I know you’re full of new January resolve (and maybe a few too many holiday indulgences) but diets don’t work (you know that, don’t you?).  And there is a better way.

Cutting calories doesn’t work.  It just sets you up for an even slower metabolism and a worse rebound.  Exercise can help, but exercise alone won’t get you to your goals.  And besides, most people spend way too much time doing the wrong kind of exercise.  I’d like to teach you how to use exercise most efficiently, so you will get better results in less time.

And I want you to learn how to eat!  That dreadful article in the NY Times this weekend got part of the story but not the whole story. Yes, that’s right, I’m going to contradict the conclusions of all those scientists, doctors and journalists, and tell you that it is possible to lose weight and keep it off, and that it doesn’t have to mean you are obsessed with not eating for the rest of your life (wouldn’t that be awful?!), or that you feel constantly hungry or deprived. NOT AT ALL!  The trick is to work with the metabolic issues they identify, but not by severely cutting back calories (500-550 calories a day? come ON!), or trying to burn off everything you eat in the gym.  Or by using food “products” that you have to buy in order to stay on the program.

I want to teach you how to successfully navigate each and every situation in which you might eat: not only at home in your own kitchen, but a restaurant, a holiday event, parties, visiting friends, your in-laws, etc.

I want you to know how to choose foods that give your metabolism and your hormones the correct message every time: to retain lean muscle and burn fat.  When you are eating healthy, you will naturally lose weight.
What’s that? You say that you already eat healthy? That’s what many of my clients tell me when they first come in to my office. But there is a very big difference between eating theoretically healthy and eating individually healthy, for you, as a unique individual.  I can help you identify what is individually healthy.

• Wouldn’t you like to know what specific foods are stressing your system and telling your body to store fat? (it’s often foods we think of as healthy!)

• Wouldn’t you like to identify the triggers that drive your cravings and that feeling of insatiable hunger that sometimes comes over you?

• Wouldn’t you like to know how to avoid the energy slumps that come mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and the will power failure that goes with them?

• Wouldn’t you love to have will power not be an issue?  To have your own body re-balance so that your cravings are eliminated and this time you can stay with your resolve to look and feel better?

It’s not only possible, it’s within your reach. I have successfully helped many hundreds of people, from their teens to their 70s, succeed at this.  And not only do they lose weight, and look and feel better, but lots of other symptoms start to disappear as well, including achy joints, headaches, respiratory problems, rashes, fatigue, brain fog, and much, much more.

Want to fit into those skinny jeans?  Want to have more energy, more radiance, more focus?

Why not get started? Sign up for your 13 Week Success Program and I will personally guide you through it every step of the way.  This program will give you the guidance, support and accountability to reach – and surpass – your goals, and it is all customized for you, as a unique individual.  This is not a one-size-fits-all program, which is a large part of why it is so successful.

Want to learn more about the Program and how it works?  Click here. Want to read more of my client’s experiences? There are lots of testimonials on my website, but here’s a new one from a very happy client:

Get Started! Book Your First Appointment Now!

1. Simply reducing calories is not a healthy way to lose weight, and often is not a way to lose weight at all.  Instead, cutting calories slows your metabolism so that you need fewer and fewer calories to survive.  The calories in/calories out equation is a myth! It does not work, as your experience has probably showed you by now.  Instead of counting calories (or points) learn how to eat, in any circumstances, to feel healthy, full and focused.
2. Being thin is not the same as being healthy.  Don’t try to get healthy by losing weight.  Instead, get healthy and you will lose weight.  Getting healthy promotes fat loss by its very nature: a healthy body is a body in balance; a healthy metabolism burns fat.  It also results in more energy, better focus, sounder sleep, clearer skin, better muscle tone, etc.  You must heal your metabolism if you want to be both lean and healthy.
3. Eating fat does not make you fat. In fact, eliminating fat will, sooner or later, make you sick.  It is essential to eat moderate amounts of healthy fats of all kinds.  Fats are critical for brain function, joint health, bone health, great skin, satiety and nutrient absorption.  And, like limiting calories, eliminating fat slows your metabolism.
4. Eating foods containing cholesterol does not (generally) adversely affect cholesterol levels.   Our systems are so much more complex than this.  Actually, eating a diet high in processed foods and refined carbohydrates is much more likely to result in high cholesterol levels than a diet which includes foods that contain cholesterol but come from healthy animals, including meat and eggs.  (A healthy animal is not factory-farmed or fed foods unnatural to it.)
5. Losing weight doesn’t make sense if you are losing muscle, bone and other fat-free mass, or hydration. The only thing you want to lose is fat. Otherwise you are eroding your health and speeding the aging process.
6. There is no such thing as “slow metabolism” is not a permanent condition.  You have either a damaged metabolism, or a healthy one. If your metabolism is damaged, you can heal it and return it to a healthy, fat-burning state using balanced nutrition and the correct kinds and amounts of exercise.
7. Dry skin, dry or brittle hair and nails, fatigue, memory loss, and lack of libido are all indications of malnourishment and imbalance, regardless of weight.  These are symptoms that can and should be addressed and repaired nutritionally.
8. You can be overweight and still be malnourished. This has to do not only with eating the wrong foods, but with inability to absorb nutrients because of damage to the intestinal tract.  Fortunately, the intestinal tract is resilient and can usually recover when nutrition is correct and balanced.
9. Identifying and eliminating food sensitivities is essential to any weight loss program. In fact, it is essential to any health program.  Otherwise, the chronic inflammation produced by your food sensitivities will continue to impede your weight loss, and your health, causing both short-term and long-term issues.
10. Most of the degenerative problems and diseases we accept as “aging” are significantly directed by our own lifestyle choices.  Every day you make thousands of choices, and every single time you have the opportunity to make a bad choice or a better one.  Educating yourself about your choices is the first step to living a life that is not only longer, but healthier and happier too.

