Because you are moderating your intake of protein/carbs/fat, you should allow yourself ONE day off per week. However, don't think of this as a time to hit the Chinese buffet and eat 5 days worth of calories in a matter of hours.
When I say "day off," it means maybe twice what you may normally eat. If you eat 1,600 calories, go have 3,200-3,500. If you are eating 1,200 calories, then go eat 2,400-2,600.
This is a time for you to remind your body not to get too settled into your new diet plan. It's always good to throw a curve ball in moderation.
For example - today I went out and bought all natural granola. I'll probably eat around 4,000 calories (I have an intake of 1,900) with 3x the carbs, 2x the fat, and a little extra protein.
I would highly suggest NOT to get fast food or anything like that. Be mindful and tasteful with your day off. Mine is filled with organic peanut butter and organic toast, natural granola, organic cinnamon cereal, etc. I would not suggest a Whopper if you can stand it :X
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Beginners!
I may be beating a dead horse, but I'm going to post a more simple guide for the starters who might come across this here blog:
If you are trying to lose dramatic weight (more than 20 lbs.), then you might be lost. Not only that, but you might have some misconceptions. I'll try to straighten that out and make it simple, but unfortunately that will require some lengthy explanations. Let's clear a few misconceptions quick:
1.) Just eat a lot less, and you'll lose the weight - NOT TRUE. If you eat too little, then you'll lose a lot of muscle. To girls, that might sound okay, but it's not. What it means is you'll lose weight, and be left with all that flab. It won't be attractive like you want it to be, I promise. If you are losing more than 10 lbs. per week, then you're burning too much muscle.
2.) Eat the appropriate amount of calories, and it's all good - NOT TRUE. Starting out that might be true, but when you want to lose the last 5-10 (or even 15) then you HAVE to look into the specific types of calories you are eating; protein, carbs, fat all matters.
3.) Weight training will make you look bulky - NOT TRUE. If you do weight training correctly, you will get smaller and more toned!
Let's begin with the basics:
DIET - the toughest part for sure. To start, let's find out how many calories you should be eating. Take your target weight. Multiply it by 10, and then multiply it by 12. This range of calories will be how much you should be taking in each day. Now, if you work out, then feel free to take in a LITTLE more. But jogging for 30 minutes doesn't constitute another 500 calories. Be fair about it. Take a few weeks to make this adjustment. Once you feel comfortable with this, let's get more specific.
Next let's focus on carbs. Now, 1 carb is 4 calories. That's just a nutritional constant and the genetic make up of a carbohydrate. What you want is for 40% of your diet to be made up of carbs - this is typically a pretty steep drop in carb intake. To figure this out, we need to do some math: take your caloric intake and multiply it by 40%. This will give you the number of carb calories you are to eat each day, but this is NOT the number of carbs you need to eat each day. Remember 1 carb is 4 calories, so take that number you just got and divide it by 4. THIS is the number of grams of carbs you need to take in each day. Never go below 100 carbs (regardless of what the math tells you). Take a few weeks on this, and once you feel comfortable with this diet, move on to the next part.
Next we'll focus on protein. This is easy, because you want to do the SAME EXACT equation as you did for carbs. 1 gram of protein = 4 calories, and you want 40% of your diet to be protein. So, whatever number you have for carbs, you have for protein. The only difference between protein and carbs is you do not want to go too short on your protein. This means that protein is more important than carbs, and if you have to eat less carbs or eat less protein, always eat less carbs. Take a few weeks for this to settle in, and then move on to the next part of the diet.
Last focus is fat. You do the same equation, BUT you change the numbers. We want fat to make up 20% of your diet, and 1 gram of fat is 9 calories. So instead of multiplying your caloric intake by 40%, multiply it by 20%, and instead of dividing this number by 4, you will divide it by 9.
At this point you should have your caloric intake, your protein intake, your carb intake, and your fat intake. What you absolutely must do is monitor your progress and results - if you aren't losing weight fast enough, then mess around with the numbers. If you are to drop your intake of anything, make it carbs/fat first. If this doesn't do anything, then up the carbs back to normal and drop the protein. It's up to you to adjust!
Also try to eat every 2-3 hours to keep that metabolism happy, and drink lots of water (3-5 liters) per day.
WEIGHT TRAINING - remember: weight training will NOT make you bigger if you don't want it to. Weight training will burn PURE fat, and it will help you tone. It will also boost your muscles' metabolism for up to 24 hours (or more) after lifting. Start your weight training out to 2 days per week. Perform 4-6 different exercises, with 3 sets per exercise, and aim for 16-24 reps if you don't want to gain any muscle mass. If you DO want to gain muscle mass, then aim for 8-12 reps. Let this routine settle in, and when you feel ready to go harder, move on.
Once you are in the groove, then start lifting 3 days per week, and aim for 6-8 different exercises. Maintain the same set/reps. Remember: you do not want to lift on back-to-back days. If you DO lift on back-to-back days, then work different muscle groups. If you work your abs on Monday, then you need to let them rest until at least Wednesday. Truly, this routine of 3 days per week is as far as you NEED to go. However, some people need to go harder to lose those last 15. If you are one of those people, read on.
The next and last step in losing weight and burning fat with weight lifting would be circuit training. Basically what you do is 1 set of an exercise, then immediately (without rest) do 1 set of your next exercise, and keep doing 1 set of each exercise back-to-back-to-back without any rest in between. Once you have done 1 set for each, then take a 2 minute break and do it all over again. Do this for 3 sets. This is the best way to burn fat for weight lifting - but it can be awfully intense. Though it's also the quickest way to lift. More bang for your buck!
CARDIO - cardio is the last thing (not the least important for weight loss, though!) and also the trickiest. There are 3 basic forms of cardio: slow/moderate, moderate/fast, and HIIT. Slow/moderate (a brisk walk as an example) is great for losing fat without burning muscle. Moderate/fast (jogging as an example) is great for burning more calories, but you will lose a little more muscle. HIIT (high intensity interval training) is where you work as hard as you possibly can for a short period of time (30-60 seconds), then you rest for a short period of time (30-60 seconds). That work+rest time = 1 interval, and you aim for 5-10 intervals. It's the most intense, but the best for boosting your metabolism and burning fat.
Basically, cardio is easy to do wrong. You never want to jump into it too hard, you need to work your way up. Start out with a brisk walk or light jog, and once a week you should increase your distance or speed (maybe by .5 mph, or by going an extra half mile, or both). Once you are proficient in these, then try HIIT. It's really, really effective for fat burning.
If you are losing more than 20 lbs., then the most important things are diet and cardio. If you are losing less than 20 lbs., then the most important things are diet and weight lifting.
