Hello Dear One!
And HAPPY NEW YEAR!
This is often the time of year when people get religion about what they have NOT been loving, & resolve to create change towards what they do.
Often weight gets a mega focus ESPECIALLY as most generally live pretty high on the hog through the holidays.
However with one focus, you might think there could be one standardized approach, but NO!
Here’s a breakdown of some of the common ways to go about trimming the (holiday) fat.
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Protein & Produce:
– this is such a common approach that it often seems like the ONLY way for many. Most people have an understanding that consuming loads of carbs can keep the scale going up, up up – but many also do not understand that protein is NOT a good source of fuel.
This way of going about things is HARD & truthfully not sustainable. Plus it is often quite joyless where the expectation is to eat grilled chicken breast on salad till the day you die.
What’s also quite a headtrip as your biology is getting the run around for what it REALLY wants – is that your body will look trim quickly (as it runs through stored water along with the stored sugar in your system), but then it will actually start to store fat & breakdown muscle as it fears for when it will actually get a fuel it can comfortably use.
What’s additionally defeating about this approach is that your body WILL make you buckle & fail again & again & reach for something with quickly accessed sugar ( = against the effort!!!), which it will store as fat, on a frame that has increasingly less muscle mass…
Diet FAIL.
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Vegan (@ any cost)
– I always ask people WHY they’re vegan when I learn that they are, ESPECIALLY if they’re not trim & don’t look particularly robust health wise. I actually think eating mostly vegan can be a great move for one’s health (I did it ages ago myself), but when “vegan” = potato chips or gluten free cookies – that is not a health trip you want to be on.
If you don’t like meat – that’s great. Just make sure you have some education under your belt, are eating mostly whole foods, & are really paying attention to how your body is responding & making sure this is working for you.
Diet DON’T.
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Green Drinks/Smoothies
– I am NOT a fan of juicing. Some think this is a genius way to get loads of vitamins & minerals into your body in a pleasurable way. If you really want to achieve that – take a pharmaceutical grade multivitamin (click here to learn more about what I recommend & have used for over 12 years). You could never eat all that’s contained in a daily dose of a high caliber multivitamin, PLUS the caloric overload would be prohibitive.
The additional gripe I have with juicing is that not only is the amount of nutrients absorbed misleading, but the amount of SUGAR & calories that are NOT as filling as a food you might have to chew, is again, counterproductive.
If you like juicing & smoothies because you think they’re a tasty treat – that’s great.
If you think they’re a weight loss panacea AND you’re not receiving the benefit desired – please reevaluate.
Juicing strips the fiber from the fruit/vegetable which makes it’s sugar more accessible spiking one’s blood sugar & causing more insulin to be released than desired. Plus they’re pricey! And don’t necessarily last as long in your belly as a typical meal.
So if you use it for a treat – great, but if not please reassess.
Diet DEBATABLE.
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Low Fat, High Carbs;
– this can actually work based on what you’re choosing. If the carbohydrates are low glycemic (generally high in fiber) this approach can absolutely whittle your waistline as you get full on very few calories.
This was the approach I took when eating mostly vegan years ago.
Grains, beans & greens = most of my meals in those days of yore.
This approach can contain high fiber grains & a variety of vegetables (some fruit as well). Seasoning is relegated mostly to spices, herbs, citrus juice, & vinegar. Portions can be LARGE & filling, but will not last long in the belly. The nature of this approach demands that you eat often, as carbohydrates are burned quickly – especially without additional fat ot protein to slow them down.
NOW the combination of grains & beans does create a complete protein based on their amino acid profile – which is thrilling. However it doesn’t create the same lasting power in the belly. C’est la vie.
One last thing that can prove tricky for some with a slightly more compromised biology is that due to starting from a place of insulin resistance – this can NOT be super effective for some. AND it can sometimes be harder for people to lose weight on who are NOT exercising religiously.
Diet DEPENDENT.
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High Fat, Low Carb:
– This is a head trip for most as the notion of deliberately eating fat tends to fill many with panic. The level to which fat has been vilified since the 60’s is alarming, & so most associate it with problematic health & a wider waistline.
However we were really meant to use fat for fuel (video), & so our bodies tend to function on it best (more energy, better health, leaner bodies).
(See where you fall Sugar Burning vs Fat Burning)
Fat tends to keep us full for longer, often enabling us to eat less calories overall. Plus the duration that we can go between meals tends to make a body more insulin sensitive (easier to lose weight, harder to gain it).
This way of eating as a lifestyle RULES! If you’d like to know more about it or about how how to get into a fat burning mode through Fat Burning Mastery – please feel free to check it out here.
Diet WIN!
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I hope that shed some light on why something might NOT be working for you (or validate why it is). Do what works & what feels good. Never feel like there’s only ONE way to go about trimming the fat ESPECIALLY if you’re not getting what you bargained for.
To getting you clearer on how the body works, & how to make it work for you.
xox, M
Oh! & PS:
I’m FORMALLY putting together all that I do to help the body in the realm of pain, strength, weakness, robust health, sped up recovery & fat loss into programs to take an individual from a particular point A to a desired point B.
If you have any interest in checking out this series of coaching programs, I would love to have you give them a once over & see if anything stands out to you.
I’m interested in working with a handful of clients for a nominal fee in these initial stages to both streamline timelines/offerings & to get feedback.
Would love to have you be one of the first few if there is a need.
Please give this a gander & be in touch if you have further questions or needs. xox