DOWNLOAD: THE ULTIMATE ‘BE FREE FROM DIETING’ CHECKLIST (PDF) Then, continue to read online below & leave a comment.
You’ve heard it a million times before: calories in minus calories out = weight loss.
For decades, this has been the most widely accepted “answer” to the weight loss problem. But with an estimated 95% of people failing to achieve lasting weight loss and the average woman spending 17 years of their life dieting, it’s obvious this conventional approach is not the whole picture.
Those who subscribe to this antiquated approach generally produce unacceptable amounts of muscle loss and hormonal disfunction in the pursuit of reducing the number on the scale.
I still acknowledge calorie management as the primary driver of weight loss but there is a lot more to the weight loss equation than simply calories in minus calories out.
This is precisely why I created the Be Free From Dieting Formula and I’ve put together a comprehensive checklist to review so you can eliminate confusion and get started immediately.
To achieve lasting weight loss follow this simple formula:
Let’s dive into the formula now in more detail. I also recommend printing off this blog post right now, so you’ve got this for future reference.
DOWNLOAD: THE ULTIMATE ‘BE FREE FROM DIETING’ CHECKLIST (PDF) Then, continue to read online below & leave a comment.
I like to think of my body in terms of being a machine that once given the right environment can work FOR me to achieve my goals…. and that’s how I’d like you to think of it as well.
In fact this step alone allowed me to lose 85% of my 30 kilo weight loss and today I’m going to show you how you can create this very same environment in your body.
NO SUGAR SPIKES
Your body needs a zero sugar environment in order to burn fat. If you spike your blood sugar you make insulin. Insulin is a fat storing hormone and insulin, even in small amounts has the strength to prevent you accessing your fat reserves.
The majority of people simply don’t understand this fact. When they start a diet, what occurs is; they lose some temporary water weight and they hit a plateau, thinking that’s actual fat, but they never actually burn fat.
MANAGED STRESS
Your body requires an environment of managed stress in order to burn fat. For this reason you must address the one hormone that can impact all others – cortisol. High cortisol levels are a result of your body’s response to excessive amounts of stress. Unfortunately, our everyday lives are filled with psychological, physical, nutritional and environmental stressors, which in turn flood our bodies with high levels of stress hormone. The majority of people simply don’t put in place strategies to empty the stress from their life.
NO OVER EXERCISING
If you think doing more and more exercise will get you to your goal faster, then think again. Over exercising is one of the major contributors to elevated stress hormone. If your body is already under stress, over exercising will make it worse. One of the biggest frustrations I hear from my clients is this “I’m exercising my butt off but seeing no results”. The majority of people do not align their exercise regime with their ability to manage the stress it creates.
SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT
Sleep is a very important component to hormonal balance and fat loss. A lack of sleep increases inflammation in the body which in turn increases both cortisol and insulin. Sleep deprivation also lowers all the important hormones involved in burning fat. The hormones you stimulate during exercise help the body do all of its growth and repair during the deep, dark, restful sleep. The majority of people simply do not have the quality and quantity of sleep required for optimal fat burning.
NO HUNGER
Going too long without eating will cause your blood sugars to drop too low, leaving you feeling hangry (angry – hungry). At this point you will literally eat anything in sight. This situation is an insulin and cortisol producing environment. Most people simply do not plan ahead to their next meal and find themselves riding the blood sugar roller coaster all day long.
HIGH NUTRIENTS
A high nutrient environment reduces nutrient deficiency hunger cravings, supports your hormonal systems and your liver’s detoxification pathways. The majority of people are just not consuming enough nutrient rich foods, nor are they supplementing with a high enough quality of vitamins, minerals and other important cofactors.
BOTTOM LINE: If you’re just starting out in your weight loss journey and you have a lot of weight to lose, creating the right fat burning environment first will help you lose major weight.
The truth is most people are more frustrated by their inability to lose fat from their stubborn areas.
