For many of us weight loss is one of our health and wellness goals. We’d be happy to lose a couple of kilograms, fit into our jeans a little better or to just feel “healthier” with less weight. In fact, I recently finished my latest nationwide tour, ‘What’s Your Health Story?’ where the BePure team and I asked everyone to fill in a health questionnaire. Unsurprisingly, the number one goal of the 3,500+ people that completed this was weight loss.

I’ve helped thousands of my clients to lose weight and I have never once asked anyone to reduce their calorie intake. That old philosophy of calories in versus calories out is inherently wrong as there is so much more to the equation.

"That old philosophy of calories in versus calories out is inherently wrong as there is so much more to the equation."

Females, in particular, can find it incredibly hard to lose weight. That's because we know weight loss is directly tied to their complex hormonal system – which is massively impacted by our modern day environment. To learn more about this read my latest blog, 'How your Hormonal Imbalances Could be Preventing Weight Loss.'

Women's hormone health is becoming such a prevalent issue that I am dedicating a nationwide tour to this topic alone! If you would like to learn more about your hormone health I invite you to join me for this seminar, 'The Hormone Secret.'

In our years of practice at the BePure Havelock North and Auckland Clinic, we have found what we eat, how we move, how we sleep and how we think, all cumulatively affect our health. That’s why, when it comes to weight loss there is no single ‘magic bullet,’ but really the cumulation of many small things, done consistently.

In this blog post, I will be sharing 7 ways to balance your hormones, which all inherently support healthy weight management. These steps are the building blocks to restore your energy and begin using and losing body fat - without counting your calories.

1. Know your macronutrient profile type

When we eat, food is broken down into its macronutrient parts and released into our bloodstream for “processing”. Carbs break down to their simpler forms; glucose, fructose or lactose. Proteins break down into amino acids and fats become lipids or essential fatty acids.

"Ultimately, the right diet for you is the one that keeps you the fullest the longest."

Some people thrive on a carbohydrate rich diet. For these people, good quality, complex carbohydrates will keep them full for longer periods of time and will be processed in the body with very little difficulty and require only a small insulin response.

For others, like me, we function much better on a diet that is rich in proteins and fats. Ultimately, the right diet for you is the one that keeps you the fullest the longest.

"Understanding how to balance your blood sugar levels is the most critical thing you can do for improving your energy long term."

To find our your macronutrient profile type you can take the BePure Macronutrient Profile Questionnaire. Understanding how to balance your blood sugar levels is the most critical thing you can do for improving your energy long term. I talk more about this in the video clip below, ‘Eating Right For You.’

2. Stabilise your blood sugar levels

We all probably know what it feels like to be on a blood sugar rollercoaster. You feel ravenous one, two or three hours after eating a substantial meal and need to get food quickly. So you grab the nearest thing you can find; often sugar or refined carbohydrates. Immediately your energy picks up and you’re fine for another one, two or three hours until the cycle repeats itself.

Our clever bodies release insulin in response to this incoming food. More insulin is released to deal with carbs, some insulin response is triggered for proteins and a lesser response for fats.

If you eat a food and your body can’t ‘find a home for it’ in your cells or glycogen stores, it will be stored as body fat. All of these actions require more insulin to be released. Therefore, the more insulin your body needs to produce, the more body fat you will store.

"It’s these unstable blood sugar levels that are responsible for those 3pm chocolate or lollie cravings..."

Being on the blood sugar rollercoaster requires your body to produce insulin almost non stop. It’s these unstable blood sugar levels that are responsible for those 3pm chocolate or lollie cravings, which are usually the result of eating a lunch that is unsuitable for your macronutrient profile type.

Consistently eating for your macronutrient profile will cause these cravings to fade over time. However, if you do find yourself craving something sweet, rather than reaching for a chocolate bar, allow yourself to mindfully enjoy a whole food treat. Some of my favourites are the BePure bliss balls, this black bean brownie recipe, or this delicious chocolate smoothie.

3. Time your meals right

This is determined by both your preference and also your macronutrient profile type. Generally, protein types will eat larger meals less often while carbohydrate types will eat smaller meals more often.

It's also a good idea to structure meals around exercise. After an exercise session, you want to be refueling with some Vitamin C, such as BePure Super Boost C, and having a nice, whole food, protein meal. Things like eggs with slow releasing carbs like kumara are a great option. Try out our kumara rosti with poached eggs recipe.

"Generally, protein types will eat larger meals less often and carbohydrate types will eat smaller meals more often."

Ideally, we should all be eating breakfast - with protein - about half an hour - 2 hours (max) after waking up. If you suffer from adrenal fatigue, getting a protein-rich meal in within half an hour of waking is critical.

