Episode 11: Shake Up Your Calories - 3 Powerful Strategies to Break Through a Weight Loss Plateau!
Introduction
If you're eating less and exercising more, counting your calories and making sure you're in a deficit, but it's just not working - today's episode is for you. I'm going to share three simple and powerful strategies you can use that actually work to help break through plateaus and get you consistent results. These are the strategies that work every time for my clients, and I cannot wait to share them with you today on this episode of the Why Wait, Start Now podcast.
Welcome to the Why Wait podcast. I'm your host, Cheryl Takayama, qualified nutritionist, emotional eater and weight loss coach who walks the talk. I've maintained my 30 kilo weight loss for the past 23 years following a low carb plan, and now I coach other women online so they can do the same. It's my mission to help women get off this crazy diet wagon and find a way of eating and a way of thinking that works so you too, can lose your weight for life. Join me each week for lots of practical advice, tips and motivation. So you can start now.
Why Calorie Math Doesn't Always Work
Let me say thank you so much for listening to this. I know time is precious and I appreciate you giving your time to listen to this podcast, and I certainly hope it's going to help you make a new breakthrough in your weight loss journey.
If you've listened to my last episode, you're going to know exactly why what I'm talking about today is so important because our body is not a calculator. It's not a simple case of put this much calories in, do this much exercise, and you're going to get this result. It simply doesn't work that way. And if you've been on any type of diet in the past or counted calories, you're going to know that nothing is going to work exactly as it says in the books.
Because we are all unique. We have our own unique set of inputs that impact fat burning. And at the top of the list is hormones. Whatever state you're in hormonally is going to have a huge impact on your body's ability to burn fat.
As I talked about last week, this concept of a constant calorie deficit is really stressful on your body. And when you are on a weight loss journey, you do not want stress because if your stress hormone cortisol rises, your inner cavewoman is going to think that it's not safe to let go of precious body fat and your fat burning is going to completely stall.
So when we look at strategies to help get the scales moving, we need to minimize stress. We need to do it in a way so that your body gets a bit of a shock, but it doesn't go into this constant state of stress. We also have to work against our body's own ability to adapt. Because remember, your body doesn't want to burn fat. Burning fat requires extra energy.
So our body is so good at adapting to what we're doing. It'll slow your metabolism down so that it can catch up, and it doesn't have to keep burning fat. So what does work really well is being one step ahead of your metabolism by doing different strategies, by mixing it up. So you're not doing the same thing all the time.
Now when you add that into your week in a way that's not as stressful as this constant under eating, you're going to find that it makes a huge difference.
The Foundation: Low-Carb Eating
So let's just start today by going over the foundation where you want to be first. And then I'm going to go into detail on the three specific strategies that you can use to start seeing better results today.
There's no point going on and doing some of these shake up strategies that I'm going to talk about today until you have a solid foundation. This always has to be at your core. You need to have that foundation way of eating so that your insulin is under control and stable, and your blood sugars are balanced throughout the day. That is critical.
And of course, if you've listened to previous episodes, you're going to know that the low carb way of eating is absolutely perfect for this foundation plan. And you can go back to episode five or episode eight, where I share exactly what low carb should look like when your goal is weight loss.
In a simple way of looking at it, you want to be having good low carb meals, three meals a day, and having a snack if you need to. So your foundation is to be in this place where your blood sugars are balanced, your insulin stable, and you're starting to see results. But of course your body is going to start adapting. So that's when we want to bring in these strategies.
Strategy #1: Change WHAT You Eat (Carnivore Days)
The first strategy I'm going to talk to you about today is changing what you eat. And in low carb, a really effective way of doing this is from going from a low carb plan to virtually zero carb. Now, this is a good shock to your body, and a simple way to do this is by following a carnivore template.
When I talk about carnivore, you may have heard about this before. It's become quite a popular way of eating because it is very effective on the scales. Now with carnivore you're going to be eating mostly animal based protein, including fats. And in my carnivore plans, I also include high fat dairy. So as long as you tolerate dairy, this just gives a few more options and makes food just a little bit more exciting.
But when you switch to a carnivore template, what happens is you're going to take your level of carbs, which might be around 50g or less per day on low carb, and you're going to be getting really close to zero because of course, meat doesn't have any carbs and fat doesn't have any carb.
So this is a really good shock. But the key thing is you only need to do it for a day. You might do one day a week, you might do two days a week. And when you do this, your body definitely has to stop and think "what is she up to?" And as well as weight loss, what's really interesting about trying a strategy like carnivore is it's really good for your gut.
I find that when people do carnivore, the first thing they say to me is just how good their stomach feels. A lot of bloating goes away. And this is because when you're not eating any vegetables and a lot of fiber, your body can actually process the food in a different way.