I’d created the fat burning environment talked about in step 1 but I still held onto stubborn fat around my hips, butt and thighs. I was convinced it was impossible to lose. Even to the point of considering liposuction.
Then I discovered, our hormonal weaknesses exert a powerful influence over where you carry your body fat.
Quite simply, hormones are chemical messages your body produces to manage virtually all of our bodily functions. Everything you eat, drink and think will influence these hormonal reactions.
Weight loss does happen when you create the right environment but losing those hard to lose pounds located on various parts of your body requires a different approach. For this reason you need to begin by addressing your body’s primary fat-burning and hormone-balancing organ.
The first step in addressing any hormonal weakness is to restore optimal liver function.
Your liver converts stored fat into a form that can be excreted and is responsible for hormone regulation. Therefore, if your liver is not running at full efficiency, losing fat from your trouble spots will be next to impossible.
A Liver Restore Cleanse should achieve 4 things:
1. ELIMINATE NEW TOXINS
The first step in eliminating toxins is to stop introducing new ones. Toxins enter the body in 4 ways:
▶ What we eat and drink
▶ What we breathe
▶ What we put on our skin
▶ What we think
2. EXCRETE OLD TOXINS
At the same time you must optimise your body’s detox pathways to allow these toxins to be released. Toxins exit the body in 4 ways:
▶ Sweating
▶ Urinating
▶ Breathing
▶ Excreting
3: REDUCE INFLAMMATION
Fat accumulation in stubborn areas and increased inflammation work hand in hand. As body fat increases so does inflammation. This leads to an increase in cortisol, more body fat and the cycle continues. There are a number of factors that can contribute to increased inflammation. These include:
▶ An unbalanced ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 intake
▶ High sugar diets, processed carbs, trans fats, gluten, non-organic dairy
▶ Lack of sleep, overtraining and insufficient recovery
▶ Emotional stress
▶ Poor gut health
4: SUPPRESS HSD
The ‘fat storage enzyme’ called HSD – short for 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1, can reactivate inactive cortisol meaning your fat cells can produce their own fat storing cortisol even when stress levels are low. This is the reason why many people have a hard time losing body fat . Other than high cortisol levels, high insulin and low growth and sex hormones also stimulate HSD activity. Fortunately there are some naturally occurring compounds called flavonoids that suppress this fat storing enzyme. These can be found in:
▶ Onions
▶ Spices
▶ The peel of some citrus fruits
▶ The upgraded Usana CellSentials multivitamin
Once you’ve completed a Liver Restore Cleanse you’re ready to tackle any specific stubborn areas that remain. This is where you need to personalise your program based on your own stubborn fat areas.
Having worked with hundreds of clients over the years, a person rarely struggles with only one problem fat area. Typically, they come in groups. That’s because hormonal issues are all connected.
Take note of these stubborn fat areas and the corresponding hormonal weakness.
If you’re unsure what plan you should follow, start with an Adrenal Healing Plan. In many cases when cortisol issues are resolved, other hormonal begin to resolve themselves as well.
ADRENAL HEALING PLAN
An Adrenal Healing Plan needs to provide further support to the health of your adrenal glands. When the adrenal glands are overworked they produce more stress hormone, which can destroy muscle protein and accumulate fat around the midsection. To take the pressure off your adrenal glands you must stop causing it more work and give it what it needs to heal.
▶ Caffeine needs to go as it’s a direct line to the adrenal glands
▶ No high intensity exercise until sleep has improved
▶ Meditation or deep breathing to calm the mind
▶ Extra vitamin C helps bring down elevated cortisol levels
▶ Extra calcium & magnesium help your muscles relax and improve your sleep
OVARY HEALING PLAN
An Ovary Healing Plan needs to provide further support to the health of your ovary glands. A weakness with the ovary glands causes fat storage in the lower pooch part of your stomach, and your hips, butt and thighs. Other symptoms include PMS, menstrual clotting, low energy, fluid retention, cramping, depression and mood swings. To restore balance in this area you need to eliminate all estrogen mimicking substances and help your liver convert and excrete recycled estrogen.
