Lose Weight

To some, losing weight is an elusive goal that at times seems just within reach. So many people attempt to lose weight, but end up unhappy in the process. There are 4 reasons people become frustrated while attempting to reach their weight loss goals:

1) They see fad diets as the panacea (cure all): It’s true that some diets may work short term and some even moderately long term, but they’re not designed for permanent weight loss. Low carb diets are a great example. I actually encourage low carb strategies thrown into a long term program, but the fact is if you try to force a fad diet full-time, you’ll fail. It’s just too hard to stick with, even though you may get instant gratification from short term success. To take this low carb strategy a step further, let’s look at WHY you gain the weight back immediately.

For every carb you ingest, it attracts and binds with approximately 3 grams of water. Carbs are stored in the organs, the muscles, and in fat cells. So if you’re used to consuming moderate to high carbs on a daily basis, simply cutting carbs out, will FORCE you to lose immediate water weight. That’s why you can lose 5-10 pounds of fat in a week.

But as soon as you begin your old “diet” and reintroduce carbs into your system, the ‘water weight’ immediately reappears. It’s often times thought that when on a low carb diet for a week, you lose 5-10 pounds of fat, and you gain it back immediately when you go back to your old ways. It’s not the case, in the short term & long term, it’s simply water weight that you’re regaining – even if you lose fat in the process.

For example, let’s say you decide to stick with low carbs for 6 weeks to lose weight, and you end up losing 15 pounds on the scale. Within a few days of resuming your normal eating habits, you may gain back 5-7 pounds. Guess what? The “diet” worked. You didn’t gain fat, you gained water from the carbs binding with water molecules in your system. So the failure is a mirage, but it leads to frustration and confusion to the average person. They feel as if they’re going through the yo-yo effect, and just give up.

The low carb fad isn’t a lifestyle, though it can come in handy if you need to cut the weight quickly. Just remember, you will gain some, if not all, of the weight back when you resume your normal eating habits.

2) Weight training actually DOES speed up your metabolism, but at the same time it builds muscle. So if you’re gauging your weight loss on the scale, it will be frustrating. The best way to gauge your weight loss when exercising is by measuring your body fat levels every 4 weeks.

Too many people begin weight training and exercise programs with the wrong expectations. The goal of the person is generally to lose weight on the scale. Although this WILL happen over time, the exercise immediately begins burning fat.

Generally, a “newbie” to the exercise and weight training scene will gain a few pounds (3-5) of “muscle” in the first 4 weeks or so, while at the same time losing the exact same amount of fat. Even though your clothes feel looser, you’re energy levels are higher, and you begin receiving compliments, if you try to gauge your ‘weight loss” progress on the scale, you’re gonna be frustrated as hell. It’s just the way it is. So get your body fat taken before you begin, and again every 4 weeks – and keep at it. Don’t worry so much about your weight. Every time you get frustrated about your weight, ask yourself this question:

“Would I rather weigh more and look great… or... Would I rather weigh less and have lose baggy skin?”

Because, there is such a thing as a “fat” skinny person. Just look at the recreational long distance runners. They may appear skinny, but most still have pooches of loose fat on their belly.

3) Cardio training is a technique that burns fat, but it comes with flaws that are also confusing to the average person. Cardio alone while on a calorie restrictive diet will only burn so much fat before it begins using carbs (glycogen) and oxygen as fuel. So, this too can lead to a fat skinny person. If you depelete your carb stores, exercise TOO much and force your body to burn protein and muscle tissue as fuel, you’ll cripple your metabolism and burn fewer calories throughout the day.

To see solid proof, just pull up an image of a long distance runner, either they’re really skinny, almost anorexic like, or are skinny with a bit of flab on their body. Either or, I think you’ll agree it’s not attractive. So unless you’re a competitive athlete and don’t care about the way you look, be careful and remember cardio is only a supplemental tool in the overall picture.

4) Ab exercises are a great tool to develop rock hard six pack abs and a toned hard belly. BUT it doesn’t burn fat. The only time ab exercises are a great tool to tone your stomach is when you have low levels of body fat. They only serve to strengthen and build the muscles to look good if you have low levels of body fat – check out the Guinness Book of World Records Sit-up champ at ab exercises don't burn belly fat for undeniable proof.