How to Lose Weight Without Dieting

January 23, 2021

After decades as nutritionists, two share what they’ve found to be true about long-term weight loss and management, starting with the truth that restricting calories does not work. Tune in to learn what DOES work and is a lot more enjoyable and healthful.

 

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Transcript:

MELANIE: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition brought to you by Nutritional Weight and Wellness. Today we have an interesting, and I believe a very important topic. We're going to talk about how to lose weight without dieting. And I bet some of you are saying to yourself, “Well, that's not possible.” Well, think of it this way. Did you need a special diet to gain weight?

CAROLYN: That's a funny way to look at it. Isn't it?

MELANIE: It is. We didn't need a special diet. Did you say to your friends, “I'm going to eat these brownies, chocolate, chocolate covered caramels, my favorite, white mocha coffee to drink to gain; I'm going to drink and eat this way to gain weight? Of course not. I'm quite certain you didn't tell your friends that at all or think in you in your own brain, you know, “This is what I'm going to do to gain weight.” Now that I have your attention, I'll introduce myself. I'm Melanie Beasley. I'm a Registered Dietitian and I've had a variety of nutrition-type jobs over the past 20 years, including jobs that required me to put clients on weight loss diets, even liquid fast diets. I know from research that 500 calorie weight loss diets will lead to a slower metabolism and to binge eating. And let's face it. You're pretty darn miserable on those.

CAROLYN: Oh, absolutely.

MELANIE: A person really just can't sustain a 500 calorie diet for very long. It's just not realistic. So, possibly you can do this for a few months. And you'll, people do drop the weight, but because our body is so intelligent, it doesn't allow us to continue the starvation mode. So it's kind of madness. So eventually we fall off the diet and then usually we'll start binging and overeating. A 500 calorie diet is not a long-term weight management plan. And joining us this morning in this discussion is Carolyn Hudson. Just jump right in Carolyn. I know you have many years of experience as a dietitian and working with a variety of clients. What have you found to be true about long-term weight loss and management? And did you ever work for, back in the day, like I did, with the liquid fast or something like that?

CAROLYN: Well, I used to put people on those low-fat diets because that's what we learned way back in the day. Right? So good morning, everyone. Nice to be here in studio with you, Melanie. I'm Carolyn Hudson and I've been a dietitian for a very long time, in fact, probably over three decades. And I've been personally even on that roller coaster ride of what we tell people they should and should not eat to lose weight. You know, sometimes the advice, like I just said, was eat low-fat. Then it switched to eat high-fat, more like the keto-type thing. And a few years ago it was all about eating carbs, right? Eat carbs. Now what's, it's more about low-carb eating. And I really, we don't use the word diet in our practice at Nutritional Weight and Wellness. It's more about just healthy eating.

MELANIE: I think diet implies it's a temporary thing.

CAROLYN: Yes, exactly.

MELANIE: And when can I be done?

CAROLYN: Yeah. When can I be done? Well, we tell our clients no, no, no, no. This is the way you should be eating for good health; not just for weight management.

MELANIE: We want it to be doable for people.

CAROLYN: Yeah. So, you know, you've got to retrain yourself to eat properly.

MELANIE: And really reframe how we, how we see food, because I think a lot of this dieting, what it does is it, it distorts our relationship with food. And that's unfortunate because food is to nourish, and it can be pleasurable along the way with what we eat. It doesn't have to be, you don't have to be miserable. So we're a nation of people who are undernourished and overfed.

CAROLYN: Absolutely; well said there Mel.

MELANIE: About two-thirds of adults are either overweight or obese. And it's interesting to know that the weight loss industry is now worth 72 billion with a “b” dollars. So kind of crazy.

CAROLYN: That's a lot.

MELANIE: People are desperate. And so they're being taken advantage of, I feel.

