to lose weight - Peak Performance Psychology

21
ways
ILLUSTRATION: PRISCILLA NIELSEN
Feature Break through your weight barriers
1
Exercise
smarter
“Lose fat, especially from your mid section,
by giving up boring treadmill hour-long
workouts for high intensity interval training
(HIIT),” says personal trainer Natalie
Carter. “Four to 20 minutes of HIIT will
burn more calories than your standard low
intensity treadmill workout, plus you’ll still
be burning fat long after you complete the
session. Start with eight intervals of
20 seconds of intense exercise, such as
sprinting, and rest completely for
10 seconds. Do this three to four times
a week with a rest day in between.”
to lose weight –
2
without dieting
Stand and deliver
Shedding those kilos shouldn’t
be about deprivation and rabbit
food. Charmaine Yabsley asks the
top holistic experts for alternative
ways to whittle your waistline.
60 | October-November 2013 | natureandhealth.com.au
“Become more aware of your posture
and breath, says Karina Stewart, doctor of
traditional Chinese medicine. “Pull the
shoulders back, expand the chest by
breathing deeper, and pull your belly in.
Changing your posture and breathing
metabolically activates your core to burn
calories more effectively. Learning to engage
your abdominal centre, which is two inches
below the navel, with your posture and
breath can maximise circulation around your
body by distributing more oxygenated
nutrient-rich blood to areas that may have
been previously metabolically underutilised.”
3
Head to bed
“Most people aren’t aware that this one
simple change can actually help them lose
weight,” adds Stewart. “Growth hormone,
which is necessary for building the lean
muscle mass that plays a large role in
determining your basal metabolic rate,
is produced most during deep sleep.
The window of opportunity to optimise
growth hormone production is between
10 p.m. and 4 am, so boost your metabolic
momentum by going to bed before 10 p.m.”
4
Go for green
“The combination of green tea and
exercise targets tummy fat. In one recent study,
green tea not only boosted weight loss but also
helped triglyceride control,” says Stewart.
5
Pay attention
“Mindless eating occurs when we lose
connection with our food. We eat without
awareness of the flavour, we rush and eat more
than we need, and we don’t enjoy our food as
much as we could,” says psychologist Joann
Lukins. “To be mindful of your food: turn off
the television; sit down to eat, chew slowly,
and put your cutlery down between
mouthfuls; consider eating in silence, even if
not for the entire meal; and give some thought
to your environment – sitting at a table where
some effort has been made to create a relaxed
ambience makes a big difference.”
8
Eat smarter carbs
Health coach Kat Loterzo says, “Eat protein
and green vegetables with each of your meals
and snacks. Be sure to eat a breakfast
containing protein within 30 to 60 minutes
of waking. And, as soon as you wake up,
do a simple 5-10 minute workout routine
of 20 squats, 20 lunges, and 15 push-ups,
at your own pace.”
“Cut out highly processed wheat
products, which contain refined sugars,
create fat cells and only temporarily satisfy
hunger,” advises master food coach Susie
Beville. “But don’t be afraid of ‘good’
carbohydrates which your body and brain
need – brown rice and rice-based products,
wheat-free breads and pasta, and grains like
buckwheat and barley. Add lean protein,
including chicken, fish, egg whites, tofu
and quinoa, to every meal to ensure your
metabolism works your body to lose fat
without hunger.”
7
9
6
Replace,
don’t erase
Love your body
“Before any change can happen your
head needs to be in the right place,” says
clinical hypnotherapist Kerrie Saunders.
“Spend a few moments every day visualising
your ideal body and how it feels to have
already achieved what you want. This way
your subconscious mind has a positive focus
and direction. Starving in order to lose
weight will always backfire as the survival
instinct kicks in and you end up gaining
more weight so the body feels safe against the
perceived ‘famine’. Get to know the language
of your body – what it likes to hear, eat, and
do – and treat your relationship with your
body as you would one with a good friend.”
Look into
my eyes
“Together, hypnosis and Time Line
Therapy™ produce a powerful effective
intervention which gets to the root cause
of the behaviour and limiting decisions that
drive overeating patterns,” says
hypnotherapist Narelle Lee. “This may take
the form of a non-surgical gastric band for
clients with a BMI greater than 30, or other
hypnotherapy scripts for lighter clients.
