Hormonal Havoc

October 24, 2022 By

Whether it’s PMS, perimenopause, menopause, or andropause, the various symptoms that often accompany each can wreak havoc on our lives.  For us girls, symptoms like weight gain, hot flashes, irritability, and insomnia — annoying as they are — are merely indicators of underlying hormonal imbalances. For you guys, symptoms like ED (erectile dysfunction) are not caused by a Viagra deficiency — okay, that was just my attempt at lightening up a touchy subject, but just like muscle loss, fatigue, and urinary problems, it’s a sign of hormonal imbalance as well.

Factors such as poor nutrition and stress can be causative factors or exacerbate many of these symptoms. With the proper nutritional support, you can bring your body back into balance and be free of the unpleasant symptoms of PMS, peri-menopause, menopause, and andropause.  When your hormones are in balance, you feel great, look vibrant, have abundant energy and wellness, and have a healthy sex life.  This is the way you were meant to be and feel.

Common symptoms of PMS include:

  • Bloating/Water Retention
  • Irritability/Mood Swings
  • Cravings for Sweet and/or Salty Foods
  • Anger/Aggression
  • Fatigue
  • Clumsiness
  • Poor Concentration
  • Weepiness
  • Poor Self Worth
  • Headaches/Migraines
  • Aches and Pains
  • Anxiety
  • Depression

Common symptoms of perimenopause/menopause include:

  • Weight Gain
  • Bloating, water retention
  • Abdominal belly fat
  • Fuzzy Thinking
  • Insomnia/Disturbed Sleep
  • Low Libido
  • Hot Flashes/Night Sweats
  • Irritability/Mood Swings
  • PMS
  • Breast Pain/Tenderness
  • Decreased Memory
  • Fatigue
  • Anxiety and/or Depression
  • Hair Loss
  • Irregular Periods
  • Urinary Dysfunction
  • Inability to Concentrate
  • Headaches
  • Vaginal Dryness
  • Digestive Issues
  • Dry Skin
  • Craving for Sweets/Carbs

Common symptoms of andropause include:

  • Erectile Dysfunction
  • Night Sweats
  • Muscle Loss
  • Low libido or Sex Drive
  • Depression
  • Weight Gain
  • Urinary Problems
  • Hot Flashes
  • Gynecomastia (Male Breasts)
  • Hair Loss
  • Sleep Apnea
  • Fatique
  • Irritability
Filed Under: Andropause, Blog, Hormonal Wellness, Menopause, Perimenopause, PMS

The Rules of Optimal Digestion

June 2, 2022 By
  • Donʼt eat when stressed
  • Eat slowly (It takes 20 minutes for your belly to tell your brain you’re full)
  • Chew food completely for optimal absorption
  • Eat “consciously”
  • Do not overeat (this over taxes your digestive capabilities and sets you up for digestive disturbances)
  • Avoid drinking more than 4 oz of liquid/meal (liquids should be room temperature)
  • Increase non grain-based fiber in diet (fiber is nature’s broom)
  • Increase H2O to help keep your GI tract cleansed
  • Take digestive enzymes before meals if needed
  • Take a full-spectrum probiotic daily to keep your gut in a healthy balance.

If you are experiencing digestive difficulties, make an appointment to discover and eliminate your root causes.

“I suffered with debilitating IBS for years.  Nothing I tried helped.  I consulted with Jacqui for weight loss and she convinced me to do her gut health testing.  It revealed several causative factors related to my IBS.  Jacqui put me on a plan to eliminate them and heal my gut.  I immediately began to feel better and I am now completely symptom free.  I feel amazing!!  Thanks Jacqui 🙂

Bonnie F.

