And how to effectively implement a lifestyle plan that will successfully support life-long weight loss and weight management and increase longevity!
“Losing weight is so hard to do. Whatever diet I try is so frustrating; after a few days or a couple of weeks, I just give up as it’s nothing but a chore and unpleasant! It’s not a life to be on a diet!” Do you know how many times I’ve heard this type of comment, being a Health Coach and former Professional Athlete who also used to be 60lbs overweight? Too many times to remember! My reply is always the same; weight loss and management are far easier to achieve than you realize.
The problem is, most people have, over time, been fed incorrect information about food, which is now firmly ingrained in their minds! Thus, the “diet choices” are primarily based on inaccurate information and will lead to frustration and, ultimately, failure.
So the burning question you may have right now is; how is weight loss achieved and maintained without having to starve or feel like I’m constantly depriving myself? The answer to this question is straightforward. Go back to nature, and eat natural, unprocessed sugar-free foods! There you go, that’s your answer in a nutshell. But, is it that simple to do, and what does that mean?
Let’s dive deeper and take a closer look.
Why is it straightforward?
If you can commit to making changes to your (likely) multiple years of unhealthy food intake, which requires you to drop all forms of sugars and grains, fast foods, harmful oils, and stick with it, you will succeed in a few weeks. If you can’t commit to these necessary changes, sadly, you won’t.
You might now be thinking, wait a minute, surely I can eat whatever the heck I like as long as I train and work out hard every day because I can burn off those calories with a disciplined training schedule. Not so fast, and guess what? 80% of your weight loss or management success is down to nutrition – quantity (calories) and quality (what you eat). Fitness training, working out, and any other movement plans such as Yoga, Running, Walking, or Thai Boxing will only contribute around 10% to your goals.
Why go back to nature, and how?
I frequently talk about nature’s importance, going into nature (mountains, lakes, forests, parks, etc.), and learning more about the health benefits spending time in nature provides. The majority of the world’s population spends most of its time in overcrowded and polluted cities, living stressful lives, at their workplace or dwelling, on sofas or beds at home, which leads to poor habits that end up increasing body weight.
What does eating natural mean?
Natural means just that, natural. Are bags of chips, cookies, fried foods, canned or processed foods natural by nature? Not really. 90% of these foods contain sugars, harmful ingredients, processed in labs, and made using toxic oils and even chemicals.
To eat “natural”, you need to consume real foods, pure meats, seafood and fish, vegetables and salads, eggs, the magical fruit, the avocado, and herbs and spices. Avoid all processed foods, grains, and sugars at all times! That’s truthfully the bottom line. Many call it the keto, paleo, or pescatarian diet, but I call it eating naturally and avoiding all harmful foods.
How hard is it to adjust to this?
Does this sound hard for you to do? Are you in love with pasta, rice, potatoes, potato chips, sweets, and junk food? If you are, the only way to regain health and manage your weight is to ditch these foods and go natural. The foods mentioned above are starchy “fillers” that fill you up and quickly turn into glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream, which can’t be burnt effectively, and are toxins.
Next, to remove these toxins, insulin is pumped into your bloodstream to remove the excess glucose from the bloodstream. The glucose is transported to your triglycerides, where it’s locked in as unaccessible fat. This process causes continuous weight gain and declining health through internal inflammation, water retention, and a whole array of potential illnesses. And, of course, the more we age, the bigger this problem becomes, to the point it may be irreversible and can lead to, well, the end!
The 10 Most Effective Weight Loss/Management Steps – which I followed in the beginning and still do!
- Read as much as you can about “Keto or Pescatarian” Diets
- Commit to changing your lifestyle and eating habits
- Ditch ALL grains, sugars, and bad oils (highly processed palm, canola, or sunflower oils)
- Eat lots of eggs, bacon (meats), and avocados (the 3 musketeers of keto!)
- After 4 weeks start Intermittent Fasting and eat only twice a day (lunch and dinner) within a 6-hour window
- Walk a lot every day, outside, on a treadmill, or in nature
- Light Bodyweight training twice per week
- Sprint in a pool, up steps, or on a track or beach once a week
- Get plenty of rest and sleep
- Don’t stress, it will work, and keep it up, for life!
Let’s see what science says about this, as I don’t expect you to believe only me!
