Following a few candid conversations with a number of clients (no need for names today), has lead me to today’s topic.

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As has happened, let’s say someone approaches me and suggests they’d genuinely like to lose excessive body fat.  They now acknowledge they feel awkward living with this additional weight, they understand the possible associated health risks and also accept they weren’t designed to live at this shape.

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<span style="color: #993366;"><em><strong>My usual plan of attack would be;</strong></em></span>

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<ol>
	<li>
<blockquote>Address the pitfalls of frequently spiking blood sugar – and why excessive spiking of the hormone insulin will make losing weight near impossible for many.  Equally, define how continually spiking one’s insulin will make gaining weight so damn easy.</blockquote>
</li>
</ol>
<blockquote><span style="color: #008080;"><strong>TIP 1</strong> –Avoid near all food littered with refined sugar (this usually means unreal additive riddled food).</span>

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<ol start="2">
	<li>Amp up a more hearty breakfast – be sure to add some healthy slow energy releasing fats to start your day.  A more fulfilling breaky usually influences improved choices at both lunch and dinner – particularly in naturally reducing dinner volume.</li>
</ol>
<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>TIP 2</strong> – Try options like eggs, avocado, mushrooms, ham, green leaf etc. </span>

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<ol start="3">
	<li>Move regularly and make it rhythmic and continuous.  In returning to your fat burning efficient best, keep your intensity conversational but slowly increase time in action.</li>
</ol>
<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>TIP</strong> – Start by walking as often as possible.  Slowly and carefully pick it up into a slowly controlled jog (when possible) – using the walk/jog method is usually best. </span>

&nbsp;</blockquote>
<ol start="4">
	<li>
<blockquote>Be patient and consistent with steps 1, 2, &amp; 3.  It usually isn’t the case that one increases weight – or fat ratio - by excess of 10% overnight.  So draw up your simple plan and stick to it.  My experience suggests, for most, registering your commitment in a diary seems to be the best way to muster continued motivation.</blockquote>
</li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #993366;"><em><strong>So that’s it!  It all sounds simply enough, but.............</strong></em></span>

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What about if someone has truly given the 4 key steps above a committed crack! And, the scales and clothes haven’t reflected these efforts.

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<blockquote><span style="color: #008080;"><strong>Enter – change your gut bio-chemistry now!</strong></span></blockquote>
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Over the past 5 years experts now have clear evidence that failure in holding our ideal weight (and health) is related to the balance of good &amp; bad bacteria in our guts – as in lower intestines.

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It’s said if your balance is tipped towards ‘bad’ bacteria, and, more importantly, if you are short of bacteria responsible for controlling appetite and metabolism, then you can train the house down and avoid sugar like the plague, but sadly you’ll continue to hold your unnecessary weight.

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Experts suggest this imbalance has been influenced by exposure to the industrial diet (particularly during adolescents), but also related to genetics.  Meaning, some people are simple born from the outset with sub-optimal gut balance.

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While the science of gut biology is extraordinarily complex to say the least, and for an more in-depth look - please check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af5qUxl1ktI">TED TALK</a> , below is a <strong>4-7 Day Food</strong> plan I’ve used successfully with many.

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While I’m aware you could really take it to the next level by following a super strict heavily committed gut health diet, I’ve tried to keep this plan more simple and logistically realistic.  Encouraging big Mick to ferment and broth his own food just wasn’t practical.

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<blockquote><strong><span style="color: #008080;">This plan is designed to change gut balance with both pre-biotic and pro-biotic real food choices. </span> </strong></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>My goal;</strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>Clean out the bad stuff.</li>
	<li>Heal and mend the damage.</li>
	<li>Throw in the good stuff.</li>
	<li>Keep meals simple.</li>
	<li>Avoid hunger by eating till satisfied.</li>
	<li>Remain a ‘kale and tofu’ eating virgin.</li>
</ul>
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<strong><span style="color: #993366;">MY GUT RE-TUNING MENU</span> </strong>

