 |
Four Big Weight Loss No-Nos
I've worked with hundreds of people who
were interested in losing weight. Over
the years I've noticed four areas that
I believe are particular hindrances
to weight loss. If your goal is to be
successful at losing weight and keeping
it off, avoid the "big 4" no-nos.
#1 Big No-No: Not exercising on a daily
basis. Daily exercise sends your metabolism
through the roof! I have seen VERY FEW people
who are not very regular exercisers, lose
weight AND keep it off.
Losing weight and maintaining that loss
can be very difficult. However, both can
be made considerably easier with regular
exercise, preferably in the morning.
If you're interested in losing fat, you're
objective is to create a daily caloric
deficit. For example, If you're consuming
1700 calories per day, and expending 2000
calories per day, your caloric deficit is
300 calories. Losing a pound of fat requires
a deficit of 3500 calories. So, to lose
two pounds per week would require a daily
deficit of 1000 calories.
So, if you'd like to increase your daily
caloric deficit, you have two options;
1. To decrease your caloric intake by eating
fewer calories, or..
2. To increase your caloric expenditure via
more activity / exercise.
However, you cannot decrease your daily
caloric intake much lower than 1200 to
1500 or so without potentially creating
health and metabolism problems.
In fact, many people's metabolism (basal
metabolic rate) is so slow from years of
inactivity and dieting, that they are only
burning fewer than 1500 calories per day.
Without exercise, they would have to
decrease their daily caloric intake to
unhealthy levels to lose weight. And, a
caloric intake that's too low only creates
more metabolism problems and a vicious
cycle of more weight gain.
So, the only remaining factor in the deficit
equation is caloric expenditure through
increased activity / exercise.
The good news is that you can substantially
increase your caloric expenditure. For
example, if you're currently walking for
30 minutes two days per week, over a period of
several weeks you can increase your walking
to 60 minutes per day, six to seven days
per week and begin weight training for 30
minutes three days per week.
So, in this example, you would increase your
monthly exercise minutes from about 240 to
1530. Plus, in addition to the calories that
you're expending during exercise, you would
also substantially increase the number of
calories you're burning 24 hours-a-day, yes,
you'll even burn more calories while you're
sleeping because you've fired-up your basal
metabolic rate. You can't beat that, can you?
Here's another VERY important reason
to exercise while you're restricting
calories and trying to lose weight. you tend
to lose muscle tissue from any muscle that
you're not using while you're restricting
calories. You've heard it - use it or lose it.
And, there are three main consequences to
losing muscle;
1. Your metabolism (basal metabolic rate)
decreases causing you to burn *fewer* calories
24 hours-a-day and causing the maintenance
of your weight loss to be very difficult.
2. Your muscles get flabby and mushy.
3. Your are weaker and become fatigued
more easily.
#2 Big No-No: Not deciding to make a drastic
change. I've seen this over and over again
with hundreds of people. Unless someone
decides that they are ready to get really
serious about losing weight and ready to
make drastic changes, their chances of losing
weight and keeping it off are not good.
Research continues to indicate that
Americans are becoming more sedentary..
and fatter every year. This move toward
inactivity and an increase in body fat
is even more pronounced in children, who
don't get out and play anymore. Instead,
they sit in front of a TV or computer
(perhaps like their parents) for many of
their waking hours.
We know that there is a very direct,
inverse relationship between a person's
level of activity and the percentage of
their weight that is fat. less activity
equals more fat, and more activity equals
lees fat.
I received an email message recently
that I'd like to share with you. It's a
weight loss and fitness success story
that makes you want to start exercising
while you're reading it.
It's from a 48 year-old lady, Elizabeth,
who lives in Lexington, Kentucky. She
is living proof that less activity
equals more fat, and more activity
equals less fat. Here's her letter:
"Greg, I'm writing to thank you for your
inspiring articles and to tell you about
my journey (a rough one) to fitness. I
was at a healthy weight in my early
twenties and had my first child at age
26. I remained about 30 pounds overweight
after she was born."
"I managed to gain 15 more pounds during
the next four years, mostly because of
several diets I tried. After the birth
of my second child at age 31, I was 60
pounds overweight and very frustrated.
Over the next 15 years I tried numerous
diets (even eating just rice) that
ultimate led to me being 120 pounds
overweight."
"I started reading your articles two years
ago and it finally began to sink in. I
finally realized that exercise wasn't
just about the calories I was burning
during exercise. I finally realized
that I would never lose the weight and
keep it off without some real exercise
in my life."
"I reached a point in my life where my
weight was ruining my life. I got to the
point where everything was a struggle,
none of my fat clothes fit, I didn't
want to see anyone because of the way I
looked, and even walking made me
breathless. I decided that I would either
make a drastic change at that point or
I would give up. I chose to make a drastic
change."
