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7 Ways To Heal Depression & Lose Weight Naturally

7 Ways To Heal Depression & Lose Weight Naturally

Watch this video to Discover:

  • How to treat depression from it’s root causes using a sustainable, holistic, natural and effective way.
  • The connection between antidepressants and weight gain
  • Simple tips you can start using today to treat and heal your depression that can change your life and help you lose weight

As many of you know, back in 2004 I lost 220 pounds and I’ve been the same weight since. I’ve now dedicated my life to teaching the theory, art, and practice of permanent sustainable weight loss.

Today I’d like to talk about depression, specifically how to treat depression by working from the root causes and using a holistic and natural approach to heal from the inside out.

As we know, depression is often treated with antidepressants, but many antidepressants can cause weight gain. Which is no help with depressions, because if you’re already depressed and you’re gaining weight it only makes it worse.

With that being said, never go against your doctor’s advice. If your doctor is telling you to take antidepressants, take them, but I suggest you work with your doctor to see if over time by following the tips I’ve outlined below, you can start to wean yourself off of those antidepressants.

1. Avoid Diet Sweeteners:

Diet sweeteners, especially aspartame, have been found to cause bipolar disease and cause depression because they act as excitotoxins to the neurons in your brain and that can create an imbalance in your neurotransmitters which can lead to depression and bipolar disease. Look for natural sweeteners instead, such as stevia, raw honey, maple syrup raw coconut palm sugar or whenever possible try and sweeten things with fruit instead of diet sweeteners.

2. Treat Emotional Past Traumas

Past traumas in your life can cause current depression, here at The Gabriel Method we use different techniques for healing emotional trauma. One approach is through visualization, I created a visualization specifically to help work through emotional trauma called Releasing Emotional Trauma. Another technique we use is Meridian Tapping where we find specific points in our bodies to tap (using our fingers) to stimulate our bodies energy system and release negative energy. We also use Cellular Release Therapy, where a therapist will walk your subconscious through a series of questions to help release the effects of deep past trauma and pain.

3. Reduce Stress

When there is too much stress in your life, you become overwhelmed and that can cause depression and bipolar symptoms as well. Some of the techniques you can use to help reduce and eliminate stress include: meditation, yoga, Qigong, and tai chi. Meditation is particularly effective because meditation has been known to inhibit the signals to and from a part of your brain called the amygdala, which causes stress, fear and aggression. Meditation also activates parts of your brain that are in charge of feelings of love, safety and security. Meditation is one of the best things you can do for treating depression naturally.

4. Eating Healthy Fats

Having healthy fats is really great for treating depression. Specifically omega-3 fatty acids, ghee organic butter, avocado, and cold-pressed coconut oil. These are all healthy fats that help the brain. The brain is 60% fat. If you eat the wrong kind of fat, such as refined vegetable oils, your neurotransmitters and your brain cells don’t work well, causing an imbalance which can lead to depression. Incorporating healthy fats into your diet is a great way to heal your brain.

5. Heal Your Digestion

Our digestive tract has it’s own type of mini brain with over 100,000,000 different neurons that activate different neurotransmitters. For example, your intestines produce serotonin so rather than taking a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (Antidepressant) to increase the serotonin in your brain you could have a healthy gut producing serotonin which will carry into your bloodstream and into your brain. But again, make sure to consult with your doctor and discuss the importance of having a healthy gut to help heal the neurotransmitters in your body that will heal your brain.

6. Move Your Body

Getting into your body and out of your head is a great way to help you feel better. When we exercise we produce natural happy hormones called “endorphins. So try to be active as often as you can. Walk barefoot on the grass, swim in the ocean, play tennis, be physical in way that makes you feel good and in turn helps produce the feel-good hormones that increase happiness and reduce depression. As much as possible, be in nature, nature is soothing and has its own type of vibration that’s a healing vibration. Be in the sun, the grass, get grounded to nature.

7. Visualize Your Ideal Life

When you’ve got lots of concerns in your life where you’re not doing what you’re meant to be doing or you’re not living the life you’re meant to be living, that can cause a lot of stress and depression. You can utilize the tool of visualization, to help improve your life by imagining your most perfect ideal life, your ideal career, your ideal relationship, your ideal body. If you practice this every morning, you will start focusing your mind towards success in those areas. Taking strides to make progress in your life, will give you a resurgence of energy and enthusiasm, so that your life will start to flow better and you’ll create a positive momentum.

All of these natural approaches are different ways you can start to heal depression from the root cause. And in turn will help you not only heal your depression but also lose weight and hopefully be able to get you off antidepressants. Give these strategies a try and you’ll start to feel so much healthier, happier, have a better life, body and mind.

Download FREE Release Emotional Trauma & Heal Depression Visualization

 

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Don’t Wait On the Weight! Live Now!

Don’t Wait On the Weight! A Message On the Importance of Living Now

“Tell me what your life will look like when you’ve lost 40lbs. That’s what you want, so go do it now!” – Sarah Jenks, founder of Live More, Weigh Less.

I recently interviewed Sarah Jenks, founder and weight loss coach of Live More, Weigh Less, for our Mind/Body Weight Loss Summit coming out in the next few months, and I wanted to share a really powerful concept I learned from her:  

“Don’t wait on the weight.”