The Multiple Benefits of a Pescatarian, Keto or Natural Diet:
A diet that puts an emphasis on plant-based foods, fish, and seafood may provide health benefits. Fish, like meat, is a good source of protein. Yet, unlike red meat, it’s low in saturated fat and often rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Studies show that eating less red meat, or none at all, lowers your chances of getting heart disease and high blood pressure. At the same time, two servings of fish a week may help your heart.
The omega-3 acids in fatty fish like salmon and mackerel help lessen plaque that builds up in arteries and lower your odds of getting an irregular heartbeat(arrhythmia). Omega-3s also lower triglyceride levels in your blood, another bonus for heart health. The healthy fats may even have a positive effect on blood pressure.
Healthy Lifestyle Habits.
The five factors included maintaining a healthy eating pattern (getting the daily recommended amounts of vegetables, fruit, nuts, whole grains, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and omega-3 fatty acids and limiting red and processed meats, beverages with added sugar, trans fat, and sodium); not smoking; getting at least 3.5 hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity each week; drinking only moderate amounts of alcohol (one drink or less per day for women or two drinks or less per day for men); and maintaining a normal weight (body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9).
My Take:
I don’t agree with the “consuming of whole grains”, as grains are proven to cause internal inflammation and illness. Therefore I would suggest avoiding all forms of grains as much as possible, for a healthier and longer life.
Why ditch all Grains and Sugars?
Eating grain causes a spike in insulin production, which interferes with hormone production. … This hormone overload creates inflammation in the body and leads to weight gain and carbohydrate cravings. Gluten. Gluten is water-soluble protein that is found in grains such as barley, rye and wheat.
Prior to the Agricultural Revolution, humans did not consume grain on a regular basis. Interestingly enough, research shows that human brain function was at its peak just prior to the onset of the revolution. A steady decline in human strength has been observed since this time. www.thealternativedaily.com
Please read the full story from The Alternative Daily and you will be shocked about what grains can do to us!
Now the Sugar Bomb!
- Lack of nutritional value
- Weight gain
- Diabetes
- Tooth cavities
- Heart disease
My Comment:
Now, if those reasons aren’t enough to quit sugar, there are far more reasons to do so. One of my favorites is that sugar is, in fact, more addictive than both heroin and cocaine! And that’s a fact. When consuming sugar, your whole brain is lit up and gets a sugar rush, leading you to want more and more! With cocaine and heroin, only certain parts of your brain are lit up, leading to wanting more but still far less addictive than sugar. Sugar addicts want sugar every day!
Just look at our dear children when they were/are young; we often silence their complaining and crying with a sugar treat, which then sends them off running around the room in a sugar frenzy until it’s gone and they want more! Know what I mean?
Why Avocados – Eggs – Organic Bacon is Healthy!
Avocados aren’t vegetables but fruits! What makes the avocado one of my favorite fruits is their fat content. In comparison, most other fruits have a high carbohydrate content due to fructose (fruit sugar). Avocados have a very low glycemic index (GI) but are rich in healthy fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. As you may know, certain vitamins are fat-soluble.
Michaelkummer.com Eggs used to get a bad rep because of their cholesterol, which was thought to increase blood cholesterol levels. Today we know, that there is no scientific evidence to suggest that dietary cholesterol is associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD).
My Take:
Eggs don’t cause high-cholesterol – Fact! That eggs cause high cholesterol is a myth that’s sadly repeatedly been claimed by doctors and health organizations, over time. It’s far from the truth – eggs are a superfood!
Cholesterol Profile and do NOT Raise Your Risk of Heart Disease!
Healthline.com
Please read this article by Healthline to get the full “scientific picture and evidence”.
What causes heart disease, heart attack, and strokes are sugar and carbohydrates. These two culprits clog up the arteries with plaque, which causes our vital transport hormone “cholesterol” to potentially get stuck as they cannot pass through the blood, and thus our bloodstream gets blocked. This is particularly the case for small dense cholesterol, which isn’t flexible. Then you have the large fluffy cholesterol, which can slip through.
Your diet determines your cholesterol values and levels, HDL is the good “cleaning cholesterol”, LDL is the bad, harmful one. You are able to manipulate your cholesterol values within weeks of a healthy diet and lifestyle by following these principles!
The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting.
