Weight Loss: Don't Eat More Than You Can Lift

Summary:

 

In this article, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon, Dr. Robert Gamble, now well-known throughout the Internet, raises a strong warning about weight and weight loss. He also encourages us all to consider the overwhelmingly powerful benefits of glyconutrition. Read this and weigh it carefully. Your life may be saved by it.

 

Weight loss and weight-lifting:

 

When I determined that I would write this weight loss article, I figured I wouldn't turn to “experts”, doctors or classical philosophers. So, I turned to that veritable sage of expert insight and real-life savvy... Miss Piggy. Her “weight loss” counsel? “Never Eat More Than You Can Lift.” 

 

I am not a weight loss therapist. Granted. But, as a Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeon for over three decades, I've done my share of weight loss “counseling.”

 

Actually, by the time they needed to come to see me, my “counseling” was very simple: “If you want to live, you better start some sort of weight loss plan... immediately.” 

 

They usually didn't like my counsel. I assured them, they would like my surgeon's knife even less. 

 

It got worse. I would then tell them: “The plain fact is this: If you are overweight, you are in danger.” 

 

People can take only so much comforting. 

 

Why so direct, you ask? Hum... In case you didn't get it before, I'll say it again slowly... “If... you... are ... overweight, then ... YOU... are... IN... DANGER.” That is the first of four principles about weight loss you must learn. 

 

If the conviction in your soul doesn't have “stopping power” - no “pause” in eating beyond safety - then you are not convinced about the danger sufficiently to save your own life. I know. I've seen it a thousand times in the patients of colleagues as well as my own, in hospitals all over Illinois. 

 

Every weight lifter, for example, knows lifting weights, whether for fun, sports training, or competitive advantage, can cause serious injury or death. Every weightlifter knows that the only, really healthy part of the weight-lifting regimen is the part when you rest. That is when the body repairs itself. 

 

If you are overweight, you are almost never resting your body from the weight you are lifting... the weight attached to you. 

 

That is the second point to learn about “weight loss.” If you are overweight, then you are always lifting weight (yours)... and your heart is always working to carry that weight. And your bones, muscles and ligaments are always carrying more then they were designed to lift or carry. And there is little rest for your body. The only solution for you is weight loss... or worse. 

 

What can I say to make you understand how dire this issue really is?

 

The weight loss plan that always works... ask any doctor. 

 

Go ahead... ask any doctor. See if I am mistaken. There is a weight loss plan that always works. Ask your doctor about it. 

 

I can tell you are curious to know what it is. Don't be. No one is ever really interested in it. So, why bring it up? Because it is the only way you will lose weight. No matter what you do to lose weight, this is what you must do to get results.

 

Weight loss plan: Take into your body less energy than you use. That's it. If you use more energy than you take in, your body must burn off the weight to create the energy you need.

 

Hum... It's called basic mathematics. Take in less, use up more. Subtract weight. Works every time. No exceptions. But, that's not the third lesson to learn. No. The Third lesson is this is. Taking into your body less energy than you use is the only solution given to us. No matter what you do, fail in this, no loss of weight will occur.

 

I'll just bet you're having a charismatic experience over that one. 

 

Yet, people would prefer to spend lots of money and exasperation on any of the following:

 

• weight loss pills... including rapid weight loss pills... 

• weight loss diets of all sorts... 

• weight loss programs - often ingenious but taxing upon the body... 

• weight loss products so diverse it's unimaginable...

• weight loss supplements promising wonders... 

• weight loss spas... 

• weight loss with acupuncture...

• weight loss exercises ... 

• weight loss nutrition... 

• weight loss counseling... 

• weight loss clinics... 

• weight loss medications... 

• weight loss recipes ... 

• weight loss walking... 

• weight loss patches... 

• weight loss drugs... 

• weight loss surgery, for those who just can't endure the problem much longer... 

 

There's even ... . “weight loss hypnosis.” 

 

Another solution? 

 

No. But, there is a Lesson Four here. There is something you should take to protect yourself since you are not going to take the simple weight loss plan given above. 

 

Indeed, we should all be taking a new nutrient which, for two decades, scientists suspected did exist but took three Nobel Prizes in the nineties to prove. Glyconutrition.

 

Weight loss is often undertaken in a compromised manner. For example, some of us exercise heavily. Did you know that free radicals are multiplied heavily as a direct result of your workouts? Glyconutrition is designed to absorb the free radicals while limiting their scope and damaging effects. 

 

So, if you are working out heavily so as to lose weight, get on a glyconutrition regimen immediately. 

 

Are you cutting back on meals or other dietary restraints? Glyconutrition must be present for your body to utilize the nutrients you do ingest, make necessary tissue repairs, and eliminate the toxins you need be rid of. 

 

If that doesn't happen, you may be weakening yourself unknowingly. If so, you may be losing weight, but incurring danger to your tissues or organs elsewhere inside you.

 

Like I said, if you are overweight, you are in danger... in more ways than one. 

