3 Simple Step to Science-Based Weight Loss

Here we go again. Another article on losing weight. Just how many of them can be written is mind boggling. I mean let’s face it, there are many ways to lose a lot of weight fast. People are selling their methods and diets in books, podcasts, lecture programs, medical clinics, the list is like a high school geometry class, endless.

Do they work? Many do. But only short term. Statistically, 80% of those who diet will gain the weight back within a five-year period. Alarmingly, after five years you will be heavier.

Why does that happen? It’s actually science, not will power. For most, you will buy into the calories in Vs calories out approach, cut down too many calories and become hungry and unsatisfied. Your diet will turn your body into a fat storing machine, hormonally unable to cope with the program for very long. You will cut your favorite foods and your cravings will dominate your thoughts.

Sound familiar? The trick is to not let it happen of course. But the problem is your current diet and how it has formed your habits and shaped your body. Your habits are hard to break. Your food choices can make change difficult. So, you have to first begin with a single metamorphic understanding; ready for it? The body you have is the result of the lifestyle you have followed. If you want a different body, you need new eating habits and a new lifestyle.

This blog will outline a new plan for you. One which will eventually reduce cravings, reduce the appetite and help you to lose weight efficiently, and from the fat stores rather than water. At the same time, I will show you how to increase your metabolic health, burn more calories (even as you sleep) and decrease your risk of disease by over 40%. It’s a three-step plan. Follow it, embrace it, don’t lose sight of your objectives and goals. Are you ready?

Step 1

First, and the most important part, you must cut back (if not eliminate) excessive sugars and starches. Here’s why. Sugar is an immediate form of energy, used by every cell in the body. However, two issues occur when you eat too much sugar. First, blood sugars rise and in response your pancreas secretes insulin in order to attempt to bring those blood sugar levels under control. When the sugars go down due to the insulin release, they usually go down lower than normal which triggers (among other things) more hunger. Over time however, your body gets sensitized to insulin and needs more to lower the blood sugars. Eventually, it needs more than you can produce and now you are one step closer to becoming a diabetic. Actually, by this time you are a diabetic, best not to arrive at this destination.

Step 2

Processed carbs have become so processed they act like sugar in the body. Thus, reducing the sugar and processed carbs in your life will have many positive effects, the least of which is lowering your hunger levels.

Now instead of burning carbs for energy, your body starts feeding off of stored fat. Essentially, if you keep feeding your body sugar it never needs to burn fat as a fuel. Eliminate the sugar and you force the body to burn fat. Yes, it is that simple.

A second benefit to that is the elimination of excess sodium, which typically runs higher in processed foods. Processed foods contribute as much as 75 percent of your sodium intake in the typical American diet. And while sodium is a necessary mineral, too much of it is bad. You find sodium in table salt and manufacturers use it in processed foods such as breads, crackers, sauces, salad dressings and canned vegetables to add flavor and act as a preservative to extend shelf life.

Increased sodium increases your blood pressure and elevates your risk of stroke and heart disease.

Another benefit of eliminating processed foods from your diet may be a lower risk of cancer, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Processed foods also include sweeteners such as aspartame, sucrose and high fructose corn syrup to make the products more palatable. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that can cause cancer in humans. Research in 2007 discovered that increased consumption of aspartame in rats increases malignant tumor development, including doses close to the daily intake of humans. The risks for malignant tumors are elevated when exposure to aspartame starts during the fetal stage.

Eating processed foods with sucrose and high fructose corn syrup also increases your risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Research by scientists at Princeton University and published in "Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior" in November 2010 discovered that rats fed either sucrose or high fructose corn syrup in the same number of calories gain weight. However, the results demonstrate that rats fed high fructose corn syrup gain significantly more weight accompanied by an increase in abdominal fat. The scientists conclude that consumption of high fructose corn syrup contributes to obesity in humans. Obesity is a significant risk factor in development of type 2 diabetes.

Of course, a lower carb diet will also lower insulin levels and allow your body healing time by lowering cellular low-grade inflammation and insulin sensitivity.

Cutting out carbs also means that other foods such as fats and proteins will need to increase to close the gap of lost calories. Research shows that people who do this snack less, can control their hunger better and generally eat fewer calories.

Obviously, cutting carbs leaves more room for protein, fats and lots of vegetables. This is the second factor that helps you to lose weight quickly and efficiently.

Generally speaking each meal should have a protein source, such as a fist sized serving of wild caught fish (grass fed beef, free range chicken, eggs etc., are great too), a fat source (organic grass-fed butter, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil), perhaps an avocado, and a vegetable source (all vegetables). The vegetable helping should be at least half of your plate.

Increasing your protein and lowering your carb intake has been shown to boost your metabolism by at least 80-100 calories and reduce your daily caloric needs by as much as 450 calories a day. But a lack of protein in your diet (and a lack of calories) has the opposite effect. Too little protein forces the body to use its own muscle to fund its energy reserves and the end product is a slower metabolism. Your metabolism determines how many calories you burn by the way. That means that an active person of the same height and weight sitting next to an inactive person will burn more calories.

Step 3

The third factor in fast weight loss is exercise. But not any exercise, resistance training. Obviously exercise burns calories, but that’s not close to describing the benefits of exercise. Because energy expenditure in exercise has to be paid back into the reserves, and because repair and healing has to occur, your metabolism can remain elevated for many hours after exercise.

Studies find that exercise on a low carb diet can preserve muscle and burn significant fat reserves too. If lifting weight is not an option for you due to an injury, try whole body vibration training. This equipment allows for effective exercise and resistance statically as well as dynamically and is especially good for the joints. That’s why we offer whole body vibration training at Revibe Fitness and Wellness.

Ready for a great workout? Make an appointment today at Revibe; we’ve got your pulse.