Hello, my friends! I want to share an experience I had the other day. Out of curiosity, I recently Googled the phrase “weight loss diet plan.” Can you guess how many results Google gave me? Over 34 million! I was amazed at how many different results there were and how complicated people were making nutrition. I can tell you this right now: Nutrition does not need to be so complicated! Yet, surprisingly, people still fall for countless diet plans and quick fixes. They are seemingly never satisfied in their quest to find the perfect diet.
Yes, nutrition is actually very simple! It is simple once we cut through all the noise and accept that there are no quick fixes, pills, potions, or the “perfect ratio.” Those ideals have failed us time and time again, and it is time to mature into more holistic point of view.
I want to introduce you to three weight loss factors that more than 90% of my corporate and personal clients disregard. My hope in sharing these three factors is that you will be able to view weight loss as a long-term lifestyle practice!
Overlooked Weight Loss Practice #1: Eating REAL, Unrefined, & Unprocessed Foods!
How many times have you seen so-called weight loss plans giving you quick and convenient foods that that are neatly packaged and ready to eat on the fly? How many plans are giving you “points” or “macros,” or “calorie ranges” in hopes to get you into that so-called “perfect weight loss range?” The answer? Almost all of them.
Here is something I never want you to forget: Are you ready for this?
REAL FOODS BUILD YOUR METABOLISM WHILE PROCESSED FOODS BRING IT DOWN!
Why you ask? Simply put, your metabolism needs vital nutrients such as these:
-Vitamins
-Mineral
-Enzymes
-Co-enzymes
-Secondary nutrients (that come primarily from plant based foods)
-Antioxidant rich foods
-Life Force: This is the energy that radiates from living whole foods, such as fruits and veggies. Processed foods do not carry this
-Naturally based macros: This is how Mother Nature packages our foods with precise levels of macronutrients. Take a banana, for example. It contains a perfect blend of natural sugars and carbs that are packaged with fiber and a host of vitamins; this combination keeps blood sugar levels from crashing like refined and processed foods do. These natural ratios are perfect for your body’s metabolic needs.
Here is the bottom line!
If you are eating real and natural foods that are minimally processed, your body is getting these nutrients. If you are eating fake and processed foods, your body STILL needs to get these nutrients, but it is not getting them in adequate amounts from these food choices. So the question is: WHERE are they coming from? The answer?
YOU!
Yup, You! Your metabolism is 100% dependent on these nutrients, and if it is not getting them from real foods, it is forced to get them from you! You then begin to self-cannibalize your own body to get what you need. Without going into detail, this is dreadfully harmful to your metabolism, and it drastically slows down your ability to burn fat.
Overlooked Weight Loss Practice #2: Drinking Enough Water
What would happen if you never put gasoline, transmission fluid or motor oil into your car? Would you sit around, scream at it, and demand that it work? Of course not! But that is what the vast majority of us do because we are dehydrated!
When we consider that our metabolism is completely dependent on water, is it any wonder why calorie and macro counting are not the complete answer to our fat loss equation? I want to make this as simple as possible, so let me just say it like this: If you don’t drink at least half of your body weight in ounces then you are making it very difficult for your body to burn fat.
Overlooked Weight Loss Practice #3: Sleep Deprivation!
In a study by the New York Obesity Research Center of Columbia University, professor Marie-Pierre St-Onge randomly assigned a research group nine hours of sleep nightly while the control group was limited to four. The results you ask? The sleep deprived group ate nearly 300 more calories per day than the well-rested group.
Why does this happen? Your brain has a built in feedback system that tells you when you are full and when you need to eat. This delicate system is housed in your hypothalamus, and when you are sleep deprived, the only thing that it senses is that you are “low on energy.” It then mistakenly activates “hunger hormones” that make you want to eat more, even if you don’t need to!
So, if inappropriate food cravings are not your thing, then you have to devote more time to your sleep! I know this will take effort but it will be well worth it!
Well, there you have it, my friends! These three lifestyle practices are certainly not quick fixes, but they will take you far in boosting up your metabolism and giving you the health that you deserve. Please share your comments below and remember . . .
Life is Good!