Studies show that intermittent fasting can: Stabilize blood sugar levels, increase resistance to stress, and suppress inflammation. Decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improve resting heart rate. Improve brain health and memory.
My Take:
Besides these vital benefits, Intermittent Fasting greatly supports weight loss/management due to the consumption of two instead of three or more meals a day. This means that your caloric intake is that much less, and your caloric burn should be more than your input. Being caloric deficient is the golden key to weight loss!
Walking – The Miracle Movement – and how Walking saved my Life!
Walking is probably the most undervalued form of exercise that exists. It’s free, it’s easy to everywhere and at any time. Plus, you can walk in any clothing indoors or outdoors. Decent fast-paced walking raises your heart to a healthy aerobic level between 90 to 120 BPM, which is the ideal calorie and fat-burning zone. Walking is terrific for your legs, spine, posture and frees up your mind.
Here a few scientifically proven facts about walking:
- Walking can lower the risk of cancer. www.cancer.org
- Longer life. In a review of studies published in 2014 in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, researchers found that walking for roughly 3 hours a week was associated with an 11 percent reduced risk of premature death compared with those who did little or no activity.
- Stimulates all of your organs to work more efficiently.
- Have a headache? Walking in the fresh air will help get rid of it.
- Depression is one of the hardest illnesses to overcome. I suffered from depression for several years, at first, not realizing what it was, but once I did, walking and meditation are what helped me the most.
Please find the full details and facts about walking in my article 15 Thousand Steps a Day keeps the Doctor Away.
Your Body is your Gym – for 6 Years I’ve only used my Body as My Gym!
That’s it in a nutshell, your Body is your Gym! No gym is needed to workout, folks! You can do all the strength training required using your body weight, which you can perform anywhere at any time, without having to waste time traveling back and forth to gyms, and can avoid the (mostly) smelly and unhygienic situation in most gyms, especially during these crazy times! Get outside into nature, work out there, and be healthy and happy! Here are the best bodyweight movements:
- Push-ups
- Pull-ups
- Planks
- Squats
- Lunges
- Leg-raises
- Headstand
- Handstand
You can find the full workout plan in the article Your Body is Your Gym.
Sprinting to Weight Loss – it’s Fun and Easy to do!
Sprinting isn’t only for high-performance young athletes. Anyone can sprint; it’s only—a matter of how fast and getting used to the sprint training methods. Sprinting once a week dramatically supports fat burning. Sprinting activates the fast-twitch muscles, which break down the muscles faster and harder, leading to the rebuilding of more robust and leaner muscles. This process also burns fat intensively throughout the day after your sprinting session.
What’s truly remarkable about a sprint workout is that while the sprinting itself is all-consuming and extremely tiring as you’re doing it, this feeling doesn’t linger. You’re not going to feel beat up after some good sprint training.
Please read Mr. Mark Sissons blog about sprinting and everything else health, keto and fitness related! He is the master, and was my master and how I learned all of this.
Rest and Sleep – My Experience.
Resting and sleeping enough are both vital components to living a healthy life fact. Many people neglect their sleep and push on with far too little sleep. I’ve been guilty of this, too, in the past. Stress and being overworked often lead to a lack of sleep. It’s essential to work on your sleep and rest pattern, which in turn support weight-loss.
Sleep plays an important role in your physical health. For example, sleep is involved in the healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.
Stressing about Weight Loss, Don’t Stress, “Just Do It” as Nike says!
Don’t stress. If you follow these natural principles, you will succeed with your weight loss goals. Lower your stress levels by following a healthy and balanced exercise routine and practice mindful meditation, I lost all my excess weight in 8 weeks flat, six years ago, and have never looked back!
By lowering the stress response, mindfulness may have downstream effects throughout the body. Psychological scientists have found that mindfulness influences two different stress pathways in the brain, changing brain structures and activity in regions associated with attention and emotion regulation.
In a Nutshell.
The 10 most effective tips for weight loss and living a healthy lifestyle are simple and easy to follow. All you require is a plan (which I’ve laid out for you here), commitment, and then the necessary follow-through, and a little discipline.
It’s not a walk in the park, it does require a sizeable shift in your mindset, but once you get over that first hurdle and get three weeks in, you are on your best way to succeeding and reaching your weight loss goals, and living a far healthier life.
I hope you enjoyed the article, and please feel free to comment or send me any questions you may have.
Rob Hourmont
