Personal Training
Fat Loss Tips: The 2nd Installment
Nowadays we constantly hear things such as, “The paleo diet is good, the paleo diet is bad, intermitten fasting is the way to go, no carb is the way to go (WHAT?!) wheat is good, wheat is bad, Lift heavy weights, running is the best form of cardio” There are so many controversial topics in this field, it is hard to know what really works. What you need to remember is there is no one ‘way’ that works. So your friend has a gluten allergy (diagnosed from her Doctor) and stays away from wheat. She loves how she feels, so you get rid of wheat as well. Why would you take something out of your diet without knowing what is best for your body? You actually could be hindering fat loss for all you know.
- Plyo + Cardio Routines
Lift Something! I feel like a broken record for saying this so much, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to LIFT WEIGHTS if you want to accelerate fat loss. Ladies, you will not get bulky! get away from this mentality and just LIFT something…(Sorry Tracey Anderson) Challenge your body and go for something heavier than 3lb dumbbells. Lifting heavy and performing more full body compound movements will create a much greater hormonal response and be your key to unlocking fat loss. The only thing that may happen by you lifting weights is faster metabolism, tighter physique and more defined body. Sounds good to me! Next time, you see a picture of a woman with a large amount of muscle mass just understand that a minimum of about 10 years of vigorous training and dieting went into that body (maybe with the help of other supplements) and unless you want to strive to make that same kind of commitment, then you have nothing to worry about
Stop Running for Distance and Start HIIT. Excessive running/cardio increases the stress hormone, cortisol which in turn causes the body to hold onto fat. It gets into a “fight or flight’ situation where it becomes ‘scared’ to let go of any fat. Excessive cortisol levels will not only effect your overall health, but greatly hinder any fat loss goals. I don’t just want to point out running here, either. I am talking any long duration cardio; spin class, zumba, elliptical, cardio kickbox class etc. Maybe once you start, you will see a quick loss in weight, but a few months in, your body will stop responding and hit a plateau. The more cardio you do, the more accustomed your body becomes and your body will respond less over time. This simply means you will have to do MORE cardio in the long run in order to maintain your physique
Get Rid of Artificial Sweeteners: Plain and simple; artificial sweeteners will greatly inhibit fat loss. These include saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium and neotame. You will find these in most packaged goods labeled “low fat, fat free, reduced fat” as well as most diet sodas and most “low carb, sugar free” foods. When artificial sweetners are consumed, the body releases more glucose than normal levels and this gets converted into fat. The insulin levels in your body may be heightened and thus promoting fat storage as well
Eat Often: I mentioned the hormone, cortisol earlier when I talked about doing too much long duration cardio. When we avoid food that same hormone increases in your body, causing the body to store fat. The “eat less” approach will not get your body where you want it to be if fat loss is your main concern. When you drastically cut down calories or skip meals, this will lead to a loss in muscle, slowing of metabolism and possible weight gain in the long run. Of course, you want to be aware of your body, listen to its hunger signals and cues. Personally, I aim to eat every 2-3 hours (combination of complex carbs, protein, fibrous veggies and healthy fats. Low sugar fruits as well) I find that this works for me–This is not to say it will work for everyone, but eating smaller portions more often keeps my blood sugar levels stable and keeps my metabolism going
Stop Eating Processed Foods: When looking for fat loss, your best bet is to avoid all or most processed foods. Quality, REAL food will fuel quality workouts.
Here are some simple switches that you can make from a seemingly healthy diet more towards a fat loss diet.
Instead of: Kashi Go lean with 1/2 C skim milk, 1 small banana
Try: Oatmeal or Oatbran with 1-2 eggs, 3 eggwhites, 1 tsp all natural almond butter, blueberries
Instead of: Deli turkey on whole wheat bread
Try: Large salad of greens and other veggies, 1/2 large sweet potato, 3-4 oz grilled chicken, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Instead of: Whole wheat pasta with 93% lean ground turkey meatballs, peas
Try: 5 oz lean steak, greens (such as green beans, asparagus or kale) olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing
Some mischellaneous foods I like to enjoy, even when fat loss is coming into play:
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Salsa (low sodium)
- Spicy mustard (Not honey mustard)
- Balsamic vinegar
- Stevia (sparingly)
- Spices such as cinnamon, garlic powder, italian seasoning, basil, oregano, TJ’s 21 salute seasoning, nutmeg etc
- Tea (fruity flavors are my favorite)
- Coffee (Try to limit 1 cup a day-grande size)
CLICK HERE to read my first installment of My Personal Fat Loss Tips (written in August 2011) In this post, I covered:
- Lift Heavy Weights
- Incorporate HIIT (specifically sprints!)
- Load up on protein
- Eat fruits and veggies at every meal
- Eat fat to lose fat
- Slow down when you eat
- Incorporate variety
