Fitness Industry Lie #4 – You Must Exercise to Lose Weight

Actually, exercise has nothing to do with weight loss… Weight loss is all about nutrition and the state of your nervous system.

The Harvard School of Medicine recently analyzed 29 long term weight loss studies (longer than 6 months) to discover that more than 50% of the lost weight was regained within 2 years, and by year 5 more than 80% was regained. The study didn’t continue pass 5 years but I am sure that not only all the weight was regained but even more weight was put on… Let’s get to the bottom of this weight loss disaster!

All of these weight loss programs are focused on calorie counting, one fits all meal planning and daily exercise programs while not taking under consideration species appropriate nutrition, stress level and sleep patterns.

Species appropriate nutrition is a diet that is appropriate for specific species, such as humans, dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, fish, just to name a few. For example: cat biologically appropriate diet is high in protein and moisture, while moderate in fat but absolutely exclusive of carbohydrates. Species appropriate diet for worms is dirt, for hummingbirds is nectar. You can’t feed the worm nectar and the hummingbird dirt…they will simply die. But wait… humans, dogs and cats are very nutritionally resilient which allows us to eat foods that are NOT biologically appropriate. This phenomenon causes weight gain, serious health problems and overall vitality decline.

In order to thrive, we must eat a diet that our species has evolved to eat – a diet that our body is able to consume and digest.

I want to make one thing clear… THERE IS NO SINGLE, OPTIMAL DIET FOR EVERY HUMAN because we have different genes, gene expression, health status, activity levels, life circumstances, and goals. And, while there’s no such thing as one optimal human diet, there are specific foods humans are designed to eat.

When we look at a natural human diet through the lens of biochemistry and physiology, we conclude that our diet should consist of a combination of organ meat, meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, and starchy plants.

Notice that dairy, gluten, legumes, rice, oats, quinoa and refine sugars are not a part of our species appropriate diet but yet these big offenders are main part of our daily meals… and we wonder why weight gain is an issue.

Stress level, sleep, neurological and emotional state must be taken under consideration when addressing sustainable weight loss as well…and here’s why.

If your Fight or Flight, or Fear Paralysis response is activated due to chronic stress, digestion significantly slows down because your body does not know when a stressful situation will end and to prepare, it saves energy by not burning as many calories. This process can lead to weight gain, lack of absorption of nutrients and sugar cravings.

When under emergency regulation, aka stress, your body is not interested in making changes like losing weight, building muscles or strength because the main drive is survival. Under this conditions exercise becomes additional stress and will further sabotage your effort to lower your weight.

Good night’s sleep is essential for a sustainable, long term weight loss program because it affects the hormones that let us know when we are hungry or full. Studies have also shown that when people don’t get enough sleep, their bodies have an increased level of ghrelin and decreased levels of leptin. Ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates appetite and promotes fat storage, while leptin is a hormone that regulates hunger and fat storage. An imbalance of these hormones can lead to overeating, feeling hungrier than usual, and not feeling satisfied even after eating a large meal.

Here is how I can help you lose weight: 
1. Balance the Autonomic Nervous System to improve digestion, sleep and overall state of wellbeing.
2. Activate the frontal lobe of the brain with primary movements and neurological reflex patterns to boost will power and executive decision-making which will help you with making healthy choices.
3. Implement a biologically appropriate diet that fits your specific needs.
Now that I have your attention hurry up and schedule in person or virtual session with me and let’s get you started on a safe and super effective training progra