John Lark

What is with our obsession with the scales?

Our obsessions with what the scales read are now a firm imprint on our daily lives. The medical community thrust the BMI scale upon us and tell us what degree of obesity we are.

Discussions around the dinner table, at work, with relatives and now even with child revolve around ‘how much you weigh / have lost / put on’ etc.

Our subconscious is primed with images of slim celebrities who ‘look fabulous’ and ultimately as a culture we now model ourselves on these body types and images.

Time to take check and propose that all is not what it seems. In fact I would argue that what the scales demonstrate is very little in terms of what state of health, fitness and ‘looks’ you are in.

For example you can be fit but not necessarily very healthy. What do I mean by this? Well, as Barry Sears author of Toxic Fat argues, skinny people may not possess a genetic disposition to store body fat in visible areas (bums, legs and tums). They do however, possess the not-so-good ability to convert fatty acids into excess free radicals that wreak havoc upon us causing us to age early, fall ill, cannibalise muscle to be used as fuel and weaken our bones.

So ‘no’ the skinny bitch can’t eat anything she likes and not put on a pinch. It doesn’t work like that. I mean think of it like this? Do you honestly think that you can-not be effected by a diet of cigarettes, coffee, skipped meals and special K for breakfast? Delusional. Mad. Call it what you want.

So, what do the scales tell us? Ultimately they tell us our weight. But weight of what? We are made up of muscle, fat, water, a connective frame that includes bone, tendons ligaments etc etc.

And what about the skinny work collegue? How much inflammation is she dealing with on a deeper level? ( If you would like to know how then I suggest you take a live blood analysis consultation. You will see first hand how ‘clean’ your blood is and ultimately how healthy you are)

It is disheartening to see so many of us become hung up on our weight and what the scales say. Your weight can fluctuate throughout the day. No one knows the exact why this happens. Some scientists propose that it could be to do with your fluid levels. But imagine hopping on the scales after a gym session and seeing you lost 2lbs. Great. Later on in the day, the scales creep back up 2lbs. Disappointment sets in. You may even think about quitting.

Celebrities lose weight at an astronomical weight. 7lbs in 2 weeks. 4lbs in a day with the new ‘wraps’. 40lbs in 6 weeks was the best one I heard. What is actually happening?

Lean bodies with good levels of health determined by blood tests will possess 10% of their body weight as fat in males and between 14-16% in females. Visible muscle definition will be evident.

Who would you put in this class? Models? Fitness Professionals? Celebrities? The cast of Desperate Housewives?

Well, think again. Models possess very high levels of body fat, up in around the 20% range. How can this be? Their diets that force them to eat skinny i.e. below what they would need in terms of their daily calorific amount to maintain their weight coupled with a diet rich in cigarettes, alcohol, stress and zero exercise will force them to burn fat AND muscle.

They are sick and tired. The scales say one thing, their vicious mood swings, aging skin and lack of muscle tone says another.

What about the BMI and all these Liquid ‘Get Slim Quick Formulas? An Olympic rower around 16 stone and 6 foot 4 is categorised as ‘Obese’ by the BMI. It neglects to look at body a fat level which in all cases is below 10%. Try telling 4 time Olympic Gold Medallist, Steve Redgrave he is obese!

Equally the liquid get slim quick diets are a complete joke. How can sipping away for 2-3 meals a day on a cocktail of artificial colourings, sweeteners devoid of ALL nutrients be good for you?

Fat stores are depleted from our muscles and liver. But our muscles are also depleted as our bodies, like hunger starved dogs, search for their next source of energy – your muscles and the protein that is contained within.

Try and embrace how much body fat you are carrying over what the scales tell you. A skilled exercise physiologist will be able to measure your body fat levels. Better still, just aim to get healthier. Have you ever seen a healthy fat person?

Is it as easy as drinking your food? No. Is it as easy as relying solely on the scales? No. Keep focused on your body fat levels. Have them accurately taken and then set about meeting the challenge. The bikini body is about to be unravelled and the age of the ‘skinny fat’ will be long gone.

