Lose the Toxins, Lose the Fat
If you’ve attended my seminars in the past, you know that I’m fond of quoting Dr. Diana Schwarzbein (and proud of having spelled her name correctly for the first time. Do you know how many different ways there are to spell that last name?!), saying “you don’t just need to lose weight to be healthy. You need to be healthy to lose weight.”
This quote basically turns the entire fat loss model on its head.
You see, it’s no longer a matter of if you’re toxic. You are (and I mean that in the best way possible). The question is how toxic are you? And to what degree does that toxicity affect you?
Original source: here.
When you measure our clients on a regular basis (in our case, every 2 weeks), you start to realize all the things that can affect body fat beyond nutrition and exercise.
For instance, one of our clients recently injured her shoulder. And yet, despite a close-to-perfect eating and exercise plan, her body fat went up.
Another one of our clients switched to a different birth control pill, and her body fat went up by 33% (specifically in her thighs and love handles, whereas everything else stayed stable) in only 2 weeks, with no changes in her nutrition or exercise. Crazy!!!
So too, toxins can seriously affect your body fat, regardless of what you eat or how you exercise.
Why? I’m glad you asked. Pull up a chair, make yourself some green tea, lean in and pretend that you’re interested.
See, your fat tissue isn’t just inert mass that just “sits there.” That’s what we used to think, but now we know better. Your fat tissue actually releases hormones, as well as stores toxins. Why does it do that? Because toxins tend to bind to fat in the body. And your brain is about 60% fat. So it’s far safer for toxins to go into fat cells than into your brain. In fact, your body can actually create additional fat cells just to accommodate the extra toxins coming in.
Does that mean that you should go right now and buy yourself a “detox kit?” Absolutely not! Detoxification is much more complex than Dr. Oz and Multi-Level-Marketing companies will have you believe. In fact, you can actually do more damage than good by doing a one-size-fits-all detox.
See, you have to know what you’re detoxifying. Are you detoxifying heavy metals (like mercury, cadmium, lead, aluminum, etc.)? Are you detoxifying foreign estrogens (like those in the birth control pill, hormone replacement therapy, plastic bottles, etc.)? Something else?
Funny enough, do you know how after a long period of weight loss, you reach a plateau, and don’t lose any additional fat? Part of the reason is that when you lose fat, the toxins from the fat cells get released into the bloodstream, and then into other organs (like your thyroid, brain and liver). Once they are there, they slow down your metabolism.
So our clients who experience the greatest success are the ones who detox (using a protocol tailored to their unique body) all throughout the fat loss process.
Although it’s beyond the scope of this newsletter to tell you how to safely detox for you, one thing you can do is at least prevent more toxins from coming in. How do you do that?
Go to http://www.ewg.org.
That’s the website for the Environmental Working Group. On that site, you can type in what products you’re using (like to wash your hair, for your lipstick, as laundry detergent, to clean the floors, etc.), and it’ll rate the toxicity level of those products. If it’s high on the list, it will suggest less toxic alternatives.
Just doing that will certainly help you be healthier, and it just might help you lose some fat and gain energy.
But if you want a sure thing, that’s more comprehensive, and tailored to your unique body, let me know.
Short Summary
- Body fat is influenced by a lot more than just exercise and nutrition.
- Toxins are everywhere
- Too much toxins in your system can halt fat loss in its tracks, despite perfect nutrition and exercise
- When you lose fat, toxins are released from fat cells, and circulate within the body. That’s why you reach fat loss plateaus.
- Detoxification must be tailored to your unique body, or you can do more damage than good
- Visit www.ewg.org to find out how toxic are the products you’re using, and learn about less toxic alternatives
