Even if you are the most motivated and disciplined person, you still need to ensure you aren’t getting sidetracked by making common errors that will halt your progress and that are easy to avoid.

For example, did you know that for weight loss and health it’s much better to choose the ‘whole fat’ version of dairy products than the ‘fat free’ option?  (something weight-watchers probably don’t tell you – another dig at weight-watchers).  Almost all foods that have had the fat removed from them and are labelled ‘fat-free’ are going to be contaminated, contain fewer nutrients, and discourage fat loss to a much greater degree than the whole fat option.  This is especially true with dairy products because the whole fat version of yoghurt and milk will naturally provide conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which protects against prostate and breast cancer.

Below is a list of tips to achieve a lean body composition.  But before you read the list if you are:

1. smoking
2. drinking large amounts of alcohol
3. taking diet pills
4. drinking your calories (fruit juice, fizzy drinks, sports drinks)
5. trying to lose weight without exercise

then stop doing these things now, then apply the changes in the list below.

Tip 1: Don’t eliminate fat

Getting too little fat is actually a bad idea.  Of course, removing ‘very bad’ fats, also known as trans fats, from your diet is essential because they will make you fat and will eventually kill you.  However, you need a decent amount of good fat in your diet, because all the cells in your body are made up of two layers of lipids (fats) which will be composed of good fats or bad fats depending on the type you eat.  If the cell lipid layers are made up of healthy fats, it will make them more sensitive to insulin, and allow the receptors to bind more easily, which is necessary for good metabolism and energy production.

Tips 2: Do get a balanced fat intake

To do this you want to get a large quantity of omega 3 fats that are balanced with omega 6 fats.  Ideally you would get a near equal ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fats.  Most people get way too many omega 6 fats because they are abundant in our typical diets in the form of the most commonly used vegetable oils (corn, sesame, sunflower).  Omega 3 fats are found in fish oils (sardines and mackerel being great sources) but can also be gotten from grass fed beef and wild meats.

I would recommend taking an omega 3 supplement to make sure we are getting enough.

Tip 3: Get rid of stress and lower cortisol levels

To lose fat it is essential that you minimise stress to lower your cortisol levels.  It is well established that chronically high cortisol levels results in fat gain, particularly around the middle.  This means that no matter how much you exercise or eat healthy, you won’t lose weight if your cortisol is elevated because of how cortisol makes the body insensitive to insulin.

Tip 4: Get  a healthy gut

Improve the health of your gut and support digestion by taking a probiotic to lose fat, have more energy, and feel better.  Probiotics are the tiny bacteria that naturally occur in the gastrointestinal tract and are commonly found in dairy products such as yoghurt.

Several studies have shown that poor gut health makes the body produce more cortisol, directly affecting insulin health and resulting in visceral belly fat gain.

Gut health is essential to optimise neurotransmitter firing, ultimately leading to improved mood, cognitive function, energy and motivation.

Tip 5: Eat protein at breakfast – NO cereal allowed.

For some of you, you will be bored of me saying this, but it is very true.  Most importantly make sure you eat breakfast in the first place.  Skipping meals will set you up to fail to lose weight long term.

Stay away from cereals as they are typically packed with sugar and additives.  In the rare case you can find a cereal that isn’t packed with added sugar but it will be low in protein.

Setting the neurotransmitters up for the day is the reason for a high-quality protein breakfast, plus you have just gone 8-12 hours with out any food.  The macronutrient content of the food you eat at breakfast will prime the chemicals that send messages from the brain to all your muscles and tissues throughout the day.  If you set your neurotransmitters up with a high carb cereal, orange juice and a banana, you will trigger a big insulin response, elevate serotonin, and end up feeling low energy and foggy in the brain soon after.  Its then difficult to reverse this poor brain function and sluggishness, and people tend to counter this with caffeine or keep topping themselves up with sugary foods, raising cortisol levels, causing a new round of problems.

Eat eggs and meats for protein and add in a good fat like nuts to set yourself up for the day.

Tip 6:  Take a very cautious approach to the science and health media

Health, fitness and diet information from the media is commonly misrepresented with the facts being presented in a way that feeds on our desire for intrigue and quick, easy solutions.  Equally concerning is media is fueled by business interests.  Enough said.

Tip 7: Focus on detoxification

I do not mean fasting or a one time detox.  Rather you want to focus on detoxifying your body on a regular basis because you are exposed to dangerous substances daily.  The two simplest things you can do is to drink lots of water daily (2 litres plus) and eat an adequate amount of fibre.  Additionally you could drink green tea to detoxify the liver.  Omega 3, L-Carnitine (found in beef, pork, dairy, peanut butter) and the gingko plant are all excellent detoxifiers.

Tip 8: Don’t forget to strength train and be as active as possible

Strength training is essential for weight loss because it will burn fat, burn calories, improve insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake and make you stronger.

Strength training improves lean mass and builds muscles, which in turn raises your metabolism to support a leaner body composition.

For best results incorporate a strength training program that is progressive and changes regularly, include anaerobic interval training and try to be as active as possible throughout the day