How To Lose Weight In A Natural, Healthy Way

It is the most common question I get asked - 'How can I lose weight?'

After 4 years of blogging on all aspects of health and wellness, I realised I haven't written an article on this topic. Sure I have programs to help people achieve this goal, but no concise, simple to follow fat loss article...

So here goes, the ultimate fat loss how to guide. Oh and this isn't your typical fat loss guide. If you're still a believer of simply 'eating less and moving more' then I recommend you go and read my article 'The Problem With Counting Calories For Fat Loss' before reading the below.

All the fat loss recommendations below are proven by peer reviewed published literature and or have proven to be effective with my clients over 10 years working in the industry.

1. Minimise Consumption of Seed Oils High In Poly-Unsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)

This means avoiding vegetable oils such as canola oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, flaxseed oil and even large doses of fish oil.

All these oils are prevalent in restaurants, cafes and kitchens across the world. And most households use these body fat promoting oils for cooking.

If that doesn't make avoidance rather tricky, know that a lot of processed foods you find at the supermarket also contain these high polyunsaturated containing oils.

Vegetable oils are all high in omega 3 and omega 6 polyunsaturated fats, commonly referred to as 'PUFA's. 

PUFA's are easily oxidised and can cause a lot of health damage, for more on this topic read - PUFA's: The Worst Thing For Your Health That You Eat Everyday.

But for those looking to decrease body fat levels and lose weight, they're the first thing you should be removing from your diet.

Why such strong claims? Firstly, excess intake of Omega 6 fats is linked to weight gain and obesity obesity (1). 

Secondly, the body stores excess PUFAs as body fat even in a calorie controlled diet, (2) plus both rat studies (1) and human studies have found that groups who consume more PUFA fats, with all other variables being equal (including total calories) gained more body fat.

You can test your Omega 6 levels with an inexpensive in home test through LetsGetChecked.com (use code ALEXFERGUS to save on these tests)

That 'healthy' canola oil you cook with is making you fat!

Vegetable oils are so effective at increasing body fat, that individuals who seek rapid fat gain have been known to carry around flasks full high PUFA oil - sipping on it throughout the day. It is that effective as a fat gainer. 

To lose body weight, it requires a few changes to your diet. Removing vegetable oils to minimise PUFA consumption is one of the best things you can do to lose fat. Unfortunately as these oils are commonly used, it may mean giving up some of your favourite processed foods and even changing restaurants (as many restaurants cook with vegetable oils due to their low cost).

But your waist line (and health) will thank you for it! Oh and if you're wondering what you should use instead of vegetable oils for cooking and baking, switch to a more natural fat like coconut oil, ghee, olive oil or even butter. 

If you are worried about switching PUFAs for saturated fats, I recommend you read my article 9 Reasons Why Your Doctor Is Wrong About Fat and also have a look through my comprehensive article on PUFAs.

2. Eat Organic Food - Avoid GMO Food and Heavily Sprayed Produce

An organic (or even spray free) diet low in pesticides  & herbicides will help you on your fat loss quest.

Glyphosate - also known as Round Up - is commonly used by farmers and crop growers across the world. Exposure to glyphosate causes a range of health damage on the body (read more about in my article - Glyphosate: Why You Need To Eat Organic). 

But for those looking at decreasing body fat levels, glyphosate must be avoided. Glyphosate destroys beneficial gut bacteria and inhibits cytochrome P450 - which in turn causes inflammation and increased body fat levels (3). 

Not only that, but glyphosate exposure will decrease sex hormone production - meaning lower levels of the fat burning hormones testosterone (4).

That's not all. Glyphosate exposure causes mineral deficiencies in the body - malabsorption is linked to overeating and increased body fat levels (the body is deficient in crucial vitamins and minerals, so your appetite is always high as the body attempts to resolve it's nutrient deficiency) (5).

And glyphosate can cause hypothyroidism - a condition linked to weight gain and increased body fat levels (6)

The best way to decrease glyphosate and other herbicide exposure in your diet is to eat organically. If you can't afford this (or should I say - your fat loss goals aren't that big of a priority...) then ensure you avoid all food that contain genetically modified organisms (GMO).

GMO crops - also named 'Roundup Ready crops' include examples such as soybean, corn and canola. These crops contain extremely high levels of glyphosate.