For some people, meal size can affect energy levels. Protein types may do well with a large meal and have even energy all day. Others will feel sleepy eating too much at once. Play around with meal quantity to find your own sweet spot.

4. Get moving

Exercise is important for healthy body systems. It activates the lymphatic system to help the body’s detox pathways, it’s critical for mood and can help increase insulin sensitivity.

However, stress is stress, whether we perceive the action to be stressful or not. Intense exercise is incredibly stressful on our bodies. If you are struggling with body fat that won't budge you need to consider the types of exercise that are best for you right now.

This will greatly depend on your lifestyle – If you’ve had a stressful day at work or you have a young, busy family, opt for walking, yoga, pilates or bodyweight exercises.

Intense exercise has its place but is most effective when you’re getting good sleep, nutrition and managing your stress levels. High-intensity interval training can improve mitochondrial function and improve your metabolism, but it needs to be short, intense and relatively infrequent with lots of recovery time. Think twice per week for twenty minutes or less, not boot camp every morning for one hour.

5. Sleep

Sound, uninterrupted, beautiful sleep is crucial when it comes to maintaining our overall wellbeing. It allows our bodies to recover and regenerate and research has shown a strong correlation between long-term lack of sleep and obesity.

"Sound, uninterrupted, beautiful sleep is crucial when it comes to maintaining our overall wellbeing."

During your sleeping hours, many hormonal changes take place. Our internal body clock, known as the circadian rhythm, is naturally regulated by light and dark, and by changes in body functions every 24 hours. This includes our body temperature, hormones, airways and kidneys.

This means levels of hormones such as the thyroid hormone, thyroxine, and our sleep hormone, melatonin, are different by day than by night. Interrupted sleep can throw our hormone balance off whack and create health problems. For example, thyroxine regulates our metabolism. If it is affected during this nightly process it can lead to sugar cravings and weight gain during the day.

Melatonin is especially important when it comes to bedtime. This hormone changes our core body temperature and lets us know when we’re tired. Melatonin is produced when it gets dark. Production speeds up from about 10pm onwards – which is why we feel more tired the later it gets. As sunrise looms, melatonin drops off and cortisol production kicks in - waking us up.

In today’s modern environment we’re constantly exposed to the bright light from electronic devices. This can disrupt the earth’s day-night cycle that regulates our sleep cycle. If you're struggling to get good quality sleep, I recommend creating a bedtime routine.  Read my blog post to learn how to create a nourishing bedtime routine for yourself. 

6. Hydration

Water contains zero energy in a caloric sense, however it is considered a nutrient as it comprises between 50 - 75% of our body’s composition.

"Water is considered a nutrient as it comprises between 50 - 75% of our body’s composition."

It’s really important to make sure that you are getting optimal amounts of water as it is essential for many of many of our bodily functions. Many of these are needed for healthy weight balance, such as:

• Maintaining the health and integrity of every cell in the body
• Aiding in blood circulation
• Carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells
• Helping to eliminate the by-products of the body’s metabolism
• Aiding in digestion
• Helping convert food to energy

Because the body cannot store water, as we excrete through urine and sweat, we must constantly provide and supply our bodies with water to maintain its many functioning systems.

7. Nutrition

Every major metabolic pathway in our body depends on micronutrients; vitamins and minerals. The key to good nutrition, health and energy is ensuring you have enough of these micronutrients.

Because of modern processing methods, nutrient deficiencies in our soils and the stress of modern living, we are more deficient in critical nutrients than ever before. We are also eating less traditional foods such as liver and other organ meat that our ancestors ate. Liver is among the most nutrient dense foods on the planet and is great for increasing your energy. We have a great recipe for chicken liver pate and meatloaf on our blog.

Cruciferous vegetables are a great way to help support the detoxification of your liver and are especially rich in di-indolylmethane (DIM), which help mop up excess oestrogens. These are vegetables like broccoli sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, collard greens, radish, and brussel sprouts. Try and eat some of these foods at least once a day, I particularly like this cauliflower steak recipe. 

If you’re struggling to lose weight despite making the positive changes listed above, it is critical to assess your nutrient status and boost your levels of certain key nutrients. I recommend everyone takes the BePure Everyday Health Pack - everyday! This is the baseline nutritional support I believe everyone needs on top of a healthy diet, everyday, to support their health.

Ben Warren presents
'The Hormone Secret'   

Have stubborn weight that just won't budge, energy slumps, painful PMS or menopause issues? Join Ben Warren as he shares the secret role hormones play in your health, why our modern world is working against healthy female hormones and how to naturally heal your hormones and bring them back to balance. This is information every woman needs to know. Learn more and register here.