Heirachy of fat loss

There are so many different elements to fat loss. I often get asked what is the most important factor to consider. So below is actually a list of the things you could be doing, and which one's should be your priority.

The most important things to do to burn fat

1. Correct Nutrition
2. See No. 1
3. Activities that burn energy and promote increase in metabolism
4. Lifestyle factors
5. activities that burn energy.

This is a pretty simplistic list, and to be honest one of the main roles of the above 5 activities is to improve the hormonal landscape within your body. If your hormones are balanced then fat loss becomes mega easy. Ever wonder why some people can stay in shape no matter what they eat? Probably because their body is really good at regulating hormones. I have known quite a few people like this. unfortunately one day they often turn a corner and suddenly their body doesn't do what it used to do. This is when you know something has changed.

The approach we take is not purely based on diet and exercise. There are many keys to enabling lasting success, and these can include really simple things like just getting to sleep at the right times can burn 3-5 lbs of fat off your body in a matter of a week or two.

The 19 day Rapid Results course is full of little bits and pieces that when put together yield amazing results.

have a look at these (remember they are results in less than 3 weeks!)












The next 19 day rapid results course starts on the 14th November. If you are interested in joining the next group to get in great shape before the Xmas party season starts. Just drop me an email matt@optimiseu.com

So I hope I didn't offend you the other day. If I am honest I toned down my post the other day. As you may have guessed I am quite passionate about getting people great results. I am constantly trying to find the best way to get people in shape quickly. Now you may have resigned yourself to thinking you can't get in shape in time for that Xmas party. Well I'm here to say you can! Here is the deal, we have put together the most crazy results package we have ever used. Just look at these results That was in just 19 days. (Yeah even I was suprised) What about this? Or how about Don't know about you but I think those results are pretty awesome for 19 days. I knew they would get great results because I tried it out first. Here is me ;-) I have others, people like Carol who dropped 5.5inches from her belly alone! Yasmine who lost 4 inches from her belly and 3 inches from her hips. Alison who dropped 10lbs. So here is the deal. I will run one more rapid results course this year. So that we can still hit the deadline of the Xmas party season. Here are the details Next course starts - 14th November (Lasts 19 days) Investment - Current clients - £47, New clients Option 1 - £142.25 - includes 2 sessions per week at our studio Option 2 - £172.25 - includes 3 sessions per week at our studio Details 19 day by day instructions delivered through a secret facebook group You will need to buy about £50 of supplements You will need to avoid all alcohol, wheat and dairy for 19 days You need to post a daily update every day I'm not going to lie this isn't a no effort plan. This is a get frickin lean quick plan. It is sustainable and can be maintained long term. Especially with the advice at the end. If you want to apply for a place then email me matt@optimiseu.com There will be a limited number of places, and space in our sessions is limited too. So are you ready??

Thanks for your time, have a great day,

Matt has a rant!

Recently I have received some comments and criticism about the nutritional strategies I utilise with my clients. People telling me that I am asking people to follow a fad diet. They have even said my approach is too restrictive and unhealthy. They have informed me that avoiding some food groups is down right dangerous.

So I though I would answer some of these objections and have a little bit of a rant.

First and foremost let me state the principle aim of my nutrition plan. To make peoples bodies healthier. Yes that is it. I believe that the best

nutrition plan should be to optimise the way your body functions. For this reason I ask my clients to remove toxic foods, inflammatory foods and foods that our body may not be equipped to digest easily.

I have made it a major aim for me to educate myself about the best ways I can get clients great results and ultimately make them healthier. This has involved attending courses, reading books, articles,

recent research, taking part in discussions with other trainers, about their knowledge and experience. So you may see

why I get a little frustrated when people tell me that I am wrong, with little more than a rudimentary knowledge of nutrition and based on anecdotes and urban myths. Now I am not

saying I have all the answers, I am continually learning after all and I appreciate that some of the things I do may change over time, but the basic principles or nutrition have

never changed.

In this day and age it is very difficult to avoid toxins unless you go and live in the middle of the wilderness. When we eat toxins our body must detoxify itself. This process is always going on. Many of us

though consume more toxins than the body can deal with. This causes the body to start storing toxins; we store them in our fat cells. This makes fat essential, as we need to dilute the toxins within

the body.

This is where traditional ‘eat less’ diets can sometimes fall down, as they don’t address the toxins in the body, making it much easier to gain weight after

achieving results.

Now I’m not saying that if you follow my eating plan you will never regain weight.

After all if you eat crap you will get fat!

You will however find it much easier to maintain your weight loss if you continue to avoid (most of the time) foods that are toxic and not actually good for you. Going back to your old eating habits will lead you to regain the body you had.

I will in the near future write an article about why I don’t advocate other products such as dairy and wheat based products. For now I hope this serves to explain why I do what I do and that I haven't offended you.

Would you try this diet product?

