Ditch the Crash Diets | 10 Proven Hacks to Burn Fat Naturally
In our quest for that elusive "perfect" body, we've been bombarded with an overwhelming array of fad diets and weight loss trends. From the Atkins diet to the keto craze, from juice cleanses to intermittent fasting, these diets promise a shortcut to the body of our dreams. However, the truth is far more nuanced than these quick-fix solutions would have us believe.
Stubborn weight gain is often a result of complex factors, including genetics, lifestyle choices, stress, and even hormonal imbalances. It's not just about eating too much or exercising too little, as many fad diets would like us to believe. In fact, these diets can often do more harm than good, leading to a cycle of weight loss and regain, along with potential health risks.
As a Naturopath, I'm passionate about helping people achieve their weight loss goals while promoting overall health. In this blog, I'll share my top 10 weight loss tips, backed by naturopathy and science, and aimed at optimising your well-being.
1. Cut Out Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners | A Sweet Farewell to Unwanted Calories
Let's address the elephant in the room first: sugar. It's no secret that excessive sugar consumption is a major contributor to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and mental health issues. In fact, the World Health Organization predicts that the number of overweight adults will reach a staggering 2.16 billion by 2030. That's why it's crucial to break up with sugar today.
How to Breakup with Sugar for Good?
The most fundamental change you make today is completely cut out sugar and refined carbohydrates from your life.
Cleanse your pantry, fridge, and your entire house! Throw out all refined carbohydrates (white bread, cereals, pastries, chocolate, biscuits, pizza, puddings, tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, alcohol) and sugary beverages (soft drinks, cordial, fruit juices and flavoured milk).
Treat it like an actual break-up and turn up Destiny’s Child Survivor (or song of choice!) whilst you completely rid your house of any signs of sugar.
The Issue with Artificial Sweeteners
And before you go for the sugar-free, artificial sweeteners thinking they will do no harm, think again.
When receptors on your tongue get the message that sugar is coming in, your pancreas will secrete insulin to get ready to use glucose as fuel.
Insulin tells your body to stop burning fat because your body will always choose to burn glucose first. You have unknowingly tricked your body into that glucose is coming in and this will put a break in your weight loss.
Not only that, but you have also just set your body up to crave sugar and carbohydrates because insulin will roam your body looking for sugar.
Artificial sweeteners have also been linked to dysbiosis, and insulin resistance and are well-known neurotoxins. These also need to go.
2. Reduce & Manage Your Stress Levels | A Key to Unlock Weight Loss Potential
Stress isn't just an emotional burden; it impacts your body and weight as well. Managing stress plays a pivotal role in your weight loss journey.
Perceived Stress vs. Real Stress
Ask our ancestors to define what 'stress' is and they would say, ‘running from lions, facing famine or surviving a cold blizzard’. These are life-threatening situations, and the human body has learned to produce cortisol to protect itself from getting killed/dying. Cortisol activates the fight-or-flight response in the body, which is not an optimal healthy state.
Now, ask your best friend what stress is and they may say, ‘Meeting deadlines at work, paying monthly bills, comparing myself to people on Instagram, getting rid of unhealthy diet, daily chores’ and more. The definition of stress has evolved over time, but our body is having a hard time catching up with it.
We are constantly stressed about something and our adrenals are constantly secreting cortisol to cope.
How Stress Can Disrupt Your Fat Loss Journey?
Cortisol is the hormone that tells your body you are under threat. In response, your body will shut down digestion because cortisol signals your body to flow all the blood to your peripherals in order to prepare your body to escape the perceived stressful situation.
This puts your body in the survival mode, which in turn decreases immunity. Why would your body think about fighting a virus if you are going to die tomorrow?
Side Effects of Excessive Cortisol
It reduces testosterone, estrogen and other sex hormones important for reproduction. Your body thinks you’re about to die so it won’t focus on bringing a child into the world. It will also start retaining fat and fluid because you may need that incase you’re going through a famine.
Cortisol is a hormone that we needed back in the day to keep up on top of the food chain, but over production of cortisol due to perceived threats can be detrimental to our health and wellbeing.
I hear this all the time in the clinic, ‘No matter what I do, I just can’t get rid of fat from my hips, thighs and especially belly’.
If this sounds familiar, you may want to consider your cortisol levels and the amount of stress you are under.
How to Check Your Cortisol Levels?
You can find out your cortisol levels by taking a buccal swab at 8 AM, 12 AM, 8 PM and 12 PM to find out if your circadian rhythm is out of balance.
How to Reduce Your Cortisol Levels?
