Counting Calories Will Never Ever Help You Lose Weight- Target Those Toxins Instead

If you’re anything like me, you were brought up with the idea that eating low cal and exercising ‘til you drop is the only way to get rid of your wobbly bits and losing weight. The formula is simple- just keep your calories in lower than your calories out, and bob’s your uncle-the weight will just fall off you. And if you’re still a little on the chubby side, then you only have yourself to blame. Apparently.

But you and I both know that isn’t quite that simple.

Because how many women pour their hearts and souls into shifting that belly fat, only to find that when they climb back on the scales, they haven’t dropped a single pound?

They sweat it out at the gym, deprive themselves of everything they love and still don’t fit into that gorgeous little black dress. So they conclude that they’re just a fat and lazy failure and think that it’s simply hopeless.

But the truth is, simply counting calories will never help you permanently shift those excess pounds because toxins are what’s really to blame. Eliminate the toxins and you will finally shift your excess weight.

Why counting calories doesn’t work

A calorie is a unit used to measure energy, in our case, the amount of energy contained in our food. They give our bodies energy to work, rest and play so in themselves, they most certainly aren’t bad. Generally speaking, if you put in more calories than you need, you are more likely to become overweight.

However, this is most definitely not the whole story.

It doesn’t tell us exactly what happens to those calories when they enter our bodies. It doesn’t explain why sugary foods seem to make us fatter than the same amount of avocado calories. Nor why some people seem to eat all they like and never seem to get fat, whilst others struggle their entire lives to get a control on their weight.

The real answer is toxins.

What are toxins?

Toxins are unwanted substances coming from either internal or external sources, which have the potential to harm the body. Our bodies have been designed to deal with these toxins efficiently and effectively though our skin, lungs, kidneys, colon and liver. Nature is amazing, and most of the time they do a pretty good job of it.

But modern life is packed full of so many different toxins from the air we breathe, processed foods containing high levels of fats and sugars, xenoestrogens, drugs, alcohol, household chemicals, processed meat and dairy, poor dietary choices and even stress. These are at levels far higher than we were ever meant to deal with.

Our bodies struggle to cope with the onslaught so we experience all of those nasty side effects such as weight gain, ‘brain fog’, constant fatigue, bad breath, hormonal imbalance, depression, aches and pains, digestive issues and skin reactions.

How do toxins make us fat?

As toxins flood your system, your body does its best to protect your vital organs so it locks them away within your fat cells which then swell and multiply. Often these cells are damaged by the toxins themselves and unable to product the correct quantities of the so-called hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin.

These two hormones influence how hungry (or satiated) you feel at any given moment. When they aren’t working optimally, you’re more likely to fall into the clutches of comfort eating, crave fatty, sugary foods and be ready to stuff yourself until you’re ready to pop. Sound familiar?

But the problems don’t end there. When it comes to proven toxins like sugar, you’ll also see spikes in your blood-sugar level which will cause you to gain yet more bely fat, prevent you from feeling full, disrupt your hormone balance and could even cause type 2 diabetes.

If you’re still not convinced, just take a look at the research: one study discovered that just changing the type of food you eat (to reduce sugar and therefore lower toxins) can help you lose weight even if you eat the same calories.

The link between stress and toxins

Stress massively contributes to the toxic load places upon our bodies and deserves a special mention of its own.

You see, chronic stress triggers the familiar fight-or-flight response in your body which diverts blood from your internal organs and releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These raise your insulin levels, causing your blood sugar to drop. And so you crave fatty and high- sugar foods to redress the balance which simply gets stored as more toxic belly fat. Interestingly, this fight-or-flight response also drives you to overeat to compensate for the calories that your body believes you’ve lost when facing that threat. It doesn’t matter whether the threat was physical or psychological, your body will react the same.

Naturally, stress also makes you much more likely to turn to unhealthy lifestyle habits such as drinking, smoking and neglecting to taking care of your body as you should. This increases your body’s toxic load and makes your love handles bigger still.

How can we reduce toxins to lose weight?

Reading this info, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’re simply fighting a battle that can never be won (unless you go and move to some tropical island somewhere and exist only on coconuts and fish!)

You’ll be pleased to know that simply by avoiding toxins such as these, you will finally shift that weight and feel amazing again. Here are my top tips on how to do it:

Address your stress: Stress is a massive contributor to toxins and body fat so take the time to evaluate your life and make relaxation and time out a priority.

Avoid those toxins: Stop using plastic water bottles and food storage containers, keep houseplants, switch household cleaner brands, use air filters, eat more organic foods and most definitely ditch the sugar.

Eat more green leafy veggies: Our green leafy friends are a brilliant source of minerals and will naturally support your body to remove the toxins. Try kale, broccoli, spinach, Pak Choi, dandelion greens and Swiss chard.

Avoid processed foods: Processed foods are packed full of nasty toxic substances such as additives, preservatives, salt, sugar and fat and even xenoestrogens from the plastic. So ditch the junk and start cooking proper food again.

There’s no need to throw in the towel if all of your previous attempts to lose weight have always failed. Because it’s really not your fault.

Simply by removing as many toxins from your life as you can, you will reduce your toxin load, rebalance your blood sugar, get your hunger hormones back into check and finally burn off those love handles and belly fat.

Words © Pamela Windle 2016
Images © Jamie licensed under C.C 2.0