Quirky, Unexpected Weight-Loss Concepts That Helped Me Lose 40 Pounds

Are you searching for that one piece of the diet puzzle that'll finally help you lose weight in the long term?

This may be it.

I remember spending hours surfing the web for a diet that seemed like something I could actually commit to. You know, one that included cookies on the meal plan, but also promised a Victoria Secret Angel-type body.

After eating so many salads and working out for up to two hours a day, I couldn't understand why the extra 40 pounds I had on my body wouldn't budge.

I felt like the only option I had was to put in more effort and eat even less. But, the thought of doing more just to maintain a body I wasn't happy with was depressing.

Then, I stumbled upon food energetics, which totally changed the way I saw food and my body and helped me lose 40 pounds without any counting or measuring or lifting, and I'm going to share some with you.

So here are three quirky weight-loss concepts you can use this year that work:

Expansion vs. contraction

Have you ever gone to a cold location and noticed your rings felt loose? Or, have you ever gone to a hot place and noticed your rings felt tight?

Our bodies naturally contract or expand a bit to allow our bodies to either retain heat or to cool off.

And food has a similar affect on your body.

People who struggle to lose weight tend to show signs of an imbalance in contraction and expansion.

On one hand, you're likely to feel muscle cramps, tension and emotional "contraction" in the sense that you're more likely to feel down or easily irritated.

At the same time, your body will show excessive expansion in the form of bloating or excess weight.

So, one of the easiest things you can do to alleviate inner contraction and outer expansion is to eat foods that regulate your body like root vegetables and leafy greens, and to avoid foods that cause weight retention like large quantities of animal products and refined foods.

Temperature

Going off what I mentioned in the first part on expansion vs. contraction, foods can also warm your body or cool off your body.

This might sound complex, but it's actually really intuitive.

If you were on the beach in Hawaii and wanted to cool off your body, would you rather have a tropical Pina Colada or a hot, root vegetable stew?

I'm sure you picked the Pina Colada and cringed at the idea of having stew on a beach.

But as obvious as that example is, you probably haven't thought of what your body needs in more detail.

If you're the type of person who has cold hands and cold feet and is more likely to need a cardigan than your peers, then you'll want to avoid raw fruits and vegetables that will also cool off your body.

Start figuring out ways to add more heat, like cooking your foods or adding in warming spices.

Eating seasonally is also a way you can figure out which foods are right for your body. As mindbodygreen notes, "Nature provides foods that correspond to the seasons and best support our bodies during particular times of the year."

So, what does this have to do with weight loss?

Well, the more stress you take off your body by helping it stay comfortable in temperature, the easier it will be for your body to function smoothly.

Weight loss is a byproduct of that.

Digestion rate

Building off of the first two concepts, foods that are contractive and warming tend to take a long time to digest, where as foods that are cooling will digest rapidly.

In other words, if you eat a big steak, which is a concentration of a lot of nutrients that the animal ate and is therefore contractive, it'll take a long time to digest.

On the other hand, cooling fruits and raw vegetables will digest quickly.

So, start checking in with your body.

If you're the type of person who has constipation, then do you want to eat something that takes a really long time for your body to digest? Probably not.

Taking a break from heavy animal protein until your system runs smoother can be beneficial.

If you feel like you're tired or sluggish all the time, you'll likely crave foods that give you a pick-me-up, like sugar and caffeine. But, these foods give you a quick hit, followed by a crash.

Opting for foods sweetened in something less taxing like maple syrup or naturally sweet foods like pumpkin and sweet potato are going to curb that craving, while also having a less stressful rate of digestion.

Check in with your body before you start that diet program.

Most diet plans for weight loss are focused on things like calories in and calories out.

But if you want to have lasting weight loss, the first thing you should look at what conditions you want to alleviate in your body.

Because if you're able to balance your condition, then weight loss will be a natural byproduct of a functioning system.

If you're wondering where you can learn more, this is based on Food Energetics.

Here's a free training on Food Energetics so you can start bridging the gap between logical and intuitive eating and make 2017 your year (seriously).