Clarity Wellness

One of the most frustrating things I see people struggle with is when they hit that dreaded weight-loss plateau. It happens to everyone. You start a new plan, you lose a few pounds, you're super-stoked, and then a few weeks or months into it you stop losing weight. What's going on? I'm working so hard--why isn't this working for me anymore? Here are the questions I ask them, and often just a tweak or two will get them headed back in the right direction.  1. Are you hitting your protein goals each day? This is a game-changer for most people--especially women. For some reason, many women seem to think that they don't need much protein. That couldn't be further from the truth--especially as we get older. If you want to avoid sarcopenia (loss of muscle) and osteoporosis, then you need to prioritize protein, to the tune of one gram per pound of ideal body weight per day. Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, and your body burns more calories digesting it than...

I've been hearing a lot lately in the nutrition stratosphere about the fact that our metabolism doesn't really slow down at menopause, and as a woman knocking at that door herself, I find that very frustrating.  I talk to women every day who tell me that the tricks they used in their 20s and 30s to slim down don't seem to work anymore.  They tell me their weight is redistributing itself and their clothes don't fit the same way.  They tell me they are doing all the things they've been told to do (move more/eat less) and nothing changes.  How can you tell these women that their metabolism hasn't changed? I wish there were an easy answer. There seem to be a multitude of answers--some of them biological, and some lifestyle related. Let's start with the biological. As we age we tend to lose muscle mass, and when you add declining hormone levels, you're going to see a change in body composition. Loss of estrogen causes weight to accumulate around your middle i...

I really could care less who wins the Super Bowl.  I've never been much of a football fan, but I do love a good Super Bowl party.  I'm totally in it for the company, the food, the commercials, and the halftime show. I only wish it was Super Bowl Saturday instead of Sunday.  Or make Super Bowl Monday a national holiday.  But I digress... For many, the Super Bowl party marks the beginning of the end of a great streak of healthy eating .  You make it all the way through January eating clean, exercising, and maybe even abstaining from alcohol.  Then along comes the Super Bowl and wham!  All those yummy treats start you on a slide that continues through heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, Mardi Gras beignets, and Spring Break beach drinks.  It's the holiday season 2.0.   So what do you do? First and foremost, make a plan .  Don't let it take you by surprise.  Make sure that plan is reasonable and doable.  Recognize the p...

If you ask most people why they want to try a low-carb diet, they will probably tell you they want to lose weight.  Great.  Most of us want to.  But what is your true why behind losing weight? Why number one:  I want to fit into my jeans.  Is this because you want to save money and be able to fit into all the clothes in your closet so you don't have to go out and buy new ones?  Or does the thought of trying on jeans in a fitting room fill you with dread?  Are you tired of looking at your closet and realizing that half the clothes in there don't fit you anymore? But why? Is it merely financial, or is it because you feel frumpy and unattractive? Are you afraid your husband doesn't see you as beautiful anymore?  Are you holding back from intimacy because of the extra weight? But why?  Go deeper... Are you afraid that your health is deteriorating because you're carrying extra weight?  You can't do the physical things you once did?  You ...

  It's easy to get frustrated when it comes to health and nutrition.  We try so hard to follow a healthy eating plan.  We work out as much as we can.  We try to do all the "right" things, and sometimes they work for a while until they don't.  At that point it's easy to just give up and skip the workout, stay up late eating popcorn and ice cream, and have that extra margarita with your friends.  You get down on yourself, you feel like nothing will ever work, and you're resigned to holding on to that Covid 19 that you gained over the last couple of years. For me it often happens after I've lost a few pounds during the week, then go out for dinner and drinks Saturday night.  Sunday morning I wake up having gained back everything I lost, and sometimes more.  Was it the wine?  The salad with cheese and questionable ingredients?  Was it the little piece of bread I snuck from the bread basket, thinking that one little slice wouldn't hurt? Inste...

  This time of year can pass in a blur.  We get so busy making things merry and bright, rushing from party to party, cooking food and buying gifts, that we forget to stop and enjoy the moments.  We stop paying attention.  Then one day we wake up and find that we’ve put on five extra pounds, our joints are achy, our heads are a little stuffy, and despite the fact we feel like we could nap at any time, we are wired—either on caffeine or adrenaline (or a combination of both!) and eager to rush to the next thing planned. I had this happen already last week.   I enjoyed Thanksgiving with friends and family, then another Thanksgiving meal with relatives, then a tailgate party—all lots of fun, but they took a toll on me.   There may have been a few drinks involved, a piece of pie or two, and some other foods that I know I should be more careful with (gluten, I’m looking at you!)   I had used the Holiday Loophole .   You know the one:   I only e...

  On my Saturday run last week I was listening to a podcast about nutrition and quickly found myself overwhelmed.   Now I’m a person who listens to this stuff on a regular basis so it shouldn’t have been a big deal.   It’s kind of my obsession.   However, in this case the person was talking about adjusting macros and calorie counts to lose weight, and the whole thing got quite complex.   It all made sense mathematically, I suppose, but in real life it sounded like a recipe for a mental breakdown.   Besides, the human body doesn’t necessarily follow mathematical rules .   There are a lot of variables to consider.   Are you stressed?    Well then, your body will produce more cortisol, which leads to insulin resistance.   Are you sleeping well?   If not, your body is looking for quick energy in the form of sugar and is probably insulin resistant. (We want our cells to work in harmony with insulin to process our blood sugar—n...

I've been digging deep into the work of Dr. Ted Naiman  and others lately about the importance of protein in our diets.   Protein is the most important macronutrient when it comes to building strong muscles and bones, and repairing tissues throughout the body. If you think about it in the most basic terms, we are made of protein, so doesn't it make sense that our bodies need a lot of it?   It is also the most satiating, which means that when you eat a lot of protein you will feel full longer, and won't be as likely to crave the not-so-nourishing foods later in the day. There is also a theory out there that the reason many of us overeat is that we are not getting enough protein, so we go looking for it in other food sources and keep eating until we either get enough or can't eat another bite. (The Protein Leverage Hypothesis--it's a real thing, look it up!)  Therefore, when we eat more protein, we aren't as hungry all the time, we feel better, we build muscl...