John Lark is a personal trainer in maynooth. Visit his web site www.spherefitnessstudio.com to claim your free report and one euro trial

Are there ‘Quick Solutions to Fat Loss Problems’ writes Kildare Personal Trainer, John Lark? In this article we explore some common myths that we have heard many times in consulting with fat loss clients. We share some ways of debunking them with immediate fat loss results!

As a personal trainer I hear the most creative of excuses. It seems that even at this time of year that despite the wave of enthusiasm in the New Year, excuses are still being made to avoid the dreaded ‘E’ word. Even embracing a bit of change is like dragging a car.

Here are some problems and my solutions to them.

Problem “I don’t have enough time.”

Solution – You do. You just don’t know how to manage your time. You have the same time as every one else.
The same 24 hours that Bill Gates, Barack Obama and Warren Buffet have. You just don’t set exercise or eating healthy as near the top of your priority.

Stop, take check at your ‘time vampires’ (watching TV, nattering hours on the phone, reading trash mags) and be ruthless. Get rid of them. Make exercise and preparing healthy meals important and see the benefits.

Problem – “Eating Healthy all the time is boring”

Solution – you just need to reframe what you consider as boring. This is a challenge as ‘cravings’ normally overwhelm your rational thinking.

Instead of viewing a salad or vegetables ‘boring’ think ‘boundless energy, vitality, health, strength and well-being’. And who says you have to eat healthy ‘all the time’? We call for a 90 per cent compliance on our nutrition programme.

This leaves 10 per cent for those foods that you consider a ‘treat’. It doesn’t have to be about denial and sacrifice.

And who says eating healthy is boring?

Look into some simple, basic cookery books and try them out! This will be time well worth investing. Not only for yourself but also for your family. Your personal trainer may even take you grocery shopping to make even better use of your food.

Imagine being able to rustle up a poached salmon  fillet wrestling on a bed of rocket, tomato and basil salad tinkering with a delicate olive oil and lemon juice dressing in 10 minutes. Mouth watering isn’t it?

“But I will have to give up chocolate and ice-cream”

Solution – Really? And live like a monk or an obsessive? Work these foods into your plan. The only thing you will have to give up is the notion that you can sit on your backside and think the pounds will melt off and that you can eat everything in the cupboard and dream yourself skinny. That is just delusional.
I love ice cream and a good glass of wine. But they are every now and then. I advise my clients to have one meal a week if they are on a fat loss plan whereby the rules fly out of the window.

Problem – “I can’t afford the gym”

Solution – Exercise at home, in the park or head outside. Get a good workout DVD and have some fun with it. Alternatively lower all your stress hormones by heading outside for a brisk walk. A cheap set of Dumbbells will last you a lifetime.

Problem – “I don’t have a way of getting to the gym and besides I have to take Little Jonny to Scouts”

Solution – See above and stop making overly-creative excuses.

Problem – “I am injured”

Solution – That’s ok. Injuries are what I call andinconvenience’ not an ‘injustice’ . Exercise professionals will be able to work around your injury enabling you to still work towards your goals despite your set-back.

Problem – “I don’t feel like it today”

Solution – when IS a good time? Just start! Just do something that will make a difference. The Japanese have a philosophy called Kaizen. It seems to be the buzzword at the moment. But it means gradual and incremental improvements. Each day make a positive step towards your health and fitness.

Problem – ‘I Just can’t stick to  it’

Really? How hard have you actually tried? Give it your all, measure your compliance to it or know how to quantify your efforts. Where are the indicators to tell you that it is working or not?

My point is this if you are writing to do lists all the time – stop. Stop thinking about it and just do it. Paralysis by analysis.

Problem – “It’s boring.”

Solution – Yep, so is waiting in the Doctor’s office because you are too sick to do anything.   We are designed to move and eat healthy nutritious foods. As they say – prevention is better than a cure. Besides, exercise can be fun. Dance classes, group activity and meeting with friends for a good brisk walk can be fun.