I see this all the time with people I work with who are waiting to get a job, to fall in love, or to make other life changes after they lose weight.

Sarah’s message, and one we at The Gabriel Method fully support, is essentially to live your life now.

The idea is so contrary to what’s currently out there, and Sarah really gets to the heart of what’s important by reminding us that we should live our life, love ourselves, and treat ourselves with respect and dignity right now, even before we lose the weight we want to lose.

Watch the interview with Sarah to discover:

  • How to overcome the belief that happiness “is only another 20lbs away” (2:15)
    Sarah discusses the common belief that everything will change for the better if we just lose the weight we want to lose, and how holding on to our weight can be the excuse for not living a better life.
  • How to understand “why” you are eating emotionally (5:22)
    Here Sarah talks about how our use of food is really a reaction to our identity and emotional state. She makes the connection that no amount of food is going to satisfy what we need from our relationships or our personal and spiritual desires.
  • How our perceptions drive us to be “skinny for a living” (10:58)
    Sarah explains how the way we look at other people around us and in the media can affect the way we think we should be. Rather than accepting and being comfortable with ourselves the way we are in a normal, healthy state, we often find ourselves trying to live up to another ideal, and this pursuit can cause us to make weight loss about an image rather than about health and happiness.
  • How the way we eat tells us what’s going on in our lives (16:52)
    Do we eat for nutrition or do we eat to fill a void? Sarah talks about our eating habits as a measure of how fulfilled we are and how the way we eat creates a “roadmap” for what’s happening in our lives.
  • Why focusing on just one thing in your life will make a positive change (19:53)
    The process for changing everything for the better in life is to focus on one thing you want to improve and work towards that. Sarah and I both agree that if you want to see improvement, focus on making one thing better and the rest will follow.

Sarah’s ideas complement The Gabriel Method so well and serve as an important reminder that we can make positive changes by living our lives now. Sarah is offering a special opportunity to the Gabriel Method community through her website “Live More, Weigh Less” for those interested in learning more.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas about emotional eating and the courage to live life beginning now. Please join the conversation by commenting below.

About Sarah Jenks:

Since 2009 Sarah has been helping women lose weight and heal from the experience of emotional eating. As one who struggled with weight for the majority of her life, Sarah came to the realization that dieting and a desire to lose weight did not result in actual weight loss. There was a reason why food had become the only source of happiness in her life, and once she realized it, she became determined to find out what it was she really needed to start living. Sarah’s message of self-acceptance and emotional healing is one we share at the Gabriel Method. Here the focus is not on dieting and restriction, but on living a vibrant life, free of the emotional barriers that hold us back.

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Increase Dopamine, Get Happy (And Lose Weight Too!)

Increase Dopamine, Get Happy (And Lose Weight Too!)

Been a bit down in the dumps lately? You could be suffering from low levels of dopamine.

Maintaining adequate levels of dopamine is crucial to your health and well-being.

Dopamine is a chemical naturally produced in the brain. It’s responsible for movement control of your body; it also stimulates your metabolism, supports the circulatory system, eliminates depression and regulates information flow to the brain.

When your brain is forced to function on insufficient amounts of dopamine, you become more likely to experience a range of health problems such as weight gain, depression and involuntary body movements.

So if you’re trying to lose weight, having adequate amounts of dopamine is really important.

Fortunately, increasing dopamine levels in your brain is really simple. Eating certain foods can boost your metabolism while restoring dopamine levels.

Increase Dopamine with Your Diet

Below is a list of foods that contain the right amino acids or antioxidants to stimulate dopamine production in your brain:

  • 1. Protein Foods: High in amino acids, eating proteins will help trigger dopamine production and stimulate your metabolism. Eggs, fish, poultry and red meat are all rich in protein. Fish has the added benefit of being high in Omega 3 fats, which contributes to brain function. Try to buy organic versions that are free from antibiotics, hormones and pesticides.
  • 2. Folate Rich Foods: Folate also helps produce dopamine. Leafy greens, broccoli and cauliflower are all vegetables high in folate. Eating them raw gives you adequate amounts of the nutrient. Lentils, chickpeas, black beans, and papaya also contain folate.
  • 3. Fruits High in Amino Acids: Bananas, blueberries, strawberries and prunes all contain an amino acid called tyrosine. Tyrosine prompts dopamine production in your brain.
  • 4. Red Beets: Red beets are rich in the amino acid, betaine. Because it works as a kind of anti-depressant, betaine not only helps dopamine production but also gives your morale an added boost.
  • 5. Apples: High in the antioxidant quercitin, apples can prevent neurodegenerative diseases as well as stimulate dopamine.
  • 6. Watermelon Juice: A great source of Vitamin B-6, watermelon juice also helps produce dopamine.

Keeping your spirits elevated is essential when you’re trying to lose weight. While it helps to address the outside influences which affect your mood, eating the right kinds of foods will not only keep you happy, but will also help you start shedding pounds.

REFERENCES
(1) http://www.naturalnews.com/036986_dopamine_brain_chemical_metabolism.html
(2) http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/14818/Foods-That-Increase-Dopamine-Naturally
(3) http://www.naturalnews.com/036410_ursolic_acid_apples_liver_disease.html