For clients choosing the full weight loss
program, I also show them how to use
a pendulum as a biofeedback device to
accelerate metabolism, which further
enhances weight loss.”
natureandhealth.com.au | October-November 2013 | 61
Feature Break through your weight barriers
13
Start the
day right
10
Smart swaps
“These easy swaps fill you up and
taste great, yet strip kilojoules by at least
50 percent,” says accredited practising
dietitian Trudy Williams. “Swap two grilled
sausages for 20 barbequed prawns; replace
½ cup of potato salad with ½ cup mixed
beans, and have 15 deli-style olives instead
of a small bag of potato crisps.”
11
Shift focus
“Don’t think in terms of weight
and size; instead, think about attaining great
health,” says health coach Jenny Wright.
“Consider what the food you are eating is
actually doing to your body, energy levels,
and long-term health. Eat delicious, real food
– and weight loss will be a side effect.”
12
Eat regularly
“Regular, healthy meals keep
you fuller for longer, prevent bingeing, and
provide you with the nutrients you need to
burn energy, detoxify, and make hormones,
which all help you to lose weight,” says
medical herbalist Sarah Ellis.
Naturopath Deborah Rugari says, “Research
shows that people who eat breakfast are less
likely to overeat during the day. Just like a car,
a full tank is needed to travel through the day:
the better the fuel, the better the performance.
Ensure your breakfast and lunch include
palm-sized and -thickness lean protein;
morning and afternoon, snack on nuts, seeds
and fruit; and enjoy a light evening meal.
Include a brisk walk every day after eating to
prevent muscle loss and drink one and a half
litres of plain water to wash away toxins.”
14
Do what
you love
“People regard exercise as something that needs
to really hurt to be doing any good!” says peak
performance expert Vanessa Bennett.
“Unsurprisingly, after a week or so they decide
it’s all too hard and so do nothing. If you think
of exercise as incidental to other things, such as
seeing a friend over a walk instead of a meal,
you increase your movement and get your body
ready to take on more strenuous activity.
It’s better to move with less intensity than not
at all, especially when starting out.”
15
Dig deep
“Weight is 100 percent related to
your stuck emotions from the past, so give
yourself the gift of emotional processing
through hypnosis, coaching, therapy, EFT or
kinesiology,” advises mindset specialist Kylie
Ryan. “When you are emotionally free and
feeling safe to become slim, your body will
naturally become slim without diets,
deprivation or self-punishment. If you are
struggling with your weight, your body could
“Wheat is highly
processed, contains
refined sugars,
creates fat cells, and
only temporarily
satisfies hunger.”
have an unconscious desire to remain
overweight. Often this is a method of
protection against an imagined negative future
when you become slim. Ask yourself,
What is the worst thing that could happen when
I reach my ideal weight and shape? Or, a coach can
help you uncover unconscious self-sabotage.”
16
Look to
the East
Traditional Chinese medicine practitioner
Peter Afatans, recommends eating with
chopsticks. “It takes longer to eat, giving your
body time to tell you it’s satisfied, so you eat
less,” he explains. “Drink Chinese tonic teas
for energy- and metabolism-raising - with
more energy your body won’t go looking for
more, like fatty, sugary snacks. Use bowelmoving herbs in teas or tonics. A good
bowel movement will reduce your weight
by 500-1,000g. Senna is used extensively in
Chinese medicine, though it’s best in leaf form
and as part of a tonic tea blend.”
17
Scratch stress
“When we’re frightened, angry
or tense our bodies become flooded with
adrenaline and a stress hormone, cortisol.
This worked well for cavemen, but when
you’re not about to run from a sabre-tooth
tiger, you don’t use these hormones.
They – and all the sugar released into the
bloodstream – just float around your body,
eventually ending up as fat on your tummy.
They also make you crave more sugar because
this is the primary fuel adrenaline bursts
use,” explains celebrity trainer James Duigan.
