The TRUE truth about Weight Loss

Firstly apologies for the "silly" title of this article, I do realise it is not "good english"! :)

The thing I really want to get across today though is that so far out there, there has been no consistent "true truth" about weight loss. It is not that people are intentionally lying to us. They truly believe what they promote about getting healthy, into shape and feeling your best.

It's just though that it IS all lies....

I feel compelled to write this post today as I have sat silent for WAY too long....

I have a message and I MUST share it! After a wonderful day yesterday at my clinic with beautiful people, and the past few weeks I have enjoyed with my most incredible VIP clients, I MUST share this message far and wide and make it so very CLEAR....

More of us THAN EVER before are "battling the bulge"... it seems that it is normal these days to be at least a little overweight, in fact you could say "overweight" is the new "normal". I am not criticising anyone here, that is just the way it is.

When I was a child, I WAS THE FATTEST KID IN THE CLASS! Yet, often when people look at the photos, they say, "Oh you weren't THAT big..."

BUT! I am NOT telling fibs!! I KNOW FOR SURE that I was the heaviest kid- in a composite class (meaning there were kids in my class a whole year older than me). We had these maths activity books when I was at school in which we often had to complete "real life" mathematical activities- like measuring our height, and WEIGHING ourselves...!

The data was plain for EVERYONE to see as the teacher plotted the figures on a graph on the blackboard. Bridget was the shortest AND fattest (heaviest) out of everyone...! (slightly humiliating!)

Ok, now we have that clear, I'll move on :)

What I am getting at is that something is DEFINITELY amiss for MORE of us than EVER to be struggling SO much with our weight. A great majority of these people have never had an issue with it before, and so are at a complete loss when it starts to become an issue with which they cannot seem to easily fix....

I too fell into this trap JUST EARLIER THIS YEAR....!

I have to confess...

I too was one of these people who really did believe that the "weight game" was an equation and that the body could be essentially "manipulated" or coaxed into the "right weight" or shape depending on what you DID with it...I was CONVINCED I had ALL the answers and that I could help ANYONE- regardless of their challenges (hormones included)- lose weight. And I did, a lot of the time!

The thing is, I am a perfectionist (recovering now!)

The ones I couldn't help TRULY bothered me...I have this deep, in-born desire to help anyone and everyone who wants it...

I KNOW how it feels to be DESPERATELY unhappy with yourself; to feel so FAT and UNATTRACTIVE that you retreat from the world. It is HEARTBREAKING...it wears away ANY self-esteem or self-respect you do have for yourself and truly makes you RESENT and even HATE the very core of who you are...

I do not wish that pain for ANYONE and that is why I am so driven, passionate and committed to helping others out there dealing with this state of being...

In any case, my search for answers never ceased...I tirelessly pursued more ideas, options, research.... ultimately my intuition is my radar and also the guide I trust without question when scouring over and through information...

SO much I what I read did not resonate...I ignored it...I kept searching....eventually I encountered a body of research that DID resonate...I KNEW DEEP INSIDE it was true....

The thing was, my "intellectual, stubborn and fear-driven" self would not really allow me to accept it...Furthermore, it was not a simple, quick-fix solution that could easily fix into someones life and solve the issue overnight...

What I read was about a WHOLE NEW WAY of relating to ourselves and to life....

I thought it sounded lovely, I knew it to be true, yet I put it away hoping to "get on with it" and find better, quicker, easier "cheat" options. I thought, "Yeah, that all sounds lovely, but really, who has time?? Its just not realistic!"

Well.....the Universe seemed to not like my response so much and PUSHED ON with its lesson for me....

After YEARS of having lived my life HIGH, FAST and CONSTANTLY achieving, pushing, moving forward being "successful", I started to FALL IN A HEAP...

I couldn't run like I used to, although I tried. I pushed my body, I battled with it...I told myself I would feel better if I simply pushed through...I became frustrated, depressed and very anxious when my old methods failed to work...

I ate less, convincing myself I was at fault and doing something wrong....When I couldn't run because I was in too much pain, too tired and too heavy, I walked....I felt like a zombie, pushing and pushing and pushing myself...

I did NOT understand...my body was changing and I had no idea how to deal with it anymore...it felt foreign...I rejected it and simply wished everyday for my old self and body to return...

No such luck...

I finally conceded and went to the doctor (something I NEVER usually do!). I knew something was up and I had a good idea what...

Sure enough, after some testing and investigations it was confirmed... I have Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome....

Ok...! I accept the challenge I told myself. I know all about this condition and I can fix it. (hahaha- laughing at how "mental" I was about the whole thing!)

I told my Doctor I did not want to- and would not- use a medical option for dealing with this. She urged me to start the OCP (oral contraceptive pill), or at least a progesterone option to get my body back in balance. My head said, "No! I don't want to gain MORE weight", yet my heart and spirit knowingly and confidently said to my doctor, "No...I know this is an emotional and spiritual thing I need to work on and once I've dealt with that I know my body will be naturally back in balance".