Do you know someone, or are you someone, who has tried everything, done everything right, but still hasn’t been able to lose weight?  One of my specialties is helping people in that situation, by identifying the issues underlying the difficulty, helping correct them, and finally be successful.  Please see my 13 Week Success Program for more information.
© 2008 Fran Sussman

A free health and nutrition seminar, where you will learn the top ten mistakes people make when trying to lose weight, including:

• Following the latest fad. The holistic world is just as subject to fads and fashions as any other. This month’s cure-all is inevitably supplanted by the next “latest and greatest”.  Find out what really works for weight loss, based on years of research and clinical experience.
• Eating “healthy” food. Eating popular and highly touted “health foods” could be exactly what’s keeping you from losing weight.  Discover some of the surprising common culprits that actually make it harder to lose weight.
• Doing the wrong kind of exercise. Not all exercise is equal. The wrong kind can make you store fat, lose libido and actually slow down your metabolism.  Learn what works, and what doesn’t.
• The Myth of Calories. How cutting and counting calories can actually work against you.

You’ll learn what doesn’t work, but more importantly what does!

Wednesday November 3 from 10:30-Noon or Thursday November 4th  from 6:30-8PM

Holiday Inn Express 2 Bryle Place Chester NY

RSVP to fran@fransussman.com

This article was originally printed as my 2/10/10 Holistic Outlook column in The Times Herald Record.

Pop quiz alert! Get ready to test your health knowledge with this quick quiz. Are the following statements true or false?
1. Cutting calories is the best way to lose weight.
2. Soy is a health food.
3. If I can drink coffee any time and it doesn’t affect me, it’s OK to drink it.
4. Fat makes you fat.
ANSWERS

1. FALSE. Our bodies work more like a complex chemistry lab than a simple bank ledger. So many factors influence our weight: the state of our metabolism, our hormones, our age and the kinds of food we eat. Does it really make sense that the same number of calories in a nutritious meal or in a few doughnuts would have the same effect on your body? Of course not! Cutting calories drastically may cause an initial weight drop, but then we adapt, our metabolism slows down, and we go into fat conservation mode — exactly what you don’t want.  So worry less about calories, and learn how to make healthier choices instead.

2. FALSE. Although there is still some controversy on this, evidence is pretty strong that soy isoflavones are suppressive to the thyroid and have detrimental estrogenic effects. For many people, soy contributes to inflammation, meaning achy joints and stomach upset.

If you’re going to make soy a part of your diet, keep it minimal and stick to fermented forms such as miso, natto, tempeh and tamari. Avoid soy milk (highly sweetened and processed).

And please don’t feed your sons lots of soy: While none of us should be having soy estrogens on a regular basis, I particularly worry for developing boys.

3. FALSE. If you drink caffeinated coffee and don’t feel a thing, it means your adrenal glands are exhausted, or “burned out.” Caffeine is an artificial way of inducing the “flight or fight” response, and if you do it often enough, your body loses its capacity to respond.

To heal your adrenals, begin cutting back on caffeine, particularly after 3 p.m. Allow yourself to feel the fatigue, which is the truth the coffee is masking. That may mean more sleep and more rest for a while, and that’s one of the kindest things you can do for your overall health. There are many different herbs, nutrients and complex formulas that support the adrenals, but extra vitamin C is one of the safest and simplest.

Although decaf can be cut with regular coffee, it has been implicated in raising cholesterol levels. Better to switch to tea: It’s healthier overall.

Make the change slowly: Caffeine is addictive, and you don’t want withdrawal headaches. Try to get down to a single, reasonably sized cup of coffee in the morning. In the long run, you will have much more energy without the coffee.

4. FALSE. Lose your fear of fat. It is essential for healthy brain function, healthy skin, a healthy nervous system and a healthy metabolism. I don’t recommend a high-fat diet, but low-fat and no-fat diets are just as unhealthy. Including a little healthy fat with every meal and snack helps you lose weight, and stay healthy. Fat is also a great appetite suppressant, helping you feel fuller longer.

What are some healthy fat sources? My favorites include seeds, nuts and nut butters, avocados, olive or walnut oil, coconut milk and fresh or dried (but not sweetened) coconut.

Why haven’t I mentioned fish? Unfortunately most fish is no longer very healthy. Grain-fed farmed fish does not have the attractive nutrient profile of wild fish, and wild fish — if you can afford it — is often contaminated with mercury. Perhaps the safest choice is small, short-lived fish at the bottom of the food chain, such as sardines, herring and anchovies.

And now for some homework …
Now that you’ve taken the quiz, here’s a little homework assignment. Try incorporating some healthier choices into your snacks. A few of my favorites include:
1. A bowlful of berries. Buy frozen bags this time of year, and enjoy them with a little coconut milk and a handful of some chopped, unsalted nuts.
2. Apple or pear slices with nut butter. Peanut butter is less expensive, but tree-nut butters such as almond, cashew and walnut are healthier.
3. Whole grain (or gluten-free) crackers with avocado and small fish such as sardines, herring and anchovies. Add a little dijon mustard to spice it up.