Fat Loss/ Weight Loss.
Purpose: Long Term Fat Loss.
Yes, it is Possible!
First off, saying weight loss is about burning more calories than you eat is like saying a football match is won by the team that scores the most goals.Both are true, but metabolism and the way you play are equally as important.
In simple terms, the weight you ideally want to lose is the excess fat around the middle or the “belly fat.” And, at the same time you want to maintain your lean tissue or muscle mass, because this helps you stay strong and metabolically healthy.
You get “fat” in 2 ways:
Increasing the size of your fat cells (they can expand x 20)
Increasing the actual number of fat cells (hyperplasia).
For most people, fat cell expansion (1) is the predominant mechanism for obesity.
The good news for people who don’t like exercise is, it doesn’t appear to be that important – most of the studies suggest you can’t run (exercise) your way out of a bad diet, because the body simply adapts and becomes more efficient at using fuel.
The purpose of fats cells are to store energy, for use during a famine, that’s basically their job. But, we are no longer exposed to famines, so unfortunately they have rather lost their role in life and just continue to aimlessly expand without getting a chance to empty out.
Look at it this way, you wouldn’t put more fuel into an already full petrol tank, especially if you didn’t plan to make any long journeys, so why attempt to stuff more energy into the fat cells when you are not going to use it.
Indeed, it’s a rather futile exercise and creates a fair few problems for the overcrowded fat cells, which start to send out distress signals to the immune system and so begins the chronic inflammation of the metabolic diseases (diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, dementia and many cancers).
The solution then is obvious:
If you have too much fuel in the body, then you need to get rid of it.
There are really only two steps needed to get rid of this excess fuel.
1. Don’t put any more in.
And
2. Burn it off and use your own “bellyfat” fuel reserves.
That’s it. That’s all you need to do.
Step 1 – Don’t put fuel in.
The first step is to eliminate most of the sugar and refined carbs/starches from your diet.
i.e. Reduce the Carbs!
Remember – any Carbs in the diet are broken down in the body to form sugar (glucose) – FUEL.
Carbs also cause the pancreas to release insulin which stops you using fat for energy.
Therefore, the best strategy to adopt, at least in the initial stages, is to eat very little or no refined carbs, a moderate amount of protein and focus on eating lots of vegetables and natural healthy fats which your body can use as an alternative energy source.
Dietary fat and cholesterol have had a bad press over the years, thought to be the cause of heart disease and obesity. The evidence is now pointing towards highly processed carbs and trans fats in processed foods as the main culprits, so don’t be afraid to increase the natural fats in your diet.
Natural fats, found in avocado, nuts and olive oil are known to have healthy beneficial effects on both heart disease and diabetes.
If you stick to eating whole, natural, unprocessed foods you are on the right track.
A Low Carb Diet Can Help
How?
Ans: By putting less sugar (fuel) in your body and allowing you to burn fat for energy
A low-carb diet restricts carbohydrates, such as those found in sugary foods, pasta, cereals and bread. It is higher in, protein, fat and healthy vegetables.
A Low Carb Diet Meal Plan.
What foods you should eat depends on a few things, including how healthy you are, how much you exercise and how much weight/fat you have to lose.
These are general guidelines, everyone has different metabolisms and different needs.
The key is to find out what works for you.
The Basics.
Eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, low sugar fruit, nuts, seeds, high-fat dairy, healthy oils (e.g. Olive oil, coconut oil).
Don’t Eat: Sugar, wheat, trans fats, low-fat products and highly processed foods. (See diagram)
Foods to Avoid.
• Sugar: Soft drinks, fruit juices, sweets/candy, ice cream and many others.
• Gluten Grains: Wheat, barley and rye. Includes breads and pastas.
• Trans Fats: “Hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils.
• High Omega-6 and Vegetable Oils: e.g. sunflower,corn and canola oils.
• Artificial Sweeteners: Aspartame, Saccharin, consider Stevia instead.
• “Diet” and “Low-Fat” Products: Many dairy products, cereals, crackers, etc.
• Highly Processed Foods – don’t eat it.
Read ingredients lists, to see how many carbs are in the food.
Low Carb Food List – Foods to Eat.
You should base your diet on real, unprocessed, low carb foods.
• Meat: Beef, lamb, pork, chicken and others.
• Fish: Salmon, trout, haddock and many others. Wild-caught fish is best.
• Eggs: Omega-3 enriched or free range eggs are best.
• Vegetables: Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage etc.
• Fruits: Apples, oranges, blueberries, strawberries.
• Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
• High-Fat Dairy: Cheese, butter, double cream, yogurt.
• Fats and Oils: Coconut oil, butter, olive oil and cod liver oil.
If you’re healthy, active and don’t need to lose weight then you can eat more carbs, though I suspect you won’t have much belly fat either.
If you are overweight especially around the belly, then reducing carbs is the first thing you should try.
Occasionally Eat.
• Root Veg: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips.
• Non-gluten grains: Rice, oats, quinoa and many others.
• Legumes: Lentils, black beans, peas, peanuts.
• Dark Chocolate: with 70% cocoa or higher.
Dark chocolate is high in antioxidants and may provide health benefits if you eat it in moderation.
Drink.
• Coffee – preferably black.
• Tea – black, green, herbal.
• Water, inc sparkling water.
A Sample Low-Carb Menu For One Week.
This is a sample menu for one week on a low carb diet plan.
