Xanet Scheepers

Compiled by Xanet Scheepers

Digital Lifestyle Editor


How to do a negativity detox for weight loss…and why it’s important

'Detox is an essential step before effective weight loss. Our fat is a storage organ after all, not just for physical toxins but also energetic toxins.'


It’s almost time to start setting goals for yourself for 2024, and more often than not, many people’s New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and get into shape.

However, this is often easier said than done.

According to a report by Drive Search, 38% of people make New Year’s resolutions each year, but only 9% stick to them all year long. The report also states that 80% of New Year’s resolutions are forgotten by February.

Shaman, intuitive healer and holistic health coach Dr Leila Sadien says weight loss goes beyond diets supplements or exercise. She believes weight loss should be approached as a holistic lifestyle plan based on the foundations of mental, physical and emotional optimisation.

Dr Sadien says detox is an essential step before effective weight loss, adding that our fat is a storage organ, not just for physical toxins but also energetic toxins.

“Just like when you go on a detox diet to flush out the toxins from your body and cleanse your internal organs, it’s also helpful to flush out toxins from the mind and heart. Mental and emotional toxins are not often considered, but they are just as essential to evaluate and to prepare our bodies for the fat burn process,” she said in a statement.

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How to detox the root cause of your weight loss

Dr Leila shares some expert advice that begins with detoxing the root cause of your weight-loss instead of simply forcing the extra fat to shed as a temporary respite.

Listen to your body

Your body is an ecosystem that is integrated into the environment around it. Skin conditions like acne and eczema, IBS, water retention and weight-gain can all be your body communicating that something is imbalanced and that toxins need to be unloaded.

If you’re putting on weight and can’t find the reason through conventional medical tests, there may still be an underlying subtle dysfunction not picked up by the disease screen. Commonly early thyroid disease, insulin resistance and IBS, for example, are missed as causes.

Self-nurture

For those who have spent years on yo-yo dieting, it’s easy to feel that their body has betrayed them. This impacts the way that we feel and view ourselves and can lead to self-sabotage. There’s a direct correlation with our relationship with our inner selves and our relationship with food and both can be improved by befriending the body.

Work on listening to and honouring your needs and begin to develop trust in yourself as a caregiver. As the body begins to trust you it can let go of the trauma held in the fat, where your inner child could not trust in nurturing

Build better boundaries

Let go of or redefine toxic relationships that no longer serve you. Often one finds that excess weight is directly in proportion to the toxic relationships they have with those around them.

A negative detox will help you feel more connected to your purpose in life and your relationship with your body. It’s important to be open and honest with yourself about where this negativity comes from and how you wish to deal with it. Once we accomplish this, we can lighten our loads and be kinder to ourselves. Embrace the healthier, happier, thinner you.

NOW READ: Try lemon detox for a zesty post-Christmas cleanse

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