Andrew Cate - The H Factor Diet: Harness Your Hormones and Supercharge Your Weight Loss

Dedication

To Elaine Lackey 1915-2008

My wonderful Nanna, who lived a life rich in family, kindness and love.
She will be long remembered and deeply missed.

Why cant I lose weight? This has to be the question I am asked most often as a personal trainer and online weight-loss coach. People often say to me that they exercise and eat all the right things but just cant seem to lose weight.

Naturally, as an online personal trainer and self-confessed health fanatic, my first reaction is to think that this person surely cant be doing enough exercise, or they cant really be eating all that well. I dont mean to be unkind, but that has certainly been the case for some people Ive worked with. Research has actually proven that overweight people tend to (unconsciously) overestimate their activity levels, and underestimate how much they eat. They are resistant to weight loss because they resist making permanent changes to their food choices, eating habits, exercise habits and alcohol consumption.

But for a significant number of others there seems to be a genuine, underlying reason that holds them back from getting results. These people And it hard to lose weight even when they follow the same lifestyle plan that works for others, and they jump from one program, diet and fad to the next looking for a solution. Their body seems resistant to weight loss. Its like theres an invisible enemy holding them back. You could also think of it as stubborn fat that you cant seem to get rid of, even after months of regular exercise and dieting. I have trained people like this people who follow the right diet and push themselves as hard as they can, but who just dont seem to get results. I have seen their frustration, and felt frustrated myself when traditional and sensible training methods havent seemed to work. If you have ever struggled to lose weight, you might be familiar with this frustration yourself.

Its in an attempt to learn how to beat this resistance to weight loss that I have done further reading and research into the underlying factors that control body fat. What this has led me to understand is that hormones have a massive impact on your level of body fat. I have called this the H-factor. And for all you men or younger women who might think that hormones dont impact upon weight, you will soon learn that nothing could be further from the truth. To put it simply, your balance of hormones is the number one factor determining your body shape. But not only that: hormones also have a massive impact on your health, energy levels, longevity and even your mood. And that applies to both women and men of all ages.

I was staggered by how often my research uncovered complex information on how hormones influence sleep and vitality, how they affect your blood sugar levels, and how they are altered by stress. I discovered how your weight and health can benefit from the stimulation of some hormones (melatonin, serotonin, glucagon and human growth hormone), while its best to minimise the release of others (insulin and cortisol). The secret of the H-factor diets success is to combine all these individual parts and pull them together into one complete, simplified system of wellness and weight loss. You see, not only do hormones make you fat, but they can also make you thin. Restoring balance to your hormones is the secret weapon in the battle of the bulge. Your hormone balance can be manipulated and naturally adjusted to maximise both your quality of life and your longevity. Its exciting to think that focusing on this one key area (hormone balance) can help you to get positive results in three of the most significant health issues facing people today: weight control, longevity and energy levels.

However, this focus on hormones is not an excuse to forget about healthy eating and physical activity. Quite the opposite, in fact. Hormones can be manipulated by diet and exercise, and you will find the H-factor diet includes a wide range of exercise and healthy eating strategies. There are also menu suggestions to help you make food choices that are tasty and practical. Food and exercise both play a significant role in gaining control of your hormones, your weight, and your life.

Most people can probably relate to the fact that conventional diets just dont work over the long term. The primary focus of most weight-loss programs (my previous books included) is to manage your kilojoule intake to help you lose body fat. The theory states that by moderating your kilojoule intake, and maximising the amount of kilojoules you burn off, the body is forced to tap into its stored fuel supplies (body fat), helping you get leaner and healthier. As far as the H-factor diet goes, this equation still rings true; however, there are some additional considerations that need to be made. Just focusing on your energy balance ignores the significant role hormones play in controlling your storage of fat, hunger levels, energy levels, and metabolic rate. So what sets the H-factor diet apart from other diets is its focus on your overall health and wellness. The word D.I.E.T. in the title of this book is actually an acronym of the four key steps that can help you to balance your hormones. Instead of focusing solely on kilojoules, carbohydrates, fat and protein, it addresses the missing piece of the weight-loss puzzle: your bodys hormone balance. This must be considered if you want to get results and overcome your bodys natural, evolutionary resistance to weight loss. This is not just a diet; its a complete lifestyle system. A plan to just eat less and exercise more is too simplistic. Sure, you can make a difference, but if you want a life-changing, energy-boosting transformation that stands the test of time, you need to do more. You need a system that gets your bodys hormones working for you, not against you. Its all about working smarter, not harder. Inside The H-Factor Diet you will learn why the healthiest possible diet is never going to be enough to help you lose weight if you are sleep deprived. How no amount of training can compensate for chronic stress and emotional binge eating. How a well-structured strength-training program wont strip much body fat if your thyroid isnt functioning properly. Its empowering to know that theres more to weight loss and dieting than just will power, fighting hunger, counting calories and trying to get motivated. Its not just about bad habits; biology has a role to play too.

First up, you will learn which hormones have the biggest influence on your body shape and why. You will learn how they can get out of control, and what you can do to restore their balance and thereby overcome any resistance to weight loss. You will learn more about how your body works, and how you can maximise your health and wellness. Once you have established good hormone health, your body will easily follow. Then well move on to the four key steps to the H-factor diet that will help your body to drop its defences, and make weight loss much easier. These four steps are:

The eating plan, exercise plan, stress-management plan and guide to better sleep outlined in these four steps all complement each other and are designed to work together to restore hormone balance and help you lose body fat, boost your energy levels and live longer. For example, if you eat better, youll sleep better, and when you sleep better, youll feel better and want to eat better. However, while they all have equal importance, you will find sleep, diet and exercise easier to modify when you gain control over stress. Thats why managing your emotional and physical stress is the first step in balancing your hormones.