Simple, stress-free slimming!
Decades of chronic stress have short-circuited the circadian rhythms that control women’s adrenal function—releasing the fat-packing hormone cortisol at the wrong time of day, triggering cravings and weight gain. “Fortunately, this epidemic is treatable,” says Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., a chronic fatigue syndrome survivor. “You don’t need a doctor to fix your adrenals and feel dramatically better.”
Now Izabella Wentz, PharmD., is sharing the plan from her new book, Adrenal Transformation Protocol, to save women from glandular dysfunction. Julia Genin tried it and felt calmer, more like herself. She says, “I wasn’t even expecting to lose weight and I dropped 5 pounds fast.” The plan also healed Wentz. “As soon as I was free from headaches, joint pain, bloat, fatigue, brain fog, mood swings and weight struggles, I was able to step into the life that I was meant to live—and you can too!” Here’s how:
Build strong meals
As a foundation, you’ll enjoy healthy low-carb or Paleo-style meals that quiet the irritable cravings caused by strained adrenals. You’ll exclude body stressors like excessive caffeine, alcohol, gluten and soy. You’ll also avoid hard-to-digest fare like legumes, refined sugar, processed oils, grains, dairy and high-starch veggies. That means you can enjoy hearty helpings of nourishing foods like meat, eggs, seeds, nuts, healthy fats (like avocado), low-starch veggies like asparagus and green beans, plus low-starch fruit like berries. For sweeteners, try stevia or maple syrup.
A typical day unfolds like this: Enjoy a creamsicle adrenal kickstart shake upon waking at around 7 am (see recipe, page 27), get some sunlight early in the day and have a protein smoothie at around 8 am. Next, eat beef soup or salad for lunch around noon, sip a caffeine-free tea at around 3 pm and enjoy a dinner like pulled pork at around 6 pm. Reach for protein-rich snacks as needed, like Wentz’s favorites: nuts and “adrenal” deviled eggs sprinkled with electrolyte-rich sea salt. To calm your system, get to bed as early as possible.
Supplement with ABCs
Ashwagandha. This adaptogenic herb increases energy during the day, improves sleep and is believed to speed weight loss. And findings in the journal Phytomedicine reveal that the herb has anxiety-easing actions similar to the prescription drug Ativan. The healing daily dose? 100 to 500 mg. a day. (Ashwagandha should be avoided for those with a nightshade sensitivity.)
B vitamins boost energy by keeping the power stations in our cells running. Wentz says you can find Bs in meat, seafood, leafy greens and sunflower seeds or you can supplement with a product like Pure Encapsulations B-Complex.
Vitamin C is needed for the proper production of cortisol in the body. Wentz advises supplementing with 500 to 3,000 mg. a day.
You can get all three of these healing vitamins and herbs together in Wentz’s Rootcology Adrenal Support supplement (Rootcology.com). Take three capsules a day with meals.
In addition, speed healing with these tips…
Soak up some sun. “Summer is the best time to heal the adrenals because getting a little sunlight promotes healing and resets circadian rhythms,” says Wentz. How? Sunlight helps the body create more pregnenolone, the building block to adrenal hormones. Aim for a dose of sunlight in the morning, ideally within the first hour of waking. Wentz says, “Even a few minutes a day can help.”
Try the new ginseng. For women with adrenal fatigue, Dr. Teitelbaum swears by a potent form of ginseng called HRG80 Red Ginseng (like Terry Naturally Red Ginseng, Amazon.com) for restoring energy. In his study, folks taking it experienced a 72% boost in stamina compared to the placebo group. Tip: Take it in the morning for best results.
Tap into love. To seal in success, Wentz encourages oxytocinboosting practices that calm the body’s stress-response system. This “love” hormone, which the body produces when we cuddle a loved one, pet or stuffed animal, is known to strengthen the brain’s hypothalamus to work with the adrenals to reduce cravings. Research at the Albert
Einstein College of Medicine shows that getting extra doses of oxytocin can increase weight loss by 350% and boost belly-fat loss by 800%.
Unplug and unwind. Exposure to the blue light emitted from electronic devices in the evening can impact our adrenal glands and sleep cycles. So try reducing your use whenever possible after 7 pm or consider wearing blue light–blocking glasses like TrueDark eyewear.