What is the Secret to Weight Loss?

So, do you want to know the ‘secret’ of losing weight/body fat?  If you answered yes then read on to find out….

 

Many people are on a quest for the holly grail of weight loss, especially this time of year when we have all eaten our own body weight in mince pies and Christmas pudding ice cream (yes, I know it sounds a bit gross, but it’s actually really nice).

 

All of our best intentions not to buy too much food, control portion sizes and miss The Wizard of Oz to go to the gym, can get lost in the festive spirit of things (especially the festive brandy).

 

So, what is the solution to your festive over-indulgences?  What is the latest diet fad that promises to undo all of those mince pies and Christmas pudding ice cream?  WHAT IS THE SECRET???????????

 

Well, here goes, the secret is……. THERE IS NO SECRET!!!!!!!

 

This is not what the multi million pound diet industry want us to know, they want us to believe that their magic potions, pills and shakes ARE the holly grail of weight loss.  We buy into the idea that this is the solution.  But why?  Because it is the ‘easy’ option.  When you buy into a product, you are ultimately handing over responsibility to the product to help you achieve your weight loss goal.  If your meals are pre-calorie counted with all of your vitamins and minerals all thrown in for good measure too, you don’t need to think of anything else, it’s all done for you. All you have to do is have the product at the specified times/intervals and then the magic just happens, right?

 

That is brilliant I hear you cry!  That is exactly what I want, this worked for my friend/cousin/colleague/sister-in-law etc so now I want to do it too.  And the best part of all, it will happen quickly.

 

Now, I am not saying that people won’t lose weight using some of the available methods on the market.  I know people that have used certain products and lost a lot of weight.  Great right?  Well that depends on whether the weight loss is maintained or if as soon as the person started ‘eating normally’ again they put the weight back on (and plus some usually)!  I could go on forever about this subject but will try and keep it short.  When you start using a calorie restricted product, your body goes into a kind of starvation mode which then slows down your metabolism because your body panics and doesn’t know how many calories it will get at the next meal.  People probably will lose weight initially but it is not sustainable for the majority of people.  As soon as you then start to re-introduce a normal eating pattern, your metabolism has already been slowed down and your body will therefore hold more of your calories as fat.  I guess the only way to stop this from happening would be to continue taking the diet product indefinitely.  But the reality is that this is just not sustainable for the long term, both for your physical health and mental wellbeing.

 

So in conclusion, this option might work in the short term, but in the long term you need to find a more effective and long term solution.

 

The reason that there is no secret to weight/fat loss is because the method to achieve it is so painfully simple.  You need to eat less of the bad stuff, more of the good stuff and exercise smart.  Below is a rough idea of the sort of foods to eat less of and more of and some example of the type of exercise you should be doing to complement your healthy diet:-

 

(Before you read below, I just need to point out that this list is not suitable for vegetarians and vegans.  It would be irresponsible of me to suggest a recommended food list for vegetarians and/or vegans as I am not fully able to suggest alternatives to ensure a full compliment of nutrients to replace animal products).

 

Eat less of:

 

* All forms of sugar including honey

* Cereals

* Wheat

* Gluten containing products

* Corn

* All kinds of processed food

* Dairy – especially low fat dairy (if you are going to have any dairy, try to ensure you buy organic)

* Refined carbohydrates including bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits, pastries

* Sweets/candy

* Legumes/pulses

* Potatoes

* Soy products

* Crisps

* Condiments such as ketchup, low fat mayonnaise, brown sauce, salad cream

* Fizzy drinks/soda’s – including diet drinks

* Fruit juices

* Fruit squash/cordial

* Limit caffeine but if you do drink tea/coffee, try and use organic products

 

Eat more of:

 

* Lean animal meat: lamb, lean beef, chicken and turkey (breast is best), beef jerky, venison, duck and any other meat that you may have access to.

* Oily fish

* Eggs  – organic and/or free range-the higher the welfare the better

* Fresh and frozen vegetables (try to go for vegetables that grow above the ground)

Salad

* Good fats such as avocados, seeds and unsalted and un-roasted nuts (but avoid peanuts as these are legumes)

* Fruit – but be careful not to eat too much due to the natural sugar found in fruit

 

Flavourings and cooking:

 

* Olive oil

* Coconut oil

* Fresh and dried herbs

* Garlic

* Citrus fruits such as lemons and limes

* Chilli

* Cinnamon

* Nutmeg

* Cayenne pepper

* Paprika

* Ginger

 

What about treats??

 

* Alcohol – you can have the occasional glass of red wine

* Dark chocolate – but be sure to check the ingredients list as many brands of dark chocolate still contain Soy!

 

Exercise:

 

If you are new to exercise or returning after a break then you can start introducing really simple but effective ways to boost your fitness.  Maybe start by getting off the bus or train a stop early, park the car further away or take the stairs instead of the lift.  As your fitness increases you can then progress on to more challenging forms of exercise to really get the body burning off any excess fat.

 

Once you feel confident you can begin to take part in some form of higher intensity cardio, strength training and flexibility.  The quality of your workout is very important.  When you get to this stage you need to work out smarter, not longer.

 

As a Kettlebell Instructor, I can highly recommend Kettlebell training as this method of exercising will give you the high intensity strength and cardio benefits in one. 

 

There are many other types of exercise classes, personal training and gym’s available and it is important to find something that you enjoy and are likely to continue with.

 

Try not to think of your health and fitness journey into 2014 as a chore and something to hate and dread, think of all the benefits you will gain such as improved health, fitness, body image and confidence. 

 

It is time to get wise to the promise of the ‘secret’ to weight loss, because it doesn’t really exist.  There is no magic wand, no voodoo, no wonder pill or powder, just better food choices and exercise at least 3 times per week.  Now that really doesn’t sound too difficult, does it?!

 

If you would like more information about how the team at m2m fitness can help you then please do not hesitate to contact us either via our website: www.m2mfitness.co.uk or via our email address:  m2mfitness@hotmail.co.uk