Improving Gut Health for Weight Loss Success

Opening and Guest Introduction 0:00

women all the time, when your body is telling you, you know, I don't feel good, whether you're bloated or low energy, we were not designed to be low-energy. I didn't care, at 71 I am not low. If we're feeding our body well and doing, mostly doing the right things, there's some things out of our control, but if we are doing our part, Usually our body will respond with robust health. Welcome to Health Breakthroughs with Dr. Stengler. I'm Dr Mark Stegler and each episode we cut through the noise to bring you practical, science-backed insights for more energy, better health and a life that feels like yours again.

Hi, everybody. Great to be with you. I have my good friend, Dana Dimitri, with us. She's a registered nurse and an expert in nutrition and weight and stress and all the things that go along with good health. Dana, so great to with. You Great. To be here, Mark, as always. Love talking about gut. Well, you know, our topic today is going to be very popular, I know because, depending what state you look at, 70 to 75% of American adults are overweight. So everyone needs some support on that. And obviously nutrition and gut health is intricately tied into that, so we're going talk about what you do with all the people you work with in terms of helping to manage your weight, creating lean muscle mass, healthy diets and all that so Let's start and just get a little bit more about your background.

You've been into nutrition since I met you nutrition at the aging supplements, all that good stuff. I know, I was just thinking this morning. I think we've known each other over 30 years. It was in my 40s back then, now I'm in 70s, early 70's. But yeah, you know I have background as a registered nurse and I actually specialized in labor and delivery for quite a few years, but always had an interest in fitness and health. And I had a background of having struggled with bulimia as young woman, so I understand the mental, emotional, physical, the whole scheme of it and then all the stages of life.

You know, as we get older perimenopause could be a challenge and I learned how to negotiate that.

Dana's Background and Health Coaching Focus 2:01

And so my passion for the last 20, 25 years has been to coach especially women in midlife and beyond to realize they really can have a lean, healthy body no matter what their age. It does get harder and gut health certainly plays a big part in this because as our gut health potentially diminishes as we age, if we're not doing the right things to support it, weight loss gets even harder and we, you know, adding to that all the hormone issues. And so I love what I do and I loved it especially because we are seeing such fabulous results.

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Absolutely. Well, here's, you know, the question we'll start off with. Which comes first, weight loss or improving gut health or is there no chicken or egg? They're both intertwined. I know I gave it a lot of thought and what was so wonderful to me, it's so basic. They support each other and this is what I think is exciting is when we look at gut, health and the kinds of foods that actually diminish gut processed sugar, processed grains, lots of packaged foods, preservatives, all the junk we don't need.

And we look at what's causing weight gain for most people. Most people who are eating a really healthy, clean diet aren't having weight issues. Now you can eat too much good food, but that's not usually the problem. And so all of these foods that we think, you know, we need to be, and they're packaged now, if we don't know how to read labels, they are packaged as healthy and natural and this and that, from GMOs to, just so many preservatives, so non-nutritive sweeteners like Splenda, Aspartame, NutriXSweet and all that.

So the good news is, if we can just clean up our diet even a little bit, we could start promoting better gut health at the same time as getting those weight, you know, packing on the pound culprit foods out of our diets. And I'll say, Mark, what we've been doing, I say we, my co-author and business partner, Robin and I, since we wrote the Eat,

Weight Loss and Gut Health Connection 4:47

Live, Thrive Diet five years ago, and actually before that, because we were actually practicing this before it became a book, We've been putting women on a simple elimination diet at the beginning of the e-lib drug diet for about 14 days, sometimes up to 30, but about 13 days. And there's three levels to an elimination, what we call level one is simply asking them to remove all grains and added sugar. Now we're not saying that every grain is a problem. What we are saying is probably most women are eating too many, they're getting a lot of those grains, and definitely the sugars in packaged processed foods they don't need.

They're getting way too many refined carbohydrates, and then they're not getting enough of the foods that do promote gut health. We know these prebiotics that feed the healthy gut bacteria in our gut come mostly from fruits and veggies and things like that. And so that is so simple. What I love about this is we don't have to know all the facts before we take action if we can get like what's a really good starting point because I find people get super overwhelmed sometimes when they're starting a new program they were like okay can I do this and can i do that and what are the rules and we want to go just take a breath remove the added sugar and the grains for these 14 days and we can add to that later because there might be other food issues.

And the other thing I do want to mention, Mark, is we know that hidden food sensitivities can be an issue in disrupting gut health and disrupt the ability to lose weight as well. So an elimination diet can help us identify those, and it can go far beyond grains and sugar, but it, you know, to nuts and beans and legumes and dairy, eggs, things like that, that's a subject for another day. I know you also highly recommend when you're coaching people to start with the right mindset so that they're going to be set up for success.

Tell us more about that. Absolutely. This is what I've said for years to myself as well as to my clients, knowing what to do is only part of the equation. Knowing how to get yourself to it really is essential because we can have all the knowledge in the world, but if we consistently maintain a habit change, we're not going to have a long-term health and weight loss change. And so one of the things that I really encourage everybody to do, male, female, whatever, is to drop this deprivation mentality.