CAROLYN: And a lot of the other places that do the weight loss are doing things like the liquid diets or some of them are, you know, you buy the food and, and have you have to have their program. And that definitely is kind of goes against everything that we say, you know. Learn how to eat properly; eat real food. This is long-term.

MELANIE: Yeah. It goes back to that relationship with food and just being able to get what you need from the grocery store without breaking the budget.

CAROLYN: Well interesting you should say the grocery store because thinking back to early days, and I worked with some indigenous people in Northern Canada and they didn't worry about losing weight. You know, as a dietitian, I concentrated on helping them eat enough food with the focus on eating foods that supported their overall health; foods that support their teeth, foods that support their joints and support their heart and support their brain. So it's what we call real food, right? Real nutrition; not dieting to lose weight. I concentrated on teaching people to eat more of the good foods. And in the north, a lot of the indigenous tribes up there still were hunting when I was working up there. So…

MELANIE: Wonderful.

CAROLYN: Yeah, really. So they were eating off of the land. So we teach people how to eat nutrient-dense foods to support their overall health, which in turn, of course supports your metabolism. Because as you said earlier, your metabolism or your body is really, really smart. If you only give it 500 calories, it's going to slow down to support that 500 calories.

MELANIE: It’s trauma to your body.

CAROLYN: It is. So this is really what we do at Nutritional Weight and Wellness. We help teach our clients how to eat to support their health. And many times once our clients fix some of their health problems, what happen?

MELANIE: Exactly. I think it's, it, the body knows what to do.

CAROLYN: They also fix the weight problems once they fix their health problems.

MELANIE: You know, Carolyn and that's so true. It brings to mind, I have a client and she came to me and her focus was her doctor had told her, “I need to get your A1C down.” Well the A1C is just a value that shows whether or not your blood sugar’s in a normal range. And hers was very high, which indicated that her blood sugars had been high for a period of time. And so her doctor said, “I can't perform this knee replacement on you until your A1C is down.” So that was her focus when she came to see me. That's what we focused on. So we did get her A1C down. We did get her blood sugars within normal. She was able to have her knee surgery and she healed beautifully from it. Here's what happened: as we focused on our overall health, her A1C came down. Her blood sugar came down and she could reach her goal of her surgery. All of her other values really improved: her cholesterol. And she dropped 50 pounds.

CAROLYN: 50 pounds. Wow!

MELANIE: 50 pounds. And she's, she feels fabulous.

CAROLYN: So you weren't focusing on weight.

MELANIE: No, we focus on health, like you said. That is the primary goal and everything else falls into alignment.

CAROLYN: Absolutely; great story.

MELANIE: Yeah. So listeners, think about this. When did you start dieting to lose weight? If you're a longtime listener, you may remember Nell Kauls. Her weight loss story is wonderful. Several years ago, Nell lost 90 pounds eating real food, which is what we're talking about today. Several years later, she's still now 90 pounds less. And today I want to touch on some key information about Nell’s story. Nell grew up in a family who ate a lot of processed foods: bagels, donuts, fast foods, chips, and soda: all foods that come from a factory, not the farm. Several of her family members struggled with extra weight, higher than normal blood sugars, and at age 12 Nell's mother took her to a group weight loss diet program; trying to be a good mom; trying to help Nell out. And Nell dieted all summer and lost weight. But in a few months she gained it all back and more. The focus at these diets programs was restricting calories and not about eating real food and changing lifetime habits. In the following years, Nell tried several more diets. This is what we do; but again, regained the weight, and even more. Then one day, she tuned into Dishing Up Nutrition. And she heard a nutritionist talking about eating real food to lose weight and something clicked for her. She made an appointment and two years later there was a new Nell. And to this day there still a new Nell; 90 pounds lighter and just full of life. And I think she's a hilarious; wonderful individual.

