done. Id never felt so embarrassed, I just wanted the ground to swallow me up.

"My turning point came when I found out that my daughter, Amy, had confided in my mum that she was worried I'd eat myself to death. Hearing that broke my heart and I knew I needed to change. The thought of my daughter being so worried about my health really spurred me into action."

Wendy, who has just been named Slimming World's Woman of the Year 2019, heard about the organisation through a friend who had recently joined.

She went on: "I'd tried lots of fad diets in the past. Everything worked for a little while, but they were quick fixes and I could never stick to them for very long. This time around I had to tackle my weight for good. I knew that Slimming World was based on eating everyday foods and never going hungry, so it seemed like the perfect fit. I also knew that, especially at the start of my weight loss, I needed motivation to help me stick with my commitment.

"Walking through the doors of my Slimming World group for the first time was really nerve-wracking and I felt nervous and embarrassed because I thought Id be the biggest person there. None of that mattered though. I was welcomed with open arms and met a whole room of inspiring, friendly people. All of us were in the same boat and there to lose weight together."

The Dubliner, who works for the Department of Social Protection, found it easy to get to grips with the Slimming World eating plan.

She went from treating herself to chocolate, crisps and takeaways on a daily basis to nourishing her body with fruit and vegetables.

"Straight away I embraced the eating plan," she said.

"Ive never called it a diet because the plan is so flexible and liberating that it fits easily into your routine so you can stay slim for life. I fell in love with proper food and discovered so many different new dishes. Its a world away from the takeaways and fast food I used to eat.

"I think the biggest change was learning to cook from scratch. I plan my food and batch cook when I can for a few days in advance. Everyone in my group is unbelievably kind and genuinely cares about each others success. I feel so lucky to have found them.

Wendy now finally has the confidence to plan her wedding to her partner Dave.

She said: "Dave and I have been engaged for a long time, but I never really felt confident enough to actually get married. Finally having the confidence to go wedding dress shopping was a huge moment for me. Before I would have just chosen whatever would fit me, but now Im asking for size 10 and 12 outfits, its just an incredible feeling. I havent been able to do that for 25 years!"

Losing more than half of her body weight has also inspired her to become more active.

She went on: "I used to struggle to climb a flight of stairs, so nobody was more surprised than me when I started to enjoy exercise! Im often out walking at 7am and I ran a 5k with my daughter recently, something Id never have been able to do at my heaviest. I feel that Slimming World has given me so much Ive got my whole life back.

"By far the best thing about losing weight though is seeing the pride in my familys faces especially Amys. Ive finally started to feel proud of myself too. The idea of my little girl worrying about my future was heart-breaking but now Im really excited about my future and cant wait to live every moment."

Wendy attends the Leixlip Slimming World group run by Consultant Pippa Leys. She also attended Barbara Byrnes Leixlip group.

Read more here:
Dublin mum of one who lost half her body weight finally has the confidence to walk down the aisle - RSVP Live

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Winter superfoods: It's time to bring back rice on your plate, even if you are trying to lose weight

Categorising food into fats, carbs and proteins can take away the joy of eating it. A by-product of the food industry and the urge to lose weight quickly have made people give up on some time-tested, natural and healthy foods-which they probably grew up eating. Some of these foods include rice, ghee, chapati and even home-cooked deep-fried food. Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, in one of her recent posts on Instagram and Facebook, talks about 3 such foods that should definitely be a part of your diet for good health.

These foods have always been a part of your lifestyle. But the constant urge to lose weight has probably made you give up on them. Keep reading to know what these foods are and how you can include them in your diet.

According to Rujuta, rice-which are now blamed to be high in carbs and cause weight gain-should make a comeback on your plate. She says that you need to get back to eating traditional white rice. It is easy to digest and works as a prebiotic (which provides good bacteria to your gut). What's more is that rice is easy to cook and super delicious to taste. Rice is the staple of food of eastern and southern parts of India.

Rice are best eaten in combination with different kinds of legumes or lentils and pulses. There are as many as 65,000 variety of pulses grown and cultivated in India. The celebrity nutritionist recommends that you should include at least 12 to 15 kinds pulses in your diet. Pulses which you should be eating in winter include moong dal, toor (arhar) dal and kulith (horsegram) dal. Kulith dal is particularly good for your skin, for those suffering from gall bladder or kidney stone issues. You can also eat red chawli dal, black chana or green chana dal. Legumes like kidney beans or rajma, white chana, lobia etc can be eaten along with rice.

Make sure you include a variety of lentils and legumes in your diet. It is important for bacterial diversity, which is an essential perquisite for good health.

Dal rice is a protein-rich meal with a complete amino acid profilePhoto Credit: iStock

Also read:5 Clever Food Swaps To Keep You Warm And Healthier This Winter!

Winter is the perfect time to include a variety of root vegetables in your diet. Sweet potatoes, arbi (taro root), yam, beetroot, turnips, potatoes, radishes, carrots etc. They are beneficial for diabetics, women with PCOD and thyroid issues, people with Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 deficiency.

Rujuta highlights the fact that Vitamin D deficiency is linked to lack of microbial diversity in the gut. Deficiency of the sunshine vitamin can make you feel bloated, cause sleep disturbances, etc. Root vegetables are an excellent source of prebiotic bacteria, which can facilitate diversity of bacteria in gut, and keep Vitamin D deficiency at bay.

For cooking these root vegetables, you should use rock salt or black salt or sea salt. Doing this can reduce bloating effectively.

Root vegetables like sweet potatoes can provide good bacteria to your gutPhoto Credit: iStock

Also read:6 Reasons Why You Must Include Amla In Your Daily Diet, Especially During Winter

Ghee is an extremely important inclusion in your diet. You can also eat white butter regularly. Ghee is a kind of clarified butter, which is made by heating butter to separate liquid and milk solid portions from the fat. It contains polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids.

