Burning body fat is not magic, and definitely no secret. You don’t require anything special or expensive gym membership and not even expensive food. All you need is the right perception of how your body works and proper knowledge of how to make your body into a fat burning machine. All of this starts by first throwing out the wrong ideas we have about how the body burns fat. All of this has been explained thoroughly in my recent ebook – Why Stubborn Fat is Stubborn. If you haven’t bought your copy yet, then I suggest you hurry on over and get your copy!
Here are 3 things you can change to restart your body’s natural fat burning mechanism, and keep your body that way.
- You are on a Senseless Diet
Dieting and diet trends are a good way to make stubborn fat more stubborn. In fact, dieting just may be making your fat parts fatter.
The common diet tells you to eat less and exercise more. Please don’t do this! You can rest assured that eating less and exercising more is the best way to make sure you don’t lose any body fat. This is true because of the changes your metabolism makes to compensate the less food and more activity.
When you follow the “eat less, exercise more” method the body engages in severe metabolic compensation. This is known as adaptive thermogenesis. You eat less and exercise more and the following things will happen:
- You will be constantly hungry and crave food (or certain foods)
- You will feel lack of energy and motivation
- Induce insatiable cravings that can’t be met by eating
- Decrease your resting metabolic rate around 300 calories per day on average
Eating less and exercising more is not the answer, rather a recipe for disaster. When you eat less and exercise more your body goes into starvation mode.
Most common diets work because it tells you to eat a very less amount of food, you are on a low calorie diet, and your body ends up burning your muscle. It does not burn fat. Muscle is easier to burn off than fat, and because your body is already trying to conserve energy, it gets ride of your muscle.
A proper nutrition plan considers you as a bio-individual person. Your needs are specific. This is why a cookie cutter type of diet will not work for you. Your needs need to analysed first. Check out our Lean Out Programme which considers every persons individual needs and tailor creates a unique programme to jump start your fat burn.
Personal Experience:
I have a few experiences from my stays in Bangladesh. Nutritionist’s in Bangladesh hand out a “diet chart” with a list of foods to eat. People are supposed to take this home, follow it and supposedly lose body fat. Well, it’s not so easy and I bet you can tell why this doesn’t always work. The body burns fat when there is a correct calorie deficit. Meaning, you eat enough foods, and schedule in exercise so your body is in a calorie deficit, and has to tap into your stored fat for energy. Mind you, this means you still have to eat enough protein, healthy fats, raw vegetables and time your carbs properly. This comes as a part of your macro-nutrition plan. Just not eating enough isn’t going to help you, as we have seen above !
Since nutritionists who sit in hospitals operate like this (improperly!) now people think that a diet chart is all you need. No ladies This is the wrong type of thinking! Understand your body and your fat burning mechanism. There are different types of fat, and stubborn fat is very much alive. Stubborn fat does not respond to exercise and eating for a few specific reasons. And yes there is much you can do about your stubborn fat!
This is why any fitness expert or nutritionist (who has proper in depth knowledge) will give you nutrition programme – not just a diet plan.
2. You have No Idea about Cycling Your Nutrition Programme
Ok, so say that you found a great nutrition plan for your body that supports your fitness goals, and you see results in a few weeks. So you stick to it and don’t change it up. Another bad choice that we don’t even know we are making.
The metabolism is highly reactive and adaptive. Meaning, it’ll actually become “lazy” and get used to the same trend after a while and thus stop giving you results.
Surprise is key. However strange this sounds, surprising your metabolism and changing the fitness routine every few months or so keeps your metabolism sharp. This once again keeps the thyroid activity elevated, keeps leptin levels from dropping too low and keeps insulin sensitivity at a manageable level. When it comes to calories, hormones, and stubborn fat, you’re looking for the Goldilocks effect. Not too much, not too little, but just right. Key point is to prevent your metabolism from adapting to the current system and slowing down again.
A good nutrition plan would last you about 3 to 5 months, until you plateau. When you see that the same amount of food, and same amount of exercise is not working any more, this is your body letting you know that you need to switch gears into the next level. Visiting your fitness coach and re assessing your nutrition and workout plan is a good way to get started and level up. Wanna discuss your current nutrition plan and get some tips? Schedule in a video session and let’s chat about your needs.
You are afraid of health supplements and think they are bad for you. This is by far one of the silliest ideas that people can have. Not only is it silly, any one who thinks that health supplements are bad just prove the points that they have shallow knowledge of how the body works.
Smart health supplements positively provide the raw materials your body needs to thrive, boost immunity, optimise health and further keep you strong. These smart supplements refer to the following:
Vitamins and Minerals : truth is we don’t get all of the vitamins and minerals from our natural organic food any more. Due to capitalist agricultural standards, our soil is now deplete of many crucial elements such as magnesium. Supplementing with proper micro-nutrients is a good way of making sure you age well, remain strong and have optimal brain function.
Protein Powders: eating enough protein is crucial to every single part of your health. Protein (amino acid) is a macro-nutrient and crucial part of your nutrition plan. What ever your health goals may be, making sure you eat enough protein daily is making sure you reach your goals, feel better and function at your best. Getting protein from fish, meat and eggs is not easy. Investing in a good quality protein powder can go a long way in your health journey. Have confusions about protein powders? Don’t worry, read The Truth About Whey Protein Powders to be know the real deal.
Fat Burning Supplements: Yes you can get proper, safe and effective fat burning supplements to help you boost your body’s natural fat burning. Fat burners are a fitness supplement designed to increase metabolism, increase energy, and reduce appetite and by doing so increase the number of calories you burn. This over time can translate into weight loss. Other ingredients in fat burners can signal certain hormones like epinephrine to break down fats and make them ready for the body to use as a fuel source.
Fat burners through their stimulant like effect cause the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine, hormones that signal the mobilization of fat from fat stores to the blood stream.
Once fat enters the bloodstream however it doesn’t magically disappear. There has to be a use for it to be burned as energy by the body. This is why to get the most out of a fat burner, it’s important to be working out regularly. If you’re not working out and creating an energy need, the fat that gets released into the bloodstream will just be stored as fat again.
Warning : Fat burners are not meant to be used for a long term and doses depend on your specific bio-individual needs. If you choose to start a fat burner, speak to a properly educated fitness expert, nutritionist, or schedule an appointment with us today.
OK, that’s quite a comprehensive list. You probably need a breather now. It is good to remember that, there is no one-size-fits-all type of approach to your health, fitness and strength. Also, don’t forget that what your body looks like is not as important as how you feel. Balancing hormones, strengthen the body’s natural functions, and anti-aging from the cell up is achievable – don’t be afraid to ask for help! Optimise your health, body and brain function and you will automatically see your body burning it’s extra body fat.
Cheers to strength!
Marina Farook 