CAROLYN: Yes. Well, it's already almost time for our first break here. So you're listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. We try our best to provide you with nutritional information that is so critical at this time in history. So thank you all for joining us today. As we all know, we are currently living in a very highly stressful time, which is why it's really important to focus on eating food that will help you increase your own stress management skills. Perhaps you are thinking, “What are some of those foods that help me manage stress?” It's not new information because it's a running theme here on Dishing Up Nutrition, but I'll give you a quick refresher. The foods that help you manage stress are things like grass-fed meat or wild-caught fish, vegetables, vegetables, and more vegetables; organic of course, whenever possible. And real natural fats, such as butter, olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil. Clients tell us daily that when they eat this meat, vegetables and use those healthy fats for about four times a day, and sometimes even more, they handle their stress so much better. So what a very easy, simple stress management approach to life. And we'll be right back.

BREAK

MELANIE: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. Before break, Carolyn gave us a plan to increase your stress management skills. Now on the flip side, I want to share foods that can increase your stress level. I bet many of you knew I would say sugar. Yes, sugar in ice cream, cookies, candies, brownies, coffee drinks, bagels, pizza, that little stash of sweet treats in the bottom desk of your drawer, maybe the gluten-free treats that you think are healthy.

CAROLYN: Because they're gluten free, right?

MELANIE: Because they’re gluten-free, but a lot of them are very high in sugar. So another big category of foods that increase both body and brain stress are foods containing the factory fats: the refined oils, especially soybean, corn, canola and cottonseed oils that are found in most processed foods. I call them “Franken fats”. These manufactured fats interfere with how well your cells communicate and they increase your stress level.

CAROLYN: Yeah. And just to put a little science maybe behind that, so when we're eating fats that aren't, that don't occur naturally, and they're highly processed. They have a whole bunch of chemicals that are used in processing them, our cells, which every cell membrane is made of fat. Right? So we need those, those fats that we're eating to be more natural so our body can recognize them, so that we build healthy, strong cell membranes. Right? So that…

MELANIE: Absolutely.

CAROLYN: So that our bodies function properly.

MELANIE: And that cell membrane is what protects us.

CAROLYN: Exactly.

MELANIE: So as our cells replicate, we want them to have a healthy cell membrane to protect us from, you know, mutations.

CAROLYN: Exactly, exactly. And we know that those mutations occur. Right?

MELANIE: Definitely.

CAROLYN: And that's how the viruses get in.

MELANIE: And it's how cancer develops.

CAROLYN: Yes, exactly. So before break, you were talking, Mel, about Nell. And she's just a perfect example of someone who had to heal her body from her yo-yo dieting from way back when, right, from her, what did you say? What did you say? Eight, eight years old that she started her first…

MELANIE: Young, she was very young.

CAROLYN: Young. So, and we don't…

MELANIE: She was doing what she knew to do.

CAROLYN: Right, right; exactly. But she had to heal her body before she could shed those 90 pounds. So one of the ways that we do this at Nutritional Weight and Wellness is we have all of our clients fill out a really lengthy health questionnaire. So even if they just think they're coming for weight loss, we really delve into all of their health history, and we try to help them with any of their other health concerns.

MELANIE: And it really is all connected.

CAROLYN: Exactly. So now we're going to talk to you a little bit about how you can actually lose that weight without dieting. So a great way to lose weight without dieting is to start cooking, to start making your own meals.

MELANIE: This pandemic has helped us, I think in that regard; not a lot of ways, but in that way, I think.

CAROLYN: So understanding how to prepare meals and developing better skills in the kitchen is a really powerful and effective way to lose weight. So here's an interesting fact: researchers are now linking weight gain and obesity to poor cooking skills. And I'd extend that to all kinds of other health problems, even though a lot of people don't believe that, and many doctors don't even. “Oh, it doesn't matter how you're eating.” Right? They say things like that. But I've worked with a number of clients who have never really even cooked before. So what did they do for dinner? They come home from work and they look in the refrigerator. And now I think it's even worse if they don't have things stocked up, they just grab whatever they want; crackers and cheese, maybe a little glass of wine or a cocktail.