Lowering cortisol levels involves soothing your nervous system and incorporating daily stress-relief techniques.
If you're struggling with managing stress or going through a difficult phase in your life, consider seeking guidance from a counsellor to equip yourself with effective coping strategies.
Explore the therapeutic benefits of journaling to unload your thoughts and emotions, plan a rejuvenating getaway, embrace practices like yoga or pilates, and, above all, prioritise mindful breathing as an essential tool for relaxation and stress management.
3. Include Sea Vegetables in Your Diet | Boosting Thyroid Health for Effective Weight Management
The ancient wisdom of sea vegetables can be your modern-day solution to iodine deficiency and its effects on your thyroid, metabolism, and weight.
For those who are reading this in Australia, it is crucial to add iodine to your diet. Our continent has been above the ocean floor for a minimum of 2.5 billion years. Our soils have extremely low iodine levels, and of the most common nutrient deficiencies seen in Australia is Iodine Deficiency Disorder.
Effects of Iodine Deficiency
Iodine deficiency can cause hypothyroidism, and an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter) and affect fertility, pregnancy and neurodevelopment disorders in newborns.
Symptoms of Hypothyroidism
Symptoms of hypothyroidism are weight gain, difficulty losing weight, constipation, fatigue, sleep disturbances, thinning of the hair and eyebrows, low libido, muscle weakness and menstrual changes.
Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism
On the opposite end of the scale is Hyperthyroidism, which presents itself as weight loss, difficulty putting on weight, increased energy; metabolism and basal body temperature.
Why is Thyroid Health Important for Weight Loss?
Thyroid health is extremely important in everyone’s weight loss journey as it tells your metabolism to speed up or slow down.
Providing your thyroid with essential nutrients may boost your metabolism, basal body temperature, and energy levels - helping you lose those extra pounds.
How to Increase Your Iodine Levels?
Sea vegetables are some of the highest food sources of iodine that you can start incorporating into your diet today to ramp up your thyroid functioning.
Kelp, arame, hiziki, Kombu and Wakame can be purchased at your health food stores and used in salads, as a garnish or put in your smoothie.
They are all extremely high in iodine and contain important cofactors such as selenium and B vitamins for conversion and absorption of your thyroid hormones.
4. Have a Cup of Yerba Matè | A Healthy Alternative for Your Morning Coffee
Yerba Matè is a deliciously refreshing tea that is enjoyed by millions around the world. It contains a small amount of caffeine that gives you smooth, increased energy without the jittery effects of coffee.
It also contains theobromine and theophylline, which stimulate dopamine - a neurotransmitter important for motivation and productivity - and enhance memory, mood and alertness.
How Does Yerba Matè Help You Burn Fat?
Yerba Matè is extremely effective in proliferating fat cells in the body and converting them into energy.
It reduces appetite, energy expenditure and improves insulin resistance, making it a must-have in any weightless protocol.
You can buy Yerba Matè at most health food stores or online. Have it as a replacement for coffee, pre-workout and during the day.
Note: Avoid having Yerba Matè after 2 PM as it contains a small amount of caffeine, which can affect your sleep.
5. Fasted Cardio | Tap into Your Fat Reserves with Morning Workouts
Fasted cardio involves exercising when your body is in a state of fasting, which means it's not actively digesting food. Essentially, it entails doing cardio workouts on an empty stomach.
Most people exercise in the morning after a night's sleep, but it can also be done later in the day if you follow an intermittent fasting routine.
Fasted cardio is an effective method to enhance the pace of fat loss when compared to cardio done after eating.
Why Fasted Cardio Works?
The idea behind fasted cardio is that you workout on an empty stomach, also known as a glycogen-depleted state. It means there’s no glucose in the body to produce energy so your body will burn stored fat to fuel the workout.
How to Incorporate Fasted Cardio in Your Routine to Accelerate Your Weight Loss Journey?
Waking up first thing in the morning and doing high-intensity interval training like an F45 session can get you straight into the fat-burning zone and have you hitting your weight loss goals faster than any other exercise.
Can’t Workout on an Empty Stomach?
If you don’t like the idea of working out on an empty stomach, have something that’s low in carbohydrates like the famous bulletproof coffee (coffee and MCT oil), a small handful of nuts or a boiled egg.
Anything that contains carbohydrates like a banana will stop fat burning and be used as fuel as glucose.
Can’t Workout in the Morning?
Not everyone enjoys getting out of bed and exercising first thing in the morning. If you enjoy exercising in the afternoon, make sure you have no food 3+ hours prior to your workout. You can sip on tea and water to avoid those hunger pangs.
