Dear Friend, It's Not Your Fault

Just received another email. Another upset friend blaming herself because she had a bad day. She cheated. She ate junk carbs. She wanted to confess.

DEAR FRIEND, IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT.

I’ve been there, far too many times to count. I’ve done that. So many wasted years: restricting; over exercising; blaming myself when none of it worked.

I struggled. I sweated. I begged. I thought – what if I could just join The Biggest Loser – just long enough to lose 30 or 40 pounds. If I could wake up tomorrow with all of this weight magically gone, I promised I would restrict more. I would workout more. I would do whatever it took just to have the weight off for good. I cried. Too many times to count. I wish someone was there to tell me…

DEAR FRIEND, IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT.

We live in a society that equates being beautiful with being thin. Doctors tell us we need to lose weight to be healthy. Magazines show us workout routines and diets to get us to society’s idea of perfection. They all give the same advice – “Count calories. Exercise daily. Eat balanced meals.” If you do not lose weight, or when you regain the weight you lost, you are blamed. Once again you are told to eat less, exercise more. More fruits, more vegetables, more healthy whole grains, but eat less of it all.

Many of us have spent years, if not decades, in this exhausting cycle of less food and more exercise. Then we backslide to junk food, couch surfing and depression over yet another failed diet. When you seek answers regarding what went wrong, the blame comes back to you. You must have eaten too much. You must have not exercised enough. You resolve to start again.

DEAR FRIEND, IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT.

Some are lucky enough to filter through years of bad advice to find real answers. Some of us are able to find diets better suited for our physiology. Diets that remove processed junk (even the foods many consider “healthy”), and diets that add healthy fats that our bodies use for countless functions to thrive.

A ketogenic diet is one of these diets. While some refer to ketogenic diets as restrictive because carbohydrate consumption is often very low, others know a ketogenic diets true power and never feel deprived. They enjoy delicious fats to satiety, while ridding themselves of years of chronic health issues and excess fat that has been around for far too long.

So what about the people who are lucky enough to find a whole food diet like a ketogenic diet, but still struggle? What about the people who see everyone around them having amazing results, yet they cannot stick with this real food diet. I am talking about the people who load up on healthy fats, but still feel weak, sick and ready to give up again.

Is there something wrong with these people that are now “allowed” to eat double bacon cheeseburgers without the bun every single day, yet they would kill just to eat a large order of fries? Are they broken? Did too many years of restrictive diets doom them once they may have finally found their truth?

What advice do they follow? Eat more fat, but only enough so your body burns its own fat. Eat more protein. Eat less protein. Exercise daily. Relax more. Count calories. Don’t pay attention to calories. Even within this narrowed down lifestyle, there is still so much contradictory advice.

DEAR FRIEND, IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT.

If you are following any diet that others claim to be magical, yet you are not getting results, it is time to dig deeper. If you are eating the same foods others see spectacular results with, but you just keep craving the foods you know are not optimal for better health, it is time to end that pattern once and for all. It is time to quit following everyone else’s plan that is right for them and find a plan that works for your bio-individuality. It is time to make improvements to your body’s chemistry so that magical diet becomes magical for you.

Been there. Done that. This time I only have to count to one.

After years of following low fat, then high fat, then no fat, restricted calories, restricted carbs with low fat, Weight Watcher’s, Jenny Craig, Slimfast, Atkins…need I go on? After years of trying every diet out there with results that never lasted, is there any wonder our bodies become confused and no longer easily let go of weight? There is a better way to end this lifetime diet mentality and finally take your life back for good.

As humans we are meant to eat whole, real foods and we were never meant to restrict these foods based a fitness app on our phone. Yet that is the plan so many follow. Even with a healthy plan like a ketogenic diet, I still see so many people restricting calories and fat because their phone told them to, instead of listening to what their bodies need. Many of these people are not seeing results long term and will most likely struggle to keep the weight off for good.

Quit struggling. Quit feeling bad. Take your health into your own hands once and for all. Learn how your body works and what foods are optimal for YOU to thrive. Once you invest time in learning this information, life becomes easy.

