The first place to start with an eating plan is to simply cut out the booze, wheat, processed food, refined sugar, caffeine and to a certain degree dairy (cows milk).
In doing so you’ll help restore balance to your hormones and help your body burn excess fat.
Combine this with exercise and the result SHOULD be fat loss…happy days!
However, if fat loss doesn’t occur or it slow down then you need to assess whether or not you have your other lifestyle factors dialled in.
– To what degree are you eating ‘clean’? 80 percent, more?
– Are you getting 8+ hours of quality sleep per night in a pitch black room?
– Are you stressed out at work/home?
– Are you on any medication that might be affecting your progress?
– Are you exercising? What type of exercise are you doing?
Answer the questions honestly and try to fix any issues that have arisen.
If you are well and truly on the ball, but the scales AND inches aren’t budging then you have a few different options…
1. Cut calories – cut out snacks to start with and if the results are still slow look at your portion sizes.
2. Carb cycling – low carb works for many people, but it is often psychologically difficult to follow. This is where carb cycling comes into play. Go low carb for a couple of days and then step back up to regular intake of carbs. Different versions include: Alternate high and low days, low/mod/high day cycling, several days low and then one high and carb night (6 days low and one day high).
3. Intermittent fasting – simple, but effective for those who are relatively stress free and a good diet to begin with. Fast for 18-24 hours and then carry on as normal is the usual protocol.
4. Supplementation – You should have been checking your inch loss over several weeks and noted any particular stubborn areas. There are a number of supplements that can help with hormonal imbalances that may cause stubborn fatty areas. (See my recommended supplements.)
If after experimenting with the above methods and you find none of them work for you it’s time to book an appointment with a Functional Medicine Doctor. These guys can then run some tests to see what is going on behind the scenes. e.g. testosterone, estrogen, thyroid, cortisol, blood sugar, insulin, growth hormone, etc. Once the test results are in your doctor will be able to give you a clearer picture of what needs to be done to get the ball rolling again.
This article is only designed to give you an insight, so if you have any questions just fire away…