0:00
You're listening to Episode 22 of the fat fuelled female podcast.
0:09
Welcome to the fat fuelled female podcast. I'm your host Marja Chow, a holistic nutritionist, personal trainer and proud dog mama of two. I am obsessed with helping women achieve their goals, feel confident in their skin and become empowered health advocates. This podcast is designed to help ambitious women thrive on a low carb, high fat lifestyle. So tune in each week as we talk all aspects of nutrition, improving your fitness enhancing your mindset so that you can take inspired action and live your best life all starting from the inside out.I'm so happy to have you here. Now let's get started.
0:52
Hello, hello. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of the fat fueled Vemma podcast. I am so excited about this episode, which is called Are you stuck on the weight loss circle of frustration. And in this episode, I'm going to explain exactly what that means what it is, and provide you with three actionable steps at the end of this episode. You can apply right away to help get you off the weight loss circle of frustration.
1:24
So when you are on the weight loss circle of frustration, I refer to this as being a struggling but optimistic Dieter, I was a struggling but optimistic Dieter for years.
1:38
And why I call it this is because it's exactly how it sounds like when you are doing fad diets or chronically dieting, you have this glimmer of hope this optimism that this is the diet this is the missing link.
1:55
This is the secret sauce to have all my ducks fall in a row to have my dream body to be that person to whatever it is right. This is the diet that's gonna get me where I want to go.
2:09
And you think it's gonna work for you. Right? Like you're like, Yeah, you're you're invested, you're like we don't we don't do things. We don't do things as humans, unless we think we're gonna get a result from it, right.
2:22
But the problem is, you struggle so hard, because the methods you're using or the diets you're following. They're not sustainable. And it's not going to shine through and provide you with this vibrant health and longevity, right?
2:40
So, for example, if you are a struggling but optimistic Dieter, then you most likely have tried multiple diets, right? Looking for that magic bullet.
2:54
Maybe you've tried things like Weight Watchers, or Dr. Bernstein or the HCG diet, all these diets that are not specific to you. They give everyone the same protocol to everyone, right, so there's no bio individuality, or you've been really restrictive with eating a lot of times low fat, because fat has more calories and protein and carbs.
3:24
So for example, one gram of carbs is four calories, one gram of protein is four calories, and one gram of fat is nine calories. So it's double the yield plus one. So a lot of these diets are like, okay, let's scrap the fat, or let's just do super low calorie, or even, let's do low carb, and then a lot of the times and you do low calorie and low carb, but you do low fat too. So it's just like low everything.
3:53
Or another example is you eat quote unquote good during the week. And then you have these massive cheat meals or full on binge sessions on the weekend. And then possibly, you know, you do cardio to lose weight, if the scale isn't moving. So you're like, I need to burn more calories.
4:13
So I'm gonna get on that elliptical, I'm gonna get on that treadmill. And lastly, you maybe expect fast weight loss and quick results. And that really comes from diet culture. You know, these gimmicky things lose 10 pounds in 10 days, and it's just it's so unhealthy.
4:32
And it's so unsustainable and it's so hard on you mentally. So what I want to offer you is if you've gained 20, 30, 40 plus pounds, that didn't happen overnight, it didn't happen in a week.
4:46
So people will be like, I followed this meal plan for one week and didn't lose the way that I wanted and women can often get and you know, I was guilty of this right, angry, frustrated and be like I've put in this work work for seven days.
5:01
And when it comes down to it, it's really about managing your expectations when it comes to healthy weight loss, and not have it having that dieters mindset that struggling but optimistic Dieter.
5:16
It's really about looking at your life objectively and being like, hey, if I have to put in six months, nine months, a year, as opposed to six weeks and thinking, you're gonna get all your results and everything, and if you've been kind of neglecting your body and not feeding it, the best quality foods or you haven't been moving your body, like six weeks is not going to provide you with that, of course, you can build beautiful habits and all of the things in six weeks.
