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Elizabeth Pattalis Nutritionist

SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS & INTUITIVE EATING NUTRITIONIST

The Body’s Natural Cycle – The Moon & Menstrual Cycle

August 20, 2019 By elizp Leave a Comment

menstrual cycle lunar phases
 
A women’s menstrual cycle is about the same length as a lunar cycle, around 28 – 29 days. In being in sync with the moon, the light of the full moon triggers ovulation and women would bleed at a new moon.
 
However in the western world today, we have somewhat lost our connection as women to both nature and the moon. We live in a man’s world.
 
Traditionally in many cultures, the moon holds sacred significance to the goddess and the female. Going back into time people lived in the open, amongst the trees, the stars, and the ocean. Today’s culture has become detached from this natural way of living, it has become very much artificial and at a cost to our health.

 

Menstrual Cycle

A woman’s cycle can be thoughts of as two phases:
  • The follicular phase – day 1 (first day of bleeding) to day 14 (ovulation).
  • The luteal phase – day 15 to day 28 (until next bleed).
If we track a woman’s mood, it can be further broken down, into four phases. If we work with these four phases, we can move with the cycles of the moon.
 

Moving With The Moon Phases

  • Phase 1 – dark moon or no moon – menstrual phase:
    • With no moon and the shedding of the uterus, ie, the bleeding, energy is low. It is natural to want to retreat and stay indoors. It represents winter. The body wants more sleep at this time.
    • This is the time to reflect, to go within. Reflect on the last month and let go of what isn’t serving you.
    • It is about physically cleansing, bleeding, and purging emotionally.
    • To honor this time, spend time alone, don’t plan any events to fall at this time, rest. You may ask your partner to take care of some of the chores, and de-load your workload at this time.
  • Phase 2 – waxing moon – pre-ovulation phase:
    • This is after menstruation has finished and is the lead up to ovulation, spring.  Energy is building up as hormones are rising.
    • The focus now is outward, you are driven, productive and focused.
    • This time is a good period to get onto any challenging work, the ‘big tasks’.
    • With exercise, you may want to go a bit harder, aim for the personal bests at this time.
  • Phase 3 – full moon – ovulation:
    • This is when a woman is fertile. With the full moon, it is summer, energy is high, and it is bright.
    • Energy is still outward but there are more nurturing elements. The time to do any big cleans may be now.
    • This time is about connecting to others, developing relationships and nurturing current relationships. It’s a great time to make a date, or treat yourself to something indulgent like a massage.
  • Phase 4 – waning moon – premenstrual phase:
    • This is when physical and emotional energy starts to decline, the autumn. Energy starts to shift inwards again as the moonlight becomes dark and empty.
    • Creativity can be higher as well as intuition. Perhaps if you have been sitting on the fence on something, now is the time to tune into what you need to do.
    • This is the time for less logical work and more creativity. It’s a time for self-care, to relax, let emotions calm, read a book and have a long bath.
    • With exercise, you may want to opt for gentle yoga practices and leave the high-intensity training to the led up to ovulation.
If you start to become aware of the phases, you can work with it rather than against it. There are positives to every phase.
 
Being in sync with nature is healing to both the body and mind. It is hard today as we do live in a world where a woman is on the go every day. Life seems to support a man in many ways. But it isn’t to say it isn’t possible to make it work for you. Tell your partner what the phases are so then he won’t go planning his boys night on day 1 and expect you to prepare the food. If you have a personal trainer, tell them too, they can plan your harder sessions at ovulation and de-load you at menstruation or the lead-up. If you are doing a diet where you need to take a break, to break a plateau, then have that break at phase 4 when willpower is lowest.
 
If you are having difficulties with a regular cycle and not sure where to start, you may find this article useful on seed cycling. It can help restore a cycle. Alternatively please get in touch for a consultation. 
 
Trust the body’s wisdom. It knows everything you need to know.