3. Make Sleep A Priority -  Sleep More Than 7 hours Every Night 

If you are serious about losing weight, then you need to be serious about your sleep. Your sleep should be a top priority. Quality and quantity are both important here.

Sleep has a huge impact on the fat gain (or loss).  When you have a bad night of sleep, your body produces less leptin hormone (7)

Leptin plays a huge role in regulating appetite - when levels are high, your body will have a low appetite (assuming you are leptin sensitive, more on this soon). 

One bad night of sleep can significantly decrease your leptin levels - you will wake up feeling extremely hungry. 

Not only this, but the lack of sleep is going to increase stress hormone cortisol (in excess cortisol promotes fat gain), decreases testosterone (bad news if you seek lower body fat levels) and decreases sensitivity to neurotransmitters such as dopamine (you are going to be craving junk food!)

Remember, quality and quantity are both important here. 7-9 hours sleep is ideal, but if those 9 hours are disrupted - with frequent tossing and turning and waking feeling inadequately rested, then you need to do something about your sleep.

Fortunatley I have a lot of free resources and tips on how to improve your sleep that you can receive HERE.

 

Otherwise if you use a sleep tracker such as the Oura Ring - read my Oura Ring Review HERE -, then aim to get a sleep score of 80% or higher each night for optimal fat loss results.

 

4. Avoid Too Much Chronic Cardio!

You might think that jogging at a medium intensity for hours and hours a week is the perfect way to lower your body fat levels... well, think again.

Exercising in this harder than walking but easier than sprinting 'no man's land' is very stressful on the body. It's harder than walking - meaning it's requiring more energy for output, but it's easier than sprinting - meaning you don't need to stop after a few seconds, you can continue for hours on end.

As a result, you have an increase in the production of cortisol, the stress hormone while also suppressing testosterone and growth hormone (both of which are potent fat burners). 

Also, excess cardio creates high amounts of inflammation in the body and increases free radical production. But as this type of exercise doesn't 'hurt as much' as sprint training or weight training, you can be tempted to do it for longer and longer on a more frequent basis.

No comment needed!

So skip the long boring jogs. Do short and intense interval training instead. But just remember not to overdo it - 1 or 2 sessions a week is all you need.

If you need some examples of suitable fat burning workouts to perform, either ask in the comments section below or check out my Authentic Alex video series where I share some of my workouts.

5. Boost Your Metabolism - Avoid Being Hypothyroid  

I often get overweight clients come to me who are in a hypothyroid state. What does this mean? Simple, their metabolism is ruined, they have cold hands and feet, low body temperatures, little energy, their T3 labs are low and most importantly - they're fat.

A symptom of hypothyroidism is weight gain. Hypothyroidism can be brought on my many factors - dietary, genetic, environmental etc. And it is a condition that should be taken seriously. A true hypothyroid state may require medication and support from your doctor.

But even a sluggish metabolism can be restricting your ability to lose weight. How do you know if your thyroid is underperforming? Tracking your body temperature throughout the day is a good start. I cover this in more detail here - Important: Why You Need To Measure Your Body Temperature

Based on my decade of experience working with clients and obsessing over health, I have found the following conditions are all linked to lower thyroid levels and sluggish metabolisms. So if you are doing any of these things, and you want to drop your body fat percentage, it may be time to make some changes:

• Eating an ultra low carb diet for an extended period (3months or longer)
• Eating an ultra low-calorie diet for an extended period.
• Eating a low nutrient diet (lacking in minerals such as selenium, zinc and iodine)
• Overtraining - lots of endurance training, or intense training without adequate recovery
• Low sunlight exposure

If the fat loss is the goal, a slow metabolism is like having the handbreak on whils you drive your car. You can still get to where you need to go, but it's going to be difficult and you will do a lot of damage in the process.

Track your body temperature, stop doing any of things mentioned in the points above and implement the rest of my recommendations in this article. You may also want to register for this weeks presentation of mine where I showcase the importance of metabolic health for fat loss, you can sign up for that by clicking HERE.

6. Boost Your Testosterone

Testosterone is a powerful fat burner in both men and woman.  

Research has shown that higher testosterone levels led to an increase in energy expenditure from muscle tissue at rest (8) and hormone-deficient men who are given testosterone supplements in a lost an average of 16kg over five years. (9). 

The men were fatter with lower testosterone levels.

So how does one increase their testosterone in order to decrease body fat?