MELANIE: Because these foods are delicious.

CAROLYN: They're delicious, of course. And what happens? You start gaining weight when you're doing that.

MELANIE: And I would add that to your anxiety goes up.

CAROLYN: Exactly; you can't handle the stress.

MELANIE: Can’t handle the stress that we're under.

CAROLYN: Yeah.

MELANIE: So, another thing that I'm hearing is the takeout food.

CAROLYN: Oh, yes.

MELANIE: So a lot more takeout or delivery is being happened because some of these, some of the people I'm talking with, they're tired of cooking because they are cooking. So, you know, they're, they're more and more doing takeout food because it seems like a treat or a fast food drive-through. And this maybe a new thought for some of you, but maintaining healthy weight starts with what you're cooking with. And I'm not talking about your pans, but like we said, the oils you use in the pan. And we know that most takeout foods, and certainly all fast foods are cooked in that refined vegetable oil. And the research evidence no longer points to animal fats, such as butter, causing epidemic levels of heart disease and obesity, but is vegetable oil such as soybean oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, and canola oil.

CAROLYN: So really the first rule of thumb to have a healthy metabolism and to lose weight without dieting is to cook with, at home with those natural fats. So we really want you to avoid all of those refined oils that actually slow your metabolism. So you may be saying, “Well, I don't even know how to cook.” But we have an answer for you. Nutritional Weight and Wellness is now offering cooking classes that focus on cooking with real foods.

MELANIE: I'm excited. I'm so excited about this. So many of my clients have been asking for cooking classes. A simple but popular class is called Slow Cooker Savvy: Easy, Nourishing Meals. The slow cooker does all of the cooking while you're at work, and then welcomes you home with a delicious weight loss meal of meat and veggies, and of course our natural metabolism building fats. You can boost your cooking skills by listening to chef, Marianne, educate us from her kitchen and by watching her educate and entertain you in your kitchen. This class is offered via Zoom format. So even if you live out of town, you can boost your kitchen skills by joining the class.

CAROLYN: So that's the class in January, right?

MELANIE: Yes.

CAROLYN: And in February we're, Marianne will be teaching Healthy Comfort Food. In March she's got a Zoom class: Instant Pot for the Win. And I'm going to take that one because I don't have an Instant Pot yet, but I really want one. And April it's Delicious and Easy Weekday Lunches. So I think those will all be really, really great. So again, the first step to losing weight without dieting is to start cooking your food at home. Because every meal you can include the amount of protein that you need: four to six ounces, somewhere in there. And for some reason, most people, I, at least this is what I have found. Most people are cheating themselves out of that protein.

MELANIE: Especially those women.

CAROLYN: Women; women tend to really short change themselves on the amount of protein that they, that they eat. So here's the, what I teach my clients: so eating protein actually, boosts your metabolism by 30%. Eating protein gives you energy to move, to play, to enjoy life. Eating protein supports your brain health and function. Protein actually breaks down into amino acids, which then helps produce all of our neurotransmitters like dopamine. That's a key neurotransmitter that we need to have to reduce cravings for sugar and alcohol. And it's really easier to maintain a real food plan when you have a sufficient level of dopamine.

MELANIE: You feel better overall. You really do. Let's move out of the kitchen.

CAROLYN: Well, it's almost time for a second break.

MELANIE: Oh is a time already? Wow.

CAROLYN: So you're listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. Are you concerned about the cost of food these days? Does it seem as though your grocery bill is higher with each and every trip you take to the grocery store? You are not alone with that concern. You want to eat healthy and want to eat quality food, but you're concerned about the rising prices. And we'll be right back.