 

Filed Under: Body Kindness, Digestion, Exercise & Fitness, Fat Loss, Food & Nutrients, Gratitude & Inspiration, Hormonal Health, Mental Health, Relationships

How To Create Effortless Healthy Habits

July 20, 2019 By elizp Leave a Comment

 
A lot of our daily actions are automatic. Your brain likes autopilot. It requires less energy. For better or for worse, our habits shape us.
 
The more you do an action, the more you strengthen the pathway, “neurons that fire together, wire together”.
 
What are your automatic habits? Some examples could be: taking the same route to work each day, oats for breakfast, brushing your teeth morning and night, going for a walk every day at 6 am, making your bed as soon as I get up. These things require zero debate. There is no willpower involved.You can then apply this further, for example, if I go to the supermarket, I don’t walk down the biscuit aisle. I don’t eat biscuits, I eat healthy fresh food. I don’t decide what take out to eat for lunch, I know because I always pack a lunch box.
Again, there is no decision, it is what one does.
 
Do something enough and you don’t need discipline.
 
To change a habit, a bad one to a better one, it is hard. It requires brain energy. It also requires you to stick with it long enough so that you can strengthen those pathways, your brain will want to go back to what it knows it can do easily.
 
This is why we often fail, it is too hard. But isn’t it easier to do it right now, than to give up and try again later?
 
So, I ask you, what can you do to improve your current situation? What bad habits do you need to get rid of? Then commit to it, make the decision and commit. How do you do that? Replace it with a different better habit. For example, if you drink wine every night, change it to a tea. The second thing is, you need to reward yourself. Positive reinforcement is super important. It releases dopamine in your brain, and when you release dopamine, your brain wants it again. It will start to want tea. Give yourself some guidelines, eg you’ll have wine at most one night per week, and when you achieve that for two weeks you will reward yourself by getting a massage. Don’t neglect the reward part.Have a plan made in advance. Eg, such as packing your lunch before the work day starts. Or if you must buy your lunch, know what you are buying before you get to the food court.

Accountability is also important. Tell people and write down your new goals. Both are important. Reflect on the goals every morning, feed your mind with good thoughts so set yourself up for the day. When it comes to weight loss, how many times have you tried and not gotten anywhere? How about doing it right this time and then you don’t have to keep wasting energy retrying and worrying about food and your weight?
 
Almost all of us think too much. It is tiring. We worry we worry about the fact we over worry. We can’t get out of our heads, it’s no wonder we can sometimes just give in and then binge eat at night mindlessly. Our minds are exhausted.
 
Give your mind a break, a mind vacation. Do things to calm and be present more. Exercise is probably one of the best things for that. Consider Pilates or Yoga. In Pilates, you focus on the muscles, and your breathing. It is highly therapeutic, quieting the mind.
 
Consistency is what will help you get better. You need to do something often enough.  It also needs to be simple which is why you need a strategy and accountability. You may fail, and you need to have that person to get you going again. With anything in life, the start is the hardest, but once you get momentum it is much easier. Once you have momentum, you can’t stop! It’s like pushing a heavy load in a will borrow, when you first push it is super hard, but once it is rolling, easier :)

31 DAYS OF WELLNESS

Little things you can do each day for better health.

For the month of August, Elizabeth has created a series of 31 daily tips to help you focus on the little things each day that contribute to better health.

The tips are created to help you live a healthier, happier and more energised life.

Each morning open up your email and you’ll find an email with your health advice for the day. It’s as easy as that.

It’s free, all you need to do is register.

https://www.elizabethpattalis.com/31daysofwellness/

Filed Under: Body Kindness, Exercise & Fitness, Gratitude & Inspiration, Mental Health

Ditch The All Or Nothing Diet Approach

April 2, 2019 By elizp Leave a Comment

Do you keep falling off the bandwagon?

Do you go from being really good to really bad?

Are you either strictly eating or are you junk food overloading?

Do you mess up so figure you may as well go all in?

