Category: Weight Loss Tips

Here are some questions I used to always ask myself, maybe you can relate to them…

• Why can I not get in the shape I’ve always dreamed of?
• I’m trying really hard, working out regularly, dieting etc., why is it not working?
• Why is it so difficult to shift the last bit of fat?

Now, ask yourself this:
Can a squirrel lose weight in autumn, or a bear or any creature that needs to survive winter no matter how active they get?

These creatures whizz around and are extremely active in autumn, yet STILL pile on weight because of one thing.

Their food environment changes. 

The harvest arrives and this invokes primal instincts and they have no choice but to gain weight.  You’ve heard the phrase “you cannot out-run a bad diet.”  Well, their diet isn’t bad per se, as it is natural and helps them to survive the winter…

THEY CANNOT OUT-RUN AUTUMN 

With this in mind, examine at our food environment…

In our world, harvest foods are eaten all day everyday (cereals, breads, pasta, potatoes, rice etc. eaten in every meal along with sugary snacks) and worse, we’re told to eat them as the major part of our diets (up to 65%)!!! The bottom two layers of the food pyramid are heavily laden with harvest foods from orange juice and bananas to cereals and potatoes.

Finally, think about the obesity problems the world faces… we’re crippled with problems related to weight and a huge number of people constantly losing their battle. We get frustrated each time we try, and suffer because it’s calorie deficit based, yet we still eat autumnal foods torturing ourselves and then typically we suffer from a rebound and lose hope (I was that soldier). Huge industries respond to the despair of people offering quick fixes, but it’s impossible to solve this until we get to the root of the problem and recognise the cause.

I believe the problem is rooted in the fact that we live in an artificial infinite autumn and no amount of activity can fix it. I certainly could not out-train my diet, but it was because I didn’t know any better…

If a squirrel can’t lose weight in autumn (eating naturally), and they’re active all day long, how do we expect to lose weight especially given we are very inactive in general (a lot of us have desk jobs and sit when we get home and watch TV). Even if you workout for an hour or two a day, eating autumnal foods (and processed derivatives) all the time will hold you back. This was certainly the case for me and I believe it is generally the case for most people who find it difficult to lose weight.

YOU CANNOT OUT-RUN THE INFINITE AUTUMN

My personal case was that I trained extremely hard. I climbed a local mountain twice or three times a week, lifted kettle-bells like a mad man AND lifted weights, I was constantly active and even won a european and world kettlebell title, yet never got into the shape I thought I should be rewarded with for all these efforts (see pic on left below, which was not too bad I know).  I was on a stone age diet but wasn’t considering the seasons (I was eating things like nuts and dates in protein balls and other autumnal combos).  As soon as I discovered the DEFoW concept, and avoided autumnal food combos, the last bit of weight I was holding on to melted off. I had finally found a sustainable approach to diet and I got excited about the approach and wrote Don’t Eat for Winter soon after to share the concept.

The key to success
I remember calorie restriction diets, I was still eating foods that caused autumnal gorge instincts but I had to try overcome the urge to eat with willpower and that resulted in misery because you’re battling with yourself and it eventually results in a rebound. Eating non-autumnal food combos means satisfaction and no inner struggle, resulting in sustainability. The key to success.

Nothing will change in any meaningful way while we continue with the same patterns…  we need to address the route of our struggle with weight loss and I believe it is the fact that we live in this Infinite Autumn.

The definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Try avoiding autumnal foods most of the time and spring into your summer body like I did…  Maybe start with cutting out one autumnal meal (e.g. cereal, sandwich or heavy dinner, with something less autumnal).

Here’s some example foods to avoid the autumnal combos to get you started.

The best exercise to lose weight fat is to exercise your mind.  I’ll talk about specific exercises below, but it’s important to realise you can’t out-train a bad diet.  Remember, squirrels are extremely active in autumn time, yet still put on body fat to survive winter.

It’s important also to distinguish between weight loss and fat loss.  There’s no point losing weight if you’re going to lose muscle, bone mineral density or water weight. We want to focus on healthy losses of body fat, in particular visceral fat (internal fat), which tends to accumulate around the organs and pushes out the waist. Lower levels of visceral fat, typically correlates with better health.

The importance of nutrition, when it comes to fuelling up correctly, recovery and supporting other body processes (like hormones, immune system etc), should not be underestimated.

Think about:

1. How much sugar energy (glucose you will burn daily) based on activity levels
2. How much fat you will burn based on recovery and amount of time performing of  less intense activities
3. How much protein you need for repair and recovery
4. Other nutrients you need to support your body (healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, hydration and sunlight to produce d3)

So how do you calculate these figures?  Well the traditional way is to look at calculating your base metabolic rate (BMR) + the physical activity level (PAL) + the thermic effect of food.  There are many calculators for this online to give you a base understanding of energy needs.  This was typically used to calculate energy output, or calorie expenditure per day.  However, we are more than just thermodynamic machines and a lot of other factors come into play too. We can still use this to calculate a rough figure however and use it more wisely than to just say “calories in/out”.

