- Do not use the term ‘cheat meal’. It has a negative connotation. It says to your subconscious that you are doing something wrong because you are ‘cheating’, which often leads to feelings of self-doubt and dislike, guilt and feeling like you are a bad person. Change your wording to ‘Fun Food’ or ‘Treat Meal’ and schedule it into your plan. This gives you a subconscious pass with no guilt attached.
- Do not starve yourself. Contrary to popular belief you don’t lean up when you eat less. Instead, you lose muscle tissue and hydration, making you feel lethargic, fatigued and miserable and it reduces hormonal function, and you store fat! Your body thinks you are experiencing famine and stores as much fat as possible. You may be getting skinnier but not leaner. Massive difference!
- Do not deprive your body of water. Insufficient hydration is one of the biggest fat loss problems. Your body requires water to be able to metabolize and utilize fat as energy. Without water, fat accumulates and hardens in the cells, becoming harder and harder to burn as energy.
- Do not deprive yourself of sleep. Lack of sleep causes sugar cravings. This leads you to poor choices and overeating. It also increases cortisol levels (your stress hormone; when cortisol is elevated the body does not focus on burning fat it focuses on reducing the stress) and increases insulin levels (the fat storage hormone). Not to mention how grumpy you get without enough sleep! Aim for a minimum of 7 hours at the absolute worst.
- Do not ignore nutrient deficiencies. Have regular blood test to ensure your Vitamin D, iron, and B12 are at sufficient levels. Deficiencies in these vital nutrients can lead to a vast array of health issues including fat storage, fatigue, anxiety and irritability.
- Coach Terri