While I was growing, I was overweight myself. I suffered the social … › ... › Losing-weight-made-simple.pdf · 2018-12-14 · that will let you lose 40 kg in a few weeks. This

I wanted to write this book for a while now. I was one of you guys, trying to lose weight. Today weight loss has grown into a multimillion-dollar busi-ness. Whole Franchises promising fast results, miraculous diets you can use to get in shape ten days before your summer vacation. All around we can see ads for supplements, special herb extracts or something, that has been banned in several countries, but we are assured that it is safe to use.

While I was growing, I was overweight myself. I suffered the social impact of how I looked, and it controlled the way I felt about myself. This book is not a promise for a quick fix or provides miracle advice and techniques that will let you lose 40 kg in a few weeks. This book is the hard truth about weight loss as many people have felt it before me and many still will have to discover. I believe In the saying “knowledge is power”. And all I will try to do is to present you with the knowledge to make your transition to better health easier.

PEOPLEFAIL

WHYMOST

You have read at least one popular diet or a “fix”. It does not matter If it is a whole book, or simply a food table. All of them focus on what you should and you should not eat. News flash – most restrictions don’t work. Know-ing that you have to restrict yourself is not the right mindset which will get you through. Most programs don’t look at the human being in general. And really, how many are there? Paleo, Warrior’s diet, Low carbs, Low fats, Low proteins, Ceto diet and goes on. Has anyone actually asked: Why do you actually feel like losing weight? How do you feel about yourself? What makes you eat all that food, or if you are not eating, why are you getting fatter? No program has told you that finding a supportive environment and help from the ones you love is much more important than any diet you fol-low. Why? If you simply restrict your caloric intake it will help you put off some weight. But where will this get you?

The weight loss depression loopHave you heard about the depression loop of losing weight? You moti-vate yourself, and start exercising and eating less. You start putting some weight off. You don’t get pleased by all the junk food you have to eat and the exercises you put yourself through. You get depressed by the slow results and the restrictions take their toll on you. You get depressed and start eating more again. Does this sound familiar to you?

I AMA HUMANBEING ANDTHERE ISNOTHINGWRONGWITH IT

When trying to reshape our bodies we have to start from our brains and mindsets. If you are to succeed in any area of your life you need to under-stand that it all boils down to the basic idea. The mindset you have about your work, losing weight or even relationships.

WHY DO I WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT?

Am I depressed because nobody likes me? You shouldn’t be. Most of the time our subconscious mind plays tricks on us. We get the wrong perception of reality, only because we have a strong image of ourselves in our mind. This does not mean that everybody else has it for you. Most people with low self – esteem actually over exagger-ate what they see in the mirror.

Do I want to lose weight, so I can look better?There is nothing wrong about you wanting to feel comfortable in your own body and how you look. But you have to know that you can always do it. It does not matter how you look. We are surrounded by stereotypes of society and they control how we think. There is nothing wrong with bein slightly chubby and feeling great about yourself. Don’t forget that.

In the past, rounded women were praised. Now we are surrounded by extremely “perfect” bodies. This is just another trend which will pass. However, you will have to live past the stereotypes and what others think about you. You are great, and there are people that like you as you are.

My friends and family say I am fat, and I need to lose weight. These are the wrong friends. Surround yourself with supportive people, which accept you, but care about your health. This is the creative environ-ment which can support you. People who are passionate about getting better at what they do and care about their own health and well-being.

WHY DO I REALLY WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT

This is the proper mindset. This is the positive mindset which will help you to overcome the difficulties that you find. This is the mindset that will last you not only to the summer, so you can look great. It will last you a lifetime.

▪ I want to feel more energetic ▪ I want to extend my health ▪ I want to do something good about my body▪ I want to have the energy and power to enjoy life and the closest people around me▪ I want to give to my body what it deserves, be-cause I respect myself.▪ I don’t want to suffer from diseases which are

GETTING RID OF ALL THE BULLSHITIN YOUR LIFE

Your work is stressful. You hate it, you eat too much, as you find comfort in food. Your personal life is stressful. And you find comfort in junk food. You are mocked at school. So you find solace in overeating. Knowing this does not make you weaker. It can help you to become stron-ger. Achieving the shape you want is not only about changing yourself, but it is also about changing your whole life. Sometimes life can be more complicated for you, but you are the one who decides and dictates. Only you.