You want to remember that losing weight is not losing weight is not losing weight. If you do it correctly; you will burn fat, and you will look more toned. If you do it wrong, then you will burn muscle, and you will look smaller yet still flabby. The toughest thing about losing weight is overcoming the fear of eating. You HAVE to eat, you just have to eat smarter is all.
Good luck, guys.
If you are trying to lose dramatic weight (more than 20 lbs.), then you might be lost. Not only that, but you might have some misconceptions. I'll try to straighten that out and make it simple, but unfortunately that will require some lengthy explanations. Let's clear a few misconceptions quick:
1.) Just eat a lot less, and you'll lose the weight - NOT TRUE. If you eat too little, then you'll lose a lot of muscle. To girls, that might sound okay, but it's not. What it means is you'll lose weight, and be left with all that flab. It won't be attractive like you want it to be, I promise. If you are losing more than 10 lbs. per week, then you're burning too much muscle.
2.) Eat the appropriate amount of calories, and it's all good - NOT TRUE. Starting out that might be true, but when you want to lose the last 5-10 (or even 15) then you HAVE to look into the specific types of calories you are eating; protein, carbs, fat all matters.
3.) Weight training will make you look bulky - NOT TRUE. If you do weight training correctly, you will get smaller and more toned!
Let's begin with the basics:
DIET - the toughest part for sure. To start, let's find out how many calories you should be eating. Take your target weight. Multiply it by 10, and then multiply it by 12. This range of calories will be how much you should be taking in each day. Now, if you work out, then feel free to take in a LITTLE more. But jogging for 30 minutes doesn't constitute another 500 calories. Be fair about it. Take a few weeks to make this adjustment. Once you feel comfortable with this, let's get more specific.
Next let's focus on carbs. Now, 1 carb is 4 calories. That's just a nutritional constant and the genetic make up of a carbohydrate. What you want is for 40% of your diet to be made up of carbs - this is typically a pretty steep drop in carb intake. To figure this out, we need to do some math: take your caloric intake and multiply it by 40%. This will give you the number of carb calories you are to eat each day, but this is NOT the number of carbs you need to eat each day. Remember 1 carb is 4 calories, so take that number you just got and divide it by 4. THIS is the number of grams of carbs you need to take in each day. Never go below 100 carbs (regardless of what the math tells you). Take a few weeks on this, and once you feel comfortable with this diet, move on to the next part.
Next we'll focus on protein. This is easy, because you want to do the SAME EXACT equation as you did for carbs. 1 gram of protein = 4 calories, and you want 40% of your diet to be protein. So, whatever number you have for carbs, you have for protein. The only difference between protein and carbs is you do not want to go too short on your protein. This means that protein is more important than carbs, and if you have to eat less carbs or eat less protein, always eat less carbs. Take a few weeks for this to settle in, and then move on to the next part of the diet.
Last focus is fat. You do the same equation, BUT you change the numbers. We want fat to make up 20% of your diet, and 1 gram of fat is 9 calories. So instead of multiplying your caloric intake by 40%, multiply it by 20%, and instead of dividing this number by 4, you will divide it by 9.
At this point you should have your caloric intake, your protein intake, your carb intake, and your fat intake. What you absolutely must do is monitor your progress and results - if you aren't losing weight fast enough, then mess around with the numbers. If you are to drop your intake of anything, make it carbs/fat first. If this doesn't do anything, then up the carbs back to normal and drop the protein. It's up to you to adjust!
Also try to eat every 2-3 hours to keep that metabolism happy, and drink lots of water (3-5 liters) per day.
WEIGHT TRAINING - remember: weight training will NOT make you bigger if you don't want it to. Weight training will burn PURE fat, and it will help you tone. It will also boost your muscles' metabolism for up to 24 hours (or more) after lifting. Start your weight training out to 2 days per week. Perform 4-6 different exercises, with 3 sets per exercise, and aim for 16-24 reps if you don't want to gain any muscle mass. If you DO want to gain muscle mass, then aim for 8-12 reps. Let this routine settle in, and when you feel ready to go harder, move on.
Once you are in the groove, then start lifting 3 days per week, and aim for 6-8 different exercises. Maintain the same set/reps. Remember: you do not want to lift on back-to-back days. If you DO lift on back-to-back days, then work different muscle groups. If you work your abs on Monday, then you need to let them rest until at least Wednesday. Truly, this routine of 3 days per week is as far as you NEED to go. However, some people need to go harder to lose those last 15. If you are one of those people, read on.
The next and last step in losing weight and burning fat with weight lifting would be circuit training. Basically what you do is 1 set of an exercise, then immediately (without rest) do 1 set of your next exercise, and keep doing 1 set of each exercise back-to-back-to-back without any rest in between. Once you have done 1 set for each, then take a 2 minute break and do it all over again. Do this for 3 sets. This is the best way to burn fat for weight lifting - but it can be awfully intense. Though it's also the quickest way to lift. More bang for your buck!
CARDIO - cardio is the last thing (not the least important for weight loss, though!) and also the trickiest. There are 3 basic forms of cardio: slow/moderate, moderate/fast, and HIIT. Slow/moderate (a brisk walk as an example) is great for losing fat without burning muscle. Moderate/fast (jogging as an example) is great for burning more calories, but you will lose a little more muscle. HIIT (high intensity interval training) is where you work as hard as you possibly can for a short period of time (30-60 seconds), then you rest for a short period of time (30-60 seconds). That work+rest time = 1 interval, and you aim for 5-10 intervals. It's the most intense, but the best for boosting your metabolism and burning fat.
Basically, cardio is easy to do wrong. You never want to jump into it too hard, you need to work your way up. Start out with a brisk walk or light jog, and once a week you should increase your distance or speed (maybe by .5 mph, or by going an extra half mile, or both). Once you are proficient in these, then try HIIT. It's really, really effective for fat burning.
If you are losing more than 20 lbs., then the most important things are diet and cardio. If you are losing less than 20 lbs., then the most important things are diet and weight lifting.
You want to remember that losing weight is not losing weight is not losing weight. If you do it correctly; you will burn fat, and you will look more toned. If you do it wrong, then you will burn muscle, and you will look smaller yet still flabby. The toughest thing about losing weight is overcoming the fear of eating. You HAVE to eat, you just have to eat smarter is all.
Good luck, guys.
BMI
For those of you who don't know, BMI is your body mass index. You tell your gender, weight, and height, and it gives you a number (usually between 18 and 30 - 30 is obese, and 18-19 is underweight).
