Subscribe to the Your Health At The Crossroads podcast on iTunes. New podcast episodes are released by Sunday or Monday (and will post on YourHealthAtTheCrossroads.com on Mondays)
All about fat loss…that’s the title of this podcast, as well as at least the next few of them. We’re going to talk all about the ins and outs of losing fat, so that, when you finish listening to this series, you really are on your way to getting it done.
I believe that fat loss is the most discussed health and fitness topic of all of them. Everybody is either trying to lose weight, or has lost weight, or knows somebody who’s trying to. This makes sense statistically when you see that, according to the Centers for Disease Control, over 68.8% of our population is overweight or obese. Yes, over two-thirds. That’s the majority of our population, man.
But what about all of these fitness programs, diet programs and products? What about P90X, Insanity, Vegan diet, macrobiotic diet, low-carb diet, yoga, Tae-Bo, Atkins diet, Nutrisystem, Slim-Fast, high protein diet, pilates, Crossfit, blood-type diet, Whole 30, Master Cleanse, Intermittent Fasting…
No doubt that there’s no shortage of programs to choose from. Some of the ones I named aren’t good programs. Some of them are really good programs. And yet, the overweight epidemic remains.
You know what that tells me? That tells me that it ain’t really about the programs that folks choose to lose fat, because a lot of them work. Like, really. A lot of them are healthy and work very well. But if a lot of them work, why is it so darn hard to lose fat?
In this first podcast of my “All About Fat Loss” series, I’m going to tell you the not-so-secret secret of how to really get the fat off. Now, in the other podcasts in this series, I am going to give you my own program on how to do it, like the exercise and diet stuff. But this first podcast is much, much more important than those are going to be. So if you are tired of struggling with fat loss and you’re ready to get it off, like for real-for real, then turn up your device and listen up.
It’s a Mind Thang
Now, first of all, whether or not you know this, losing fat is more of a mind thing than anything. Like I was saying just a moment ago, a whole lot of programs work and work well, so it’s not the programs. It has more to do with whether or not you’ve committed to do it…and get this, whether or not you’ve committed to do it for the long term.
If your mind isn’t in it, you can pretty much forget it, man. See, when we develop unhealthy habits that cause undesirable and unhealthy fat gain, those habits first of all are satisfying desires that we have. They’re desires for satiation and good taste, among other things, and these aren’t bad desires by the way. We need to be satiated. And if we weren’t supposed to be able to enjoy good food, then why would God give us these tongues that have an average of 10,000 taste buds on them? You know?
But because we live in the world we live in, where our desires are blown way out of proportion, we overestimate taste and we keep eating after we’re full. And on top of that, we keep on doing this such that these practices develop into habits that are literally hardwired into our brains. So that’s why, even if we pick the best diet plan or exercise program in the world, it’s not going to matter if our minds aren’t rewired and retrained.
And that’s hard, man! It really is. And just because I am a personal trainer doesn’t mean that you should put me on a pedestal either, because it is hard for me. But check this out…it’s not impossible. Long as you’re living and breathing, it is possible for you to rewire your brain in order to successfully follow a health plan. That’s why I like the bible passage that says to not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Your mind can literally be made new again with this fat loss stuff.
Let’s touch on a few concepts regarding how to change that mind so that you can burn the fat off. But hear me, though. Please don’t just breeze through this and think of it as merely “good information.” It doesn’t help anybody when we think this way. Really listen to this. Then listen to this podcast again, and again, and again, until you get these concepts deep up in your soul. I have literally prayed for folks listening to this podcast, that they would “get it.” Don’t treat this like those cramming sessions you used to have in high school and college. Instead, treat it like that favorite song of yours that you keep on repeat on your MP3 player. Let’s get this.
Get Fed Up
Alright, first of all, if you want to lose fat and you don’t want your mind to get in the way, you have to get fed up. You have to literally become fed up with your current overweight situation.
I’m not talking about simply being upset that those jeans don’t fit right anymore. It’s not just about that. You have to become truly tired of your overall situation…tired of where you have gotten to, tired of not only having the extra pounds, but also of feeling trapped by the habits that led to you having the extra fat. Sometimes you may not even know how you gained the fat, and in that case, you should be tired of not knowing what to do. On top of all of this, you have to be in a place in your mind that you will no longer accept where you are, and you will do whatever it takes to change your situation. Whatever it takes.
As a personal trainer, I’ve been able to tell when people reach this fed up state. When a person is truly fed up, they are very open to doing whatever it takes. If they are facing a more strict diet regimen or a hard workout, they might hesitate a little bit at first, but then they remember how tired they are of their situations, they gird themselves up, and they just do it. And they get results!
For those who haven’t reached that fed up point yet, I’ve found that they are generally unhappy with their situations, but to be honest, when it comes to doing what they need to do, they hesitate a whole lot more and then they start making excuses for why they can’t do whatever it takes. And more than likely, they might change what they’re doing frequently, attributing their lack of results to a bad program. But again, it’s not the program that’s faulty. It’s the fact that they are not yet fed up and ready to do whatever it takes to healthily lose weight.