▶ Eliminate estrogen mimickers like herbicides, pesticides, growth hormones, parabens
▶ Consider using natural forms of contraception
▶ Give extra liver support ingredients like milk thistle, dandelion, turmeric and green tea
▶ Double or triple your omega-3 intake
▶ Extra magnesium, calcium, potassium, selenium and sulphur
▶ Extra vitamins B, C & E
THYROID HEALING PLAN
A Thyroid Healing Plan needs to provide extra support to your thyroid function. A weakness in the thyroid gland causes an overall appearance of weight gain, not just in one location. A poor functioning thyroid will result in a slow metabolism and low energy levels. It can be from a result of infection, poor liver function, lack of iodine, selenium, and iron, calorie restricted diets or stress. If the ovaries are producing too much estrogen then the thyroid can decrease its function as a secondary problem.
▶ Stop severely restricting calories
▶ Limit intake of broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, mustard greens, kale, peaches, pears, radishes, spinach, turnips – they can further suppress thyroid function
▶ Limit animal protein to a maximum of 35 grams per day
▶ Give extra liver support ingredients like milk thistle, dandelion, turmeric and green tea
▶ Extra zinc, selenium, iodine & iron
BOTTOM LINE: By addressing your hormonal weaknesses you’ll allow your body to access fat from your stubborn areas.
Once you’ve created the right fat burning environment and addressed your hormonal weaknesses, the next part of the Be Free From Dieting Formula is to develop the right health habits.
Ultimately your habits are what determine your results long term. It’s not what you do once that matters it’s what you do consistently over a long enough period of time that gets you to your goal.
There are 10 Health Habits that must be created to set you free from yo-yo dieting and create a lifestyle of permanent fat loss.
They’re so important to the Be Free From Dieting Formula that I wrote an entire 60 page book on the subject.
DOWNLOAD: ‘HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT THE HEALTHY WAY – The 10 Health Habits You Must Develop’ (ebook). Then, continue to read online below & leave a comment.
HABIT 1: I eat within 30 minutes of waking up and I do not eat within 2 hours of going to bed.
This habit is about setting up your day with stable blood sugars and finishing it well by making sure insulin is cleared from the blood to give you an optimal fat burning sleep. Provided you’re not following intermittent fasting protocols.
HABIT 2: I eat every 3 hours. If I’m hungry before then I’ll eat and adjust my time accordingly.
This habit is about meal preparation and meal timing to keep blood sugars stable and tuning into to your body’s hunger cues to adjust your plan according to your lifestyle.
HABIT 3: I eat according to my goals. Low GL to lose weight, and Medium GL to maintain.
This habit is about understanding the effects of carbohydrates and managing your carbohydrate intake so you don’t spike your blood sugar.
HABIT 4: I eat enough protein with my meals and snacks.
This habit is about knowing how much and what kind of protein to consume for your body type and activity level.
HABIT 5: I eat good fats with my meals and snacks. Especially the Omega 3’s
This habit is about recognising the difference between different fats. Getting an optimal ratio of omega 3’s and 6’s, knowing how much fats you need to eat daily, and taking a practitioner grade fish oil supplement.
HABIT 6: I get at least 35 grams of fibre per day.
This habit is about maintaining excellent digestion and gut health. Knowing the high fibre foods and incorporating them daily.
HABIT 7: I stay hydrated throughout the day.
This habit is about recognising that a focus on optimal vegetable intake is required for proper hydration.
HABIT 8: I take a high potency, pharmaceutical grade multivitamin 2x a day.
This habit is about understanding that optimal health needs optimal micro-nutrition that can only be achieved when supplementing with a high potency, pharmaceutical grade multivitamin 2x per day.
HABIT 9: I have a modest exercise program. One that is aligned to my goals.
This habit is about knowing the difference between high and low intensity exercise, aligning your exercise regime with your ability to manage the stress and knowing how to progress using the following variables: frequency, the level of difficulty or intensity, the distance or duration.