The most comprehensive guide  on increasing testosterone naturally is in my article 29 Proven and Effective Ways to Boost Testosterone Naturally.

I will cover a lot of the big factors in this article, but if you are looking for a quick run through of ideas, here goes: Eat saturated fat (and reduce vegetable oil use), lift weights and minimise things that boost estrogen levels (beer, plastic and chemicals etc).

7. Go Outside and Get Some Sun

If you're looking to decrease body fat levels, get your shirt off and go outside.

Vitamin D from sunlight exposure is shown to increase testosterone (10). Not only that, sunlight exposure is linked to thyroid health and sleep quality - both things that will decrease body fat.

Morning sunlight exposure for instance helps with optimal hormonal patterns and sleep quality. 

Also, sunlight exposure, independent of vitamin D status - helps lower body fat levels (22).  more reason to get outside in the sun!

8. Eliminate All Trans Fats

Trans fats are man-made fatty acids that are associated with various health issues and fat gain. Though these were touted as being a healthy fat in recent times, science has finally caught up and shown that these synthetic fats are extremely damaging to our health and waistline.

As a result they are not as abundant in our diet as they used to be, but they are still a problem. Especially if weight loss around the belly is a priority of yours.

Researchers at Wake Forest University found that trans fats increase fat levels around the stomach. They do this not just by adding new fat, but also by moving fat from other areas to the belly area (11).

Trans fats should be a completely eliminated from your diet, like vegetable oils covered above, these fats are going to destroy all the other good work you may be doing on your fat loss journey if they are consumed.

Studies even show that trans fats increased fat deposits even in the absence of caloric excess (12). Meaning these fats can be consumed on a calorie deficient diet, and you will still get fat (a good reason why I don't recommend counting calories for fat loss)

Trans fats are found in heavily processed foods like crackers, cookies and margarine. Avoid this processed junk if you are serious about losing fat - in particular belly fat.

9. Stress Less, Lose Weight!

The more stress in your life, in your body and in your environment the more likely you are to gain body fat.

Not only is stress linked to fat gain (read how in my article Why You Need To Do Less To Lose Fat), but it's also going to undo all the good work you may be doing in the gym or in the kitchen.

Stress is that important when it comes to fat loss.

You want to reduce as much stress in your life as possible.

What could you do to decrease your stress load? Have a read through the article I mentioned above as a start.

Remember, stress can come in many forms - from running late for an appointment, to worrying about upcoming bills. And their are many hidden forms of stress that could be taking a toll on your body - for example, living in a toxic environment (mould exposure, or close to high transmission power lines) to being sleep deprived.

Work through as many of these things as possible and reduce or remove what you.

Otherwise, take more vacations!

10. Fix Leptin Resistance

The body has a built-in mechanism to avoid excessive fat gain. Unfortunatley this mechanism can be broken.  If you are serious about decreasing your body fat percentage you need to fix this system.

To achieve this we need to look at leptin in a little more detail. Remember leptin is a hormone that helps control our appetite. When it's released in the body we are less hungry.

Leptin is created in body fat tissue. The more body fat the more leptin will be produced. So as you increase your body fat your brain is going to get more signals saying 'slow down, we don't need more food'. Hormones are powerful things and the strongest willpower in the world may falter here.

But there is a way around this. We can develop leptin resistance - meaning that leptin doesn't have an effect on our brain. Despite more leptin being released from the fat cells, it won't have an impact on your satiety. You can get fatter and keep the appetite. Bad news!

So how do we resolve leptin resistance? If you want to throw some cash at the problem and have everything mapped out for you, then jump on the Hormone Reset Program as I walk you through exactly what you need to be doing to resolve leptin resistance. 

Otherwise here are a few tips: Eat only when you're hungry and stop when you are full. Years of overeating create high levels of leptin (known as hyperleptinemia), which causes leptin to become less effective at controlling appetite.  

Other factors that help include - irregular meal times, irregular sleep/wake cycles and messed up circadian rhythms. Long haul travel is very problematic here due to all sleep/time zone issues and poor food.

For more on Leptin and how it leads to weight gain, see my article Why You Need To Learn About Leptin If You Are Overweight.

11. Listen To Your Body - Only Eat When You Are Hungry

Another hormone that plays an important role in fat gain is ghrelin. Ghrelin is your hunger hormone - when it's released you feel hungry (the opposite to leptin).