We move into a diet because we want results, because were unhappy with our size, our shape, or weight, how we feel, and in this case with gut health added to it. our digestion, bloating, you know, maybe fibromyalgia and all sorts of things coming from leaky gut. And so we have this pain motivator, right? But sometimes that desire for those foods we take out, that immediate gratification, overrides the pain in our life, and we want that immediately gratifications.

Elimination Diet Basics and Mindset Shift 7:49

So we start working on our mindset. And instead of saying, oh, pardon me, I can't have that food, we start looking at that foods differently. And truly, some of these foods we need to start seeing as poison in our bodies, even when we starting feeling better. Because I think one of the things that happens is we started to get a handle on our symptoms. We start to lose a little weight and then we'll, well, just have a this or a that. And sometimes we can have a little of this or that. But if we could move out of that deprivation mentality that I need this to be happy.

All my friends are eating the chocolate coconut cream pie and I can't. No, you can. You're choosing not to. And little choices and words make a difference. Choosing versus saying, I choose not have this, or I cant have it. Now you could have anything you want, anytime you wanted. Your choosing to not because your choosing health. over that immediate gratification. Now, that's kind of simplistic, because the minute we start telling ourselves that, we're not going to believe it. In the human brain, the most dominant thought wins, and the dominant thoughts often, especially when it comes to our habits, are, you know, I want, need, see, eat.

But we started to change those dominant and we kind-of squashed the The negative lies, you know, I need this chocolate. I deserve this. Not that all chocolate is bad, but you, know I needed this packaged food to be happy, to content. We don't. And we can really change that in huge ways. So I encourage people to identify some of the biggest lies they're believing about changing their health and their wellness. And to start saying things like, you know, I crave natural food. I enjoy and crave national food more than I craved that sugary, sweet processed food I've been used to.

It's going to take a while for the taste buds to catch up with the brain. Absolutely. So you talked about the elimination diet. I know you guys have some different, like a 14-day jumpstart, you know, people changing their diet, tell us more about that, elimination, diet cleansing, reintroducing foods. Tell us about, that and then what do people notice with their gut health along the way? Yes. Well, as I said earlier in elimination the first level is simply the grains and the added sugar. And I want to say one of the things in my research about gut and as it pertains to our women and how they're losing weight no matter where they are at in the whole menopause scene of things, is we say on our diet that a person can have up to one tablespoon of organic raw honey or pure maple syrup a day within the context of our recipes.

Because I do want to say there are so many healthy recipes out there that you can Tickle your taste buds still, but nourish your gut and your body at the same time. So, so much of this elimination is just not cold turkey, you're never going to taste anything sweet again. But let's find these really healthy replacements. Second level two on an elimination diet is What I say to women is, if you want to keep it really simple, just two grains and added sugar for these 14 days, great. However, you're having a lot of symptoms, a lots of gut disruption, bloating and so forth.

We may want take that to a level two or three elimination, which as I said earlier, we may add nuts, beans and legumes, eggs,

Food Reintroduction and Digestive Support 11:14

dairy, those kinds of things. That's a more stringent diet, but here's the thing. Are you motivated to figure out what is disrupting your health? Not just your weight loss, And we have found that women that will do that for 14 days, maybe they'll start with level one, but they will work up. Then we start them testing what we call the discovery phase, and they start bringing one food in at a time. And you know, I know you can do this with food sensitivity testing, economic way to let your body tell you, because if you've cleaned the slate for two to three weeks and haven't had those foods, your buddy will be even more reactive when you put them back in.

Now, I'm not going to get into the other side. Like there are people that have sensitivity to FODMOPs and, you know, different fruits and veggies and different things like that. So that's a whole nother level. But we've found along the way then on this gut health side of the elimination diet is What are we going to eat instead? Now we're not eating all those things. Well, hopefully we are going up the natural fruits and veggies, those probiotic foods, and add things like bone broth, which helps heal the gut.

We do a cleansing drink before every meal, a combination of 50-50 apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. with a little bit of cinnamon and ginger, which are great for digestion, great and for the health. And we have had women tell us after two to three weeks using this little concoction, we call it the cleansing drink, digestive health, that their gird is gone. I mean, it's counterintuitive. People think, how do I take this acid substance? But it does help the body produce an alkaline response, but it helps digestion.

and people have a misconception that they have all that heartburn and acid reflex and all of that because they too much acid, which is not usually the case when we're older. And also, of course, you're aware of the studies on the apple cider vinegar decreasing blood sugar and insulin levels, Which of, course helps with appetite, helps weight, metabolism. Tell us about that. Well, absolutely. And the thing is, I think that's so interesting is we don't realize how much our digestion is disrupting our energy, you know, our ability to lose weight, all that.

