Weight Management

The Olive Leaf has several programs in place to help with regaining and maintaining a proper weight and healthy lifestyle. These programs are stand alone programs or can be used together. The following can help your reach your goals to achieve healthy eating. Also they help you regain your energy and enjoy the life God has given you:

Many people try to lose weight fast and will subject their bodies to a rollercoaster ride in their effort to battle being overweight. It is important to lose weight, but losing weight should not be the primary objective.  The key to success is to establish a lifestyle and diet that is feasible for a lifetime which incorporates nutritious foods from the rainbow which God has placed here for our healing. Also quantity is important and eating too much or too little will affect your metabolism as well.

Naturopathic Guidelines to help you maintain your perfect weight

  • Establish regular meal times.  Try not to skip any meals because skipping meals leads to overeating later in the day.  If you don’t have time for a full meal, try to eat a healthy snack.
  • Make small substitutions in your diet to cut calories. Calories add up quickly especially when you are trying to be mindful about eating healthy. Instead of sugar, try stevia instead which is a plant sweetener with minimal calories and best of all its guilt free!
  • Read food labels when you are purchasing food items.  Did you know that most of us are not aware of how much a portion size amounts and pay very close attention to the portion size, the number of calories and the amount of saturated fat in each portion? Knowing this information can help you make the healthiest food choices.
  • Measure your servings to control the amount.  What does your body do with the extra calories?  It usually uses some for energy, but the rest its stores away. So rather than eating with your eyes, pre- portion your servings so you are not overeating and skip the seconds.
  • Identify “guilty pleasures” such as ice cream, cookies, or potato chips.  Continue to enjoy them by trying the low-calorie versions or eating less of the regular versions. Stay away from food additives and chemicals.  Try to pre plan what you are going to be eating as opposed to eating on the go and then just grabbing something on the way – such as fast food. This will save you time and money and unwanted calories!
  • Controlling calories when dining out.  Check the nutrition portion of the food and make sure its a healthy option, healthy options are both tasty and nutritious, and of course guilt free. If you are eating with a friend or two, share the appetizers and meals, so you can enjoy more variety as well.
  • Avoid places and situations that trigger eating, if walking past the donut shop causes donut cravings, try changing your route.  Replace the candy on your desk with fruit or nuts avoid walking near the office candy bowl.  Avoid eating while watching television, reading, or driving, which will help you avoid mindless eating.
  • Drink water 20 minutes prior to eating which helps stimulate your satiety hormone.
  • Chew slowly to increase digestive juices which help break down your foods.