As more and more leptin is released from your fat cells your body will produce less ghrelin. So you may find yourself eating less.

Continuing to eat when you feel satisfied can severely disrupt this system and lead to increased body fat levels.

We live in a time when food is abundant and easily accessible. It is very infrequent for us to feel extremely hungry, we are always snacking and eating throughout the day.

If you are serious about losing some weight, then it's important you listen to your body. You don't need to track calories (in fact I highly discourage doing so, as explained in my article - The Problem With Counting Calories For Fat Loss), instead, eat quality food when you are hungry. And don't eat when you're not hungry.

Skip snacking, say no to the free sweets, look elsewhere when you walk past the muffins at work.

Only eating when you are hungry is another great way to improve your leptin leptin sensitivity - becoming in-tune with your natural hormonal cycles.

12. Reduce Your EMF Exposure

EMF - or Electromagnetic Fields - are natural forces emitted from the sun, earth even people. With modern technology, we have added to these forces - creating Non-Native EMF fields. 

Sources of these non-native fields include cell phones, wifi routers, cell towers, power lines, smart meters, bluetooth, electric cars, radio towers and electrical wiring.

These unseen forces can play havoc on our health. Not only can they reduce testosterone levels (13, 14) but there is evidence that dirty electricity (a form of nnEMF) is a cause of obesity (15). 

So make sure you turn off your wifi router when not in use, avoid carrying your phone in your pocket, minimise your use of wireless devices and preferably get out of living in a densely populated city - surrounded by electrical wiring and cell towers.

13. Lift Heavy Things

Heavy resistance training is going to accelerate your fat loss progress. There is a reason why the guys and girls lifting weights are so lean! In my article 11 Reasons Why You Need To Lift Heavy For Fat Loss I go into why this is the case.

Stressing the muscle through weight training is going to use energy (that could otherwise be stored as body fat) whilst stimulating new muscle tissue to be built - requiring further energy to maintain it (meaning you need to eat more to stay in the same shape).

Plus, resistance training causes a hormonal cascade of events that are not supportive of fat gain. 

Again, I cover this topic in much more detail in THIS article. And if you need an effective weight training session that doesn't require hours in the gym, be sure to watch me do some of my workouts HERE or read my article on Super Slow resistance training. 

Just remember - the harder you train, the more you need to recover. Don't overdo the training, as that can lead to hormonal issues and fat retention.

If you need an excellent training program that will help you lose weight, be sure to check out the Size & Strength program.

14. Move Frequently

If you use a wearable like Fitbit or Oura Ring, aim to get your step count up above 10,000 steps or more a day.

Every time you move you are expending some energy. And movement requires muscles to fire. Muscles will adapt to the stressor. This adaption also uses more energy.

But best of all this frequent moving will help you slim up, even if you can't make it to the gym.

In fact, it only takes 2 hours of sitting to down-regulate lipase enzyme (your fat burning enzyme), up-regulates ghrelin (appetite hormone), and decrease leptin sensitivity ( a hormone that controls how full you feel).

So the longer you sit, the less fat you burn and the hungrier you become!

If lack of movement is an issue for you, get an activity tracker such as the Oura Ring and set it to alert you when you have been inactive for a period of time.

15. Eat a Low Toxin, Low Inflammatory Diet

What do I mean by this? Simple - minimise food that comes from a cardboard box, a can or wrapped in plastic. Frozen meals, crisps and cookies are all to be avoided.

You want to minimise preservatives, additives, flavour enhancers and anything that has been heavily processed. 

Look at the ingredients list, the more numbers you see the more reasons you should avoid that food. 

For meat products, seek out quality grass fed, hormone free meat. Go for wild caught fish and free range chicken.They may cost more, but they won't be full of the junk that the cheaper cuts contain.

Avoiding meat from feedlot farms is crucial. These animals are fed GMO grains and pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones. Farmers do this so the animal fattens up faster (and the same thing happens to you when you eat the meat).

The bad news is that a lot of these toxins are stored in the animals fat - bound up ready for human consumption.

In a nutshell you want to eat a diet that has an as many natural foods as possible - and ensure the food has been farmed or grown in a natural way - with minimal processing, or poisons used. Organic is a good way to go here.

If you are consuming too many toxins in your diet, you will flood the body with these toxins to the point where the body cannot clear them and will store them in your own body tissue. Fat tissue to be precise.