Filed Under: Blog, Menopause, Nutrition, optimal digestion, weight loss, wellness goals

6 Simple Rules For A Slimmer ’22

January 9, 2022 By

  1. Be A Believer (SO important):  Simply put – If you don’t truly believe you can reach your goals you won’t – end of story.  To be an achiever you just gotta be a believer – otherwise you will not fully commit to your goal and any obstacle in your way will throw you off course.  To build belief in yourself try this nifty little trick: Take a few minutes each day to visualize yourself already having reached your goal.  See yourself  looking and feeling amazing!!!  Make it real and feel the excitement and bask in your awesomeness.  Before you know it – you will be your biggest fan!!!
  2. Keep Your Eye On The Goal:  Ask yourself, “Does this behavior or food move me closer or farther away from meeting my goal?”  This simple little exercise not only creates the pause often needed to avoid negative behaviors but also gives you a nice reality check!
  3. Wellness Above Weight Loss: Instead of focusing on weight loss (such a downer!), focus instead on wellness (feeling great, increasing energy, being healthy) and weight loss will end up being a side effect of a greater goal.
  4. Prepare Ahead:  Preparation is always always the key.  Skipping this uber important preliminary first step will set you up for failure like nothing else!  So purge that pantry of yours of all junk and inflammatory foods that make you feel and look yucky and restock with heathy promoting foods that make you look and feel fabulous!!!  Make the effort to prepare some simple meals ahead of time and freeze them in portion size containers so that you are always a step ahead of your hunger.
  5. Focus On What You Can Have Rather Than What You Can’t:  There’s just nothing more depressing and “crave-producing” than thinking about all the foods that are not on your plan.  It’s just a matter of time before you cave and give in to temptation.  My advice:  Flip this to focusing on all the delicious and healthy foods you can have instead – there are SO many!!!  All you need is a mind-set switch from depravation to decadence 🙂
  6. Adopt The 80/20 Rule:  It’s NOT about being perfect and SO about sustainability and aiming for 100% with no wiggle room for fun is a big fat recipe for failure!  Giving yourself that 20% loophole is way more realistic and will result in keeping you on your game not throwing you off.  And most importantly…
  7. Get The Right Plan:  Egg whites and spinach may seem like the perfect breakfast but not if you’re sensitive to either one or both.  Eating your body weight in protein may be fine for gym rats with good digestion but not for peri-menopausal you with your elevated leptin levels (everything in excess turns to fat!).  A diet of 80% raw veggies sounds so uber clean and healthy doesn’t it?  Well not if you’re little miss IBS – we are talking major bloat and discomfort here – not fun!   My point here is that everyone is different with unique biochemistries and individual nutritional needs.  Getting a plan that addresses your individuality is paramount to your wellness and your weight loss success.   No one plan is right for everyone but a plan that addresses your individual food sensitivities and specific nutritional needs is the right plan for anyone.

 

 Jacqui Justice, MS  •  jacquijustice.com  •   (914)  361-1532

    Customized Weight Shedding And Wellness Programs 

Filed Under: Blog, food sensitivity testing, Hormonal Wellness, Menopause, Nutrition, nutrition plan, Perimenopause, weight loss goals, wellness goals Tagged With: , , , ,

TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

January 1, 2022 By

1. Be A Believer (most important) – If you don’t truly believe you can reach your goals (of any kind) you will not fully commit and any obstacle in your way will throw you off course.  To build belief in yourself, I recommend visualizing yourself having reached your goal.  Take a few moments to see yourself looking amazing and more importantly – really feeling what it feels like to get there.  Do this short exercise daily – several times throughout the day is best and before you know it – you will be your biggest fan!!!

2.  Keep Your Eye On The Goal – Ask yourself, “Does this behavior or food move me closer or farther away from meeting my goal?”  This simple little exercise not only creates the pause often needed to avoid negative behaviors but also gives you a nice reality check!

3. Wellness Above Weight Loss – Instead of focusing on weight loss (such a downer!), focus instead on wellness (feeling great, increasing energy, being healthy) and shedding excess weight will end up being a side effect of a greater goal.