Visit Kildare Personal Trainer, John Lark’s website at www.john-lark.com and download your free report on the ‘7 Most Effective Ways of Burning Fat’ including a free sample workout and meal plan.

As a personal trainer in maynooth, I have found that it is widely accepted in the fitness and fat loss community that the more a food product places on marketing, hype, colourful packaging and ‘in your-face’ labelling the worse it is for your waistline.

Take for instance Breakfast Cereals. Advertising budget of millions. Characters to sell the product to kids and so on. If you left it outside for a night rest assured even wild animals would leave it alone.

Compare this to Organic Wild Salmon. It doesn’t even get a mention in Reader’s Digest.

If you are looking to shrink your waistline and reduce your level of body fat then keep things simple and prevent falling victim to the marketing hype.

For example, the ‘low fat’ label that is attached to most, if not all, ‘healthy’ products is misleading and just scandalous.

How can a cereal bar packed full of sugar in its flimsy 100 calorie frame be anything more than a recipe for waistline disaster?

First of all, products like this that are ‘low in fat’ are also low in nutrients. They are devoid of vitamins and minerals that provide with life, vitality and energy.

Compare the Jaffa Cake to the humble Orange.  Both are low in calories. Yet one has more nutrients – can you tell which one?

Yoghurt is healthy enough without an added 2 teaspoons of sugar, masked with all the health benefits of healthy bacteria that is good for your gut.

If you want healthy bacteria then take a supplement. A quick swig on a pot that wouldn’t feed a toddler isn’t going to do it.

The problem with the ‘low fat’ staples is that they are just that – low in fat.

Food manufacturers remove key nutrients from the food to make it taste better. Ever wondered why you just can’t stop at one biscuit?

Biscuits, cakes and other processed ‘low fat items’ are also rich in things like inverted sugar syrup, glucose-fructose syrup and such like. These are as bad, if not worse, than consuming sugar. Take sugar, distort its chemical make-up and bingo you have the main part of what is your cereal bar.

We need fat. Good fats. The fats you find in nuts, seeds, oils such as avocado, walnut, hemp, olive and fish oil.

We even need saturated fat. The fat that comes with good old coconut oil and raw butter.

If you can imagine your body being nothing more than a complex network of cells that make up  our organs, skin, hair and body parts then you will see why.

Each one of these cells has an outer wall called a membrane. This membrane is made up of fat. All sorts of bodily reactions are dependant on this membrane doing its job. It must allow hormones in to allow a reaction to occur inside the cell. It must allow substances out too, like the release  of body fat from adipose tissue.

A diet that has a sensible mix of fat will ensure that this membrane does its job. Stuff comes in, stuff comes out.

Can you imagine if it didn’t? Hormones, nutrients and fluids would not be allowed in (or find it very tough) and other substances would find it hard to get in too.

Becoming a fat-phobic will do nothing for your waistline or your health.

However, the devil is always in the detail.

If you are on a calorie controlled nutrition plan then you would be wise to ensure that you don’t use this to splurge on your favourite double cream.

Instead work it into your calorie budget. If you know that you can maintain your weight on 1800 calories then think before you use these up in one feast of steak and raw butter.

Rest assured you will get fat if you eat over your calorie allowance, even if it is considered ‘healthy’.

It is, however, not surprising that once you remove all the processed and packaged foods from your calorie budget how much you have room for the foods that provide you with all the tools necessary to reach your health and fitness goals.

Fish, good quality meats, vegetables and good old-fashioned healthy fats.

John Lark is a personal trainer based in Maynooth, Kildare. Visit The Sphere Fitness Studio and claim your complimentary assessment and trial session now!

I love married life. It follows a period of moving in together, a bedding in period and then the fun really begins! It is like learning to drive. You don’t actually learn to drive until you get your licence.

You may ask what this has to do with fat loss. Well, we deal with a lot of married couples here at The Sphere Fitness Studio and there is one over-riding habit that comes to a head time and time again!
Portion control.

It is not a deliberate ploy but have you ever served your food on the same size plate as your partner’s?

You know that feeling when you get home from work to be granted with a plate of food that is enough to feed a small army.

