Losing weight can be a challenging task especially if you’re only relying on your own knowledge and information. The best way to lose a large amount of weight in a relatively short time is to actually seek assistance. Whether it’s from fitness professionals or even a clinic that can offer proper advice on how you can lose weight, it’s vital that you tailor your weight loss solutions to your particular goals and needs.
However, regardless of the methods you choose, reducing your belly fat boils down to the science behind it. No matter how much exercise you do or what you eat, your efforts will often be in vain if you’re not getting the science behind your weight loss down and this is where Innovative Medicine can help.
Innovative Medicine is a clinic that offers a broad range of different weight loss, addiction, pain and general wellness solutions in the Lafayette, Indiana area. If you’re looking for professional advice to help you on your weight loss journey, it’s important to seek advice on how you can achieve your goals through methods that are backed by science.
The Wrong Way to Lose Weight
A lot of people simply think that losing weight means cutting out foods and exercising. However, there’s not a lot of science behind that thinking and it’s usually down to popular culture references and misinformed media articles that lead to this way of thinking. Unfortunately, many people try to lose belly fat on their own without any assistance and this can lead to unrealistic expectations.
This will eventually discourage someone from losing weight but it can also cause them to become depressed, lose hope and feel like weight loss is an impossible and insurmountable task that cannot be overcome. However, the reality is that burning belly fat and living a healthier lifestyle isn’t as difficult as people make it out to be, but it does require knowledge regarding how our bodies work.
Low Carbohydrate Diets
Those with some knowledge of biology or the human body may already know that carbohydrates are important as a source of energy However, in their absence your body actually uses protein and fat for energy instead. Healthy carbohydrates are a good source of energy for the body, but if you’re not particularly active then it may be difficult to lose weight if you consume excess amounts of carbs. This is because carbohydrates can cause a spike in your insulin levels. Insulin regulates the storage of fat in your body, which means that consuming more carbs will cause our bodies to store more fat.
The reason athletes need excess amounts of carbs is that they work out on a regular basis which burns calories, thus expending the energy they gain from fat. However, for those who aren’t particularly active, consuming too many carbs will cause our bodies to store fat and our metabolism will lower because it’s not working hard enough to use up those excess calories and stored fats.
The solution to this is a low-carbohydrate diet which focuses more on protein intake. There are a couple of advantages to a higher protein and lower carbohydrate diet:
- Our bodies need to work harder in order to digest protein, meaning that it accelerates your metabolic rate when you consume more of it. This ultimately means that consuming protein burns extra calories than if you were to take in your calories from other sources like carbohydrates.
- When our bodies experience restricted levels of carbohydrates, our bodies turn to our fat stores for energy. This means that after a brief period of limiting carb intake, our bodies will naturally start to burn more fat due to the changes in our body. This process is known as ketosis and is actually a fairly normal bodily activity.
- Low-carb diets offer a surprising energy boost. This is because carbs increase and decrease your energy levels, causing fluctuating boosts that have highs and lows. You could have an immense energetic feeling at one point of the day but then it can come crashing down unless you continue to consume carbs throughout the day. If you cut out excess carbs, your blood-sugar levels stabilize and prevent those rollercoaster energy effects.
- Calories aren’t as important to count when on a low-carbohydrate diet. While it’s still possible to consume too many calories in the form of proteins and fats, it’s less of a concern because once your body enters a state of ketosis, your body will start to burn fat for energy, causing a drastic reduction in belly fat.
- Your appetite stabilizes as well. Carb-heavy diets often cause us to crave foods which lead to overeating and thus more calories taken in. When our energy levels dip, we often reach for carb-heavy foods to replenish our energy and it repeats this cycle of carbohydrate reliance. When you cut out carbs, you’ll experience fewer cravings and your meals will feel more satisfying.
- An increased intake of protein means that a low-carb diet can also help with muscle development and the creation of mass.
As you can see, a low-carbohydrate diet has many unique advantages. However, this style of diet is actually only a base for what we offer at Innovative Medicine. Many of our weight loss strategies use restricted carbohydrate intake as a base and we improve on it with other methods such as the hCG diet and our Innovative Protein program which can speed up your weight loss even more.
Advanced HCG Diet Options
When it comes to food intake, the HCG diet is very similar to a low carb diet. The main difference is that patients will also take a dose of HCG, short for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, every day. This is a hormone produced in high levels during the early stages of pregnancy and can be safely used by both male and female patients for the purpose of weight loss. HCG diets rely on two simple principles; HCG hormones which are often administered via injection and a very-low-calorie diet which is restricted to only a couple hundred calories each day.
