Fat Loss Challenge

Why I’ve created the fat loss challenge…


First of all, it’s never been my intention to just focus on fat loss. The baby needed a name and what better catches people attention than FAT Loss - right? ! I’m sure most of you reading this article will be healthy individuals, who already made good life choices investing time and energy in health and fitness, working out 3-5 times per week, eating whole foods and leaving the junk food out of the way. Although some of you won’t be fully happy with your physical appearance.  Being healthy and the way you want to look, unfortunately doesn’t always match. No matter what your goal is, if its performance or esthetics, you should feel good in your skin. When you're feeling good, your mood will be better and life is just more fun. Healthy weight and “set point” (where your body will sit when you are eating and exercising “normally”  - not with an active desire to gain or lose weight.) Chances are you will disagree with your body about this set point number, unfortunately the body will always win and will fight with everything it has to defend its set point number.   When you go on a calorie restriction, it is possible and completely normal that you experience extreme hunger, lack of energy, or other physiological responses, which is the body’s effort to move you back towards set point. First reaction your body has to calorie restriction is to lower its resting metabolic rate (amount of calories you burn at rest). This will decrease your rate of fat burning. When plateau hits, and still want to keep the fat loss moving you will likely begin to eat less food or perhaps you will train more - or both. Another plateau will happen and so the cycle continues…  

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Unfortunately, at some point no matter how low you go in calories or up your training, the plateau can’t be broken any more. In some cases- weight gain might happen. Motivation and willpower are low at this point and before you realise, you are eating everything in sight and you’re back to where you started or maybe even worse. With a smart and controlled approach to eating more, high quality foods, this process can work in reverse. You can begin to repair the damage. On your way back to set point a better metabolism, a better hormone balance, and all of the energy that you lost in the past gets restored. So our body’s defense mechanism to maintain its set point can actually work to your advantage with a structured reverse diet. So the 30 day fat loss challenge is more about:

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learning about nutrition

finding grey zones that will work for your lifestyle

having other people to support you when you're feeling less motivated

creating new habits that will help you control cravings

all with losing fat in the process

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What’s the perfect body? The one that makes you live your life, right here and now!  

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By: Carmen Bosmans, Performance Coach  

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References: “Reverse dieting” - Brandy Wann , Jason Phillips- IN3 nutrition