3 Simple Ways To Lose Fat Today

Read time: 2 minutes

As you already know, fat loss is a science, and a pretty advanced one at time. Addressing or trying to understand hormonal imbalance, for example, can be confusing and overwhelming, and sometimes it’s only natural that you feel like you want to give up. When this happens it’s good to get back to basics and remind yourself that you do have the power to transform your body. Sure, maybe not as fast as you’d sometimes like, but then let’s be honest. Maybe you’re not as consistent as you know you can be.

When all is said and done the science of fat loss is one that is made up of tiny, but steady, steps. Here are 3 for you to follow today.

lose fat fast with these 3 easy steps

1. Have your coffee before training, not after. According to Coach Poliquin, caffeine and other stimulants spike the hormone cortisol, which is your ‘stress’ hormone and can help drive you to action. For this reason it’s great pre-workout (early in the day), but for the same reason it’s devastating post-workout. Elevated cortisol for a prolonged period of time can impair muscle recovery and tip your body into fat-storing mode rather than burning.

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Is Supplementation Really Necessary For Good Health? You May Be Surprised What You Read …

Read time: 6-8 minutes

Let’s cut straight to the chase. If you want to look hot and feel fantastic then I believe that some form of supplementation is necessary for you. Given the fact that I have links to Poliquin supplements in my sidebar, I realise that this is not much of a revelation, but perhaps what I have to say next will be. Which is this – I absolutely do NOT believe supplementation should be necessary if you eat well. For example. You’ve probably heard it argued that we don’t need to take supplements because we should be able to get all of our nutrients from food. Very true. But there’s just one teeny problem. It’s not going to happen. Let me explain.

If you were living a couple of hundred years ago, then maybe this would be possible. Assuming, of course, that you were wealthy enough to access good food, knew what it was anyway, and enjoyed only a healthy amount of stress in your life. You know where I’m going with this, don’t you? The thing is, a few years back I poo-poohed the idea of supplements (even protein powder) to all and sundry. “It’s a scam”, I said. “Companies just want to make money from you, and there’s really no benefit. As long as you eat well (organic of course), you’ll be fine”.

I take it back. And here’s why.

eating well is a good start – not a health cure

I believe that even the most optimal nutrition choices fall short of meeting our required vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, and enzyme needs. These days I actually find it quite shocking that some health practitioners still that a healthy diet alone can be even adequate for nutritional fulfillment, let alone ideal. There are two main reasons for this: nutrient depletion due to a stressful life, and quality of food. I’ll expand.

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Have You Been Sucked In By These Healthy Food Myths?

When it comes to eating well and looking after your body, it’s tough to know who to listen to. Perhaps you see a nutritionist, maybe you follow a favourite health coach or adviser online, or perhaps book learning is your thing. Or maybe you prefer to listen to the well-executed health education hype and marketing of a large conglomerate. No? You’re sure of that, I assume?

In first place for the ‘most glaringly obvious unhealthy ‘healthy’ food award’ is Coca-Cola’s athlete-endorsed Vitamin Water. According to John Robbins of The Huffington Post:

“lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the lawsuit (which has been brought against them for making false health claims) by asserting that ‘no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking Vitamin Water was a healthy beverage.’ “

You really do have to give them points for courage, don’t you? Not only do Coke acknowledges that its advertising for a particular product is ‘ridiculous and obviously not true’, but actually admits it publicly and then uses it as a defense for why they and how they’ve sold said product. It’s actually kinda funny. If it weren’t for the fact that untold thousands of poor suckers will have bought into the idea and been guzzling down their Vitamin Sugar Water like there’s no tomorrow, telling themselves they’re ‘re-hydrating’ or ‘replenishing their electrolytes’. Hopefully you weren’t one of them :)

Of course it’s not the first time junk food as masqueraded as healthy, and it won’t be the last.

Junk Food You Thought Was Healthy

  1. Peanut butter. I know. Tears. I could easily down an entire tub of the stuff if you give me half a chance (there’s the first problem), but these days I’ve switched to almond or cashew butter. Peanuts are actually a legume, not a nut, and they inherently contain a type of fungus.
  2. While we’re on it – legumes. Not awesome. Legumes contain anti-nutrients; substances that latch onto real nutrients and drag them out of your body. They are also difficult for your body to digest due to their starchy coats.
  3. Whole-grains. Whole or processed, grains are NOT your friend. Our bodies don’t know how to cope with them, given as how they’re relatively new in the span of our evolution. They also contain anti-nutrients, are highly allergenic, and often create insulin imbalances which – when taken to the extreme – lead to hypoglycemia and obesity.
  4. Soy. No no no! The soy that we know as soy is nothing like soy in its natural state, and it is highly estrogenic. Soy beans also contain anti-nutrients! This wreaks havoc with your hormonal system, and has been correlated with increased duration of menstrual cycle and increased risk of every type of cancer. Soy also naturally lowers the libido and fertility. This is a great article on soy, whole-grains and legumes. I just found it while writing this article, but – as you will know from reading this blog – was already very much on board with that way of thinking.
  5. Low-fat dairy. First off. The difference between full and low-fat dairy is around 2%. That should be ’nuff said. But the reason why I’d go so far as to say low-fat is unhealthy is because stripping the natural nutrition from a food (any food) makes it tough for your body to recognise and effectively digest. This can lead to gut irritation, bloating and stomach upsets, and food intolerance.
  6. Margarine, artificial sweeteners, textured proteins, low-fat foods in general. One of my favourite quotes from Michael Pollan, author of the brilliant book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, is “never eat anything pretending to be something else”. Don’t you love it?

