Jump Start Your Fat Loss

Do you want to jump start your 2010 fat loss goals?  Here's some ways to do it.

1. Intermittent Fasting: Method 1 OR Method 2.
2. 2 weeks of high-protein, low-fat, low-carb
• Base this on your lean body mass (LBM) -  Estimate your body fat percentage and multiply that number times your body weight.  Subtract that number from your body weight.  For example, you weigh 180 lbs and you're 20% body fat (180*.20 = 36).  Then take your body weight minus your body fat weight (180-36 = 144).  Your lean body mass is 144 lbs.
• Eat 1.5 grams of protein per lb of LBM.  In this case, you'd be eating 216 grams of protein each day.  (NOTE: The leaner you are, the more protein you need, so you'd need more like 300 grams of protein if you were 15% body fat AND you'd need more like 165 grams of protein if you were 25% body fat.  These are just estimations but you get my point.
• Shoot for 80%-85% of your total calories to come from protein.  Fat and carbs will make up the rest. About 10% for each.
• This will make your diet extremely low calorie for 2 weeks.  But this will allow you to burn lots of body fat while sparing hard-earned muscle.
• Continue to lift weights 2 or 3x's/week.  Do not do cardio unless it's low level stuff like a slow-paced bike ride or brisk walk.
• THIS IS ASSUMING THAT YOU ARE ALREADY ACTIVE
3. Start a high intensity program like P90X or Turbulence Training.
4. After your 2 week high-protein period eat a balanced diet, but on the low-carb side.  Shoot for 10-12 calories/lb to lose 1-2 lbs/week.  Here's a simple macronutrient breakdown.  Eat about 1.5 grams of protein/lb each day. On larger muscle days, i.e. chest, back, legs -- eat more carbs (between 150-180).  On all other days, keep carbs relatively low (below 60-80).  Make up the rest with fat.
5. Once you are at your goal weight eat about 15 calories/lb to maintain your body weight.
6. Always stay within 5-10 lbs of your 'ripped' body weight.  This will enable you to easily hit your body fat goals when summer rolls around.
7. Stay patient and adjust your macronutrients as necessary.
8. If you're obsessive about your goals and need a step by step nutrition guide, then find someone to help you design it.  BUT make sure they know what the hell they are talking about and make sure they've done it before and arent' just trying to 'sell' your something.
9. Remember these things & you won't go wrong.  Eat lots of protein.  Eat lots of veggies.  Eat moderate amounts of fruit.  Limit grains.  Eat fat. Don't eat processed crap.  Don't eat much sugar.  Drink lots of water.
10. Stay accountable and don't make excuses.  If you are fat, it's your fault.  If you are fit, it's because of your positive food and lifestyle choices.

Now look, don't pick apart what I've pieced together above.  It's a guideline.  Be smart, make good choices, and be accountable.

Until next time...

Is it all about calories?

In a recent blog post by Dr. Michael R. Eades, he thoroughly discussed a 2009 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).  The gist of the study was to address the issues of calories vs. macronutrient composition in weight loss.  Will one lose weight if calories are kept in a deficit regardless of macronutrient composition?  The answer was a definitive YES! 

So what does this mean?  Does it mean that the carb curve that you see above is useless?  Does it mean that you have to eat 'low carb' to lose weight and keep it off?  Can you eat a low fat diet and lose weight just the same all the while keep carbohydrates very high, yet still keeping oneself in a calorie deficit?  These are all valid questions.  Yet, they are also confusing a lot of people when it comes to weight loss and the best way to accomplish weight loss goals.

Fight Heart Disease With A Fat Ass

Wanna protect yourself from heart disease?  Forgot about a healthy intake of food and exercise; just shoot for that beautiful pear shape.  "Oxford University scientists -- who have looked at all the evidence on the health effects of storing more fat on the hips, thighs and bum, rather than around the waist -- show that having a 'pear shape' is not just less bad for you than an 'apple shape', but actively protects against diabetes and heart disease."

Beautiful!  Don't worry about that 30% or 40% body fat.  Don't worry about the healthy outcomes of eating meats, veggies, and fruits.  Don't worry about the benefits of exercise.  Just aim high; aim for that pear!  Seriously, are you kidding me?  I understand the premise of this study.  It shows that if you're going to be obese, then just shoot for a pear shape rather than an apple shape due to the awful side effects of abdominal fat and thus, most surely, lots of visceral fat.

What's next? 

"The Pear-Shaped Workout - How To Shift Fat From Your Belly To Your Ass.  But wait, there's more.  You also receive our low-fat, high-carb diet guide guaranteed to keep you fat and lead you to certain death even earlier than expected.  But wait, that's not all!  And to top this special offer, we'll throw in 1 year of free Lipitor to do absolutely nothing positive but make you think you're helping yourself..."

"Thigh fat might also secrete more beneficial hormones like leptin and adiponectin, Dr Manolopoulos says, although this is unclear at the moment."  Uh..umm...ever hear of leptin resistence? 

I understand that the study is pointing out that if you're going to have one or the other (not because of choice), then you should feel better about thigh and butt fat vs abdominal fat, but come on people.  Don't make people think they are FIGHTING heart disease because their fat is in a different place.  Adipose tissue has many bad side effects including, but certianly not limited to...cardiovascular disease, diabetes, insulin resistance, leptin resistance, & cancer.

Move More.  Eat Less.

Until next time...

More on Intermittent Fasting

The guys over at Fitness Spotlight are big believers in IF, as am I.  Take a gander at the many reasons to use IF in your daily life.

http://bit.ly/6YS6og

Until next time...

Cruel Kindness

I ran across this over at Conditioning Research.  If you're fat, then you're eating too much.



Until next time...

Cold Weather Making You Fat?

Here's a great article from fat loss expert, Tom Venuto: Does Cold Weather Make You Store Body Fat? 

It's pretty simple; we want to look better in the summer and so we do.  Enjoy!

Until next time...