Diet and lifestyle

Generally, good advice is to eat fewer carbohydrates and more fat and protein.

A commonly promoted belief is that eating excess fat causes a person to become fat. Fat (unprocessed and unadulterated fat such as in cold pressed coconut oil, organic meat and dairy etc) is absolutely essential to life and for the healthy functioning of the nervous system and metabolism generally. When good quality fat is low or absent in the diet, the liver begins to convert stored sugars into fat that become stuck in the liver causing a condition known as fatty liver. Over time, this can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and many other health problems, obesity being one of them. Good quality dietary fat effectively regulates blood sugar, metabolism, appetite (fat fills you up quickly and for longer than carbs) and cholesterol levels. Avoid all processed fats such as (trans or hydrogenated fats) those added to processed foods like margarine and low or reduced fat foods, fats that have already been cooked such as in ready made baked foods like pasties, pies etc. Use oils for heating/cooking very sparingly, even plant oils.

Good and positively useful fats and oils include coconut oil and milk, olives and olive oil (raw), nuts and seeds, organic grass fed meat, poultry, dairy and eggs, wild fish like salmon and trout.

It is carbohydrates - sugars - which are stored as fat in the body when eaten in excess of the body's needs. This is very common in so called developed countries where the average modern diet is extremely high in carbohydrates. A meal high in carbohydrates will cause a sharp rise in blood sugar and, to avoid the dangers of this situation, the body turns the excess sugar into glycogen to be stored in the muscles and liver. When these are full, the excess is stored as fat in the fat cells for more long term needs. If carbohydrates are continuously eaten in excess then body fat stores will increase accordingly. A meal rich in carbohydrates but low in fat will stimulate the hunger pangs soon after the meal, leading to more and more carbohydrate consumption in order to satiate the hunger.

Fructose (such as in fruit juices and fizzy drinks, anything containing 'High Fructose Corn Syrup' or HFCS) is arguably the most harmful form of sugar. It may taste sweet but it cannot be used by the body as fuel. Instead it goes straight to the liver to be broken down and is turned into various forms of fat and very low density cholesterol.

Eat plenty of fresh vegetables (butternut squash helps reduce body fat), seeds, nuts, organic grass fed beef, other meats, poultry and wild river fish where possible. Obviously grains can be included, particularly in their more natural and nutritional form, such as oats, quinoa, rye, barley, wheat and the like. The grains could be taken in muesli form with dried fruits and nuts and seeds added to make a more balanced meal. Include fruits such as apples daily and any other nutritious fruits such as berries, seeded grapes and citrus (especially grapefruit) as snacks or desserts.

Eat organic vegetables, fruits, meats and dairy as much as possible to avoid the fat promoting properties of pesticides and growth hormones and steroids in non organic meats and animal products.

Eating nuts regularly seems to protect the body from gaining excess weight.

Eat a teaspoon or so daily of organic cold pressed coconut oil which has shown to reduce weight effectively.

Low vitamin D levels are found in many obese people so include oily fish such as swordfish, tuna, salmon and mackerel and smaller amounts in egg yolk and cows liver.

Include plenty of fibre in the diet by leaving skins on vegetables, eating plenty of them and eating whole or lightly milled grains, nuts and seeds and fruits such as apples.

Include fermented foods with cabbage as a main ingredient such as sauerkraut or Korean kimchi (or make your own). It is unclear why but eating even a small portion of these foods daily (a tablespoon full perhaps) helps to reduce body fat.

Eat foods rich in B vitamins.

Avoid or drastically reduce all processed foods where possible, especially those containing processed oils and processed meat products and refined carbohydrates.

Avoid any food or drink containing High Fructose Corn Syrup, including so called 'energy' and sports drinks.

Avoid foods containing mono sodium glutamate (MSG) as this has been shown to increase the likelihood of becoming obese when consumed regularly.

Chew your food thoroughly to ensure maximum digestion.

Try eating smaller meals more often rather than 3 big meals a day and don't eat late into the evening. Remember that the word 'breakfast' evolved due to the fact that our ancestors stopped eating in the early evening and then 'broke fast' the next morning.

Natural healing

Exercise more regularly. If you exercise regularly and are still putting on weight or cannot shift excess weight, then ask a professional fitness trainer for advise on the kind of exercises you need to do. Some exercise regimes will build more body mass whilst others, such as stamina training, will reduce it.

Re-populate your bowels with friendly and useful bacteria by taking a course of probiotics. Dysbiosis, or an unhealthy ratio of 'bad' to 'good' bacteria is thought to contribute to weight gain.

Take a teaspoon of cider vinegar in water up to 3 times daily with meals.

Avoid the use of antibiotics unless really needed as their overuse has been linked with obesity.

Acupuncture can help with weight reduction.

Avoid using foods and drinks that have been stored in plastics and never cook in plastic. BPA is a suspected hormone disruptor (or hormone 'modifier' as the plastics industry prefer) that has long been suspected of increasing the production of fat cells, especially abdominal fat cells. Even the lining of some tins, plastic cups and cutlery etc will leak tiny amounts into the body.

Try taking a capsule of activated charcoal powder, or half a teaspoon of powder in water, between meals (2 hours before/after) as it can help to bind and dispose of harmful chemicals that may be stored in fat cells when you are losing weight.

Chelation therapy is a technique aimed at de-toxifying the body of harmful man made additives such as heavy metals, pesticide and hormone disrupting chemicals. These substances are often stored in fat cells and can make a person feel quite unwell when attempting to loose weight, as they are released from the fat cells into the bloodstream.