Habits can be changed, friends can be changed, the mindset can be changed, but it is all up to you.

I like what Vishen Lakhiani writes in his book, The Code of the Extraordi-nary Mind : We are surrounded by “brules”. These are all the bullshit rules which con-trol our lives. You are a woman and you can’t be a good engineer.You are a Hindu and you can’t marry a white Christian girl. You are fat and you are going to remain this way. These are the bullshit rules that society imposes on us and our closest ones. It is up to us whether we listen or not. Defining all the “brules” and getting rid from them will help you a lot. You are not to blame for what you are if you don’t realize it. But you can change. Start it now!

Creating that positive mindset and outlook will help you a lot. But it is up to you to sur-round yourself with people who support you and appreciate you. Getting through the whole process can be difficult sometimes, and finding support Is very important.

“Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you if you are going to be successful”

- Dan Pena

Find friends who are into sports and healthy eating. If your friends are passionate about getting better and healthier, it will be way easier to for you to be as well. Finding a partner for a jog, or a buddy to share a new healthy and tasty recipe will ob-ligate you to stick to the process.

CREATETHE SUPPORT YOU NEED

YOU ARE NOTTO BLAME,YOURHABITS AREYO U R H A B I T S C O N T RO L YO U

Did you know that your habits are created in the first few years of your life? Sometimes your eating habits are predetermined, and it is not your fault. But habits are not a final verdict. They can be made and changed. It is up to us. Your brain is a muscle and it needs exercise to change. For a habit to be created and for it to stick It needs at least 20 days. It can be hard, but many people do it.

In his book, The Power of Habits, Charles Duhigg gives us an inside of how our habits actually form, and how we can change them. Changing them means changing our lives for the better and better every time.

Simply it is a loop of expectation about what we are getting form a cer-tain action and the final result (the reward we get). We smoke because of the pleasure we are getting from it and we expect it every time.

Changing this loop can happen by focusing our attention on a different reward. If I smoke I feel good, but when I eat a snack I feel well as well, and whenever you feel the urge to smoke just replace it with a snack.

This can be implemented into your diet or workout or any other area of life. You want to snack, great, eat an apple then. The reward you will get – getting a little bit healthier. You need an incentive, your incentive is the reward you are getting from the action.

You want to run in the morning , that is great – put your running clothes by your bed, so this is the first thing you see in the morning. Most people feel great and energize after a workout. Your incentive will be the reward of feeling great and more energized. It is like a narcotic for you.

Check my article on how habits form, or even check this great book “The power of habits” I personally recommend it to everyone who wants to improve their life in general and to crush their old ill habits.

What will happen if you suddenly feel hungry but you don’t have anything else to eat but fruits, vegetables, and healthy snacks? Nothing else. You probably will force yourself to eat the healthy food.

This is a simple but very powerful idea. Changing your environ-ment to serve your ideas. This is the same as the supportive envi-ronment. Throwing away all the junk food from your refrigerator and getting yourself a monthly pass for the public transportation, so you can get more activity are great ways to change your envi-ronment.

If you love cooking, getting a healthy eating cook book and sup-plying your groceries only according to the book, will force you to prepare the dishes in it.

Putting your running or gym clothes by your bed, will most cer-tainly help you in the morning when you see them.

Getting the right environment can help you a lot in this process.

CHANGINGYOURENVIRONMENT

START SMALL

Most of you probably have tried several eating plans. And probably some of them were really well structured. However how many stuck to their diet plan? Or how many actually kept their weight?

Probably 90% fail to lose or don’t keep the results for longer than a year. Why? – You are too overwhelmed.

Why do you get overwhelmed? 1. All the restrictions the plan has 2. You count and count every calorie 3. You stay hungry most of the time 4. You miss the tasty food

Probably these are the few reasons why you get frustrated at first.

I have a favorite productivity tip for you. Don’t start BIG! Looking at the picture you wonder “Oh my god, how am I going to do this?”

What about If I told you that you can start from a small apple today. To-morrow you can skip the soda with your lunch and drink water instead. This week you will eat a fruit every day, so you can get used to it.