"I knew that exercise needed to be a
priority and so I changed several things
in my daily schedule to make that happen.
I started with very little but I was very
consistent. I worked up to 45 minutes of
aerobic exercise in the morning and 30 to
45 minutes in the evening. On Saturdays,
I take a less intense, but longer walk
throughout my area of town enjoying all
the sights. I'm up to 8 to 10 miles on
my Saturday walk. I also weight train
three days a week. Please don't get the
impression that this was easy. I went
through MANY difficult struggles but
it definitely got easier as I progressed."
"I'm now 12 pounds from my goal weight. Greg,
I can't begin to explain how my life has
changed. Everything is different. Even
the way people talk to me. It's almost
like people didn't even see the person
under all that fat. Probably best of all
is that I have energy to function now.
I'm not constantly tired like I used to
be."
"Obviously, my perception of exercise has
changed now. I enjoy it and look forward
to it. I'm planning on doing a half
marathon (13.1 miles) walk in the fall.
Thanks again for your words of
encouragement."
Elizabeth
Lexington, Kentucky
Wow! This lady is unstoppable. Notice that
she first realized the true benefits of
exercise and then decided to do *whatever*
she had to for exercise to become a
consistent part of her life.
Exercise radically changes how your body
handles fat! when you're sedentary, all
the physiological signals tell your body
to hang on to the fat and dump the
metabolism boosting muscle. When you're
exercising on a daily basis, all the
physiological signals tell your body to
dump the fat and increase the metabolism
boosting muscle. Which signals do you want?
#3 Big No-No: Not taking the time to plan
and prepare your eating. Healthy eating for
weight loss won't just happen, you have to
spend time on it.
Not being prepared is a major factor that
leads to overeating and unhealthy eating.
Take time to plan your shopping and eating
for the week. Take time to prepare your
lunch to take to work, and your meal for
the evening, etc. Plan for healthy snacks
to have at home, in your car, at work, etc.
Our weight loss programs specifically
discuss how to set up an effective snacking
system.
4. Not including intervals in your aerobic
exercise. Intervals are brief periods (about one
minute) of more intense exercise mixed into your
regular aerobic exercise sessions. For
example, if you're walking, you would do a
one minute interval of faster walking once
every five minutes throughout your exercise
session.
Here's how it will look.. you'll start with
your normal three to five minute warm-up and
then five minutes into your workout you do
your first interval, one minute of faster
walking (or perhaps jogging). At the end of
that minute you should be "winded" and ready
to slow down. You'll slow down to your normal
exercising speed for the next four minutes
and then your fifth minute is another one
minute interval. This pattern continues
throughout your exercise session.
You'll derive several benefits from intervals..
1. Intervals can help you to get past a
weight loss plateau.
2. Intervals increase your aerobic fitness
level by "pushing the envelope". While doing
your interval you cross the anaerobic
threshold into anaerobic metabolism, forcing
your body to become conditioned to more
intense exercise.
3. Your increased level of fitness means that
a given level of exercise will feel easier
and that you will be able to exercise at a
higher intensity which "burns" more calories.
4. Your increased level of fitness also means
that you will be less fatigued from daily
activities and you'll have more "energy"
throughout the day.
5. Intervals increase your basal metabolic
rate (BMR), causing you to burn more calories
24 hours-a-day.
6. Intervals cause you to "burn" more calories
during your exercise session and for several
hours afterwards.
7. Intervals will tone the involved muscles
to a greater degree than your regular aerobic
exercise would.
8. Intervals can make your exercise less
monotonous and help the time pass more
quickly.
9. Intervals will energize you!
If you'd like to put a little excitement into
your exercise, and you're looking for better
results, give intervals a try.
Avoid these four "no-nos" and your weight loss
efforts are much more likely to be successful.
copyright 2004 by Greg Landry, M.S.
Author and exercise physiologist, Greg Landry, offers free weight loss and fitness success stories and targeted, highly affective weight loss programs for women, men, type 2 diabetics, and people with slow metabolisms and hypothyroidism.. http://www.Landry.com
MORE RESOURCES:
A look at weight-loss spokeswomenChicago Tribune, United States - 10 hours agoThe actress will continue as a spokeswoman for the weight-loss chain, People.com reports, noting that Latifah, 38, shed 20 pounds in 2008 while maintaining ... |
Weight-Loss - Google News
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Low Carb and Lowfat Diets...A Scam?!
If anyone knows anything about fitness, it's that a low fat diet is the healthiest way to avoid serious diseases, right? Maybe wrong.In many instances quality research has shown just the opposite?that a low fat diet, sometimes even a vegetarian diet, can be harmful to your health.
