Simple Habits for Fat Loss

Egger29

Self-directed fat loss programs fail 98% of the time, but not because fat loss is so hard. It’s because most people make fat loss hard by trying to learn and do too much at once. It’s “all or nothing” at its worst, and it leads to a staggeringly high rate of failure.

Being successful is a matter of understanding how change really happens. You see, successful, lasting change only happens by introducing new habits/behaviors slowly — and only when an individual is truly confident they can do them. So, if you Don't want to be part of the 98% that fail at fat loss, check out the following:

Below is a list of proven habits and behaviors that’ll help you lose fat. What do you do with them? Simple: first, read through them and choose One habit to follow for the next 14 days or so. Pick whichever one seems easiest for you.

Once you choose, ask yourself the following question: “On a scale of 1-10, how confident am I that I can do this habit every day for the next 14 days?” If the answer is a 9 or a 10, you can get started on that habit.

However, if your answer is less than a 9, either choose a different habit or make your chosen habit easier until you’re really confident you can do it. For example, instead of exercising 30 minutes a day, could you do 15? How about 5? Give yourself permission to make it easier and easier on yourself until you’re at least 9/10 on the confidence scale. Then do it.

Remember, this is about truly being honest with yourself. Forget about what you think you should be able to do; what can you do, right now? In my experience, to be truly confident (which is what separates those who succeed from those who fail), people need to start with one, quick, easy habit each day.

1. Exercise for 30 minutes
2. Take fish oil and a multivitamin at breakfast
3. Drink at least 8 cups of water
4. Eat at least 4 one-cup servings of vegetables
5. Sleep at least 8 hours (including naps and night-time sleep)
6. During each meal, stop eating when 80% full
7. Twice during the work day, get up and do 5 minutes of muscle stretching
8. Eat 4 – 5 meals
9. Eat lean protein with each meal
10. Replace grains with greens during each meal

These 10 habits should give you a great start on the fat loss process. But remember the rules. Don’t try to pile them all on at once. Begin by choosing only one new habit that you’re confident you can do for 14 days. Then do it, adding new habits only after you’ve mastered the first one.

And here’s another key tip. As you adopt each new habit, it's ok to leave everything else the same. Sure, if you’re feeling particularly ambitious one day and you want to try a few new things, that’s OK.

However, take my word. You can’t do it all at once, every day. But the good news is you don’t have to!

So just let go of that expectation right now. Instead, pick one proven behavior to start with. The same way you would learn math, or learn to talk, or learn anything, you’re going to learn to get in shape.

Ref: Dr. John Berardi - Precision Nutrition

lndcobra

great post... made me feel better about my eating habits....

kerriknox

Thanks for this! Makes me feel good that I already do 6 of the above. Just need to incorporate the other 4!
The one I choose for the next two weeks is to get up and do 5 min of stretching twice a day!

MaryIM

THANKS for the information ... I will work the list, starting with #1, today

wgieni

Excellent Post Egger!

deepac456

Thanks for sharing!

Wilfred808

eating four-five times a day is completely unneccesary(sp?). a person could eat all there food in one meal and get the same results as a person spreading their meals out. it doesnt keep your metabolism "revved up" for longer. you should only eat that many times a day if thats how you like eating

you dont have the "secret" to fat loss. there is no secret. if you gain weight at 2000 cals eat 1900 repeat as neccesary

Jennjenn1974

eating four-five times a day is completely unneccesary(sp?). a person could eat all there food in one meal and get the same results as a person spreading their meals out. it doesnt keep your metabolism "revved up" for longer. you should only eat that many times a day if thats how you like eating

Please tell me you are kidding.....

myofibril

Self-directed fat loss programs fail 98% of the time, but not because fat loss is so hard. It’s because most people make fat loss hard by trying to learn and do too much at once. It’s “all or nothing” at its worst, and it leads to a staggeringly high rate of failure.

Good post but this really stands out for me. Rigid dieters have a much harder time of it than flexible dieters, and suffer a higher failure rate.

You don't have to be perfect, just consistent.

Nelly_J

Thanks for the post; just what I needed to read. I'm going to print this out and share with others!

myofibril

eating four-five times a day is completely unneccesary(sp?). a person could eat all there food in one meal and get the same results as a person spreading their meals out. it doesnt keep your metabolism "revved up" for longer. you should only eat that many times a day if thats how you like eating

Please tell me you are kidding.....

There's nothing wrong with that post. You don't HAVE to eat 4-5 times a day but it suits many people as it keep blood sugar levels stable which in turn prevents over eating. There is little significant difference in overall levels of fat oxidation / lipolysis between eating say 5 times a day and once a day IF the calorie level is the same.

