Nutrition

We promote a diet consisting of real, unprocessed whole foods. Whole Foods are:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Meat
• Nuts and Seeds
• Whole Grains
• Eggs

Recognizable products of nature in their natural form. “Weight loss success and maintenance of healthy body weight is directly dependent on the degree to which your diet consists of FOOD, and your skill in avoiding FOODSTUFFS masquerading as food.” - Dr. K

Our program will give you the tools you need to create an individualized diet consisting of whole foods that will be sustainable for you. We will achieve this by teaching you to apply mindfulness throughout your day to make healthy food and lifestyle choices that will have drastic benefits to your long-term health and well-being. Through the combination of a whole foods diet, exercise and awareness you will form healthy habits to improve your health for years to come.

Benefits of a whole foods diet:

• Weight Loss
• Helps to maintain proper digestive function
• Helps to maintain proper blood sugar regulation
• Increased intake of vitamins and minerals
• Improved heart health
• Reduced risk of disease

Fitness

• Fitness is reflected in practice; a regular exertion of some effort for the purpose of improving muscle tone, strength and flexibility, as well as cardiovascular health. Ideally it is done 4-7 days per week, and frequency is much more important than duration. Ten minutes daily is enough to get started.
• Try lots of different activities, as now there are so many more options for working out alone or with an organized group.
• Daily activity burns good habits into your identity, so at some point you’ll not feel like yourself if you are not physically active. This is ideal. Maintain an open, nonjudgmental approach, always taking steps on your journey towards ideal health.

We can never actually BE younger, but we will FEEL a lot younger if we improve the strength and flexibility of our muscles while losing body fat with proper diet.

Sleep

Not only does lack of sleep make going about your daily routine much less pleasant and enjoyable, it can also lead to substantial weight gain. A tired distracted mind will result in a multitude of poor eating and lifestyle choices that can dramatically impact your health and well-being. This is especially a problem if lack of sleep is a regular struggle and making drowsy, thoughtless decisions become a pattern of your day-to-day routine. Our philosophy is simple, when you are well rested, you make better decisions. 

We teach a two-brain hypothesis, contrasting the more primitive structures of our brains (the brainstem and limbic system) with our neo-cortex, more developed in modern humans. Quality sleep and decision making are dependent on the balance of these “two brains;” the more primitive, “monkey-child” brain and the enlightened, adult brain. The monkey-child brain is focused on primitive survival needs including safety and security, acquisition of adequate calories, and reproduction. This part of us is always needing something, is always on, and cannot be reasoned with – very powerful and impulsive, with the reasoning skills of a 2 year old. The adult brain is intelligent, logical, and acts on mindfulness and attention, and represents our behavior when we are at our best. The contrast between these “two brains” is why we often feel at war with ourselves when making difficult decisions, and illustrates why, when we are tired, the more willful monkey-child often gets its way. Improvement of quality sleep will enable your well rested mind to calm the childish, demanding brain that tends to give into cravings, desires, and bad habits.  Your alert and aware mind will then give you the capability to make healthy food and lifestyle choices throughout your day with a basis of mindfulness and attention. 

Stress

Our stress levels have a strong impact on our weight loss efforts for many reasons, both physical/chemical and psychological.  Increased stress can cause imbalance in a variety of hormones including cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone.”  Stress also makes us more vulnerable to making poor decisions. When we are under stress we naturally seek a quick fix or comfort.  In our culture, a common comfort usually involves food.  We automatically reach for a quick snack to ease the sensations of stress as soon as possible, and in this scenario, that quick snack most likely won’t be a choice that will support your weight loss goals. When your body is under stress it cranks out excess cortisol, putting you in a state of “fight or flight.”  When cortisol levels are elevated, insulin levels rise and blood sugar levels drop. This causes us to be more likely to crave sugary and fatty foods and without thinking, reach for a cookie instead of balanced meal or snack.

Stress > Elevated Cortisol > Increased Cravings for Sugar and Fat > Weight Gain

Relaxation > Balanced Hormone Levels > Mindful Food Choices > Weight Loss

Stress Relief Methods

• Save some time for yourself to do something you enjoy (reading, gardening, drawing, etc..)
• Leave your work at work
• Get outside
• Go for a walk
• Play with your pet

Mindfulness

We believe that mindfulness is a key component to your weight loss and maintenance of ideal body weight over time. In our Foundation Weight Management Program we teach awareness and promote consistency in daily routines beyond program completion. Our philosophy is based upon the physiology of metabolism and exercise, and the psychobiology of habit. With the guidance of our mindfulness training, you will acquire the skills you need to form healthy habits. Awareness of your food and exercise choices throughout your day will result in sustainable weight loss results and improved health. This mindfulness training will guide you in creating healthy nutrition and exercise habits that are realistic for you to maintain in your daily life and over a long period of time. In our mindfulness training we address aspects such as why you want to eat in the first place, how you know when to stop eating, what foods your body is really craving, overcoming personal barriers, and knowing where your food came from and how it got to your plate.

These aspects of the eating process are important to consider, for our understanding of them is satisfying in itself. We eat less when we are AWARE of these process.  We will guide you in the practice of slowing down and taking the time to consider the true answer to each of these aspects. As a result of this practice, you will become more in touch with the biological needs of your body and less vulnerable to mindless daily routines, distractions and habits that are not serving you or your figure. Through embracing our mindfulness techniques, you will be liberated from the mindless food and exercise routines that you regularly partake in while living on “auto-pilot.” You will be more in control and aware of your actions and have the ability to fuel your body with whole foods that will improve your health and yield substantial weight loss results.

What is Mindfulness?

• Intentional awareness of the present moment
• Acknowledging a current situation without judgement or comparison
• Paying attention to both your internal (body, mind, and heart) and external environment
• Recognizing and noticing both mental (thoughts and emotions) and physical sensations in the current moment
• Accepting the present moment with knowledge that the conditions are fluid and will constantly be changing