If you answered yes to any of those, it is a tiring and unhealthy place to be. Eating is something we are born to do naturally without learning to survive. Yet we have turned it into an industry. This industry is killing us.

SWAP INTENSITY FOR CONSISTENCY

This is the key point here. Something done regularly even if it isn’t perfect gets you ahead.

It is far better to do one gym session a week than to do 1 every day but only make it two months before you stop going.

It is far better to eat well most the day except the chocolate bar at night post-dinner than do eat strict healthy for one month straight but follow it with a week-long binge.

Something is good enough. If you can only walk 2 lots of 15-minute sessions a day, do that! 

Give up the shoulds and food rules. There is a point to eating a healthy dinner even if you ate maccas for lunch. 

AIM FOR HEALTHY NOT PERFECTION

Healthy is knowing if you do have some cake that you’re body internally knows what to do with the extra calories. Healthy is trusting your body to know what foods it needs for nourishment. 

Healthy is going to pilates because you like the feeling it gives you. Healthy is knowing that once a week is enough if that’s all you want to do.

Quit trying to look like someone you’re not. Eating to control your weight ends up making things worse. Eat for health. You can’t eat to look like Cindy Crawford. You can eat all the calcium-rich foods you like your legs aren’t going to grow longer! Accept the shape you are and work with it. Be the best you, you’re not competing with anyone. 

THE LITTLE THINGS TO ADD UP

If you stop having sugar with your coffee this time next year that will have made a big difference to your health. And it wasn’t something that was hard. A slight tweak here or there is what you need. Swap your mocha to a flat white. Swap your Sunday afternoon wine catch up with friends with a game of tennis instead. Walk to the corner shop each day instead of driving. Yes in one day you’re not going to see a result, but how about in a year? How about in 5 years?

LIVE A LIFESTYLE YOU CAN MAINTAIN

You can do the keto diet for a month just to lose weight. There are lots of diets you can do. But can you sustain it? There are circumstances where it can be suitable to diet, but for most of us, there isn’t a need.  Eating well isn’t about discipline. It’s what you should naturally want to do without too much effort. If it is an effort and you’re going back and forth, if you can’t say no to the dessert, then you need to address this. Free your mind so you can live life fully. 

TRY A DIFFERENT APPROACH

If you want to quit the cycle that gets you nowhere but usually backward if anything, then sign up to the 5 DAY FREE INTUITIVE EATING CHALLENGE.  It starts on April 1, sign up today.

Break free from the diet mentality and learn how to listen to your own body.

  • Learn to understand why dieting doesn’t work
  • Why mindful eating is important
  • Discover how to tap into your hunger cues
  • Why nutrients matter and what foods you need to be eating

JOIN HERE

Filed Under: Body Kindness, Exercise & Fitness, Fat Loss, Hormonal Health, Mental Health

Stress Symptoms – How It Affects Your Body

February 6, 2019 By elizp Leave a Comment

Modern day life has people saying I’m busy and stressed too often. It is not a badge of honor to be busy all the time. Stress is both physical and emotional. It can detrimental to your health and should be taken seriously. Stress shuts down many parts of the body. The below statement sums it up perfectly. 

“A significant part of the damage is due to norepinephrine (adrenaline), which has a function to redirect the body’s resources away from maintenance, regeneration, and reproduction and towards systems that require active movement”.

Norepinephrine protects the body in a fight or flight situation. The body is not designed to be constantly releasing stress hormones day after day.

Consequences of this include digestive issues, inflammation, irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, sleeplessness, low libido, increased abdominal fat, depression, impaired disease resistance, and addictions. 

Stress is the silent killer. Don’t be complacent and say it is part of the job, or it’s modern day life. We need to deal with it and manage our stress levels appropriately by taking time out to look after ourselves. No job, no amount of money and no one is worth you dying for.  Chronic health conditions don’t happen overnight, it takes years to develop an illness such as heart disease, diabetes, adrenal fatigue and so forth. Prevention is always better than cure, do something before you must make time for yourself. 

