Pursuing Weight Loss

Are you trying to lose weight and get into better shape? Most of us understand the struggle that comes with trying to lose weight and sustain that loss. It isn’t easy, but with functional medicine, weight loss can be achieved quickly. Does this mean there is a functional medicine diet? Not exactly, but here, we offer some top tips from functional medicine doctors about actions to take and food to avoid when losing weight.

Top Tips for Weight Loss

Start by removing sources of inflammation. Certain foods cause gut-related problems that trigger inflammation. These include fast food, processed foods, added sugar, refined grains, and canola or vegetable oils. Some people are also sensitive to dairy, corn, soy, eggs, and gluten.
Eat real, whole foods. Your body was designed to eat real food like, meats, vegetables, and fruits. Packaged, process foods can keep the weight on you, but you might be surprised at how quickly you lose weight when you switch to a diet of clean, whole foods. Be aware, though, that all fruits and vegetables are not created equal when it comes to weight loss. In fact, five fruits to avoid for weight loss are mango, banana, avocado, dates, and pineapple. These high-sugar fruits have a high glycemic index and can interfere with your efforts to lose weight.
Try these fat burners. Four of the top fat-burning foods to boost your metabolism are protein, coconut, sprouted seeds, and nutrient-dense vegetables like leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables. Other foods known to help promote fat burning are grapefruit, green tea, and yerba mate.
Change the way you exercise. A great way to exercise if you’re trying to lose weight is by doing interval training, particularly burst training. In this kind of training, you alternate periods of rest or low activity with bursts of high intensity activity. If you are not sure how to safely begin an exercise program, consider enlisting the help of a personal trainer.
Choose the right supplements to support fat loss. High-quality protein powders can help you build lean muscle, as well as supporting a healthy metabolism. Which protein powders are best? Collagen protein, protein made from bone broth, whey protein, pea protein, seed protein, hemp protein, and brown rice protein. Green superfood powders are also useful for fat burning, as well as boosting energy. Fish oil provides omega-3 fatty acids, and when taken with vitamin D, can also help balance hormones. Probiotics support digestion and can also help manage blood sugar.
Consider giving intermittent fasting a try. Also known as cyclic fasting, helps boost the metabolism, and is good for digestion and hormone production, among other things. One approach to intermittent fasting is to fast for 16 hours a day, only eating for eight hours. Another method of intermittent fasting is to fast on alternate days, eating nothing or very little, but eating normally on non-fasting days.

Try Functional Medicine for Whole Body Health

At Advanced Functional Medicine, an integrated medical clinic, we exclusively practice functional medicine. A full functional medicine approach to healing uses a comprehensive diagnostic screening to get to the root of a patient’s issues. Our whole body approach to medicine utilizes all-natural, researched-based nutritional approaches to optimize the body’s natural healing abilities, rather than just using medication to treat symptoms. Each individual receives unique and customized care, formulated based on the latest scientific resource, and we have a 96 percent success rate in patient outcomes. As a medically driven, patient-focused health clinic, we support our patients’ individual health goals, providing natural relief for symptoms of chronic factors and expert guidance about the decisions affecting a patient’s long-term health. It is our goal to help reverse chronic disease without resorting to dangerous or unnecessary drugs or surgical interventions, promoting healing from the inside out, in its truest, healthiest form. To schedule an appointment or learn more about how we can help restore your health and strengthen your body’s unique physiological functions, call 858-500-5572 or contact us through our website.