In the first week of this challenge we have several things happening.

We’re trying to switch our diet so we’re getting what we need to build lean muscle without the other calories or hormone-triggering foods that would cause excess fat gain.

With this comes restructuring our cells so they will use the foods we’re giving them properly and balancing or increasing hormone levels so our body will prioritize building lean muscle over body fat.

Then we’re addressing digestion, which is crucial to your overall health as well as building muscle, as you need to be getting all of the nutrients and vitamins you’re consuming.

And, improperly digested proteins lead to inflammation, which leads to higher levels of cortisol, a hormone that prioritizes building fat and breaking down muscle.

Wow, those are some big claims in that title.

But note the, “over time,” part of the title. Because, no, it isn’t immediate.

But, yes, BCAAs, or Branched Chain Amino Acids, do contribute to building fat over time, as well as reducing muscle gains… and kidney trouble, and type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, and obesity, and…

Here. Let me explain.

Ask anyone about bulking and cutting and they’ll bring up calories and macronutrients.

Calories are basically a measurement of how much potential energy is in a food.

Potential because some of it will actually be used as energy and some will not.

This can be energy which is “burned” right now for physical activity (sugars or fats) or energy stored for later use (body fat and glycogen (stored sugars)).

Bulking & Cutting has been around for decades now.

We workout hard, count our macros, and eat and eat and eat, and build lots of muscle.

And… at the same time we’re building muscle, we also build body fat. And we build them at about the same rate, a pound of muscle for a pound of fat.

Well done on completing the 30 Day Fat Loss Challenge!

This is no small achievement!

We’ve balanced hormones and repaired or replaced at least a trillion or so cells, if not 10 or 20 trillion.

We’ve removed fatty deposits not only from our fat cells, but from our blood vessels, where it can narrow blood flow, causing more work for our heart.

We’ve removed fatty deposits from our organs, where it can make them less efficient or prevent them from doing their job. (Not good.)

And we’ve improved our digestion and microbiome, the most important gatekeepers for our overall health.

In short… we’ve done a lot!

You’ve probably heard of the Cholesterol Hypothesis.

This is a hypothesis that higher levels of cholesterol, particularly LDL Cholesterol, are associated with higher rates of Heart Disease.

This hypothesis is so deeply ingrained in our understanding of how the body works that challenging it is almost laughable. (Even though it’s still just a hypothesis after all these decades.)

However, over the last decade, more and more scientists and doctors have been doing that for one very glaring reason: there is no evidence to support the hypothesis.

Welcome to the final week of the 30-Day Fat Loss Challenge!

During this challenge we’ve had our ups and downs as cravings came and went and hormones began to balance.

But by Week Four things have evened out or soon will.

Energy levels rise, mood may become more even, sleep becomes more restful, digestion improves, and overall health rises.

And, of course, we’ve lost a significant amount of body fat.

As we near the end of the Fat Loss stage of this or any protocol, fat loss will slow. We might still have some extra fat, but it’s not coming off or it’s coming off very slowly.

Also, we’re getting hungry. Not for sugar or junk food, but hunger for more nutrition.

At this point, it’s counter-productive to carry on with Fat Loss, even if we have a bit more to lose. We need to do something else.

If you’ve ever had trouble with diets, losing weight, or simply keeping the weight off, let’s start by saying… It’s not you.

Let me say that one more time in case you didn't get it. It’s. Not. You. Period.

Every year, over a hundred million Americans make New Year’s Resolutions. And, there’s one resolution made more often than any of the others: the goal to lose weight. It’s also the one that’s given up on the fastest.

Why is that the case?

Let me start by saying: No, fat doesn’t make you fat. Sugars, mainly processed sugars, do. 

Fat from food is not converted to fat in the body without the presence of sugar. But due to their effects on our hormones, some fats can help us lose weight, and some make us gain it.

Now, there are many types of fat, both that you eat and your body creates, and different fats are used for various actions in your body. 

There are several things that control cravings or make it hard to get off sugar, as covered in this article here: What Causes Cravings For Sugar & Junk Food?

Causes mentioned in that article include hormones, messenger chemicals in the body that tell the cells what to do or not do, how to use energy or not, whether to build muscle or break it down, or add fat or burn it. 

“How do I get off sugar and junk food? It's so hard!” In case you feel alone in this struggle — please know that you're not. In fact, the majority of people don't succeed from mainstream diets, even when they go all out on them. Why is that? Is it because the diet or lifestyle habits to succeed are not practical? Or you might be thinking you are not determined enough or simply lazy. Though some of the factors we’ll cover will make you feel low in energy to the point you may feel it’s laziness, but no it’s not.