If you've ever wondered how to lose belly fat, I can assure you that you are in exactly the right place. Chances are you're reading this after tireless attempts to banish belly fat through unsustainable methods that can make you feel like a failure for not being able to stick with it. You really desire to lose weight to get healthy, but your body doesn't seem to be cooperating.
So if any of the following diets are a little TOO familiar-- keep reading... this is for YOU!
-Weight Watchers
-Jenny Craig
-Advocare
-Sure Slim
What do all these diets have in common? They all keep or restrict your body of certain things it needs-- whether it be calories, carbohydrates, fats, protein, etc. All of these "diets" can send your body into a deprived state, and often over time can slow the metabolism (=more weight gain), cause thyroid issues (often a waking body temp of less than 97.8 indicates hypothyroidism), and make the body think that food is scarce! This often causes the body to store MORE fat over time because the body is trying to protect you in case of a famine.
The foundation of dieting is to trick the body to take a shortcut to weight loss or in this case your attempt to lose belly fat, a turn further away from health. While on these diets, you may feel like you are achieving your belly fat or weight loss goals, but it’s almost as if the excess weight is lurking in your cupboard, staring right back at you whenever you reach for a forbidden food. At some point, you lose control (food wins) and you end up right back where you were before, but often with a few extra pounds (plus a whole lot of shame, not to mention feeling like a failure!).
I'm here to tell you that it's not your fault. The game of dieting is one where you are set up to lose. every. single. time.
They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
So why not STOP the insanity of acting in the short term with something that is not sustainable?
I want to open your mind to a NEW approach. A powerful approach. A shift in your thinking.
You need to be HEALTHY to lose weight.
That's RIGHT! Weight loss, the CORRECT way, is achieved by working towards health as a first priority! But what does that really mean, and can you take a shortcut? The answer is no. If you focus on a multifaceted approach to get healthy, weight loss can be achieved naturally. Weight loss that is sustainable. Long lasting. Healthy. Sanity saving. Successful.
By creating a diet of SUPER - ABUNDANCE with nutrient dense foods: plenty of protein, the right carbohydrates, and REAL fats, you give your body the nutritional building blocks it needs to build a strong, healthy body.
Just give it some time. It doesn't happen overnight, and may take a while to recover from years or decades of dieting.
6 Steps to achieving HEALTH so you can lose belly fat sustainably
- A strong foundation- Digestion
- If your strategy for how to lose belly fat does not involve supercharging your digestion, chances are it's missing the mark. Strong digestion sets the stage for your body to be able to break down and assimilate everything you put in your mouth. More often than not, those with belly fat are struggling with poor digestion.
- Diets that are rich in foods that drive the metabolism
- Most diets eliminate whole macro-nutrient groups to help trick your body into achieving quick weight loss (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are all macro-nutrient groups). But that is not sustainable because the body needs all three macro-nutrient groups to achieve vibrant and long-term health.
- Healthy Detoxification: Taking out the body's trash
- A long-lasting approach for how to lose belly fat incorporates increasing the body's ability to detoxify or take out the trash. This means that the diet needs to include all the right nutrients to support the different phases of detoxification.
- Enough of the best metabolism nourishing foods
- If you are missing just a few key nutrients, it can hinder your body’s ability to produce energy leaving you lethargic, fatigued and unable to achieve a healthy weight.
- The right supplements (and not the synthetic kind)
- From my work as a Nutritional Therapist, I often see supplements harm MORE than help because they are not being used properly or they are not a good fit for the body they are going into! Learning to use food in a powerful way is much more beneficial.
- A strategic plan customized to fit YOUR individual needs, and designed to work with where your body is at NOW.
- That's the problem with most things you'll read online or in an e-book. They are not targeted directly towards you. They may not take into account how well your digestion is working, your lifestyle, and health history. They may not even address the areas in your body that are experiencing the most stress and therefore need extra support.
Whatever your strategy is for how to lose belly fat, just make sure that it is something that pushes your body in the RIGHT direction (towards health). Focus your direction on increasing your nutritional abundance that lets you play on the same team as your body and cravings (not against!), so you can finally make progress! NOT a diet plan that makes your body, cravings, and your desires the enemy-- because that is a battle you will always lose.
Natural results of giving your body what it needs with abundant nutrition:
- Nutritional wealth
- Strong digestion
- Blood sugar regulation
- Stabilized healthy weight
- Natural regulation of appetite
- Elimination of food cravings
- Obsessing over food becomes a thing of the past
- Better able to perform and deal with stress
- Improved stamina and energy
- Prepares your body to produce healthy offspring and live YOUR best life
Need even MORE help navigating your belly fat?
Subscribe below to gain instant access to my interview: Why Your Metabolism Was Fast, But Now It's Slow. You'll learn a ton of my best metabolism boosting strategies!
What's your strategy for how to lose belly fat? Is it working? Please share in the comments!
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Recommended reading:
Why your metabolism was FAST, but now it's SLOW
4 Reasons You're NOT Losing Weight
Why I Don't Work With Weight Loss Clients
Craig
Get rid of belly fat...!! And get ideal body shape!!!
