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Are you living a fat loss lifestyle?

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Sonoma Valley Sun

Hello Sonoma. This week I am addressing the topic of weight loss. It is the topic I most frequently get asked about, so I thought I’d share some thoughts with you.

I have worked as a weight loss coach for the past ten years and while lifestyle, including eating habits, seems to be the biggest contributor to weight gain, it’s the fat burning hormones that are affected by the poor lifestyle process that needs to be addressed. What this means is, not only do we need to address the behavioral root cause, we also need to address the biochemical root cause.

That said, success in a weight loss program is not just about counting calories. It may help with temporary weight loss, but it is education about food quality and a new mind-set of living a fat burning lifestyle that will keep the weight off. The process is not easy, as many of you may know, but I have seen people succeed for years. I have also seen people fail, and here is the difference between the two:

The people who keep the weight off take the time to get educated. They dedicate whatever time, energy, effort, and money is needed to fully change their lifestyle. They become the teacher. They embrace healthy living to the point of paying it forward, because their knowledge base becomes such that they could not live any other way.

The people who fail, yo-yo, fall off the program, etc., are those who start-off looking for a quick fix. Those who set aside a limited time to reach a goal, and those who spend the majority of their time counting calories, limiting foods, such as fats, and never take the time to learn how a body should properly be nourished.

So, if you have dieted in the past, ask your self these questions:

1) Was my diet about counting calories, limiting fat, or following some specific structured program?
2) Did the process involve education about food quality, traditional, common sense eating and cooking?
3) Did my weight loss involve understanding how toxins, stress, sleep, and sugars affect my fat burning hormones, and how to adapt my lifestyle to support healthy hormones?

If you said yes to number one, or no to numbers two or three, you were probably setting yourself up for failure. I encourage you to focus on numbers two and three for optimal health and weight management. Sure, you need to limit certain toxic foods and over consumption but, when choosing the right foods in the right balance, you will have lasting results.
The majority of the people give up when they don’t see the results they want right away, or life happens, stress hits, and they are not supported or equipped in the right way to stick to the healthy habits. Keep in mind that it takes a while to develop lasting, consistent habits, and it takes even longer to shift and rebalance hormonal systems. So make sure you are in it for life. Know that from the beginning, and get help through the process, so you don’t give up too soon. Do not determine a “time” at which you will quit, rather, determine that you are changing to a fat burning lifestyle, and adapt habits that will support your long term goals. Your physiology does not care too much about your expectations or timeline.

A few good resources are:

Muffintopmakeover.com
Metaboliceffect.com
Jjvirgin.com

Best of luck on your journey to a fat burning lifestyle.

Heather Morgan
[email protected]




Sonoma Sun | Sonoma, CA