Have I missed anything? Please leave a comment!

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I Can’t Give Up Bread! My Body Needs It!

Read time: 2-3 minutes

“I think you just have to listen to your body sometimes, don’t you? For example, all I’ve felt like eating the past 3 months is pretty much bread and pasta. I don’t know why, but I really think that your body actually knows what the right foods are for you”

This is an actual conversation that I overhead this morning whilst enjoying my morning coffee and some gratitude journaling. And all I can say is ….. sigh.

Especially because the follow on a few minutes later was this:

“It just doesn’t seem to be a good time for me to exercise at the moment. Everything is constantly aching, and I’ve had so many neck problems. It’s probably best if I just focus on walking.”

This kind of reminds me of the time I read an interview with Aussie radio jock Kyle Sandilands, in which one side of the page mentioned his 30+ daily coffee habit (not to mention the 4+ litres of Coca-Cola), and the other side mentioned the fact that he has an on-call 24/7 doctor due to the fact that he suffers debilitating and unexplained migraines.

Seriously people – has it come to this? Have we been so brainwashed by conventional wisdom that we can honestly even think about kidding ourselves that a diet based around processed grains could be ‘just what my body needs at the moment’.

Again I say sigh.

the truth about listening to your body

It’s true that your body can tell you exactly what you need to look, feel and function at your very best. Intrinsically, if you give it half a chance, your body has the ability to send very clear signals as to what is right for your individualised nutritional needs. But here’s the thing. If you’re listening to your body and it’s telling you that you ‘need’ processed foods, then it’s time to change channels. Your body needs real food. Period. Start eating food in it’s natural state 90% of the time, include proteins, good fats, and healthy carbs such as seasonal green vegies at each meal, and then step back and listen to what your body is asking for.

I guarantee it’ll be singing a different tune.

Your thoughts?

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When To Break The Rules On A Low-Carb Diet

Today’s post is in response to a reader question. To find out how to have your question answered in an upcoming post, see the end of this one!

Read time: 7-8 minutes

Hello Kat! I know you are probably super busy, but I have a question and I was hoping you could take the time to answer (following your blog all the way from the Netherlands by the way- it’s a great one).

I have recently lost 30 pounds and am now at 60 kg, with a BMI of 20.6; it feels great. I have followed a low-carb way of eating, and have included good fats from the beginning, although in moderation (no coconut oil, no butter). I work out intensively about 5 times per week, but would like to cut it to 4.  I have recently read more about introducing coconut oil, and have started doing so. I must admit though, I am still a little afraid of the fat! Would it be a good idea for me to take it, even while only trying to keep the weight off?

What if I cut down on exercise, should I also cut down on fat? I don’t mind keeping away from grains, potatoes and rice, but I would like to sometimes be able to have a piece of fruit or an ice cream on a summer day or eat sushi with my friends and not be too strict on myself. Would this be a bad combination with all the fat, and should I be more careful on days I know I will have fruit or other treats or eat a bit more carbs than usual? I know it’s a struggle to keep the weight off too, which is why I am looking for tips on how to maintain.

Best regards, Sophie

Hi Sophie. Firstly, congrats on your current clean and healthy approach to eating! It sounds like you’re doing a great job and maybe just need a little help fine-tuning.

The first thing I’d like to say is that I love that you asked if extra fat is too much in combination with extra sugar. As you know, I’m very pro-smart-fats, and to me that even includes some of the most typically offensive fats such as coconut oil or milk, and even saturated animal fat, so long as it’s from grass-fed organic stock. In fact, I’ve had a lot of success over the years teaching people to re-introduce these natural and healthy foods to their diet and noticing their energy skyrocket as their weight plummets. But occasionally I’ve had instances where a client doesn’t get the expected results. On re-examination, the culprit has almost always been sugar. For example, someone might choose a great breakfast such as eggs with organic beef sausages and a side of spinach, but then they add some toast. And perhaps a little sugar in their coffee. Which seems fairly insignificant at face value, but many health experts nowadays believe that it’s not fats which are ‘evil’ but rather excessive amounts of sugar, or the combination of saturated fat with sugar.

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Low-Carb Nutrition Explained Once And For All

Have you ever heard of low-carb eating?

Silly question, right? Of course you have. After all, it’s one of the biggest trends around. And I’m willing to bet that one way or the other you’ve got a fairly definite opinion on the matter. Because whether or not you’ve given low-carb eating a go, and regardless of how fully you understand the science of it all, it’s a controversial topic. In fact, I’d put the low-carb debate up there with oh, vegetarianism vs meat-eating, God vs the big bang or evolution, and the question of whether it’s really the man or the woman’s job to take the trash out.

But here’s the thing. I don’t believe that low-carb eating is a trend, a fad, or a fly-by-night approach to nutrition. In fact, I believe that (when approached correctly) low-carb eating is actually an ideal way to eat for not just weight management, but for optimal health. To sum up, I think that the premise of a high-fat and protein diet being bad for you and a high-carbohydrate diet – even ‘healthy’ carbs – is completely wrong. Let me explain.

the diet heart hypothesis

Many moons ago when I was a young and bright-eyed Personal Trainer I was an avid believer in the diet-heart hypothesis and all it stood for.

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