Targeted Fat Loss Blog

According to an article in Sydney Morning Herald, a diet high in fat leads to inflammation and scarring in the brain.

I can only assume that the study was based on "bad fats", like trans-fats (found in junk food) for example. We know that good fats are actually healthy - sometimes they get a bad rep from studies like this. Many people jump to the conclusion that all fat is bad for you, but this simply isn't true.

In fact, in some individuals, a moderate to high dose of 'good fats' can actually lead to improved brain function, fat loss and a variety of other beneficial effects on the body.

On the flip side, eating bad fats can lead to inflammation through the brain and through the body as well as an (almost) endless list of chronic disease and dysfunction.

When choosing which 'diet' to follow, you will do better on one that contains good fats.These actually balance out any bad fat that you choose to eat.

A low/no fat diet has all sorts of problems associated with it - hormones (our body's messenger) rely on a supply of good fat to work properly. Without it, our hormones get all messed up, and we will actually hold onto fat, rather than burn it.

So much for all the lo/no fat marketing hype!

The easy way to ensure you are getting enough good fat is to regularly take a good quality fish oil supplement and (obviously) avoid eating those nasty trans-fats.

This spice has been used for hundreds of years for it's medicinal qualities.  You probably already use it, but don't even know it's helping you.

It can actually help you burn belly fat.

It also has been used to

•    reduce blood sugar levels
•    help relieve nausea, vomiting, and flatulence
•    can be used for it's anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties
•    improve circulation

So what is this miracle herb?

Cinnamon!

Honestly, for years this has been one of my favourite herbs to cook with and it's great knowing the fantastic benefits of cinnamon.

One of the first human studies was published in 2003 in a medical journal called Diabetes Care. Sixty people with type 2 diabetes took 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon in pill form daily, an amount roughly equivalent to one quarter of a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.  After 40 days, all 3 amounts of cinnamon reduced fasting blood glucose levels by 18-29%.

What does this mean to you?

By controlling your blood sugar levels, you are allowing your body to produce less insulin.  One of the biggest factors in packing on the fat is high insulin levels.  So… Reduce your insulin levels and you can reduce your fat!

How do you use cinnamon to reduce your fat?  Eat it!

Buy cinnamon powder (without sugar) and use it as often as possible in your cooking.  You can put it on your oats, smoothies, yoghurt, etc.  I LOVE cinnamon when I make a beef mince dish.  I also tend to sprinkle it on beef that I roast.  The smell of it cooking all day long is mouth watering.

Yesterday, we started experimenting with a cinnamon drink.  It's delicious.  Boil 3 tbsp of cinnamon and 1Tbsp of baking soda in 1L of water.  Drink throughout the day.  Sounds funny, but it's yummy.  Give it a try, especially if you are craving sweets.

Cinnamon has some very great benefits for you and is so easy to add into your diet.  You don't need much to get the benefits of it.  The study here showed that even 1/4 of a teaspoon made a difference.

If you are on medications (especially for diabetes) please consult your doctor before any major changes to your diet or supplementation.  Blood glucose levels can dip too low, so be safe.

Where are you going to eat your cinnamon today?

To your fat loss,

Hugh and Keri Norley

I have a confession to make today. Over the last month, we’ve had a lot of stress in our lives. My husband and I decided to pack up house, move everything into storage and come overseas to the States to stay with my family for a little while. To say the least it was an incredibly crazy, chaotic, stressful month. All while having the holiday and still doing coaching and our business. So, I let some bad old habits to slip back into my life and I really want to come on here and confess to you guys because we are all human.

A lot of times I coach my clients and they feel really bad about "slip-ups" and get all guilty and then drop off the band wagon, altogether. They stop losing weight, they get into bad habits again. They think, “Oh god it’s all over”! Well... It’s not! It’s been 4 weeks that I’ve been eating way too much chocolate again.

In the past that’s been my way of dealing with stress. I also basically stopped exercising for a few weeks because we just didn’t have time. It was chaotic and we have the holidays so we just wanted to chill out. Now, it’s about a month later. I know what I’ve done and I’ve taken the steps that I needed to take to get back onto my own band wagon.

One of the reasons you haven’t heard from me in the last month is because I live in integrity. To me it’s really important that if I’m going to teach you guys stuff and coach, that I’m doing whatever I tell you as well. The videos kind of stopped last month because I think unconsciously, I just couldn’t really pass the word on when I wasn’t fully living what I was preaching.

Here I am, back on the bandwagon, doing all I can do hit my next goal. I actually hit my last goal and dropped down to size 10 after gaining the weight from my pregnancy. Now, the goal is by the 7th of April to be down to US Size 6. Here goes guys, I’m back at it. I’m back at the gym. I haven’t stop eating chocolate completely. I have definitely had it a few times in the last few weeks but there are days that I haven’ t had any. I’m getting back on track again.