<strong><span style="color: #008080;">DAY 1</span> </strong>

<strong><span style="color: #008080;">Breakfast</span> </strong>
<ul>
	<li>Start with a schooner of water – le tap will do the trick.</li>
	<li>Cooking Oats – ¾ cup</li>
	<li>Chia seeds –tspoon</li>
	<li>Add water ¾ cup or full cream milk and microwave on high for 50 seconds</li>
	<li>Add ¼ cup of sultanas, ½ cup of almonds, watermelon</li>
	<li>Dash of ground cinnamon</li>
	<li>Large tblspoon of natural yogurt</li>
	<li>Option: Tpsoon of psyllium husk</li>
	<li>Option: Coffee, Tea, Green Tea  – zero sugar</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>Lunch</strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>Start with either a bottle of Kombucha or water.</li>
	<li>Sandwich Wrap – gluten free if logistics and palate permit.</li>
	<li>2 Eggs (scrambled, fried, boiled – whatever)</li>
	<li>½ Avocado</li>
	<li>Lots of green leaf – baby spinach, basal, coriander.</li>
	<li>Good option: Pepper, Chilli flakes,</li>
	<li>Apple, pear, blueberries or orange</li>
</ul>
<strong><span style="color: #008080;">Graze food</span> </strong>
<ul>
	<li>Trail mix</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>Dinner</strong></span>

Steaming is best;
<ul>
	<li>Broccoli, Cauliflower, Squash, Zucchini, Bok Choy, Green beans</li>
	<li>Add butter and dash of salt</li>
	<li>Salmon, Tuna, or Trout to hunger – dash of lemon</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>After dinner</strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>Help yourself to a herbal tea of choice – I enjoyed lemon tea.</li>
	<li>Brush your teeth immediately after finishing your tea – your culinary day is done.</li>
</ul>
<strong><span style="color: #993366;">Day 2</span> </strong>

<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>Breakfast – same again</strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>Change fruit option</li>
	<li>Coffee or tea (optional) – zero sugar</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>Lunch</strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>1 Tuna Avocado Sushi roll + soy sauce</li>
	<li>1 Chicken Sushi roll (brown rice) + soy sauce</li>
	<li>Miso soup (find yourself a Japanese take away sushi bar)</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>Graze food</strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>Trail mix + Dark Chocolate</li>
</ul>
<strong><span style="color: #008080;">Dinner</span></strong>
<ul>
	<li>Chicken salad</li>
	<li>Salad of choice – lots of mixed green leaf, capsicum, asparagus, cucumber, almonds, sultana’s, olive oil.</li>
	<li>Don’t be shy to toss in some sauerkraut.</li>
	<li>Glass on kombucha</li>
	<li>Brush teeth</li>
</ul>
<strong><span style="color: #993366;">Day 3</span> </strong>
<ul>
	<li>Fruit salad – apple, pear, berries, grapes, watermelon, rockmelon</li>
	<li>Natural yogurt</li>
	<li>Coconut flakes</li>
	<li>Ground cinnamon</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>Lunch </strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>Toss salad – loads of mixed green leaf, avocado, capsicum, almonds, goji berries, olive oil, dash salt.</li>
	<li>Add BBQ chicken</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>Graze food</strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>Hummus</li>
	<li>Carrots &amp; Celery</li>
	<li>Pickles (optional)</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>Dinner</strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>White rice – dash of lemon</li>
	<li>Fish of choice, avocado, cashews</li>
	<li>Salsa – either buy a chunky organic version or make your own - chopped raw tomatoes, onions, lime juice, garlic and jalapeno peppers.</li>
	<li>A row or two of dark chocolate.</li>
	<li>Brush teeth and throw in a warm glass of water with a dash of lime.</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Day 4</strong></span>

<strong><span style="color: #008080;">Breakfast</span> </strong>
<ul>
	<li>Back to my day 1 oatsey thing.</li>
	<li>Feel free to add LSA mix or throw in a seed mix – pepita’s or teeth braking apricot seeds.</li>
</ul>
<strong><span style="color: #008080;">Lunch</span> </strong>
<ul>
	<li>Bacon salad wrap – all classic salad options are go, while throwing in some bacon (your local butcher cuts are best).</li>
	<li>Green smoothie -  Apple or pear, celery, spinach leaves, ginger (loads of it) – blend it up, kepow!</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>Graze foods</strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>A few strips of block cheese (of choice)</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #008080;"><strong>Dinner</strong></span>
<ul>
	<li>Make your own brushetta</li>
	<li>Chop fresh tomatos, chop red onion, chop basal, chop garlic, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (invest in quality)</li>
	<li>Sourdough bread – toasted – ‘real’ butter</li>
	<li>Add avocado &amp; mushrooms (fried in butter, garlic and salt)</li>
</ul>
BP

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