Unfortunately, it can be vegetables that can cause a bit of bloating, especially if you're doing a low carb plan. I'll be talking more about that in a future episode when I share how we can really manage IBS or irritable bowel syndrome when doing low carb, and certainly one of the fastest ways to help with bloating is just to cut back on vegetables.
So doing a carnivore day is often a really interesting experiment, just to see how your body feels when there's a lot less fiber in your system. Also, you'll be amazed at how full you can feel when you are doing high protein and fat. And even though you may be eating lower calories, it's very, very satiating.
So the kind of meals that you could be eating on a carnivore day would be eggs with cheese. You might have some steak with butter, chicken cooked in butter, some shrimps or seafood fish. I always make a ham and cheese omelet. It's actually very easy and quick food. So I find a lot of my clients really enjoy doing this because not only is it simple, but it definitely helps them get faster results on the scales.
So that's strategy number one: Changing what you eat.
Strategy #2: Change HOW MUCH You Eat (Low Calorie Days)
The next area that's really powerful to work on is changing how much you eat. And yes, this is going for a lower calorie model. But the key is rather than the idea of a constant calorie deficit that you're doing all the time, every day with this strategy, you're going to follow your normal level of calories, which for most of my clients is probably between 1200-1300 or 1600-1700 somewhere in that range, depending on how active they are and their age.
So we're taking that level of calories, which is our standard foundation plan, gradual weight loss calories. Then for two days a week you are going to drop it. Now you might choose to drop by about 400 or 500 calories. So it is going to be quite a shock. But you're only doing it for a day. You see? So rather than this idea of doing it every day and your body gets stressed out, we're just doing it for a day. Now that is really effective.
If you're doing a low calorie day, I always suggest to eat really nutrient dense foods. You want lots of vegetables so you can fill up your tummy. And another good idea that you might be aware of are the low calorie noodles. Here in New Zealand, they're called slender noodles, although I know in the States they're called Shirataki Noodles.
So these are noodles that are actually made from a product called konjac. And they are full of fiber, but they have very low calories and very low carbs. These are really brilliant because when you eat them, they help you feel full, but you're not getting too many calories. So perfect for a low calorie day.
Another good option when you're doing a low calorie day might be something like having sugar free jelly as a dessert, maybe with a bit of plain yogurt. Sometimes having something to look forward to at the end of the day can be quite helpful.
A simple way to drop your calories when you're doing low carb is just by cutting fat out. If you're not a person who likes to count everything, just trim the fat off and do that for a couple of days. And just doing that alone is going to help keep your calories down.
Now, when you're doing a low calorie day, also remember you've got to drink lots of water. That's always important and don't do a lot of exercise because of course, exercise makes you hungry. And then if you are hungrier but you are eating a lot less, that's going to be quite stressful and difficult. Remember, it's only for a day you can get back to your normal exercise plan the next day.
The other thing I often recommend to my clients is hey, eat slowly, make it last because those meals are going to be a bit smaller. So eat slowly so that your brain has time to register exactly what you've eaten.
Strategy #3: Change WHEN You Eat (Intermittent Fasting)
Now, the last area that I'm going to tell you about today is also really powerful, which is changing when you eat. Now this is where we get into some time restricted eating or some intermittent fasting which you may be aware of. Another really powerful way to do something different and give your body a shock.
So what we're doing when we're changing when we eat is we're either going to be starting to eat later in the day, so delaying breakfast or you're going to eat dinner a lot earlier. Now, what this is going to do is condense your calories into a tighter window during the day. And the effect of this is then you're going to be going longer between one day and the next without food.
So let's just say you stop eating dinner at 6:00. Normally, you might wake up and have breakfast at eight. Well, if you're going to experiment with a bit of time restricted eating instead of eating at eight, you might delay it and not have your first meal until 11:00. So you're going for an extra three hours in a fasted state. And this is another powerful way to be doing something really different and keep your body guessing what's coming next.
I find a lot of my clients enjoy doing this because it's a way that they don't have to worry too much about changing what they eat. They don't possibly like doing lower calories, so just by changing around the timing of their meals, it gives them a way to do something different, but it fits in with what works for them.
A common way to do this - in fact, I would say what most people do is that they delay breakfast or they skip breakfast altogether. They might get up, have a black coffee, and then go as long as possible and eat lunch.
Now, I'm not saying that's right or wrong because we've all got to start doing whatever is possible. However, I've found with clients that it's far more effective to actually change your food timing at the other end of the day and eat dinner earlier. I know that doesn't fit in quite so well with our lifestyles. And many people like to have dinner with their family. So again, we have to choose what works for us.
But I've always found both myself and with clients that when you eat dinner earlier and go to bed feeling light, it can make a huge difference. I started doing this a few years ago when my kids were always busy with after school activities, and I hated that feeling of being really hungry while I was driving them around.