Catching Yourself In A Binge or Compulsive Eating: Stopping Behaviors
Oh, no . .
The Lost Road of a Failed Gastric Bypass Surgery
In 1994, I had a RNY surgery. At 350 lbs and 26 years of age, I felt like my life was over, I felt like my husband and my child would be better off without me.
Dieting Strength
There are several factors in winning at weight loss. Sometimes the food isn't the culprit, it's your attitude.
Setting Objectives For Weight Loss
I am sure that when I mention setting objectives for weight loss, the majority of people will be thinking in terms of how many pounds in weight that they, or someone else, should lose. That is similar, in a way, to those who consider setting financial objectives, and then state money as an objective.
The 7 Phases of Change
Lose The Weight For Good With The Seven Phases of ChangeThe process of losing weight requires change; in lifestyle, routines, and habitual choices. One of the primary reasons you've fail when attempting to lose weight is that you haven't planned for the phases of change you will experience as you begin the process of transforming their body.
Reasons for Obesity
Causes of ObesityJust like there is no weight loss pill or single "magic potion"diet plan to cure obesity there is no single cause of obesity.We are living in an age of two income families, job loss,stress, and time constraints.
Lose Weight Permanently And Maximize Health With New Diet & Exercise Habits
I'm sick of all the fad diets I see people preaching about, as if the only thing that matters is losing a lot of weight fast. We need to focus on permanent weight loss as a result of permanent changes to dieting and exercise habits.
The Myth of Spot Reducing
There is no such thing as spot reducing. Any fat you lose comes off in the same proportion it's stored in your body.
Low Carb Diets Cause More Than Water Weight Loss
Many critics in have attackedlow carb diets for only providing aninitial loss in water weight, rather thanactually affecting sustained fat loss.Some critics have even suggested that dieters lose don't lose any fat at all.
Malnutrition Causes Obesity
Axiom Number One - Nourish your body.Probably the most important and least understood axiom ofsuccessful weight loss is that you have to nourish your body.
Vinegar and Weight Loss
The Sour Truth-------------------------- Question: I had a baby 6 months ago and would like to lose some weight. I know that if you're nursing, you're not supposed to diet.
Obesity Acceptance and Fat Acceptance: Different Labels; Same Dangerous Message
Obesity acceptance, also known as fat acceptance, has a simple, appealing message..
Super Sizing: Money Shrinks While Waist Lines Grow
"Your Eyes are Bigger Than Your Stomach""Your eyes are bigger than your stomach," my mother said, which meant, "No, you can't have a milk shake." She didn't think my 10-year old appetite was sufficient to finish all that food, and she was probably right.
Top 5 Reasons Why Women Over 30 Dont Lose Weight And Keep It Off
Have you heard about it lately? Everywhere you look, women over 30 can find one hundred excuses for not being able to lose weight and keep it off.Blame it on your thyroid, cortisol, menopause, your hectic lifestyle or even your genes.
Healthy Recipes for Low Carb Success
Using healthy low carb recipes are an important part of your diet success, just as it's important to remember to drink enough water helping your body to remove the byproducts of the fat burning process. A healthy recipe provides you with the other essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals that you need to feel as good as you look.
Why Low Carb Dieters Can Eat Chicken Skin And Meat Fat
While low-fat dieters and non-dieters may want to avoid chicken skins andfat on meat, most "low carb" diet plans encourage low carb dieters to do the exact opposite.The reasoning for this somewhatsurprising deviation from commonwisdom is two-fold.
Loss Your Weight
WEIGHT LOSS:Nutrition and weight-loss researchers say that some supplements can give you a advantage in the battle to be slim (helping you lose about 2 to 3 pounds a month).Protein can reduce hunger (thereby decreasing the calories you consume), help you preserve muscle as you lose weight, and help your body build more muscle, particularly if you include strength training in your fitness routine, Muscle burns more calories than fat and also helps you look trimmer, Kreider says, so strength training three times a week is a good addition to any weight-loss program.
Pathological Eating Disorders and Poly-Behavioral Addiction
When considering that pathological eating disorders and their related diseases now afflict more people globally than malnutrition, some experts in the medical field are presently purporting that the world's number one health problem is no longer heart disease or cancer, but obesity. According to the World Health Organization (June, 2005), "obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight - at least 300 million of them clinically obese - and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability.
Weight Loss Problems at Their Worst -America is on the Path of Delusion, Depression, and Destruction
Am I missing something here? If I am, someone please email me and tell me. But, the shape of you and every person in America tells me I am not missing the boat at all.
|
