A few weeks ago, I was rifling through comments in a Facebook group I joined. This group is focused on the keto diet (which, as you probably know, I don’t totally approve of) and women were talking about why they started the diet. One common theme was weight loss, and feeling toned, trimmed and sexy.
The problem is, most of these women comment with the foods and meals they’re eating on keto, and then lament with ‘why am I stuck?’
Why don’t I totally condone keto? Because most of the resources out there focus on simply eating more fat. Not on eating high-quality fat. Not on eating fats that reduce inflammation, balance blood sugar, manage stress and boost fat burning hormones.
Nope. If I do a Google search for keto recipes, 9 times out of 10, I find blogs with recipes full of bacon, dairy and red meat.
Why are these foods a problem?
Because most women want to lose weight, which is why they start keto diets in the first place. And these types of fats, plus eating a lot of poor-quality animal fats in general, don’t address the 3 main reasons behind stubborn fat in the first place!
So…do you want a bangin’ body? Do you want this to be sustainable? Are you ready to take back control of your health and your weight?
Then read on!
Three Reasons You Can’t Lose Fat
There are 3 main reasons for stubborn fat loss. Get these 3 things under control and any residual reasons (i.e. cravings, overeating, lack of exercise, etc.) will naturally fall into place.
Reason #1 – Inflammation
Inflammation is behind pretty much every health concern you have. Inflammation, at its core, rounds up resources (nutrients, fluids, fighter cells, etc.) and brings them to tissues that are injured. With chronic low-grade inflammation, these resources just float around in your body, making you feel and look puffy, bloated and like crap.
Inflammation kills your energy levels, it really affects the brain and nervous system (boosting sleep disturbances and stress response), and it triggers all sorts of hormonal imbalances.
Reason #2 – Insulin Resistance
Struggling with insane sugar cravings or simply just feeling hungry all the time? This is blood sugar and insulin telling you they’re totally out of whack. And that your body is dealing with insulin resistance.
When you eat anything with carbs, your body breaks this down into glucose quickly, which is sent to the blood. This signals your pancreas to release insulin, which is supposed to bring that glucose to cells for energy usage.
Only, most cells only need so much energy, so any remaining glucose is sent to fat cells. Then, when the glucose in the blood runs out, you crave carbs again. Overtime, if insulin keeps bringing insulin to your cells to be used, the cells become resistant to insulin’s signals, and your body just stores a lot of fat and craves a lot of sugar. Insulin resistance!
Reason #3 – Stress
Not only can physical, emotional and mental stress cause fat storage (and further inflammation and blood sugar issues), but certain foods can boost that stress response. Especially foods that are pro-inflammatory! Or devoid of a lot of nutrients.
So, to be clear, many of the foods in traditional keto diets are actually very pro-inflammatory (dairy, red meat, processed meats like bacon). And those processed ‘keto’ snacks that are all the rage, they’re fairly low in nutrients.
What to Do Instead for that Bangin’ Body
For most women, keto diets are actually way too low in carbs. Most reduce carbs to the point where women’s hormones become more imbalanced, and the stress response is spiked over and over again.
Keto diets will help to balance blood sugar, but, remember that stress hormones – particularly cortisol – spike blood sugar by converting stored energy in muscles and the liver into glucose…which can then cause insulin resistance and fat storage over time.
Instead of blindly following the keto diet ‘advice’ that’s on Facebook or online, women who want a bangin’ body need to follow more of a healthy High-Fat / Low-Carb (HFLC) diet.
The idea behind HFLC is that women will have more freedom to include healthy fruits and vegetables plus the occasional whole grain (all of which have important nutrients to balance women’s unique hormonal needs). Plus, it’s way more sustainable because you can still enjoy favorite dishes without worrying about blowing a diet.
And, the HFLC diet that I promote is so full of healthy plant-based fats that specifically address the 3 reasons behind stubborn fat loss! Most plant-based healthy fats are anti-inflammatory in nature. They work to keep stress hormones at healthy levels by giving your body the nutrients and resources needed to manufacture adequate amounts of cortisol plus sex hormones. And, they will keep blood sugar balanced and reduce insulin resistance.
So, to get that bangin’ body? Follow a HFLC diet that is designed for a woman’s unique nutritional and hormonal fat burning needs…and one that’s actually sustainable long term!