“To stress less for a flatter tummy, cut
caffeine: have no more than two cups of tea
or coffee a day. Excess caffeine can stimulate
your nervous system, causing your adrenals
to pump out cortisol. Lose the booze. Alcohol
stimulates your adrenal glands, plus it’s full
of sugar which makes you fat. And take a
good fish oil: omega fatty acids control levels
of cortisol and adrenaline in the body, plus
they burn fat around your middle, reduce
inflammation, and reduce sugar cravings.”
“Work with your body
rather than against it
- your body has a
deeper wisdom than
the diet industry.”
18
Put on your
listening ears
percent of fullness as your cue to stop eating.
Then you can begin adjusting so you use
your body’s signals most of the time when
interacting with food.”
19
Divide and
conquer
“One meal a day, either lunch or dinner,
should be a salad with a protein topping,
such as grilled chicken, fish, prawns, tuna,
cottage cheese, boiled eggs, feta cheese, beans
or lentils,” suggests health and nutrition
consultant Barbara Karafokas. “Notice your
plate portions: three-quarters should be
salad, one-quarter topping.”
20
Powder punch
“Listen – really listen - to your body,” says
accredited practising dietitian Laura Jean.
“Let hunger be your main cue to eat and
satisfaction your cue to stop. Over time we
lose our connection with these inbuilt cues.
Before you start eating, ask: ‘Am I physically
hungry?’ Use a satisfaction point of 80
“I swear by matcha (green tea
powder) for speeding metabolism and aiding
weight loss,” says health coaching
nutritionist Jessica Tzvetkoff. “It staves off
sugar cravings and hunger, and the caffeine
boosts energy levels. Half to one teaspoon
per day is plenty; the rest of the day, have
normal brewed green tea.”
21
Go vegan
“An easy way to lose weight is
to include a couple of vegan meals in your
weekly eating plan,” says personal trainer
Ben Stephens. “They are tasty and packed
full of fibre, complex carbohydrate, protein,
and vitamins and minerals.”
Ben’s Tuscan bean stew
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove , crushed
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1 large leek, chopped
• 900ml vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 3 tablespoon pearl barley
• 1 x 400g tin borlotti beans
• 50g leafy greens
Heat oil in a large saucepan, add garlic,
carrots, celery and leeks, and cook until
softened. Add stock, purée, and barley.
Bring to a simmer then cook for 15-20
minutes until barley is just tender. Add
beans and greens and simmer for 5 more
minutes. Serve with crusty bread.
Meet our experts
Change
your life
- for the
lighter and
leaner!
Natalie Carter Karina Stewart Dr Joann Lukins Kat Loterzo
personal trainer and
fitness expert, www.
newoutlookfitness.
com.au
Doctor of
Traditional Chinese
Medicine and
co-founder of
Kamalaya Wellness
Sanctuary, Thailand,
www.kamalaya.com
62 | October-November 2013 | natureandhealth.com.au
psychologist and
director of Peak
Performance
Psychology, www.
peakpp.com.au
health coach,
www.katloterzo.
com
Kerrie
Saunders
Susie Beville
master food coach,
www.myfitbody.
clinical
com.au
hypnotherapist,
www.kerriesaunders.
com.au
Narelle Lee
hypnotherapist,
www.the
performance
masters.com.au
Trudy
Williams
Jenny Wright
heath coach,
accredited practising www.hellogreat
health.com
dietitian, www.
foodtalk.com.au
Sarah Ellis
Deborah
medical herbalist at Rugari
The Wellness Room, naturopath, www.
www.thewellness
thehouseofhealing.
room.com.au
com.au
Vanessa
Bennett
CEO, Inside 80
Performance,
www.inside80
performance.com
Kylie Ryan
Peter Afatans James Duigan Laura Jean
mindset specialist, traditional Chinese
www.mymindcoach. medicine practitioner,
com.au
www.peteraftanas.
com.au
celebrity trainer and
creator of the
Clean & Lean Diet,
www.bodyism.com
Barbara
Jessica
accredited practising Karafokas
Tzvetkoff
dietitian, www.
health, nutrition and health coaching
eatwellwith
wellness consultant, nutritionist, www.
awareness.com
www.barbara
nutritionandstyle.
karafokas.com
com.au
Ben
Stephens
personal trainer,
www.benefit
active.com
natureandhealth.com.au | October-November 2013 | 63