This show tackles a major weight loss myth! So many of us think that the way to weight loss is eating less and moving more. The truth, however, is that diets don’t work. In today’s episode we’re talking about what drastic caloric restriction does to our hormones, HOW it makes us more hungry and how it makes weight loss more difficult in both the long run and the short run. As always, we talk in detail about a better way to achieve lasting fat loss WITHOUT dieting and and over-exercising.
Listen Now!
Myth We’re Debunking: Eat less & move more is the way to lose weight. If weight loss was as simple as “eat less and move more”, we probably wouldn’t have an obesity epidemic. This eat less/move more cycle has many of us chasing our tail, perpetually hungry, irritable and hormonally imbalanced.
Truth We Establish: Eating less & moving more actually works AGAINST your fat loss goals. It will likely only slow your metabolism, disturb your hormonal balance and make it harder for you to lose weight. The only people who benefit from the eat less, move more philosophy are those who write and sell the books pushing it. For the rest of us, it keeps us trapped. We are going down an unhappy path that doesn’t lead us to our goals. Here’s the deal: your body is built for survival. When we drastically cut calories, our bodies, in an attempt to protect us and keep us a live, go into conservation mode. The body doesn’t realize that the grocery store is down the street and plenty of food is available – it down regulates your metabolism and holds on tight to your fat stores to make sure you survive. It upregulates your cravings and appetite to sound the alarms for you eat more. The body is built to fight hard against burning any stored body fat when you’re drastically cutting calories. In fact, it is fighting to STORE every last bit of fuel you give it because it has gone into conservation mode. This episode talks in detail about why we often experience rebound weight gain and how we can avoid it. Some questions you should consider as you evaluate any “diet” plan:
- What is your long term goal – are you looking to lose weight for an event and then put it back on or do you want to keep the weight off?
- Can you sustain these dietary changes for the rest of your life or do they feel extreme?
- What do you expect to happen to your weight or body composition if you don’t maintain the changes?
- What is your history? Have you tried something similar before? Were you able to stick with it? Why or why not? What was hard? What was easy?
- Do you want an approach that feels natural or do you want to be obsessing about counting/restricting/avoiding/etc?
Practical Implementation: Drastically cutting calories is not and never will be the answer. Fat loss is not only possible, but extremely sustainable, without the eat loss, move more approach. It boils down to choosing foods that fuel your metabolism and signal your body to allow fat burning. You see, its not the total amount of calories we consume that determine if our body burns fat or stores fat. It is our hormones. So while you DO need to create a calorie deficit, a calorie deficit alone doesn’t set you up for fat loss. Eating foods that create the optimal hormonal situation to allow fat loss is where success comes from. This episode details a couple example meal plans to ensure that you’re satisfied, you’re not experiencing cravings and you’re burning fat. We also talk about the importance of sleep & stress management – two critical components of a lasting fat loss plan.
Resources:
Bulletproof Coffee
The Hormones & Fat Loss ebook – 50 pages of specific strategies to help you naturally balance your hormones and achieve lasting fat loss!
My favorite clean-eating ice cream
Balanced Bites Salmon Cakes
Mary, The Paleo Chef
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