Detox and Weight Loss

Welcome back to The Science of Fat Loss Hints, Tricks, and Tips: Part 10 to learn how the benefits of detoxing help to facilitate fat loss, increases energy and helps to sculpt your body for both men and women.  This is the last blog of the 10-Part Weight Loss Series.

Most people don’t realize that detoxing and weight loss are tied together.  Being a holistic Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach in Los Angeles for the past 17 years has given me some interesting and key insights into healthy eating, exercise and holistic lifestyle changes. We will start by discussing how detoxing and weight loss are interrelated and focus on the science and then discuss what you can do to enhance and improve your health and lose weight.

Please note, it is beneficial and important to get the correct advice on your exercise routine, overall nutrition program, daily calorie intake and developing healthy habits. If you need help, call us to get started today at (310) 720-8125.

 

Topics and Highlights on Body Detox for Weight Loss:

• • Toxins affect Hormones
  • Methods to Detoxify Your Body
  • Cosmetics, Chemicals and Weight Loss
  • Optimal Water Intake and Lifestyle Tips 
  • Sweating and Detoxing

To start, I want to focus on hormones and how this delicate balance can be disrupted given all the chemicals and EMF radiation in our environment.  The main 5 causes of some type exposure are:

1. 1. Food
   2. Water
   3. Air
   4. EMF Radiation – Cell Phones, Laptops, WiFi
   5. Topicals we use on our body

In this blog, we will focus on all 5 sources listed above which can cause a hormone imbalance. Think of hormones like an orchestra. Within an orchestra, there is appropriate balance and timing among all the instruments. If someone is out of sync, then the music is altered and disrupted.  The same balancing act is true with hormones and the human body, hormones are like instruments in an orchestra.  When hormonal balance is out of sync, then the human body is altered and we begin to have health symptoms.

There are specific ratios between hormones that allow a person to have optimal health and energy.  Most people don’t realize that we are exposed to tens of thousands of toxins per day.  This exposure can cause a severe disruption in our natural equilibrium.  The purpose of this Detox and Weight Loss blog will be to point out various toxic sources and solutions to help your body optimize.  Let’s begin with the hormone Estrogen and how this hormone can become dysfunctional given toxins in our environment.

 

 

Estrogen Dominance and Weight Loss

Estrogen Dominance is a term used in functional medicine that describes how a person might have high estrogen relative to other hormones such as progesterone or DHEA.

For women, high estrogen can cause discomfort and can, over time, lead to some severe health consequences, and fat gain is one of them. Men can also have high estrogen, which can cause a host of issues such as infertility, inability to lose fat as well as increasing breast tissue.

Progesterone balances estrogen in women and testosterone balances estrogen in men. According to Harvard physician John R. Lee M.D., “Estrogen dominance is a condition where a woman can have deficient, normal, or excessive estrogen but the body has little or no progesterone to balance its effects.” More on how to correct these imbalances later in the blog, but first let’s discuss the cause.

 

What Causes of Estrogen Dominance

Xenoestrogens are a central player in this destructive hormonal process. Xenoestrogens are called estrogen mimickers; these are man-made chemicals in the environment and act as endocrine disruptors even in small amounts.

Pesticides are possibly one of the most significant sources of xenoestrogens. Most will bioaccumulate, which means they are stored in the fat cells of fish, poultry, and other food sources in increasing concentration until they reach the top of the food chain — where you and I consume them! They are highly estrogenic, and some experts estimate that the average American ingests over a pound of pesticides a year.

Water: Some researchers suggest that our water supply is filled with birth control and hormone replacement therapy. Estrogen is excreted upon urinating, and once in our water system it cannot be filtered out through water treatment centers due to the size of the chemicals; they are just too small to get out of the water. Some researchers go on to say that this could be related to infertility.

Drinking the right amount of water helps to detoxify the body due to the kidneys using the water to get rid of specific waste products. According to Amy Hess-Fischl, RD, CDE, of the University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center, “If the body does not have sufficient water, then metabolic wastes will not be removed as efficiently as they should.”

