There are pills, programs and pre-packaged “foods” to help us lose weight, supplements from the multi-billion dollar weight loss industry. Most of these options point to burning fat as the key to losing weight. But weight is not just fat. In fact, there are three other major factors that contribute to being overweight: water, undigested food, and emotional weight.
THE FATS WE KNOW
Fat can be stored energy (ie calories) that we are not burning due to a sedentary lifestyle or caloric intake that is too high for what we really need. It can also form in the body from incompletely digested fats when we overindulge in the wrong food choices or when the liver or gallbladder don’t function as well.
In general, we know what we should not eat. But we may not know that microwave cooking, in addition to increasing carcinogens in food, also increases the bad cholesterol content. These are all simple problems to remedy: eat less, move more, choose fresh foods, and unplug the microwave.
Including fat-burning foods in our diet, such as grapefruit and pomegranates, is helpful, as is selecting more acidic, bitter, and spicy foods, rather than salty and sweet foods.
For men, weight loss essentially means more physical activity, because men store weight differently than women. Male fat storage is genetically programmed to be stored more superficially and more readily available for action to “protect the tribe.” Women’s fat, on the other hand, nestles deeper and more intricately within the tissues so that mothers have a more constant supply of energy to care for their offspring. This genetic difference means that women take longer to lose excess weight than men.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
Body fat is usually firm, while water weight is softer and more mobile. The body can drink water for at least these four reasons: it does not hydrate regularly enough; the kidneys are not working up to par; we are eating the wrong kind of salt, which most of us do and we need to change that; Or, the water clings to subconscious emotions that we have not resolved (see below).
Why change our salt? If the salt pours out smoothly, it has been heated over high heat. This process binds the sodium and chloride molecules together so they don’t stick together. But these minerals are supposed to be broken down in the stomach and used for various purposes. United, when they enter the digestive tract and bloodstream, they become irritating. The body’s natural defense against irritation (and inflammation) is to surround the culprit with fluid to protect other cells. Hence, the weight of the water.
So switch to a good clump-and-stick sea salt and avoid processed foods, which are loaded with it. I highly recommend celtic sea salt or raw ocean salts. Also, eat foods that act as diuretics: watermelon, cucumber, and cranberry, whole or in juice. And remember good ole water, nature’s favorite cleanser and moisturizer, second only in health benefits to coconut water.
UNDIGESTED FOOD
This has got to be the most disgusting category of bodyweight. It has been estimated that, by their mid-30s, most people carry at least 5 to 10 pounds of undigested food clumped in their small and large intestines. At autopsy, John Wayne’s large intestine weighed more than 40 pounds. and Elvis’s colon weighed over 60 pounds. It is not healthy.
This weight shows up as a bulky intestine. It’s not beer. It is the old food, fecal matter and water that tries to insulate the rest of the body from the bacterial pockets festering within us. The saying, “Death begins in the colon” reflects how serious it can be for a body to carry this kind of weight over the years.
A big fallacy in our thinking is that intestinal detoxification can be done effectively in a short period of time. Is not true. It is prudent, indeed necessary, to start with a lifestyle review of what we eat and include regular colon cleansing, done gradually and safely over time.
Countless health problems seem to lessen or disappear with cleansing and detoxing. Weight loss is a benefit, but a lighter toxic load in the system is accompanied by fewer and fewer symptoms of ailments such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, headaches, allergies, lower back pain, and many other ailments.
I use Oxy-Powder, which liquefies impacted fecal matter in the lining of the colon and removes pockets of gas and mucus that contribute to bloating and bacterial growth. Because oxygen is the main active ingredient, the entire system becomes healthier. Doing a few 10-day sessions of this supplement every year for a few years produces many years of long-term health and vitality.
MENTAL and EMOTIONAL WEIGHT
Weight gain can occur due to hormonal changes (such as pregnancy/childbirth, or decreased thyroid function over time), stress, illness, depression, poor food choices, and inactivity, to name the most common. weight gain to persist for very different reasons. While apathy, depression, or stress may be at work, other powerful subconscious influences may be at work:
Fat as insulation to protect yourself from others,
Fat as a reflection of a personality that is “too heavy” and needs to be lightened,
Fat as a projection of authority issues, as in “throw your weight around”,
Fat as proof of worth, low self-esteem,
Fat as a cry for help, to get noticed, to be a “great person”,
Fat as punishment or rebellion against another,
Fat as a sign of loyalty to an overweight family or group,
Fat as an indicator of something you’re holding on to,
…to name a few of the more common underlying emotional reasons.
When subconscious motivators can be honestly confronted, we have a better chance, perhaps our only real chance, of losing the excess weight that threatens our physical, mental, and emotional health.