Health is a huge area and we have been really put into narrow minds that it’s diet and exercise.
I speak of this a lot of how to connect the dots as to what is behind fat loss and what can be the wedge between keeping and losing this excess body fat.
“But I eat healthy” is a common phrase I hear from many people, so I’d like to break this down quickly for you:
1. Shopping by packets
Major companies that place this information on the box is really irrelevant, companies pay for the heart tick of approval and star ratings and when they are having to highlight this in their marketing slogan, I’d be very skeptical.
A banana doesn’t need to say “high potassium or great energy source”, a steak doesn’t need to advertise a “high protein or muscle building” product.
People that shop by labels need to be educated on the false marketing behind the wording.
- High fibre, means they have added man made ingredients and additives.
- Natural flavours are GMO products hidden to make you believe that they are natural.
Keto or protein bars are ladened with hydrogenated oils that cause cell damage to our bodies. These oils have been damaged in the process of making them, which then leads to damaging us.
Hydrogenated oils, GMO flavours and additives all create inflammation in our bodies, this then causes high levels of cortisol or insulin, which leads the body to weight gain or lack of weight loss – this is a major player to stopping fat loss!
2. Eating too much
which is a common concern. Many people eat too much and too often.
Yes there are hundreds of different diet variations out there, but you need to find the one to suit you.
- Eating 6 times a day can be damaging for some as it leads too to many calories being consumed compared to the calories being burnt (Not that we count calories, but you all need to know that consuming large amounts of food and not moving that much will end up with excess body fat).
- Eating high calorie dense food is great, but you need to listen to the internal que from your body and note if your hormones are working, by giving you the hungry and full signals. Many of us have lost this connection and therefore over consume food, be it ‘wholesome healthy’ or not, we need to be aware of the amount.
Note: eat more less often, allow the body to digest the food, allow the body to become hungry and note when you are full.
3. Gut issues
are beginning to affect more people, maybe due to the foods that they are eating and in the amounts that they are eating. This causes uncomfort and again inflammation.
People sometimes continue to eat foods that cause pain, but people are unaware of these symptoms and put it down to something else, or try to push through it because it’s deemed “healthy”
Note: choose an eliminating diet for a month or so to test out what foods do not agree with you and not the symptoms – good to work with a coach or practitioner to help you go through these steps if you need.
Now let’s quickly look at other factors that come into play with the lack of body fat loss :
Stress –
eating or living in a stressed state certainly restricts the body from losing fat. This is because the body is in a defensive state and the one thing that the body will survive with is fat. It won’t give this up for the mere fact that it needs protection.
Eating in a stressed state – albeit healthy, the body will not be digesting any food so your healthiest poke bowl is a waste of time.
Living in a stressed state keeps insulin and cortisol levels high, never allowing the body to rest and recover, wasting away more muscle off the body reducing the metabolic levels, making losing body fat an impossible task.
Sleep –
not getting enough restful sleep does not allow the body to cleanse throughout the night. No cleansing and eliminating toxins causes a build up and again is a trigger for inflammation – more inflammation – more raising of cortisol levels as it’s a signal of something’s not right.
Alcohol may knock you out to sleep, you may think but science has proven you do not get into a restful sleep, to a stage where your body can rejuvenate.
Bright screens prior to bed also signal danger and affect the levels of melatonin that help you to sleep and calm the cortisol levels in the body.
Exercise –
the right type of exercise is important.
Working at a high intensity level all the time is stirring the body up too much. You need to execute these workouts correctly using ‘high’ energy. If you try to do these each day without adequate sleep or rest, you are placing the body into a fearful state again.
This on top of eating the ‘protein bars’, ‘keto bars’ or any other boxed product labelled with false healthy marketing that are full of additives are keeping your body in a dangerous state.
Stress from the food, stress from lack of sleep and stress from high intensity workouts is a given as to why your weight is not shifting, even if you tell me… but I eat healthy!
If you want to learn more, dive deeper into working out your body and find an experiment that will work for you and your lifestyle – then reach out.
Make 2021 The Year of Wellness
