Fat no More: Hold the Eggs, Skip the Bacon

Many people struggle with weight loss and weight gain. Putting it on and putting it off is just as easy as putting it back on. So, how do you keep it off, without putting it back on, eating what you want, and not necessarily having to go to the gym obsessively, or at all, for that matter? Stavros Mastrogiannis, a fitness and weight loss professional, has developed a system on how this can be done, designed with the non-fitness person in mind. His book, Fat No More: How To Lose Weight So It Stays Off For Life, provides the seven steps needed to motivate you and help you set your happy weight for life.

Stavros Mastrogiannis, a fitness and weight loss professional

After speaking with Stavros about his weight loss philosophy, I realized that I have been following this regimen, somewhat, all along. I often skip breakfast and eat one meal a day. It’s not just genetics that keep me in shape. In fact, Stavros will tell you that it’s less about genetics, and that sustainable weight loss is achievable. In order to eliminate the problem, you have to get to the root cause of the problem.  According to Stavros, no one has a weight problem but a behavior problem. Changing your behaviors can change your weight concerns. You can change even more than just your weight. The way you think is important for weight loss, and a happy and healthy lifestyle.

Raised in Greece, Stavros came to the United States in the late 1980s and started taking nutrition classes. He saw many contradictions with what he understood in Greece. Healthy regions around the world had more in common than what he was taught in class. He went on to say that eating breakfast goes against human nature. There are studies that show that eating breakfast makes no real significant difference.  Let’s explore this further.

Stavros emphasized that one of the drawbacks to eating breakfast is that rest is important for digestion. People don’t normally rest after breakfast, especially if they are racing off to work. Stress compromises digestion. Your cortisol level is elevated in the morning and its function is to get the body ready for action. When it goes up it releases energy from the fat cells. The worst thing you can do is eat because it interferes with insulin.  You have more energy in the morning after digestion. Many studies that support breakfast are also supported by cereal companies and companies selling pork and dairy products, so high protein diets of bacon and eggs were touted as healthy and an important part of your morning routine. This is not necessarily true. A person can be content with one meal a day with the right approach. This does not mean you should starve yourself.  He suggests a light lunch, with lots of fruits and vegetables, and a heavier dinner.  This way, your body becomes more efficient at burning fat, which gets stored, and is fuel for the day.  His weight management philosophy is to eat twice a day.  After doing this consistently, he discovered that he wasn’t as hungry. He derived more pleasure from eating that one meal because he wasn’t eating as much.

Let’s investigate this even more closely.  In many cultures throughout the world, fasting is a big part of their lifestyle, whether it’s done for religious reasons or health reasons. It works.  It’s a form of purging and cleansing. The body goes through a process of autophagy during a fast, where the body gets rid of mutated and dysfunctional cells. Fasting can get rid of the carcinogens that cause many health issues, mental and physical. How you eat is just as important as what you eat.  In Greece, for example, meat was traditionally eaten once or twice a week and included more fruits and vegetables. Studies have shown that in areas where animal products and animal byproducts were heavily consumed, cancers and heart disease also went up. In areas where there was more fruit and vegetable intake, these diseases were lower.

Does this mean you can’t eat junk? Yes, you can, upon occasion. He decided to conduct the supersize experiment, where he ate junk food from fast food restaurants once a day. He actually discovered that his cholesterol went down by 10%.  This does not mean you should eat junk everyday, but it’s important to listen to your body, take care of it, and make junk food a special treat, rather than a consistent habit.  He is a staunch proponent of cutting down meat consumption and increasing your fruit and vegetable portions.

I asked Stavros walking counts and he said yes – walking or any kind of physical activity – along with consistent eating habits.

Most weight loss programs apply a motivation technique. His system also applies a motivation technique to keep you going, and once it becomes a habit, you don’t need it anymore. He’s not selling a product, as many other weight loss programs do, but information and a solution to help you maintain a healthy weight, and save money too.

While Stavros is not disqualifying other weight loss systems and other methods learned in traditional nutrition, health, and fitness classes, his philosophy focuses on a disciplined approach to eating and sustainable weight loss. His study explores why 95% of people who lose weight end up regaining it. His research led him to discover that, over the past 30 years, we have doubled the amount of money spent on weight loss products and services, yet the obesity rate has increased, almost tripled.  In this book you will receive a practical, science-backed solution that actually works in the real world and delivers sustainable results. No more counting calories, points, measuring your food portions, or spending all your free time working out.  Using this book as your guide, can help your body look and feel the way nature intended. You will also learn how to debunk 10 popular weight loss myths.  Through his book and in-person classes, Stavros has been able to help his clients reach their goals by helping them apply a stress free approach, and one that includes people who don’t like to diet or exercise.

With the Covid-19 restrictions, Stavros is preparing the launch of his online course and workshop, which will be available early next year.  His book Fat No More: How To Lose Weight So It Stays Off For Life, can be purchased as a paperback on Amazon or Kindle. If you would like Stavros to speak at your event, he can be emailed at Stavros@liveyourwaythin.com. Write “Speak” in the subject line.