3 Reasons You Cannot Lose Body Fat & How To Fix It
I am going to get right to it……each one of my coaching clients, and people I talk to want to change, improve, address their fitness, body weight or body composition. What the goal is will vary from person to person (as it should), but the reasons for many not being able to achieve it is consistent. It comes down to these three in most cases, yet often they are overlooked.
Many people will be training 3 – 5 times a week and have cut down or cut out alcohol which has been the low hanging fruit for such a long time. So, what are the THREE key things to address today if you really want to make change?
1. Stress:
As a society, many of us are in a constant state of stress, which our bodies were not designed to handle. It could be financial stress, work stress, family stress or even physical stress (intense or long duration training).
The impact of this is a constant state of elevated cortisol which results in increased cravings for unhealthy foods and sugar. It encourages the body to store body fat, especially around the midline.
FIX:
1) Move every day: Walking, Training, Generally being more active (listening to your body). Get out into nature is the absolute gold standard.
2) Meditation: 5 – 20 minutes every day. Finding what style of meditation is right for you is also key. Guided, Transcendental, Breath/Visualization.
3) Address the things causing you stress: Sounds obvious right? However, so many will pull on the lever to help them manage the feelings or symptoms of stress, but never actually address the cause.
2. Sleep:
When we talk about things that people sacrifice for family, work, or entertainment….it’s almost always sleep. Many sleeping for just 5 – 6 hours a night, every night. Our bodies need (on average) 7 – 9 hours of quality sleep a night to Rest, Recover & Repair. Of this, 7 – 9 hours, we should be aiming for 13% – 23% of deep sleep.
When we experience extended periods of poor sleep you may notice food cravings via the hunger hormones: Ghrelin and Leptin. Wanting bad foods. You may experience tiredness which often results in a lack of exercise/movement
FIX:
1) Try introducing a small amount of clean carbs at night to help with melatonin production. E.g. Sweet potato, organic oats, roast pumpkin or a small amount of brown rice.
2) Magnesium Glycinate: This is my preferred magnesium of a nighttime. Also aids my training the next morning.
3. Nutrition:
This is quite simple. Often bad food choices will creep into a persons average week through either lack of awareness on frequency, or low will power. Common ‘creepers’ are;
- Flat white coffee
- Alcohol
- Breads, rice, pasta in high volume
- Sugary treats
These items in low volume and isolation are not dangerous, however, they often find their way into an average week more than realized without making an effort to track. These food choices, over time, can lead to body fat increase, inflammation and more broadly…..poor health.
FIX:
1) 7 day food diary: Look for areas of opportunity. I have each of my coaching clients complete a 7 day food diary. This is not counting calories or weighing food. It is simply identifying what is eaten, when and at what time. It provides a clear snapshot of the week and highlights the volumes of the ‘foods’ noted above. Items that can then be addressed, reduced, or eliminated.
If your goal is to lose body fat, change your body composition, increase energy and focus, then I encourage you to address these three key areas.
