Natural Health Forever

Nutrition, Naturopathy & Health Coaching

Navigation
  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • Consultations
  • Programs
  • Natural Health Forever
  • Skin Care
  • Weight Loss
  • Gut Health
  • Contact/Shop
Eat, Sleep, Love, Laugh, Live, Dream, Better, Forever

How to Lose Weight and Keep it off…

Posted 11 November 2020 in Weight Loss


Supermarket overwhelm

At Natural Health Forever, the weight loss programs are the most popular. So over the next few weeks I’m going to share my top tips for – not just losing weight – but the harder part, which is maintaining your weight loss. The programs focus on losing weight for the health of your body. I’m going to share what I’ve learned over the last ten years both through my masters degree and in clinical practice.

Weight loss (and maintaining a healthy weight) is a multifaceted subject. It’s really not as easy as just cutting down on food, so we have a lot to cover. Today I’m starting with a background and introduction but we will be covering the following over the next few weeks.

Topics

  • my top tips for dietary changes you can make that work, 
  • how you can make these changes stick, 
  • I’m going to share meal ideas (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and snack ideas, 
  • we’re going to talk about portions and how to fill your plate to make a nutritionally balanced meal, 
  • I will share an example of a weekly meal plan to help get you started, 
  • we will cover emotional eating,
  • and finally I’m going to share some issues that can prevent the body from losing weight. These things may need to be looked into first before you can successfully start a weight loss and healthy eating plan. 

But first…an introduction

Genetics can play a role in weight gain, but it is the food environment, which has changed so much over the past 20-30 years, that is ultimately causing the UK, Australia, America and many Western Countries to gain weight. At present around 66% of these populations are overweight or obese and this is predicted to rise to 75% fairly quickly. And it’s not just adults who are affected. Overweight and obesity rates in children and adolescents are rising too. 

A food environment is a collection of factors that affect eating practices and patterns. Examples include what foods are available to us, how the food is being promoted and advertised and how much it costs. All these factors have a big affect on what we choose to eat and our likelihood of being overweight. The changes in food environment have been coupled with a big reduction in physical activity due to cars and many other machines that make our lives easier.   

Genes are a bit like light switches, which are automatically in the off position. Although some of us have genes that could predispose us to put on more weight than others, the genes need to be switched on for this to happen, and the food and physical activity environments we find ourselves in help switch them on. As George Bray, a leading obesity researcher says, “the genetic background loads the gun, but the environment pulls the trigger”.

It all goes back to the past

Coping in the current food environment where marketing is very powerful and food is everywhere can be difficult, because we are not genetically programmed to turn down food. This relates back to our ‘hunter gatherer’ days where our bodies learned to cope with scarcity. To survive, we needed to eat food when it became available and our bodies learned to store energy (calories) during times of shortage. We adapted to an environment with a low availability of food, the need to expend lots of energy to get food, our brains wired to get excited by foods that contain fat and sugar and the ability to consume lots of food in a short period of time (because there was no refrigeration). This conditioning was very strong and vital for survival.

Our biological systems and DNA are highly complex and have evolved slowly over hundreds of thousands of years. Our genes have not changed much between then and now, but our food and physical activity environments have evolved and changed very quickly. Today, we live in an environment where food is everywhere. We can eat at every hour of the day, marketing is powerful and relentless, we don’t need to expend energy to get food, and processed and convenience foods tend to be cheaper. All of this is hard to ignore. But we do have a choice. As Dr Altshuler, a clinical endocrinologist and human geneticist says “ Genes are the hand of cards you are dealt.  It’s up to you how to play that hand.  Sometimes the person with the best cards doesn’t win, it’s the person who plays them better.” 

e-books

A word about diets

Many different types of diet have saturated the market and there are now so many books, websites and clubs to choose from. Many are based upon eliminating or reducing one macronutrient group for example low fat, no fat, low carb etc. However evidence based trials conducted over many years have revealed that diets don’t work. Some can work in the short term, but because they don’t teach people how to create new lifestyle habits, for the most part, people regain the weight they lost and have to start all over again. If diets did work, we would all have bought the book and would all be our ideal weight. The diet industry is huge and has no interest in solving the overweight or obesity problem because it will put them out of business. 