Granted that some of our food choices are not the best (high sugar, high starch, low fibre, low veggie intake) but this is a very simple observation that can actually make a difference.

I don’t overly buy into the eat less, do more. Why is it that Mrs Jones comes to me (and she isn’t the only one) frustrated and down-beat that she hasn’t lost any weight and has yo-yo dieted for the past 5 years.

When you are healthy you don’t worry about your weight, your mood, your energy levels, your sporting performance. It just happens as it is suppose to happen, as you were designed!

Making better food choices over calorie counting always trumps in the long run. Building good habits such as not over eating, drinking more water, eating veggies at every meal and so on are the fast track to success. Suddenly you are in control rather than your ‘poor’ metabolism.

There is a time and a place for becoming fanatical about counting calories. However, nine times out of ten making better food choices and moving more will work.

That means you wont become fanatical about every morsel that passes your lips.
It is one of these things that is small effort yet big reward in the bid to get started shedding those pounds.
Ladies take your plate. Gents take yours. Even more worringly kiddies have your own plate too.

It seems that everywhere we go this s rife. We look for a bargain in our restaurants and cast a raised eyebrow if the food isn’t piled high when we eat out. This habit stinks.

What happened to the quality over quantity?

One possible explanation for this behaviour is that your food choices are devoid of nutrients. As a result you over-eat in an attempt to ‘fill the void’.

Why do you never feel satisfied after polishing off a box of biscuits? Because there is nothing in them in terms of what your body actually needs.

It is called the 51 Principle. Your brain will tell you when it is fall when it recognises 51 key nutrients found in the food or fluids you consume.

Food manufacturer play on this, spending millions on manipulating the foods we eat by removing or substituting the nutrients we need to feel satisfied. As a consequence we just end up eating more.
Then again it could be just pure gluttony.

Take a lesson from the Okinawans. They have a practice called ‘hara hachi bu’ or eat until only 80 per cent full. If you eat until you are stuffed you are basically labelled a ‘pig’ and ostracised. This is coupled with a diet rich in legumes, vegetables and fish.

Harsh but fair. Let’s look at the evidence for this practice.

Heart disease, stroke rates, cholesterol, homocysteine, blood pressure and cancer rates are all lower than in North America. Hip fractures are lower and dementia is rare. Okinawans live longer too.

You can and should be fussy in a restaurant. Ask for smaller portions and more often than not they are willing to accommodate.

After all if you want to be the same as your partner – eat like them.

Grab Your Free Report on the ‘7 Most Effective Fat Loss Strategies’ at www.john-lark.com

When you think about it – it is the most obvious and logical step to take when one embarks on any fat loss programme.

Drink more water.

Everyone harks on about it. And to all of us it is common sense that doesn’t need a genius to figure out.

We are 70 per cent water. At 4 – 5 % below optimal fluid intake, you could experience a 20 – 30% decline in cognitive function or encounter episodes of ‘brain fog’.

The decline in blood volume that occurs with even slight dehydration impedes the transport of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, which drains energy hence your afternoon slump.

Even your bones are 25 per cent water.

The muscles that drive your performance are 75% water.

The brain that steers your limbs is 76% water.

The blood that carries your nutrients is 82% water.

The lungs that provide your oxygen are nearly 90% water.

So before you even worry about your calorific intake, how much protein you are consuming and even your fruit and veggie intake you need to drink up.

It is the most potent fat loss trick that you can deploy immediately. Why? Your body thrives on water. Can you imagine your car running without oil?

Your fat cells are particularly active if they are hydrated and bathing in a sea of good quality water. If they aren’t then trying to get the fat out of their comfy havens within your hips is hard work.
Unfortunately, a lot of what we drink is anti-water too. Fruit juices with their high sugar content force us to use up our vital water resources. Coffee, tea and sodas also send us in to a state of chronic dehydration.

As a guide we should be drinking good quality clean filtered water. I strongly recommend getting a reverse osmosis filter fitted.