 

Glyconutrition, incidentally, helps the body lose weight through proper cellular communication ... but that for another article. 

 

So... if it you're overweight... Listen to Miss Piggy.

 

“Never eat more than you can lift.”

Weight Loss `Clarity` Still Confusing

Summary:

 

With myriads of professional and proven facts you can find to clearly help you lose weight, countless body fat candidates still suffer from lack of knowledgeable solutions. However, it's no small wonder why this situation exists. Read the three most challenging reasons why burning fat and getting rid of excess or unwanted pounds remains such an intellectually complex dilemma.

 

Article:

 

With all the profound, prolific, often professional and proven facts you can find in this world to clearly help you lose weight, countless individuals still suffer from lack of knowledgeable solutions. It's no small wonder why the saga continues. 

 

Three Challenging Reasons 

 

There are three main reasons why burning fat and getting rid of excess or unwanted pounds remains such a large challenge. Would you like to know what they are? 

 

1. Lack of A "YOU-Centered" Approach in Business. 
2. Basic Misunderstanding or Misconception of Human Anatomy and Its "True" Operational Ability and Function... 
3. Motivation -- That Is, Having Individual Possession of An Absolutely Compelling Reason To Get It Done, and In The Right Way, Too. 

 

One: You - Centered Approach

 

Let's look at Number One: Lack of A "YOU-Centered" Approach in Business. 

 

Lack of a "you-centered" approach in business simply means this... within numerous industries (an, diet-exercise-fitness-health-nutrition-weight management isn't much of an exception to the rule), sales primary production focus lies in "features." These are: What the weight loss product or service can do; how it's structured, or why it's supposed to be so great. 

 

Quite often business, industry, and media seem to forget that "people" or "real" customers pay the salaries and make the businesses run. With that in mind, YOU and YOUR ideas, your comments, needs, feelings, circumstances and suggestions need to become first in the forecast of business and corporate venture. 

 

Until this happens, YOU must seek your weight loss outcome with even more persistence, determination, and care. 

 

Two: Formal Anatomy Misconceptions 

 

Now, let's look at Number Two: Basic Misunderstanding or Misconception of Human Anatomy and Its "True" Operational Ability and Function. 

 

In today's society, the hard cold fact is this... unless you've dedicated your life to, and /or spent/invested thousands of dollars into an accredited nationally or internationally recognized and formal program of biomechanics, anatomy, reflexology, physiology, athletic training, or exercise science and dietetics... you are bound to lack the most firm grasp on the "inner workings" of the human body. 

 

In other words, the only way to master a thing is to practice it. Yet, how can you rehearse your routine with correct and clear understanding when you have not broken it down, piece by piece, reassembled it again, and documented your findings and outcomes over and again, plus noted differentiations, subtleties, and idiosyncrasies? 

 

Without such knowledge (either your very own, or the assistance, guidance and availability of a caring and reliable resource person or organization), you may be stuck with antiquated ideas like: 1) weight lifting makes me too bulky, so I won't add the resistance training component to my weight loss workouts; 2) I'm doing my abdominal crunches every day, so why am I still so fat or overweight around the middle?... and 3) I already cut back on my food intake, so why aren't I losing weight? 

 

In a nutshell, gaining genuine comprehension of human anatomy and its true operational ability and function provides answers to all of the above questions, very accurately, AND this solution empowers your command to DEMAND timely and guaranteed weight loss results for your own life. 

 

Three: Compelling Motivation Consequence 

 

Finally, let's consider Number Three: Motivation -- That Is, Having Individual Possession of An Absolutely Compelling Reason To Get It Done, and In The Right Way, Too. 

 

Your motivational trigger can be a pleasant one, or a painful one. Yet, you can turn even a painful experience into a positive weight management cause. For the word "motivation," allow me to offer you the "renewed" and much more highly useful definition... 

 

Motivation centers around being absolutely convinced regarding the consequences of your adequacy or inadequacy at improving your performance. Put simply, you've got to find the strongest reasons that make you stick to at least the minimum daily requirements for weight loss progress. Without necessary motivation, your effort succumbs to the "half-baked" style for getting things done. 

 

More often than not, individuals remain just a few mere points away from reaching their threshold breaking potential on a consistent basis. And, motivation (that is, the kind we just talked about) in such cases gives you the added intellectual "spark" that ignites the flame for more intense activity almost "exactly" when you need it. 

 

Such an advantage can literally make the difference between, let's say, pumping out a 50-minute aerobic sessions at 125 heart beats per minute, or only performing a 25-minute session at only a mere 115 heart beats per minute. That's a gain or loss of about 325 extra calories in your per-day workout. 

 

When adopting the first example above, your "motivated" session style gets you the added advantage of losing about 300 "extra" calories per day. That gives you a total of approximately 500 calories lost on each workout day. 

 

This eventually translates to 22 pounds of extra body fat lost per year! 