A lot of people put a lot of stock into this measurement, but...Don't! It's silly. I have an unhealthy BMI because I am 6'0" and weight 185 lbs. Yet I could run a marathon, I can bike over 100 miles at an 18 mph average, I can bench press 250 lbs., I have a low body fat percentage, and I have a sub-60 resting heart rate.
If you're really concerned about health, then all that's truly relevant is your heart health, and your body fat percentage. Don't put too much stock into BMI, because if you did, then I'd be unhealthy :[
A lot of people put a lot of stock into this measurement, but...Don't! It's silly. I have an unhealthy BMI because I am 6'0" and weight 185 lbs. Yet I could run a marathon, I can bike over 100 miles at an 18 mph average, I can bench press 250 lbs., I have a low body fat percentage, and I have a sub-60 resting heart rate.
If you're really concerned about health, then all that's truly relevant is your heart health, and your body fat percentage. Don't put too much stock into BMI, because if you did, then I'd be unhealthy :[
Do you run on a tredmill?
So here's a quick tip for people who run on tredmills and outdoors - when you run outside, the ground is not moving (obviously), meaning you use your legs to pull your body weight. Running outside proportionally covers your quads and hamstrings (front and back of legs), though favoring hamstrings a little bit.
When you run on a tredmill, however, the ground IS moving. Thus there is not nearly as much "pull" when you run, as the tredmill is basically doing the "pull" for you. To correct for this, put the tredmill on a slight incline - just a few hits of the scale button, and then you'll get that "pull" back.
Most people find running on tredmills to be easier, and that would be why!
When you run on a tredmill, however, the ground IS moving. Thus there is not nearly as much "pull" when you run, as the tredmill is basically doing the "pull" for you. To correct for this, put the tredmill on a slight incline - just a few hits of the scale button, and then you'll get that "pull" back.
Most people find running on tredmills to be easier, and that would be why!
So, for clarification regarding caloric intake.
The 40/40/20 diet still holds true regardless of your intention, but some people might not be trying to lose weight. Just as a quick edit, I'll throw in the caloric intake range one should be aiming for if they are trying to lose weight, maintain weight, or gain weight.
Lose weight: desired body weight multiplied by 10 and 12 to find the range.
Maintain weight: desired body weight multiplied by 12 and 13 to find the range.
Gain weight: desired body weight multiplied by 13 and 15 to find the range.
These numbers are pretty accurate, but still MILDLY arbitrary. As always, it's up to you to keep track of your progress and results, and determine what adjustments must be made. Look at these as starting points, and then adjust as necessary.
Good luck ;]
Lose weight: desired body weight multiplied by 10 and 12 to find the range.
Maintain weight: desired body weight multiplied by 12 and 13 to find the range.
Gain weight: desired body weight multiplied by 13 and 15 to find the range.
These numbers are pretty accurate, but still MILDLY arbitrary. As always, it's up to you to keep track of your progress and results, and determine what adjustments must be made. Look at these as starting points, and then adjust as necessary.
Good luck ;]
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I think I'll just starve myself instead.
NO.
Look, I used to eat 800 calories a day for a month straight. On top of that, I still worked out and everything. It's appealing at first, and it makes sense to people who don't understand how the body works, but I'll tell you why this is a bad idea.
1.) Your metabolism - everyone's metabolism is different. Everyone has a certain number of calories they can eat where they won't gain or lose weight. This number is your threshold of calories. Let's pretend your threshold is 2,000 calories. If you decide to eat 800 calories a day for an extended period of time, then your body will adjust to this abrupt change. It will basically say, "Oh man, I'm getting way too few calories. I'm going to adjust my metabolism so I can better process 800 calories." In order to adjust, your body lowers its threshold. What this means is your threshold has dropped from 2,000 to 1,200 (for argument's sake). So now after you lose your weight and you return to a normal diet, your body won't be able to take the sudden surge of calories it has been deprived of. The first month (or more) of eating will be serious weight gain. You know how they say calorie-depriving diets don't work? They don't.
2.) Your muscle - our bodies are tuned according to evolutionary needs. Our bodies will change its mechanisms according to different variables. If you eat food, then your body is happy. If you don't eat food, your body is sad. The problem with this is when your body is sad, it will eat muscle and NOT fat. What does this mean? It means if you starve yourself, then your body will lose dramatic weight, but it will keep all the flubbery stuff. When your body thinks it is going to go long periods of time without food, then it preserves stored fat as stored fat is more valuable for survival. So will you lose weight? Absolutely. But you're still going to have that "jelly-like" fat around your belly.
Eat correctly, exercise. No way around this. Sorry :[
Look, I used to eat 800 calories a day for a month straight. On top of that, I still worked out and everything. It's appealing at first, and it makes sense to people who don't understand how the body works, but I'll tell you why this is a bad idea.
1.) Your metabolism - everyone's metabolism is different. Everyone has a certain number of calories they can eat where they won't gain or lose weight. This number is your threshold of calories. Let's pretend your threshold is 2,000 calories. If you decide to eat 800 calories a day for an extended period of time, then your body will adjust to this abrupt change. It will basically say, "Oh man, I'm getting way too few calories. I'm going to adjust my metabolism so I can better process 800 calories." In order to adjust, your body lowers its threshold. What this means is your threshold has dropped from 2,000 to 1,200 (for argument's sake). So now after you lose your weight and you return to a normal diet, your body won't be able to take the sudden surge of calories it has been deprived of. The first month (or more) of eating will be serious weight gain. You know how they say calorie-depriving diets don't work? They don't.
2.) Your muscle - our bodies are tuned according to evolutionary needs. Our bodies will change its mechanisms according to different variables. If you eat food, then your body is happy. If you don't eat food, your body is sad. The problem with this is when your body is sad, it will eat muscle and NOT fat. What does this mean? It means if you starve yourself, then your body will lose dramatic weight, but it will keep all the flubbery stuff. When your body thinks it is going to go long periods of time without food, then it preserves stored fat as stored fat is more valuable for survival. So will you lose weight? Absolutely. But you're still going to have that "jelly-like" fat around your belly.
Eat correctly, exercise. No way around this. Sorry :[
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Not working for you? No problem.
Diets are finicky. Sometimes certain diets won't work, sometimes they will. The suggestion of 1 gram per pound of desired body weight, for instance, does not work for me. I can't get as lean as I want with that, so I have to drop 5-10 grams of protein off this count. Remember - it's always up to you to keep track, and make changes along the way. Here's a new diet I'm working on (it's nothing new, and maybe you've come across it):
40/40/20 diet. What this means is 40% of your calories comes from protein, 40% from carbs, and 20% from fat. Here's how you calculate it all out (it's easier than you think):
Take your desired body weight (let's say 165), and multiply that by 10 and by 12. This is your range of calories in a given day. You come up with 1,650 - 1,980 calories per day.
