Ep. 51 - Curb Your Cravings: Long Term Weight Loss & Health Gain (Without a Diet) - with Shanti Pappas

Shanti Pappas is a Digestion & Weight Specialist and the creator of Happy Belly Health. Shanti specializes in helping others curb their cravings and lose weight long term, without dieting º but before we dive into that, I want to share her story.   Today, things are going great for Shanti. She’s happy, she feels fulfilled in her relationships, she’s part of a strong supportive community, she has a rewarding and stable career, and she’s a healthy and vibrant person.   But like so many of us drawn to work in health, this wasn’t always the case.   For a long time, in fact, Shanti’s health was awful. She grew up asthmatic, overweight, and she struggled with digestion and weight for years... but nothing seemed to work.   Shanti ended up starting her first diet when she was just 11. She eliminated all fat and was able to lose weight pretty quickly, but at some point, she stopped. “I remember eating a whole loaf of bread because I was so hungry. I then found myself eating giant Snickers bars for lunch and, yes, my weight was a problem again.”   This was just the beginning of Shanti’s dieting – “I was always off or on a diet.” The goal was to be thin, not healthy, and she did some pretty desperate and unhealthy things in pursuit of that goal. She was even a competitive athlete, but still, weight was my biggest struggle. Exercise didn’t fix the problem.   Inevitably, Shanti’s hunger and cravings always won.   The Turning Point   Hiring a health coach saved Shanti tons of time, and the support meant she didn't have to fail miserably with every attempt.   The coach helped her realize that food isn’t a dieting tool. The nutrients food offers can put you into balance and you don’t have to feel deprived, hungry, and a slave to cravings. “I felt better when I changed what and how I ate. This was very powerful.”   The transformation was so powerful, in fact, that Shanti founded a company on these principles.   “I didn’t want to help people diet. I wanted to help people not have to!”   Okay, now let’s dig into Weight Loss…   The U.S. weight loss market is estimated to be a $70 billion a year industry, and this continues to climb. Most people have tried and failed at least 10 weight loss programs, or gained most of the weight back after completing one.   In fact, 95% of those who lose weight gained it back. But why?   “So often, we are looking for weight loss without an overt focus on health gain.  And that's just not how it works.” If you want to lose weight and not have to diet anymore, three things have to happen simultaneously:   You need to lose body fat, not just body weight. Otherwise, it's just a short matter of time before the weight comes back.   The dynamics in the body or mind that actually caused the weight gain in the first place need to be found and reversed. Because it’s seldom just (or even primarily) about food. Detoxification needs to be enhanced and supported. Our adipose tissue is where we store many toxins. Body fat loss = Toxicity,...