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As North Americans, we're pretty much obsessed with body image.
You really can't go anywhere without seeing ads for weight loss supplements
or magazines that promise you instant fat loss, things like this.
I see that as a problem.
They're symptom-treating. They're treating being overweight as an isolated problem, and it's really not.
It's just an indication, it's a red flag, that something is out of balance. Your health is not as good as it could be.
Thrive Forward focuses on health.
When you're healthy, your body weight is going to be optimal.
Health first just leads into a sustainable, healthy weight, and that's a big difference.
It's not about BMI, body mass index. It's not about fat. We don't have to worry about that.
You eat well, it sorts itself out.
Your ability to achieve or maintain healthy body composition is connected to more than what you eat.
It can be impacted by sleep, stress, and exercise.
Not getting enough good-quality sleep is a form of stress that can throw your metabolism off no matter how well you're eating.
Cortisol generated by stress can cause you to store body fat.
Depression and anxiety can zap your motivation.
Eating well, or eating at all, exercising, or sleeping restfully can seem impossible if your mental health is suffering.
Get help for this first.
Not just for burning calories or building lean muscle, exercise affects metabolism and bone density too.
Nutrients, the core concept of Thrive Forward, are far more important than calories.
It's not uncommon for restrictive diets to have the opposite to the desired effect, actually gaining weight.
A lot of times, when people cut back, they eat too little food.
They create stress, they raise their cortisol levels, because now they're malnourished.
That's a problem. That's not sustainable.
Eating nutrient-dense, plant-based, whole foods treats the cause of the problem, not the symptom,
so you get to your ideal body weight and you stay there.
It's sustainable, it's long-term, and that's the way to do it.
To expand on what you've just learned about achieving and maintaining optimal weight,
check out the supplemental material, including recipes, on this page.