A sharp rise in the number of men requesting breast- reduction operations is being blamed by surgeons on the effects of excess female hormones in tap water and food reported The Sunday Times in July 2005.  So, yes the quality of your water is important.

1 litre for every 18kg of body weight (which seems a lot) can be managed if you chunk it down into steps. Begin with two litres a day and a plan. Have a large glass before leaving the house in the morning. 500 ml between meals and sip at a night. Drop some freshly squeezed lemon juice into the mix.

You will develop a tolerance to this. When you do, crank the volume up.

Focusing on your water intake will take a few baby steps but like all journeys they begin with a single step.

People look at me with a blank stare when I point out that the first most blockbusting fat loss strategy we will put into action is to drink up.

Why?

Are we so used to the next magic bullet when all along it is staring us right in the face?

Are we so used to instant gratification that to actually work at something as basic as drinking water is a turn off?

That’s ok – stay fat Because you deserve to be.

If you have struggled with your weight for years do not expect miracles to happen in 3 weeks. You have to be prepared to work and give yourself a fair chance at this.

So use the 80-20 rule when it comes to fat loss. 80 per cent of your results will come from 20 per cent of your efforts. Stick to the nutritional strategies that will yield the most results.

That is why drinking your water is the first step. What is the most abundant nutrient in the whole body? Water. What do all of our body cells need in abundance? Water and Oxygen. What do you think will accelerate your fat loss efforts with the least effort?  Drinking more water.

You should forget about chopping your portions and finding your next magic bullet until you try a good old-fashioned glass of nature’s finest.

John Lark is a personal trainer in dublin

It is that time of year again. The run into the Summer. A few weeks to make sure that you hit the Summer like a sack of spuds. Think of the blissful feeling of bumming in the tracksuits and only being able to wear a few items of clothing ‘cos that’s all that fits’.

Let me list perhaps the 7 most effective and easiest ways of gaining fat like it was suddenly an Olympic sport.

1. Eat a Diet Rich in Sugars, Hydrogenated Vegetable Fats and ‘Acid’ Foods

A classic dietary approach to take for those of us wishing to gain a steady 0.5 – 2 lbs of weight a week.

Ensure that you take a restricted approach to your diet by consuming foods rich in hydrogenated vegetable oils and fats and sugar.

One trick of convincing yourself that you avoided this pitfall is to consume low-fat cereal bars.

“It’s OK – these are low in fat!”

Taking in these between meals are a sure fire way to keep you on the road to gaining fat in a sensible and progressive way by allowing us to shut down the activity of our fat burning enzymes and increasing the activity of fat storage enzymes.

Perfect – I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2. Sit on Your Backside

This is a great approach to take to again ensure steady fat gain. All the excuses under the sun will be strong enough to overcome the urge to exercise and get out of breath through lifting weights, circuit training and a brisk walk, jog, run, swim or bike.

Oscar Wilde once wrote that whenever he felt like exercise he sat down until the feeling passed.Sound advice.

3. Avoid Fruits and Vegetables like the plague

Avoiding these little bundles of goodness will help me no end in my quest to put on fat over the holidays.

They will allow you extra time in bed as you catch every cold going. They will even make you eat more of the sugary stuff as you will never, unbelievably, feel full after eating.
RESULT!

4. Taking No Responsibility for Your Actions

This is a great little accelerator in the fat gaining stakes.

It can’t be your fault that you cram the cookies into your mouth or sit on your backside all day watching the clock ticking.

It is your dog’s fault that he kept you up all night barking stopping you from going out for your morning walk.

It is your children’s fault that they can’t do their homework and have a play that you have to attend that stops you from attending your class.

It is your husband’s fault that he argued with you and you responded by eating a tub of Ben and Jerry’s.

Equally it is not your fault when you see the scales rise after doing nothing all weak. But that’s OK at the end of the day it is not your problem.

5. Choose to Drink 3 litres of Alcohol a Day rather than water

A bottle of wine is a far better choice than a glass.10 pints seems to have far more rational logic to it that 3-4 bottles.