 

 

Detoxing and Estrogen Dominance

Estrogen dominance can be affected by the very things we need to detox from our bodies, including alcohol and sugar. Even a few glasses of wine can increase estrogen levels leading to estrogen

dominance as well as stressing your liver.

Estrogen is broken down in the body by the liver, and when estrogen is not broken down, it leads to a build up in the body which is referred to as estrogen dominance. There are natural ways you can detox your body to help reduce excess estrogen. According to Harvard physician John R. Lee M.D., “Anything that impairs liver function or ties up the detoxifying function will result in excess estrogen levels.”

 

Best Ways to Detoxify the Body from Estrogen Dominance

 

Internal

1. 1. 1. Consume foods containing sulforaphane that restores estrogen receptor expression which includes:
         • • Cauliflower
           • Kale
           • Brussels sprouts
      2. Consume foods that contain the compound indole 3-carbinol which are negative regulators of estrogen and these foods include:
         • • Wasabi
           • Broccoli
           • Cabbage
      3. Consume foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, including:
         • • Wild-caught fish such as salmon (salmon contains the powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory astaxanthin which is needed for detoxification) 
           • Pasture Raised Eggs (Vital Farms is a good company)
           • Grass Fed Beef
      4. Estrogen dominance –  foods to avoid are: soy and soy products including tofu and tempeh (soy products contain isoflavones which act like estrogen in the body and could contribute to estrogen dominance).
         • • Make sure you avoid foods high in pesticides, focus on eating and buying only organic foods.
           • Avoid meat and dairy that contain hormones, if you are consistently eating out, chances are you are getting a big dose of chemicals and toxic hormones at every meal.  
      5. Find out more about nutrition planning to help in making better food choices, and sign up to get your free grocery list today!

 

External

1. 1. 1. Exercise
         • • Sweating is a great way to detoxify our bodies
      2. Reduce Stress Levels
         • • Stress as we discussed previously in this weight loss series can lead to weight gain and can increase cortisol levels (the stress hormone).  For more on Stress and Weight Loss: Part 4 – Stress and Weight Loss
      3. Lose Excess Weight
         • • Estrogens are stored in fat within our bodies, and when we lose weight, we reduce the storage space to hold estrogens.
      4. Opt for Pure Clean Beauty Products
         • • Many beauty, and personal care products contain xenoestrogens, including antiperspirants.  Focus on buying products that are organic are have a focus on being less or non-toxic.  This tip is the hardest for women to follow, but one of the most important.  I always recommend my female clients to clean up their cosmetics – most of what we touch or are exposed to, our bodies absorb.  This includes hair spray, make up, nail polish, hair coloring, etc.  Try to focus on using the least amount of chemicals possible.

 

 

Cosmetics, Chemicals and Weight Loss

Antiperspirants – Bad for Detoxing

Antiperspirants contain a toxin called phthalates, which is added to the product to help moisturize the skin and also aids in the absorption of the product into the skin. Phthalates are also used in some fragrances and nail polish products and are endocrine disruptors, which means they interfere with the normal function of hormones in our bodies, especially estrogen and testosterone.

The best way to prevent exposure to phthalates is to check the label on the products. There are two common phthalates used in beauty products.

1. 1. DBP – (di-n-butyl phthalate)
   2. DEP – (diethyl phthalate)

Other chemical substances that are commonly found in deodorants and antiperspirants include:

• • Triclosan – A chemical used to kill bacteria on the skin but is also a skin irritant that may contribute to liver damage when it is absorbed through the skin.
  • TEA & DEA -Triethanolamine and diethanolamine adjust the pH, but if absorbed by the body over a long period can be toxic. 
  • Propylene glycol – This substance was initially developed as an anti-freeze that prevents products from drying out and is considered to be a neurotoxin known to cause contact dermatitis, kidney and liver damage.
  • Aluminum – This chemical is used to block sweat glands, and studies have shown that aluminum compounds are responsible for changes in estrogen receptors in breast cells which may lead to a higher risk of developing breast cancer.

The critical act of preventing the body from doing what it is designed to do, which is sweat, will hinder the body’s natural attempt at releasing toxins through the skin’s pores which then leads to the build-up of these toxic chemicals inside our body.