The HCG fat reduction technique is focused on the three main types of fat in the body. This is fat that supports the kidney and arteries, the fat that is deposited all over the body and used as fuel, and fixed body fat that isn’t as easily burned as fuel. Fixed body fat is thought to be one of the leading causes of obesity and it’s much more difficult to burn even during an intense low-carb diet. This means that when you restrict your calories and focus on methods to limit your carbohydrate intake, you’re actually only burning fat that is meant to be burned, thus not actually losing any physical weight because your fixed fat is still present.
The way an HCG diet works is that it helps you burn this “fixed” level of fat. On a low-calorie diet that consists of restricted carbohydrates and HCG, the patient will start to burn off those levels of excess fat in addition to the fixed fats around our body. This can help accelerate the rate at which you lose belly fat.
Innovative Protein Diet Option
The other option we have at Innovative Medicine is a high-protein program. During this program, clients will consume high amounts of protein through meal replacements and undergo intensive counselling while consuming prescription appetite suppressants. These measures are designed to reduce your weight drastically by cutting out fat mass while focusing on increasing lean body mass. Here are a couple of advantages of a high-protein diet:
- You develop muscles at a faster rate because your body is constantly breaking down and stimulating muscle developing with your increased protein intake.
- Your resting metabolic rate will increase due to the increased amount of protein you are taking in, meaning you will burn more calories naturally even without exercising.
- Protein-based foods are much lower in calories compared to carbohydrate-heavy foods, meaning you consuming fewer calories.
- Increasing protein intake can also improve your sleep cycles.
- Protein-rich foods are very filling compared to carbs, meaning you’ll be satisfied after each meal and be less likely to have cravings.
Protein-heavy diets come with many fantastic advantages, but it’s important to seek advice from our specialists at Innovative Medicine in order to make sure that your body is capable of handling an increased level of protein and restricted carbohydrates. While these are excellent methods to lose belly fat, it’s ultimately very difficult to burn fat and improve your diet without external help to guide you.
Contact us today at Innovative Medicine to schedule an appointment with one of our weight loss experts. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you find the right diet that best suits your lifestyle and fitness goals.
What Is a Holistic Diet?
Losing weight can be a challenge that few people overcome. This is because dieting is often seen as a very personal adventure; you read up or learn about a trendy diet then you adjust your lifestyle and eating habits to follow the plan. Unfortunately, following a meal plan and exercise routine is just part of the solution when it comes to losing weight.
The reality is that weight loss involves many different aspects of your life. Whether it’s the mental fatigue from making large changes to your lifestyle or the physical stress involved during intensive exercise, it’s incredibly difficult to stay on track when you follow a diet plan on your own. There’s also no telling what scientific evidence there is for the diet plan that you’ve chosen.
For instance, a low-carb diet plan is often touted as one of the best ways to lose weight, but few people realize that it causes a nutritional imbalance and temporary side effects such as a brief decrease in energy levels and even bad breath. While many of the side effects of a low-carb diet are simple to deal with, they’re rarely spoken about which can cause people to think twice about their diet choices. In addition, sustaining a low-carb diet under these conditions can be very taxing on your mental health, hence the importance of taking a holistic approach to dieting.
In this article, we’re going to talk about what a holistic diet is, how it can benefit the body, and also give you some answers as to why regular diets simply don’t work very well.
Why Regular Diets Rarely Work
When it comes to weight loss and dieting, far too many people have been negatively affected by the popularity of fad diets and misinformed mainstream knowledge. In fact, people simply assume that in order to lose weight, all you need to do is exercise and eat healthily but while it’s a great foundation to start your weight loss journey it’s ultimately not the best approach.
Yes, you can starve yourself and workout every single day, but the chances of you succeeding in your weight loss are very slim and there’s a chance that you could easily put the weight back on after the fad diet concludes or the period ends. After all, these fad diets are not sustainable in the long run and could result in many mental and physical health problems that ultimately lead to you putting the weight back on.
This is where a holistic diet can come in handy. Instead of a fad diet that is only designed for short-term weight loss, a holistic diet is essentially a long-term health goal that aids in healthy body function, better digestion, improved appetite and improved mental health. These are factors that many people don’t consider when it comes to dieting because the main end goal is always weight loss. Unfortunately, weight loss isn’t the entire story and there are a number of important factors to consider if you truly want to lose weight and keep it off.
What Does a Holistic Diet Involve?
A holistic diet is all about meeting your physical needs while ensuring that your mental needs are also taken care of.