5 chasers seem to have a much better effect than just leaving at the lovely dinner that you ate.
But that’s OK – see point 4.

6. Stress, Stress and More Stress

This will help you lose weight but still gain fat as frequent boozing, late nights, no exercise lowers your testosterone to levels akin to the alcoholic on the corner of Grafton Street. Keep working the hours you work, neglect taking proper time off and stress the body until it cries at you to stop.

Equally stress will be available in volume alongside the more obvious times you can feel it.

7. Letting it all go!

Let it all go!

Ignore your body and the potential it has to provide you with boundless energy, strength and vitality.
Develop the will to just say no to exercise, sound food choices and a comfortable stress free lifestyle.

That is, after all the easiest way isn’t it?

John Lark is a fat loss specialist based at The Sphere Fitness Studio. You can visit his web site www.john-lark.com and pick up your Free Copy of the 7 Most Effective Ways to Burn Fat

When we think diet most of us would think restriction, sacrifice and denial.

We can safely say by now that habits win the race in the long-run.

Skip breakfast and you will face a problem. Likewise by not taking enough sleep, and exercising for a minimum of three times a week.

If you were a nutritional and exercise beginner you would be best to start by chipping away at one of these per week.

You will yield great results if you stick to working away at implementing habits one by one. This is definitely a long-term and successful strategy. Bottom line it works.

One of the key habits in any health and fitness programme is to implement a 90-10 rule.

What exactly does this mean?

Well as top body transformation expert Tom Venuto, author of the Body Fat Solution, states that your fat loss efforts are like a pressure cooker if you try and stick to it 100 per cent of the time. Underneath the pressure of denial and sacrifice reaches fever pitch and eventually you blow. The lid flies and the plan becomes rail-roaded.

This is not your fault. You do need to plan for the 10 per cent though.

Any plan will work if you a) maintain a calorific deficit and b) keep it at 90 per cent compliance leaving you the 10 per cent to slip away, deviate away or let the lid off the pressure cooker.

Here are a few basic ground rules before you give yourself a ticket to demolish a whole pizza washed down with a gallon of coke and topped with a strawberry sundae ‘cos you earnt it’.

In 99 per cent of the cases I deal with you haven’t even come close to earning it.

Firstly you need to track exactly what you are doing. If you are following a plan, are you following it 90 per cent of the time. You will need to write and record your efforts on paper, measure your portion sizes (if you struggle with losing weight) and write down if you exercise that day or not. A journal is a great idea.

The devil is in the detail now.

3 meals a week over the course of 7 days is 21 meals. Stick to the rules for 19 of these meals and you are on course scoring 90 compliance.

If you hit the gym 3 times a week for 4 weeks you can afford to miss 1 workout in that month.

If you skip breakfast for 2 mornings (or deviate outside of what is laid out for you) then great stuff you are on course.

If you set out the simply record your food intake for 3 days a week over the course of the 4 weeks then you can afford to miss 1 or two of these days.

Anything can be measured according to this principle.

You may notice Oprah falling flat on her face again with her diet and finally admitting that she doesn’t want to be lean and would rather be ‘healthy, lean and strong’.

She blamed a low-carb diet for her failures. The only thing was that her skipping meals, ploughing into 2-300g of carbohydrate on the odd day is not following a low-carb diet.

Her compliance was rock-bottom and the overriding reason for her failure. It is like taking a recipe for apple pie and making rhubarb crumble with it.

You have to earn your 10 per cent and plan for it. If you know that your night out with your partner is on the cards for Saturday then factor this into your week. This is particularly the case if you are on a fat loss programme.

Outside of this you have to work hard. The odd biccie here and there does hurt. You have to earn the right to cheat. Is it tough – yes. Are the results worth it? Of course.

Get in, get out. Do not lumber around trying to lose body fat. Set a deadline, a specific date to work towards. Measure, stay strong, keep tough, have a support system in place and be accountable to someone.

If on the other hand you want to try and implement a habits based approach go ahead. This works well too.

However, if you think you can wing it without a plan. Think again.