Ghee includes fats that can promote assimilation of Vitamins A, D, E and KPhoto Credit: iStock

"This winter, try to eat millets at least twice a week. Prepare them at home, in the traditional way," recommends Rujuta.

The idea is to get back to eating the way our family and past generations used to eat and learning traditional and cultural methods of cooking food.

Also read:Sweet Potatoes For Weight Loss: 12 Reasons Why You Must Include This Superfood In Your Diet

(Rujuta Diwekar is a celebrity nutritionist based in Mumbai)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

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It seems everywhere you look, someone somewhere is touting the benefits or even the necessity of quitting sugar. Sure, sugar isnt health food, but is it really so bad that it needs to be eliminated entirely from your diet?

After years in the field of nutrition and spending a few of those years working with clients who wanted to detox or quit sugar, Ive spent the last few years working to help people understand an important lesson: the all-or-nothing approach is almost always unsuccessful.

Cutting all sugar from your diet might work for a time period, say 30 days, or even a year. I spent an entire year avoiding all added sugars, sweets, homemade desserts, and anything that wasnt meat or vegetables. However, at that time I was trying to recover from Hashimotos thyroiditis, and I felt so sick that sugar wasnt even appealing. I didnt white-knuckle my way through that year. I simply didnt care.

Since then, Ive resumed eating sugar here and there. I dont eat a lot, but I dont avoid it entirely. Basically, I take one day at a time. I stay in touch with how I am feeling, and I try to minimize adding stress to my life that comes from having to follow dietary rules.

Its this outlook of balance I encourage my clients to adopt as well. What are your long-term goals? Typically when women come to me for nutrition advice, they want to balance hormones, address thyroid issues, lose weight, get pregnant after infertility or miscarriage, or feel better after chronic illness. For most, quitting sugar is not their primary health goal. Instead, quitting sugar is often viewed as a vehicle to get what you wantoften quickly. But any kind of temporary modification to achieve faster results will usually produce results that dont last.

Sadly, most people just want the quickest way to anywhere. But quick is not better than sustainable when it comes to health. I know, because most women I see now come to me with frustration that their Whole30 or avoiding sugar for three months helped a little but didnt ultimately get them to their goal.

Its worth asking yourself: would you rather have fast results or a long-lasting effect that wont need rigorous protocols to be maintained?

While sugar is a problem for some, other factors can contribute to health problems too, like inflammation, stress, poor sleep, too much processed food, and poor gut health. While sugar can be avoided and might reduce inflammation or improve gut health, true health is not just about what you take away. Its about what you give.

You can avoid all the bad stuff in the world, but if you arent filling your body with what it needs to heal, no amount of avoidance will produce health. My year of sugar avoidance did have some great results. I lost 90 pounds. However, my inflammatory markers were still off the charts, I was as tired as ever, and my thyroid antibodies had reached an all-time high. So if avoiding sugar and losing weight didnt turn me into the picture of health, what did?

When I stopped my strict sugar avoidance and started focusing on adding elements that my body needed, my energy levels improved rapidly. In less than a year, my thyroid disease was in remission. I finally felt like the picture of health that I had been aiming for.

In that time, I did gain back 10 pounds, where my body has hovered ever since. I had actually lost too much weight from my obsessive avoidance of sugar, and while I looked skinny, I was bone-tired and people kept asking if I was dying (true story). When I gained back those 10 pounds and started focusing on nourishment over avoidance, people started commenting on how happy and healthy I looked and wanted to know what my secrets were.

I can tell you that for me, it came down to a few simple things. Instead of narrowly focusing on what I could not have, I did three other things.

This meant eating more fiber, more bone broth, more fruits and vegetables, and adding in supportive supplements, like collagen and glutamine. I didnt so much care what else went in with those things, but I made sure to eat good things for my gut on a daily basis.

During the year that I lost significant weight and avoided sugar, I tracked everything. Calories, macros, grams of sugar, nutrients. It became a constant source of stress. I sometimes avoided eating because I didnt want to have to write it down. I would get meal-planning paralysis because there was no more joy in what I ate or prepared for myself.

When I started focusing on what I added, rather than what I took away, I didnt have to track anything. I just asked myself, Did I do something good for my gut today? Or, Did I do something to relieve stress? If the answer was yes, then I moved on. I even stopped counting how many ounces of water I drank. I drank water when I was thirsty and allowed myself other beverages when desired.

I have a lot of food allergies and even more sensitivities on top of those. My one rule was that I would never eat something I knew I was allergic or sensitive to. Why? This would undo the good things I was giving to my body to heal. But sugar is not something Im allergic to, so when I wanted a treat, I could indulge. Theres a big difference between following an arbitrary rule (like all sugar is bad) and following guidelines that apply directly to your body (dairy products make me sick). Instead of adhering to a specific diet, I listened to what my body told me it could and could not handle.

Ive maintained this way of eating for seven years now, and Ive never been healthier. My inflammation levels are still at an all-time low. My thyroid antibodies have not peaked since, not even in the postpartum periods after having my babies (usually a big trigger). My weight has remained stable, even though Ive not counted calories or macros, and there have definitely been seasons where Ive eaten far more comfort foods than anything else.

So no matter what your health goals are, remember: sugar isnt everything. Listening to what your body needs and recognizing what causes discomfort in your digestive tract or joints or anywhere else, is the only thing that matters. Thats not as easy to latch onto as a fad, but it will produce more lasting results that are applicable to your health needs. And Ill take my personal health over silly clickbait trends any day of the week.

Go here to read the rest:
A Nutritionist's Balanced Perspective on 'Quitting Sugar' - Verily

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