A New Formula for Fat Loss! Eat MORE Do LESS!

Yes, YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY! Eat more and do less to achieve the fat loss you have been dreaming of!

There has been an epidemic over the past 30 years of individuals working their butts off and starving themselves to lose weight and be “healthy”. This epidemic has led to a country full of overweight families, chronic pain, joint deterioration and mental illness. In the United States, we rank 28th in life expectancy, yet we probably rank the highest in fitness clubs, diet plans and weight loss clinics. If weight loss, exercise and diet foods are so great, why do we have so many fatigued, depressed individuals seeking medication for ailments such as fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and chronic fatigue syndrome?

There are many reasons why we are to this point in which we rank so poorly in health, yet spend the most on health care. One very LARGE factor is our dependency on using the SCALE and WEIGHT LOSS as our measurement of health. We have not transformed enough as a society to start measuring body composition and lifestyle habits as a more accurate gauge as to whether our wellness plan is successful or not. The formula of do more and eat less in order to achieve the winning lotto number on the scale- is one of the very reasons a large majority of our population is completely breaking down. We are making what we assume are healthy choices just to see a number change. Very rarely are we paying attention to how we feel, how we look, how are clothes fit….we are looking at an inanimate object on the floor to determine whether we are successful or not.

Looking at just WEIGHT LOSS– is an absolute waste of time and setting the majority up for a continual, never ending ride on the merry- go-round. I know this may sound absolutely CRAZY to many of you, but let me share some insight on some not so logical thoughts that have been planted into our heads over the past several years of our health and weight loss promotion.

Illogical Thought #1: “When you lose weight, you can get off your blood pressure medication?” How many have heard this statement? It is ridiculous for us to be taught as health professionals that an individual can be taken off of their medications due to the simple fact of losing weight. It is also ridiculous for any of us to still be making that statement. Sometimes when we hear a message, it sounds good, so we just start to repeat it and believe it without stopping to break it down logically. If blood pressure imbalances and health imbalances were solely related to a number on the scale, so many people who weigh 120-160lbs would not be having heart attacks, irregular heart beats, high cholesterol or chronic pain. Weight loss does not guarantee any health rewards at the end. The next time you are told you will get off medications when you lose weight, ask your professional how many thin people they have taking required prescription medications right now? Thin people can be just as unhealthy, if not more than someone who is just starting their health and weight loss journey. It is the way in which someone loses weight and the way in which someone lives their overall life that will determine much of their health and whether they will be dependent on medications, not the number on the scale.

Illogical Thought #2: You can lose 30lbs in Two Months! Who gives a shit if you can lose 30lbs in two months? Honestly, what do you really think you will look and feel like losing 30lbs in two months? Anything over 2lbs of weight loss per week generally results in a loss of almost 50% of lean muscle and bone. So YAY! You are 30lbs lighter on the scale and now you have joint pain, cartilage loss and weakness due to losing 15 pounds of healthy ligament tissue, bone density and muscle tone. This mind set of weight loss sets up a continual cycle of deprivation and torture. Every time someone experiences rapid weight loss, they lose a little more healthy tissue and then when they find this ridiculous amount of unhealthy weight loss is almost impossible to sustain, they rapidly gain all of their weight back and more. The sad part is, rarely are they gaining back any of the healthy 15lbs of tissue they lost, it tends to be 40lbs of pure fat, making the next round of weight loss even more torturous than before.

Illogical Thought #3: I will be happy when I lose weight! If this were the case, why have so many thin, beautiful people been suicidal, depressed, cheated on or addicted to drugs. Hale Barry, Heather Locklear, Lyndsey Lohan, Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, Michael Jackson, Greg Louganis- each are amazing, achieved, beautiful people who have suffered many trial & tribulations in their life and being thin did not give them any free rides to happiness. Yes, you may be happier when you lose weight, but yes it will depend on how you lose the weight and how much you love yourself now! We are being promoted to drink a couple shakes per day, overexercise and/or maybe get weight loss surgery so we can be THIN! The human body needs whole food for optimal survival. It has to have fuel to create a tight, fit, stable body. Losing weight, just to get weight off- does not mean you will achieve the body or mind you are looking for. Rapid weight loss or weight loss through food deprivation- typically leads to thin, aging, sagging skin and chronic nutritional deficiencies. I assure you, this is NOT fun, nor does it equate to lasting happiness.