BREAK

MELANIE: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. As a parent, I realize the undue stress the pandemic has put on our adolescents and young adults. As a dietitian and a mother, I see the positive brain or mental health efforts that good nutrition can make. I also realize that sometimes a mother's advice is not always taken as freely as advice from a professional. So if you see a need, I would recommend setting up an appointment with myself, Carolyn, or one of the other dietitians or nutritionists at Nutritional Weight and Wellness. We're currently conducting all nutrition appointments on phone or Zoom. Call us at 651-699-3438, and we'll find the perfect fit for you.

CAROLYN: So before we went to break, we were talking about the cost of food and how, you know, it seems like every time you go to the grocery store, your price tags go up. Right?

MELANIE: Yup.

CAROLYN: So to help with this concern, we put together some cost saving tips in a new blog called “7 Steps to Eating Well on a Budget”. And you can find it on our website. Just go to weightandwellness.com. That's all spelled out. Then click on the blog tab at the top of the page. And we hope you're going to find that really, with some really good cost-saving tips.

MELANIE: Yeah. I love that. And, you know, I had a quote a client gave me, I think it was yesterday. And I love this quote. So I just wanted to share it and pop it in there. But it, the quote is “You must learn a new way of thinking before you can master a new way to be.” I love that quote.

CAROLYN: That is great.

MELANIE: Because we can learn, learn, learn. And that's the only way that we know how to change behavior. Let's move out of the kitchen we were talking about and into the science lab, because sometimes it helps to understand some of the science behind weight gain and weight loss. I'm someone who wants to know the “why”. There is a pile of evidence that clearly tells us the “calories in, calories out” theory simply is not based on science. The research community now recognizes that insulin resistance, which leads to metabolic syndrome, is not only a concern for weight gain, but it's a major risk factor for heart disease and diabetes. If you have insulin resistance, it's an indication that your personal biochemistry cannot handle eating too much sugar and processed carbs throughout your life.

CAROLYN: Yeah, yeah; exactly. So if you're caught in that insulin resistance inflammation: horrible cycle, there is no doubt that you need to eat very differently than you ate when you were younger and maybe more active. Insulin resistance actually calls for eating real food and eating vegetables, more vegetables rather than bread or pasta or cakes or cookies. So I work with many clients and I'm sure you do too, Mel, that have insulin resistance. And they tell me things like, “Oh, I'm hungry all the time. And I find it really difficult to avoid sugar and those processed carbs.” However, when they are eating that real protein, real vegetable and all those natural fats, their cells heal and their hunger normalizes because they are no longer in that sugar battle all the time. And another really important piece is eating every three to four hours, right?

MELANIE: Yes.

CAROLYN: That's going to keep your blood sugars more balanced. And by all means, don't be skipping breakfast. I still have clients coming in saying, “Oh, no, I don't eat until like 11 or 12,” you know.

MELANIE: It might be an hour after you wake up, but getting that metabolism revved out the gate is, is key. And I tell my clients, this is really not about your character that you can't stop eating sugar. It really is about chemistry.

CAROLYN: It is about the chemistry.

MELANIE: You get the chemistry right, you get the blood sugar balanced and you feel like you're in charge of the food instead of the food being in charge of you.

CAROLYN: And the other thing, you know, we talked about a little bit earlier, are those neurotransmitters. So when you're eating that protein, I'll just repeat what we said earlier. You eat the protein, the protein breaks down into amino acids and all of those amino acids, they're all different. They make our neurotransmitters.

MELANIE: And where do they do that?

CAROLYN: They do that in your gut.

MELANIE: Most people think it's your brain.

CAROLYN: Yeah, no, no, no, no. It's in your gut.

MELANIE: We have to have that, that good healthy gut.

CAROLYN: Yeah.

MELANIE: Let's talk, let's talk about the question you may be asking: “How do you lose weight without dieting?” My answer to that question is sleep. Sleeping seven to nine hours most every night is another way to lose weight without dieting. Now I know that sounds too easy, but lack of sleep results in more cravings for sugar. Lack of sleep leads to inflammation and a slow metabolism. Lack of sleep leads to irritable, fuzzy brain, lack of focus and cravings.