Think about your daily needs for each specific nutrient. If you’re sedentary your need for carbs is quite minimal. E.g. you work in the office and do a workout in the evenings probably means lightly active and so your base need for sugar probably doesn’t go above the lower end of the recommended DRI value of 45% of overall calories.  For example on a on 2000 calorie diet, this would mean 900cals worth of carbs about 225g (1g = 4cals) worth a day (this includes all sugars, breads, pasta, potatoes, sugary fruit and veg and anything else that contains carbohydrates. Read: what are carbs article, if unsure about carbohydrates, it’s a valid question!).  Most people consume a lot more carbs than this, and tend towards the upper limit of 65%, exceeding their energy requirement for this, predominantly autumnal, macronutrient.   To be considered very active and tend towards the upper limit you, would need to be a physical labourer or athlete taking part in multiple exercise sessions a day.

A good average intake of protein would be about 20-30% of the diet.  Typically if more active, more protein is required for recovery, especially if you wish to grow or maintain muscle tissue.  The great thing about protein is the thermic effect is greater than other foods so even if you eat 600cals (125g) worth, 20% of this amount of energy is used to digest and use the food. (The average thermic effect of food is given as 10%).  Personally, I think there should be no thermic effect in calculations and protein reduced to 3 calories per gram.

Fats then should make up the remainder and it’s important that you choose good fats, and avoid trans-fats. You use fat mostly when at rest or at low levels of activity and it’s critical for hormone production and absorption of vitamins A,D,E &K.  Fats have 9 cals per gram and extremely easily absorbed, especially so in the presence of carbohydrates.

The key approach with DEFoW is to avoid the autumnal gorge and fat storage formula of high fats and carbs at the same time (read more about The DEFoW Diet here)

So what exercise is best to lose weight?  Well, after you’ve considered the above, then you need to think about raising your metabolic rate, and the best way to do this is build a bit of muscle (which is a calorie furnace, and lowers your relative body fat percentage). It also keeps your metabolism super-charged for hours after exercise (as your body recovers and mops up glycogen to refill lost stores).  You could choose resistance training, HITT, crossfit or anything where you need to lift weight or perform explosive movements that bring you to or close to failure (e.g. pushups, sprints, squat jumps, bench-press, squats with weight etc.)

I would then consider mixing up strength training with recovery cardio sessions on alternate days as a general rule (if you can fit in mobility session that is an excellent too).  Cardio sessions should be slow and steady (walking, jogging, cycling, rowing, cross trainer etc.) and you will burn fat during these sessions as opposed to carbohydrates.

An hour a day would be a great target to hit for both sessions on alternate days, taking a day or two off on the weekend to get things like gardening done, or get into nature and utilize that bit of fun with your fitness, or even go dancing… just enjoy what fitness brings to your life 🙂

DEFoW helps people stay in good shape all year around, but I tend to eat even less autumnally to get the summer beach body effect a month or 2 before the summer really kicks in.

Everyone wants to look their best in the sun, women often want that bikini body look or to look their best going out; and men want to look well in a pair of swimming shorts (don’t go for he budgie smuggler look lads please!) or just to look and feel great in shirt or t-shirt.

Here are the 10 DEFoW guidelines I live by, which are fully reasoned out in Don’t Eat for Winter…

D. Don’t eat carbs and fats together (avoid the autumnal squirrel gorge formula of ~50% fat : ~40% carb : <10% protein, the junk food signature)

E. Eat the precise amount of carbs for your needs (think about the bodies needs 420 cals for brain, which is 60% of a sedentary persons needs, if you’re active or exercise add to this. The DRI recommend 45-65% of diet from carbs, tend towards the minimum rather than maximum)

F. Fat and protein should be eaten together (typically it’s found that way in nature (eggs, fish, meat, nuts etc)

O. Opt for “good” fats and avoid trans fats (look for omega3s and mono-unsaturated fats in particular)

W. When eating carbs, choose leaner protein sources (to minimise absorbing fat after a prolonged insulin spike)

D. Don’t neglect protein, it is your muscles’ best friend (look for good, non-processed, natural sources, vegans should look for full essential amino spread)

I. If necessary supplement, but make a best attempt to get vitamins and minerals from natural and fibrous sources

E. Exercise regularly, support it with good nutrition and adequate rest/recovery (recovery time is where the magic happens, get good sleep every night)

T. Think about Hydration, don’t wait until your thirsty as you’re already dehydrated by then (urine should be light in colour)

!!! Get out into nature and have fun, breath the air, soak up the vitamin D, swim etc. Outdoors is where we evolved and belong !!!

Finally, the 11th rule is to Eat for Winter from time to time, sometimes you gotta enjoy the autumn formula, so enjoy it and savour it when you do, just be aware that your autumnal instincts may go into overdrive and it may overpower willpower.

These guidelines are a practical way to Spring into your Summer body through the Don’t Eat for Winter method, and how I got into great shape personally 🙂

Check out my tips on daily eating here: a day of DEFoW

Get a copy of the book to discover the theory and more.

Copyright © 2018 – Don’t Eat for Winter®