Illogical Thought #4: Count Your Carbs, Sugar, Fiber, Fat & Proteins! No- please no- quit reading the crap nutritional facts on the label. These are all numbers designed to keep your brain busy and your butt getting bigger. I used to live my life doing this. I didn’t care what poison was listed below the number box, I just wanted the numbers to match my goal. I could eat less fat or less sugar and hit my magic scale number – so then I could end up with depression, mood swings, irritable bowel syndrome and infertility. If you lose weight eating sugar free jello poison, chemically ladened bars and dehydrated powder in a can- you are guaranteed to start increasing your negative health symptoms. The body was designed to live off of whole foods. Save your brain power and health. Quit counting the numbers and start eating as many ONE ingredient foods as possible. When you eat food from the Earth you do not need to be a mathematician in fiber, carbs, fat grams or anything else. The body wants this fuel and can achieve optimal health with high quality foods! I assure you, none of your great grandparents had to count so many numbers just to figure out how to sustain longevity or a healthy weight.

Illogical Thought #5: Overworked, Fatigued, maybe have some Heart Problems & Osteoporosis- Do More Cardio! This is the last, yet one of the most insane thoughts I will address in this blog. I don’t know how I fell for this myself. I absolutely hated cardio when I was younger and decided to just start off weight training. I achieved an absolutely, phenomenally fit body lifting weights, but felt gosh….I really should do more cardio. They say it’s good for me. I better start learning how to run. After forcing myself to start running a little at a time, taking cardio class, using the elliptical, I became pretty darn good at it. I ran 5 half marathons, several 5 and 10k’s and performed 45 minutes on the elliptical for fun now and then. Slowly over the years, my body started to weaken. My muscle mass started to decline. I would feel heavier after the half marathon. I was feeling more fatigued. Then I started meeting with clients who had done lots of cardio for years- many were slightly overweight or underweight, having heart problems, bone loss or chronic joint deterioration. After assessing our ancestors, studying how nature worked and the biology of the human cell, I thought, “What are we absolutely insane?” No one in history added more stress to their body running to nowhere. No one tried to do more and eat less. Cardio does not build the body- it breaks down the body! It’s like saying- Yes, please drive your car an extra 10,000 miles each year, please give it less fuel, less oil changes and never park it in the garage. Keep it in idle in your driveway all night and see how fast you can absolutely destroy your vehicle. Your body is your vehicle in life! Although a moderate amount of cardio can be invigorating and healthy, daily cardio and/or cardio with too little fuel intake- will rarely lead to a hot, valuable body. Sadly, just as your vehicle, it can lead to more break downs, quicker depreciation in the value of your mind and the integrity of your healthy tissue. How and the heck did we end up with a better, more thought out maintenance plan for our cars than we did the human body?

With all this being said- You can still be asking, “But how do I eat more, do less and LOSE body fat?”

This blog is just the precursor to another exciting, yet simplified blog that is going to show you how and why you should be eating more food to achieve the body and health you want! How not to slow your metabolism or create a cycle of lose-gain-lose-gain.

As I am sure most of you have gathered at this point, the main gist of the story is- YOU NEED FUEL TO SURVIVE! You need food to make your metabolism work and the equation of Do More, Eat Less does not equal the kind of weight loss anyone is truly looking for in the end. Do More, Eat Less typically leads to an overstressed, overworked body being set up for thyroid dysfunction, joint injury and a brick wall with healthy fat loss. Whole foods naturally tend to have 1/3rd the calories, chemicals and fat compared to the unhealthy fast foods and so called health products most of us are ingesting . They offer real natural sugars the body is used to, healthy, vitamin rich proteins and critical nutrients required to increase cellular metabolism. Instead of starting another “diet/death” plan- start thinking about changing the way you live as a whole. Realize you do not have to fear the food nature intended for us to thrive on. When you are eating real, whole foods- fill up your plate! If you fill your stomach with real food, you are less likely to binge or fall off track. Your body will be satiated and your way of life will be altered to just naturally live well! Bones, healthy lean muscle can be built and body fat can be incinerated if you have the quality nutrients, rest and exercise program your body desires.

Until we meet again….understand that if you are doing more and eating less, you may be running further and further away from your goal. If you are not sure how to stop the cycle, find a professional that understands this cycle of insanity and allow them to help guide you as to how you can eat more, do less and achieve the tight, fit body you are working towards.