It provides less than 50 grams of total carbs per day, you should start to get more of your energy from fat and then your body will shift to burning more belly fat.
Monday
• Breakfast: Full fat yogurt with blueberries and a handful of almonds.
• Lunch: Omelette with various vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.
• Dinner: Chicken served with vegetables and salsa sauce.
Tuesday
• Breakfast: Bacon and eggs.
• Lunch: Tuna salad with olive oil balsamic vinegar dressing
• Dinner: Salmon with butter and vegetables.
Wednesday
• Breakfast: Full fat yoghurt
• Lunch: Prawn salad with some olive oil.
• Dinner: Grilled chicken with vegetables sautéed in butter.
Thursday
• Breakfast: Omelette with various vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.
• Lunch: Avocado with nuts.
• Dinner: Steak and veg
Friday
• Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs.
• Lunch: Chicken salad with some olive oil.
• Dinner: Pork chops with vegetables.
Saturday
• Breakfast: Omelette with various veggies.
• Lunch: Full fat yoghurt and a handful of walnuts.
• Dinner: Meatballs with vegetables.
Sunday
• Breakfast: Full fat yoghurt or cottage cheese.
• Lunch: Boiled eggs
• Dinner: Roast Dinner with veg no potatoes..
As you can see this diet involves eating plenty of vegetables and little fruit to start with to avoid too much fructose (the sugar in fruit).
Some Healthy, Low-Carb Snacks.
There is no health reason to eat more than 3 meals per day or snack, but if you get hungry between meals then here are some healthy, low-carb snacks that can fill you up:
• An Apple
• Full-fat Yogurt
• A Hard-Boiled Egg
• Raw Carrots
• A Handful of Nuts
• Some Cheese and Meat (not processed).
A Simple Low-Carb Shopping List.
Try to choose the least processed option that still fits into your price range.
• Meat (Beef, lamb, pork, chicken, bacon)
• Fish (Oily fish like sardines, salmon and mackerel is best)
• Eggs
• Butter
• Coconut Oil
• Lard
• Olive Oil
• Cheese inc cottage cheese.
• Double Cream
• Sour Cream
• Yogurt (full-fat, unsweetened)
• Blueberries
• Nuts
• Olives
• Fresh vegetables: greens, peppers, onions, etc.
• Frozen vegetables: broccoli, carrots, various mixes.
Try to clear out all the high carb foods from the house to reduce temptation – ice cream, biscuits, cakes, chocolate bars, cereal bars, fizzy drinks, juices, breads, breakfast cereals (inc weetabix, bran flakes) you should get enough fibre from the veg and nuts.
Step 2 – Burn it off.
The usual advice given has been to “Eat Less and Move More” – or put another way –
Diet and Exercise.
A low carb diet should help you achieve the first objective.
There is however a third way, which in my opinion is the easiest and fastest way to get your body to burn fat for energy and ditch the belly fat and shrink your fat cells
And that is:
Therapeutic or Intermittent Fasting.
Warning: I certainly wouldn’t recommend it for children or pregnant women or type 1 diabetics or those underweight or on medications that increase blood insulin or indeed Warfarin, (at least not without medical guidance).
How does it work?
Ans: By burning off the excess fuel stored in the belly fat,
Your body needs energy all day long, when you are fasting (e.g. when sleeping) it is forced to use the energy stored in your fat cells (belly fat). As soon as you start eating again – especially carbohydrates – insulin is released and you switch from using the bellyfat for fuel, to the sugar in the food, and any leftovers get stored as fat.
In other words, you become a sugar burner rather than a fat burner, so you no longer lose bellyfat.
Remember:
Fasting = Burning – Low Insulin and Sugar. GOOD for Fat loss
Eating Carbs = Storing – High Insulin and Sugar. BAD for Fat loss.
By extending the fasting period you can burn off the stored sugar/fat.
This is simply the reverse of how you get fat in the first place!
The easiest way to extend the fast and prolong the burning period is to delay breakfast. Though some studies suggest a more effective way would be to skip dinner instead of breakfast, but for most of us that isn’t practical or desirable.
NB. If you are taking prescription medications, you should seek medical advice first.
The bottom line is this:
When you don’t eat, you are burning not storing and sugars will come down, along with levels of insulin. GOOD.
When you don’t eat, you will lose weight, esp the belly fat weight. GOOD.
1 At the start don’t have any fruit or anything white or brown! (Rice, potatoes, pasta or bread, no bread whatsoever, even gluten free bread!
2. Add lots of good fat. Make sauces with cream. Roast vegetables in olive oil. Add butter!
Fat does not increase your insulin levels and that is what this whole process is about.
Lowering insulin – your storage hormone – To enable you to burn the belly fat stores.
3. Try Fasting to accelerate the process.
Top Tips!
Utilise resources online:
www.dietdoctor.com – good resource for low carb and intermittent fasting.
www.delish.com – loads of low carb recipes.
Dr Jason Fung YouTube video on therapeutic fasting (36mins) good introductory video.
Try low carb alternatives e.g. Cauliflower Rice, Courgetti (courgette spaghetti) etc
Drink more fluids – water, herbal teas, green tea.
Remember to replace the carbs with healthy fats – e.g. Try adding butter and coconut oil to coffee. (whisking is required).
Don’t be too hard on yourself – no such thing as the perfect diet – besides nobody is perfect!