I searched for more than twenty years for solutions to finally help me with a slew of chronic health conditions. I finally ended more than twenty years of yo-yo diets and chronic poor health. Below are the tips of how you can accomplish the same:

ALLOW YOUR BODY TIME TO HEAL:

Most likely your body has been abused from years of yo-yo diets, processed foods and over the counter medications to cover up symptoms caused by modern living. Weight gain is not about eating too many calories and too little exercise. Weight gain is a symptom of something bigger that is wrong with your body. It could be a chemistry imbalance, a less than stellar digestive system or lifestyle factors like too much stress or too little sleep. Now that you have found a lifestyle full of healing foods, don’t expect the weight to fall off overnight. Focus on your health first. Give your body time to heal and then the weight will follow.

FIND YOUR HEALING FOODS:

For some people a keto diet consists of foods high in fat and low in carbs; no other considerations required. Just because someone refers to something as keto does not make it a good choice for you. Test foods with your body. Write down how they make you feel. Monitor your results. Start with a few basic “keto” guidelines and then take the time to figure out your perfect keto diet. A diet that makes you feel good and gives you the health results you desire is going to look different for everyone. We are all individuals and have different requirements to help us thrive.

QUIT EXERCISING TO LOSE WEIGHT:

I didn’t say to quit exercising. Exercise is great for mental health and to stay strong well into our senior years. Exercise is not great for weight loss. In fact, if you are over exercising, like I did for the majority of my life, this can cause more inflammation and cause your weight to stall. Over exercise just promotes the message of calories in versus calories out. We are eating a keto diet for our hormones, not for caloric restriction. If you keep using exercise as a crutch to eat more of the foods that are not right for you, you will be getting about as far as that treadmill takes you.

Instead of spending many wasted hours sweating on a gym machine, go for a walk a few days per week and find some time to fit in resistance training. This will help you stay healthy and strong. Eating the right foods for your body will help you lose weight.

FOCUS ON LIFESTYLE:

If you are not sleeping enough to feel well rested or if you are constantly stressed, your body is going to have a difficult time letting go of weight. Everyone has stress – it is a part of life. Sometimes we can’t find enough time in the day to sleep. Life gets hard.

How you deal with that stress is key to making a difference in your health and weight loss routine. Quit making excuses about why you cannot get more sleep or reduce your stress. Start implementing small strategies like yoga or meditation to help you destress.

So many people get the wrong message when trying to lose weight. The population as a whole believes the only things we need to do are eat less and move more. Then there is that “smarter”, more researched group of people who believe the general population has it all wrong – all you need to do is cut carbs below 20 and the weight will fall off. This is the magic formula to put you into ketosis and now you will live happily ever after. I came here to say they all have it wrong.

LEARN HOW YOUR BODY REALLY WORKS:

This is the one thing the multi-billion dollar health industry does not want you to learn. Once you learn this information, you can take your health into your own hands and you will no longer be a recurring client. Many times when you have trouble sticking to a diet, it is not because you are weak. It is because it is not the right diet for your physiology.

Take the time now to learn about how your body digests food and which foods are appropriate for you. Did you know if you commonly have low blood pressure, fasting is not an ideal strategy for you? Did you know if your body is stuck in an anabolic imbalance, eating too much butter and cream can exacerbate this and make weight loss difficult?

So many people in the health industry, even the professionals I trust, give sweeping claims that are meant as advice for everyone. The problem with this is bio-individuality. We all thrive with different food sources and different supplements. Quit listening to general claims and trying to make this advice work for you. Invest your resources to figure this out for YOU once and for all.

I obsessed over health and nutrition for over twenty years. I knew nothing until I took the time to learn about my own bio-individuality. Once I learned about myself and followed the advice meant for my specific body chemistry, this all became easy. For the first time in my life, losing weight was not a struggle and I easily maintain it without a second thought.

To finally figure out the correct foods and supplements for you, sign up for this course. Change your life forever.

DEAR FRIEND,

I am here to tell you there is WAY more to losing weight and regaining optimal health than most professionals will ever tell you. If everyone led you down the right path the first time, the multi-billion dollar health industry would cease to exist.

This path can take time to figure out, but I promise you it is worth it for a life free of caloric restriction and over exercise with little results. If you decide not to take the time to actually learn about you and how your body works; if you do not allow your body time to heal before jumping to the next new diet; if you decide to just look for the next quick fix or fast, cheap and general advice meant for everyone, then