Now take each number, and multiply by 40% and you get 660 and 792. Now, according to nutritional guides and science, 4 calories = 1 gram of protein, and 4 calories = 1 gram of carbs. So, divide each of these numbers by 4, and you have your range for both protein and carbs. So you get 165 - 198 grams of both protein and carbs per day.
Now do the same thing, but instead you are multiplying your range caloric intake by 20% for fat, and instead 9 calories is 1 gram of fat. So after the multiplication process you get 36 - 44 grams of fat per day. If you're still confused about this process, let me quick recap with an example:
1.) Desired body weight (165 lbs.) multiplied by 10 and 12 to get your target range of caloric intake each day. This comes to 1,650-1,980.
2.) 1,650 x 40% = 660; 1,980 x 40% = 792 - This tells you how many calories will be devoted to carbs and protein for the day, but you must convert this into grams.
3.) 660 / 4 = 165; 792 / 4 = 198 - So your range of grams for carbs and protein is 165 - 198 grams.
4.) Repeat this with fat, but instead of 40% you use 20%, and instead of dividing by 4 you divide by 9.
Good luck ;]
40/40/20 diet. What this means is 40% of your calories comes from protein, 40% from carbs, and 20% from fat. Here's how you calculate it all out (it's easier than you think):
Take your desired body weight (let's say 165), and multiply that by 10 and by 12. This is your range of calories in a given day. You come up with 1,650 - 1,980 calories per day.
Now take each number, and multiply by 40% and you get 660 and 792. Now, according to nutritional guides and science, 4 calories = 1 gram of protein, and 4 calories = 1 gram of carbs. So, divide each of these numbers by 4, and you have your range for both protein and carbs. So you get 165 - 198 grams of both protein and carbs per day.
Now do the same thing, but instead you are multiplying your range caloric intake by 20% for fat, and instead 9 calories is 1 gram of fat. So after the multiplication process you get 36 - 44 grams of fat per day. If you're still confused about this process, let me quick recap with an example:
1.) Desired body weight (165 lbs.) multiplied by 10 and 12 to get your target range of caloric intake each day. This comes to 1,650-1,980.
2.) 1,650 x 40% = 660; 1,980 x 40% = 792 - This tells you how many calories will be devoted to carbs and protein for the day, but you must convert this into grams.
3.) 660 / 4 = 165; 792 / 4 = 198 - So your range of grams for carbs and protein is 165 - 198 grams.
4.) Repeat this with fat, but instead of 40% you use 20%, and instead of dividing by 4 you divide by 9.
Good luck ;]
Some people want to gain weight!
So, you're one of the lucky people who has room to gain weight, eh? Yeah I can help you with that.
I'm going to assume that if you want to gain weight, then you want to gain muscle. If you didn't, then you'd know simply to head to McDonald's and have at it. Most important part: diet.
This is delicate because it depends on your age, your metabolism, and your target. I always find 2,500 calories to be a safe starting number. If you don't have a scale, then buy one so you can make sure this is not too much/enough. More specific:
-1 gram of protein per desired pound of lean body weight.
-1/2 gram of fat per desired pound of lean body weight.
-300-400 grams of complex carbs.
Now, if this is not enough calories and you want quicker gains, then up the protein and the complex carbs just a little bit at a time and see what happens. If this is too many calories, then drop the carbs before anything else. It's up to you to keep track and find the proper measurement: there is no universal number here!
No you need to exercise! First thing will be weightlifting for muscle mass. Basic rule of thumb will be to aim for 8-12 reps for each set you do. Feel free, however, to throw in some sets where you aim for 6-7 reps as this will help with gains in strength, allowing higher weights to be used in your 8-12 rep sets. So I would start out, for the first 2 months, aiming for 8-12 reps. Once you start to learn more about weightlifting and your abilities, then throw in 1-2 days each week where you aim for 6-7 reps.
Also - stick to the basics that I laid out before: 48 hours rest per muscle group, drink lots of water, and eat that protein. You should be lifting at least 3 days per week, but preferably 4.
Your cardio should be minimal, but you should still have some in there. Keep it to 3 days of cardio (falling on days where you aren't lifting, preferably), and keep it to 30 minute sessions. If you're taking in that much protein, fat, and calories, then your heart will need some exercise to keep up with the extra weight and subsequent cholesterol. Just go for a brisk walk on an incline tredmill, or a light eliptical session, or a light cycling session. Does not have to be intense, and it does not have to be long.
Good luck.
I'm going to assume that if you want to gain weight, then you want to gain muscle. If you didn't, then you'd know simply to head to McDonald's and have at it. Most important part: diet.
This is delicate because it depends on your age, your metabolism, and your target. I always find 2,500 calories to be a safe starting number. If you don't have a scale, then buy one so you can make sure this is not too much/enough. More specific:
-1 gram of protein per desired pound of lean body weight.
-1/2 gram of fat per desired pound of lean body weight.
-300-400 grams of complex carbs.
Now, if this is not enough calories and you want quicker gains, then up the protein and the complex carbs just a little bit at a time and see what happens. If this is too many calories, then drop the carbs before anything else. It's up to you to keep track and find the proper measurement: there is no universal number here!
No you need to exercise! First thing will be weightlifting for muscle mass. Basic rule of thumb will be to aim for 8-12 reps for each set you do. Feel free, however, to throw in some sets where you aim for 6-7 reps as this will help with gains in strength, allowing higher weights to be used in your 8-12 rep sets. So I would start out, for the first 2 months, aiming for 8-12 reps. Once you start to learn more about weightlifting and your abilities, then throw in 1-2 days each week where you aim for 6-7 reps.
Also - stick to the basics that I laid out before: 48 hours rest per muscle group, drink lots of water, and eat that protein. You should be lifting at least 3 days per week, but preferably 4.
Your cardio should be minimal, but you should still have some in there. Keep it to 3 days of cardio (falling on days where you aren't lifting, preferably), and keep it to 30 minute sessions. If you're taking in that much protein, fat, and calories, then your heart will need some exercise to keep up with the extra weight and subsequent cholesterol. Just go for a brisk walk on an incline tredmill, or a light eliptical session, or a light cycling session. Does not have to be intense, and it does not have to be long.
Good luck.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Circuit training?
This is the best way to burn fat regarding weight lifting. It's easy, but it can be difficult. Personally, I find it to be more difficult than a lot of cardio sessions including HIIT.
