AUTHOR: MIKE OVER
We all want to have periods of weight loss in our lives.
Forty-five million Americans try dieting annually, and less than half are successful.
Meanwhile, the supplement industry is a multi-billion-dollar market that entices many of us to spend more than we save.
So, what is the reason for our country having the highest obesity rate and projected to be at an all-time high by Let's
Let's explore three ways you may be sabotaging your efforts, which ultimately go to waste with the training time you spend at the gym.
Your EATING HABITS
Note that"I said 'habits,” as this term is often loosely used, with many thinking I refer to overeating.
However, more problems arise with eating less, and I often see this being the reason most come to a halt in their weight loss.
If you are prone to chronic dieting, you are placing more stress on your overall system.
Digestion, immune function, gut health, adrenal function, and sex hormones.
All these things are key players in determining your metabolic rate and your ability to optimize fat loss.
The downsides to under-eating start here.
The dangers of under-eating massively outweigh those of overeating.
With 1 in 4 Americans having a form of autoimmune disease, we are getting sicker by the month.
What gives?
Malnutrition is a massive epidemic, especially among women, that can have devastating effects on their bodies.
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You will lose energy when you consume less, and you will burn fewer calories. Over time, this can make weight loss near impossible.
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You will experience a significant increase in cortisol as your body attempts to mobilize stored energy.
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You will begin eating muscle tiss e. Your primary method of increasing metabolic flexibility falls short. Draining muscle increases your chance of many other autoimmune diseases.
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Sex hormones drop, your vital hormones, which your body uses as a source of energy, regulate metabolism, and influence libido, stress, and sleep, are all impacted.
Not all dieting is inherently bad, but you must be able to pull the right levers at the right time and under the proper conditions.
If you are one to diet and feel stuck, there is a significant chance your process needs fine-tuning. Trying to eat less and less will only dig you further away from your goal.
Additionally, chronically low calorie intake creates a hostile stress environment by increasing cortisol production. When cortisol is chronically elevated, it establishes several negative responses within the body.
Cortisol negatively affects thyroid production. As thyroid production slows, metabolism slows down, and energy production decreases.
Cortisol is inversely related to testosterone product cortisol rises, testosterone drops, putting you at risk for more muscle loss, in addition to negatively impacting all the other systems testosterone supports….and yes, WOMEN need it too!
Cortisol also suppresses melatonin production. This is why, as calorie intake decreases, sleep quality tends to decrease as well. With less sleep, your body cannot recover, repair tissues, and regulate the production of key hormones properly.
This inability to recover or sleep healthily increases Inflammation. Chronic Inflammation is associated with numerous diseases and conditions.
STRESS you place on your body
Alcohol, caffeine, food molecules/intolerances, smoking, physical and emotional stress, hyperactive immune system, toxins, SAD diet, chronic infections, obesity, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, and endothelial damage, no activity/movement OR overactivity/overtraining, trauma, lack of sleep, insomnia
All these factors contribute to stress in the human system.
When this happens, CRP levels rise, inflammation increases, and processes such as digestion and adrenal function become overworked.
Ever get so stressed out, and you fe"l your “stomach is i" knots?”
There you go….
The effects of stress can be far-reaching. It will limit many things you can do with fat loss, from a chain reaction.
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High Stress Event > Triggers Lack Of Sleep > Cortisol> Bottoms Out Energy Digestion> Increases Inflammation> Lowers Sex Hormones > HURTS your body!
Not many people will say they love sleeping and working out. At the same time, they are stressed, so the most important thing you can do is work on practicing meditation, breathing exercises, and adjusting your circadian rhythm.
Your “Circle of Friends”
I hate to say it, but it’s true!
You are only as strong as those you surround yourself with.
Ever heard that before?
As Alex Hormoz says, “If you want better friends, get used to seeing them less. Better friends are busy friends."
How many times have you become a victim of a friend's circumstance? You couldn’t make it to the gym because of work, so you ended up bailing.
They ask you to come over for beers and poker, but you miss out on time with your family, or your only chance that day to work on your health.
They want comfort, you follow with seeking it rather than discomfort(which grows you).
They would rather play video games, and you follow with pleasure.
Friends can be the best blessing God has to offer, but they can also be the paperweight that holds us back.
I’ve seen clients over the years get held back on EVERY level by the lack of leadership and masculinity from their “b" others.”
The best of friends will push you to be better, call you out on your crap, and be busier than you. I want to say some more about being fit than you, so it challenges you to step up.
I know many people love their friends, but they also know deep down that their friends do not help them with their fitness and health.
If you want to lose fat, find friends who are fitter than you.
The truth is, many of us get caught up in the “ silliness of what they think is needed in the gym to lose fat.
The reality is that it’s not the cluster set method or the number of drop sets you add that matters.
Nor is it the program.
The best practices for achieving fat loss are often found outside the gym and through lifestyle adjustments.
When you decide to build your house on rock, not sand, many things will flourish, including your waistline.
Staying stuck in fat loss is a sure sign that you need to take more time to analyze your surroundings, rather than just your training.
Once you get that down, the training can fall into place next.
AUTHOR: mjover09@gmail.com
Michael Over
Coach, Trainer
Body Transformation Expert
Featured in Men's Health, T Nation, Elite
mike@revive-systems.com
(717) 753-4042
Mike Over is a busy dad and coach who specializes in athletic performance, working in person and remotely with thousands of busy parents. He founded and owns Over Achieve Fitness in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, a facility where his community can reach their health and fitness goals.
Mike played collegiate soccer at Virginia Wesleyan University and was also a qualifier for the Junior Triathlon Championship. He is an NASM Ma ter Trainer (CPT, CES, PES, FNS, GPT, SCS).
