Before you make fun of someone's diet...Read this.

A little all over the place, but I wanted to talk about the large movement of people bashing on diets especially in relation to fat loss.

Time Stamps:

0:48 – Counting calories is sustainable eating approach in the long run if you’re willing to put the work in.

1:14 – Lifestyle habits should be the long-term goal.

1:23 – “Healthy Foods” make the decision process easier at the start of your diet

1:52 – If you’re having trouble with hyper palatable foods, then sticking to a range of whole foods can be helpful.

2:10 – The problem with dieting is that some people don’t know when to stop dieting.

2:46 – Dieting isn’t magical in the foods that you eat, but in the motivation you find from starting something.

3 Ways to Improve Metabolic Flexibility and Fat Loss

Lately the term “Metabolic Flexibility” has been thrown around a lot lately.  To keep things simple, “metabolic flexibility" refers to the body’s ability to efficiently switch from one fuel source to another. To me, metabolic flexibility simply means the body’s ability to burn fat when the appropriate conditions are made. To kick things off, I’ll immediately say that the ketogenic diet is one of the more straightforward ways to improve metabolic flexibility because of its ability provide the body with the machinery needed to utilize fat more efficiently.

A study from the American Physiological society defines “Metabolic Inflexibility” as “The inability to modify fuel oxidation in response to changes in nutrient availability”. The study also states that metabolic inflexibility “has been implicated in the accumulation of intramyocellular lipid and insulin resistance”. 

While I’m not fully committed to a full ketogenic or fasted lifestyle, I still use some of the principles in my everyday diet. This allows me to take advantage of some of the benefits of going keto and fasted while enabling myself to enjoy the occasional high carb meal throughout the week. #commitmentissues

Here are some of the ways I utilize IF and Keto principles in my everyday routine…

1.     Exercise-Induced Insulin Sensitivity. Of course, I had to put exercise as the first step to increasing metabolic flexibility. Taking part in high-intensity workouts like sprints, metcons and lifting weights can increase insulin sensitivity as it’s the easiest way to utilize and lower circulating blood sugar in the short and long term.

2.     Modified Protein Sparring Fast. This is essentially meant to bring your calories as low as possible while continuing to keep protein intake high in order to limit the amount of muscle breakdown and nutrient deficiencies. This can also be seen as a “low carb” diet as well, except the focus is on keeping calories low rather than focusing on carb intake alone.

3.     Fasted training. Whether it’s a heavy meal from the night before or a calorically dense meal that goes over your normal intake, the easiest way to reset is by training fasted. I was recently listening to a Robb Wolf podcast where he mentioned something so simple and direct that I had to repost it on Instagram. This isn’t a direct quote but he mentioned that far too often, we complicate fat loss. He mentions that a little fasted training, with some coffee, and a post-workout sauna session (which increases circulation triggers heat shock proteins) can go a long way.

The common theme here is keeping insulin low by eliminating high sugar foods, exercise and including a variety of healthy fats and fiber which will adapt the body to efficiently utilize fat as a fuel source when appropriate. For these reasons, a keto style diet may be something to consider if metabolic flexibility is your goal and if not, include the 3 tips mentioned above into your everyday routine to keep insulin low and increase the body’s ability to utilize fat as a substrate for energy production.

An Intro Into Fat Loss. It's not what you think...

On paper, losing weight is easy. To be quite honest, there’s enough literature that can be found in books and the Internet that can show you how to lose weight. There’s no secret to it.

The reason why it seems like there’s a new revolutionary diet that comes out every year is that people have learned to re-package and market diets that have existed for years and found ways to make it seem new again.

I’ve been around clients that haven’t reached their goals because of the factors that prevent them from starting their journey to weight loss. Let’s be real, whether you do Paleo, Keto, Intermittent Fasting or go Vegan, you’re bound to lose weight if you manage it the right way.

The reason why people can’t lose weight is that they can’t start and if they do start, they abandon the plan.

This blog post isn’t meant to give you the magic foods or help you bio-hack your way to weight loss. This post is meant to help you simply start something. I too find myself in a rut with regard to training and nutrition, but when I find myself in this rut I come back to this starting point and execute from here.

Step 1: Forget about the haters. People will talk and judge, but remember that the people talking have no influence on your metabolism. “They don’t want you to win…” **Dj Khaled Voice**.

Want to go Paleo for a month? Do it and get excited about it.  Who cares if the cool kids eat regular pizza? You eat that cauliflower crust pizza recipe that you found and you enjoy it! Get motivated and stay motivated.

Step 2: Start. Just start somewhere. I remember when I lost a bunch of weight; I did it blindly with salads and juicing. Was there a more sustainable way of losing weight?

Absolutely, but I didn’t paralyze myself with information to a point where I never got started. I started, lost weight, then became more informed about the process and modified as I went along.

Step 3: Surround yourself around people who want you to succeed. There’s a saying that you’re the average of the 5 people you hang out with the most. Be around people you can train and have a post-workout sushi burrito with.

Step 4: Dance every single night for 30 days. Don’t dance? That’s cool. Check Step 5.

Step 5: The same routine will give you the same results. Change your routine and alter your results. Get out of your current comfort zone and make a new one. My starting point is the morning routine.

Start the day off on a good note and set the tone for the day. For example, I’ve been doing apple cider vinegar in a glass of water upon waking. If gives me the mentality that I’ve started the day off on a winning note.

Just start.

Start Achieving Your Goals With This One Trick.

This is one fitness tip that requires no gym membership to start.

“I used to be skinny before the baby”. “I used to bench more when I was younger”. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard someone talk about how they used to be healthier, slimmer, stronger and sexier back in the day.

Unfortunately, life can push you in different directions and for whatever reason, you’ve gained some weight or lost some strength. So, you’re in this position trying to lose weight and get back to what you used to be and the task of losing weight or putting on muscle has been so hard to do. You’ve done it before, so why can’t you do it again?

Here’s what I’ve learned over the last bit. You will never be what you used to be. You can’t re-create the conditions that you had in the past. Since then, you’ve become wiser, older, and the conditions around you have changed. Start creating the conditions that will improve who you are today moving forward. Don’t strive to be what you used to be, but instead be a better version of what you are today.

1.     Love who you are. It seems cliché, but when have we ever achieved success while hating ourselves?

2.     Surround yourself around people who share the same goals as you and who will support you. Do you know that guy that makes fun of you for ordering the salad or rice instead of the fries and beer? He just doesn’t want to be alone.

3.     Start now. The “I’ll start Monday” excuse is played out. If you’re reading this, and you want to start your fitness journey, then start now. Walk, run, yoga, dance…Just start something and start now. Often people will not start because of the fear of not “doing it right”. Some traditionalists will hate that I say this, but you can start anywhere and you can correct whatever that needs to be corrected along the way.

4.     Have fun doing it. If you’re trying to get stronger, screw the numbers and just start lifting. If you feel good after doing it, then you’re doing it right. Too intimidated? Are you finding it hard to start somewhere or share your progress because you’re self-conscious of others making fun of you? Then let’s work out together. Seriously, email me.

I’ll have some exciting news coming up so stay tuned!