Say you have 8 different exercises for the day, 3 sets for each exercise. What you'll do is 1 set of your first exercise, rest for 15-20 seconds to get a gulp of water, then do the 1st set of your second exercise, rest again, and then continue the process until you do 1 set of each exercise. Then you'll rest for 2-3 minutes, and do it all over again. You do this process for a total of 3 sets, so each exercise is done 3 times.
The pros: burns more fat, same amount of lifting in less time, gets your heart working.
The cons: probably won't pack on as much muscle, not as fun.
Try it out.
Say you have 8 different exercises for the day, 3 sets for each exercise. What you'll do is 1 set of your first exercise, rest for 15-20 seconds to get a gulp of water, then do the 1st set of your second exercise, rest again, and then continue the process until you do 1 set of each exercise. Then you'll rest for 2-3 minutes, and do it all over again. You do this process for a total of 3 sets, so each exercise is done 3 times.
The pros: burns more fat, same amount of lifting in less time, gets your heart working.
The cons: probably won't pack on as much muscle, not as fun.
Try it out.
Diet pills and shortcuts
Do not work. Period. Some of them might be unhealthy, actually, as they are found to raise your heart rate in unusual rates.
Alli is the only diet pill that is FDA approve, but it forces you to eat a healthy diet anyways, so it'll only go so far. If you're going to take a diet pill, then go take Alli, but stay away from everything else. They have not been scientifically scrutinized, and they can be unhealthy.
That is all.
Alli is the only diet pill that is FDA approve, but it forces you to eat a healthy diet anyways, so it'll only go so far. If you're going to take a diet pill, then go take Alli, but stay away from everything else. They have not been scientifically scrutinized, and they can be unhealthy.
That is all.
What should you eat?
Check the diet post I made before for the guidelines, as this post is dedicated solely to suggestions:
-Lean meats - tuna, lunch meats, chicken, turkey, ground beef, steak.
-Other protein sources - casein protein shake, whey protein shake.
-Cheese - cheese sticks, sandwich cheese, cottage cheese.
-Milk.
-Nuts - almonds, peanuts, pecans.
-Eggs - aim for the organic kind.
-Complex carbs - whole wheat bread, pasta.
-Vegetables.
-Fruits (in moderation).
Salads, moderation of sandwiches, chicken or beef with organic salsa, tuna with some melted cheese, a handful of almonds, a peanut butter sandwich, etc.
You can let your mind wander here. I just post this for suggestions. Ultimately, if you're within the guidelines set forth earlier, then do whatever you please!
-Lean meats - tuna, lunch meats, chicken, turkey, ground beef, steak.
-Other protein sources - casein protein shake, whey protein shake.
-Cheese - cheese sticks, sandwich cheese, cottage cheese.
-Milk.
-Nuts - almonds, peanuts, pecans.
-Eggs - aim for the organic kind.
-Complex carbs - whole wheat bread, pasta.
-Vegetables.
-Fruits (in moderation).
Salads, moderation of sandwiches, chicken or beef with organic salsa, tuna with some melted cheese, a handful of almonds, a peanut butter sandwich, etc.
You can let your mind wander here. I just post this for suggestions. Ultimately, if you're within the guidelines set forth earlier, then do whatever you please!
Motivation
This is undoubtedly the hardest thing to do. If everyone were motivated, then we'd all be models. What separates the best from the decent from the downright unhealthy is motivation and genetics. I, however, would rather have motivation than good genes any day of the week. I'll just throw up a random list of stuff I use to stay motivated and avoid cravings + stick with a workout routine:
-Track results - weight, look at myself in the mirror, envision end goal.
-Look at pictures of what you want to look like - I'm a heterosexual male, but I definitely have looked at Brad Pitt's abs before. Hey, it helps.
-Look at pictures of the opposite sex - yes I am a young man, and yes pictures of gorgeous women can help.
-Watch an inspiring movie - some nights it's Fight Club, some nights it's Rocky, and some nights it's Amelie.
-Listen to calming music - do not listen to music that pumps you up if you're trying to fight a craving (I've learned). Listen to stuff that calms you down and relaxes you.
-Get friends or family to do it with you!
-Brush your teeth - I don't know what it is, but I just don't want to eat as much when my breath and teeth are fresh. Weird?
-Chug water - drink loads of water and try to fill yourself up.
-Bargain with yourself - "Okay I won't go buy cheesecake, but I'll let myself have a much healthier peanut butter sandwich"
-Strike a future deal - I will let myself go nuts and eat whatever I want for 2 days when I lose 10 lbs.
-Think about people of the opposite sex that wouldn't go out with you - it sounds childish, but I'm often most motivated after a break up! Weird, I know.
-Remember you will feel terrible if you slip on your routine, and food will only satisfy you for the time it takes to eat it. After you're done eating it, the satisfaction will be replaced by shame.
The toughest (which has taken me years to master) but the best way to avoid cravings and stay on target: JUST DO WHAT YOU MUST. You have to convince yourself that you don't have an option, and you have to form the habit. It takes the human brain roughly 30 days to form a habit - that means you can't break the process, and each day must be of utmost importance. No matter how much you want to buy that apple pie from the grocery store, just walk away. No matter how much your brain wants you to buy that candy bar, just don't let your hand reach out for it. It's simple on paper, but tough in practice. Just don't do it no matter how much your mind shouts at you! Walk away, and realize "nope, I don't have a choice"
-Track results - weight, look at myself in the mirror, envision end goal.
-Look at pictures of what you want to look like - I'm a heterosexual male, but I definitely have looked at Brad Pitt's abs before. Hey, it helps.
-Look at pictures of the opposite sex - yes I am a young man, and yes pictures of gorgeous women can help.
-Watch an inspiring movie - some nights it's Fight Club, some nights it's Rocky, and some nights it's Amelie.
-Listen to calming music - do not listen to music that pumps you up if you're trying to fight a craving (I've learned). Listen to stuff that calms you down and relaxes you.
-Get friends or family to do it with you!
-Brush your teeth - I don't know what it is, but I just don't want to eat as much when my breath and teeth are fresh. Weird?
-Chug water - drink loads of water and try to fill yourself up.
-Bargain with yourself - "Okay I won't go buy cheesecake, but I'll let myself have a much healthier peanut butter sandwich"
-Strike a future deal - I will let myself go nuts and eat whatever I want for 2 days when I lose 10 lbs.
-Think about people of the opposite sex that wouldn't go out with you - it sounds childish, but I'm often most motivated after a break up! Weird, I know.
-Remember you will feel terrible if you slip on your routine, and food will only satisfy you for the time it takes to eat it. After you're done eating it, the satisfaction will be replaced by shame.