It takes an effort and I’m back on the band wagon. After the holidays and with new year’s resolution, if you had any slip ups, any “ooopses”, you hop back on your bandwagon as well and let’s hit our goals. By the way overseas, we’ve moved to the Palm Springs, California area, for the time being. It’s been a lot of fun being gypsies, hanging out. We are at all sorts of different people’s houses and meeting really amazing new people. So we've got some fun stuff happening and that means you guys are gonna learn some really great new things this year. Stay tuned for some regular posts coming up about some not so talked about topics! Trust me... you won't want to miss these, so subscribe to find out when we post next.

Have you ever wondered about detoxification?

What is it? Why would you do it?

At the moment everywhere I turn, someone seems to be promoting, advertising, or talking about detoxification. So today, let's talk about what all the buzz is about.

Before we get into detoxification, I wonder…

How Many Times a Day Do You Go to the Toilet?

If you are not going to the toilet frequently, you are not releasing toxins. I am amazed at how many people think it’s ok to spend even one day without going poo! So why is it important to frequent ourselves at the toilet? To EXPEL SH#T! Excuse my language but that’s what you are doing!

Food is a source of energy. Once the body has gotten what it needs out of the food, then the rest needs to be eliminated. When you don’t eliminate it, then you get a build up of toxins in your body and your colon. The toxic build up can actually cause decay in your body. This decay can attract viruses and bacteria and all sorts of yucky bugs to the area. When the yucky bugs are there many of the good bacteria that keep our system clean, gets killed off.

Imagine an animal killed on the street with bugs flying around it and eating it from the smell of the decay. That’s what your insides can start to look like! YUCK! No Thanks! So, in order to keep your insides healthy, you MUST POO! Going to the toilet a couple times a day is a GREAT thing! Also remember that you must drink water to flush out your system as well.

So now that you know how easily we can build up toxins in our bodies, let's talk about detoxification.

A detox is when you get rid of all the toxins in your body. Where do you get the toxins from? Anywhere around you, the food we eat, the things you breathe in, what you drink and I’m talking about even from good sources of food like vegetables, fruits, and meat. You can get toxins from anywhere. When toxins build up in your system they can clog it up. Because of this you may start to feel run down, tired, get sick, have a lack of energy, or headaches. You can even start to get bloated or have extra fat around your body So it’s a great thing to do to in order to clear yourself from all this stuff and actually start to feel better and even get rid of belly fat.

Why would you detox? Simply… you will feel better! Most people will claim that once they have a detox, they get much more focused, they have clarity, again they’ll start to shed the fat really quickly. It's possible that a detox can help get rid of fat on your belly, love handles, bum, thighs, arms... You may also start sleeping better, and even clear up any indigestion you may have. There’s all sorts of wonderful things that can happen from having a detox.

So over the next few days, we’ll be talking a bit more about detoxes. We’ll tell you some of the ways you can detoxify and also we’re gonna get into some fun stuff about colon cleanses and enimas. It’s an untouched subject that many people don’t talk about but we’re gonna uncover it here.

At Targeted Fat Loss, we teach you how to lose fat in specific areas of the body, AKA: spot reduce.

The key to this is balancing your hormones.

For example, when you are stressed you release certain hormones into your body. These hormones actually prevent your body from doing what it naturally does to recover and keep your body functioning optimally. Stress prevents recovery from exercise... This prevents you from muscle growth, which burns the fat. And ultimately, that's what you want, right? To burn the fat?

So, yes... stress can be a reason that you have a fat belly and no matter what you do, you struggle to get rid of it. Let's be honest, you have probably tried doing 100's of crunches and other ab related exercises and have still found the stubborn fat not budging.

Well, it's time to look at the stress in your life. Stress can come in many forms, such as your work environment, family, financial, your health and so much more.

If you look at all the areas of your life, see which ones are causing you the most amount of stress and do something to reduce it. It isn't necessary to tackle of every area at one time, as that may cause stress too. Just slowly ease your way into a more balanced life.

Let me give you an example of the power of this... I was in the US on holiday for two weeks recently. I was eating lots more junk than I usually do. I was totally expecting to have put fat on when I was there. I was SHOCKED to see that I had actually lost fat on my belly by quite a bit upon my return.

When I asked my husband how that was possible, he responded with the fact that I had a lack of stress. While I was there, I was totally looked after by my mom. She cooked, did the shopping and has a housekeeper to do all the cleaning. I truly didn't have to worry or stress about anything. I got to relax, exercise and play with my baby and the rest of my family.

If you really want to get rid of belly fat, than start by reducing the stress in your life. Do one thing every day to de-stress yourself. This is the very simple explanation of this concept. To learn the ins and outs of how stress can be a major factor in getting rid of belly fat, check out our course on www.targetedfatloss.com.au.