Reflect on your current situation. There needs to be a nice happy medium between stress and the sweeter things in life that bring contentment. 

Here are some tips to manage stress:

  • limit alcohol and caffeine.
  • exercise. If you are chronically stressed consider gentle forms of exercise like yoga or pilates are best.
  • get quality sleep each night with regular sleep and wake hours. Have a sleep routine.
  • limit technology two hours before bed to encourage melatonin synthesis (our sleep hormone). 
  • limit time spent with emotionally draining people.
  • play with your pets.
  • spend time in nature, walk barefoot on the grass or sand.
  • eat a balanced diet that supports healthy brain function. 

If your health is suffering from the consequences of stress a nutritionist can help. It isn’t a one consult fix as it takes time to get your body back into balance and heal. A nutritionist will do a thorough case history and put together a health protocol for you to follow with regular follow-ups. The number of follow-ups depends on the severity of your condition. Please get in touch for bookings or enquiries. 

Filed Under: Digestion, Exercise & Fitness, Fat Loss, Food & Nutrients

Female Fat Loss Mistake – Being Afraid To Build Muscle

January 19, 2019 By elizp Leave a Comment

female fat lossOne thing that comes up time and time again with my female clients is this notion that weight training makes them look bulky. To put it bluntly, it isn’t muscle that is making you bulky, it is fat. Muscle is a defense mechanism against putting on fat and therefore a good thing. 

Think about it, 1 kg of muscle is is going to be tight and small. 1kg of fat is going to be softer and larger. For this reason, it is far better to look at yourself visually and take a photo of your body to check progress compared to stepping on the scales.

To create muscle is hard work. Men have difficulty gaining muscle and they have the hormonal profile set up to gain muscle (just think about how many men buy protein powders, creatine supplements, and even illegal substances in trying). A female without the testosterone levels required is not going to gain mass muscle, even by lifting heavy weights.

When you lift weights you are creating damage to the muscle assuming you are using enough load. It is in repair that you become stronger and create muscle growth. This is why lifting heavy is often required. It is a misconception that females need to lift a lightweight for toned muscles. What even is tone? A female needs to create muscle to create tone. You may lose fat off your bottom but if you have no muscle underneath, there will be no toned bottom.

Muscle increases your metabolism.

Muscle increases your lean body mass which in turn increases your basal metabolic rate (BMR), causing you to expend more calories throughout the day even when you are not exercising.

Muscle is active body tissue. It consumes calories simply by existing. This means the calories you take in are more likely to fuel your muscles, which require a lot more energy than body fat does.

Muscle helps with long-term weight maintenance.

Fat loss shouldn’t be your only goal, weight loss isn’t for an event but for a lifetime. As you age your body does not need as much food. The reality is, no one wants to eat less, so exercising can help maintain your weight and prevent that weight creeping up. 

Training with weights helps psychologically with weight loss.

Mood plays a role in weight loss too. You can’t lose weight when you’re miserable. When people feel down food or alcohol can provide comfort. It is well documented that weight training helps with depression and other mood disturbances. Exercise is a natural anti-depressant and releases endorphins.

Building muscle helps balance hormones.

Cortisol is our fat storage hormone, it is also known as our stress hormone. Exercise is a great way to reduce stress, helping to reduce the effects of cortisol. Weight training also improves the body’s insulin response and produces hormones like growth hormone which burn fat.

Now that you understand why muscle is important, start thinking about the training you are doing. You want to do the big movements such as squats, lunges, deadlifts, and military or shoulder presses which use more muscles at once.

Next time, take the challenge, move away from your lightweight and try a slightly heavier one. If you want change to happen, you need to make the effort and get a bit uncomfortable at times.

Information about personal training can be found here, online home programs are also available. 

Group circuit small classes are on for a limited time, enquire today – dates Jan 19th, Jan 26th, Feb 2nd,  Feb 9th and Feb 16th.

