How to Lose Weight (Even Under Stress)

October 01, 2020 Dr Daryl Gioffre

A lot of us are walking around with a few extra pounds than we were back in February.

For some of us, it’s 3 pounds. For some, it’s 10 pounds. For some, it’s 20 or more extra pounds.

For those of us fortunate enough to not be seriously affected by Covid-19, we still have felt the impact of added stress, less physical activity, and being close enough to the kitchen to grab a snack anytime. It’s all too easy to snack 5 times a day, in addition to meals!

I’ve also noticed people seem to be drinking more, which can contribute to weight gain. And then, of course, there is stress eating – turning to sugar whenever negative thoughts or emotions take hold.

All of these factors add up to extra pounds. So today, I’m sharing tips to help you take off the weight and prevent more weight gain during a stressful time.

Let’s dig right in…

My 10 Best Strategies to Lose Weight – Even When You’re Stressed

1. Take the Emotions Out of Eating

How often do you pull out the chocolate stash when you’re worried? Or open a pint of ice cream when you’re stressed?

If emotional eating is a crutch for you, you’ll go a long way toward your dieting goals if you get rid of the crutch and handle the stress or emotions without using food to do it.

Often, emotional eating is a self-sabotaging cycle. You eat to compensate for how you feel, then you feel guilty because you know you shouldn’t have eaten that, and then you eat because of the guilt.

Work on the stress and underlying emotions, and you won’t feel the urge to eat some of the foods you’re better off avoiding.

And if a craving arises, look deeper to that craving for what it means. For example, if you are craving sugar, what your body is really telling you is that you have a huge mineral deficiency, especially magnesium. Eat more dark, green leafy vegetables, and drink Alkamind Daily Minerals at least once daily.

Second, when a craving arises, many times your body may be dehydrated. You see, hunger and the thirst mechanism go to the same part of the brain. So what I recommend is first, have a big glass of water with the juice from half of an organic lemon.

Wait 15 minutes, and if that craving or hunger is still there, then go for a 10 or 15-minute brisk walk. Tony Robbins says, “Motion is emotion.” Simply by moving your body, you’ll be amazed at the choices you make next (healthier more than not). Now, after your brisk walk, if you are STILL having cravings, have a healthy alkaline snack.

2. Eat high-fiber fruits and veggies.

Fiber keeps your digestion functioning at full speed, which is a major key to your metabolism. But keep in mind… high fiber doesn’t have to mean pasta and cereals that advertise fiber on the package! In fact, those foods are usually loaded with sugar and processed ingredients that actually slow down digestion.

The best way to get fiber is through plants like:

Salad greens
Carrots
Broccoli
Avocados
Okra
Grapefruit
Brussels sprouts
Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds
Lentils, chickpeas, adzuki beans, and black beans
Quinoa (actually a seed, not a grain)

3. Just say no to bad fats (but keep eating good fats).

Foods high in trans fats and saturated fats like fried foods, baked goods, animal fats, and canola and vegetable oils overload your digestive system, slow it down, and result in storing extra body fat.

In contrast, good fats like coconut oil and avocado actually speed up your metabolism. The lie that has been perpetuated for decades about consuming fat and weight gain can stop right here. Once you see the results, you’ll know the truth.

4. Cut out sugar (and artificial sweeteners).

It’s not a surprise that eating and drinking sugar makes you gain weight. But it’s not just the extra calories that pack on the pounds.

First, sugar makes your blood sugar levels spike (when we eat like this all the time, our blood sugar is spiking so much, it leads to chronic levels of high insulin, also known as insulin resistance), so you feel a burst of energy. But that isn’t the kind of lasting energy that comes from a healthy metabolism. Instead, you crash after a little while, and your metabolism slows in the process, making weight gain even more likely.

Artificial sweeteners are no better. In fact, they might be worse – after all, they are one of the most acidic ingredients on the planet! They trick your body into craving more refined carbohydrates and sugar, which slow down the metabolism. Eliminate soda, fruit juice, diet drinks, sugary snacks, and other sugar-filled foods from your daily diet.

5. Stay hydrated.

If you’re dehydrated – and 90% of Americans are most of the time – your body starts to function differently because it’s on the search for life-sustaining water. That includes retaining excess fat and calories.

If you want to stay hydrated so weight loss happens easily and naturally, drink half your body weight in ounces each day. So in other words, if you weigh 150 pounds, you need to drink 75 ounces of water each and every day. Look for water that is clean, filtered, and has a pH of 8.0 to 9.5.

6. Lay off the alcohol.

You’re not alone if you’ve had more nights with a glass of wine lately. But that alcohol may be contributing to weight gain AND making it harder to lose weight.

Not only that, but research shows alcohol does not actually reduce your stress level. It temporarily masks it, but then the stress returns.

Find other ways to relax and unwind at the end of a long day – do some stretching and deep breathing, give your partner a massage, make something new in the kitchen, or take a walk and enjoy the summer evening.

7. Use intermittent fasting.

This is the PERFECT way to reboot your metabolism and allow your body to start running on stored fat, rather than the sugar and carbs you eat, which just leads to craving more sugar.

Intermittent fasting means you choose an 8-hour window to eat in, and fast for the other 16 hours of the day. You can decide if your window is 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM, or whatever time works for you. During the 8-hour window you eat in, you want to maintain my 80/20 alkaline to acid rule, and the best part is that you can eat as much as you want, and you can finally throw counting calories out the window!

You can start by incorporating intermittent fasting 1 or 2 days a week, or you can do it daily. Just be gentle with yourself at first. The more you build up to, the faster you’ll drop excess weight, and the faster your body will shift from fat storage to fat burning. Read more about how to try intermittent fasting here.

8. Curb snacking.

Snacking in between meals leads to not only weight gain but also more serious blood sugar regulation problems. Fill up on nutrient-dense foods like veggies and healthy fats at meal times to keep you full and your blood sugar stable until your next regular meal.

If you do need a snack, aim for no more than 1 per day (with 3 regular meals) and go for a choice that will suppress hunger without spiking your blood sugar like:

9. Replace one meal with a smoothie.

breakfast nearly every morning is a smoothie made with some combination of:

Dark, leafy greens
A couple of healthy fats like coconut oil or chia seeds
A plant-based protein source like raw almond butter or Alkamind Organic Daily Protein
A frozen fruit to make it taste great

By replacing a meal with a smoothie, you’re getting a ton of vitamins and minerals, protein, and healthy fat without excess calories or carbs. What could be easier? This actually removes stress from my morning!

For a few smoothie recipes to try, take a look at my:

10. Kick start your weight loss with our easy, effective cleanse!

The Alkamind 7-Day Alkaline Cleanse is the easy way to let go of excess weight, get back to healthy habits, and actually reduce stress as you detoxify.

It’s a whole-food cleanse where you won’t go hungry at all. In fact, Kelly Ripa said on Live With Kelly, “You will eat more on this cleanse than you do in your real life!”

Kelly also said this is the program that “changed her life!”

You get to fill up on delicious, nutrient-dense foods that will restore your energy, health, and metabolism. And we make it easy with meal plans, recipes, shopping guides, and more.