 

 

Natural alternatives

• • Baking Soda – You can apply a dime size amount to your armpits; this is cheap and effective.
  • Here’s a great article on a full review on deodorants: https://thompsontee.com/blog/best-natural-deodorant-axillary-hyperhidrosis/

Based on this article, I’m personally trying the “Native” product.  Here’s the amazon link: Native Deodorant

 

 

Detoxing and the Liver: Sex Hormone Binding Globulin

Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is a carrier protein that is produced by the liver which binds tightly to three major hormones, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and estrogen, but testosterone is the most critical. SHBG carries these hormones throughout the blood in both men and women, and SHBG controls the amount of testosterone that the tissues in your body can use.

 

 

SHBG Blood Levels

The blood levels of SHBG can change due to many factors, including age, thyroid, liver, and toxin load as well as obesity. The goal is to have optimal SHBG and having levels too high or too low are both bad. Let’s go thru a few examples, if SHBG is too low:

Very Low levels of SHBG –  This means there are more free sex hormones specifically testosterone and estrogen available for your body to use, which can lead to health problems.  This scenario can be more common with women than men.  So, when SHBG, this binding hormone, is low the following can occur:

• • 1. Excess free testosterone can lead to (for women):
       • Increased appetite and weight gain
       • Mood swings
       • Fluid retention
       • Acne
       • Excess facial and body hair
    2. Excess estrogen can lead to (for men and women):
       • Erectile dysfunction (for men)
       • Increased breast tissue (for men)
       • Estrogen Dominance (this is in the case of both women and men, this topic was addressed in the beginning of this blog)
       • Irregular periods (for women)
       • Mood swings (for both men and women)

Very High Levels of SHBG

This means there are less free sex hormones specifically testosterone available for your body to use; in other words too much SHBG is binding up testosterone.  This scenario is most likely in men which leads to low testosterone.

• • 1. Low free testosterone can lead to (for men):
       • Fatigue
       • Low energy
       • Low motivation
       • Lack of strength

 

Detoxing and Optimal SHBG

• • Optimal SHBG are Assoicated With Weight Loss – Studies have concluded that maintaining long-term weight loss results in a reduction in free estradiol and healthier SHBG levels.
  • Detoxification helps with Optimal SHBG Levels – Since SHBG is produced in the liver and being toxic hits the liver the hardest, it is important to follow various detox methods in order to have a healthy liver and body.  Having optimal SHBG levels will help the liver function better doing what it is designed to do best, detoxify the body.  More on detoxing in the next section…
  • The goal is to put less toxins in our body and to support the detoxification pathways by drinking water, sweating and movement.

 

Detoxing and Drinking Water

The body has a natural ability to detox chemicals and toxins that we are exposed to.  One of the primary resources the body needs to detoxify is water.  The goal is to drink half your body weight in water, in ounces.  So, if you are a 200 pound male, you would drink 100 ounces of water a day.  If you drink tea, the amount that you drink doesn’t count towards your water intake.  They would be considered separate. If you are not use to drinking this much water, you will be peeing consistently, but only in the beginning.  Your body will get used to it over time.

 

Most people don’t drink enough water and are consistently dehydrated.  This is stressful on the body and makes it difficult for the body to get rid of toxins and chemicals.  The beverages I recommend to my clients are to only drink water, tea and coffee.  Limit your intake of beverages to these items.

Tip – drink 16 to 30 ounces of water, first thing in the morning and stop drinking water around 7 or 8PM so that you won’t be peeing all night.  If you are waking up to urinate, this is not great for sleep quality and energy.  Just make sure that you stop drinking water early enough so that this won’t happen.

Track Your Water Intake– It’s probably best to track your water intake.  Most people will naturally not drink enough water.  By keeping a log or by journaling your water intake on your phone, it will make it much easier to meet your daily water goals – The goal is to drink half your body weight in water, in ounces.

 

 

Is Your Water Supply Toxic?

Here’s a great way to check your water supply:

https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/

Just type in your zip code.  Make sure you have a filter for your tap water and shower.

 

EMF Radiation

Electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) are invisible areas of energy, often referred to as radiation, that are associated with the use of electrical power and various forms of natural and man-made lighting.  High-level radiation which has the potential for cellular and DNA damage. 

