10 Tips To Kickstart Your Fat-loss
Fat loss is an ongoing concern for many of us.
We often feel its a choice between a fun life and good times with friends then being overweight OR an intense workout everyday and a diet that leaves us hangry as all hell, hopefully we are slimmer ……. until we inevitably relax and straight back to the old us
Fat loss really isn’t that hard, BUT it's easy to panic and make it hard. I work with people who want to lose fat all the time. Clients get a good eating plan, recommendations and guidance through workouts that will improve shape/ strength/ tone. You don’t need a coach though. It is easier to initiate change with a coach, but what if you can’t afford it or feel you are beyond help.
Be consistent - this is actually a first and last rule.
Pick one of the below and stick with it EVERYDAY. The people who don’t achieve their goals (and this applies in everything), are the ones that don’t do something everyday towards it.
Its always the 80/20% rule, there is no need to be perfect. Fat loss WILL occur if you are consistent.
Thats it.
It really is that easy, but of course we don’t tend to do what needs to be done. Sometimes we start a massive change. All in. That lasts about 2-6 weeks, and then we are back to where we were or worse. So lets start small. Its not as satisfying but it works and it lasts.
Consistency is the key, but it doesn’t just happen. We need a plan and we need rules. We are training that goodnatured and lazy Labrador that lurks inside of us.
Your first task is to pick one of the rules below and do it everyday for a week. Keep it simple and easy.
Then add another thing and do that everyday, and so on.
These are habits below are shown time and again what all successfully slim people do. Once you have done it enough, you will be one of those people too.
Lets Go!
10 - 15,000 steps a day - It’s not necessary to count steps but it is a really good way to see how active you are during each day and it will encourage you to move more
Weights- Lift weights 3 -4 x a week. Muscle burns fat. Full stop. We can build bulky muscle or lean muscle BUT we must build muscle for a strong, youthful body and mind.
Water- 2-3 litres a day (yes tea and coffee do count, but fresh is best. Do NOT count soft drinks, even diet ones)
No Soft drinks - diet or otherwise. Diet soft drinks still trigger insulin responses and that will lead to fat gain.
5-8 Serves of vegetables a day- Most of us don’t eat nearly enough.
Protein with every meal- protein is filling, no doubt about it. Add healthy proteins to every meal and snack and try even to eat them first.
Carb free days- It's true, excess carbs turn convert to fats (so do proteins by the way, but that’s a little harder). Minimising or eliminating carbs is a brilliant way to pull your body towards greater health and that always means burning excess fat. Try a day without breads, pasta, rice, all grains, low fruit, and no sugar. See how that feels. Make sure to add healthy organic olive oil, fish oils, avocados, oily fish etc, to feed your body and keep you satisfied.
Intermittent fasting- There are so many styles of intermittent fasting and they can be extremely effective. The 5 and 2 days and the daily 12 hour eating window is among the easiest and most common. Fasting can be overdone and females are a little more sensitive to hormonal fluctuations that they can cause, so read up before you dive into it hard.
Chew slowly - Try for 20 chews per mouthful and watch how satiated you feel and less prone to look for more. Its also a great mindfulness exercise.
Sleep- The best for last. Sleep is vital for our body to function properly and ‘good’ sleep is imperative. There are 3 basic phases to sleep and that is a cycle from light sleep to deep sleep to REM (dream state generally speaking). We need a good dose of all 3 to maintain a healthy body and mind. Fat wise, poor sleep will lead to elevated cortisol and more chronically high insulin levels and these guys equal fat gain and also fat burning resistance. Put sleep quality first on your list of priorities.
So what do you think?
Which one will you try first?
Please don’t over analyse, Just pick one (I can do that for you if you contact me). Share with me how you go. Don’t be shy, just do it. Consistency is the key to miracles.
I have only briefly described the above 10 tips to start losing fat. Please email me if you have any questions regarding them. I’m available for bookings, in person and online, if you wish to get a personal program created for you that will incorporate fitness, nutrition and lifestyle enhancements to fit your personal situation.
All the best to you and your health!
Vashti :-)