The tip is to take the big task (in this case to lose weight) and split it into smaller tasks. The best way?

Start with your journal. But don’t call it “Weight loss journal”, or “Getting into shape”. I have a better name. “Improving my health” This way, you will

START SMALL

MAKE A JOURNAL

have the right mindset toward it.

For example, your first week start with one task every day. Today I will skip the dessert, or I will eat an oatmeal for breakfast.

The second week, write two tasks a day. “Today I will eat an oatmeal for breakfast and I will walk the stairs to the 4th floor” or “I will get a whole wheat sandwich for lunch and I will use the public transit, so I can get more exercise this way” or “I will shop my groceries today from the near-est supermarket within a walking distance and I will get myself a Tuna salad for dinner”.

The third week write down three tasks.

This is a thing I came up with some time ago. For every completed task give yourself an award point. When you get 20 points, give yourself a small treat. Your favorite candy bar for example. When you get 100, give yourself your favorite meal. You love double cheese burger with bacon strips on top, ok, give it to yourself. You deserve it! You have accom-plished so much.

The greatest thing is that you will slowly realize that you want to accom-plish as many tasks so you get more points. What about 5 or even 10 tasks a day. This sounds like a big progress.

GIVE YOURSELF AWARD POINTS

YOUR INCENTIVE

For more demanding tasks give yourself more points: I ran a mile today – 2 points, I ran 5 miles – 5 points, I gave up on soda drinks – 20 points.

Don’t be one of those people constantly counting every calorie they eat! IT can be helpful, but only a few are ready to do this. Don’t count on cal-orie density, count on calorie quality.

Rather than fixating your attention on the amount of calories a certain food is, fix your attention towards what is this food giving to you. It does not have to be complicated.

For example: Which is healthier according to you?1. A double cheese burger with fries on the side or a chicken salad with cherry tomatoes and olive oil as a condiment.

2. A big bowl of nachos with a great amount of nacho cheese on top or zuc-chini chips and avocado hummus for a dip sauce. I am convinced that probably everyone can choose the better option here. It does not have to be scary or sophisticated. For example, dried ap-ple with cinnamon on top is a great snack, or simply some raw nuts.

The main point here is, start choosing what you eat not by how much it weighs, but how it contributes to your health.

This is the mindset we are looking for, remember this! And I am sure that if you don’t count every calorie you put in your mouth, you will be a lot happier in general.

DON’T COUNT YOUR CALORIES

In order to take your health in your hands, you need some basic knowledge on how and why we get obese. I am firmly against any diet restricted plans. In order to be so, you need the basic knowledge.

SOMEOBESITYSCIENCE

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

SugarsThis might not be a shock to most of you but consuming too much re-fined sugars Is a big bummer. It does not only make you fatter, but it hurts your liver as well.

When you consume a can of sugary soda for example, the amount of sug-ar you consume is so much, that your body cannot use it as energy. And it gets turned into fats, so you might find use of it later on. Sugars are a big peril to our health, actually fructose is. It hurts the liver the most.Fructose specifically is even toxic for you in bigger quantities. You want to read more in depth about sugars and fructose, you can do it here.

Why does this happen?One word, Insulin. The main role of insulin is to grab all the sugars from your blood stream and to transport them to your muscles and liver. But in-sulin has another role as well. It is an anabolic hormone. This means that it supports the building processes in our bodies. It promotes muscle and fat growth. But in order to promote muscle growth it has to have a demand for It (physical activity), so in most cases when we consume more energy, we turn it into fat.

Let’s say that we had a nice three course meal. What follows? The des-sert. Many people eat only because of the desert. But you had some food before that. In your blood there is some sugar floating and your insulin is working to transport it. So when you eat the sweet sugary cake at the end, it is such a big sugar rush, that your body can’t find place to store that amount of energy. So it goes to fat, because insulin is good at making unused energy into fat.

My first gem for you

The second gem

What is the moral of the story? Skip the dessert. If you eat starchy foods or sugary foods eat them separately, 2 to 4 hours before or after a meal. This is related to fruits as well. If you eat meat (NEWS FLASH the body releases insulin when you eat meat as well) don’t eat it with starches or sug-ars as it will support even greater insulin release. AND throw away all sugary soda drinks. Water is mend for drinking. The main source of energy are carbohydrates (starch, sug-ar). We need it to power our whole body, but the largest consumer of carbs are our muscles and brain. We have the ability to store energy In the form of glycogen. Most of it is found in the muscles. So let’s make a simple calculation.