Surprisingly she did not laugh or criticise me. She agreed to my request.

The thing is, as much as said all of that out loud and knew deep within me that this was indeed the truth, I continued to fall into old patterns and try to use all my old tactics to get my body "back to normal".

Over time I got more and more exhausted...I got more and more depressed...I got more and more anxious... I had no idea where I had gone...neither did my family. When I went home to visit them in Melbourne, they were all visibly shocked and disturbed...the look on my nana's face had the biggest impact on me though...

"Where have you gone Bridget?" Her eyes sincerely panicked. "This is not you"

I knew what she was saying was true and I was so very frustrated and ashamed. I am a naturally bubbly, confident, happy and ever-energetic being who fuels herself with a true PASSION for life, people and learning. Those who knew me called me a "pocket rocket", an "energiser bunny"...a BIG BALL OF ENERGY, in a teeny little package..

Yet, here I sat....lost, desperately unhappy, completely exhausted, with a true sense of helplessness...it took me all my might to simply smile...my "mind demons" were out of control...Constant criticism was my companion. I could do nothing right. I was all wrong. Who I had become was a loser, soft and pathetic....

Wow...it still shocks me how "against myself" I became, and how much I truly did reject and hate this "new person"..

Somewhere in that space of time, I visited another doctor, desperate for more answers...Yes, I had gotten myself into a state of adrenal fatigue and my cortisol levels were PUMPING...

What exactly does this mean? Quite simply, and in a nutshell, it means that I had jammed my body into what I call "Fear Gear" and had it convinced it was CONSTANTLY under attack..

This elicits the "stress response" within the body which is mediated by a body system known as the Sympathetic Nervous System. Sending messages to the adrenal glands that you are under threat and that you need to FLEE or FIGHT the source of attack, generates a whole cascade of stress hormones, 2 being adrenaline and cortisol.

These chemicals very cleverly enable you to do super-human things, like lift a car off your baby, or run from a lion...

The problem is, when they are not used and left to circulate in the body, constantly, they generate all sorts of damage and essentially shut down our ability to metabolise efficiently AND they cause us to gain weight...

There is SO much more to explain here- and in future posts I will...For now though, I will leave the explanation at that...

Chronic stress response = hormone imbalances = weight gain, pain, inflammation, exhaustion, depression, anxiety...

In a nutshell...!

So, what do we DO about all of this?

Take medications? "FIX" the body from the outside in??

No....No....NOT AT ALL..!

I mean, you can try, go ahead....I sure did!

The thing is, the body...the mind...the spirit...the entirety of all the aspects that make us HUMAN BEINGS is MUCH more intelligent than we could ever intellectually understand....MUCH more...

We may try something externally (that is OUTSIDE, IN) and the body will simply adjust internally to get back to where it wants or needs to be at that moment...

We are a body of chemical reactions....constant chemical reactions...

You only need to consider the MALE SEXUAL response to even an IDEA that is arousing to know just how powerfully impacting THOUGHTS ARE on our internal "chemical soup" which in turn, creates the external "physical response"....

Yes....that's right....

There are things going on "up there"- that you may not be even consciously aware of- that IS without a doubt, creating, or at least significantly contributing to, the physical reality you are experiencing RIGHT NOW...

As long as you convince yourself otherwise, that surely there is an answer "out there", that there is something you have missed, something you are doing wrong, something nutritional that you are not getting.... you will keep yourself locked into the torturous and never-ending "battle" of weight, health and energy balance....

You will have to "keep motivating yourself" and "trying so hard"....being "so disciplined" and "so good"...You will have to stay on a regime that you "know" works....!

Essentially, you will have to keep FIGHTING you...

I am here to tell you that THAT is not the answer...THAT will NOT bring you everlasting peace, health and happiness....THAT is exhausting.... THAT is self-depleting... THAT will take you further away from home (yourself) than anything else and WILL leave you feeling LOST, CONFUSED, FRUSTRATED and DEFEATED!

Lay down your weapons people, make peace with yourself....

All you want is to be heard, to be listened to...to be cared for and to be loved....you want FUN, CREATIVITY, JOY and LAUGHTER.....you do not want RULES, DEPRIVATION, DIETS and CONSTANT DISCIPLINE....

You are a spirit....you ARE divine...

Honour this....TRULY....DEEPLY....

It WILL all "right" itself....from the INSIDE, OUT!

So YES, I do have MUCH more to say...MUCH more to share with you...MUCH more to explore...this is JUST THE TIP...perhaps the START OF MY BOOK....?!?!?!!? ;p

I will be bringing to the world- next year(!!!!) a program in which I will share EVERYTHING I know...the physical stuff, the mental stuff, the emotional stuff AND the spiritual.... :)

It is VERY EXCITING and I have been wanting to share it with you for SUCH a long time!!

I just needed to get this LAST piece of the puzzle! :)

Now I have it, I WILL share it with you all...in abundance! :)

I said earlier, this drive, this passion, it wells up from WITHIN me....a deep compassion for how it feels to truly hate yourself...to truly separate your physical self from your whole self and spend all your time and energy working against yourself...