5:46
But if your goal is to lose, you know, 30, 40, 50,100 pounds, it's not going to happen in six weeks, right? We have to really manage your expectations and create realistic goals and realistic timelines.
6:01
So I always ask, I always like to ask people this question. Do you Who do you want results that are fast? Or do you want results that last?
6:13
And there is no right or wrong answer here. If you're the type of person that wants those fast results, like dieting culture, I'm just not the right nutritionist or the right coach for you.
6:25
Because that's not how I work with women. Having having that mindset having that mentality that this weight loss needs to be rapid and fast. Gets you stuck on the weight loss circle of frustration.
6:40
And the weight loss circle of frustration is a massive problem. And I'm going to go over how it starts, what it consists of can what it consists of, and how you get stuck on it.
6:55
So it starts like this. Generally, you start cutting the calories to lose the weight, because every fitness person on Tiktok, or on Instagram will tell you, you need to be in a calorie deficit.
7:10
And yes, we need to reduce the amount of food we're eating in time to lose weight. But a lot of people start there, okay.
7:19
And then what you do or what generally a lot of women do is you avoid eating high fat foods as I already went over. Due to the high calorie content.
7:28
Or again could be really low carb and really low fat. So your body is kind of in like purgatory. This is what I refer to it as we refer to it as because you don't have enough carbs, you don't have enough fat. So your body's just like, what fuel source are you running off of?
7:46
And then maybe, generally, what happens is you do cardio at the gym to burn more calories, because it's all about calories. It's all about eating less, and moving more and burning more of those calories.
8:04
And then if weight loss stalls, generally most women do they cut more calories, they're like, okay, well, I have to just cut more calories because the scale isn't moving.
8:15
Then what happens is, you notice, wow, I'm eating a really low calorie diet. But my weight loss has totally plateaued, you're just staying the same, and you feel exhausted and burnt out, especially because of the low amount of food you're eating.
8:32
And then you just become so frustrated with the lack of results. So what happens two things happen here.
8:40
A: You look for a different diet or new approach right away, you're like this isn't working, I'm moving on to something else.
8:47
Or B: you can't stick with the diet because it's a really low calorie. And it's not taking into consideration food quality, your bio individuality, hormones, gut health, digestive capacity, all of that is going to be so specific to you.
9:07
If something is off in your stomach, if you have low stomach acid, if you're small, the integrity of your small intestines is compromised. If you have low microflora like all of this plays a massive role in weight loss and your overall health. Okay, so two things happen, right?
9:25
You know, you look at a different a, you look for a new diet or new approach right away, or you can't stick with a diet and you revert back to old habits and behaviors.
9:36
And what happens is that you go back to your old habits and behaviors, and maybe you're there for two to three months. Maybe it's six months, maybe it's a year then you realize I'm not happy with my body.
9:47
I'm not happy with my health. So he decided to start dieting again. And what do you do when you start dieting again, you cut the calories right away or you cut the fat or you cut the carbs or you cut everything and then In the vicious cycle of the weight loss, circle of frustration begins again.
10:05
And another thing I want to mention here, if you're coming from a place of really low calories, your body is screaming for nutrients screaming for nourishment, screaming for food, and then say, when you're like, Hey, I can't do this anymore.
10:21
And you go back to how you were eating before and say you're over eating, you're emotionally eating, because your system is so dysregulated.
10:30
It's almost like you don't trust your body anymore. That's how I was it was like, I just was chronically dieting and not listening to any thing in my body.
10:40
I'm like, Nope, I can only eat this much food. Nope, that's it, that's all you get, right? So everything becomes so dysregulated.
10:47
And your metabolism adapts, it becomes efficient at running off a low level a low amount of a low amount of food. So if you start over indulging, like quite frequently and binge eating and emotionally eating, your metabolism is running at that low level that it can, you can start gaining weight relatively quicker.
11:10
So it's the more times you diet, actually, the more challenging it is to lose weight. So you really got to go back to the drawing board. And you really got to have to give yourself time and examine your dieting history.
