There is no doubt when it comes to weight loss…what you eat matters. It is the fuel of your machine.
Your body has been mastering the process of being alive for over 100,000 years by eating food from the ground. It does not know what to do with all this stuff from a box. I hear it all the time, “what do you think about this diet, what do you think about that diet, etc.”.

This is what I think- eat whole foods for the most part. Don’t eat from a box much. Occasionally cheat, but be consistent about foods that your body has evolved to understand and it does not have an allergic response.

If, let’s say in kindergarten, you started associating food as relief for stress and pain, you could have developed an unhealthy emotional attachment to food.

Our body needs food. It is fuel.

If your body is a machine (it is) and it runs off of food (and it does) if you don’t feed it, your body won’t move. Starvation as a means to lose weight is bananas to me. No, the answer is instead eat the right foods in moderation and work on de-stressing the body. As we age, if we are even more stressed, the last thing your body wants is more stress of prolonged starvation.

Now, also, we all have different body types. Some can eat more carbs, others the carbs really need to be limited.

Let’s make weight loss simple because the more I talk about it, the harder it gets. I am going to break it down into some rules and just listen to your body. I have seen this part of wellness has gotten a little crazy. If we make it too hard, then it is not doable. If we put too much energy here, then we don’t look at the whole picture.

Ok, here is it. The secret to weight loss….

MODERATION, WHOLE FOODS and PERSISTENCE.

1. The need to be dairy and gluten free- I test patients to see if they have an issue and then help them make an educated decision about what foods to avoid. Also, there are sometimes just transient things that one needs to avoid for a little while. If you feel like you cannot eat anything, people can get really thin and sick because they carry this a bit too far. Don’t forget, we came from a primal environment and if it was so hard, we would not as an animal still be here.

2. Listen to your body- If you eat something and your stomach hurts, it is telling you something. Sometimes this can mean that you have an infection. Sometimes it is the food. Just check on it and get the information and then go from there.

3. The right way of eating is around, just look outside. What I mean by this is in the summer, the fruit trees are blooming with peaches and apples. I can eat strawberries and blueberries too. But, in the winter, the trees do not bloom. When it is warmer, humans tend to go out and play more. The food supports the seasonal lifestyle. In the winter, I am inside more due to the elements. The sugar (in the form of fruit) is not around as much. Sugar gives us quick energy which is great during the summer activities. Although sugar is a whole food, in the end, sugar is sugar. I have a lot of patients thinking that they are eating well by eating fruit all day. 

4. Eat a protein, a vegetable, a fat, and a carbohydrate (with fiber) at breakfast and lunch, no carbohydrates with dinner. Eat veggies and proteins all the other times.

5. If you are doing a food program that you do not like, it is not sustainable and not teaching you anything.

6. At the grocery store a good way of remembering how to eat is stay on the outside and only occasionally go down the aisle. This keeps you out of trouble many a time.

Also at times, I will put patients on a detox program- more I do this to help them understand what it is like to have stomach that is not bloated and to pull out the allergens. Then, they are able to benchmark what a normal system should feel like. Eat whole foods around it and then often times your body does the rest. It is cool how this works. I tell this to patients all the time. If you de-stress the human body, health oozes from it like sweat. It is already built in. They will tell me that they crave proteins and berries and want to move or else they don’t feel well. I am totally serious- we can all feel this way.

Another guide that I like to tell folks is eat like a cave person. Meaning I am a proponent of frequent small meals. But, if you want to throw some intermittent fasting in there be my guest. In the cave, as I call it, sometimes the food source came and went. To me, if I stick with how my body evolved then I am unleashing healing of my body in many ways.

I can help you too on your weight loss journey. Learn how to increase your metabolism, control your appetite and find the strongest, leanest version of yourself. I will help you understand WHY and help you relearn HOW to maintain fat loss. This SIMPLE plan includes monthly monitoring, nutrition assessments, body composition analysis, behavior modifications, counseling and more. The Simple Wellness team will help you make SIMPLE changes with big results.

Enroll now in my Simple Weight Loss Plan which includes the Simple 7-day Detox program. Learn more here.

Dr. Samantha Durland is board-certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Anti-aging and Regenerative medicine and Fellowship trained in Metabolic and Nutritional medicine. Learn more about her ground-breaking philosophy and prescription for wellness- My Simple 7- daily actions to thrive in a strong, healthy and peaceful body.

Start your weight loss journey here and now with Dr. Durland. Learn how to increase your metabolism, control your appetite and find the strongest, leanest version of yourself. We help you understand WHY and help you relearn HOW to maintain fat loss. This SIMPLE plan includes monthly monitoring, nutrition assessments, body composition analysis, behavior modifications, counseling and more. The Simple Wellness team will help you make SIMPLE changes with big results. >>Learn More Now