Filed Under: Exercise & Fitness, Fat Loss

The Role Of Nutrition In Musculoskeletal Health and Pain

January 16, 2019 By elizp Leave a Comment

Inflammation and injury or illness go hand in hand. Acute inflammation is easy to identify, it expresses as redness, swelling, and heat. This is a healthy immune response designed to heal the wound or fight the infection.diet and joint pain

Chronic inflammation often goes unnoticed as it spreads throughout the body with no visible signs, damaging organs and causing many diseases. It is usually when disease strikes that a person becomes aware something is wrong. Similar to acute inflammation, chronic inflammation is the result of an immune response. However, in chronic inflammation, the immune system is triggered persistently. This can continue for months and years. This inflammation does not just fight infection it begins to injury normal tissue including our joints.

When constant chronic inflammation is paired up with a pro-inflammatory diet, it can aggravate disease including conditions like osteoarthritis and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, endometriosis,  Systemic lupus erythematosus, and inflammatory bowel disease.

We eat for a healthy heart, heathy brain, healthy brain, and a healthy digestive system. Our muscles and joints are no different. We can eat for our musculoskeletal health. By addressing the key points listed below you can not only improve or prevent pain and degeneration, but you will also be reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Body Weight Management

It is important to lose weight if you are overweight. Too much body fat puts more pressure on the joints contributing to more pain. Further to this, the chronic inflammation that comes with obesity and/or insulin resistance contributes to joint deterioration. As mentioned earlier, any chronic inflammation can cause the immune system to start interfering with healthy body tissue.

Limit Sugar

Increased insulin levels will typically dramatically worsen pain. Limit all sugars including fruit juices, soft drinks, sweets, pastries, and refined products such as white bread.

Reduce Unhealthy Fats

Reduce your intake of omega 6 polyunsaturated fat and saturated fats: eating too many foods that contain these fats can increase pain and inflammation. Omega 6 fats are found in red meat, vegetable oils, margarine and nuts. Saturated fats are found in dairy products, biscuits, cakes, and other processed foods.

Eat Healthy Fats

Eat more omega 3 polyunsaturated fats which can lower inflammation. Omega 3s decrease inflammation, joint pain, swelling and stiffness and are natural pain reducers. Omega 3 fats can be found in fatty fish such as sardines, herring, fresh tuna, salmon and trout. Other healthy fats include olive oil, olives and avocado.

Eat Foods Rich in Antioxidants

Eat a colourful diet. Fruits with the highest antioxidant content include blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, acai, and goji berries. Vegetables with the highest antioxidant content include artichokes, spinach, kale, red cabbage, and beetroot.

Additional Anti Inflammatory Foods

Garlic has been demonstrated to work similarly to NSAID pain medications (like Ibuprofen) by downregulating pathways that lead to inflammation. Onions are another food which has an anti-inflammatory effect. They contain a compound called quercetin which helps stabilise the cells that release histamine, creating an anti-inflammatory effect

Try Avoiding Nightshade Vegetables

Nightshade vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant may trigger arthritis and pain conditions in some people. Keeping a food diary and tracking symptoms may be helpful.

Avoid Aspartame

 The artificial sweetener found in some diet soft drinks and many sugar-free foods is part of a chemical group called excitotoxins, which activate neurons that can increase your sensitivity to pain.

Avoid Additives

Food additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) often cause trouble for pain for people. MSG is an excitatory neurotransmitter that may stimulate pain receptors

Address Nutritional Deficiencies

Cartilage loss in knees, a feature of osteoarthritis, is associated with vitamin D deficiency. If you are struggling with joint pain due to osteoarthritis, get your vitamin D levels tested.

Sulfur plays a very important role in joint and cartilage formation. Inadequate levels impair joint repair and degenerate faster. Sulfur-rich foods include cauliflower, kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, onions, and garlic.