Lifestyle Changes that Stick

The key instead is to focus on making gradual lifestyle changes that stick. To start with small steps but to start somewhere. Research shows that as humans we are far more likely to succeed if we choose one or two goals we feel comfortable with and achieve these and turn them into new lifestyle habits before starting on the next goal. If we try to change everything at once we become overwhelmed and this generally leads to failure. So start with small steps but start somewhere. Make sure your goals are realistic. Pick one thing from the list I’m going to give you and start there.  Once you’ve successfully reached your goal and built it into your lifestyle you can move onto a new one. 

The CDC (Centre for Disease Control) in America keeps a track of overweight and obese people who have not just lost weight, but have kept it off. And what they have found is that they have all followed a similar pattern. That there are certain things these people are doing that are working. So I’m going to share some tips with you on dietary changes you can make that really work. And I’m also going to share some habits with you from people who lose weight and keep the weight off. 

It’s interesting to note that the average person who is overweight over consumes approximately 300 calories per day, which isn’t that much. So imagine if there were some small changes you could make that made all the difference. Because what I know from clinical practice is that even small dietary changes can have a big positive health impact. 

So on Saturday we will start with my top tips for dietary changes you can make that work. Who’s excited? 🙂

Tweet
Like this post? Share it!

& receive a free recipe e-book "Smoothies, Juices & Shakes"


Write a reply Cancel reply



Join me in Natural Health Forever


INSTAGRAM

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
There has been a problem with your Instagram Feed.

naturalhealthforever

This Banana Pancake Stack uses a blend of quinoa a This Banana Pancake Stack uses a blend of quinoa and buckwheat which makes the pancakes gluten free and increases the protein content. 

Adding the banana keeps the pancakes sweet without having to add extra sugar. These pancakes are nutritious and delicious too!

Ingredients
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 ripe banana
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp maple syrup 
Juice of 1 lemon
About 200ml filtered water

Directions
Mix all the dry ingredients together until combined then add the coconut oil, brown rice malt syrup and lemon juice & mix until evenly combined,
Add the filtered water bit by bit, until you get the right pancake consistency you desire,
Each pancake uses 2 tbsp of the mixture & I use round egg poaching mold to get the shape,
Stack the pancake layers with thinly sliced banana & sprinkle with berries & a drizzle of rice malt.
Enjoy!

#healthylifestyle #healthyfood #nutrition #foodporn #pancakes #homemade #bananapancakes #motivation #weightloss #weightlossjourney #healthy #wellness #food #foodphotography #foodie #foodstagram #foodlover #cooking #homecooking #foodblogger #instafood #foodphotography #recipe #veganrecipes #healthyrecipes #recipes #easyrecipes #vegetarianrecipes #recipeshare #recipesforkids
Spicy Coconut Soup Recipe This delicious Thai St Spicy Coconut Soup Recipe 

This delicious Thai Style Coconut Soup recipe serves 2 and takes around 25 minutes to make. 

INGREDIENTS 
1 brown onion, chopped 
2 tsp of coconut or sesame oil 
1 stalk of lemongrass, finely sliced 
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated 
1/2 inch piece of fresh turmeric, grated 
Pinch of chilli powder (or more depending upon your preference)
2 limes, grated zest and juice 
1 tin of coconut milk 
2 cups water (500mls)
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce 
Veggies of your choice, I used 3 large button mushrooms and 1 green pepper both chopped) 
1/2 bunch of coriander, chopped 

DIRECTIONS 
1. Add the coconut or sesame oil to a pot with the onion and lightly sautéed until it is soft. 
2. Add all the herbs and spices (lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, chill), plus the zest and juice of the limes and saute for another few minutes. 
3. Add the coconut milk, water and tamari or soy sauce and simmer gently for 15 minutes stirring regularly. 
4. Add the veggies and 1/2 the coriander and stir through and cook for a further 2 minutes. 
5. Serve and add the rest of the coriander to the bowls. 
6. Enjoy! 