The toughest (which has taken me years to master) but the best way to avoid cravings and stay on target: JUST DO WHAT YOU MUST. You have to convince yourself that you don't have an option, and you have to form the habit. It takes the human brain roughly 30 days to form a habit - that means you can't break the process, and each day must be of utmost importance. No matter how much you want to buy that apple pie from the grocery store, just walk away. No matter how much your brain wants you to buy that candy bar, just don't let your hand reach out for it. It's simple on paper, but tough in practice. Just don't do it no matter how much your mind shouts at you! Walk away, and realize "nope, I don't have a choice"
What you need to know about weight lifting
Just as cardio is aerobic activity, weight lifting is anaerobic activity - not needing oxygen to perform. Weight lifting is great as it burns pure fat, and helps us with muscle. It will also boost your metabolism for up to 24 hours after you're done lifting! The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism will be, which is why lifting weights is absolutely necessary to lose good weight! Let's break it up:
STRENGTH: this is weight lifting where the aim is 4-6 reps. This is great for gains in strength, but it's not good for beginners or the standard weight lifter. This is more for people who want to make serious gains in power and are very good at handling large amounts of weight. Do not seriously attempt high levels of weight unless you are experienced enough, or at least have a spotter.
MASS: this is lifting which aims for 8-12 reps. This is what people will typically do when they want to gain size. So if you're looking to boost your pecs or biceps, then you'll want to aim for this rep range.
ENDURANCE: this requires 14-16 reps (or more). This is what people do when they want to tighten up, but they don't want to get bigger. This will burn fat without adding muscle mass to your body, so this is for those wanting to tone.
Now, there's a lot more to weight lifting. Here are some rules:
-Let muscle groups rest 48 hours. If you work your abs on Monday, don't work them again until Wednesday. The process of weightlifting is the tearing of your muscle fibers, and allowing them to regrow stronger. If you don't let them regrow, then you will not improve your muscle health, and you will be more prone to injury.
-Don't fall into a routine. What this means is; don't do the same exercises all the time. Switch it up! Your muscles, and your body as a whole, will develop a memory for routine. Your body constantly tries to work in more efficient ways, and if you only do bench press for your pecs, then your pecs will eventually recognize it and perform at a more efficient rate. That SOUNDS good, but it's not. You want your muscle to react in a "surprised" fashion to your weight lifting so you get more bang for your buck.
Here are the suggestions:
-Look into buying whey protein. Whey protein is fast-acting protein, meaning it will reach your muscles quicker, meaning the process of rebuilding will happen immediately and your muscles won't go long without nourishment.
-Get 8 hours of sleep. Scientific studies have shown that not getting 8 hours of sleep can sacrifice your results.
These are the basics of weightlifting. There will be more specifics down the road.
STRENGTH: this is weight lifting where the aim is 4-6 reps. This is great for gains in strength, but it's not good for beginners or the standard weight lifter. This is more for people who want to make serious gains in power and are very good at handling large amounts of weight. Do not seriously attempt high levels of weight unless you are experienced enough, or at least have a spotter.
MASS: this is lifting which aims for 8-12 reps. This is what people will typically do when they want to gain size. So if you're looking to boost your pecs or biceps, then you'll want to aim for this rep range.
ENDURANCE: this requires 14-16 reps (or more). This is what people do when they want to tighten up, but they don't want to get bigger. This will burn fat without adding muscle mass to your body, so this is for those wanting to tone.
Now, there's a lot more to weight lifting. Here are some rules:
-Let muscle groups rest 48 hours. If you work your abs on Monday, don't work them again until Wednesday. The process of weightlifting is the tearing of your muscle fibers, and allowing them to regrow stronger. If you don't let them regrow, then you will not improve your muscle health, and you will be more prone to injury.
-Don't fall into a routine. What this means is; don't do the same exercises all the time. Switch it up! Your muscles, and your body as a whole, will develop a memory for routine. Your body constantly tries to work in more efficient ways, and if you only do bench press for your pecs, then your pecs will eventually recognize it and perform at a more efficient rate. That SOUNDS good, but it's not. You want your muscle to react in a "surprised" fashion to your weight lifting so you get more bang for your buck.
Here are the suggestions:
-Look into buying whey protein. Whey protein is fast-acting protein, meaning it will reach your muscles quicker, meaning the process of rebuilding will happen immediately and your muscles won't go long without nourishment.
-Get 8 hours of sleep. Scientific studies have shown that not getting 8 hours of sleep can sacrifice your results.
These are the basics of weightlifting. There will be more specifics down the road.
What you need to know about cardio
So cardio...What is cardio, exactly? It's not just running, or biking, or what have you. Cardio is cardiovascular activity, which is aerobic activity, which basically means "in the presence of oxygen." So, cardiovascular activity requires intake of oxygen, which pumps your heart/blood, and so on. Moving on.
There are different mechanisms to cardio activity, and it's tough to find the optimum way to do it. It takes up to 15 minutes before you body gets into its "fat burning" mode, but if you work too long then your body will start to eat its own muscle. I'll outline the "classes" of cardio, which are divided by the amount of work required to perform them.
LOW ACTIVITY: the plus side to low activity is it burns a higher percentage of fat for each calorie burned, but the downside is it won't burn as many calories. So you might work for 30 minutes, burn 200 calories, and each calorie you burn is 80% fat. That's a good deal of fat! But, again, not burning a lot of calories. This type of exercise is great if you want to burn fat, you don't want to sacrifice muscle, and you aren't on any serious time constraint. Low activity would be defined by a heart rate of around 60-65% of your maximum (you'd need a doctor, a quick tutorial, or heart rate monitor to figure this out exactly). Some examples might include: brisk walking, slow and steady biking, etc.
HIGH ACTIVITY: the plus side to high activity is it burns more calories and it is very heart-healthy, but the downside is you will burn more muscle than you would with low activity. Drawing from the previous example: you might burn 400 calories in 30 minutes of hard work, but each calorie burned is only 60% fat. What this would mean is you'd lose a lot more weight, but a good deal more of that weight is your hard-earned muscle. This is why lots of people who run often, and have an average or even decent diet, still have some flab. This is characterized as a heart rate that is 70-75% (or more) if your maximum heart rate. Some examples would include jogging, cycling, swimming, etc.
HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIIT): this is the toughest form of cardio to do, but it contains the best of all worlds. If you want to burn the most fat, and the most calories, then this is your poison. First the outline of HIIT: it's a structured interval workout where you work as hard as you can for a specified amount of time (usually 30-60 seconds), and then you work at a very slow rate for a specified amount of time (usually 30-120 seconds), and you alternate. So an example would be: walk as a warm up for 5 minutes, sprint for 60 seconds, walk for 60 seconds, and continue the sprint-then-walk intervals for 20 minutes, then cool down by walking for 5 minutes. That's a 30 minute workout. HIIT will burn as many (or more depending on how hard you work) calories as high activity workouts, and it won't sacrifice as much fat. The science behind it is this: working as hard as you can works your body in its carb-burning zone. That basically means it aims to eat stored fat. However, no one can work in their carb-burning zone for too long as it requires an all-out spring of energy. Thus, you work for small periods of time in a single setting. This will also rev your metabolism up for a longer period of time (many hours) after you're done with the workout.
The rule of thumb to remember about cardio is also this (except for HIIT as previously mentioned): for however long you work out, that's how long your metabolism is going to be revved up for. If you run for an hour, then your metabolism will remain at unusually high rates for an hour after the workout. That's a good thing!
I think that's it regarding cardio for now.
There are different mechanisms to cardio activity, and it's tough to find the optimum way to do it. It takes up to 15 minutes before you body gets into its "fat burning" mode, but if you work too long then your body will start to eat its own muscle. I'll outline the "classes" of cardio, which are divided by the amount of work required to perform them.
LOW ACTIVITY: the plus side to low activity is it burns a higher percentage of fat for each calorie burned, but the downside is it won't burn as many calories. So you might work for 30 minutes, burn 200 calories, and each calorie you burn is 80% fat. That's a good deal of fat! But, again, not burning a lot of calories. This type of exercise is great if you want to burn fat, you don't want to sacrifice muscle, and you aren't on any serious time constraint. Low activity would be defined by a heart rate of around 60-65% of your maximum (you'd need a doctor, a quick tutorial, or heart rate monitor to figure this out exactly). Some examples might include: brisk walking, slow and steady biking, etc.
HIGH ACTIVITY: the plus side to high activity is it burns more calories and it is very heart-healthy, but the downside is you will burn more muscle than you would with low activity. Drawing from the previous example: you might burn 400 calories in 30 minutes of hard work, but each calorie burned is only 60% fat. What this would mean is you'd lose a lot more weight, but a good deal more of that weight is your hard-earned muscle. This is why lots of people who run often, and have an average or even decent diet, still have some flab. This is characterized as a heart rate that is 70-75% (or more) if your maximum heart rate. Some examples would include jogging, cycling, swimming, etc.
HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIIT): this is the toughest form of cardio to do, but it contains the best of all worlds. If you want to burn the most fat, and the most calories, then this is your poison. First the outline of HIIT: it's a structured interval workout where you work as hard as you can for a specified amount of time (usually 30-60 seconds), and then you work at a very slow rate for a specified amount of time (usually 30-120 seconds), and you alternate. So an example would be: walk as a warm up for 5 minutes, sprint for 60 seconds, walk for 60 seconds, and continue the sprint-then-walk intervals for 20 minutes, then cool down by walking for 5 minutes. That's a 30 minute workout. HIIT will burn as many (or more depending on how hard you work) calories as high activity workouts, and it won't sacrifice as much fat. The science behind it is this: working as hard as you can works your body in its carb-burning zone. That basically means it aims to eat stored fat. However, no one can work in their carb-burning zone for too long as it requires an all-out spring of energy. Thus, you work for small periods of time in a single setting. This will also rev your metabolism up for a longer period of time (many hours) after you're done with the workout.
The rule of thumb to remember about cardio is also this (except for HIIT as previously mentioned): for however long you work out, that's how long your metabolism is going to be revved up for. If you run for an hour, then your metabolism will remain at unusually high rates for an hour after the workout. That's a good thing!
I think that's it regarding cardio for now.
So you want to lose weight...
Sorry all, but there's no one way to lose weight. There are many, many ways to do so, but all are derived from a similar formula. First and foremost, check the diet I posted before; it's necessary. I'm going to give a brief overview in this post, and then go into more detail later on.
You have your diet, now you need your exercise. You have your cardio and your weight lifting. The basic thing to know is this: cardio will get the job done quicker, but it will sacrifice some muscle in the process. Weightlifting will get the job done slower, but it will burn pure fat and sacrifice no muscle (rather it will help you tone). If you are trying to lose lots of weight (more than 20 lbs.) in a short period of time (under 2 months), then you need to do both cardio and weightlifting. If you have time, and you are not trying to lose mass amounts of weight, then you need very little cardio or none at all!
Also - the most weight you should be losing is 10 lbs. per month. That comes to 2.5 lbs. per week, but some people would say 3 lbs. isn't much of a difference. Any more than that, and it's just not healthy weight loss. Your body isn't meant to undergo such dramatic changes in such short amounts of time.
Read on.
You have your diet, now you need your exercise. You have your cardio and your weight lifting. The basic thing to know is this: cardio will get the job done quicker, but it will sacrifice some muscle in the process. Weightlifting will get the job done slower, but it will burn pure fat and sacrifice no muscle (rather it will help you tone). If you are trying to lose lots of weight (more than 20 lbs.) in a short period of time (under 2 months), then you need to do both cardio and weightlifting. If you have time, and you are not trying to lose mass amounts of weight, then you need very little cardio or none at all!
Also - the most weight you should be losing is 10 lbs. per month. That comes to 2.5 lbs. per week, but some people would say 3 lbs. isn't much of a difference. Any more than that, and it's just not healthy weight loss. Your body isn't meant to undergo such dramatic changes in such short amounts of time.
Read on.
I bet you need help with your diet
Alright let's start with diet if you're trying to lose healthy weight. Quick version:
-1 gram of protein per pound of desired lean body weight.
-1/2 gram of fat per pound of desired lean body weight.
-Under 200 complex carbs per day.
-No sugary carbs if possible.
-Lots of water.
-Eat small meals every 2-3 hours.
-Example: wanting to weight 160 lbs. would result in about 1,600 calories, with about 150 grams of protein, 65 grams of fat, and under 200 carbs. Sometimes these numbers will need a little tweaking as this is only a rule of thumb, but there's no need to deviate by more than 10-15 grams in each category. Remember you're going for lean weight rather than total weight. Lean weight = your weight minus your fat weight, and your total weight would include the weight from fat.
Here's the explanation:
Our bodies can only take so many calories each day before saying "hey, too many calories, I need to store some of this as fat." If you eat too many carbs, protein, or fat, then your body will store it. There's no way around that. The reason why carbs are bad is because it's easy to eat too many, and tough to burn that many (unless you do lots of cardio activity). Too many carbs results in what is called "glycogen storage" which is a fancy term for "stored fat." Protein and fat, however, aid nourish your muscles which are being used all day long - because of this, it is much more difficult to eat too much protein or fat.
