3 Common Fat Loss Mistakes.

By Darren Bain

When it comes to fat loss and health improvement there are many common mistakes people make in their endeavour to achieve improved health and a leaner physique.

2 & 3 you may be surprised by

1.  Discipline with the diet.

Often when people are starting out they think they can consume the same diet and by implementing exercise  the fat will strip off quickly. Unfortunately it’s not that simple, diet is king no matter what your health & fitness goal.

Failing to be 100% compliant with  your diet for at least 2-4 weeks depending how much body fat you are carrying will not lead to significant results. Once you get through the initial challenging period you can then move to maintenance where you implement a cheat meal or meals or even day. The leaner you get the more cheat meals you can have.

If however you are struggling with motivation and discipline here’s a great tip I give to my clients that works a treat;

Pair carnitine with a good quality fish oil (if over 20% body fat 1gram fish oil,per kg of B.W for 2 weeks). This pairing will increase dopamine which will increase motivation essential in losing body fat. Fish oils help with a whole swag of benefits for fat loss but in particular insulin sensitivity, key component for fat loss.

Carnitine is a powerful brain nutrient and supports fat burning by helping fat enter the cell to be used for energy. 

2. Don’t eat fat free products, yes even your milk;

I’m not a fan of dairy in general if it’s not organic I tend to stay away from it .. but the dairy argument is a whole different story for another time.

To drop fat and improve health you should choose the “full fat” version over the “low fat/fat free” options. The majority of foods that have had the fat removed such as milk labelled fat free contain fewer nutrients and are more contaminated and discouraging fat loss to a greater extent than the low fat option. not only that you are missing out on conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which protects against prostate and breast cancer.

Assuming you are on a paleo type eating plan..meaning high protein, low carb or the carbs you are consuming are the ‘right’ carbs in the ‘right’ amounts at the ‘right’ times, fat is metabolised totally differently and the consumption of fats will not only improve your health but will also help you lose fat fast.

However if you are consuming a high fat diet combined with a high carb diet you can expect to put on sh*t loads of fat and suffer from poor health.

Dr. Jonny Bowden states “I’ve never seen one convincing piece of evidence that saturated fat from whole food sources like the ones I just mentioned has a single negative impact on heart disease, health, or mortality, especially when it’s part of a diet high in plant foods, antioxidants, fiber and the rest of the good stuff you can eat on a controlled carbohydrate eating plan”!

Of course the likes of trans fats are taboo, they will kill you.

Increasing your intake of omega 3′s particualrly from a good quality fish oil has been shown to improve pretty much very disease known to man

Benefits of Saturated Fats!

• Saturated fats positively affect hormonal function, in particular free testosterone which means more muscle and less fat.

• Animal fats contain fat-soluble vitamins and allow for their uptake. Do you throw away your egg yolks? If you do, you’re missing out on about 18IUs of vitamin D and 245IUs of Vitamin A.

• Healthy Saturated fats can help your cholesterol profile and can help you live longer. . The problem is when the body is provided with fats and carbs together. When this occurs the body is supplied with too much available energy at one time. This is why you need to look at carbohydrates, not just fat – If you eat an excess of carbs, your liver converts them to fat (triglycerides) and they end up back in the bloodstream. Carbs should be used around your workouts for fuel or as muscle glycogen replenishment, not as a main staple of your diet. (More on this later)

If you swap excess carbs with a little bit of the right sources of saturated fat (in moderation of course) and lots of non starchy veggies you avoid excess carbs being converted to fat.

“If carbs are low, insulin is low and saturated fat is handled more efficiently,” said Jeff Volek, PhD, RD one of the major researchers in the area of diet comparisons. “When carbs are low, you’re burning that saturated fat as fuel, and you’re also making less of it.”

•Saturated fats make up cell membranes — Eliminating saturated fats from your diet will have an effect on how you look and feel- it’s as simple as that.

• Saturated fats strengthen your immune system.  Lauric acid is a saturated fat that has the ability to strengthen the immune system, which is why babies fed breast milk often have stronger immune systems as breast milk is high in Lauric acid.

•Coconut oil and coconut milk have large quantities of Lauric acid, which is why I recommend using these products when cooking. I generally recommend organic, non-refined virgin coconut oil so you can be sure it’s not a refined product that’s been bleached, deodorized, or tampered with any other chemical processes.

•Saturated fats also fight the bad bacteria in our guts and protect us from viruses, in particular Butyric acid, which can be found in grass fed butter – which always tastes good on some steamed veggies. 

Fat Summary

It’s crucial that you get your fats from the right sources; meaning the animals have had a diet that is natural to them; Not cattle that have been fed grains, opt for grass fed cattle instead, not fish that has been farmed and fed soy and grain pellets etc.

By no means am I endorsing excessive consumption of fat, you still want to consume lean cuts of meat etc. What I am saying is by implementing in moderation healthy fats recommended in the Paleolithic diet overview  in conjunction with a carb balanced diet can be beneficial for your health.. FAT is not the enemy as long as you are consuming the ‘right’ fats, in the ‘right’ amounts!.

3. Do Long Aerobic Training

When on mission to improve your physique your training needs to be focused on what is going to cause the greatest resting metabolic response RMR, and that is lifting weights. There is no bout of ‘cardio’ that will burn more calories than your (RMR).

Not only that but excessive aerobic activity like running will increase cortisol which will make you store fat in the mid section.

If you want the to learn the best ways to train for less fat and more muscle.. AKA ‘toned’ for the ladies read my article below…

You Want The Truth on Fat Loss Well Here It Is.

Hopefully these 3 tips will help you on your mission to get lean, healthy and strong.

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