6. Choose the Right Amino Acids | Building Blocks for a Leaner You
Amino acids are the building blocks of your body. They build different proteins, encourage bone and muscle growth, aid recovery, synthesise neurotransmitters and fuel the body.
Choosing the right amino acids for your body can help get the most out of your fat-burning capabilities, workout and recovery. All amino acids are extremely important and play a unique role in the body, but I will discuss only two here to keep this simple.
L-Carnitine
L-Carnitine plays a crucial role in promoting lipolysis, which is the process of fat burning within the body.
It functions by facilitating the production of an enzyme known as carnitine palmitoyl-transferase, which transports lipids into your cells and transforms them into Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), the primary source of energy in your body.
Dosage Recommendation
Combine 5gm of L-carnitine and fasted cardio and you are giving your body the best chance to proliferate fat reserves and drive the lipids into your cells to be utilised as energy.
L-Glutamine
Another favourite amino acid of mine is L-Glutamine. It is one of the most abundant amino acids in the body, which helps build other amino acids for muscle growth, recovery, neurotransmitter production and restoring amino acid stores after exercise.
It is also a powerful gut-healing amino acid. It improves gut permeability, food intolerances and inflammation.
7. Be Persistent and Stay On Track | Your Commitment to Transformation
Get clear on your goals, commit to reaching them and stay on track until you get there.
Transforming your body is not easy, just like anything worth achieving. You are changing the way you eat, think, sleep, and move. You also need to remove toxic relationships from your life and establish healthy ones to become the best version of yourself.
To be consistent in reaching your goals, make friends with the same health goals, find a health coach or work with a Naturopath. You can also experiment with healthy meals, embrace health books and blogs and journal your journey to inspire others.
You are on a wonderful journey and taking control of your health and wellness is extremely powerful. Cheers to you for taking the first step!
Learn to be Patient with Yourself | You Deserve Kindness
‘Slipping up’ is completely natural. I like to think of it as ‘keeping it real’. If you overindulge at the girls’ cocktail night (or boys’ night with beers), have a big bowl of ice cream or skip your cardio for a sleep-in, don’t dwell on it. Get back on track asap!
Get up, dust yourself off and stay committed to your goals. Putting yourself down or thinking, ‘What’s the point now! I blew it. I may as well keep eating or sleeping in’ will stop you from reaching your goals.
8. Prioritise 8+ Hours of Quality Sleep | The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution
If there is one advice that you must take from this article, it is prioritising your sleep! Although it sounds pretty simple, getting adequate sleep is the most effective and profoundly beneficial tip for weight loss and overall health.
Sleeping 8+ hours every night is essential for maintaining overall health, improving cognitive functioning, mood, immunity, skin health and organ function.
Sleep regulates the hormones that determine your physical activity, thermoregulation and appetite such as insulin, leptin, ghrelin and cortisol.
How can you determine the quality of your sleep?
The quality of your sleep can be determined by external factors (food, environment, medication) or internal factors (stress, health conditions).
How to improve sleep quality for weight Loss?
You can improve your sleep quality and duration by reducing alcohol consumption at night, making sure your room is dark with no artificial lights, avoiding caffeinated beverages after 12 PM, exercising daily, avoiding TV and phone usage before bed, having a magnesium bath before bed and making a ‘bedtime’ tea.
9. Treat Yourself! In a Healthy Way | Nourishing Your Body and Soul
Nourish Your Body
‘You are what you eat,’ goes the age-old saying. Opting for a healthy diet is a way of respecting the needs of your body. Thanks to the digital era, it has become easier than ever now to follow a healthy diet.
There are many cafes, restaurants, and health food stores offering a wide range of healthy food options such as, raw foods, salads, poke bowls, Buddha bowls, juices, smoothies, raw treats, fermented foods, and even elaborate 6-course meals, all designed to nourish your body.
Nourish Your Soul
However, treating yourself extends beyond just food. It encompasses nurturing your spirit, body, and emotions. Consider activities such as joining a yoga class, indulging in a solo movie night, drawing a relaxing bath, embarking on a mountain adventure, dancing freely in your room, indulging in a long shower, experiencing a tranquil float tank session, visiting a chiropractor, or taking up a painting class.
Remember, it is important to make it a part of your everyday routine. Practise nourishing every aspect of you - your mind, body, and soul!
10. Stay in the Fat Burning Zone | Timing Your Carbs for Optimal Results
When we wake up our bodies are in a glycogen-depleted state because we have used up all the glucose overnight, and we have not yet broken our fast (hence the work break-fast).
