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Happy New Year!
Are you feeling a bit guilty for having indulged too much?
Do you feel you overdid the treats over the holidays?
Gasp!
Your mom shoved seconds in your face. Your aunt baked you cookies and the dessert assortment was just too good to pass up.
Let’s get real. If you eat more than you had planned and don’t feel so great, just move on. It’s punishment enough to feel guilty and gross.
The most common approach to undoing the holiday treats is to swing to the opposite extreme: cleanses, detoxes, fasts, keto, extreme workout sessions... you name it. All in the name to get to balance again fast. But, you know yourself how long those efforts last and how much mental effort they require. And, they're not really fun either...
I want to suggest you try a new mindset this January where you skip the guilt and instead try this new mindset:
"One bad meal doesn’t signal the end of my weight loss journey.
having regular indulgences can preempt ME from wanting more of the 'bad' stuff."
What does that mean?
If those few bites of dessert gave you a ‘fix’ and you balanced it out by reducing the carbs in the next 2-3 meals or skipped a meal or two, or worked out, you created balance.
Why beat yourself up for something you CHOSE to do in the first place...?
Ultimately, an indulgence should feel like that. If you feel awful and guilty afterwards, it’s a punishment. There is a fine tipping point where you enjoy the treat and where that switches into a negative experience. That’s the point where you want to stop. To find that point may take a bit of trial and error, but once you find it, you won't overdo it anymore because that awful feeling with deter you next time.
For example, there are these cookies with a chocolate covering that I love. Eating 1 or 2 is where it's at for me.. No ill after-effects of sugar crashes, guilt, crankiness or energy crashes.
If I eat more, the feeling of 'yuck, that was too much' kicks in and takes away from the whole experience. Remembering that feeling of a time when I overdid it, keeps me from doing it again. That's what I call the 'tipping point of enjoyment'.
BUT, I sure get it. We overdo it sometimes and it's actually quite normal. Sometimes we know we are overdoing it, but at the same time we don't know how to stop. You can blame the combination of carbs + fat. High sugar and fat trigger the addiction part of the brain. That combo lights up the pleasure center in the brain that says: "Keep eating. I want more. I can't stop."
We do arrive at a point though where we may feel gross, bloated, heavy, tired, sluggish, brain fog, even anxiety and depression. Those symptoms signal us that we overdid and we crave the opposite feeling: Feeling 'clean', lean, light, in charge, energized, light, and balanced.
Many people start the new year with a detox or an intense workout program. But, that's actually not necessary to reset yourself mentally and physically. And, surprisingly it's not about the foods you eat, but more about the foods you DON'T eat.
Here are the 3 Key Steps that will help you reset without extremes. You will see changes fast and will be able to sustain them:
What are these steps?
1. REAL FOOD: Cut out all sugar and starches and focus on protein and veggies. Veggie smoothies with protein powder for breakfast, a veggie or chicken soup for lunch and a dinner of roasted veggies and a piece of protein. Or, some kind of salad with tons of veggies and a portion of lean protein on top.
The Effect: The absence of sugar and starch allows you to drop several pounds of water and bloat over the first 3-4 days. Every gram of carbs makes your body retain 2.5-3 grams of water, so without them coming in, your body releases that yucky bloat water.
Your digestion will regulate without the common allergens, such as wheat, grains and some fruits, sugar and processed food. You'll feel lighter. Your brain fog will disappear without sugar. Your mood will balance out as a result of balanced blood sugar and your body will start burning fat (instead of food) in a matter of 2-3 days.
2. TONS OF WATER: Drink at least 3 liters of water a day. If sugar cravings kick in, a branched-chain-amino acid product called MRM Reload that helps reduce sugar cravings and slightly blunts appetite. It also prevents muscle loss while dieting.
The Effect: Hydration gives your body and brain energy and reduces hunger. Proper water intake is the key for your metabolism to hum along nicely and to allow your body to metabolize your food and nutrients. It also makes your skin looking healthier and supple.
3. STRENGTH TRAINING + LOTS OF WALKING: A fasted strength training session 3x a week, followed by relaxed walking for at least 20 minutes is one of the most effective ways to kickstart fat burning and muscle growth.
This full-body dumbbell workout is a great example of a quick and effective session that will transform your body without kicking up your appetite, sugar cravings or drop your energy.
The Effect: This 14-Minute Full-body Dumbbell Workout challenges the muscles at such an efficient level to create strength, and definition in all body parts.
The workout increases fat burning for up to 48 hours afterwards and provides the right ratio needed to see your body change and respond to each and every workout.
An effective fat-burning workout creates the following effects: heavy breathing, heat in the muscles and body, muscle fatigue and muscle failure (meaning you can't do another rep).
These effects translate into the right hormonal impact of your workouts. Yes, it's not all about calories, but about triggering the right ratio of hormones that promote fat loss, muscle growth and keep stress hormones low. You want the right ratio of growth hormone, testosterone, cortisol and adrenaline to get leaner. If you haven't been seeing your body change in the past 2-3 weeks, you haven't nailed your workouts.
That's it. These are the 3 main focus points. No detox. No juice cleanse. No 'superfoods', no crazy supplements, and no restriction. It's really that simple. Give it a shot and let me know how you feel in a week, ok? I promise you, you'll want to keep going after that one week.
SIGN UP FOR SLIM & STRONG JANUARY closes in 5 days!
Just a simple reminder that my Online Slim & Strong Program
Starts on Monday, January 10th.
Registration Closes on Friday at noon. No Exceptions.
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