This is why eating a heavily processed toxic diet can lead to fat gain, even in those thin people who have 'great genes' (have a look at their belly next time they're at the beach, I bet they have some belly fat!)

Processed = Fat Gain!

But that's not all. Xenoestrogens, pollutants and chemicals are synthetic compounds that have disruptive effects on our body. Xenoestrogens, for example, mimic the action of estrogen produced in our cells and can alter hormonal activity. 

These chemicals can stimulate estrogens in the body, bind to estrogen receptors, causing fat accumulation, bind to gene signalling in fat tissue and cause new fat cell formation along with inflammation, disrupt leptin production by fat cells, and suppress adiponectin (glucose regulation and fatty acid breakdown) in fat cells. 

It’s possible to gain fat by being exposed to too many toxins. Stay away from cheap mass produced foods. Buy from farmers markets, seek out organic labels, or better yet, grow your own food.

If your great grandma couldn't eat it as a child then you shouldn't eat it.

For more on this topic, read How Toxins Are Making You Gain Fat.

16. Eat a Nutrient Rich Diet

Studies have shown that obesity can be brought on by malnutrition (16). It makes perfect sense. If the body is lacking in vitamin nutrients, it's going to increase our appetite. In turn, you will eat food and the body will hope it gets what it's lacking.

What's scary is that a lot of us are malnourished. I cover this subject in great detail in my article on supplements. If you don't want to read that, let me include a few snippets:

Numerous studies have shown that a lot of the population are deficient in many nutrients. A paper by the Council for Responsible Nutrition found that:

“Large portions of the (American) population had total usual intakes below the estimated average requirement for vitamins A (35%), C (31%), D (74%), and E (67%) as well as calcium (39%) and magnesium (46%) (23)

But that's not all. A paper in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that 77% of american adults are deficient in Vitamin D (24).

And if you're overweight or obese, then its highly likely you are nutrient deficient. In the Perfect Health Diet book, Dr. Paul Jaminet shows that:

• People with low Vitamin D levels were 3.2x more likely to be obese than those with high Vitamin D levels. (25)
• Obese have less than half the levels of magnesium than non-obese (26)
• Iron deficiency is associated with obesity (27)
• Studies show that 73% of obese people are zinc deficient and 67% were copper deficient. (28)

If you're attempting to lose weight, you really need to eat a nutrient rich diet. Include foods like organ meats (liver is great), shellfish, bone broth, organic fresh fruits and produce, egg yolks and quality meats.

But this alone may not be enough. You may want to consider using a quality multi-vitamin. I like the Thorne Research range. 

 

17. Avoid Blue Light At Night Time

Yes light can make you fat.

Phone screens, TVs and computers all emit what's referred to as blue light. This particular wavelength of light has been shown to suppress melatonin and increase cortisol (17).

You can read more about this in my article How Blue Light Is Ruining Sleep & Making You Sick Fat & Tired.

If your goal is disrupted sleep and weight gain then continue to use bright lights late at night. But if you are seeking lower body fat levels (and improved sleep and health) you may want to switch off some devices or consider investing in a set of blue blocking glasses. 

What else can you do?

Remove white fluorescent lights in your house (go for incandescent instead), switch the TV off at night and install Iris on your computers. Looking at bright lights when it's dark outside send a signal to the brain that the sun is up, the days are long and the food is in abundance. 

You are signalling to the body - eat, be merry, stay up late and get fat because winter is coming and that means less food and shorter days.

If you expose your eyes to bright lights at night your body will be tricked into thinking it's summer, increasing your fat gain (and also disrupting your melatonin and leptin levels). 

Switch off instead (it's not that hard, you can read about my experiences HERE)

18. Hang Out With Healthy, Slim People

The famous saying goes 'you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with'. So hang around people who live a healthy lifestyle.

Follow inspirational lean fitness people on social media (or watch my AuthenticAlex series).  Reach out to friends who like exercising, prioritise their sleep (maybe arrange a catchup over lunch instead of dinner!) , shop at farmers markets and enjoy being out in nature.

Avoid these sort of friends if fat loss is your goal!

Peer support is a powerful motivator. You need to minimise any temptation or peer pressure to eat 'junk'. Instead, you need friends that have a similar goal to yours and will help you on your goals.