11:28
And what happens is, say it's two three, yeah, say it's two months, three months, six months a year, you're like, I'm ready to I'm committed this time I have willpower. This is this is it. This is my moment.
11:41
I'm going to lose the weight for good, this is happening. This is happening, this is happening. And then it's just the same thing over and over again. It's like okay, what do I do I cut the calories okay.
11:51
And this is how women get stuck. And they get stuck here for so many years. And it's this vicious cycle that takes over everything in your life.
12:01
And in my signature program, the fat fuelled female method. Women go from that struggling but optimistic Dieter to fat fuelled freaking fabulous females.
12:13
So here is three ways to know if you are stuck in the weight loss circle of frustration, so struggling but optimistic dieters are on the way who are on the weight loss circle of frustration.
12:25
They have they often have intense food cravings, intense sugar cravings, their hunger levels are all over the place. You could be constantly hungry all the time, always thinking about food.
12:39
And fat fuelled females, well, they have balanced blood sugar. They don't have these intense food cravings. They regulate their hunger hormones, because they train their body to run off of fat, and carbs.
12:54
But predominantly, you know more fat from time to time like more fat in general, you create metabolic flexibility where you run off to fuel sources, but how often you come in and out of ketosis will be specific to no one other than yourself.
13:09
And when you are fat adapted, you have a lot more agency and control over your metabolism and how you feel.
13:16
Number two struggling but optimistic dieters have crappy energy, brain, they have brain fog, like your brain feels foggy. Like there's a like it's cloudy, I've had clients say to me, I almost felt like my brain was broken.
13:30
Now fat fuelled females, because you're training that secondary metabolic pathway, your brain can run off of fat, aka ketones. So you will have a cognitive boost, better mental capacity and better mental clarity.
13:45
And then point number three struggling but optimistic dieters say you have lost weight before, but you've not been able to sustain those results and keep that weight off longer than anywhere from six months, up to a year to up to a year and a year and a half.
14:04
So being on the weight loss circle of frustration, it's no beuno it's not fun. It's not going to give you better energy. It's not gonna give you glowing skin. It's not gonna look at your digestion and balance your hunger hormones and your blood sugar.
14:18
And it's definitely not going to improve your brain function and cognitive abilities, right? The weight loss circle of frustration looks at one thing, just reducing the amount of food reducing the calories being in a calorie deficit to achieve weight loss.
14:34
And yes, you have to reduce the food. But there's a method there's a strategic way you go into it. It's not just cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, because when you keep on cutting, you have nowhere to go and if you're only looking at this one aspect, the human body is complex.
14:51
It's an entire ecosystem. So why are we focusing just on calories and not looking at this? Your body as this beautiful intrinsic machine. So here are my three top actionable steps you can take today.
15:07
So in the fat fuelled female method, you know, women go from that struggling but optimistic, struggling but optimistic Dieter to a fat fueled female. And there are three phases of weight loss and living well and designing a lifestyle that works for you, where you feel your best and get sustainable results.
15:25
And they are foundation fasting and fuel up. And within those phases, there are four pillars. So pillar number one is metabolic reboot,pillar number two is habits and invisible mental blocks, pillar number three is ecosystem of the body and pillar number four is lifestyle glow.
15:46
So the three actionable steps I said I would provided at the beginning of this episode, they are part of pillar number one, metabolic reboot.
15:56
And they are part of the framework in pillar number one and pillar number one is jam packed with so much content. But in this short podcast episode, I can't disclose the whole pillar, especially because the pillar is over two or three weeks, I believe in the program.
16:12
But I'm gonna give you three tips from that framework from metabolic reboot that you can apply into your life today.
16:21
So tip number one is track your food, track your food, track your nutrition, see where you are at, you can download the app, I always recommend it for free.
16:31
My Fitness Pal, generally, I have found that so many women are under eating, they're under eating.
16:38
They don't they're, they're under eating in general, and they're under eating protein, which is going to kind of segway into tip number two.
