Discussing the theory and methods which will facilitate quick weight loss is taking a side-step outside the common theme of optimising mindset which intertwines throughout my previous blog posts.  So why touch on weight loss? Carrying excessive weight creates significant risk and impact on our health far beyond the most recognised concerns of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and chronic joint pain. Excessive weight has debilitating impact on confidence, it is highly correlated with depression & anxiety and has such a negative stigma in our society with the rise of body expectations through social media platforms. For many; a healthy weight and happy body image seems so distant from reality that it often creates a steep slide into emotional binge eating.

Now, as a disclaimer, there is no suggestion in this post whatsoever of everyone being a size 4 or having a ripping 6 pack of abs, but more so to share with you some techniques to lose weight WITHOUT DIETING! Only half of you may value this post, others may use 1-2 of the tips regularly whilst many may actually be completely at peace with their current weight. And all of those are completely fine! These tips are designed to allow you to unlock far more of your potential to lose weight fast through some key tools to consider and experiment with.

Your weight should never control you. Therefore a diet should never control you. As such; you will notice that these tips have an overriding focus on lifestyle and habits & methods of accountability. I, like most people, also become sceptic when anyone talks about “quick fixes” however the reason I find this discussion so beneficial is that quiet often, with weight loss, a small change can be the catalyst for the greater changes we want to make in ourselves.

The terms “quick,” “fast” and “rapid” are not terms to be thrown around in the health space because often the results aren’t sustainable. However the reason I use them sparingly is that once we start to see small changes, they can be powerful in motivating sustainable change.

So use these wisely. They are not designed to be permanent solutions. If used correctly, they won’t cause you damage or harm. Use these as a platform to change your regular habits around eating;

1. Drink more water. Simple right? So why don’t we do it? The key reason people drink soft drinks or even energy drinks  (diet or not) is because of the ‘kick’ you get! And I’m not talking about the sugar kick, the caffeine kick or the guarana kick… I’m taking about the flavour kick. These billion dollar companies have a finely tuned formula discovered through huge research and development budgets that people get so much joy out of seeking that particular flavour in their day. So for those of us that desire that kick, we need to consider flavouring our water. Consider lemon, ginger, cayenne pepper and mint. Water positively impacts cell regeneration which aids in your recovery from training. When you recover better, you sleep better.  When you sleep better, your metabolism functions optimally and the way in which you torch excessive fat stores is heightened. Make your water consumption mindless. Use the formula: Body weight x 0.033 to determine how much water you should consume daily. I’m 90kg, therefore my body needs 2.97L of filtered water daily for adequate metabolic functioning. And also consider making water consumption mindless.  If your body needs 3L a day, buy 4 x 750ml refillable bottles, leave them on your desk at work, fill them at the start of the day and make sure they are all empty at the end of the day. Simple.
2. Cycle Macronutrients. Macronutrients are the main nutrients that make up the food we eat; protein, carbohydrates and fat. On days of Intense training (lifting heavy weights, high intensity cardio, etc), you need to consume a higher volume of complex carbohydrates (eg. brown rice, quinoa) and lower fats. Do this for a couple of days. Then transition to a higher protein, low fat and lower carbohydrate diet for the next couple of days when doing low impact training. Then, finally, fuel your body with a balanced caloric intake over the following 2-3 days. Cycling macronutrients ensures that you don’t have sustained time-frames of nutrient deprivation which is ensures  satiety. Keep shocking your body with the way you fuel yourself as this will then optimise and sustain the spikes in your metabolism. If you want to drop substantial wight in 48 hrs for an event or something you have upcoming (the majority of which will be water weight) – eliminate carbohydrates, eat lean proteins and minimise caloric intake. Do not do this long term – your body needs and is reliant on these things
3. Close the kitchen. Get everyone in the house on board this technique. You need to identify a time at night (mine is 8pm) where the kitchen is closed and nothing further will go into your mouth. You need to give your digestive system a rest. The ideal time-frame would be stop eating 2-3hrs prior to sleep. Make this a habit. This one habit alone will make you feel and look amazing; consistently. Wire your jaw shut and watch what happens.
4. Use smaller plates. Mind over matter. You will eat smaller portions. Use side plates rather than dinner plates. If you’re into meal prep, use smaller single use take-away containers rather than the snap lock rectangular Tupperware containers. This tip is guaranteed to help you lose weight without having to diet. The mind is more powerful than you could ever imagine and this tool is blatantly used to trick your mind.
5. Remove any opportunity to mindlessly eat. Most people’s nemesis is the food you cannot stop snacking on. The fastest way to lose weight is through identifying your thoughtless eating habits – commonly in the form of snacking. It might be in the draw of your desk, in the glove box of your car or in your gym bag. These are pointless calories. Disfunctional eating habits that you absolutely do not need to engage in. So what’s the best way to stop it? Do not buy it! Do not acquire it! Do not be in situations where you can access it! Bin it, donate it, eliminate it. If you don’t have it, you can’t consume it – right? Wrong. If you crave it that much…the mind will find ways to get it. So replace it. Create systems to have healthy options available when there is a risk of you falling back into the snacking habit. Fact: Nobody ever got overweight from replacing snacks for an apple, a banana, some berries and greek yoghurt.
6. Short term cleanse. 3 days. This is a short term commitment in order to see the number on the scale move. This is encouraging. The reason why a 3 day cleanse is so beneficial is that it will also give you a snapshot into how so much of our day is reliant on and centred around the consumption of food with family, friends and in emotional states. A 3 day cleanse allows you to zoom out from your life and take perspective on your current eating habits and how that is impacting your health. Fact: 70% of the time we eat is because of habit. Not because we are hungry but because the clock says it’s lunchtime, the clock says it’s 3:30pm which means coffee/cake, the clock says it’s dinner time, etc, etc. Food dictates our life – we need to start to consider it as fuel in terms of need rather than necessity based on time or environment. If, for example, we were all forced to keep a food consumption diary for one month, you would be absolutely shocked at the amount of food you consume above and beyond what is necessary for daily human functioning. It would blow your mind. There are so many emotional reasons that we eat that has zero to do with nutrition or hunger. A cleanse allows you to become very aware of these things. I won’t recommend one in particular as my readers stretch across many demographics and health ranges however use this website as a platform to do the research to see what is right for you – https://www.doctoroz.com/recipe-collection/3-day-cleanse-recipes. The ultimate goal on this tip is to consider why you eat and when you eat.
7. Try intermittent fasting. This lifestyle change has been a bit of a craze of the last 18 months – this website is effective in helping you to  understand more: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322293.php . In short, the theory is that we consume the same amount of calories but in a smaller window of time. That’s the theory. The fact is; if you have a smaller window, we tend to naturally consume fewer calories in our eating window and allow our bodies to recover over a longer period of time. It’s not a diet. It’s simply recreating structure around your consumption of calories. Experiment with what works best for you. If you have never tried this before, you will rapidly lose weight in one week. For me, this has been the one tool that has allowed me to maintain a healthy body weight year round. Try it!

Many of these tips may only be temporary solutions but the hope is that they may deliver something far greater than that. Shifting a few numbers on the scale is often all it takes to create that spark of motivation to make permanent change. Make the decision to change your relationship with food. See it for what it is; fuel. So when you go to fill up at dinner tonight – will you choose the premium unleaded fuel (wholefoods)? Or will you choose the cheaper unleaded fuel (fast food/sugars/simple carbohydrates) which may save you a couple bucks in the short term but will cost you far more in your mental and physical health over the next 10 years. It’s time to make a change.

Become an expert on your own body.

Live the life you love.