- Write Down Your Reason
- Elinimate Junk Food
- Start The Healthy Version of Keto
- Intermittent Fasting
1) Write Down Your Reason
This is your compass, something to come back to when you're feeling un-motivated. Choose a reason that resonates with YOU! When I began my journey of losing weight, at first it was so I can get that 6 pack ab set (I know....shallow). As I went along, that changed to health and then for improving my mind, body, and sometimes spirit. So it's okay if the reason changes over time.
2) Eliminate Junk Food
The best place to start is your pantry and fridge and eliminate anything that can deter you from your goal which is to lose weight. That includes any junk food and processed sugars. You can give the food to your friend or neighbor or that one “Karen” down the street. Take a moment to even look at what you can eliminate from your diet that could be holding you back.
3) Start The Healthy Version of Keto
You've probably heard of the Keto diet, maybe you even tried it out. What were your results if so? Have you tried the healthy version? Essentially it is the addition of vegetables (lots of it to begin with) while significantly reducing your carb intake. The idea behind Keto is to train your body to burn fat instead of carbs. This is accomplished by reducing your carb intake and consuming more vegetables along with healthy fats and moderate protein. Click here for vegan options.
Healthy Fats would include: Avocados, Unprocessed Cheese, Butter, Macadamia Nuts, Walnuts, Peacans, and Whole Eggs.
Nutrient Dense Vegetables would include: Cabbage, Kale, Broccoli, Leafy Greens, and Celery.
Acceptable Fruits (but in moderation): Strawberries, Blueberries, Lemons, and Blackberries.
4) Intermittent Fasting (IF)
After a few weeks (sometimes longer) of healthy keto, your body is now fat adapted. Meaning that the primary source of fuel burning is fat, both dietary and non-dietary. On top of that, your body should have a decent reservoir of vitamins and necessary nutrients (which came from the consumption of vegetables). Because of this, you can now slowly introduce Intermittent Fasting. The idea here is the extend your period of non-eating where that your body looks to burn the fat in your body.
You can start by skipping breakfast and pushing your first meal after waking up to say 12pm or later. Pay close attention to your body and energy levels, if you feel like you're about to pass out. Then eat something. The usual initial target is 16:8 (16 hour fast + 8 hour eating window), once you've worked up to this comfortably. You can extend your fasting period and shorten the eating window.
When breaking a fast, introduce food slowly (especially after longer fasts). Maybe with a light salad first, then a heavier meal after 30 minutes to an hour.
From my own experience, coming from a place of frequent eating. I was able to go from 16:8 to sometimes 2 days without eating. Which says a lot about how much are bodies can adapt.
Bonus Tips
Here are some added tips to help you get results SOONER!
- Cut out all Stressors (news, toxic people, social media, etc...)
- Incorporating natural ingredient shakes as the nutrients are absorbed faster since they are already broken down
- Get enough sleep, most of the fat burning occurs during times of slumber
- Add a little apple cider vinegar to your salad as this will help in digesting the food more efficiently
- Consider adding nutritional yeast to your diet
- HIIT exercises can also speed up the fat burning process through short and explosive bursts of workout (safely of course)
As a Reminder
I encourage you to do more research into the last 2 as they can be dangerous if not done correctly. A lot of people do IF on a carb heavy + low veggie diet and end up worse off than before. So the key here is to get healthy first!
Anyways, I hope this helps and good luck. I would love to hear about your success
I may be affiliated with some of the links above, meaning I may receive compensation. This is at no cost to you and for your benefit.