4.  Prepare Ahead – Preparation is always the key.  Skipping this uber important preliminary first step will set you up for failure like nothing else!  Prior to the new year, purge your cabinets of all unhealthy foods and restock with health promoting foods.  Maybe even prepare some healthy meals and freeze them in portion size containers so that when the new year rolls around you are a step ahead!

5.  Focus on what you can have rather than what you can’t. There’s nothing more depressing and “crave-producing” than thinking about all the foods that are not on your plan.  It’s just a matter of time before you cave and give in to temptation. My advice is to flip this to focusing on all the delicious and healthy foods you can have instead – there are so many!!!  All you need is a mind-set switch from depravation to decadence!.

6.  Adopt The 80/20 Rule – It’s not about being perfect it’s about sustainability.  Aiming for 100% with no wiggle room for fun is a recipe for failure.  Giving yourself that 20% loophole is way more realistic and will result in keeping you on your game not throwing you off! And most importantly…

7.  Get The Right Plan:  Egg whites and spinach may seem like the perfect breakfast but not if you’re sensitive to either one or both.  Eating your body weight in protein may be fine for gym rats with good digestion but not for peri-menopausal you with your elevated leptin levels (everything in excess turns to fat!).  A diet of 80% raw veggies sounds so uber clean and healthy doesn’t it?  Well not if you’re little miss IBS – we are talking major bloat and discomfort here – not fun!   My point here is that everyone is different with unique biochemistries and individual nutritional needs.  Getting a plan that addresses your individuality is paramount to your wellness and your weight loss success.   No one plan is right for everyone but a plan that addresses your individual food sensitivities and specific nutritional needs is the right plan for anyone.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Hormonal Wellness, Menopause, Nutrition, nutrition plan, Perimenopause, stubborn weight loss, weight loss goals, weight loss resistance, wellness goals Tagged With: , , , ,

Weight Loss Resistance

December 2, 2021 By

Yes, there really is such a thing — and, no, your metabolism is NOT broken… it’s just in need of a little TLC!

Attempting to lose weight can be frustrating, especially when you think you are doing everything right. Eating like a sparrow, spending hours at the gym, and drinking water ʻtil you are about to burst, and STILL — the scale wonʼt budge… ugh! For years we called this having a “slow metabolism,” but now we know there are specific issues connected with someoneʼs inability to lose weight at a reasonable rate. The new name on the weight loss scene for this metabolic madness is “weight loss resistance” and is defined as a phenomenon that occurs due to metabolic, biochemical, or medical issues which results in a personʼs inability to lose weight regardless of their efforts. In other words… itʼs NOT your fault that nasty scale wonʼt budge!

So…are YOU weight loss resistant? Have you failed on one or more diets in the past even though you were compliant? Do you feel you eat right and exercise, but you still arenʼt getting the results you
desire? Do you have hard-to-control cravings or crave foods in a specific food group? Do you have a large appetite at certain times during the day? Do you suffer from hormonal imbalances? Do you have a familial problem with obesity? Do you have insomnia, or are you under chronic stress? If you answer yes to even one of the above questions, you have identified factors that can contribute to difficulty losing weight, and you may be weight loss resistant.

The good news is, once you have uncovered the reason or reasons for your weight loss resistance and resolve them, your body will naturally let go of excess weight, body fat, and fluids, and you WILL be able to reach and maintain your healthy body weight easier and faster than you ever thought possible.

Hi, I’m Jacqui Justice, and for the past 25+ years I have specialized in helping women just like you uncover and heal the root causes of their weight loss resistance issues.  Set up your 20-minute virtual consultation now and make this the year to finally achieve and maintain your long-term weight shedding and wellness goals.

SET UP YOUR  20- MINUTE VIRTUAL CONSULTATION NOW

“Discovering and working on my root causes (who knew!?) has made all the difference.    I am now finally on the right plan for me and for reaching my goals and more importantly staying there.” 

Ann C.

Filed Under: Blog, Hormonal Wellness, Menopause, Perimenopause, stubborn weight loss, weight loss goals, weight loss resistance