Egger29

eating four-five times a day is completely unneccesary(sp?). a person could eat all there food in one meal and get the same results as a person spreading their meals out. it doesnt keep your metabolism "revved up" for longer. you should only eat that many times a day if thats how you like eating

you dont have the "secret" to fat loss. there is no secret. if you gain weight at 2000 cals eat 1900 repeat as neccesary

Eating the right foods 4-5 times a day helps maintain stable levels of blood glucose which keeps the insulin levels constant in your blood the same. It's a proven fact that insulin spikes hinder your fat burning process by by eating lower glycemic foods throughout the day, you keep this under control and keep your fat burning mechanisms running.

If you don't believe me then check the following research: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-insulin

In addition, statistically speaking, it's been shown that people who eat less frequently tend to make poorer choices in their food selection and also have the tendancy to over-eat in those meals, thus the general recommendation to eat more smaller meals through the day.

ArroganceInStep

eating four-five times a day is completely unneccesary(sp?). a person could eat all there food in one meal and get the same results as a person spreading their meals out. it doesnt keep your metabolism "revved up" for longer. you should only eat that many times a day if thats how you like eating

you dont have the "secret" to fat loss. there is no secret. if you gain weight at 2000 cals eat 1900 repeat as neccesary

I agree...somewhat. I don't think I buy the whole keeping your metabolism going thing, I just don't see eating half now and half in 2 hours as much different than just eating the whole thing now. No scientific proof behind it, just my own feelings on the subject.

That being said, I think eating multiple meals a day is beneficial in another way. I notice, at least with myself, that I'm full longer. If I know I'm going to eat again in 2 hours, versus 4 or 5, it's easier for me to stop when I'm satisfied, versus when I'm full.

Looking at what I eat on 3 meals a day versus 6, the total calories in the 6 meals tend to be lower.

This is very much personal experience, but it's my $0.02 on the subject.

Heather75

Thanks, Egger.

ArroganceInStep

Eating the right foods 4-5 times a day helps maintain stable levels of blood glucose which keeps the insulin levels constant in your blood the same. It's a proven fact that insulin spikes hinder your fat burning process by by eating lower glycemic foods throughout the day, you keep this under control and keep your fat burning mechanisms running.

If you don't believe me then check the following research: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-insulin

Or you could go all science-y on the thing and wow people with 'facts'. Personally I think my argument was better!

Wilfred808

of course not gawjuss. think about it like this... if you eat a small amount many times a day its going to increase your metabolism by a small amount. if you eat a giant meal once a day its going to greatly increase your metabolism. by the end of the day its all going to even out. so eat as many times as you like

http://www.leangains.com/2011/04/critique-of-issn-position-stand-on-meal.html

this may not appear to be a reliable website but, once it gets into the actual article it shows the sources to the many studies its taken its data from.

if you even start typing meal frequency into google the autocomplete comes on and the first result is "meal frequency myth"

now you post some links to reliable studies that show eating multiple times a day is beneficial to body composition

edit: il go ahead and post mine now. patiently awaiting yours

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494

myofibril

Eating the right foods 4-5 times a day helps maintain stable levels of blood glucose which keeps the insulin levels constant in your blood the same. It's a proven fact that insulin spikes hinder your fat burning process by by eating lower glycemic foods throughout the day, you keep this under control and keep your fat burning mechanisms running.

By the same token it could be argued that causing insulin to spike and crash is actually better for lipolysis IF you can stop yourself from over eating as a result.

"The reason is that even tiny amounts of insulin block lipolysis, if you keep insulin low but stable all day, you are effectively impairing lipolysis. But the study in question showed that blood fatty acid levels came back up much faster when insulin was spiked (which crashed blood glucose back down, lowering insulin). The drawback, mind you, is that rapidly falling blood glucose tends to make people hungry and calorie control would be nearly impossible with this strategy. And, as you’ll see below, in a hypocaloric situation, it probably doesn’t matter a bit."

From the following article by Lyle McDoanld: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/insulin-levels-and-fat-loss-qa.html

I think your overall post was great and I don't want the benefit of it to be overshadowed by some long *kitten* debate on meal frequency. I would say though in the grand scheme of things meal frequency is a minor detail not a fundamental. Just something to consider.

Wilfred808

Eating the right foods 4-5 times a day helps maintain stable levels of blood glucose which keeps the insulin levels constant in your blood the same. It's a proven fact that insulin spikes hinder your fat burning process by by eating lower glycemic foods throughout the day, you keep this under control and keep your fat burning mechanisms running.

If you don't believe me then check the following research: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-insulin

Or you could go all science-y on the thing and wow people with 'facts'. Personally I think my argument was better!

i was hoping someone would bring up the insulin argument

PLEASE read this. weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319

edit: its not a proven fact, its broscience that you need to stop spreading. you are going to cause a lot of people out there some unneeded stress bc they wont be able to get in 5 meals a day

who am i gonna believe recent studies on pubmed.gov or precisionnutrition.com? lol

there are some words that are bolded if you click those words it take you to pubmed which is one of the most reliable sources out there

Wilfred808

Eating the right foods 4-5 times a day helps maintain stable levels of blood glucose which keeps the insulin levels constant in your blood the same. It's a proven fact that insulin spikes hinder your fat burning process by by eating lower glycemic foods throughout the day, you keep this under control and keep your fat burning mechanisms running.