#healthylifestyle #healthyfood #nutrition #foodporn #thaisoup #homemade #health #motivation #weightloss #weightlossjourney #healthy #wellness #food #foodphotography #foodie #foodstagram #foodlover #cooking #homecooking #foodblogger #instafood #foodphotography #recipe #veganrecipes #healthyrecipes #recipes #easyrecipes #vegetarianrecipes #recipeshare #coconutsoup
Today’s lunch was a delicious quinoa salad with. Today’s lunch was a delicious quinoa salad with....really easy to make with a great flavour combination. And nice and filling to keep energy and blood sugars stable to your next meal 👍🏼

Mixed watercress & rocket (arugula) 🌱
Roasted red peppers 🫑 
Green beans 💚
Tricolour quinoa 💛
Avocado 🥑 
Olives 🫒 
Sunflower seeds 🌻 
Extra virgin olive oil 🫒
Apple cider vinegar (from mother) 🍏
Freshly squeezed lemon 🍋
DELICIOUS IMMUNE SUPPORTING MUSHROOM RISOTTO A y DELICIOUS IMMUNE SUPPORTING MUSHROOM RISOTTO 

A yummy, healthy comfort food. The recipe uses Shiitake Mushrooms & lots of garlic to help support the immune system, making this a great recipe to enjoy. I like to serve the risotto with a side of green vegetables or salad to lower the starchy carbohydrate content of the meal. 

MUSHROOM RISOTTO
INGREDIENTS 
1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
150g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 teaspoons of dried thyme
275g arborio rice
1 litre of good quality vegetable stock
Sliced spring onion to garnish

SERVING SUGGESTIONS 
sautéed green vegetables & sliced avocado
a green salad & sliced avocado
crispy onions

DIRECTIONS:
Make up a litre of stock and keep this warm.
Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a large saucepan, and add the chopped onions and garlic and lightly sauté for 5 minutes.
Add the chestnut mushrooms and sauté for a further five minutes until they soften, then add the shiitake mushrooms and stir for a further 3 minutes.
Add the rice and thyme to the pan and stir in for a minute before adding the stock a ladle at a time. Ensure the stock has been absorbed by the rice before adding another ladle. This should take around 30 minutes in total.
Once the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked season with salt and pepper and serve.
See the serving suggestions above for how to enjoy your risotto.
Enjoy!
Introducing the Holistic Skin Health Program 💜 Introducing the Holistic Skin Health Program 💜

This program is ideal for anyone suffering skin conditions such as acne, dermatitis, rosacea, psoriasis, eczema, allergies, dry skin, age spots, hormonal spots and anti-ageing. The program is designed to give your skin the best possible care inside and outside in order for it to be at its best. 

The Holistic Skin Care Program consists of 6 consultations over a 12 week period, starting with a 1 x hour long initial consultation and followed by 5 x 30 minute follow up consultations.  Prior to our initial consultation I will send you a food diary to complete. Because heathy skin starts from within it is important to determine whether your diet is rich in the essential ingredients needed for optimal skin health. The food diary will also help me determine whether there are any foods within your diet that may be aggravating or contributing to certain skin conditions. 

During the initial consultation we will go through your skin goals in detail, to ensure I get the program right for you. This may be overcoming a skin condition or because you want to follow an anti ageing program to ensure collagen and elastin levels are optimal (or both). After the initial consultation you will have a treatment plan and weekly meal plan with meals and snack ideas to follow. 

