Preventing stress from making you fat

I know darn well what foods to eat and what ones to avoid because they aren't good for me. But I have a very hard time avoiding the bad food choices, which prevents me from reaching fat loss goals and screws up my energy levels. I'm also pretty moody when my energy gets low mid-afternoon. When I get really stressed, the cravings are so intense for junk food that I feel like a drug addict needing a fix. I want to understand scientifically why this is the case so I can avoid the problems in the future.

There isn't any substitute for good old-fashioned discipline, but there are connections between what goes on in the brain and why people experience strong cravings to eat certain bad food choices. Serotonin improves mood and can drop for a variety of reasons including elevated stress, bad weather, and more. This brain chemical is rapidly increased by foods high in refined carbohydrates, which stimulates body fat storage. The subconscious picks up on this and can cause an uncontrollable binge as a way of self-medicating. Women usually suffer more than men in this regard, especially during the menstrual cycle.

 

Battling with cravings and subsequent cheating is a sign your nutrition plan isn't well put together for your specific needs. Low energy levels can also fuel bad food choices as a way of spiking blood sugar to restore a feeling of normalcy, but what goes up quickly must come down! Sports drinks, sodas, and packaged junk food will increase blood sugar levels very quickly while also boosting insulin, which is the body's most potent fat storage hormone. Obviously, this isn't an ideal situation because the inevitable drop in energy levels will drive more bad food choices.

Well structured snacks and meals help to balance energy levels, which in our opinion, should be based on good protein, dietary fat sources, and carbs from high fiber vegetable sources. Even with a busy schedule, a small snack of raw nuts or organic jerky can be fit in between meals. Amino Loading with 100% MR and Muscle Synthesisthroughout the day is an excellent way to peak focus levels while supporting rapid body composition improvement. Fat Reduce contains several mechanisms for improving energy, mood, and fat burning rate. The resulting mental focus improvements from the daytime formula help to prevent the mid-afternoon energy crash while keeping mental production levels very high.

You can stop the vicious cycles by eating and supplementing correctly during the day. Research and our experience with thousands of clients supports our conclusion that 100% MR, Muscle Synthesis, Alpha Omega, and Fat Reduce may help avoid serotonin deficits, thus making it much easier to stick with a structured nutrition plan. Amino Loading with 100% MR and Muscle Synthesis can keep you energized by stabilizing blood sugar levels (they regulate energy) and provide a powerful fuel source throughout the day. Without going into a long scientific explanation, Amino Loading, Alpha Omega, and Fat Reduce help the brain generate what it needs to achieve optimal function! Using the right exercise routines can create a huge increase of endorphins, which improve both mood and energy. Short exercise sessions such as quick body weight or sprint workouts can do wonders for the mood. Good energy and mood support the best food decisions.

Simple yet effective start to a fat loss plan and strategic changes

The New Year is here, and I'm lost with what to do. I understand the basics, but I'm looking for a highly effective strategy to make all the hard work pay off. I'm not one of these totally out of shape fat guys, so I think I can handle something more intense and advanced. I don't want to waste my time with something that won't work. I need to gain 10 lbs of muscle and lose 20 lbs of body fat to be in top shape based on my condition five years ago. I do have a goal date of March 25 when I leave for a Caribbean vacation, and I'm determined to be the best looking 38-year-old guy there! The holiday season was terrible by way of eating like a pig!

 

You're correct in saying that your situation calls for a more advanced approach. Most of the diet information out there is geared toward people with a much higher body fat level than yours. My first tip is to keep it simple to start, especially if your diet was less than ideal during the holiday season. The nutrition program set-up process can be very stressful, especially if you lack confidence in the plan. Your success will start with a change in habits, which will typically involve changes in food choices and meal frequency. The Power Fat Loss plan is an excellent place for you to start. It lasts six weeks and covers all the key elements while kicking fat loss into high gear.

One of the mistakes many people make is thinking that a change in nutrition plan must be a miserable process. This typically happens when the concepts are completely wrong or food intake is too low creating a low energy level. I don't care how tough someone is. A low energy level and hunger will cause them to crash within a couple weeks, creating a huge setback. Every week I get emails from surprised clients telling me how much they enjoy their customized training and nutrition plans, revealing that they never thought they would be able to reach aggressive goals while enjoying the process. There are always numerous individual factors that can be optimized pending training schedules, food allergies, hormonal status, age, stress levels, and more. The key is to identify barriers to success and develop the solutions to solve the problems.