Sometimes guys, it just takes time to get to that fed up state, and that could be the reason why you haven’t lost the fat yet. But when you get there, you know it. Sometimes you reach that certain number on the scale that you never imagined yourself reaching and you’re like, “alright now, this is enough.” For some, it comes to the point of beginning to suffer from some of the other health consequences that come with extra fat, such as fatigue, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, joint problems, chest pains, and so many more. Sometimes that is what it takes for some to get fed up.
Main thing is, you gotta get fed up. You gotta be straight up angry with where you are and ready to get out of the situation no matter what. If you’re not angry, you’re like somebody whose car tires are stuck in mud. You’ll press the mess out of that gas pedal, but you’re not going anywhere.
Weaken Your Flesh
Ok, next thing. As humans, you and I have desires for all kinds of things. Among those desires include the desire to eat, also known as hunger, and the desire to enjoy good tasting food. Now in general, desires aren’t a bad thing. If you think about it, our desires are simply manifestations of how our bodies are programmed to get what they need.
But it’s something about this world that we live in, man. Our desires always get the best of us. In a perfect world, we would desire good tasting, healthy food, and we would eat only enough good tasting and healthy food to satisfy our hunger. But those voices man…
You know the voices I’m talking about. When you see that coworker with that 20 oz ice cold Coke, and you know that’s your drink. But you’ve been trying to stay off because you know the sugar makes you fat and eats up your teeth. But as you watch your coworker take the lid off and begin to gulp it down, that voice reminds you of how good that beverage must feel going down your coworker’s throat. The voice reminds you of the crispiness of the bubbly fizz. Before you know it, it’s not long until that voice has you rationalizing that it won’t hurt for you to take a drink. After all, it’ll be only one drink, and you’ll be back to doing right after that. That voice has you so gone that you forget to think that you’ve been down this road too many times before, and each time, you’ve relapsed to the point that you drink at least a liter of Coke a day.
What is it with this flesh of ours and these out of order desires? Think about this. When we are constantly giving ourselves what we want, eating what we want to eat and drinking what we want to drink, even when it’s not healthy, our bodies get used to getting what they want. It’s kinda like a spoiled kid. So regardless of what you want to do in your mind, when your flesh starts demanding, you’re so generally weak that it’s not long before you give in.
Now couple that with the addictive nature of the processed, unnatural and unhealthy foods that we tend to crave. Sugar…we all know that it is bad for us, and we all know that it’s addictive, too. It’s crazy how we look down on folks who have addictions to recognized drugs, but if you really think about it, sugar is right up there with all that stuff. When we feel that we have no choice but to consume something, even if it is harming us, that’s an addiction man. So couple addicting, unhealthy foods with these bodies of ours that are used to getting what they want. No Bueno, man.
So if you’re going to win this fat fight, you have to weaken that flesh, man. You have to get your body to the point that it is no longer used to getting what it wants. You have to get it to the point that it no longer craves harmful foods. But how in the world do you do that?
Now, what I am about to say is another example of one of those things that probably is going to seem impossible to a lot of people. It’s going to seem like a lot to ask yourself to do. But before I say it, I challenge you to be open minded. What I am about to say is entirely possible, and that voice I was talking about before? It’s going to immediately try to tell you that you can’t do this. Ready?
Alright. One of the best ways for you to get the upper hand on your flesh and win the fight so that you can lose the fat is by totally avoiding those bad cravings. Yep. By literally starving your body of that harmful food or drink, you can regain that self-control and you’ll probably even get to the point that you don’t desire it anymore. I promise you that this is true.
If one of your bad cravings is Coke, like mine is, what you do is, you get rid of all of the sodas in your house and at your job and you drink only water. Now, that voice is going to tell you at first that you can’t do this. Then it’s going to start telling you that you need Coke. But you already know that ain’t true.
Then, you’ll probably even feel tired, headachy and generally unpleasant. But you know what? That’s okay. You can get over all of this. It’s that flesh literally losing strength as your mind is regaining strength. Those feelings? That’s all they are…feelings. And you can deal with those. And I tell you as a witness, when you give that thing a few days and ride it on out, you may not even want Coke anymore. For real.
Sodas are but one example of an unhealthy and fattening substance that’s easy to get addicted to. Other examples include other sugary beverages like juice or sweet tea. French fries. Bread and pasta (white bread and pasta in particular). Potato chips. Energy drinks. Candy. Artificially sweetened drinks and foods, too. Yes, those count too. They’re not healthy.
I don’t care what it is. No matter what your bad fattening cravings are, you know in your heart of hearts that you can get over it. But what you must do is starve your flesh of it until that food no longer has power over you. Get it out of your house and off of your desk. Avoid it in the convenience store and in the grocery store. Do whatever you can to get away from it. Your flesh is going to put up a mean fight, but I tell you what. You can win it. You can win over these passing feelings, can’t you. Yes, you can.
And once your flesh stops desiring those fattening cravings, guess what happens? The fat drops off.
Have a question you want answered on the Your Health At The Crossroads show? Interested in becoming a sponsor of the show? Tweet your question to @ShawnB2BFitness, put it on the YHATC Facebook page, or call (478)216-8536 and leave a voicemail. You can also send your question via e-mail to shawn@yourhealthatthecrossroads.com. Sponsorship inquiries can be sent via e-mail or by calling (478)216-8536.
The post YHATC007 – All About Fat Loss (Part 1) appeared first on Your Health At The Crossroads.