16:46
But what I want to say is, if your goal is weight loss, or even if your goal is to build muscle, whatever your goal is, I always say it's hard to improve what you can't measure, and you can't see, right?
16:59
Same example, like if you were trying to save money, and for a downpayment on a condo or a home, and here's mindlessly the goal, I'll save $100 there and maybe 200 there or maybe 1000 here.
17:10
It's like how effective is that plan going to be to, you know, hit that savings amount that you want to hit in that timeline.
17:18
So it's the same thing, if you're serious about changing your body composition, about losing weight, and being healthy, I think a great tool is to track your food and see where you are at. I look at tracking as one tool in your toolbox.
17:35
Okay, tip number two, add more protein into your diet, okay, anywhere how I work with women is anywhere from 0.5 to 1.2 grams per pound.
17:46
Now, again, this is kind of goes back to tracking, if you're eating really low protein, and you're like, okay, I'm going to eat one gram per pound, that's going to be a jump.
17:56
So you have to start with tangible goals that are going to be specific to you. So most of my female clients, we have them, I have them at around 0.7 to one gram per pound.
18:11
So if you weigh 150 pounds, you know one gram per pound, is going to be 150 grams of protein, again, but see where your protein levels are at. And then try to slowly increase it.
18:25
Because amino acids proteins, they are essential, we need to obtain them from our diet, obtain them from animal sources, and proteins will keep you feeling full, they will keep you feeling satiated. And then tip number three.
18:41
This may sound counterintuitive, if your goal is weight loss, but it's so important. It's so important that women feed their bodies, enough food and allow the body to feel in a safe and healthy place before you reduce your food intake.
19:00
And before you go into any form of a calorie deficit to hit your weight loss goals. You know, it's so important like foundation, that is phase one and the fat fueled female method. When it's not about weight loss, it's making sure you're eating enough food you're nourishing your body that is fundamental, fundamental.
19:22
And many women miss this step. They just go into you know, they go on my fitness pal, that doesn't take into consideration you on a bio individual level and it says okay, I'm supposed to eat 1300 calories for tender calories.
19:34
And they just start there where you should actually do inventory on yourself for a week and see where you are at first with your nutrition with your protein with your carb with your fat with all of it.
19:46
Okay, so and also it's so much easier when you decide to go in the fat fuelled female method. We refer to it as fasting, which is a calorie deficit but it's so much easier to go into a fasting Protocol are calorie deficit.
20:02
When you are fat adapted life just is so much easier when you are training your body to run off of fat because your hunger levels your blood sugar, your body is in such a more safe and healthy space and place that I'm telling you, it's kind of the missing it's like the golden ticket of how to actually eat less food and not feel like crap. So this concludes today's episode.
20:29
That is everything for today. I hope this information helps helped you and maybe gave you some clarity. If you are stuck on the weight loss circle of frustration or if you have been on the weight loss circle of frustration before and letting me know you can get off of the weight loss circle of frustration.
20:50
It's just gonna take some time, some effort, some energy honing in on yourself and your own nutrition. And like anything in life we desire and we want to achieve it requires energy and excitement and commitment and consistency.
21:08
But what I want to offer you is isn't it better to put your time and energy into finally designing a lifestyle that is specific to you and your body and stop the vicious cycle of dieting. So that's everything today.
21:26
Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. And have a fabulous rest of your morning, afternoon or evening.
21:37
Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. If you enjoyed what you heard, make sure to subscribe to the podcast. And if you feel you got some extra value from this episode, it would mean the world to me. If you could head over to Apple podcast or whatever service you're listening to this podcast on. Drop a five star review. Let me know your thoughts in the show. Doing this really helps more people like yourself by the podcast. And if you're not already following me on social media right now is the time you can find me on Instagram at Marja Chow for all your nutrition tips, tricks and inspiration or visit my website at Fat fueled female.com where you can download my free seven day keto meal plan with recipes. Thanks so much for tuning in and I will catch you next week.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