Identify Food Sensitivities

Migraines and joint pain can be a symptom of food intolerances. The problem with food intolerances is that they may occur immediately or hours later, and in some cases a few days later. Therefore it can be difficult to notice a connection. It may be worth considering either a stool test or food intolerance test or under the guidance of a nutritionist a food elimination diet.

Taking Action

It can be overwhelming knowing where to start. Some medications interfere with nutrient absorption and they can interact with supplements. A number of people self prescribe supplements but are essentially throwing money away taking nutrients in the incorrect dosages and forms for any benefits. A clinical nutritionist can take a look at your diet and lifestyle to help people with arthritis and pain conditions. A nutritionist makes the most of people’s diets so they feel better, which in turn can help them move more. Minimising further deterioration and prevention of diseases is an area that nutritionist have expertise in.

In the meantime, the best eating advice is to follow a balanced diet that includes lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, whilst getting in some daily movement.

For tailored nutrition plans please get in touch for a consultation. Elizabeth also works in clinics alongside experienced physiotherapists and chiropractors enabling better outcomes for her patients. 

Filed Under: Exercise & Fitness, Fat Loss, Food & Nutrients

How to Lose Belly Fat

January 1, 2019 By elizp Leave a Comment

It is a misconception that by doing sit-ups you’ll get yourself a flat stomach. It helps to do core work but just like most things, belly fat is more complicated than doing a few planks at the end of a workout.

Let’s talk about fat first. There are two types: subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat is the fat you can grab, it is found just beneath the skin. Visceral fat is located deep within the abdominal wall and surrounds the organs. This is the dangerous type of fat as it is linked to diseases. The visceral fat is a result of poor lifestyle choices, processed foods, sugar, drugs, alcohol and other unhealthy habits. The good news is that visceral fat can be reduced and often easier than the superficial layer.

Tips to Reduce the Belly Fat

Blood sugar regulation.

A sign of a person who is becoming insulin resistant is excess fat around the stomach. In order to stabilise insulin and balance your blood sugar levels food choice is paramount.

Consume low glycemic load (GL) meals. Choose real food. Fill up on your green vegetables and choose lower GI fruits such as berries. You can lower the GL of meals by adding avocado, raw nuts and seeds to meals. Spices such as turmeric, cinnamon and cacao work too. And so does a bit of apple cider vinegar or lemon. Include a good quality protein in each meal. Poor sleep also makes your cells more resistant to insulin which will increase belly fat.

Balance stress levels.

When you are stressed your cortisol is high. Constantly high cortisol levels can lead to belly fat accumulation.

Stress can come in many forms such as emotional stress but also physical pain, eating foods you are sensitive too, sleep deprivation and too much exercise.

Find ways to balance out your stress. Cut back on your exercise if you need to. Exercising smart three times a week is enough, training every day is too much. Strength training is essential to losing belly fat. Exercises such as chin ups, deadlifts, squats, lunges and pushups are a must. Try walking more, stretching and other activities that calm you. Grab a book and sit outside in the fresh air.

Consider nutrient support.

A multi, Vit D, probiotics, essential fatty acids, and magnesium are my top 5 for fat loss and general health.

Identify food intolerances and sensitivities.

Sensitives can cause belly fat, inflammation, bloating, moodiness and water retention. A lot of people don’t know what it feels like to feel good so this can be hard. Having a bloated stomach can be the norm. But it doesn’t have to be. Start to pay attention to how you feel after a meal. Rotate your foods as well. Have food x for breakfast one week and then food b the next. By comparing you may be able to tell what it is. Common food sensitives are corn, soy, sugar, artificial sweeteners, dairy, wheat and gluten. Check out my food intolerance service if you’d like to be tested.

Practice patience.

It is what you do most of the time that counts. Simple changes will be noticeable right away and you’ll notice less bloating and puffiness. But you need to be patient for long-lasting change. It does happen and you’re body will thank you for it!