To have found a place of deep peace, understanding, resonance and love...to truly be in ALIGNMENT "with" myself....to finally feel that I can LISTEN to and TRUST me....THAT is what I wish to share with the world....with YOU! :)

I want YOU to truly LOVE you, to TRULY admire and HONOUR you....to be so "in-sync" with yourself that you know exactly how to rebalance- NATURALLY- when you momentarily get "off track"....

That is what I will bring to you and the world....Slowly but surely! :)

I hope you love it, I hope you receive it, but regardless, I will offer it :)

LOTS OF LOVE TO YOU ALL!

xoxoxo

Bridget Jane

Food Body Lifestyle Guru

www.newleafnutrition.com.au

Foods and Asthma

Of late, Mr Brad, my partner has been suffering an usual amounts of mild "asthma attacks".

Since we have been together, Brad's asthma has reduced significantly in terms of frequency and his dependence upon his "puffer". This can be attributed to a few things including giving up smoking, adopting an incredibly healthy eating pattern with LOTS of fresh fruit and vegies and minimal packaged/convenience and takeaway foods AND a transition to a slightly more active lifestyle :)

I would also add, much less stress through a dramatically improved mindset and way of looking at things :)

The recent incidents therefore have been very noticeable, whereas in the past they may have been part of the usual day to day happenings....

Since the onset of these incidents were so sudden and noticeable, I went searching further of what could be triggering these attacks. I am NO expert in this area- despite my background it is NOT something I specialise in!

So please, the information shared here is simply based upon our experience and I felt it great to share for anyone out there who MAY find that they have similar triggers and would benefit from trying similar strategies :)

Please ALWAYS consult your GP and team of health care practitioners before taking on ANY health advice :)

Ok...with that said...

Here is what I found for Mr Brad, and what may also help some of you :)

There are certain additives in foods which can TRIGGER asthma. These include

• Sulphites
• Food colourings
• MSGs
• Salicylates

Sulphites are used as a preservative in many foods including some wines, fruit juices, canned fish and dried fruit. For Brad the trigger was FRESH PRAWNS....apparently metabisulphite is used as a preservative in prawns

Another food Brad has responded to is Maggi 2 minute Noodles. These contain SULPHITES

The other ingredient I think is playing a role here for Brad is MSG and this is found in high concentrations in stock cubes, gravy, soy sauce and packet soups.

Salicylates are naturally occurring element in many foods including coffee, beer, honey, soy sauce, tomato pastes and sauces.

There is more information here at http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Asthma_and_food

In Brads case, a couple of things have possibly lead to his increased sensitivity of late:

1. He has been ill with a tummy bug which has included a body fever- aches and pains, etc. So, his IMMUNE SYSTEM is low and challenged at present which would definitely play a role
2. Of late, his consumption of all above mentioned foods has been higher- due to feeling ill and having "holidays"- more junk food! :)
3. His base diet includes a few condiments that would include these food ingredients, therefore his THRESHOLD of tolerance has possibly been super seeded.
   

So the remedy for Brad?

Get back to BASICS!

Good, healthy FRESH foods, free of additives, preservatives and colours!

The fact that FRESH, HEALTHY prawns were a major player and trigger here, it certainly pays to KNOW YOUR FOOD :)

Know where it is coming from and the PROCESSES it undertakes...

Also, realise that there is always a THRESHOLD of tolerance so strict ELIMINATION of all foods is not necessarily required....

This is a VERY UNIQUE and SPECIFIC issue which, if you are having ongoing issues, should certainly be managed with a suitably qualified practitioner guiding you through..

On a final note, please do not forget the importance and impact of mental STRESS on your body's ability to deal with certain environmental "physical" stresses (i.e. food chemicals)

Mental stress certainly wears down and depletes the immune system.

So to look after yourself and give your body the support if needs to support you, remember the basics!

• Water- LOTS of fresh, clean water!
• Vegies and fruit- LOADS of colour and variety all day, everyday! Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and snacks :)
• Move your body! Get out in the FRESH air! Breathe in oxygen, deliver it to your cells with an increased heart rate, and clear away toxins! :)
• Manage stress- even if you are not CONSCIOUSLY aware of stress- many of us have endless things going on "in the back of our minds". So employ DAILY "stress clearer's" including exercise (in the great outdoors; nature is a great healer!); meditation (ANYONE can do it..takes patience, practice and time); mindset review- check in with how you react/respond to everything around you...changing the way you see things (your perspective) by getting into some "Self-development" things such as books, audio's, programs and even coaches- it will DRAMATICALLY change your life :)

If you have anything to add, or any comments, would LOVE to hear from you!

Please post below, or email me at bridget@newleafnutrition.com.au

PS. at the above website, there are a list of NUMBERS to look out for on labels! Take a look here
Very helpful! :)

Lots of love to you all!

BridgetJane

Food Body Lifestyle Guru

www.newleafnutrition.com.au