More muscle=

More energy demand + More place to storage energy

Exercise is not helpful as a way to burn calories (well it helps with this to some extend). Exercise is more helpful for mak-ing your muscles work hard, develop and use more energy more efficiently. High intensity interval training or HIIT is much better way to boost this energy consuming mech-anism. Another way, great to “boost your metabolism” is resisted weight lifting. You don’t need to run long hours on the tread mill.

I won’t go further, as there is much science to be explained here why I say you should do more resisted exercise and not cardio. The main point is that we are not looking to burn the most calories but to make the process of calorie burning more efficient.

SO WHY IS EVERYONE GETTINGFATTER AND FATTER

GETTING FATTER AND HUNGRIER

The world obesity crisis is now speeding up. This century will be the first in human history where the number of obese people will surpass the number of hungry ones by a lot. And it is not an epidemic only in America it is a crisis of the whole world.

Why is this coming out of hand? We live in the most abundant and afflu-ent time since the rise of human civilization. We have access to food 24/7. Most of us eat like toddlers, on every two hours we graze something. While this might sound good and healthy, having a constant supply of food has its downside.

We know now that insulin is a hormone which helps us get rid of the sug-ars in our blood and it supports muscle and fat accumulation. Insulin has another action. It suppresses the production of the hormone Leptin.

Leptin is a hormone produced by our fat cells. And it is a signaling hor-mone to our brain that we had enough food. So we feel satiated. (It pro-duces the satiety signal in our brains)

Well, what will happen when you get too much insulin too often? It will suppress the production of Leptin. You will be feeling hungry, although you have enough energy in your blood and muscles. And you will have to eat every two hours, because you will always be feeling hungry.

The third gem is that it is ok to skip a meal

Reducing that insulin production can do a great deal for your Leptin hormone and the sensitivity to it. I am a big support-er of intermittent fasting. I wrote an article explaining in deeper lengths what it is and how you can use it to improve your health.

So we have it sorted out, right? Skip the sugars and skip a meal or two and everything should be ok. Well, we are not there just yet. Everyone knows that sugar is dangerous for us. So what then, am I not going to start losing weigh when I start skipping meals and throw away sugars?

You might, or you might not if you are insulin resistant. It turns out that most obese people have insulin resistance and have a very disturbed metabolism.

FATS KILL THE METABOLISM

We spoke about sugar, but everyone knows that sugar is bad. How many of you know that fats kill our cell metabolism? Not so many I think.

FATS KILL THE METABOLISM. And you think right now “This is blasphe-my, sugars and white grains kill the metabolism, what has fats to do with this?”

Up to recent years we had no idea what was causing Type II diabetes, We knew that obesity is a great contributor, and that some people are genet-ically predisposed. But is half of the world’s population predisposed to obesity? I think not.

Type II diabetes is caused by resistance to insulin. Our muscle cells be-come insulin resistant and they don’t take any sugars in. So what hap-pens, our body produces more insulin, because it is striving to get rid of the free floating energy. Some of it manages to go to the muscles, some of it gets turn into fat, simply because muscles get all the sugars.

You remember Leptin, right? Well, this fellow gets even more suppressed in this story. But what is the real cause for the insulin resistance. FATS inside the cells. That is right, scientist now know that intracellular fats are responsible for the insulin resistance of cells which disturbs their metabo-lism of energy.

What cause this build-up of fats inside cells? Eating too much animal fats. Saturated fats are the only fats which build up inside the cell and prevent it from getting the sugar form our currier – insulin.

There is again another gem from me

Plant fats get all the fat from inside the cell out of it! To be more precise, polyunsaturated fats. Such fats are olive oils, flax seed oils, avocado, coconut and etc.