Now you have complex carbs and simple carbs. Complex carbs are your standard wheat breads or pastas. Simple carbs are sugars, such as soda or candy. Complex carbs, in moderation, are good because they will be stored. Sugar carbs won't be stored in the same way. This is significant because when you exercise, the simple carbs will say "hey, before any of your stored fat gets burned, we need to get burned first." What does this mean? It means if you eat too much sugar, then it could take up to 20 minutes (or more!) before your body starts to burn any fat. Complex carbs, however, are able to be properly stored and still allow your body to burn fat. Simple carbs act as a fat-burning shield, and complex carbs do not.
Moving on - if you do not eat meals within every 3 hours, then your body will go into starvation mode. This is pretty unavoidable as it is an evolutionary aspect of our human bodies. If we are going to go a week without food, then muscle does our bodies no good, whereas stored fat will make our starving bodies very happy and able to live longer. What does this mean? It means when your body thinks it is starving, it will start to eat its own muscle and save the stored fat. Eating every few hours (even just 100 calories) will remind your body that it is not starving, and to keep that metabolism feeding on your fat.
Now the toughest part: if you want to lose weight, then you MUST eat. I know it's tempting to take in 800 calories each day, but that's very bad for two reasons. First, your body (as mentioned before) will hit starvation mode and eat its own muscle, and thus you won't be losing a lot of the "flubbery stuff." The second reason is that it lowers your long-term metabolism. Example - let's say you can eat 2,000 calories per day and you will not lose a pound or gain a pound. 2,000 calories is your baseline, and that's your limit for calorie efficiency. If you eat a significantly lower number than that for an extended period of time, then your body WILL adjust to that change, and make that limit much lower. What does this mean? It means you used to be able to eat 2,000 calories without gaining weight, but now you can only eat 1,200 calories without gaining weight. Significance? Once you're done with your weight loss and go back to eating a health 1,600 calories per day, then your body will not be able to process all these calories after having been starved for so long, and you will gain a lot of weight back. You know how they say that yo-yo dieting does not work? It's true; it does not work. Don't starve yourself short-term or you will regret it long-term.
There's the basics.
-1 gram of protein per pound of desired lean body weight.
-1/2 gram of fat per pound of desired lean body weight.
-Under 200 complex carbs per day.
-No sugary carbs if possible.
-Lots of water.
-Eat small meals every 2-3 hours.
-Example: wanting to weight 160 lbs. would result in about 1,600 calories, with about 150 grams of protein, 65 grams of fat, and under 200 carbs. Sometimes these numbers will need a little tweaking as this is only a rule of thumb, but there's no need to deviate by more than 10-15 grams in each category. Remember you're going for lean weight rather than total weight. Lean weight = your weight minus your fat weight, and your total weight would include the weight from fat.
Here's the explanation:
Our bodies can only take so many calories each day before saying "hey, too many calories, I need to store some of this as fat." If you eat too many carbs, protein, or fat, then your body will store it. There's no way around that. The reason why carbs are bad is because it's easy to eat too many, and tough to burn that many (unless you do lots of cardio activity). Too many carbs results in what is called "glycogen storage" which is a fancy term for "stored fat." Protein and fat, however, aid nourish your muscles which are being used all day long - because of this, it is much more difficult to eat too much protein or fat.
Now you have complex carbs and simple carbs. Complex carbs are your standard wheat breads or pastas. Simple carbs are sugars, such as soda or candy. Complex carbs, in moderation, are good because they will be stored. Sugar carbs won't be stored in the same way. This is significant because when you exercise, the simple carbs will say "hey, before any of your stored fat gets burned, we need to get burned first." What does this mean? It means if you eat too much sugar, then it could take up to 20 minutes (or more!) before your body starts to burn any fat. Complex carbs, however, are able to be properly stored and still allow your body to burn fat. Simple carbs act as a fat-burning shield, and complex carbs do not.
Moving on - if you do not eat meals within every 3 hours, then your body will go into starvation mode. This is pretty unavoidable as it is an evolutionary aspect of our human bodies. If we are going to go a week without food, then muscle does our bodies no good, whereas stored fat will make our starving bodies very happy and able to live longer. What does this mean? It means when your body thinks it is starving, it will start to eat its own muscle and save the stored fat. Eating every few hours (even just 100 calories) will remind your body that it is not starving, and to keep that metabolism feeding on your fat.
Now the toughest part: if you want to lose weight, then you MUST eat. I know it's tempting to take in 800 calories each day, but that's very bad for two reasons. First, your body (as mentioned before) will hit starvation mode and eat its own muscle, and thus you won't be losing a lot of the "flubbery stuff." The second reason is that it lowers your long-term metabolism. Example - let's say you can eat 2,000 calories per day and you will not lose a pound or gain a pound. 2,000 calories is your baseline, and that's your limit for calorie efficiency. If you eat a significantly lower number than that for an extended period of time, then your body WILL adjust to that change, and make that limit much lower. What does this mean? It means you used to be able to eat 2,000 calories without gaining weight, but now you can only eat 1,200 calories without gaining weight. Significance? Once you're done with your weight loss and go back to eating a health 1,600 calories per day, then your body will not be able to process all these calories after having been starved for so long, and you will gain a lot of weight back. You know how they say that yo-yo dieting does not work? It's true; it does not work. Don't starve yourself short-term or you will regret it long-term.
There's the basics.
Quick autobiograpy
I'm predisposed to poor heart health and obesity. I grew up borderline obese and about 10 lbs. shy of type II diabetes. I underwent chemotherapy which, to this day, has obliterated by metabolism. About 4 years ago I decided to make changes to my health by losing massive amounts of weight, regardless of the challenges I'd face. After about 3 years of making mistakes in my methodology, I finally found what works: no miracle products, no pills, no excuses. All that works is a proper diet, and proper exercise.
If you're looking for a short cut, then this is not it. If you want to know how it's done properly and life-lasting, then this is it.
If you're looking for a short cut, then this is not it. If you want to know how it's done properly and life-lasting, then this is it.
Let's get this out of the way...
We're exposed to over 1 hour of media advertisements each day. By the end of your life, that is 4 years of your life devoted towards ads - TV, magazines, newspapers, music, radio, etc. How many of these are dedicated to diet, exercise, and weight loss? No idea, but in America, I'm sure it's a lot. It's upsetting to see so many people doing things wrong. I'm going to try my hardest to dedicate this blog to help people who are confused, need direction, and want a little helping hand. This will include: what I've found to help, parts of my own journey, motivation, diet tips, exercises, and more. Maybe no one will read this, maybe some will. But if I can do it, then anyone can.
Keep reading.
Keep reading.
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