A good example of this is meeting your nutritional needs. Your body needs a certain balance of macronutrients such as carbs, fat and protein in order to maintain your bodily functions. Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are also important in optimizing your body’s energy levels so that you can stay as healthy as possible. However, everyone’s nutritional needs are different and it’s not as simple as just following a diet plan. In fact, a holistic diet approach requires that you take a deeper look at your body and decide on your macro and micronutrient needs based on your goals.
For example, those who want to build more muscle will typically consume more lean sources of protein so that they can stimulate muscle growth, and those who have specific dietary needs will balance micronutrients based on what is most beneficial to their lifestyle. Optimizing your nutritional needs requires knowledge on the subject which is why booking a consultation at Innovative Medicine can be a huge advantage when reaching your weight loss goals. By taking into consideration your lifestyle and your goals, we can help you determine the best nutritional goals to strive for in order to achieve a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
Guidelines for a Holistic Diet
So what exactly does a holistic diet involve? Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- Think about nutrients when picking foods instead of just calories – A holistic diet is all about eating nutrient-rich foods that contribute to your overall wellbeing instead of just looking at the caloric value. By focusing on a rich variety of foods, your body will get all the nutrients it needs to ensure your body is nourished and can thrive.
- Avoid labels given by other diet methods – If you ever look for healthy recipe and snack ideas you’ll probably come across some very diet-specific foods and recipe names. For instance, you may see something that is advertised as a “keto” meal or a “Atkins” meal plan, but the reality is that you should remove those labels and see them for their nutritional value and consider what macro and micronutrients you need.
- It’s all about your physical and mental wellbeing – Forcing yourself to eat certain foods for their nutritional value can be mentally exhausting especially if you never mix them up and try new things. This is why it’s vital to focus on a variety of different foods and changing your meals on a regular basis so that you can feel more comfortable with your dieting choices. Remember that a diet is not a short-term thing; it’s a long-term health plan so it needs to be sustainable.
At the end of the day, holistic diets are designed to be good for your overall wellbeing and health. It’s all about optimizing your health on a nutritional level while also providing you with positive mental benefits.
Holistic Diet Options From Innovative Medicine
Innovative Medicine provides a number of holistic weight loss diets that focus on more than just your physical wellbeing. We’re proud to offer our patients weight loss solutions that go the extra mile, offering them a long-term solution to reduce their weight, improve their wellbeing and help them maintain a positive mindset all throughout the process. If you’re interested in a consultation with our weight loss experts, then don’t hesitate to contact us today to book an appointment.
The three main options we offer are low carb diets, HCG diets and our very own Innovative Protein meal replacement plan.
- Low carb diets focus on lowering carbohydrates in our diet which result in burning our fatty energy stores
- HCG diets utilize Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) injections. HCG is a hormone that is produced in the female body during pregnancy and helps us burn more fat throughout our diets
- Innovative Protein involves a high-protein meal replacement, intensive counselling involves high protein meal replacements and intensive counselling and prescription appetite suppressants to help you achieve a holistic approach to weight loss
Low Carb Weight Loss
Carbohydrates are a common energy source for our bodies, but when we enter a state of ketosis by limiting carbs, we start to use our fat stores for energy instead. To replace the carb intake, we consume more protein which raises our metabolic rate and provides us with healthier nutrients that improve the body’s functions.
Some advantages of a low carb diet include:
- More satisfaction after meals
- Balanced blood sugar and insulin levels
- A reduction in body fat and weight
- A more sustainable diet plan
- Lower blood pressure levels
HCG Diet Weight Loss
HCG diets focus on “fixed fat” stores in our body. These differ from fats stored in our body that are typically used to fuel our body and are burned when we exercise and raise our metabolic rate. Physical activity uses our energy stores which can make us feel exhausted, but they do little against the fixed fats in our body. An HCG diet targets these fat stores in addition to fat around our bodies to provide a holistic approach to weight loss.
Some advantages of an HCG diet include:
- Increased metabolic function to help you burn more weight
- Improved hormone regulation
- Increased energy levels
- Drastic reduction in body fat
- Improved wellbeing and mental function
- Fewer hunger cravings
Innovative Protein Weight Loss
Our Innovative Protein plan utilizes high-protein meal replacements, counselling and prescription appetite suppressants to help patients lose weight while also drastically increasing lean body mass and lowering body fat.
Some advantages of the Innovative Protein program include:
- Medical assistance from our specialists throughout the entire program to assist you
- Reduction in consumed calories each day
- More potential for weight loss
- More protein intake means better muscle growth
- Improved quality of sleep
If you’re interested in our medical weight loss programs, get in touch with us today and book a consultation with one of our weight loss experts. We’ll guide you through the best methods to achieve your weight loss goals with a holistic approach that focuses your physical and mental wellbeing.
