Conclusions

The month is drawing to a close. I would like to offer some feedback on my experience using essential oils for weight loss. I tested out a simple protocol I had seen floating around social media. The protocol was to take a capsule containing 4 drops each of Young Living grapefruit, lemon, and peppermint essential oils. I used a highly scientific method called, “Let’s see how my clothes fit at the end of the month.”

So here it is: they still fit. I appear to have essentially maintained my weight throughout the month. I’m actually impressed by this because I was quite sedentary this month. I also departed pretty significantly from the paleo diet, which I have been sticking to for the most part for over a year.

I learned that there are other, more effective weight loss products available from Young Living, such as the Slique products. But I’m glad I did what I did. I don’t have a weight problem anyway.

I noticed some very positive benefits from taking the oils. One day I forgot to take them in the morning, and my mood was noticeably lower that day. I started adding hinoki for extra balancing. I also added lavender for extra allergy support. I had no allergy problems this month. I like being in the habit of taking these oil supplements daily. Sometimes I would add Thieves for extra immune support.

It was a good experience. No drastic results to report, but once again my life was enriched by this natural approach to health.

Day 13: Back in the Saddle

Never fear, good news is here.  I am not gaining weight.  Losing? Maybe a little.  I am eating a lot of good old comfort food too.  Those few oils are keeping my appetite under control, so it’s all good.

Coming back from England, this homebody turned adventurer experienced something foreign- boredom. I hate to admit it, but our budget was shot, and there was nothing going on.  Week 2 back stateside really dragged. I decided to get moving and get productive by doing some preemptive back to school food prep.  With project in hand, I got moving, or at least chopping. The result: 14 ready to go meals in the freezer, boredom busted, and lots of future time and money saved.

Paleo friends, don’t judge.  I am not completely abandoning you. The fact that I am eating all this comfort food and not gaining weight speaks to the effectiveness of my oil routine.

Next week, we will all be fully back into our fall routine, which means I will be more active again. Who knows? Maybe I’ll lose a little weight.

The Total Bummer: Day 6

Here’s the bummer (if you are very concerned about appearances): I have pot belly genes.  There is one cure for this, and it is, specifically, avoid all sugar and flour forever and ever amen.  Especially if you are particularly sedentary-  just forget it.

So I wrestle.  I want to embrace the body I have and the simple pleasures of life.  Truly this is more important than having a flat belly.  I am still working on gathering up the strength to believe this.  The pressure comes from nobody but myself.  Perhaps this was the purpose of my experiment all along.

You have probably figured out by now that I have not lost any weight.  Gained?  Probably.  But there is a lot of month left.  This is my last full week of summer vacation.  I am enjoying having the time to cook, and I am not being active.  It is OK.

In England, I had dessert every day and bread most days.  I did not gain weight on the 10 day trip.  The difference is I walked.  A lot.  Our choir spent 10 days in residence at the Gloucester Cathedral.  Every day we walked from our hotel to the cathedral.  We went on day trips and walked everywhere.

Now I’m back in TX, and it’s 100 degrees.  I’m walking the dog everyday, but that is a lot less walking than I was doing in England.  We would even walk after dinner, down to the docks, to a pub, to explore the town.  I miss that.  So this morning I did Wii Dance.  It’s a start.  Soon I’ll be chasing toddlers around at my school.  I’ll be more active again.  For now, I am going to enjoy the rest, good food, my family.  I’ll even work on making peace with that belly.  Seriously.  Priorities.

Weight Loss with Essential Oils Day 3

Well, it is Day 3 of the 30 Day Weight Loss Challenge.  I am not seeing the dramatic results I saw when I did a Whole 30.  Obviously I did not expect that.  It is too early to tell if I will indeed lose any weight, but I do have some positive results to report.

To review, I am taking 4 drops each of Young Living grapefruit, lemon, and peppermint essential oils daily in a capsule.  Not only do these oils offer weight loss supporting benefits, they offer many other benefits.  My appetite is down.  I have been more motivated and productive.  I continue to remain calm and supportive even though I usually over-empathize with others.  When a family member is going through a rough time, which is often the case with my large family, I usually go right down with them.  But not this week.  I am just a little ray of sunshine offering hope and encouragement.  That about sums up the positive benefits I have noticed.

To make this challenge harder, I have entered into the “end of summer no plan zone”.  Add to that 100 degree temperatures, and let me tell you, it has been REALLY hard to stay active.  I am going to make more of an effort to get moving.  Taking my boy out for early morning fresh air and exercise is not quite enough. 

Food-wise, I am eating responsibly.  I haven’t had any desserts.  That is normal for me.  My diet has been above average as far as the American diet goes.  I am eating better than I ate in England but worse than I was eating before I left.  I have eaten some bread, but not much.  Most foods have been whole, made from scratch.  I did find a frozen PF Chang’s dinner in the freezer, though.  I do not plan to change much with my diet.

Until next time!

30 Day Weight Loss Challenge

Who is ready for the 30 Day Weight Loss Challenge? I will tell you right now that I am skeptical. My hypothesis is quite simple: without changing any other food or lifestyle choices, I will see significant weight loss simply by using 3 Young Living essential oils. I will use the highly objective method called, “how are my pants fitting?” to measure my progress through the month. I hope you are as excited about this as I am. The challenge begins today, August 1st. To make things even more challenging, I will not be super strict with the Paleo Diet or start going to the gym every day. On the contrary, I am going to be fairly liberal with my food choices. There’s nothing like some good time away in a different culture to put life into perspective. In my case, I just got back from a 10 day choir tour in England. I came back feeling a little disgusted at my unrealistic concerns about diet and weight. So I am eating a little more bread these days. I also spent a lot of time outside on the go; whereas at home, I tend to spend a lot of sedentary time indoors. That would be a positive change I am attempting to make. Less TV, more outside, more time with others, more beer, etc. So I think all in all this is going to be a fairly accurate result (super objective and scientific, I know) of what happens when three specific essential oils are used for the purpose of weight loss. And why am I doing it? Curiosity, mainly. I ordered the oils and told my team I would do it, so I’m following through. I’m comfortable with my current weight, but I also wouldn’t mind a little belly flattening. I revamped my wardrobe a year ago, and it would be nice to fit into everything again. I have seen the oils work in amazing ways. I love sharing those experiences with others. Here’s hoping!

Drum roll, please. The oils I am using are peppermint, lemon, and grapefruit. I chose these oils because of the testimony of others. I will also tell you what the Essential Oils Desk Reference, fifth edition, says about them. My plan is to take the oils once a day in a clear capsule, 4 drops of each. I’m afraid I might forget to take them twice. If you don’t have the capsules, the taste is refreshing directly added to your glass of water. If you do it that way, you would have to split it up, because 4 drops of each in one glass would be way too strong. At this point, we need to pause for a very important safety reminder. Please do not ingest any other brand of essential oil! You could be ingesting something very harmful and certainly not beneficial if you do not stick with Young Living. You can see right on the label that these oils are actual dietary supplements.

Lemon improves microcirculation and relaxation. It helps combat obesity, parasites, and digestive problems. It also stimulates the immune system and combats anxiety.

Peppermint combats fungus, parasites, stimulates the gallbladder and digestive system, and curbs the appetite.

Grapefruit stimulates metabolism, dissolves fat, detoxifies, cleanses the kidneys, and is a diuretic.

I mostly listed the weight related uses listed in EODR, but there are many more amazing things these oils do. All three have been clinically proven to supress tumor growth. Other benefits are pain relief, antidepressant action, and concentration. It will be exciting to see these oils in action. I’ll keep you posted.