CAROLYN: So, yeah, and another thing that we learned from Matthew Walker in his book, Why We Sleep, is that lack of sleep actually decreases, harms our immune system. So this sleep is really, really important. And I think a lot of people don't give sleep enough credit.

MELANIE: That’s amazing that you can start sleeping, when you start sleeping, you can actually drop weight.

CAROLYN: Drop weight, improve your immune system.

MELANIE: Essentially, yeah. The way to lose weight without dieting is sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. And while helping numerous clients with sleep problems, we found that some need magnesium. Some women need progesterone cream. Some people need GABA or melatonin or 5-HTP. Some people need all of the above to get yourself sleeping. So each individual has their own biochemistry with their own specific needs to get sleeping.

CAROLYN: So Mel, do you use something to help you sleep?

MELANIE: Oh, I have a cocktail. And I don't mean a booze cocktail. What I mean is I have, I take taurine. I take 300 milligrams of magnesium and I take eight milligrams of melatonin. And that was the perfect chemistry for me to start sleeping. And as a recovering insomniac, I’m very committed to my, my nutrition.

CAROLYN: Oh yeah. I, I am a recovered insomniac as well. I think when I, you know, started, in, in menopause or perimenopause, that's when all of my sleep problems… It's like, oh my gosh. I used to be able to hit the pillow; out for the night. I'll wake up totally refreshed in the morning. And then perimenopause hit and, you know, I just went into this horrible cycle of not being able to sleep. So my cocktail is I do 300 milligrams of Magnesium Glycinate. That's the perfect amount for me. And I do three milligrams of melatonin. And I find that I can actually, I started, I took something that had five milligrams of melatonin and I can't remember which supplement it was. And it did exactly opposite for me. I got kind of anxious and whatnot.

MELANIE: I have a friend who gets terrible restless legs from it. It just is very, you have to find what works for you.

CAROLYN: Right. It's very individual. So when we have people that don't sleep, one of our clients, we start experimenting. Well, let's try this. Magnesium’s always my first go-to for sure.

MELANIE: Yes. And melatonin works for most clients. I would say 95% of my clients it helps.

CAROLYN: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. I love my melatonin. So some people just need to eat a balanced snack at bedtime. You know, and that would be, we usually we don't do protein because protein revs up your metabolism, right, by 30%. So, it would be like an apple and some peanut butter or something like that would be fine. But if they add that bedtime snack to their nightly routine, they get to sleep really nicely. And that’s what they need for that weight loss. So lack of sleep is one of the leading causes of weight gain. So, you know, the lack of sleep. I had that going on, then I had the perimenopause thing going on. And I did gain weight during that period of time. So it’s really, really important to get your sleep. So we always tell our clients that they can actually lose weight when they sleep that seven to nine hours most nights.

MELANIE: I like that bedtime snack, because when you have that situation where you fall asleep, but then you wake up two or three hours later, four hours later, a lot of times that’s low blood sugar, and that snack with the little fat and a little carbohydrate helps you to stay asleep. One last suggestion to lose weight without dieting is to get a sufficient amount of vitamin D. Researchers have found that people with low vitamin D blood level are more likely to be obese. We also know that vitamin D has been cited as one of the most powerful factors for a strong immune system. So always ask for a vitamin D test. You have to ask for it. And when you see your doctor, ask them. “I really want this vitamin D level,” so you can be sure that your level is a good range. And that good range is between 50 and 80.

CAROLYN: Yeah, that’s what I…

MELANIE: Ask them, “What is my vitamin D after you have it run?” Because a lot of times they’ll tell you over 25 or 30 is sufficient.

CAROLYN: And it isn’t.

MELANIE: No, we like to see it between 50 and 80.

CAROLN: Yeah, for sure. And I, well I take vitamin D every single day because, because we live here in Minnesota.

MELANIE: We need it. It’s also very protective.