John Lark is a Fat Loss Specialist. Visit his web site and pick up Free Report – The 7 Most Effective Ways of Burning Fat at his web site www.john-lark.com

Here is a quick excuse busting exercise circuit that requires no equipment. Perform as many repetitions as you can in 20 seconds before resting for 10 seconds for 7 sets or as it is set out.

Make sure that you pace yourself. This can be tough!

If you are more comfortable with pushing the boat out then perform at a fast pace.

Excuse the lighting but Spielburg I am not.

Here is a great video courtesy of my friend Dennis Bowes. Check it out now it is hilarious but the message is quite clear. Ignore the benefits of QUALITY red meat at your peril..

Check it out now

It seems this month there is a new diet book, approach, view or opinion thrust into our faces. The promises are huge. Drop a dress size in a week. Lose 7lbs in 7 days. Change your life forever.

Who knows? You may be ‘on’ a diet. And who can blame you? You want results – QUICK! These ‘diets’ promise you exactly that with their fluorescent book covers, powerful testimonials and ‘proven’ strategies for success.

You plunge in to them. You may even become a serial dietar (or is that ‘cereal’? dieter. I have to be careful, and no pun intended, on a well-known cereal producer’s ‘Drop a Dress Size by Eating Two Bowls of Dead Food Diet’)

Atkins, The Zone, The Cabbage Soup, The Grapefruit – whatever next?

It can become a frustrating habit. One that yields good, bad, indifferent or no results for people. You may give up the ghost and plunge back into the habit of sugar binges and drinking 5 cups of coffee for the ‘pick me up’.

Our experience with serial dieters is that like the diet themselves, they are fussy.

When an individual says they are on a specific diet – they aren’t really. They are on a piece meal version. The individual may take the bits of it they like and ignore the rest. Take for instance the Atkins. We all know that this is renowned for its rib sticking breakfast of sausages and eggs.

I would hazard a guess that most people would warm to this. However, the devil is in the detail. What about the inordinate amount of vegetables that are recommended alongside a certain formula of water to help with the detoxification process.

It is like me giving you a recipe for apple pie and you then making rhubarb crumble.

My point is simple. For any diet to succeed and in truth most, if not all will, you have to be compliant 90% of the time.

How do you measure this? Well we use a compliant grid. Let’s say you eat 3 meals a day for 7 days of the week. That’s 21 meals. 95% compliance means 2 meals where you can avoid the rules. Not a lot of lee-way. So ask yourself – do you understand entirely what is asked of you and have you followed all the rules 95% of the time?

Here is my problem with diets. You end up chasing more than one rabbit at a time.

This is ok if you are talking in short periods of time – say 2 weeks. However, any longer than that I would begin to question compliance. The proof is really in what the results say.

We approach nutrition from a behavioural point of view by asking our clients to focus on one habit at a time. One week it may be the water intake.  The next it may be breakfast. In total there are 10 habits for anywhere between 7-21 days per habit.

Why this period of time? Well some of us have that burning intrinsic level of motivation to make a change immediately. For 7 days they can focus their efforts on making a change before these habits become long-lasting. For some it make take a little longer i.e. 21 days. In fact studies have shown that habits take around this time to be forged.

Like any habit, nutrition is no different. It takes time to forge habits such as shopping for fresh foods twice a week or bulk cooking and bringing in left-overs with you to work.

However, the difference between this approach and all the diet books is ultimately it is more fulfilling. Imagine tackling one habit a week for 10 weeks. In 10 weeks you would have completely overhauled your eating habits – for the long haul. That could mean the difference between shifting the weight and not.

Like all goals success brings more success and there is nothing more fulfilling than setting a goal and snowballing your achievements.
So, it goes without saying that if you are thinking of trying a diet check with a healthy doctor first then ensure you make yourself accountable and can measure your results with it.  However, if you know that you have a terribly sweet tooth or just find it hard to eat right on the run then a diet book will not help.

Behavioural changes with forging new habits will.

More fat loss strategies for you to use and implement including a free sample meal plan and workout

www.spherefitnessstudio.com