fat loss: it’s not as straightforward as you wish it was!

You’ve no doubt already figured out that fat burning and taking back control of your body is just not as simple as ‘eat less and exercise more’.

While it’s true that this model worked in the past, and it can still work in some individuals, unfortunately it is no longer the norm. And if you’re reading this then the chances are it hasn’t quite worked for you. Truthfully, the only instance in which I’ve seen the ‘old’ methods to be very effective for women who want to lose weight is when they have relatively low stress, get adequate rest, and have never really embarked on a diet or exercise regime before.

I know – who is that woman, right?

6 steps to fat loss success – for life

This is the approach I used to transform my body in my mid-twenties (and to ‘re-transform it’ post pregnancy!) and it’s the foundation of what I use with my Biosignature fat loss clients.

I’m going to give you just a quick overview of each step, and then over the coming chapters we will look at them all in a little more detail.*

Most importantly, in those chapters I’ll be highlighting the top action steps you can take in each area to transform your body and regain control.

1. nutrition and fat loss

In a nutshell, women need to eat more protein and fat and generally cut way back on starchy carbohydrates. The food pyramid (now known as the food plate) has it COMPLETELY backwards. I have no qualms in saying this, and will explain myself as we continue.

We need to let go of the fear around calories and quantities, and focus on quality. If you were to eat only foods that are ‘green in colour, and either swam in the ocean, lived in a field, or flew through the air’ you’d be on the right track.

Of course we can certainly make it a little more interesting than that, and that’s exactly what we’ll do in the upcoming chapter on nutrition and fat loss.

2. training and exercise

Here’s the lowdown: cardio in its traditional state, and group fitness, is NOT the foundation of a successful fat loss program. As a matter of fact, in my own and my clients fat loss training, there is often barely a skerrick of old-school cardio exercise.

If you want to get serious about burning fat both in and out of the gym (and if, as a bonus, you’d prefer NOT to have to spend hours and hours on your training), then it’s time to start lifting weights and looking at new ways to get the sweat flying and your heart pumping.

If you’re not so sure about this idea then just take a look around – many women who focus on the old methods cardio, group fitness, and (to be frank) ‘girly’ weight training simply find it increasingly tougher to be in shape.

This is not how your body is designed to work – it’s not supposed to be that hard.

And it doesn’t have to be. Stay tuned for more on this in the ‘training and exercise’ chapter.

3. lifestyle

Did you know that an accumulated lack of sleep can increase your resistance to the hormone insulin, thus encouraging your body to be more effective at holding onto body fat? This will affect your entire physique, but in particular it will cause you to store fat around the love handles and the shoulder blade region.

How about this one – being under low or mid-level stress day in and day out over a period of time increases the accumulation of cortisol in your body. Cortisol is a stress hormone, and one of the things it does is increase fat storage around your belly button.

These are just two of the simple but very real ways in which your lifestyle can effectively ‘undo’ all the hard work you put in at the gym and in the kitchen.

But don’t worry – we’re going to talk about some very real strategies you can use to combat this; strategies that don’t require you having to escape to the hills … at least not too often 🙂

4. supplements for fat loss

The truth about supplements is that in a perfect world, you definitely shouldn’t need them. After all, we should be able to get all of our nutrients from food, right? Going back a few years within my own practice, I certainly didn’t advocate my clients take supplements. I was proud to not be ‘selling’ to my clients, and taught that as long as you eat right, you’ll be fine.

The thing I forgot to take into consideration, is that it’s not a perfect world.

If you lived 200 years ago where, corny as it sounds, the ‘air was sweet and the food clean from toxins’, if you had relatively low stress in your life and a nice balance of work, rest and play, then sure – why would you need supplements?

These days your body not only rapidly depletes nutrients through everyday activity and stress, but the quality of good we typically eat (yes, even when organic) means we just can’t replace those essential vitamins, minerals, fats, enzymes and adaptogens quickly enough to ensure we look and feel our very best.

In order to counter massive stress and toxicity, and most definitely in order to burn fat, we need a massive amount of nutrition!

5. why you plateau

It’s very simple: when you plateau, it’s due to one or more ‘blocking factors’. A blocking factor is a reason why you may not be achieving your fat loss goals despite doing everything – or at least most things – right.

This could include food intolerance or sensitivity, hormonal imbalance such as an underactive thyroid or adrenal burnout, extreme toxicity limiting your ability to burn fat, and a whole lot more.

If you feel that you’ve really been putting the effort in, or that everybody else just seems to have it so much easier despite not really trying, then you’re definitely going to want to read this chapter!

6. fat loss and your mind

Within a few months of dating my now husband, I realised something which was (and still is) quite fascinating to me.

Enzo, while eating mostly healthy whole meals at set mealtimes, also indulges daily – sometimes even more often – in junk food. I’m talking real junk food. Pancakes for breakfast. Scores of toast and jam after his eggs. KFC after training for heavens sake! And most definitely at least a couple of mini chocolate bars each evening after dinner.

Now granted, he doesn’t drink soft drinks or even much alcohol and he does hit the gym with impressive regularity. But you know what else he has? An infallible belief that he looks hot, is shredded, and will always remain so. There’s no other word for it, he is arrogant about his belief that he will always look great. The annoying part is that he’s right.

That photo is him a couple years back after 2 weeks of holiday eating absolute rubbish in China, age 36.

The concept of thoughts dictating reality is one we definitely need to explore – fat loss is not just about math. If only it were that simple, right? When you learn to harness the true power of your mind and rid yourself of old beliefs you can enable almost effortless results. Truly.

So. There you have it – your 6 steps to fat loss success. Hopefully I have you feeling excited, inspired, hopeful, and eager to learn more. Now it’s time to learn how to make these 6 steps work for you, for life!

The rest of this manifesto is made up of a chapter on each of the 6 steps, followed by a summary and action plan at the end.

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