When our bodies have no glucose reserves left, it will look for another source to produce energy, and that’s when the fat-burning begins!
This is a great window of opportunity to do HIIT workout and burn fat as suggested in tip number 5.
If we stay in a glycogen-depleted state (meaning low carbohydrate intake) we will keep our body burning our fat reserves to produce energy.
How can you keep yourself in a glycogen-depleted state?
To achieve this, keep your carbohydrate intake low in the morning. You can have the carbs at night if you love them so much.
For example,
Breakfast
Have eggs, spinach and mushrooms for breakfast.
Lunch
Have salmon and salad for lunch .
Dinner
Have complex carbohydrates such as sweet potato, rice or sourdough bread for dinner.
Congratulations, you're now armed with a powerful set of tools to kickstart your weight loss journey! These 10 expert tips, firmly grounded in Naturopathic principles and supported by scientific research, are your key to not only shedding those extra pounds but also boosting your overall health.
As you start on this journey, you’ll start feeling lighter, more energetic, and healthier every day.
Keep in mind that while these tips are a fantastic starting point, seeking personalised guidance from a healthcare professional is like having a GPS on your weight loss adventure – it ensures you reach your destination safely and efficiently.
So, embrace these tips, stay committed, and watch your transformation unfold. Your journey to a healthier, happier you starts now!
FAQs
Why should I cut out sugar and artificial sweeteners for weight loss?
Cutting out sugar and artificial sweeteners is essential because they provide unnecessary calories and can lead to weight gain. Sugar also triggers insulin release, which hinders fat burning.
2. What are the health risks associated with excessive sugar consumption?
Excessive sugar consumption is linked to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and even mental health issues. It's important to reduce sugar intake to mitigate these risks.
3. How do sugar and refined carbohydrates affect my ability to lose weight?
Sugar and refined carbs lead to quick spikes in blood sugar, followed by crashes, which can cause cravings and overeating. They also promote fat storage, making weight loss difficult.
4. Can you explain why artificial sweeteners may not be a good alternative?
Artificial sweeteners can trick your body into expecting sugar, causing insulin release. Additionally, they have been linked to health issues such as dysbiosis and insulin resistance.
5. What are some practical steps to eliminate sugar and refined carbs from my diet?
Cleanse your pantry and fridge of all sugary and refined carbohydrate-containing foods. Replace them with whole, unprocessed alternatives like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
6. How does insulin relate to weight loss and sugar consumption?
Insulin instructs your body to use glucose as fuel instead of burning fat. Excessive sugar consumption can lead to insulin resistance, hindering weight loss.
7. What role does stress play in weight gain, and how can I reduce it?
Stress triggers the release of cortisol, which can lead to weight gain, especially around the abdominal area. Reducing stress through relaxation techniques, exercise, and counseling can help.
8. Can you elaborate on the effects of cortisol on the body and weight?
Cortisol, produced in response to stress, can disrupt digestion, weaken immunity, reduce sex hormones, and promote fat and fluid retention, making it harder to lose weight.
9. What are some effective ways to reduce stress in daily life?
You can reduce stress by seeking counselling, journaling, taking holidays, practicing yoga or pilates, and engaging in relaxation techniques like deep breathing.
10. How do sea vegetables, like kelp and Wakame, help with weight loss?
Sea vegetables are rich in iodine, which supports thyroid health and metabolism. They can help regulate thyroid function, leading to improved energy and weight loss.
11. What is iodine deficiency, and how does it impact thyroid health and weight?
Iodine deficiency can lead to thyroid problems, including hypothyroidism, which is associated with weight gain and other symptoms like fatigue and constipation.
12. Where can I find sea vegetables, and how can I incorporate them into my diet?
Sea vegetables like kelp and Wakame can be purchased at health food stores and added to salads, smoothies, or used as garnishes in various dishes.
13. What are the benefits of Yerba Matè for weight loss, and how should I consume it?
Yerba Matè provides smooth energy without coffee's jittery effects, stimulates dopamine, and aids fat cell conversion to energy. Consume it as a coffee alternative or a pre-workout drink.
14. What is fasted cardio, and how can it help with weight loss?
Fasted cardio involves exercising without eating first, which can help burn stored fat for energy, especially during morning workouts. It's effective for weight loss.
15. Can you provide examples of low-carb pre-workout snacks for fasted cardio?
Low-carb options like a small handful of nuts, a boiled egg, or a bulletproof coffee (coffee with MCT oil) can provide energy for fasted cardio without disrupting fat burning.