First and foremost, what many individuals neglect to take into consideration is that there is a difference between Weight Loss versus Fat Loss.
When you’re obsessed with weighing yourself on the scale, you’re solely focused on ‘weight loss.’ An individual’s weight can fluctuate during the day especially when you factor in fluid retention, sodium intake, and muscle weight. The scale is not an accurate method of tracking ‘fat loss.’ My personal preference to track body composition is through skin fold testing using Harpenden calipers.
In contrast, fat loss is about losing body fat, preserving lean tissue (muscle), and achieving a body that looks lean, healthy and fit. Fat loss is NOT about counting calories, starvation diets, stepping on the scale every day, willpower, or excessive exercise. Balance is the key to long term, permanent fat loss.
FOCUS ON HEALTH FIRST and FAT LOSS WILL HAPPEN
10 TIPS TO HELP YOU LOSE BODY FAT and KEEP IT OFF
#1 Manage your Stressors and consider unresolved emotions. Stress comes in many forms – physical, psychological, emotional, environmental, electromagnetic and spiritual stress. Anxiety and stress of any kind can make you fat because stress hormones signal your body to actually store fat, and break down metabolically active muscle tissue.
#2 Restful Sleep. If your goal is to look good, feel good and lose fat, you must ensure that you’re sleeping well. Poor sleep can make AND keep you fat because it interferes with and suppresses fat burning hormones. Do not underestimate the importance of restful sleep and daily relaxation for fat loss.
#3 Eliminate Intolerant Foods. Stop eating foods you’re allergic, intolerant to or sensitive to – they are usually foods you crave or eat every single day which is why it’s so important to include a variety of foods in your diet. Intolerant foods create inflammation, are toxic to your system, and cause stress hormones to be released which will sabotage your fat loss efforts. The Top Intolerant Foods to Avoid
#4 Address Digestive Dysfunction. Keep your Gut Healthy and Love Your Liver. To lose body fat, you must assimilate nutrients required to build muscle (your metabolically active tissue. HCL deficiency, Candida, parasites, H. pylori and leaky gut are just a few conditions that can silently inhibit fat loss. A healthy liver must be able to detoxify fat storage hormone metabolites.
#5 Balance Your Hormones. An imbalance of hormones such as increased estrogen and elevated insulin, and decreased hormones (such as growth hormone, thyroid, DHEA, progesterone, testosterone) affect your fat loss efforts.
Assess and address adrenal dysfunction which can lead to an imbalance of brain chemistry, increased belly fat, vital nutrient deficiencies, inflammation and more. These factors are often overlooked when it comes to fat loss.
Priority – Balance blood sugar and stabilize insulin. A body that is sensitive to insulin will lose body fat more rapidly than an individual who is insulin resistant. Why? Insulin, in excess, is a fat storage hormone. If your pancreas constantly secrete insulin to bring the blood sugar down, you’ll become insulin resistant and may eventually become diabetic.
#6 Eat real food Driving up to a window for your meals, downing soda, consuming snack bars full of chemicals, genetically modified soy and hydrogenated fats, or eating cereal from a box is not real food. The cardboard box is probably more nutritious! Specifically, avoid wheat, gluten, processed, packaged and fast foods. Manage portion sizes and include plenty of protein and non-starchy, fibrous veggies. Always eat breakfast, and always be mindful and present during meal time.
Society is fat-phobic and has been brainwashed that consuming a low-fat or non-fat diet is conducive for optimal health and fat loss. Many still hold a belief and assume synthetic frankenfats such as margarine (full of plastics and chemicals) or vegetable oils are healthier options. Nothing could be further from the truth. All fats are not created equal. Healthy fats are essential for hormone production, a healthy immune system, optimal brain function, your skin and hair, and, of course, fat loss.
#7 Move Your Body! There’s an effective way to exercise and an inefficient way to exercise for fat loss. Are your workouts solely focused on steady-state cardio sessions that burn muscle and disrupt your hormones? Or, maybe you’re someone that has been doing the same old exercise program month after month expecting a different result. Resistance training with heavy weights and interval exercise programs are the solution if you want to change your body, feel better, look younger than your real age, lower body fat AND keep your hormones balanced. My online Exercise and Fat Loss Program or sprinting the stairs or my sprint 8 workout delivers just that and will surely melt fat.
Remember to include yin (relaxation) style movement such as yin or restorative yoga, meditation, Tai chi or Qi gong as part of your exercise regime to balance the yang. Personally, I love yin yoga. This is a practice in which the asana is held for 2-5 minutes with a focus on lengthening and releasing fascia and connective tissue.
#8 Identify nutrient and metabolic deficiencies and correct them with the appropriate nutritional support.. Every single one of us has different nutritional deficiencies and needs. Therefore, nutritional protocols will vary from person to person.
#9 Eliminate toxins and reduce toxic load with periodic detoxing The average woman puts 150 chemicals on her body daily! We’re exposed to toxins from various sources including food additives and preservatives, cleaning products, lotions and colognes, digestive distress, non-organic foods, prescription drugs, our environment, excessive alcohol consumption, pesticides, chemicals, xenoestrogens, toxic people, and so much more.
Toxins are stored in fat cells and compromise your lymph and liver. The fatter you are, the higher your toxic load. All toxins brought into your body have to be processed by your liver.
Are you unaware of the negative consequences of estrogen overload? Toxic overload from a congested liver, xenoestrogens (endogenous and exogenous) and obesogens (foreign chemical substances to your body that disrupt hormones and your metabolism) primarily target the liver, brain and adipose tissue making it difficult, if not impossible to lose body fat.
#10 Keep a food journal People who journal what they eat tend to lose twice as much weight and make much healthier food choices versus those who do not keep a journal.
BE CONSISTENT!
Do you want lasting, permanent results? If so, quit focusing on losing weight. Stop dieting, and instead focus on getting healthy first. When you focus on health first, fat loss will inevitably occur.
Get started with the Fat Loss Starter Kit or make an appointment. Schedule a 15-minute phone call to discuss your goals and needs. Paula consults with clients locally in the Phoenix area and around the world via telephone or Skype
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Copyright © Paula Owens