Kerri
Catherine,
I am new to your site, and I have been devouring it's pages! Love the information I am getting, not only for myself, but for the rest of my family! A few of us in our family definitely have issues with digestion, and as a result have a lot of health issues. I know it is important to nourish our bodies with proper food. I have a question about a particular 'diet' that a friend of mine has been talking a lot about recently. The premise of the diet is that you can eat protein and carbs together, OR fat and carbs together, BUT NOT carbs and fat together. Supposedly, as the diet claims, our bodies can only use one fuel at a time, and will store the other fuel as fat (fat and carbs being the two types of fuels). The only type of sugar allowed is stevia/truvia/xylitol. And depending on your meal you may be able to eat the whole egg, or you may only be able to use the whites. In some recipes, depending if it is a 'fat' or 'carb' meal, you can only use fat free milk. Hearing her tell me these things makes me shudder. However, people on this diet are seeing results with not only weight loss, but also better health. Do you think this is the short term success you are speaking of in your post? The diet claims that no food groups are excluded, so therefore you can forgo the cravings. I'm stumped as to what to tell her. I would love to steer her in the right direction.
Thank you for your opinion,
Kerri
Catherine
Hi Kerri,
I do not believe in food combining rules as such, and it seems rather unnatural to me. Anytime you're doing something unnatural with your diet I think it's counter productive.
Thanks for reading!
Abundantly,
Catherine
Jackie
Vegetarianism and Veganism don't have to restrict your body of anything it needs. Plants carry protein and fat.
Nancy
I was just going to say the same thing about being a vegetarian. I am one for religious reasons (Buddhist) and I get plenty of protein. I eat eggs, greek yogurt, and plant based proteins like quinoa. Being a vegetarian is not the same as being low protein. It's irresponsible to say as such.
Anastasia
Hello Catherine!
Thank you very much for your work, I enjoy reading your site and it seems that the information you provide gives answers to all my questions about digesting and weight loss. I've been underweighting for four years, went through amenorrhea and extreme fatigue, insomnia and poor skin condition. Now I am recovering and gaining on some weight. I am worrying, however, if I gain too much. Hence, my question is are there any rules to define what weight is normal and what is not? Also, there are people who follow all their craving and eat all types of food but still overweight. Obesity was known long before the diet craze.
My nutritionist prescribed me eating 90 grams of grains/potatoes with every meal, Is it a right prescription? Is bread and grains healthy?
Last but not least, what do you think about coffee? I love it, but far too often it gives me tremor and fatigue, which feels like hypoglycemia, Will it go away when I improve my health?
Thank you.
Looking forward to your answer!
Sincerely,
Anastasia
Heidi
Hi Catherine,
Don't know how I found your website but I have been reading it and absolutely loving it! It really resonates with me so thank you! I have to agree with you strongly when you say having a good digestion is foundational to losing weight. I know a lot of my health issues (which I am addressing now) have to do with having not so good digestion. I personally believe this primarily stems from not having a gall bladder. Unfortunately when I had my gall bladder removed several years ago, I was told it was necessary as my gall bladder was so diseased, and I was in a lot of pain. In hindsight, I don't know if I would have gone ahead with the surgery, knowing what I know now. Doctors tell you your digestion will be "fine" after you have it removed....NOT TRUE. Ever since mine was removed, I have had continual problems with bad/slow digestion, constipation, irritable bowel, bloating, inability to lose weight etc. etc. The gall bladder produces bile which is so necessary to digest your food properly. My previous bad eating habits probably contributed to having a diseased gall bladder in the first place.
I have tried to remedy the lack of a gall bladder by taking ox bile supplements which definitely help with the constipation. But is there other things I can be doing nutritionaly, to help my digestion and help me derive more nutrition from what I eat? I have started incorporating gelatin in my diet and have noticed a tremendous improvement already. Any other suggestions for someone like me? Thanks again for your fabulous blog!
Jill Jameson
I'm unsubscribing. That comment above They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That was the kicker for me. First THEY do say that. I hear it everywhere including here. Has ANYONE stopped to think what a stupid, asinine statement that is? Dog trainers do the same thing over and over again expecting something different each time when they train dogs...and yes eventually a different result occurs. Are they insane? Not necessarily. And insane people do some pretty wild things that don't involve repetition, as well. Clearly if I want to read junk that's been told again and again without much thought given to it I can go to any web page and not have to subscribe to this crap. And, your little teasers like (#1 is the answer that really messes everyone up. Oh really? Number one (in another article, not this one) was not any new revelation and something doctors and nutritionists have been touting for, I don't know maybe 40 years. Nothing new. This place is just way too cutesy and ill-thought through for me, I prefer INFORMATION.
Leena Alloriya
Hello Catherine,
Thanks for sharing such an informative post which is too basic, yet most effective way to lose belly fat. Our problem is we forget the basics and run after fancy diets or exotic and expensive food and trainers which we can't even pronounce. I agree with you on your point 6 - we all are wired differently and so bodies. On the internet there are millions of diets and workout programs are piled on which may work wonders for some and can be disastrous for others. Thanks once again.