HABIT 10: I get adequate rest and recovery
This habit is about understanding the true value of recovery. Not over exercising, and developing a good sleep routine so you can maximise your fat burning potential.
You can start by taking the Health Habit Self Evaluation. Rank yourself out of 5 for each Health Habit to see how you score.
DOWNLOAD: THE HEALTH HABIT SELF EVALUATION Then, continue to read online below & leave a comment.
BOTTOM LINE: Practice the 10 Health Habits long enough and you will create a lifestyle of permanent fat loss.
The last part of the Be Free From Dieting Formula is possessing a Winning Weight Loss Mindset.
If you study the habits and traits of successful people, and unsuccessful people, there are clear differences in their habits and thinking…
So how does someone with a Winning Weight Loss Mindset think?
▶ They manage their expectations to avoid disappointment
▶ They create accountability around their goals
▶ They embrace failure and challenge
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
People generally overestimate what they can achieve in the short term and underestimate what’s achievable long term. You must manage your expectations throughout your weight loss journey to avoid disappointment.
The major disappointment usually comes after some initial water weight is lost and your weight loss starts to slow down. At this point you need to understand the maximum amount of fat one can lose in a week is just 900 grams. And that’s if you’re doing everything perfect. 300-500 grams weight loss per week is good result.
Set realistic goals based on your willingness to adhere to your plan. If you’re only sticking to it 50-60% then don’t expect fast results. The closer you get to your goal weight the stricter you need to become as well. And remember the scale weight does not tell the full picture. As you’re progressing your exercise you might be increasing muscle mass. This could explain a negative scale weight reading in any given week.
CREATING ACCOUNTABILITY
If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to do the things ‘you know you need to do’ to achieve your health goals, it’s probably because you haven’t implemented the right form accountability. When accountability is done right; you have a very clear reason for why you need to achieve your goal and a very clear consequence for not achieving it.
The reason for achieving your goal must be linked to your highest value areas of life and it must involve someone or something other than yourself. The consequence you set in place has to be your own idea and it has to be large enough to motivate you to keep going.
Most people are not prepared to do this to themselves but successful people know that their goals are always outside of their comfort zone. Being ok with feeling uncomfortable is a part of a Winning Weight Loss Mindset.
EMBRACING FAILURE & CHALLENGE
One thing that’s absolutely certain about your weight loss journey is there will be numerous failures and challenges along the way. It comes with the territory. Once you accept that fact and you’re prepared to embrace it, you are on the right track.
The road to success is basically a series of failures with small corrections followed by another failure and small correction until you reach your goal. At times you may even be failing more than succeeding. Its at this moment you’ll feel like giving up the most and 95% of people will.
But someone who has the body they want simply carried on. Realise the challenge you’re experiencing is actually there to serve you. It’s hard to see it at the time but when you push through you will breakthrough. I’ve experienced this many times on my weight loss journey. It’s a great feeling and the experience will serve as fuel to push you through the next challenge that is sure to come.
For more on developing a Winning Weight Loss Mindset see my blog post ‘3 Ninja Mindset Strategies To Getting Your Before And After’
BOTTOM LINE: Realise you already possess the traits of a Winning Weight Loss Mindset in the areas of life you highly value. You just need to shine your light on the health area and apply the same mindset you already possess.
At this point its very important you acknowledge the Be Free From Dieting Formula is a marathon not a sprint.
Sometimes it’s easier to shift our attention on another terrible diet, or misinformation, or lack of support rather than having to face our own lack of commitment to grow and become the best version of ourselves.
The good news is I’m running a free webinar training that will walk you step by step through the Be Free From Dieting Formula and provide you the support you need to:
▶ Create The Right Fat Burning Environment
▶ Address Your Stubborn Fat Areas
▶ Develop The 10 Health Habits
▶ Possess A Winning Weight Loss Mindset
Click here for more details of the free training
Tarryn Thompson
Your Virtual Health Coach
Creator of the Be Free From Dieting Formula & GenHealth Coaching Program.
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