CAROLYN: Very, very protective. And we’re reading a lot of, information with COVID. We know that vitamin D, higher vitamin D status, those, people that have had COVID recover better.

MELANIE: Yes. And it doesn’t, it’s, you’re less likely for it to have lung involvement if your vitamin D status is sufficient.

CAROLYN: So I think a lot of my clients that don’t know their vitamin D status, I’ve been telling them at least 5,000, and sometimes, you know, maybe we should do 10,000 for a few weeks just to bump that up.

MELANIE: For sure.

CAROLYN: So it’s very, very important.

MELANIE: You know, funny story, Carolyn. My kids: they’re adults now. They’re not kids, will say it’s their happy pill because when their vitamin D is low, because they are not taking it, their mood drops.

CAROLYN: Yeah. So, okay. It’s time for our next break. So you’re listening to Dishing Up Nutrition brought to you by Nutritional Weight and Wellness. I’m not sure if you believe type-two diabetes is a genetic disorder, but I have to tell you that it is almost entirely brought on from what you’re eating or drinking, as well as some lifestyle factors, such as that lack of sleep that we’re talking about. Are you aware of that from 1983 to 2008… That’s like 25 years. The number of people with diabetes increased seven fold. So genes don’t change that quickly. Pre-diabetes and diabetes are very serious health problems and are basically a food issue. So is it time for you to get your food in order to control your blood sugar? And we’ll be right back.

BREAK

MELANIE: Welcome back today to Dishing Up Nutrition. Carolyn just mentioned type-two diabetes is not a genetic issue, but it is a food issue. And it's a very serious health problem. Some people believe that the only way to lower blood sugar is with medication. And taking medication for a time can help the blood sugar, but it does not address the root problem of how we got there. And that's important. Helping people lower their blood sugar number with food is our passion and it's our expertise. And I think we do it very, very well.

CAROLN: I do too.

MELANIE: I have, I have two clients that were temporarily on medication, but we got their blood sugar under control. They were able to get off their medication because medications do have some side effects and it can slow your, your metabolism. So we encourage you to take charge of your blood sugar. It may well be the best thing you've ever done for your health. You can set up an appointment by calling (651) 699-3438, and be sure to check with your health insurance company to see if they'll cover the cost of your appointment. We're finding more and more companies will.

CAROLYN: Yeah, it's really good. Well, I do believe that we are the experts and helping our clients manage their blood sugar. You know, I don't even know how many clients I've helped over the years, but, you know, I remember one gentleman. He came to me with, I believe it was a nine A1C. And of course his doctor wanted him to go on medication.

MELANIE: What's the value we want them to have, Carolyn?

CAROLYN: 5.6 or less. Yeah, so anything over 5.6; and sometimes I really get concerned even with just the fasting blood glucose, you know, when it's up 120 or something like that, I think clients should be told that that's a bad, that's not a good number. In fact, I had a client just this last week that, you know, I said, well, what was your blood sugar? You know, he said, “Oh yeah, I've had a physical,” I, you know, and he said, it was, I think he told me it was 118. And I said, were you fasting? And he said, yes. And I said, so that's not a healthy number. That indicates that insulin resistance. Right? And so he said, “Well, my doctor didn't say that it was bad.”

MELANIE: A lot of times they'll say “We're going to watch it.” But I say, why watch until it's a problem? Why not jump in? And let's start correcting. Why do we need to watch it?

CAROLYN: Yeah.

MELANIE: Why don't we get to a place where we are comfortable that we don't have to watch it anymore?

CAROLYN: Exactly; exactly. So that's basically what I told him. And I said, so we're going to, we're going to work on that because my goal for you is to never have a problem with your blood sugar and get that type-two diabetes. And so…

MELANIE: Let's be serious. Borderline is a problem. Borderline is not okay.

CAROLYN: Right.

