• A short term fix: In an attempt to lose weight quickly we often drastically cut our calorie intake or restrict certain food groups. This normally only works for so long before we grow tired of a restrictive diet and subsequently abandon all efforts. Instead of setting a goal to lose weight in time for bikini season, it’s more beneficial long term to adopt a different lifestyle that involves a permanent commitment to healthy eating and exercise. Most importantly it must be a plan that’s easy to stick to!

• No support system: Too many people try to lose weight without a support system. Research shows that people who have the support of family and friends to keep them on track, are more successful at losing weight and keeping it off.

• Hormone imbalance: Hormones play an active role in weight loss. A hormone imbalance can cause dramatic weight gain and make it virtually impossible to lose weight. It was discovered about 10 years ago that most people who are chronically overweight are also leptin resistant. Leptin is a naturally occurring hormone in the body that controls hunger, cravings and how the body uses energy. When the brain is responding normally to leptin, it signals us to stop eating when we’ve had enough food to eat. However, in about 85% of the population that are overweight, the brain actually becomes resistant to its signals.

• A Dysfunctional Metabolism: Contrary to what you might think, many overweight people don’t take in any more calories than people of average weight. They also exercise and still continue to gain weight. These types of people suffer from a slow or dysfunctional metabolism. Some people suffer from hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid does not produce enough thyroid hormone, making it very hard to increase metabolism without medication. A simple thyroid test and proper treatment is essential to diagnose this problem. Supplementing your diet and exercise regime with Ignite Maxx™ will boost metabolism to help you burn up to 600 calories a day!

• Stress: Another precursor to slow or difficult weight loss is stress. The body’s response to chronic stress affects metabolism, blood sugar, hormonal function and appetite. Not surprisingly this can cause the body to hold on to its fat stores, increase hunger and cravings, as well as impair the body’s ability to burn calories.

Just watching Tara makes me feel alive. Yessss!

P.S. My bet is that she didn’t sip on a venti caramel macchiato with extra whip cream after her workout. Instead she probably had wild game with fresh vegetables.

Here is THE most important thing you will EVER learn about fat loss…. Drum roll please……….

The unvarnished truth about losing weight is…

“You must get healthy FIRST…

to be ABLE to lose weight.”

Think about that for a moment, please, because it is the most important TRUTH I can ever teach you.

A healthy body isn’t overweight. Being overweight is an inflammatory state. Your body, at a cellular level, is inflamed. It’s really that simple. It actually is not that hard. So if you look at the big picture, your discontent when you look in the mirror, may be the least of your worries. When a body is inflamed it can create a whole host of inflammatory conditions. Heart disease is inflammatory, stroke is inflammatory, even cancer is an inflammatory disease.

So paying attention to your overall health and chipping away at things that make you healthier will indirectly help you solve your weight loss problem. It also solves the bigger more important problem of making you healthier overall.

And isn’t that the goal?

Here are a few examples…   Here are two major players that either keep you overweight or will sabotage your weight loss efforts…

1)    Stress (either too much or not dealing with it responsibly)

2)    Sleep (not restful or not enough)

You’ve probably heard that before right? But maybe you’re too busy spending your time counting calories.   I guarantee you that if you’ve spent time decreasing or mitigating the amounts of stress in your life, or spent time dedicated to stress relieving techniques; you would put a dent in your weight loss goal.   Similarly, if you got restful sleep and committed yourself to 8 hours a night (that’s when our exercise style actually burns the most fat) you would, as well, be taking great strides to break through barriers to achieve your ideal weight.  So, you see, there are powerful ‘indirect ways to lose weight.’  Meaning that you are cultivating healthy habits that will not only help you reach your weight loss goals but also help you reach your overall health goals as well. That is the overall goal… isn’t it.

I get so frustrated seeing people who try so hard to lose weight but who are unsuspectingly ‘fishing in a lake with no fish.’

Most people go about it all backwards; trying to look good first. Your body is an ever-changing, amazing machine that’s constantly trying to thrive.

You need to give it an environment in order to do so. If you do, you will be astounded at how it will respond.

Trust me. Smart exercise, plus smart weight loss, equals optimal health.