During the follow up consultations we will add to your treatment plan to ensure it is working for you and also go through skin care in detail including staying hydrated, and the best products you can buy or make at home for the following, 

cleansing 
exfoliation 
toning 
moisturising 
gua sha massage 
dry skin brushing
face masks & body masks 
reducing cellulite and stretch marks 
removing / reducing blemishes from the skin 
skin tags (what are they are sign of & what can you do)
natural make up brands 
what's needed for healthy hair growth (including eyebrow hair) 
what's needed for healthy nail growth 💜

#skincare #skincareroutine #skincareproducts #skinhealth #skin #skincaretips #healthyskin #healthyskincare #healthyskintips #holisticskincare
Recipe...I’m calling this my dreaming of Summer Recipe...I’m calling this my dreaming of Summer Salad 🥰☀️

This yummy salad is easy to throw together for a nutritionally balanced meal. It’s also great for a healthy and filling packed lunch to take to work. I like to make enough so that there are leftovers for lunch the next day. It’s high in plant based protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals and is packed full of different flavours. 

Summer Salad 
Ingredients – serves four 
2/3 cup quinoa cooked and cooled (makes about 2 cups cooked quinoa)
1 can of cannellini beans 
2 cups of green beans, lightly steamed and cooled
2 cups of peas, lightly steamed and cooled
125g cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 
1 tin or jar of artichokes, drained, washed and sliced
1 cup of raw cashew nuts
1/2 cup raisins 
1 cup of fresh mint chopped 
Dress with extra virgin olive oil,  apple cider vinegar and a pinch of mustard (I use 4 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp ACV and 1 teaspoon mustard mixed together as a dressing)

When all the ingredients are prepared and cool, place them in a large serving bowl and mix until evenly combined.  Dress with olive oil and apple cider vinegar to taste.  Serve straight away and save any leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge for lunch the next day.
Wholesome Strawberry Crumble Muffin Recipe 🍓❤ Wholesome Strawberry Crumble Muffin Recipe 🍓❤️ These muffins and deliciously squidgy inside with a crunchy crumbly topping. 

I promise I will post some more healthy main meals and breakfasts this week 😆lol but it's my hubby’s birthday today and he loves a crumble so I made some yummy crumble muffins for him. He's eaten 3 & 1/2 so far (daughter had the other 1/2 and loved it) so I think he's happy 😍. These muffins are easy to make with easily sourced ingredients. I hope you love them as much as we do. 

WHOLESOME CRUMBLE MUFFINS (makes 10)
2 cups plain flour (we used gluten free)
3/4 cup coconut sugar (normal sugar will work just as well)
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup plant based milk (I used almond milk, dairy milk will work too)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 
2 organic free range eggs (or 2 flaxseed eggs or 1/2 cup apple puree) 
1/2 cup berries (I used blackberries today as they needed using up, but any berries will do)
1.5 cups strawberries (I used frozen but fresh are fine, raspberries would also work well)

CRUMBLE
3 tbsp flour 
3 tbsp butter (or vegan spread)
1 tbsp coconut sugar

Method 
Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray with 10 cup cake bases. 
Add all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder) to a big bowl and mix until evenly combined. 
Optional - If you are making flaxseed eggs add 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds to 6 tbsp water mix through and allow this to rest for 15 mins before using. 
In a separate bowl add the wet ingredients (milk, oil and eggs) and mix until evenly combined. 
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix through well. 
Add 1/2 cup berries of your choice and 1 cup of the strawberries. 
Mix well and spoon the mixture into the cup cake bases. I use a 1/3 measure to do this and add extra if needed. 
Add the extra strawberries to the top of the cupcakes. 
Mix through the crumble ingredients and add to the topping. 
Bake for around 25-30 minutes. This really depends upon your oven. Non fan will take longer so test after 25 mins with a fork or skewer comes out clean. 
Enjoy!
Wild Blueberry Brownies Recipe These brownies hav Wild Blueberry Brownies Recipe

These brownies have a rich chocolate flavour and a deliciously squidgy fudge like consistency on the inside. I use Cacao in chocolate recipes, which is the raw unprocessed form of Cocoa. It is extremely high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals especially magnesium. 

If you can’t find hazelnut meal, buy a bag of hazelnuts and blend them for around 10 seconds to make your own. One and a half cups of hazelnuts will give you 2 cups of hazelnut meal. 

