Nutrition, Fat Loss and My Personal GAPS Based Diet 

Today I am going to start out by telling you what far too many fitness professionals aren’t willing to admit. 

What you eat and drink is far more important for weight loss/fat loss than your workouts 

Here’s the thing

You eat at least 21 meals a week and workout maybe 5 times a week at most

It’s really no contest 

That said, it’s not all nutrition. I personally have never seen an incredible body transformation without both hard work in the gym and hard work in the kitchen 

Key principles of fat loss 

The fundamentals of fat loss really hinge on burning more calories than you consume. This calorie deficit forces the body to use stored fat for energy, gradually reducing fat deposits.

But it’s not as simple as that

I couldn’t talk about a calorie deficit without talking about hormones. Yes it is 100% true that in order to lose fat you need to be in a calorie deficit, but it’s not as easy as simply just eating less food. The types of food you eat will have an impact on your hormones and your hormones will dictate things like how hungry you become, how full you feel. 

‘’You simply cannot out willpower your hormones long term’’

Creating a calorie deficit wants to be achieved in a sustainable, manageable healthy way. This is why it is crucial to avoid extremes that could lead to burnout or nutritional deficiencies 

A two pronged approach 

In order to easy and efficiently achieve a calorie deficit we need to look at both 

Exercise  – regular physical activity such as lifting weights increases calorie expenditure and building lean muscle tissue increases your metabolic rate meaning more calories burned at rest 

Nutrition – opting for nutrient dense foods will provide your body with the key nutrients it needs creating greater satiety 

Exercise and nutrition are the yin and yang that we need in order to build muscle and increase energy burn from exercise while optimising weight loss/fat loss from your diet 

Macronutrient composition 

For effective and sustainable fat loss the role of macronutrient balance cannot be underplayed. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates all play a key role 

Proteins – to build and repair muscles and bones and to make hormones and enzymes 

Fats – provides energy, protects organs, provides cell growth and allows for the optimal absorption of key vitamins 

Carbohydrates – energy production, sparing protein and assisting with lipid metabolism

The question is how much do you need of each… 

Being a Personal Trainer now for 25 years and in the Functional medicine space for over 10 years now I can tell you that everybody is different. 

Some people are more protein types (polar types) and some more carbohydrate types (equatorial types) and some mixed (variable type)

Those of us with ancestors emergent in regions of the world where the ground freezes will naturally need to consume more animal flesh to maintain our energy source and stay alive than those emergent from regions progressively closer to the equator, who will have a larger variety of options due to the fact that plant and animal foods are more readily available year round 

If you want to know what type you are email us at fitnesscamp@hotmail.com with the headline ‘’TYPE’’ and we will send you a questionnaire to uncover your optimal diet 

My personal meals and snacks 

My personal meals and meal plans change somewhat frequently. Reason being; as a personal trainer and a functional nutritionist it would be unfair of me to ask a client to follow a given plan or a particular way of eating if I personally haven’t taken the time to explore the given plan or style of eating. 

Over the last few years I have explored everything from keto, IF, carnivore, vegan, plant based, animal based, low FODMAPS, mediterranean, flexitarian etc, etc 

I think self experimentation can be very useful in the world of nutrition because as mentioned above, we are all very different and find out what works well for you is key. 

Personally I do best with a lower carbohydrate approach with higher amounts of protein and fats. Currently Krystie has me on a GAPS diet that I tweak a little for my personal preferences. I am also experimenting with a new Chunky to hunky program which involves some intermittent fasting.

Breakfast 

First thing in the morning, I make an espresso coffee and add a splash of cream. Most days, I stay fasted until around 1:00pm. Sometimes if I am really hungry I will eat before then. On the occasions that I eat, I’ll often have a steak with broccoli and a fried egg 

Lunch 

Often for lunch, I will have chicken liver, green beans or some other vegetables. Many people don’t really like the taste of chicken liver but I personally love it. I could eat it till the cows come home. 

Dinner 

Again, it will always be some kind of protein, a big plate of vegetables and I will often add some more starchy carbohydrates such as pumpkin and some of Krystie’s meat stock. 

So, dinner might be lamb cutlets with cauliflower mash, green beans and pumpkin or some fresh fish with green veggies and pumpkin. Pork belly and pumpkin… you get the idea 😉

Dessert 

I have to confess I have dessert every single night. For me it’s a ritual. After putting the kids to bed I make myself a bowl of Krystie’s homemade raw milk natural yoghurt and I add some mixed berries and a little honey. It’s a little sweet treat to end the day with

Snacks 

As someone that is pretty fat-adapted I don’t really hit the snacks too hard. If I really need something I will grab a handful of cashews which Krystie has soaked, fermented and dried. 

Drinks 

Other than a morning coffee, I drink water throughout the day and occasionally I will have dandelion tea after dessert. I rarely drink alcohol these days but if I do, it’s a glass of red. 

Other carbs 

I can’t remember the last time I had pasta, I will eat rice once in a blue-moon and though I do enjoy a good sourdough it would be a rare treat. 

The GAPS approach 

I am often asked by my clients about my current GAPS approach… For those that don’t know GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome and Gut and Psychology Syndrome. Essentially it’s a natural diet for the treatment of brain conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, depression, schizophrenia, OCD etc  and the rest of the body such as arthritis, skin conditions, autoimmune diseases, etc. 

The diet has different stages where certain foods are excluded and then reintroduced. The goal of the diet is to heal and seal the gut lining and repopulate the gut with ‘’good’’ gut bacteria. 

You might be thinking… Why am I on a diet that is for the brain?

Well, the story goes… 

We were having some challenges with our youngest Bear. When Bear was getting upset or angry instead of communicating he was shutting down and running. Many a morning I would be off chasing him down the road in my pj’s. 

Krystie and I had read the GAPS book a few years back and run a few smaller GAPS experiments that looked positive but honestly were too early to tell. After one particular episode with Bear disappearing for about an hour we knew that something needed to happen

Krystie then and there decided to embark on a mission of becoming a GAPS practitioner and I have to say the diet which is a little restrictive at times has genuinely done wonders for Bear. The positive changes have been nothing short of dramatic. Since starting the diet back in February, he hasn’t run once. True story. 

As GAPS is a diet for the brain I have found that my IQ has gone from 12 to 277. That’s not true. But I can say I’m feeling good on it.