29,409 Views
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV I’m sharing one of the most important secrets of Living Lean and the 6 weird things that promote it.
Before we get started, I have one question for you. In the comment section below, tell me…
What is the most important hormone in your body that you need to control to achieve sustainable weight loss?
Alright, if you said: Being in a calorie deficit. That’s not a hormone.
But yes, being in a calorie deficit is important for weight loss.
However, to ensure your body is burning stored body fat for energy every day, we need to…
Insulin!
When your body is suffering from insulin resistance, you’re more likely to store food as fat, rather than burn it for energy: FAIL!
The opposite of this is insulin sensitivity: GAINZ!
Focus on these 6 simple things that promote insulin sensitivity and weight loss:
Lemons, limes, vinegar, spices like cinnamon and turmeric, and pickled foods like sauerkraut help improve insulin sensitivity and the body’s ability to process carbs.
Action Tip: add lemon or lime to your water and top your sweet potatoes with vinegar, spices, and a side of sauerkraut.
Replace insulin spiking drinks like soda, fruit juices, and sport drinks with insulin sensitivity improving teas like green tea and yerbe matte, and fresh lime or lemon water.
Action Tip: drink tea or lemon or lime water before a carb filled meal.
Foods with a high glycemix index quickly spike insulin production. High glycemic foods tend to be foods with added refined sugar and refined carbs like grains and crackers. They spike blood sugar levels which then causes more insulin to be released to remove the sugar from the bloodstream, which then creates more sugar cravings.
Reduce the glycemic index of these foods by pairing them with fibrous and antioxidant rich foods like vegetables and fruit. And if you need sugary, high glycemic foods, earn them by eating them after your workout.
Action Tip: Next time you raid the bag of nachos at a party, grab a handful of veggies from the vegetable tray too!
It has been shown that sitting for too long can reduce insulin sensitivity even when you’re doing most of the other things on this list right.
Action Tip: schedule a quick walk around the office every hour to keep your body moving.
Make your carbs work for you rather than against you. Carbs are the macronutrient that induce insulin most. The overconsumption of carbs is the reason why so many people are insulin resistant.
Action Tip: Improve your insulin sensitivity by consuming the majority of your carbs after your workout. The harder the workout, like leg days, the more carbs you can eat. This is when the muscle cells are most receptive to soaking them up, not your fat cells.
I just learned about this technique. Supposedly cooking, cooling, then re-heating your potatoes may reduce their blood sugar response.
Action Tip: Cook your sweet potatoes in bulk as this makes eating them for leftovers a good thing.
These tips may seem weird so I have to be clear. These tips are what I consider “the minors”. They will help improve insulin sensitivity, thus increasing weight loss…
…but “the majors” of improving insulin sensitivity and increasing weight loss are what I talk about ALL THE TIME and is what you should be focusing the majority of your efforts on.
For example.
Build muscle.
It’s simple. When muscle mass increases, insulin resistance decreases. Focus more of your time training to build muscle through resistance and sprints, rather than slow and long duration endurance training.
Eat more protein.
Protein does not induce insulin as much as carbs, it balances hunger and cravings, and it helps build more muscle. Add a protein source to all your meals and round out the plate with magnesium-rich fibrous green leafy vegetables. Magnesium has also been shown to improve insulin sensitivity.
Improve your sleep.
Lack of sleep increases the stress hormone cortisol which then increases cravings for sugary food, which then increases insulin production. Don’t eat late at night as insulin inhibits production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
That’s it Live Lean Nation.
Go download our new FREE Ultimate Live Lean Starter Guide. This guide takes away all the confusion with your diet and workouts as it gives you the exact meal plan, video cooking lessons, grocery lists, and a month long workout to improve insulin sensitivity and lose weight faster.
So many of you have already download the starter guide for free and are loving the results. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, do it here.
If you enjoyed today’s episode, make sure you subscribe to my Live Lean TV YouTube channel as we upload new episodes every Monday and Thursday.
I love you guys and keep Living Lean.
Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
20 responses to “6 Weird Things that Promote Weight Loss”