Is This Why You Can’t Lose Weight?

You’ve pretty much tried every diet and workout trend you’ve ever heard of, from the impractical to the to the down right crazy yet  your “skinny jeans”  just keep getting tighter. So, what’s the deal?

Most likely, out-of-whack hormones—like estrogen, insulin, and even growth hormones from chemicals and additives in the foods you eat every day. (even “diet” and “healthy” foods) . Couple this with hidden sugars in the foods we eat every day  thinking they are “healthy” and it’s no wonder Americans are getting fatter and fatter while the ” Fitness & Diet” industry gets richer and richer.

The good news is that the chemicals that control our weight, moods, and even where we store fat on our bodies can be balanced naturally and it starts in your kitchen.

The quick and easy fix  is to rid your kitchen of all pre packaged and processed food. If it has more than 3 ingredients, toss it because it is full of hidden sugars and chemicals that are making your hormones imbalanced and inhibiting your fat loss. That having been said, if this is something you are unwilling or unable to do, there are ways to minimize the damage.

Remember, if you don’t have junk around the house, you’re less likely to eat it!  If your kitchen is stocked with healthy, nutritious foods, you will be forced to make the right choices.  Basically, it all starts with having the information to make smart choices and avoid “fat foods”  when you make your grocery store trip.

The most important thing is to read labels.  I always tell our clients “Count Ingredients, NOT calories”. If it sounds like a bonus question on a chemistry exam, toss it. The fewer the ingredients, the better it will help your body rid itself of ugly fat and bloat.

Why?  Aside from being linked to a myriad of diseases and health issues, your liver cannot burn fat as effectively if it is busy trying to detox your body from all of these chemicals.  Your body also does not process calories made in a lab the way it does those made in nature.  It would be like putting oil or fruit juice into your gas tank and expecting your car to run properly and to optimum performance.  Your body was just not meant to process these chemicals.

I am a huge proponent of the 90/10 rule.  If you eat “whole” foods, 90% of the time, the other 10% won’t matter.  If you know you can’t resist something, don’t have it in the house to begin with. If you want to indulge on un structured food day or “off” meal, get in your car and go get a single serving.

Get rid of ALL products with the following if you want an easy way to speed up your metabolism, get your hormones in balance and turn your body into a fat burning machine : I could write an entire article about the side effects of each of these additives but the short answer is that they are to a myriad of diseases and other health issues and  keep your liver so busy trying to “detox” them, it can’t burn fat at full force.

hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils,

high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)

BHA

Parabens

Sodium Nitrite

Caramel Coloring

Castoreum

Food Dyes

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

Soy protein isolate

Soy protein concentrate

Soy bean oil

Texturized vegetable protein (usually found in energy bars, crackers, veggie burgers, and Vegetarian look-a-like products)

Saccharin, Sucralose and any other artificial sweetener. (sadly found in many protein drinks and other “diet” foods/drinks)

Here is a quick, easy cheat sheet to fix your fat kitchen and start blasting fat fast!

TOSS: 

1. White rice and pasta.
2. Heavily processed snacks like fritos, doritios, cheese puffs,  cookies and cakes
3. Vegetable oil,  lard
4. Processed cereals. If it says “enriched” or has any word you cannot pronounce, it needs to go.  Even if it says “whole grains” , “enriched” means that it’s been processed to a degree that all of the natural nutrients have been stripped and must be re added.
5. Canned soups  which generally contain hydrogenated oils and a lot of sodium
6. Drinks with high fructose corn syrup or added sugar.
7. Yogurt with artificial sweeteners and colors.
8. Any thing labeled sugar free, fat free or light. This generally means more preservatives, chemicals and sodium. What is the good of saving a few calories if your body won’t burn the remaining ones effectively and store them as fat?
9. Pre made salad dressings especially “non fat” or “light”
10. Frozen entrees and diet foods.  They are loaded with hormone ruining fat inhibiting chemicals.
11.  Most canned/bottled spaghetti sauces
     

Replace With:

1. Whole grains like long grain brown rice, whole grain pasta (in small amounts) beans, legumes  and quinoa
2.  Nuts, no sugar added trail mix, string cheese, fruits, (dried or dehydrated)   natural peanut butter, plain potato chips (which contain 3 ingredients: oil, salt, potatoes) , pumpkin seeds, air popped  popcorn, popcorn popped in olive or coconut oil topped with a little salt or parmesan cheese
3. Olive Oil
4. Whole Grain, non processed  cereals like oatmeal, shredded wheat,  etc
5. Dried or canned beans which can be made into a variety of soups and easily frozen for later use or made into beans and rice topped with salsa and avocado
6. Home made chili or soup
7. Whole fruit juice (no added sugar), sparkling water with lemon or lime
8. Plain or Vanilla Greek Yogurt with no preservatives. You can easily throw in some chopped fruit or nuts to add some “umph”
9. Balsamic or Rice Vinegar and Olive Oil plus your favorite spices tastes better than any packaged dressing without the preservatives to ruin your hormones and bloat your body
10. Spices like Jalapeno, Lemon Pepper, Rosemary and Tarragon are great additions to spice up just about any food

 

Article by Dianne Villano , MExPhys, NASM certified , Your Personal Body Sculpting Expert
Author  Of “How To Lose Fat & Reshape Your Body in 21 Days”  & “The Ultimate Belly Blast & Detox Program”

 

If you haven’t already done so, click HERE to grab a free copy of my 7 Day Fat Loss Blue Print and get my Insider secrets on what to do day by day, step by step plan for fat loss success.