Food (100 g) Fat content in gramsWalnuts 47Canola oil 34Sunflower seeds 33Sesame seeds 26Chia seeds 23.7Unsalted peanuts 16Peanut Butter 14.2Avocado Oil 13.5Olive oil 12.85Seaweed 11Sardines 5Soybeans 7Tuna 14Wild Salmon 17.3Whole Grain Wheat 9.7

Differences between saturated and polyunsaturated

Saturated fats Polyunsaturated fatsCause inflammation Reduce inflammationContribute to digestive disease Help the digestive systemCause insulin resistance Helps to get rid of insulin

resistanceCause brain fog Helps brain function (Might help

with Alzheimer’s)High blood pressure Reduce blood pressure

Another great tip

Tip for meat lovers

Get rid of all the salad dressings. If you eat salad this does not mean that it is good for you, when it has more mayon-naise on it than Belgium French fries. Use olive oil, flax seed oil, apple cider vinegar or simply a lime juice. You will thank me later.

You might consider replacing your beef with fish for some time. As fish contain much more omega 3 and 6 fats than beef, and almost no saturated fats.

The biggest contributor to the insulin resistance crisis is FAST FOOD. It is both fried or deep fried (which is a great way to get a metabolism disor-der) and contains much of the saturated fats and sugars combined. Just a reminder here.

GETTING PRACTICAL

If you are fed up from all this gibberish about hormones and Diabetes we can get to the practical part of this book

Drink enough waterIn order for any biochemical process in the body to take place it needs water. So does the metabolism. However, I am a big supporter of “drink to thirst” method introduced by Dr. Tim Noaks. So be sure to have a bottle of water or some container of water always with you. On your desk or by your side, in your car and at home. So whenever you see it and you feel thirsty to take a sip. This is the best way to know how much water you actually need. No strict rules here about water drinking.

Eat more foods rich in fiberThe average consumption of fiber in the last hundred years has dropped by around 200 grams. It is essential as it can help you lower your insulin levels and improve your digestive system. It has been proved that it helps to prevent colon cancer and treat constipation.

Such foods are oats, whole wheats, berries, nuts, brown rice, flax seeds and probably 95% of fruits. Be sure to eat more of those foods.

Having a balanced dietNot having enough nutrient dense foods in your diet will hurt your me-tabolism. And I am not speaking of protein. I speak of micronutrient rich foods. These nutrients are minerals, vitamins, fibers, enzymes and bacte-ria. Yeah bacteria can count as a nutrient.

Here is the place not to go into too much details about the science behind it, but the essential part is to introduce more natural food sources which are mostly plants. A great example is the Mediterranean diet named by many as the healthiest diet on earth.

A tip

If something says “organic” it does not make it healthy. A lot of packages say “made from organic ingredients”, but when you take a look at the sodium or sugar content it blows you away.

If you eat meatDon’t side it with potatoes or rice. Remember, you release insulin even when you eat proteins. The combination of two is will get a great insulin spike. Side your meaty dish with steamed veggies or a salad.

If you want so much to eat your dessertEat it, but again, better wait for couple of hours. And, try replacing it with something healthier. Dates are great source of fiber and they are very sweet. Or a banana can do the trick.

I don’t believe in restrictionsI am a big pizza lover myself, but rarely will I get a Mcflury after I have eaten a whole pizza because it will skyrocket my insulin. And maybe I will skip break-fast so I can use some fasting to turn on my metabolism in the morning and eat up some of the fats I have stored.

The way is not to restrict yourself,but to educate yourself

LITTLEREMINDERSWhy do I want to lose weight?To be healthier.

Is everybody hating me for being overweight?Probably not!

Why am I hungrier and fatter at the same timeToo much insulin

Why is there too much insulin in meI am insulin resistant

How can I deal with this?Eat more fibers, and polyunsaturated fats. Get rid from saturated fats and refined sugars.

Do I need to run for 3 hours a day?Hell no! You better stimulate your muscles to become more efficient at using and burning calories. (HIIT, Weight lifting)

When does my diet end?It is not a diet, it is your own way of living. So the an-swer is never.

SUPPORT

If you have found this book helpful and you want to support me in my future endeavours, please find time to check my social media ac-counts. I want to create an environment where people will be free to educate themselves. And environment where the corner stone will be science backed data. I believe that knowledge is the freedom to take proper action towards improving your health and well-being.

You can also support me by buying me a coffee : www.buymeacoff.ee/mq6ZbCU

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