Does weight loss make you think of extreme diets or intense work outs that cannot be maintained long term ultimately resulting in weight gain? The thought of working so hard to lose weight is painful, but does it have to be? Actually, we can program our bodies to work for us, making weight loss easier. But how?
The first key to weight loss is gut health. What is gut health? Ideally the number of good bacteria need to outnumber the bad bacteria in the gut. Basic gut health affects hormone balance and can affect sleep and energy levels.
Achieving good gut health can be done in several ways. Probiotics promote good gut bacteria. To get probiotics you can eat foods such as yogurt and fermented foods and/or take a probiotic supplement. Also, prebiotics feed the probiotics in the gut. Some probiotic supplements include prebiotics. Foods that contain prebiotics include bananas, apples, watermelon, asparagus, garlic, and onions.
The second key to weight loss is increasing GLP-1. GLP-1 is glucagon like peptide-1 hormone made by the gut. It promotes weight loss because it slows the time it takes for food to leave the stomach, promotes the feeling of fullness after eating, reduces the amount of glucose made by the liver, and increases the release of insulin from the pancreas which lowers blood sugar levels. The most potent weight loss medications available are GLP-1 receptor agonists. These medications also help treat type II diabetes. They are prescribed by health care practitioners and they are so effective for weight loss that pharmacies cannot keep them in stock.
There are foods that are thought to increase GLP-1. These include green tea, curcumin, high fiber foods, nuts, avocados, and eggs. There is also a next-generation probiotic, Akkermansia, that has been found in the gut lining of healthy people. It helps regulate and promote growth of the gut lining. The amazing thing about this probiotic is that it helps increase GLP-1. The Akkermansia supplement is not as potent as the prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonist medications of course. However, it should help set your body up to promote gut health and weight loss at the same time, which is a double bonus.
The third key for weight loss has to do with sleep. Sleeping long enough and getting good quality sleep are important for hormone balance. As we have discussed, good gut health promotes good sleep. Poor sleep affects chemicals in the brain, specifically leptin and ghrelin. These 2 chemicals control appetite and feelings of fullness. As a result, sleep deprived people eat more due to these chemical influences. Poor sleep can also increase cortisol, which makes us retain belly fat. High cortisol levels can also cause imbalances in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels. If your hormone levels are not in balance, this can hinder weight loss.
Consulting a health care practitioner for a full work up is a good start to getting your body lined up to more easily promote a healthy weight and balanced hormones.
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For information on how to get the next-generation probiotic Akkermansia, e-mail Jennifer@Blissfulmindandbody.com.