CHEMICALS MAKE YOU FAT
Exposing your body to a tremendous amount of chemicals found in over-the-counter products like face wash, body wash, etc. makes fat loss tougher than it should be.
Why? Well, all those chemicals help suppress your immune system. When your immune system isn’t fully functional, you’ll retain more body fat.
So, to optimize your fat loss, you have to control your calories (most importantly), AND you should also focus on decreasing your exposure to unhealthy chemicals of all types.
Lets look at how to go about decreasing, to an extent, the toxic load to your body:
1. Change out your toiletry products. Head and Shoulders, Selsun, and Nizoral products use carcinogenic ingredients, among a million other chemicals. These are chemicals that are known to cause cancer. Another typical ingredient found in these brands is methylisothiazolinone, which has been linked to neurological damage of the nervous system. There are also numerous chemicals in commercial brand toothpaste, deodorant, hair products like hair spray, makeup, and body wash. Your morning routine alone exposes you to number of very harmful chemical agents every single day of the year. This has a tremendously negative effect on your overall health.
Solution: For your shampoo needs, consider opting for brands like Burt’s Bees and Shea Moisture. For your deodorant needs, opt for Crystal Body Deodorant Stick, and for your toothpaste go for Ugly by Nature. Are the products I just listed the absolute best out there? Probably not. But they’re definitely a great, affordable step in the right direction, compared to mainstream, conventional products like Axe and Old Spice –to name just a few.
If you’re unsure of the toxic load of a specific product, check out apps like “Think Dirty.” You simply scan a product and it’ll give you an easy-to-understand lowdown about the chemicals in that product.
2. Don’t live near a freeway and don’t exercise near a freeway or streets that are constantly jam-packed with cars. The harmful effects of living near a freeway and getting blasted by the exhaust of millions of cars every single day is a given. This is definitely not ideal for your health.
Solution: The best possible solution is simply to avoid living in a city – such as L.A. – which exposes your body to a tremendous amount of chemicals on a daily basis, not to mention the higher cortisol levels typically produced when living shoulder to shoulder in a very crowded area.
3. Nutritional supplements. A lot of commercial protein powders and protein bars are filled with chemicals such as artificial sweeteners. Just look at the ingredients label and you’ll see.
Solution: In general, I try to stay away from supplements altogether, especially protein powders and protein bars. I really try to focus on getting all my nutrition from whole food sources (real food). Some good products to check out would be brands sold by Vega. But once again, rely on real food. Protein powders and bars aren’t real food.
4. Junk/fast food. This one is obvious. Fast food is loaded with harmful chemicals that deteriorate your immune system, but also make you gain weight fast. I include energy drinks and fruit juice in this category.
Solution: Rely on whole foods (real food). I don’t really know if organic makes a tremendous difference, but I do try to get organic as often as possible. Whether it is organic or not, though, real food is generally a better bet than fast/junk food.
There is a lot more that can be changed, but just starting with what is outlined above is already a HUGE step in the right direction. Not only will you experience greater fat loss when you decrease your toxic load -- you will also attain more youthful looking skin, dramatically decrease your chances of developing cancer or other forms of diseases associated with extensive chemical exposure, and on average, you will experience higher energy levels.
Are there other things that indirectly make fat loss tougher? Sure, checkout the following topics i have below:
Stress and fat gain
