Many of the people I work with have tummy fat still I hate to talk about it. It’s a thorny and emotive subject, not healthy to obsess about and not healthy to ignore. Expanding waistlines tell a lot about our state of health and is often the looking glass into our future health.
The bottom line is that if you aspire to be energetic, heart healthy and diabetes free yet you continue to have quite a store of fat around your waist you need to do something to shift it in order to give yourself the best chance.
I’m not at all suggesting it’s easy, but like every challenge in life it gets easier and the wins make it so worth it. Jeans become looser, exercise becomes easier, sleep might improve and you might start to feel better about yourself, you might inspire your kids or someone else that needs that inspiration too.
The truth is that by attacking this issue now your life will be so much easier. Risking a heart attack or diabetes diagnosis means you will have no choice to do it under much more difficult circumstances. And taking more medication some of which make it difficult to lose weight. You don’t want to wake up in a hospital bed in a coronary care unit. The amount of times I used to hear patients say “I wish I’d taken my health more seriously” or “I never thought it would happen to me” is what makes me talk about it here. A reminder to both of us!
Our environment is set up to constantly encourage us to keep snacking. Junk food tempts us everywhere we go and they are created to be addictive, to keep you coming back for more. It’s not your fault, it’s their carefully planned strategy and it works. But if you suddenly have blurred eyesight or heart disease because of diabetes those companies will just tell you it’s your own responsibility. They will enjoy the profits from your well spent money while you suffer. Hospitals are full of people with these stories.
If you are struggling with this maybe it’s time to have that look in the mirror and know that there’s never going to a right time so today is the day to start. Start small, start tiny, start huge – start any way you like but make today the day you took the first step to downsizing your tummy.
I love this quote from Dana Carpender, maybe you can identify with it?
“I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not even a little apologetic about this business of not eating stuff that’s bad for me. No one else has to live with my fat, work through my energy and mood swings, pay my doctor bills, fight my cravings, or face my family history of diabetes and cancer. If people insist, I can get a little testy.”
Here’s 5 great ways to get rid of that fat fast. Don’t allow overwhelm to set in. If you want to take it slower do one thing at a time, do it at your own pace but have a plan.
- Totally cut out anything with white flour, bread, pastries, pizza, pasta, cookies etc. Ideally stay away from potato’s in initial period but if you have to have them eat the skin too! This is a big ask and you may need to stop these foods one at a time if you eat a lot of them. Once you achieve this you should notice a big difference. These foods are one of the reasons we have so many people struggling with weight issues. Do not compensate with sugary foods or you will not see results. It goes without saying that you want to cut that out too.If you want to include carbs the rule is never more than quarter your plate. Have nutritious whole-food grains like quinoa, barley, brown rice. If you have diabetes it may be worth considering not having any grains for a month to see the effect. Many people feel better without them and lose fat faster.
- Eat some healthy fat as part of every meal. Completely avoid low fat foods – they either have added sugar or artificial sweeteners both of which encourage fat production. A few spoons of good quality olive oil over vegetables is heart healthy and filling. Sprinkle nuts or seeds over meals, add avocado as a regular, also oily fish and quality meat; all of this is filling, nutritious and helpful in reasonable amounts.
the reasons we have so many people struggling with weight issues. Do not compensate with sugary foods or you will not see results. It goes without saying that you want to cut that out too.Essential fats are vital to good health and good hormone balance. The do not make you fat contrary to common belief, unless you eat excessive amounts. As they fill you so much better the truth is that you will feel less hungry and your cravings for sugary foods should lessen. - 3 meals only, no snacking; It’s not as terrifying as it sounds! To do this you have to ignore the advice of eat small amounts often. (That was created by the food industry to get you to buy more of their junk-food). This alone is an amazing weight loss tool. It may mean going for a brisk walk instead of your morning coffee break, the key is to take yourself away from temptation. In the beginning it can be hard but after a few days it get so much easier.
the reasons we have so many people struggling with weight issues. Do not compensate with sugary foods or you will not see results. It goes without saying that you want to cut that out too.Do not have sugar, syrup or sweeteners in your coffee. In the evening you may have to change your routine/activities also to avoid snacking. Once you have mastered this, then work at increasing your overnight ‘fast’. Have your last meal earlier and eat breakfast later. Aim for 12 hours and gradually increase to 14. NB If you are on medication/insulin you need to speak with your doctor/nurse as prescription may need to be altered. - Eat more veggies. Aim to have 5-7 portions per day and as many colours as possible. There are so many benefits, more and more research supports just how critical they are. They are filling, despite popular myths to the contrary! The benefits of the fibre is every bit as valuable as the nutrients. It slows sugar getting into your bloodstream, feeds your gut microbiome (bacteria) and is associated with both weight loss, normalising blood sugars and reducing risk of some cancers.
- Make yourself accountable. Make your bold statement, tell everyone and ask for support. Get one friend that will be honest with you and keep you accountable. Someone that will be gentle but firm is preferable! Keep a food diary & journal. Write down everything you eat. Be 100% honest with yourself and your accountability partner. Start your day by writing “I do not eat between meals” or chose your focus for that day. Say it over and over. Instill self-belief and excitement for the results you are determined to achieve.
“You have the option of evolving to very powerful places and having transformative experiences if you’re willing to. You won’t regret it. Your life will be far fuller and more powerful.” – Dr Benjamin Hardy