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In today’s episode, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni talk about what to do if your yoga pants are getting snugg and you have a “spare tire” around your waist. With the pandemic in full swing and the holidays coming, we share our tips and tricks on how to acheive and maintain a healthy weight.
Have you been:
- Snacking on sweets or junk food?
- Indulging in more alcohol?
- Relying on leggings or stretchy pants?
- Having more mood swings and energy dips?
Tips for shifting your metabolism, eating habits and weight:
- Mindful eating:
- Chew slowly and pay attention to what’s happening in your body
- Eat without distractions, ideally with other people in your household
- Put down your fork in between bites
- Taste and enjoy what you are eating
- Eat until you are 80% full
- Prevent overeating and eat less calories
- Avoid drinking your calories
- Eliminate or reduce extra drinks like egg nog, hot chocolate, Starbucks
- No BLTs: bites, licks, tastes, sips
- Limit snacks and avoid grazing while you’re at home
- Eating frequently can raise your blood sugar and insulin too frequently
- Aim for 3 meals with at least 3 hour window between your meals
- Avoid low fat foods
- Try intermittent fasting or time restricted eating
- Be ok with being hungry
- Start with 12 hour fast overnight and consider increasing to 14-16 hours
- Avoid if pregnant, breastfeeding or have low adrenal function
- Reduce your sugar and simple carb intake
- Or can you start with total elimination of sugar?
- Ask yourself if you are really hungry
- Are you bored? Sad? Happy?
- Had a hard day?
- Want to reward yourself?
- Avoid nighttime eating
- Avoid watching TV to prevent mindless eating
- Brush teeth and floss
- Drink tea instead (though not too much to prevent interrupted sleep)
- Support sleep and sleep hygiene
- Shut off screens at least 1 hour before bed
- Research shows impact of blue light for 3 hours
- Use low level of light in evening
- Try blue light blockers
- Consider red light night lights
- Have a hot bath or shower before bed
- Sleep in a cool room to prevent overheating (see Episode 32 on Hot Flashes for more info and tips)
Strategies to reduce stress hormones:
- Journaling, meditation or just sit quietly, even if it’s only for 2 minutes
- Move your body with low intensity activity
- Yoga, tai chi, qi gong, walking, hiking, running, dancing, sports
- Watch for increased appetite due to increased exercise (don’t overdo it!)
- Consider supplementing with adaptogenic and relaxing herbs like skullcap, shatavari, holy basil, lavender, L-theanine
Support your thyroid health:
- Impacted by stress
- Check with blood work – full thyroid panel (TSH, free T4, free T3), in addition to blood sugar testing
- Listen to Episode 42 to learn more about thyroid issues and what to do about them.
Pick one strategy to start with and add on as you can.
Do the best you can right now!
Today’s Mama Must Have:
Dr. Toni is craving more connection with family and is feeling so grateful for her cousins setting up her grandma with an iPad and email address so they can FaceTime. Holidays are going to be different this year, but technology can help.
Dr. Lisa loves her coconut tortilla recipe for a sugar free snack with coconut or peanut butter.
Thank you for joining us today!
Connect with us at our website www.stephanies48.sg-host.com, on Facebook and on Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
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