You may even want an accountability coach if you are very serious about your goals or make it a competition - whoever can lose the most weight in 6 months wins. 

19. Ditch The Beer

Beer is the worst drink of choice if fat loss is your goal. Why?

Firstly it has been shown to decrease testosterone levels (18). Secondly, it's high in carbs and alcohol. As alcohol is metabolised first by the body, the carbs will be pushed away to be stored as fat. Thirdly, beer is made from hops and hops contain potent estrogenic substances (19). 

This is going to cause increased fat gain, and as a bonus, hops are classified as an anaphrodisiac herb – it lessens sexual desire.

Finally, many beers are contaminated with glyphosate (20), the pesticide that is linked to health issues and fat gain.

Give up beer, drink kombucha or ginger beer instead!

20. Stay Away From Soy

Soy is a horrible food source to if your goal is to lose weight. Even worse, a lot of processed foods you find in the supermarket contain soy - whether it's soy flour, soy oil, soy protein or a derivative of soy. 

If you are eating processed food, you will be eating some soy.

Why is it detrimental for fat loss?  Soy contains phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) that have similar effects to estrogen in the body.  Consumption has been linked to lower testosterone levels.

Soy is also high in poly-unsaturated fats and most soy is GMO - meaning it will be laced with glyphosate residues.

Avoid soy products at all costs on your fat loss quest.

For more on the dangers of soy read my article 13 Reasons Why Soy Is The Worst Food In The World. 

21. Reduce Long Haul Travel

I have mentioned this earlier, but it needs its own section. Long haul travel is extremely disruptive to our health and bodies and regular long haul travel may be the perfect way to accumulate body fat.

When you stop and think about it, it's obvious as to why. You're stuck in a seat for extended periods - if you wanted to move you can't go far.

You're exposed to huge amounts of radiation as you travel in a metal tube in a thin atmosphere. Not to mention new planes that have onboard wifi.

The food is terrible - you will be exposed to vegetable oils, pesticides and feedlot meat.

Your sleep is disrupted. It's very hard to sleep well on a plane.

It's stressful. Customs, security, foreign languages...

It messes up your body clock and sleep cycles...

Now I'm not saying that you have to stay at home in an attempt to lose weight, but if you are trying to drop a few pounds and you do a lot of travelling, it is something you need to be aware of.

For more on this topic have a read of my article 12 Reasons Why Travelling Is Disruptive To Our Health (And How To Remedy It)

 

22. Drink Less.... Alcohol

If you are super serious about dropping belt sizes, then cut out the booze.

The funny thing is the alcohol itself isn't usually the problem when it comes to fat gain (or loss), it's all the other things mixed into the drink (like glyphosate contaminated grapes in wine, or estrogens raising hops in beer, or the bucket loads of sugar in mixed drinks) that do most of the damage.

Combine that with the overeating and late night takeout splurges (mexican and pizza at 1am...) and disrupted sleep habits that arise from excessive drinking and you soon see how it's difficult to lose fat if you're drinking a lot of alcohol (I could go further and look at the lack of activity and binge eating that often occurs when hungover...)

There is no reason why you cannot stay trim and drink alcohol - in fact alcohol consumption is a part of the Hormone Reset Protocol - but if the drink is leading to junk food binges and sleep disruption on a regular basis, it may be time to cut back for a while. 

23. Eat and Sleep at Regular Times

In my article How Blue Light Is Ruining Sleep and Making You Fat I look at how disrupted light and sleep cycles is a recipe for health problems and fat gain.

Disrupted circadian rhythms not only impact your health and wellbeing, but research is now showing it causes fat gain and obesity (29).

Taking it a step further, studies are also showing that irregular meal timing (including late night eating) is contributing to your weight gain problem (30).

The body - like most things in life - works in cycles. Eating (and sleeping) and different times to what the body 'expects' impairs metabolic health and utilisation of food.

What causes disrupted circadian rhythms? Many things including:

• Irregular sleep and wake times,
• lack of sunlight exposure in the morning and day time,
• too much artificial light exposure at night,
• frequent travel across time zones
• inconsistent eating times

Your body responds to food differently and various times of the day, and eating meals when the body expects to be fast asleep can cause havoc with these cycles and cause metabolic and hormonal issues leading to weight gain.

If you are trying to optimise your fat loss progress, you should stick to a regular sleep/wake cycle and eat at regular times. It may take some adjusting (and pre-planning) but the results will be worth it.