Leave me a comment below about the crazy diets, pills potions that you have seen.

Cut the Crap!

Many people ask me what is the best way to lose weight.

This is such a massive question and there are so many answers and things to consider.

For me though, without fail the number one way to start shifting those unwanted pounds is cut the crap.

What do I mean by that?

I mean cut out the food you know is not helping you.

You see I don't believe you need a degree in nutrition to know what is good for you and what is not.

So keep it simple.

Cut out the sugar, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, ice cream, pies, pastries, crisps, pizza's. The list of foods can go on and on.

While I'm at it though remember the drinks, cut the soda's (including the low calorie type), coffee, tea, and fruit juices and of course alcohol. All can be holding you back from shedding some of your unwanted pounds.

So there it is!

My number one piece of advice for losing body fat.

What's yours? Leave a comment with your number one piece of advice.

What to eat out?

At this time of year there is a very high chance of you are going out for a few meals.

So when you go out what should you eat? Especially if you are trying to lose weight.

Here are some basic guidelines.

1. Skip the bread basket. A small bread roll can be between 80-100 Kcals. It is very easy to scoff a few rolls before you have even placed your order.

2. Eat natural. Choose foods that have not been processed, for example meat, fish, vegetables, fruit are all natural. Avoid breads, dough, pasta, pastry or other heavily processed products.

3. Be sensible with sauces and dressings. Often much of the calorie content of a meal is in the sauce, or dressing. You can always ask for your dressing or sauce on the side and you can control the amount you eat.

4. Avoid fried foods. The oil used will often be used to fry for a sustained amount of time causing the fat to become hydrogenated and toxic. Choose instead foods that have been grilled, steamed or poached.

5. Drink water. By having a couple of glasses of water with your meal you will probably eat less food.

6. Drink alcohol in moderation. Alcohol is probably one of the quickest ways to increase the calorie content of a meal. Even just a small glass of wine can be 100 Kcals. A bottle is about 750 Kcals. If you can avoid it all together as it will make burning energy from your meal easier if you are alcohol free.

7. If you are going to drink. If you are going to have a few glasses of wine, limit the amount of carbohydrate you have. Wine and other alcoholic beverages are usually very high in sugar and alcohol is made from sugar. So limit the amount of sugars you eat, avoid potatoes, rice, pasta bread.

8. Do some exercise. Create some space. A good exercise session will use up energy in your muscles. When you come to eat your meal your body will top up its muscles energy reserves before storing fat. Then for a double whammy, exercise the next day to really ramp up your metabolism.

9. Have fun. As I mentioned in my last post, stress can actually keep you fat. So unwind, and have some fun.

If you have any tips or questions just leave a comment.

Are you too stressed to lose weight??

Do you wake up to an incredibly annoying alarm clock? Do you then drag yourself out of bed and then spend the rest of the day rushing around, drinking cups of coffee and tea, eating sugary foods just to keep you going. Now if you are like many people, you finally make it to bed after a very busy stressful day, and for some unknown reason can not get your self to sleep. Instead you lay in bed running the day through in your head and planning the coming day.

If this is you then maybe your stress levels are stopping you from burning fat.

Firstly there are several types of stress.

• Physical stress - this can be too much or too little exercise.
• Chemical - this can be caused by caused by medication and foods that have been eaten
• Electromagnetic - There are not many of us that are not exposed daily to mobile phones and computers.
• Psychic & mental stress - this is the stress that we suffer from work & relationships
• Nutritional - If the nutrients entering our bodies is not the right balance that we require then can cause undue stress
• Thermal - This can be caused by rapid changes in temperature or consistent exposure to climate that causes burning or freezing. (not that common these days)

These stressors on the body cause hormones to be released to help the body cope.

The hormones that are actually released are those that are usually linked with the fight or flight response.

This causes a rise in heart rate, blood pressure and sweating. Your body shunts blood from the digestive system to the skin and muscles.

Ultimatly the biggest problem caused by increased stress is the rise in cortisol. Cortisol is fantastic for helping us cope with moments of stress. The only problem is that it suppresses your bodies growth & repair system.

So why does stress stop you from losing weight? Well cortisol causes your body to stop building muscle, it can even encourage your body to start breaking muscle down. This is a problem as muscle is your metabolically active tissue and where your body burns calories.

At the same time as telling your body to stop building muscle your body can actually start to encourage fat storage.

So what can you do?

Well the best thing to do is to reduce stress. So here is an action plan.
1. Identify the biggest stress you face on a day to day basis
2. Make a realistic plan. Set small goals to tackle your biggest stress
3. Eat & drink right. Take control of the stressors that you can control straight away
4. Move more & do some exercise
5. Do some mental exercise. Take some time to do some form of relaxation, maybe try meditation or tai chi.

If you want to discuss how stress is affecting you and your weight loss plan just give us a call or drop us an email