Hello friends! I hope you are enjoying the week. I want to talk tonight about fat loss. We have so many gimmicks and pills and wraps, etc…. that promise to help us fight the bulge. Well, I am going to tell you I tried for years to get rid of fat and not lose muscle and I failed…I would lose weight and gain weight. I hope my journey helps you out.

What I was doing wrong…

Expecting a quick fix. Losing fat does not happen overnight. Any product that tells you can lose fat in a short period of time with no exercise is lying to you. You will lose water, you will lose some muscle, but you will most likely gain weight and more than you lost when you quit your gimmick.

Not eating enough food. Our body needs at least 1200 calories (women) and roughly 1500 for men. If you don’t eat enough, your metabolism will slow down. If you are working out and eating little, you are not helping your body in the long run. I would eat two big meals a day and even though my calories were low, my body was clinging to every calorie.

Eating the wrong foods. I have a fast oxidizing metabolism. I will post more later about the different types of metabolisms. I need to eat more protein. Diets rich in carbs leads to weight gain. I also relied on frozen meals and processed foods.

Doing the same workouts over and over. Our bodies need challenged to change. If we want the same results, we do what we have always done.

Now to the good part…how to LOSE FAT! Not muscle but fat.

1.Cut back or stop eating sugar. I saw the best results from my sugar detox. Belly fat melted away, and I had more energy. Ditch the fake sugars as well, especially diet soda. Get your sugar from natural peanut butter, and fruit.

2.Ditch the processed foods and go for whole foods. This means cooking your own meals, eating loads of fruits and vegetables, skipping the fast food and packaged foods. It does make a difference what types of food are eaten.

3.Eat every four hours and not late at night (few hours before bed). Our blood sugar needs to remain stable to promote fat loss. This is why high fiber diets work well, high protein diets work well, and any meal plan that keeps our blood sugar within normal ranges. Spikes and drops in blood sugar tell our bodies to store fat. The hormone insulin is involved with blood sugar regulation.

4. Drink water. We talked about this a few posts back. Hydration is key to flushing toxins from the body.

5.Resistance train and switch it up.  I was afraid of bulking up, but the opposite occurred. I got smaller (Size 9/10 to size 6-Size large to small). Every 6-8 weeks switch it up. Our bodies grow accustomed to workouts and eventually use less energy.

6. Eat for your metabolism. Most people have a balanced metabolism. I do not. My body thrives on protein and fats (healthy fats of course). If I want fruit or dessert, I eat protein with the meal. A pear and turkey slices, peanut butter and an apple….never eating carbs or sweets without protein. I also eat low glycemic carbs- sweet potatoes, quinoa, etc…

So friends, I lost the most weight and have been able to keep it off without pills, without gimmicks, without starving, without extreme workouts, and without killing myself. I eat ~5 to 6 meals a day. I eat vegetables, fruit, enjoy some of my favorite foods. I workout 4 to 5 days a week for 20-30 minutes. I have less body fat than I have in years. I can also go for weeks without working out and not gain weight.

I hope these tips help you! You can do it! Here’s to a year of fighting the fat!