Droppin' truth bombs over fat loss supplements & 30 day ripped plans.

If your Facebook is anything like mine, it is constantly being assaulted with quick plans & fancy supplements that promise to get you lean, fast! They claim amazing results in only 4 weeks, 30 days, 2 days, only 20 minutes per day .... blah de blah. They market themselves with a mega babe whose face alone makes you want to do bad things to your computer. Not to mention the cheese grating abs that are “oh so shiny” from that layer of oily awesomeness. Add in a dash of Photoshop, some feel-good testimonial goodness and an impressive before and after pic here, and you’ve got a recipe for bulk sales and enough money to buy yourself a lifetime supply of quest bars.

 

 

Let me throw you a few examples of what I am talking about

1) - “Hey Mel, Im doing this lemon detox thing where you drink only lemon and water for a week and then you take a bunch of diuretics, its supposed to make you lose heaps of weight in only 2 days” 

Programs like that make me go a bit crazy. Like push people over in the street, kinda crazy. Any form of fat burners, appetite suppressants, stimulants, juice detox programs, slimming protein powders, herbalife suppliments or meal replacement   shakes Do. Not. Work.
Do they teach you about food? NO. Do they make you feel good? NO. “But Mel, the bottle says that it “helps fat cells switch into burning mode…"” Well my sweet child, the bottle is lying. Whilst I’m here dropping truth bombs all over the place I might as well address another thing.

2) Pre-packaged plans, things like Jenny Craig/Weight Watchers/Lean Cuisine Meals- basically anything that comes in a pre-packaged box that you can whip out and microwave, are a ridiculous way to try and lose weight! Yes, these plans may work for you because they are controlling the amount of food you consume- but they teach you nothing about WHAT you are eating. How much of it is protein? What about carbs and fats? And what do I do when my next delivery of low fat, low sugar, low carb, low sodium, low protein brownies run out? Long term results come from a foundation of knowledge. You need to know WHY you are eating certain foods at certain times.

 

 

3) “What about those “get shredded fast” online programs? Will they work for me?” Well, I’m not here to protein poop on anyone’s programs because there is no doubt, that some people will get results from using them. Even if the program doesn’t morph your face into the model on the advertisement, you will hopefully learn something in the process that will enhance your knowledge of food and exercise.


Confession time: You see, I have purchased a fair few meal plans in my time, and have spent a significant amount of money on them in the process. I'll be honest here and tell you, I once purchased a meal plan for $200 and it literally told me to eat meat and nuts for every meal. And I did it! So I know from experience that you have to make some significant sacrifices to really achieve the results you want in that amount of time. Is eating nuts and meat healthy, fun or sustainable, ergh, no.

Now taking part in a shred plan could very well work for you, and can definitely provide people with the motivation and jump start they need to get their fitness in order. However if you are simply expecting to mutate into a ripped up athlete, you may want to have a think about the following points...

My 5 reasons why a get lean fast program wont work for you:

1.  You need to have muscle! 

This is what I WISH someone had told me BEFORE I decided to try and get a 6 pack! You need muscle to have an athletic physique. If you are scrawny and have very little muscle mass- no matter how much broccoli & chicken you shove down your throat, you will not get a rippling six-pack or a chiselled looking physique. Building muscle mass takes TIME, a whole lot more than few weeks or months. People literally train for 2-3 years consistently, to build the kind of muscle definition you see in Mens Health magazines.

 

2. You may have a hormonal disease or imbalance

 Endocrine disorders are quite complex and can really have an impact on weight loss or gain. If you have Cushing's syndrome, Hypo/hyper-Thyroidism, Syndrome X, Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Oestrogen/testosterone imbalance or any other hormonal issues, you will need to address those prior to undertaking an intense fat loss program. The good news is that they can usually be somewhat balanced naturally through diet. If you are in Melbourne and want to see someone who specializes in hormonal imbalances I would recommend The Pagoda Tree.



3. Your metabolism sucks!

People who have the most effective fat loss results have rocking metabolisms. They’ve ‘overeaten’ or ‘bulked up’ over a period of time and have allowed their bodies to adapt to a higher calorie intake. Then, they have to only slightly reduce their calorie intake (around 20% if you want to get technical) in order to start burning fat. If you already eat hardly anything and over exercise you will have to reduce your calories even further & exercise even more—which is very dangerous for your health, and a long road back to recovery! 

 

4. You are addicted to sugar filled foods.
Its all fine and dandy to shove a chicken and veggies into someone’s hands and tell them to eat ONLY that for a month. However, us humans have some intense food habits/addictions, and they aren’t easily satisfied by a grilled chicken breast. Say goodbye to your morning latte, those wines at dinner, your Saturday night out with the boys, the cookie jar at work, the ice-cream you have for dessert and the sugar filled cereal you have as you run out the door in the morning.These foods and more are incredibly addictive and trying to detox from these items is no easy task. Have you ever tried a sugar detox? Sugar is extremely addictive, and if you go cold turkey you will unleash one epic tsunami of a sugar crash. Expect headaches, migraines, massive fatigue, dizziness, cravings, mood swings, depression and anxiety.  You name it, sugar will do it!       

The problem is sneaky, so most people consume more than they think. Those white crystals of deliciousness are hidden in many food items and have more control over you, than anyone is prepared to admit. There is only so much will power someone can have and removing sugar, and then adapting to new foods takes time. If you want to detox yourself from sugar there is a great program by Sarah Wilson that you might like to try. 

 

5. You may have some Psychological Issues around food

Im going to get a little deep here, so put on your snorkel and paddle with me. As someone with a psychology background I have an understanding of the psychological issues surrounding food & body image. It is very important that you have a healthy relationship between food and your body prior to committing to a quick fix program. If you are inclined to turn to food in times of stress or you have had an eating disorder eating in the past, starting programs like the ones I describe can be dangerous.  Be smart about your choices and whether they are appropriate for you and your situation.

There are very few people who would get amazing results from a quick fix program. As you have just read, these people already have a substantial amount of muscle mass, a healthy metabolism and optimal hormonal balance. They also have no psychological issues around food and have relatively healthy eating & exercise habits.

The truth is, that the results that you see on those magazine covers comes from a solid lifestyle built on a foundation of consistent weight training, quality food choices and a commitment to caring for ones body. The great news is that it is never too late to start making changes to your life. There’s absolutely no reason why you cannot make your body look the way you want it to. 

Well.. that’s a bit of a lie, I mean even if I did nothing but lunges for the rest of my life, my little stumpy legs would never morph into Miranda Kerr’s.. BUT- my legs can be the best looking set of legs that I could possibly have.

You can have a healthy and slim physique for the long term but you need to realise that getting your dream figure is going to take time. It does not come in a plastic bottle and will not be found in a few months of hard dieting. Find a solution that will work for you, make small changes that you can sustain, find a type of exercise you enjoy and be mindful of what you put on your fork.


With a bit of patience and dedication you could be sitting in a healthy and fit body a year from now!

Start making a plan to make it happen now.

Mel xx

Questions or comments? Id love to hear from you!
melvfitness@live.com.au

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