7 SINS OF FAT LOSS
The following are the 7 sins of fat loss that you may well be committing right now. Boot out all of these cardinal mistakes and you’ll drop fat and get healthy faster and more effectively than you have ever imagined.
1. Eating refined carbohydrates
We all need carbohydrate in our diet, that’s fact. However, what we don’t need is the wrong form of carbohydrate. Eating carbs that have been refined, such as white pasta, bread, rice, sugar, sweets, cakes, biscuits and all that other nasty sweet stuff, is quite possibly the biggest fat loss mistake that people can make. Sugar, and sugary foods, are addictive to say the least. You eat it, you want more, you want more, you often eat that too! By eating these types of carbs, your body’s response is to hit back with a huge influx of insulin, which can and does end up making your body store fat. Not only that, but although your energy levels may initially be elevated, shortly after, you will end up on a downer with reduced energy levels. The way forward is getting your carbs from fresh, natural sources, such as fruit and vegetables, which as well as giving you a much steadier supply of energy, will also fill you up with the micronutrients necessary to ‘unlock’ the energy within your foods, as well as boosting immune function and improving your general health.
2. Eating processed foods
They’re convenient, their ‘tasty’ (debatable), they’re quick, they’re easy, they’re effortless…they’re also so full of crap that every time you eat them you are literally filling your body with chemicals and empty calories, and inviting your body to store excess fat. By eating these types of foods, from canned tomatoes through to a full on microwavable curry, you’re voluntarily increasing your body fat and the level of toxins within your body, and decreasing your bodies ability to work as it’s supposed to. If you’re ‘trying’ to lose fat, but still eating packaged and processed foods (yes – even low fat, no fat, low salt, weight watchers, healthy living and all that), you are condemning yourself to failure. If you eat fresh, natural foods, you really can’t go wrong, so enough with the microwave, and get your steamer, oven and grill working, and start eating natural. You’ll be AMAZED at how much of a difference it makes just replacing everything packaged with fresh stuff.
3. Doing your 100 sit ups a day
Yes that’s right, doing lots of sit ups will not get you a skinny, toned waist! If it could, then a third of the population would have great abs, not a BMI that categorises them as obese. The idea of doing loads of sit ups to nuke your belly fat is called spot reducing, which doesn’t, has never, and will never work to reduce body fat. It’s not possible to work one part of your body and burn only the fat from that area. It just doesn’t go like that. The body takes fat from where it wants to. All that doing excessive sit ups does generally, is give people a bad back and poor posture. If you want great abs, you need to be able to see them, so the key is to get rid of the fat that surrounds them (acting on the advice you are reading right now will help you!). You’re far better off doing full body training to reduce fat. The more muscles you work, the more calories you’ll burn. Fact.
4. Steady state cardio
Yes, this may well work for a while, and I’ve nothing against steady state cardio. After all, the sport of triathlon is pretty much all about this! However, if you’re training for fat loss, it’s not the way to go. Many of my clients, as well as banging out sit ups by the hundred, also have previously spend an hour or so walking on a treadmill, cycling on a stationary bike, or plodding up and down on a stepper. Funny thing is, they all say it bores the hell out of them and they don’t get results after the first couple of weeks. So why continue doing it?! Cardio training for fat loss is all about hitting out the interval work. Through using interval training as opposed to steady state cardio, you will burn more ‘free’ calories throughout the day, due to the effect the interval work has on your metabolism (you can elevate it for up to around 24-36hrs after training!). So by putting in a 20-30 minute bout of interval work, you will burn plenty more calories than an hours steady workout, in half (or less) the time. Efficient, effective, and much more fun!
5. Lack of resistance training
The exclusion of resistance training is one of the biggest mistakes people make with their fitness programs. I’ll put it very simply for you though: If you want to lose fat, you need to build some muscle! Now ladies, it’s not to say that you need to get stacked, and get guns like Schwarzenegger (in fact, you won’t be able to due to the hormonal differences with men and women), so don’t worry about that. The underlying fact however, is that muscles crave energy, and so the more muscle you have, the more energy they need to work, so the more calories they will burn. So, by building some lean mass (muscle) you will increase your metabolic rate, and burn more calories even when you sleep. As for using a gym, absolutely no need. Your body is the only equipment you need, and that’s a fact.
6. Not eating enough protein
Most people’s diets severely lack this essential nutrient. Big mistake. Your body needs protein to rebuild your muscles bigger and stronger after work. By effective starving your body of this vital nutrient, you are reducing its ability to create the lean tissue necessary to boost your metabolism and increase your fat burning potential. Try to get some form of protein in with every meal, but be aware that there are complete (such as in meat, fish, eggs) and incomplete (such as in bread, pasta, pulses) proteins. Go for things like organic beef, fish, chicken, turkey, whole nuts, seeds and organic eggs as your protein sources. Also, religiously make sure you’re getting some in with your breakfast.
7. No direction
This is without doubt, the biggest one. So many people (maybe even you) spend far too much time saying they are going to kick start their fat loss mission, but never get round to it, or go at it half assed. In my experience, the key to fat loss success (and success in general) is having a clear, determined and measurable goal that is both achievable and challenging. If you have no direction, you won’t get anywhere. So know what it is you want to achieve, and actually be willing to go for it, pedal to the metal. None of this ‘I’ll start on Monday’ nonsense either. Start today, start now, and start achieving. If you truly want to be a size or two smaller so you can wear what you want and feel comfortable in it, then you will be willing to work for it. Remember, the journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step, so take the first step today by setting yourself a goal, and go for it 100%.
To your success,
Andy Sloan
https://thefrontroomfitnesscamp.com/
https://freetrialweek.co.uk/
