08/16/21
#101 How we make weight loss so hard
Let's stop making weight loss so hard!
Honestly, it doesn't need to be, so often we are our own worst enemy when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off.
1. Drink enough water!
Being chronically dehydrated will slow down or stop your weight loss.
Every process that turns food into energy or burns body fat as fuel needs water.
If you aren't drinking enough you are making things so much harder for yourself. Humans often confuse thirst with hunger. Being dehydrated may cause you to crave sweet stuff.
Have water bottles everywhere dotted around your house and in the car. When you see the bottle it will jog your memory to drink.
Being properly hydrated is worth 100 calories a day that's 500g of fat loss in a month!
2. Get enough sleep.
Aim for 7-9 hours. Practice a great bedtime routine and good sleep hygiene.
People who are sleep deprived eat an extra 300 calories a day. Lack of sleep messes with the very hormones that we need to nurture for fatal loss ghrelin, leptin, and cortisol.
Poor sleep = poor weight loss!
3. Plan ahead.
Plan your food ahead of time every day. it takes 5 minutes and is life-changing. Once your food is planned all you have to do is follow the plan! You never have to think about it again and you are guaranteed to make better choices. Give it time and you will find it easy to follow through and do what you said you were doing to do.
Be mindful of the BLATS (bites, licks and tastes) write them down at the end of the day.
4. Learn what true hunger feels like and tune in to your own hunger cues. Eat when you are hungry and stop before you are full.
In your natural state, you would eat when you were hungry and stop before you were over full. In your natural state, you would be at your natural weight!.
Is it ok to eat whenever I am hungry or should I stick to set times?
When you learn to listen to your true hunger cues, yes you can eat when you are hungry. If you can't trust yourself yet then it may be helpful to eat by the clock.
Do I need to count calories/macros?
No you don't! I used to be the calorie macro counting queen. I don't think that it served me well. Instead, focus on whole foods.
- 2-3 pieces of fruit each day
- 4 handfuls of fibrous veggies each day
- Some essential fats each day
- Protein with every meal.
Do need to avoid certain foods?
Only if you are coeliac, have an allergy or intolerance. Eat plenty of whole foods the greater the diversity the better.
The only foods that you should truly avoid are over-processed junk foods.
Will keto work for me?
Yes initially. most people will get a great weight loss response to keto. But be aware that most of that loss is from water and glycogen. Long term a high protein, high-fat diet, especially if from animal proteins can be a recipe for all the lifestyle diseases that we are trying to avoid.