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A number of factors play out when it comes to shedding the pounds: watching what you eat, hormones, exercise, emotions, genetics, the environment and even psychological factors. We tend to focus on diet and exercise, ignoring the rest of the factors. Sometimes, we need more than the aforementioned factors to lose any significant weight and have lasting results. Below, we delve into essential oils for weight loss, how they work and some of the essential oils we can prepare at home:
Ancient culture and essential oils
Essential oils have a very long history. They have been used for about 6,000 years. They are derived from seeds, fruits, leaves, roots, and the flowers of plants. In the ancient world, these oils had a number of uses: cosmetic, spiritual, and medicinal. In modern times, there are unique benefits brought about by these oils, for instance, altering mood and curing ailments. Essential oil aromatherapy is used to treat hormonal imbalance and anxiety.
The missing element
Diet and exercise are undoubtedly effective ways to lose weight. Unfortunately, they must be supported by other factors if you are going to get rid of things like dieting fatigue, slow metabolism, low energy, mood swings, emotional eating, inconsistency in motivation, craving for sugary foods and poor digestion. The missing element in your weight loss quest could be essential oils.
Essential oils for weight loss that you can make at home
1.Grapefruit oil
The oil comes from the grapefruit peel. It has disinfectant properties. It has a very sweet and crisp aroma.
It works with your body to activate enzymes to help break down body fat. It also cleanses and drains your lymphatic glands. It activates enzymes in the saliva, breaking down fat in your body.
Topical application stimulates the lymphatic glands. You are likely to find it in products used for dry brushing, for instance, cellulite creams and blends.
Grapefruit oil lowers cravings and hunger, especially when mixed with patchouli oil, aiding in weight loss. When you begin to crave something, add a number of drops of the oil in water, and massage it onto your chest and wrists.
How Grapefruit Oil Works
It contains a chemical compound called nootkatone that stimulates an enzyme called AMPK. This enzyme is the one that controls your body’s energy levels and metabolic rate. The enzyme stimulates chemical reactions in the liver, skeletal muscle, and brain tissue. This increases endurance during a workout and improves physical performance. It also facilitates decreased storage of body fat, reduces appetite and weight gain too.
Research shows that limonene, the primary component in grapefruit stimulates the breakdown of body fat and protein.
2. Ginger oil
Ginger oil helps to reduce sugar cravings.It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
How it works
Ginger contains compounds called gingerols. These reduce inflammation that inhibits proper absorption of vitamins and minerals. When you have enough vitamins and minerals in the body, you support cellular energy which aids in losing weight.
Research shows that consistent intake of ginger oil over a period of time increases enzyme levels in the blood and reduces free radicals and inflammation too.
3. Lemon Oil
Lemon achieves a number of things: increasing energy levels, relieving pain, inhibiting weight gain, and enhancing mood.
Like grapefruit, lemon contains limonene. When combined with grapefruit oil, they facilitate the breakdown of body fat and protein. It boosts your mood by raising the stress hormone used for fight or flight. This results in the flow of oxygen to the brain. There is better cognitive function. It also increases the heart rate and blood flow. The muscles also work better and faster. If your muscles are strained, they may ache, making working out hard. Lemon oil is a good way to keep the muscles working.
4. Cinnamon oil
It is derived from the Cinnamomum tree’s inner bark or leaves.Cinnamon oil regulates the levels of glucose in the blood and the glucose tolerance factor (GTF) in the body. It is an ideal essential oil if you have diabetes. Cinnamon also reduces inflammation.
Cinnamon balances blood sugar, which reduces sugar cravings and ultimately aids in weight loss. When your blood sugar is unstable, you tend to overeat since you are always low on energy.If you have insulin resistance, where your body stores fat instead of burning it, you tend to put on a lot of weight. Losing it can be very difficult. Cinnamon oil increases insulin sensitivity in your brain, increasing the uptake of glucose in the blood. This way, you are able to keep type 2 diabetes at bay.
Cinnamon prevents the production of inflammatory cells found in the genetics of obese people. This prevents weight gain.Add cinnamon oil to tea, baked products, smoothies, fruit, and oats to balance your glucose in the blood.
5. Peppermint Oil
It elevates mood, reduces appetite, increases energy, aids digestion and increases mental alertness.Peppermint aids in digestion by relaxing stomach muscles when used alongside caraway oil. This way, it reduces bloating and improves bile flow. Food passes faster through the body.Research shows that peppermint suppresses appetite. Inhaling it every 2 hours resulted in lower hunger levels and consumption of fewer calories.
6. Fennel Oil
This one is steam distilled from fennel seeds. It aids in digestion, weight loss, suppressing appetite, reduces weight gain and allows you to sleep better, all of which are aspects of weight loss.Fennel contains a hormone called melatonin that aids in reducing weight gain via production of fat that burns off as energy ( beige fat ), rather than fat which is stored for energy ( white fat ).
Fennel seeds were used for appetite suppression when people fasted in the middle ages. An experiment showed that inhaling fennel oil twice a day (about 10 minutes) resulted in faster digestion and consumption of fewer calories.
The above essential oils for weight loss make the most conventional methods of weight loss – working out and dieting more effective. Some work by reducing cravings, balancing sugar levels in the body, increasing alertness, and boosting muscular performance. It doesn’t really matter how they work. The most important thing to note is that they all achieve the intended result. Better still, they are very easy to prepare. You can fix them in a few minutes in the kitchen.