If you’d like more information on how to address your hormonal fat loss problems bookings can be made here or please check out the 4-week online detox program.

Filed Under: Exercise & Fitness, Fat Loss, Food & Nutrients

How To Lose Weight Fast

January 1, 2019 By elizp Leave a Comment

I’m seeing countless people waste their time and energy looking for the best approach to lose weight, half starting and then complaining when nothing is happening. We seem to spend a lifetime looking for what quick fix. Unfortunately, healthy weight loss does take time. I can tell you how to lose weight fast, but if you want to keep it off and be healthy, be patient. Had you just stuck it out the first time around you’d be so much better off now, that’s the frustrating part. 

For weight loss to happen, you need to take in fewer calories than you burn. Weight loss is about 20% fewer calories under your maintenance calories. 

Below are some habits that are common with lean people. 

  1. Eat until 80% full. 
  2. Eat protein and a small amount of fat at every meal. Both these nutrients maintain satiety. You’ll eat less in the long run. Less snacking is ultimately better for your health.
  3. Eat vegetables at every meal. A body needs nutrients to function optimally. Vegetables also add bulk to a meal creating fullness. A nutrient-starved body craves more sugar and the not so good food.
  4. Eat at least 80% of your food from nonprocessed natural whole foods. These foods are your vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, legumes, and whole grains. Minimally processed foods use up more energy to digest in the body than fake foods.
  5. When eating the 10-20% foods, keep portion sizes in check. Often we only need a taste. You’ll be just as satisfied eating 2 squares of chocolate as opposed to a whole block.
  6. Weight train consistently. It is better to do two sessions per week than 5 one week and then none the next month. Weight training improves your metabolism and insulin sensitivity.
  7. Walk every day. Calories in vs calories out. You cannot escape it. Your one meal out per week is a lot more calories than you think. Without moving, weight creep does happen. Getting older does not need to mean weight gain. That is a story you have told yourself. A common mistake people make is thinking that because they went to the gym they do not need to walk. No, you do. There are 24 hours in a day. Your workout was probably only an hour of that. 
  8. Attitude is everything. Medical conditions can be reasons why you have gained weight. But it shouldn’t be an excuse. Take action. Everyone has stuff going on.

To just eat healthily isn’t good enough for weight loss. You can’t get home from work after sitting at a desk, then sit again watching tv.  You can’t go out frequently for dinner and tell yourself the not so healthy food and wine is okay. If you have the time to be on your phone scrolling social media, if you are spending your night online shopping, if you are sleeping in past 5 am, then you do have time to exercise and eat well. Healthy eating is not expensive either. If you can get your nails done, if you have wifi, if you can upgrade your phone, well then you have money to look after your health too. 

The habits I have listed aren’t innovative. They are habits we all see in people with a good healthy outlook on life. Weight loss does require extra work. To maintain weight is easier. However, I find those people are still mindful day to day of what they eat. When they do put on a little extra weight they do something right away. Prevention and getting on top of things earlier is always better. You can keep on doing what you’re doing and be unhappy. What do you want for yourself?

If you’d like a consult to lose weight please get in touch. Remember weight loss isn’t a one consult fix, it takes time and effort. 

Habits which are done most of the time is what creates lasting change.

Filed Under: Exercise & Fitness, Fat Loss, Food & Nutrients

5 Healthy Holiday Eating Tips

December 10, 2018 By elizp Leave a Comment

Healthy Holiday Eating

Party vibes are in the air. With this comes too much food, too much alcohol, and usually little exercise. Minimise potential unhealthy effects of too much partying with these tips:

1. Drink slowly.

Your liver needs about an hour to process one alcohol drink, a standard serve. Stick to one an hour at most. Alternate between one alcohol and one water. Or, try a soda water with freshly squeezed lime. It will look alcoholic and you won’t feel like the odd one out.

2. Avoid dehydration.

Alcohol will dehydrate you and give you those hangover feelings. It also has a flow-on effect to the rest of your body. Drink plenty of water. Having some coconut water before bed can help as it is high in electrolytes. 