All the members of the Hormone Reset Program follow such a protocol. Remember, there is more to fat loss than what you eat and how much you exercise!

24. Get Cold

 Go have a cold shower, or better yet, take a plunge in an ice bath. If these things sound too extreme, then simply turn down the temperature on your air-conditioning unit.

You see, exposure to cold temperatures is a great way to drop fat levels.

Cold exposure - better known as cold thermogenesis - has been shown to:

• increase adiponectin levels (31) . Adiponectin is a hormone that stimulates fatty acid oxidation in muscle cells by activating AMP-activated protein kinase. Or in simple terms – cold increases adiponectin, adiponectin burns fat (32)  

• CT helps shunt blood glucose into muscle (33) . Clearance of excess blood glucose eliminates the possibility of blood sugar to be converted into fat by the liver. Meaning a 5minute cold shower can be the perfect fix for that tub of ice cream binge!

• CT lowers blood sugar levels by burning glucose as heat

• CT activates conversion of body fat (properly known as white adipose tissue or WAT) into brown adipose tissue (BAT)(34) .

• BAT is shown to be closer to muscle tissue in regards to metabolic function – meaning it is dense in energy producing mitochondria (hence its brownish color) and BAT utilizes body fat (typically from the belly and back) as its fuel source.

So go and have a cold shower after you finish your resistance training session this week! It will help you reach the body your dream of!

25. Join The Hormone Reset Program

Last but definitely not least, join 100's of others losing fat and improving their health on the Hormone Reset Program!

Sometimes it's easier following a protocol designed by an expert. Having everything laid out for you, from meal plans, to supplement protocols and training routines.

Those who have followed the Hormone Reset Program  have gone on to lose a ton of body weight, whilst learning a heap about their body and health. Oh and best of all they keep it off. No yo-yo dieting here!

The Hormone Reset Protocol works from the ground up, optimising your gut health and digestion first, whilst allowing the body to rest and recover from all the stressors of life. It is a progress by 'removal instead of addition' protocol. 

Then we take you through a refined leptin reset protocol, whilst addressing any underlying metabolic issues.  Before finally leveraging your newfound health and energy and sculpting the body into the shape of your dreams.

It is truely a wonderful program, and it's helping dozens of people across the world lose fat and never finding it again!

I know at the start of this article I said all the tips below were scientifically proven or had great affect with the clients I worked with, and the latter holds true here. Have a look at some of the testimonials from members who have completed the Hormone Reset Program on this page HERE. 

If fat loss is what you are after, and you need a simple to follow protocol that includes all of the recommendations in this article (plus much, much more) then I highly recommend joining the Hormone Reset Program.

25 Tips To Lose Fat, And Keep It Off!

There you go. If you're looking to decrease your body fat levels you now know how.

I'm sure some of the tips and recommendations may be new and even controversial, if you have doubts I suggest you look at the studies and articles I have referenced and do your own research.

But I can assure you know, if you have ended up on this article after following the conventional 'eat less, move more' approach and it hasn't worked for you, then give the recommendations I have outlined above a go.

And remember, if you want to fast track your results and follow a protocol where everything is mapped out for you, then look into the Hormone Reset Program here. 

 

Items Mentioned:

• Lab testing at Letsgetchecked
• Oura Ring
• Hormone Reset Program
• book - Perfect Health Diet book, Dr. Paul Jaminet
• Swannies Blue Light Blocking Glasses - use discount code ALEXFERGUS to save
• Iris

Found This Interesting? Then You Might Like:

• 7 Ways To Reduce Man Boobs & Decrease Estrogen Levels
• The Secret To Looking AND Feeling Amazing
• Why You Need To Do Less To Lose Fat
• Toxins and Fat Gain: What You Need To Know
• Lose Fat And Never Find It Again!
  

This blog post was written by Alex Fergus. Alex is a ISSN Sports Nutrition Specialist, Fitness Professional and certified Superhuman Coach who continues to expand his knowledge base and help people across the world with their health and wellness. Alex is recognized as the National Record Holder in Powerlifting and Indoor Rowing and has earned the title of the Australian National Natural Bodybuilding Champion. Having worked as a health coach and personal trainer for over a decade, Alex now researches all things health and wellness and shares his findings on this blog. Learn more about Alex's Credentials HERE.

 

[+] References