Coconut sugar can be used in recipes in place of refined sugar. It tastes delicious, has a low Glycemic Index compared to sugar and honey and a rich mineral profile.

The brownies are gluten, dairy & refined sugar free. 

Wild Blueberry Brownies
Makes: 16
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30-35 minutes mins
Ingredients
2 cups hazelnut meal (almond meal will also work but hazelnut provides the best flavour)
3 tbsp cacao powder
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 organic free range eggs (or 2 flaxseed or chia eggs) 
100ml water
½ cup walnuts
½ cup frozen wild blueberries (other types of berries will also work, I like the wild blueberries as they are a little tart)
Grated coconut to decorate (optional)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/ fan 160°C
Line a square tin (20cm) with baking paper and grease with a little coconut oil
Add the hazelnut meal, eggs, coconut oil, coconut sugar, cacao, water and baking powder to a large bowl and mix until well and consistently combined
Add the walnuts and and mix through
Place the mixture into the lined baking tray and add the wild blueberries on top pushing them half into the chocolate mixture with the back of a spoon
Bake for 30-35 minutes until firm to touch.  The mixture will still be fairly soft and squidgy in the middle
Leave to stand until cool then turn out and cut into 16 brownies.  They are very squidgy brownies so cool thoroughly before slicing & then store in the fridge
Add a sprinkling of coconut flakes on top (optional)
Enjoy!
Here's a little healthy treat for the weekend. Squ Here's a little healthy treat for the weekend. Squidgy chocolate cookies. 

Preheat the oven to 180C 

To a bowl add 
1/4 cup almond meal 
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup oat flour (just grind oats in a blender for this)
2 tablespoons of arrow root 
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda 

Mix through until evenly combined and then add 
1/2 cup peanut butter 
5 tbsp maple syrup 
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

Once the mixture is evenly combined add 150g or dark chocolate broken into chunks. Divide into 8 cookies and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. 

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes (depending on how squidgy you like them)

Enjoy! 

#healthylifestyle #healthyfood #nutrition #foodporn #chocolate #homemade #health #motivation #weightloss #weightlossjourney #healthy #wellness #food #foodphotography #foodie #foodstagram #foodlover #cooking #homecooking #foodblogger #instafood #foodphotography #recipe #veganrecipes #healthyrecipes #recipes #easyrecipes #vegetarianrecipes #recipeshare #recipesforkids
This was our delicious breakfast this morning ❤️ Overnight chia oats with strawberry cream and toppings 🍓

For the overnight oats I used 
1 cup of wholegrain/rolled oats, 
2 tbsp chia seeds and 
1 and 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk. 

For the strawberry cream I added around 
2 cups frozen strawberries to a blender with about 
1/4 cup almond milk and 
1 tbsp maple syrup and blended until smooth. 

For the topping I used fresh blackberries, coconut and a little granola. 

Yum yum. Enjoy!
Yum yum who doesn’t love pizza? I’ve put the l Yum yum who doesn’t love pizza? I’ve put the link in my bio to these delicious herbed buckwheat pizza bases to which you can add your favourite toppings. I love using buckwheat it’s so versatile to work with and kid friendly too my little one loves buckwheat pasta.
My ❤️🥰 My ❤️🥰
Follow on Instagram

& receive a free recipe e-book "Smoothies, Juices & Shakes"

Categories

  • Delicious Breakfast Recipes
  • Guest Recipes
  • Healthy Eating
  • Immunity
  • Natural Health
  • Nutritious Main Meals
  • Skin Health
  • Smoothies Juices & Shakes
  • Sports Nutrition
  • Sweets & Snacks
  • Uncategorized
  • Weight Loss

Dessert Recipes

Dessert Recipes

Smoothie Recipes

Smoothie Recipes

View our Events

View our Events

View All Recipes

View All Recipes

About My Approach

About My Approach

Attend a Workshop

Attend a Workshop

View All Recipes

View All Recipes

© Natural Health Forever 2020 • Design by Neverland