Have you noticed yourself avoiding mirrors or group pictures because of the way you look? You may be asking yourself, “What happened to me? How did I let myself get this bad?”
I know how you feel. Last year, I weighed in at 280 lbs.— and trust me, it wasn’t all muscle. I had a body fat percentage of 40%, I was in terrible shape and felt absolutely awful.
You may be feeling the same way, but it’s not entirely your fault.
We live in a time where for most of us, food availability is not a problem. Unlike our ancestors, we have no direct threat of starvation; this wasn’t always the case. Looking back to our hunter-gatherer days, we would go out and search the land for food, in hopes of a good catch but sometimes they came back with an empty net. Other days we came back with more then we could ever eat in one seating, having great feasts and allowing our species to expand. The human body has evolved to survive under seriously deprived conditions, where periods without food were common. The body learned the importance of storing calories for times when food was nowhere to be found. (1)
The problem we now have is that our bodies haven’t adapted to living in a world where food is available on every corner.Then you add the flood of media influence telling you to eat sugar-filled products. This causes our brains to become practically addicted to the instant stimulation sugar provides, which is similar to the neurological reaction we have to drugs like cocaine. (2) This puts us at a disadvantage from the start —it’s no wonder we have a growing population of sicker and fatter children, more than has ever been seen in human history.
5 Factors to Consider for a Body Transformation
With so much stacked against use, we have to find strategies to stay driven and stay focused. There are certain factors that need to be addressed when starting a body transformation. These are things I wish I’d known when I began my own transformation. At my start, I was unaware of the various factors that needed to be considered, but after I dove into the research and implemented what I learned, was able to lose 60 lbs. of pure fat in just seven months. I kept all my muscle mass and improved my major health markers. You may not have such drastic results but losing an extra 30 lbs. would be a big help. So what are some of the key factors that need to be addressed?
1) Body Type–The body type you have will play a big role in determining your approach to fat loss. Certain bigger body types like endomorphs, who have a stockier frame, will tend to do best with a lower-carb approach. This is because they are likely to have developed poor insulin sensitivity, from years of carb-heavy food choices. You want to improve your ability to use insulin effectively to reduce its negative effects when its constantly elevated. Insulin is a hormone that stores any excess calories in our fat cells, making us gain weight — and consuming high amounts of carbs, especially refined carbs like bread and pasta, will lead to spikes of blood sugar, releasing more insulin. (3)
2) The amount of Weight to Lose–The more weight you have to lose, the longer your journey will be. If you have a substantial amount of fat to lose, then it’s crucial to find a method that will be sustainable in the long run. Typical starvation diets can only be endured for so long, especially if the majority of the calories are coming from carbs, which is in accordance with the Standard American Diet. You need to find a dietary plan that will nourish your cells and control your hunger naturally, allowing for a smoother transformation.
3) Identify your Limiting Factor–Everyone has something in their life that is possibly holding them back from reaching their goals. It’s important to figure out what this factor is for you in order to see sustained progress. For some, it can be temptation— like a bag of chips that breaks your willpower every time you walk past it. For others, it’s a particular person who may be a negative influence and lead you to poor choices. Not everyone has the ability to jump through these hurdles, and if that sounds like you, then find ways to avoid whatever is holding you back and figure out ways to reduce their negative effects.
4) Educate Yourself–Take the time to invest in yourself by reading health books or listing to health podcasts, continuing to feed your motivation to reach your goals. In my own transformation, I made sure to learn something new every day. This helped keep me focused and gave me the knowledge I needed to burn the fat in a healthy and sustainable way.
5) Exercise isn’t the answer–You will not reach your goals by spending all your days on the treadmill. To really see progress, you must put the majority of your efforts into your eating habits; nutrition will be the key to your transformation. The saying is true: no amount of exercise can beat a bad diet. You may be going against the mainstream approach but you should spend more time in your kitchen then you do at the gym. Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that it’s important to live an active life. But it shouldn’t be your key factor in a body transformation where fat loss is your goal. Once you understand the impact that real whole food has on your body, and you implement your knowledge, is when the gates to fat loss will be unlocked.
Thinking about these 5 factors will help in determining which diet plans will work for you. Unfortunately, the same methods that helped your friend get in shape may not work for you. Certain body types need more advanced strategies to see progress. I had to learn the hard way when I tried the so-called “everything-in-moderation” diets. I had to accept the fact that carbs stalled my progress; no matter when I ate them, I felt terrible and had serious issues controlling cravings. What finally helped me reach my goal, was when I went keto and fueled my body with the real, whole food that it needs to function properly. I began my low-carb, high-healthy-fat diet, and I have never felt better. My body fat keeps burning away, and best of all, I am never hungry. Food no longer controls my emotions, which has allowed me to focus on the things I really want to pursue.If you have done the other diet plans and haven’t had any success, then why not give this a try?
References:
- 1) Speakman, J. If Body Fatness is Under Physiological Regulation, Then How Come We Have an Obesity Epidemic? Physiology. 1 March 2014;29(2):88-9
- 2) Ahmed, S.H., Guillem, K., & Vandaele, Y. Sugar addiction: pushing the drug-sugar analogy to the limit. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 1 July 2013;16(4):434-439.
- 3) Saltiel, A.R. Insulin Resistance in the Defense against Obesity. Cell Metab. 6 June 2012;15(6):798-804.