By the same token it could be argued that causing insulin to spike and crash is actually better for lipolysis IF you can stop yourself from over eating as a result.

"The reason is that even tiny amounts of insulin block lipolysis, if you keep insulin low but stable all day, you are effectively impairing lipolysis. But the study in question showed that blood fatty acid levels came back up much faster when insulin was spiked (which crashed blood glucose back down, lowering insulin). The drawback, mind you, is that rapidly falling blood glucose tends to make people hungry and calorie control would be nearly impossible with this strategy. And, as you’ll see below, in a hypocaloric situation, it probably doesn’t matter a bit."

From the following article by Lyle McDoanld: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/insulin-levels-and-fat-loss-qa.html

I think your overall post was great and I don't want the benefit of it to be overshadowed by some long *kitten* debate on meal frequency. I would say though in the grand scheme of things meal frequency is a minor detail not a fundamental. Just something to consider.

im glad someone agrees with me. i just joined this website to moniter my macros but the people on these forums are unaware. there was a thread yesterday about a girl who was worried that if she ate bread she would gain weight. people need to understand that they can go on a diet and still eat the foods they love

Wilfred808

your exactly right. that why i said its all about preference. if you like to eat 5 or 6 times a day bc thats how you like to eat then do it. just dont think that its going to affect you body composition

Wilfred808

eating four-five times a day is completely unneccesary(sp?). a person could eat all there food in one meal and get the same results as a person spreading their meals out. it doesnt keep your metabolism "revved up" for longer. you should only eat that many times a day if thats how you like eating

you dont have the "secret" to fat loss. there is no secret. if you gain weight at 2000 cals eat 1900 repeat as neccesary

I agree...somewhat. I don't think I buy the whole keeping your metabolism going thing, I just don't see eating half now and half in 2 hours as much different than just eating the whole thing now. No scientific proof behind it, just my own feelings on the subject.

That being said, I think eating multiple meals a day is beneficial in another way. I notice, at least with myself, that I'm full longer. If I know I'm going to eat again in 2 hours, versus 4 or 5, it's easier for me to stop when I'm satisfied, versus when I'm full.

Looking at what I eat on 3 meals a day versus 6, the total calories in the 6 meals tend to be lower.

This is very much personal experience, but it's my $0.02 on the subject.

i meant to hit quote instead of reply

forty3fab

Wonderful post! Thanks for sharing!

Egger29

who am i gonna believe recent studies on pubmed.gov or precisionnutrition.com? lol

there are some words that are bolded if you click those words it take you to pubmed which is one of the most reliable sources out there

If you took the time to check the link I shared you will have noted that at the bottom of the article there are 34 references to all the published studies that were used in summation of the article.

In addition, Dr John Berardi, original source on the above article has the following credentials:
- Undergraduate Degree from Lock Haven University (Health Science, Philosophy, and Psychology)
- Masters Degree from Eastern Michigan University (Exercise Physiology),
- PH.D from the University of Western Ontario (Kinesiology; specialization in exercise and nutrient biochemistry).
- Assistant adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin teaching classroom courses in Strength Training, Exercise Science, Laboratory Techniques in Exercise Science, Nutrient Metabolism, Fitness and Wellness, and Exercise Nutrition.
- In the field, has published 8 scientific abstract, 15 scientific papers and textbook chapters, and have presented at nearly 50 scientific, exercise, and nutrition related conferences.

As well, he works personally with the US and Canadian Olympic Ski teams, Luge Teams, X-Country teams and several NHL and NFL teams and athletes. He was personally referenced to me by my own coach, Maria Mountain of Revolution Conditioning, who herself works with both Olympic Athletes and Professional Hockey Players including several Gold Medal and Stanley Cup winning athletes.

So, I would think he knows his stuff....but still continually strives to learn more....as all the best coaches and teachers out there do.

Thirst for knowledge and you can never fail.

Cheers!

Wilfred808

i shouldve looked at your article youre right in that sense. did you look at what i posted?

jimmychoo2shoes

Despite where this post has gone, with the whole one meal vs. five meals argument, I really like the post. As a social worker, I use the whole rating your confidence in your ability to make change tool with clients who are contemplating change, so I'm not sure why I've never used it myself. I can definitely get into the all or nothing thinking on healthy living and tend to get overwhelmed with all that I think I should be doing. I've recently started reading about and trying to follow a clean eating diet but have already been a little overwhelmed by some of the information I read in terms of macronutrients. The one thing from your list that I have started to do and am pretty confident I can commit to over the next two weeks is adding lean protein to each meal (all five of them). So, there you go. Thanks for the post.