In part 1 of our series into intuitive eating we covered some basic concepts. Today, we’re going to delve deeper into how this concept works specifically for fat loss.

To recap, we established that the three fundamental principles of intuitive eating were the following:

1. You eat when you want
2. You eat what you want
3. Bigger meals are preferred

Some of this might sound contradictory immediately when it comes to fat loss. Eating when and whatever you want?!

Obviously, there is going to be discipline required with ANY nutritional protocol – and intuitive eating is no different in this regard.

Here are 5 ways to prime your body for a fat loss diet by leveraging the principles of intuitive eating, without meticulous calorie counting for 12 weeks to get shredded.

(NOTE IN ADVANCE: We do not recommend following this dietary protocol if your objective is to get ready for a competition/show that requires intensive prep. Intuitive eating is used in a more flexible capacity for individuals who have less time + seriousness for a hardcore diet.)

1. Spend the First Week Figuring Out Your Maintenance Calories

We aren’t about to go back on our word, but the first week we advise spending some time to analyse your routine and get a rough idea of your maintenance calories. You don’t necessarily need to track your macros, but you should have a rough indication of what foods you typically eat and whether or not it’s pushing you up the scale or down.

After week 1 is out the way and your weight has stabilized, it’s then time to start making adjustments.

2. Cut Out Excessive Grains

The first big change you should seek to make is to gradually reduce the amount of grains that comprise your daily diet.

This can be as simple as removing the odd cereal source or slice of bread for the first week to create a gradual calorie deficit.

You should also feel significantly less bloated implementing this step as your gut health improves on a daily basis.

3. Include Vegetables With Every Meal

Once grains have been removed, it’s likely you may feel a subtle increase in hunger as your body starts to feel as though it’s being restricted its usual daily calories.

To counteract this, we recommend integrating vegetables into each meal to maintain satiety and stop impulsive eating (i.e. reaching for the crap in the cupboards).

With vegetables in every meal (broccoli, carrots and green beans make excellent choices that can be bulk prepared), you’ll also increase the overall thermic effect of food, which will then increase your total metabolic expenditure.

To further improve nutrient utilization (or if you don’t like eating high quantities fruit or veg), consider adding a serving of Grazed alongside Fiber+ each day to stock up on more greens and keep the immune system healthy

4. Implement Fasting

After implementing the previous two steps, it’s likely that you’ll begin shredding fat quickly.

Now is the time to incorporate some fasting into your diet – prolonged periods of abstinence from food to increase Growth Hormone (GH) levels, free fatty acids from the blood stream and enhance overall fat loss.

There are many variations of fasting that you can follow, with the most popular variation these days being the “16:8” protocol popularized by LeanGains.

Fasting has profound benefits for fat loss and even muscle retention. We encourage you to play around with some of the protocols found online or simply incorporate 2 daily fasts per week coinciding with bolus meals on these days, and a serving of Shredabull Untamed to keep you through the period where you’re not consuming any calories (Grazed can also be useful to provide a steady stream of amino acids into the bloodstream to prevent muscle breakdown during these periods).

5. Monitor The Scales On A Bi-Weekly Basis

The last important concept is to monitor the scales on a bi-weekly basis and make adjustments from there.

Make sure the weigh-in is in the morning on an empty stomach consistently so you can also make intuitive amendments. Weighing yourself at inconsistent hours/times will only skew the readings and make it more difficult to make the necessary adjustments along the way.

If you’re not dropping weight as fast as you’d like, consider gradually reducing the meal frequency on a daily basis or portion size; preferably including more protein in your meals and additional vegetables.

You can also integrate Matador into the mix for better nutrient partitioning as well, which may positively influence fat loss efforts

Conclusion

Intuitive eating is a bold approach to dieting, but it can work in the short and long-term if you’re as disciplined as you would be counting calories.

It’s less soul draining and time-consuming, and easier to implement for busy professionals. It may not produce the same return on investment (ROI) as counting calories, but it’s certainly a more efficient way for the general population to start shredding excessive fat while maintaining a positive relationship with food.

The post Intuitive Eating for Fat Loss (Part 2 in the Intuitive Eating Series) appeared first on PROJECTAD.