So as we're taking that apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and so forth, it's amazing how quickly the body responds to something that it wants and needs. It's like missing link. people have to give it time. And we do really caution those who have very sensitive, you know, esophagus and all that, that you super dilute it, start, we might say put two tablespoons in four ounces of water, but you might take a teaspoon in 4 ounces water to start. But all these little things start to add up. I just get so excited when I watch women saying, I feel better and younger than I have in a decade, just because my digestion has calmed down, their skin starts to look better.

Food is medicine. I mean, the right food is disease, but the is great medicine. Hey everybody, I want to take just a quick moment and invite you to my website drstengler.com. Here we have the supplements that we've been using with our patients for many, many years. High quality and high potency supplements, very pure. So if you're looking for high quality supplements where you can notice a difference, both in how you feel and on your lab tests,

Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar and Gut Healing 14:54

go to our website at dr.stegler dot com. And for most people have irritable bowel syndrome, the most common digestive condition, acid reflux, GERD, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic constipation, belching, all these types of things that diet you're talking about. I mean, a high percent of people are going to improve doing that. Other digestion is going improve. But like you said, you are getting the whole body health benefits from it as well. And the natural foods you were talking. you're going to feed, like you said, the microbiome, which of course now there's all these studies coming out how that influences everything in the body, but including your metabolism.

Yes, exactly. Well, and interestingly, as I was researching more too, does lend not only to more inclination toward obesity and difficulty losing weight, even when you're on a healthy diet, but also to potentially higher risk of diabetes. And so it's just so important to me. I tell women all the time, when your body is telling you, you know, I don't feel good, or whether you are bloated or low energy, we were not designed to be low-energy. If we're feeding our body well and doing, you know, mostly doing the right things.

There's some things out of our control, but if we are doing our part, usually our bodies will respond with robust health. You know there's gaps in their situations completely out our of control. A few genetic things, But usually 70% of the control comes to our lifestyle and things that we can do if have the patience and consistency. And that's why, again, circling back to the whole mindset and looking at our self-talk and why we want to do these things is such an important part because it's consistency that is going to produce long-term results which will produce robust health.

And, that what we all want, no matter what our age. That's great. So maybe in summary, just tell the viewers what people notice on your diet, your protocol, maybe the first 14 days and then into the future where they notice in terms of gut health and their weight. Maybe give us a summary of what you could typically find. Sure, I would say even in the first 14 days, of course, when women remove a lot of those excess empty calories from their diets, all the extra, most of us are eating way too much carbohydrate.

I've seen estimates that the average American woman maybe eats 300, 350 grams of carbohydrate a day.

Results, Weight Loss, and Long-Term Success 17:28

On elimination, we're not doing, We don't even call it low carb, but it's more controlled carbs. So they're probably eating 120 to 150 grams a They see an immediate shift. A lot of that's water weight because carbohydrates hold a lot water, but that also brings down the inflammation. So here they've removed all these foods that are irritating the gut, irritating body, causing inflammation, so the weight comes off in both fat and water especially those first two weeks. We would say, be realistic.

Just because you lost, you know, 5 pounds the first 2 weeks, You know, two or three pounds a week, that's not realistic. We want it to be slow, steady, and hold. But they do feel better. They start to sleep better, the bloating goes away. And interestingly, if they, as they call it, cheat. Say they've been clean for two to three weeks and they cheat, they're like, oh my gosh, I feel worse than I have felt in forever. I said that because your body's now getting clean and it's telling you, So I find that a real positive motivation.

And then again, as they stay on it, we can see it in our Zoom calls when we're talking with our women and our life coaching. Their skin looks better, their energy is better. They're excited because they feel better and there's nothing better than feeling better because it influences every aspect of our lives, you know? And so we continue to see people not only losing weight, getting it off and having healthier gut, you know, responses, we see lasting weight loss, which is a huge thing because most people gain their weight back.

And we've had, you now, dozens and I don't even know. I guess I could say hundreds. We don' talk to every single person, but they've been with us for years now and have kept the weight off. That, to me, is the most important thing. Hey, do me a favor. Grab that book behind you, behind your left shoulder in the corner there. Let's take a look at that. Eat, live, thrive, diet. Now the book, course is on Amazon and all that, but your website, leanhealthyageless.com, correct? What can people learn when they go to that website?

Website, Resources, and Closing 19:38

We post frequently on a variety of subjects, body, soul, and spirit. So you'll see a lot right now, we've been talking a little bit about women's heart health. And so you will see it a a of free resources on there, links to our Eat, Live, Thrive Academy, which is our live coaching program that gives coaching support and community. Um, so there's just lots of great resources, free sources there that they can sign up for our newsletter and just stay in the loop. Excellent. Hey, well, thank you so much for your time, Dana.

Thank you. Pleasure to be here. Thanks for listening to Health Breakthroughs with Dr. Stengler. If today's episode resonated with you, please follow the show, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review. It helps more people find us. For more resources and wellness support, visit drstenglar.com.