Stuff that gets in the way of weight loss.

The worst thing ever is working your ass off for a goal and not getting anywhere, even though you’re sure you are doing the right things. I’ve been there, done that, and still do it. But mistakes often lead us to the right way to do something.

I’ve been chatting to a few people recently about some common ROADBLOCKS that get in the way of us losing weight or dropping body fat like we want to.  It’s good to bring this stuff up, as frustrating as it may be, because you’re surely not the only one wondering ‘Whats Going On?’. Some of these are obvious and an easy fix and some are a little harder.

Binging. Australia is right up there in the world’s worst countries for Obesity and Binge Drinking, so this is a huge problem. Pigging out on your favourite foods obviously doesn’t help when you’re trying to lose weight, and yet we still do it. Me included. Often we binge on stuff that is like poison to our bodies. Processed sugar, processed meats, bad fats…

Most people won’t admit to binge drinking but the stats tell us that we are doing so. Too much alcohol of any kind will jeopardize your ability to lose weight. I know a ton of people, friends and people at BOOTCAMP, who have fallen victim to this and wiped out a lot of their hard earned results in a messy weekend and I see it all the time. It is frustrating to me and frustrating for you too.

Solution. Stick to the 90% rule. The 90% rule states that if you eat and drink properly 90% of the time and cheat only 10% of the time then you will achieve 90% of the results. However, many of us choose lifestyle over success and that rule goes out the window. We like the comfort of food or a glass or 2 of wine to help us relax, socialize or just have fun. At the end of the day, the choice is yours.

If you were offered $1 million as the reward for getting into the best shape of your life, would you do it? Movie stars do it all the time. They stick to exactly what their trainer gives them and that’s why they change so fast. Sure they’re about to earn $20 million from the effort, but they still do it. When there’s a big enough incentive at the end of the goal, it’s much easier to stick to your training and eating.

Lack of Sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep your body won’t work properly. And if it isn’t working properly then it’s not going to let go of that bodyfat that you want it to. It’s one of the body’s defence mechanisms. You’re not gonna have the energy to train hard either, and sometimes not the energy to even get out of bed. Of course it leads to sickness to, but we’ll get to that later.

Solutions. Go to bed earlier. Keep a regular pre-sleep routine. Feng Shi your bedroom. Read something fiction before going to sleep to switch your brain off. Meditate. Count sheep.

If you’re waking up during the night to go to the toilet then there’s a bigger sleep disturbance going on. B Vitamins can help you sleep all the way through and also with anxiety, but only if you’re deficient. Go and chat with a naturopath for advice.

Stress may be interrupting your sleep or just slowing down your progress. Stress can come from family and friends, work, too much exercise (I got chronic fatigue from excess work and exercise), emotional issues, poor diet, etc. It’s a tough one to deal with but things that help include:

• planning ahead
• being organized
• talking through issues and resolving them
• using relaxation techniques to unwind, meditation
• walking along the beach or through the bush or park without a phone or ipod
• not putting too much pressure on yourself to achieve

Solution. For relaxation and stress management, the best tool I have used is Qi Gong, a form of Tai Chi which combines gentle exercise with good posture and breathing techniques to help you relax. I am terrible at seated meditation. I just want to get up and run around, but if I’m moving I can switch of better. You can try one of the routines I have used here: http://www.fullkontact.com/master.pdf. It’s by Steve Cotter and it works a treat. You can watch his video below if you want some more pointers.

Your Body Is Sick. Many of us have problems with something in our body not working right. I got chronic fatigue due to numerous viruses in my body, some people have digestion problems, some thyroid, some fatigue, some of us just feel like we have a nasty cold that we can’t shake. We often try to push through it, but that never works in the long term.

When your body is healthy it will get rid of any unnecessary weight so it can function at its optimum level. When it is unhealthy, it is unlikely to respond to much at all. It’s too busy trying to sustain your energy for work and life in general.

Solutions. Eat according to your metabolic type. I’ve had massive success getting over my illness with metabolic typing. Click here for more info.

Go and get some tests done. Maybe you want blood tests from a doctor to see what’s deficient. Maybe you’d prefer a more natural approach so a naturopath or homeopath may be more to your liking.

I just went to the Tara Centre in Leederville for more tests this week after a referral from a friend. They test you using meridians of the body and their frequencies, then give you natural remedies to use to eliminate the problems. Seems a little strange but if it works then who cares. I apparently had 28 viruses floating around. I’m also doing urine and saliva testing to go along with the metabolic typing program and will let you know more about that in the future.

I’m also aiming to eat organic fruit and veg and grass fed meats at the moment, as there are so many chemicals used in traditional farming right now. It’s a little more expensive but I’ll do anything to help speed up the recovery process. You can get grass fed beef from Woodlands Farmer Jacks and organic fruit and veg from The Herdsman. If you know of any other organic shops let me know in the comments section below.

I’m off to lunch, then some Qi Gong this arvo before BOOTCAMP tonight. Today’s lunch is tuna porridge with mixed vegetables and olive oil. Sounds terrible, but tastes goood!