EMF Radiation is a complicated topic and may affect some people more than others.  Here is a great podcast that discusses some of the latest research and solutions for EMF radiation:

https://www.betterhealthguy.com/episode100

It discusses the connection between cell phones, Wi-Fi, laptops and various symptoms such as:

• • Anxiety
  • Insomnia and sleep issues
  • Gut Issues and Food Sensitivity
  • Fatigue

 

 

Lymphatic System, Sweating and Detoxing

Movement is king!  Any movement is good for your body.  In today’s world, most people sit all day long.  This is toxic and stressful on the body and to combat this challenge, we must move as much as we can.  The Lymphatic System is the body’s drainage system that only works if you are moving your body.  The Lymphatic System is like a sewer system, but doesn’t have pumps to move the fluids out of the body.  In order to support this system, we must move.  This movement, will allow healthy flow of these fluids so that we can detoxify our bodies.  Of course, movement and sweating can go hand in hand.  This is all part of the detoxification process.

If you have issues with low energy, it is okay to just focus on walking – 30 to 60 minutes a day will suffice.  Also, saunas whether they are infrared or traditional will be beneficial as well.

 

 

 

 

 

7 Simple Tips to Detox Your Body From Endocrine Disruptors

1. 1. Get Rid of Cosmetics and Other Health Products Containing Parabens
      • • Shampoos, body lotions, and creams
        • Buy natural products, this would include natural toothpaste, makeup, or anything that touches your body.
   2. Choose Meat, Fish, and Chicken Wisely – Without Hormones and Chemicals
      • • Eat Wild-caught fish and Grass-fed beef
        • Focus on antibiotic free food
   3. Eat Organic Vegetables and Fruits
      • • Non-organic produce contains pesticides which contain endocrine disruptors, buy only organic
   4. Beware of Plastics – Use Glass Instead
      • • Plastic containers can leach toxins and chemicals into your food.
        • Cooking in the microwave should also be done with glass instead of plastic due to the microwave releasing toxins from the plastic into your food or drink.
   5. Drink More Water – Especially Purified Water
      • • Water helps filter out unwanted toxins in the body
        • Water helps reduce the testosterone destroyer known as cortisol.
        • Use Water Filters – Water filters can work but need to be changed regularly. The package should also say that it meets the NSF-certification for certain contaminant substances.
        • You can add a water filter to your shower.
   6. Use a water filter for both your shower and your sink – this will remove chemicals and hormones.
   7. Move everyday and try to sweat, at least at a minimum 20 to 60 minutes of walking per day

Being healthy and losing weight involves many components within the body, and knowing the facts about nutrition, exercise, stress, sleep, and hormones can only benefit you in the long run, so contact me and get started today! You can also see my full list of services that can help make 2019 your year to be fit and fabulous!

 

WEIGHT LOSS IS THE #1 HEALTH GOAL IN AMERICA

Weight Loss is the #1 Health Goal in America.  And, there is a strong correlation between belly fat or a large belly and degenerative disease.  Whether you want to look great naked or simply just want to live longer, getting leaner and healthier has to be one of your priorities in life.  If you interested in learning more about getting lean and healthy, please check out my 10 part series on the science of weight loss.

Part 1 – Metabolism and Weight Loss

Part 2 – Strength Training and Weight Loss

Part 3 – Gut Health and Weight Loss

Part 4 – Stress and Weight Loss

Part 5 – Insulin and Weight Loss

Part 6 – Testosterone and Weight Loss

Part 7 – Sleep and Weight Loss

Part 8 – Brain Health and Weight Loss

Part 9 – Sunlight and Weight Loss

Part 10 – Detox and Weight Loss

 

Biography: as a Certified Personal Trainer Los Angeles, Shawn Phillips is a well-known Health Practitioner and Fat Loss Expert specializing in body sculpting, nutrition, lab testing, and exercise coaching. For a FREE consultation call him at (310) 720-8125.

• Certified Holistic Lifestyle Coach and Nutrition Coach Los Angeles
• Personal Trainer Santa Monica and surrounding area