MELANIE: It's like, it's like, you're standing on the edge of a cliff and you're saying, “I can stay here forever.” You know, it's a little dangerous. We don't want you tipping over. So I'm not a fan of borderline or let’s watch it.

CAROLYN: Yeah, neither am I. So again, we got to go back to, what do we do about that? We're going to eat real food. We're going to get away from all of those high-carb things: the breads, the cereals, the pasta; all of that stuff is going to raise our blood sugar. And we're going to eat in balance and we're going to eat frequently. Right? So back to our topic.

MELANIE: We did go on a tangent there, didn’t we?

CAROLYN: But really type-two diabetes, really, there is almost always a weight concern kind of going on with that as well. So, and, and it kind of fits into what we were talking about in general, Mel, you know, it's not just about weight management. It's about overall health.

MELANIE: Health management.

CAROLYN: Health management. That's good. I like that.

MELANIE: Yes. We are health managers.

CAROLYN: Yeah.

MELANIE: And, and it's, I did have a client who ate, he was busy, busy, busy businessman, and he ate processed foods constantly. And he was thin, but he was borderline diabetic because he was, it, it really is not always a weight problem. It, it, a lot of times it's that, you know, too much processed oils over the cells or… so always anybody, they should always know their values and their numbers when they leave a doctor's office.

CAROLYN: Exactly. So our topic today is “trying to lose weight or weight management without dieting”. Right? So here's a recap kind of: the first point about losing weight without dieting would be: what was that first thing? Cooking at home. Right? So when we're cooking at home, we've got, we've got chef, Marianne teaching some classes: January, February, March, April.

MELANIE: Yeah. Wonderful classes so sign up for those.

CAROLYN: Yeah. So that's on Zoom, and you can sign up. You can just go to our website and, and look at the classes that are going to be offered over the next few months. Second point: What was our second point, Melanie?

MELANIE: Losing weight without dieting by cooking at home with natural fats, not “Franken fats”.

CAROLYN: Not “Franken fats”; not those processed fats. So what I tell my clients is anything in a clear bottle is probably one of those “Franken fats”. So that's, they're highly processed; lots of different chemicals. And so what should we be using?

MELANIE: Yeah; olive oil or cold salad dressings, butter, ghee, coconut oil. I love bacon fat, duck fat. You can use avocado oil.

CAROLYN: Lots of tasty options. The avocado oil is really one of my favorites because I love to roast some of the vegetables. And you can roast at a higher level, you know, at a higher temperature. So another point in our recap to lose weight without dieting: cooking your food at home so that you can include that four ounces of protein for women, six ounces of protein for men, at least two times a day is what I tell them. And that should be good, high quality protein, you know, at every meal, every snack you should be having some protein.

MELANIE: I challenge our listeners to weigh it.

CAROLYN: Yeah. Oh, I…

MELANIE: Maybe this week you weigh out, “How much protein am I actually eating?” The cooked animal protein.

CAROLYN: Yeah, it's really, really important. I, I still have the same scale that I bought when I was, back in my undergrad.

MELANIE: Wow. This is a good scale.

CAROLYN: It's got a little crack in it, but you know, it works. It's not that difficult. Right? The next thing would be to lose weight without dieting, by sleeping, sleeping seven to nine hours most nights. So a lot of times you might need some supplements for that. So like I take my magnesium, my 300 milligrams of magnesium and three milligrams of melatonin.

MELANIE: And reach out to a nutritionist or your dietitian to help you if you're struggling with sleep and they can find your, your own little sleep, supplement plan, if you're really struggling.

CAROLYN: And the last point for losing weight without dieting that we already talked about was that vitamin D. And we think that most people need that vitamin D.

MELANIE: It's critical.

CAROLYN: Yeah. So our goal here at Nutritional Weight and Wellness is to help each and every person experience better health through eating real food. It's a simple yet powerful message. Eating real food is life changing. So thank you for listening and be safe, be healthy and stay warm out there.