The nutrition plan must change strategically We are big believers in changing the nutrition plan long before it gets stale for our clients. Just like training, the nutrition plan must change strategically based on the most current conditions to avoid progress plateaus. Making the right strategic changes is crucial as we have many protocol options. The best way to go depends on the most current progress and evaluation of conditions.  I'm highly confident that your situation will call for macronutrient cycling to keep fat loss and muscle growth going around week six. Check out the dietary fat loading example plan and implement accordingly.

You aren't alone in regards to poor food choices during the holiday season. The average American puts on 10–15 lbs of body fat between Thanksgiving and the middle of January when they finally get around to stopping the bleeding. I suggest Fat Cell Cleansing to force out trans fats and other garbage from the fat cells that interferes with utilization of stored fat as fuel. This is an advanced technique for recalibrating the fat loss process at the cellular level, which is often over looked. Many of the additives in holiday foods are designed to extend shelf life and they also retard fat cell function. If the cells can't burn stored fat efficiently, you're going nowhere fast even if your diet is well put together. Alpha Omega provides the fat cells with their preferred balance of raw materials to absorb, which they will gladly accept and force out the unwanted materials to support your goals. This exchange allows for fat cells to collectively shrink, which is how we lose body fat.

Furthermore, a saturation of cells with the right raw materials makes future body fat accumulation much more difficult through several pathways. Quite simply, the fat cells will not seek to absorb bad materials if they are satisfied with ample supply of their ideal materials. This is one reason why proper essential fatty acid consumption is crucial for supporting long-term body fat loss.

 

Goal achievement strategies

What do you advise your clients to do with goal setting at the start of the year? I have set goals before but achieving them hasn't been so easy.

 

Yes, setting the goals is the easy part, and you will need to identify the correct strategies to make them into reality. Goals must be realistic and measureable, such as aiming for a certain lift improvement, body fat percentage, or arm measurement based on a specific testing method that will be accurate and consistent. A time deadline must be put into place as well to create a sense of urgency.

Some disconnect exists between goals that certain people develop and the work that must be done to achieve these benchmarks. If you find that the obligations needed to achieve a goal are too much for you to take on, the goal must change accordingly. I very frequently get calls from someone in above average shape telling me they will do anything to earn a magazine cover model type body. We discuss the techniques that need to be used to reach these goals as soon as possible. Some clients then reconsider the timetable, which is a smart move. Setting short- and long-term goals is very important. An experienced trainee isn't going to bump up his meet total by 200 lbs in a month! He should start out with a goal of 50 lbs in a 4–6 week period and the 200-lb increase over a longer period of time.

 

Get motivated by vacation!

Listing the motivation factors and reasons for achieving goals are very important to keep you focused throughout the process. Most fat loss based goals are heavily focused around nutrition, which will call for a change in habits. For example, bringing food to work is a strategy that will help to facilitate the best food choices during the day. It is highly unlikely that a client will prepare food, bring it to work, and then opt to eat out. However, if he doesn't have any food with him, hunger hits and bad decisions can be made. To help keep on track, we suggest setting your sights on a vacation, reunion, competition, or some other event. This will help you visualize the success far in advance and keep motivation levels sky high!

A regimented schedule including defined times for waking up, training, meals, and going to bed help those who tend not to manage their time well. After a couple weeks, it becomes much easier to follow a schedule, and there is typically a big improvement in energy because meal frequency improves on top of the body thriving on consistency.

Infinity Fitness INC provides training, fitness, and nutritional information for educational purposes. It is important that you consult with a health professional to ensure that your dietary and health needs are met. It is necessary for you to carefully monitor your progress and to make changes to your nutritional and fitness program to enjoy success. Infinity Fitness does not employ dieticians or health professionals and assumes no responsibility or liability for your personal health and condition.

 

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. SST™, Superior Supplements and Training™, 100% MR®, Muscle Synthesis™, Muscle Synthesis Powder™, Alpha Omega M 3™, Amino Loading™, Fat Reduce™, and Zero Tolerance Fat Loss Plan™, are Trademarks of Superior Supplements and Training LLC, OHIO USA. Your results may vary and depend on many factors. No Endorsements of any product or training system is intended, expressed or implied, by any athlete who may be pictured in illustration of this article.