3. Limit pigging out.

Christmas is one day. One day is not going to cause weight gain. But continuous days of overeating will. 

4. Be selective.

If you don’t love it, don’t have it. You don’t have to have everything on offer to you. Sometimes we are presented only with ‘bad’ foods. Make the best choice out of the selection. Remember often you only need a taste, you don’t need the entire cake to feel satisfied. 

5. Balance.

If you overdo it at lunch, keep your dinner light. People who stay lean year round understand this concept. Those that don’t end up with a creeping waistline each year. 

Too much alcohol and food doesn’t feel good. It might at the moment, but the long-term effects are not worth it. If you say no to drinking, in a few days will it matter to anyone? 

In January I’m running my online 4-week detox program. Regardless of whether you overdo it, it may be a nice little something to cleanse your body and reset your mind for the new year. Sign Up HERE.

Filed Under: Exercise & Fitness, Fat Loss, Food & Nutrients

Relieving Constipation

August 20, 2018 By elizp Leave a Comment

Relieving Constipation

It is a horrible feeling when you’re bloated, heavy and uncomfortable. Constipation is a major issue which affects many. Whilst, not a topic people want to talk about, it is an important one. 

Constipation is one of our body’s red flags, telling us something is out of balance. To improve your health in the long term it is important to address the underlying cause. 

What is Constipation?

– Infrequent bowel motions, e.g. fewer than every 3 days
– Lumpy or hard stools
– The sensation of incomplete emptying of bowels
– Straining and painful defecation
– Bloating feeling 

Regular bowel movements are important to ensure we’re removing toxins, waste and excess hormones from our body. When we don’t do this,  then all of these substances are reabsorbed back into your bloodstream. They then recirculate around your body causing toxicity and inflammation throughout the body.

Possible underlying causes of constipation:

– Dehydration
– Overgrowth of bad bacteria e.g. Candida, SIBO
– Food Intolerances- Poor diet eg low fibre intake
– Stress, depression, and anxiety
–  Sedentary lifestyle 
– Certain medications such as codeine painkillers

Relieving Constipation Tips:

– Drink more water! I know this sounds very obvious but people still forget the importance of water. The general guidelines are about 33mL/kg of body weight. So, for example, if you weigh 60kg, your water intake should be approximately 2L/day. If you are active you may need to increase this number.

– Exercise. Physical activity helps to encourage peristalsis of the bowels to get things moving.

– Bitters.  Consuming bitter foods such as rocket, endive, lemon, and dandelion, help stimulate our digestion.

–  Get your fibre right. I recommend about 30 grams per day. Studies show that most of us only eat around half the dietary fibre required for normal bowel habits. Try counting your fibre intake for the day, you may be surprised to realise you’re one of those people. 

–  Have 1tsp of apple cider vinegar with water 30mins before meals to help stimulate digestion. 

– Chew. Sit down and really chew your food – digestion starts in the mouth – again, very important.

– Minimise stress. Find activities that calm your body and mind such as yoga, meditation, colouring, and walking. 

– Allow time for bowel movements.  Give yourself time.  Rushing and straining hard increases the pressure in the blood vessels around your anus which can lead to hemorrhoids.

The key to long-term relief from constipation is to identify the root cause of the constipation. Some investigative tests I may recommend include:

– Extensive Thyroid Profile
– Comprehensive Stool Analysis
– Food Intolerance Test

For more information, contact me directly or get started on your health by booking online!

Filed Under: Detox & Toxins, Digestion, Exercise & Fitness, Fat Loss, Hormonal Health, Mental Health

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Elizabeth Pattalis

Elizabeth Pattalis

As a holistic nutritionist, I am passionate about making a difference in people’s lives through nutrition and natural medicine. My aim is to equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to create optimum health now and in the future. I have a keen interest in fat loss, mental health, hormonal health and genomics.

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