Natural Weight
Management Solutions

Are you struggling to manage your weight?

Looking for a permanent natural weight loss solution?

Do you want to know how to lose weight and keep it off?

If so, the Mindful Healing Clinic can help.

Weight management issues are becoming increasingly prevalent these days. Cheap and convenient but unhealthy foods tempt us. Greater demands are made on our time and mental energy. And at the end of a long day, who wants to stand there and spend an hour cooking a healthy meal?

Please also keep in mind that your weight management concerns may be related to an underlying health issue. The Mindful Healing Clinic can help you find out. From there, Dr. Maria will help you put together a lifestyle plan that works for you. That plan will give you healthier, more nutritious food that will address your underlying health concern.

The goal is to help you maintain a healthy weight and feel more comfortable in your own body.

Below are some of the health conditions associated with weight gain. If you identify with the symptoms of any of them, contact the Mindful Healing Clinic.

Naturopathic Solutions For Weight Gain And Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a condition that affects your thyroid gland. Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of your neck. It’s part of your endocrine system, which also includes your adrenals, pancreas, pituitary, and reproductive organs.

Your thyroid’s job is to produce hormones that manage your metabolism. If it isn’t producing enough, it can lead to hypothyroidism.

Because your metabolism is out of balance, hypothyroidism often comes with weight gain. Other than that, symptoms of hypothyroidism include:

• Constipation
• Depression
• Dry hair and skin
• Hair loss
• Menstrual irregularities
• Chronic fatigue
• Temperature sensitivity
• Slowed heart rate
• Carpal tunnel syndrome

If your weight management issues are caused by hypothyroidism, there are naturopathic solutions available that can help.

Naturopathic Solutions For Weight Gain And Diabetes

Diabetes is a disorder associated with weight concerns. This is especially true with type-2 diabetes.

Approximately 90% of those with type-2 diabetes are overweight (source). This is due in part to the high insulin levels. If you’ve been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, the traditional weight management advice of “eat less and exercise more” may not help.

Those with type-2 diabetes have elevated levels of insulin in their blood. Two of insulin’s function are to remove glucose from your blood and into your cells where it’s used, and to manage fat. So, in a healthy person, the more sugar you eat, the more insulin your body produces to compensate. But those with type-2 diabetes have a resistance to insulin, which makes the insulin less effective at moving glucose. Your body compensates by producing a lot more insulin, since high blood sugar can be deadly. But the high levels of insulin also block your ability to burn fat, which leads to weight gain.

This is also an issue with type-1 diabetes, but there’s an added issue: those with type-1 diabetes are at greater risk of developing a thyroid disorder.

If you’re dealing with diabetes, and are struggling to manage your weight, contact Dr. Maria at the Mindful Healing Clinic.

Naturopathic Solutions For Weight Gain And Stress

There are two main types of stress – acute stress, and chronic stress.

Acute stress is situation-based and passes with the situation. Having to meet a deadline can be stressful, for example, but once that deadline is met your stress should pass. One symptom of acute stress is loss of appetite, so interestingly it can lead to short-term weight loss.

Chronic stress is ongoing, consistent stress. This can be a result of a stress disorder, or ongoing difficulties in your work, finances, or relationships.

Chronic stress causes an increase in appetite. This is because the hormone cortisol is produced when you’re stressed. It causes you to eat more and store glucose in your body as fat. Chronic stress can also be a demotivating force in your life, causing you to not want to exercise even though that’s what would make you feel better.

Other than an increased appetite and weight gain, there are a number of symptoms associated with chronic stress. These include:

• Low self-esteem
• Loneliness
• Moodiness
• Being easily frustrated
• Hopelessness
• Nervousness
• Headaches
• Digestive issues
• Tense or sore muscles
• Sleep issues
• Chronic fatigue
• Low sex drive
• Jaw clenching
• Difficulty focusing
• A pessimistic outlook
• Increased reliance on drugs or alcohol
• Fidgeting, pacing, or other restless behaviour

If you’re dealing with chronic stress, contact the Mindful Healing Clinic.

Naturopathic Solutions For Weight Gain And Chronic Fatigue

Much like stress, there are two types of fatigue – acute and chronic.

If you just finished a particularly strenuous round at the gym, or you’ve been up for 24 hours straight, you’ll be exhausted. The reason is obvious, and a good night’s sleep should alleviate it for the most part.

But if you wake up feeling exhausted despite a full night’s sleep, or you’re having difficulty sleeping without any specific reason, it could be chronic fatigue.

When you’re not getting enough sleep, or your sleep isn’t restful, a few things happen. It affects your body’s production of ghrelin and leptin, which regulate your appetite. This generally causes you to be hungrier and want to eat more, as well as not feeling satiated when you do eat a full meal.

It’s a good idea to aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Any less or more, and you increase your risk of being overweight. But if you’re having difficulty sleeping due to chronic fatigue, there may be an underlying issue.

Chronic fatigue is linked to a number of different health concerns, including:

• Hypothyroidism
• Fibromyalgia
• IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
• EBV (Epstein-Barr virus)
• Ross River virus

And symptoms of chronic fatigue (other than weight gain) include:

• Extreme exhaustion
• Difficulty focusing
• Sore throat
• Headaches
• Sensitivity to stimuli
• Interrupted sleep, or non-restful sleep
• Joint pain

If you’re dealing with chronic fatigue, contact the Mindful Healing Clinic.

Meal Planning

Of course, it’s possible that your weight management issues aren’t caused by any of the above conditions. It may be that poor nutrition or meal planning is the culprit.

However, our lives are becoming increasingly busy and stressful. Parents are expected to be full-time caregivers while managing a full-time career. And it takes time to cook healthy, nutritious foods.

When you get home at the end of a long day, it can be tempting to toss a TV dinner in the microwave while you zone out to one of your favourite shows. That’s okay every once in a while, but it isn’t sustainable.

Dr. Maria can help.

Working with Dr. Maria, you’ll find out more about any underlying health concerns you may be facing, and whether you’re lacking in any important nutrients.

From there, you’ll work side by side to put together an easy to follow meal plan that will help you deal with any underlying issues. It has the additional goal of helping you maintain a healthy weight.

Most of us, in general, can recognize when foods are healthy or unhealthy. But knowing which foods deliver which nutrients, and which nutrients will help you with your specific health concerns, is more complicated. Contact the Mindful Healing Clinic to find out more.

Contact The Mindful Healing Clinic

If you’re looking for a natural weight management solution, look no further. The Mindful Healing Clinic can help.

If you’re new to naturopathic medicine, book a FREE 15-minute introductory consultation. You’ll get to sit down with Dr. Maria and talk about your health concerns. Dr. Maria will answer all of your questions, and from there you can talk about your treatment options.

There is hope for weight loss. Whether you’ve been overweight your entire life or you’re packing on the pounds as you get older, Dr. Maria can help.

Contact the Mindful Healing Clinic today.