So what I started doing was having dinner at 4:00, and then I'd go off, do all of the after school activities, and it just felt so much better because I'd already eaten. There was no hunger. I didn't want to grab snacks all the time, and then when I came home, I would sometimes just have a really light snack, maybe some yogurt or a couple of bits of dark chocolate. Yum! My favorite.
And that made such a difference. Then you would go to bed feeling light and it always feels really good. In fact, once you start doing that, it's quite difficult to go back to the old way of eating dinner later. I just find that eating early is really good for digestion, it's great for sleep, and it's especially good when your goal is weight loss because you want to go to bed feeling really light so that your body can get straight to work and start burning fat.
Putting It All Together
So my advice if you've listened to this and you're thinking, right, I'm going to give one of these a try. The key thing is just to choose one, two or maybe three days a week that you are going to add in these shake up strategies. You don't want to start doing it too often because then your body will get used to it. We want these days to be done strategically.
I want you to do these days as strictly as you can. Do it with as much accuracy as you can, because then it's going to be a great contrast from your normal day. As I've said earlier, I don't recommend that you do a lot of intense exercise when you're doing one of these shake up days, because we want your body to have enough energy to burn fat, and we don't want to stimulate cortisol. We want to keep your stress levels as balanced as possible. So don't do a lot of intense exercise. You want to go to bed as early as you can. Get lots of sleep and of course drink lots of water. And both of these things will make sure that your stress levels stay low and your fat burning engine gets going.
It's also really helpful to track your progress when you're starting doing strategies like this. So keep a food diary for yourself. Keep track of how you feel. It all really helps because of course what you measure, you can manage.
Now, you might choose to do one of these days, or you could mix it up and do all three. I mean, what a shock that would be. You might do one carnivore day and then you might eat your normal food for a day. Then you might throw in a low calorie day. You can really mix it up in a way that's not too difficult. And when you do this consistently each week, it's going to really help on the scales.
My Programs and How They Work
In my four week Foundations of Fat Loss program, this is exactly what I do in week one. It starts with three meals and a snack, and then each week the meal plan changes. I add in a week with a couple of the low days where our calories go under 1000. And then in the last week, I also introduce a day where people have one meal and two protein shakes. So that's just another way to shake it up and have something different in there so that your body has to keep guessing.
In my membership program, I actually create a new fat loss acceleration protocol every month, and that's a three day plan that's again designed to give your body a shake up. So one month I might do a high protein plan. Then we do a low calorie plan. Sometimes I really mix it up and do one day of each. So I find this works really well with clients because every month they're doing something new and in weight loss, this is what you have to do because unfortunately, we're too good at getting into habits and our body is too good at adapting.
Summary
To summarize what I've gone through today, your key to ongoing, consistent and fast results is not about being in a constant calorie deficit. It's about you shaking it up so your body gets a shock and you have to keep burning fat. And you can either do that by:
1. Changing what you eat - going from low carb to zero carb
2. Changing how much you eat - doing a higher calorie day contrasted with a low calorie day
3. Changing when you eat - eating earlier in the evening or later in the morning
Just choose whatever way works for you. But what matters is that you start doing it, and you do it consistently. Because when you add this in each week, it's going to really help you get consistent results.
The other thing about doing it more than just once is that that's going to help you get a more accurate idea of if it really works for you. Because remember, hormones are everything. So if you're at a stage in your cycle where your body's just not willing to let go of fat because of where you're at and your menstrual cycle, you're not going to get as good of a result.
So I always say to my clients, do it at least 3 or 4 times in a row. Give yourself a good month, and then you're going to really see at the end of this month whether it was helpful for you.
One Thing To Try Today
Now to finish off today, of course, I'm going to give you the one tip which I'd love you to do if you are ready to get started. And as you might have guessed, today's tip is just choose one of these days and give it a go. You don't have to do it for 2 or 3 days. Just try it for one day. Get out some meat. Cook it up. Have some leftovers. Do an easy carnivore day and just see how that works for you. Because as the old saying goes, if we're willing to try new actions, we've got a great chance of getting a new result.
All the best. And if you would like a plan to make this easy with some structure and meal ideas, make sure you get a copy of my free five day shake up plan, which I've got linked in the show notes. So that's going to be a simple five day plan that you can follow, which is based on exactly what I've been talking about in today's episode. See you next week.
Closing
Thanks so much for listening. And if you want support on your weight loss journey, I would love to help. You'll see the links in the show notes for my socials, as well as my fab freebie, a five day low carb meal plan, and five delicious dinner recipes. You'll also see the link for my four week Foundations of Fat Loss program. This is the program I've designed specifically for the fat burning needs of women over 35.
Remember, the only thing that's going to stop you reaching your goal is if you quit. Never, ever give up.