 

Thorough aerobic targeted training workouts can offer you up to 10 or more calories per minute of fat burning potential. Yet, the average person usually only reaches 5 or 6 calories per minute during a normal workout. 

 

Therefore, implement motivation to take you farther. Use your intentionally focused and direct weight loss clarity to achieve markedly improved fat-burning results. 

 

In Summary 

 

Are you clear now? There's a lot of information out there. But the hidden secret is to become aware of those "other" factors (like the ones we've mentioned here) that contribute equally, if not more, to the way you approach losing weight through healthy lifestyle changes. 

 

You can see that clarity is about knowledge... wisdom is a process involving awareness, accountability, and action. Make every reasonable attempt to see your way CLEARLY through to weight loss success.

Weight Loss, Body Detox And Anti-Aging Are All Connected

The majority of people that try various diets and exercise to lose weight fail. Why? Because they are missing out on the most important reason that they can’t lose the weight or how to prevent the diet yoyo. The standard line you get is that you need to diet and exercise to get results, and for some people, especially the younger generation, this works. But for a huge number of the population this is just not going to work, try as they may.

 

The missing factor in a successful weight loss program is the cleansing of your colon. If you are not familiar with colon cleansing then this may sound like an odd statement to make. But, consider this; a backed up colon will not only prevent weight loss, but will also cause a whole host of other symptoms such as:

 

• Always tired and sluggish

• Interrupted sleep

• Weight gain

• Aches and pains

• Premature wrinkling of the skin

• Unexplained skin rashes

• Constipation or diarrhoea

• Bloating and gas

• Menstrual cramping

• Headaches

 

These are only some of the symptoms of a clogged toxic colon. What does this have to do with weight loss?

 

In a normally functioning colon, the food we ingest gets broken down, nutrients are absorbed in the small and large intestine, the friendly flora produce b-vitamins and nutrients are sent to the rest of the body where all the cells are fed. This normal function produces the hormones we need and keeps the metabolism high and allows for weight management. The problem with today’s environment is that it is toxic from all the chemicals, pesticides and pollutants we are bombarded with on a constant basis.

 

Another huge factor is man’s craving to change things all the time and that includes food. In the name of profit, the food industry is reinventing food and changing them from their natural wholesome form and adding preservatives, dyes and colouring which dramatically alter the foods we eat. It creates great profit, and the shareholders are happy, but this is at the expense of our health.

 

All you need to do is look around you at Americans and the answer is there for all to see. We are an obese, tired nation. Foods such as white flour, rice, pastas, dairy products, hormone filled meats and sliced meats full of sodium nitrates and processed food wreak havoc with our digestive system.

 

The food we eat should be digested and eliminated in 2 to 3 days, but with processed food it can take 5 to 6 days.

 

Undigested food starts clogging in your large intestine making it difficult for it to absorb the nutrients you need. As you get further backed up this material becomes toxic and hard making it very difficult to eliminate. You could literally have 4 to 20 pounds of old faecal matter and a narrowing of the passage so that future eliminations become difficult and constipation sets in.

 

When you eat the typical American diet you may feel full but may be starving for real nutrients. If the diet remains poor, the intestines remain clogged and the body becomes desperate to eliminate toxic build-up. It put tremendous stress on the liver and kidneys and can even manifest itself by trying to get rid of toxins through the skin and odd unexplained rashes appear. Premature wrinkling can occur and metabolism slows making it difficult to lose weight.

 

If you want to lose weight, get healthy, look and feel better, then do a good colon cleanse first. Take care of the toxic build up and you may feel like a million bucks. You’ll then lose weight, and if you eat the right foods, drink a lot of water and exercise; you should be able to reach your goal. (It would not hurt to follow with a liver and kidney cleanse)!

 

Disclaimer: The above is offered as information only and is not meant to diagnose or treat any disease. Always consult a qualified health care practitioner before attempting any detox program.

Weight Loss With The Help Of Green Tea

Weight Loss - Green Tea Benefit

 

Over the past few years, green tea and its connection with weight loss has long been the center of various clinical studies. Positive effects of green tea on weight loss have been discovered in recent years.

 

Studies show that the relation between green tea and weight loss are substantially linked together through the plant’s thermogenic properties. Thermogenesis is the process by which the body produces heat by speeding up metabolism, burning calories, and breaking down fat. Certain substances in green tea are believed to help in the body’s thermogenesis, thus contributing to weight loss.

 

Weight Loss in Other Herbs

 

Other than green tea, there are other natural herbs that contribute to weight loss. Gugulipid for instance has been shown to augment the metabolic rate of the body and help with thermogenesis, thus leading to weight loss. Gugulipid has also been reported as a catalyst for lowering down cholesterol levels.

 

Another herb that aids in weight loss is Maitaki. Derived from a Japanese plant, Maitaki helps promote weight loss by targeting the liver, which is a major digestive part of the body.

 

Maximizing Weight Loss Benefits in Green Tea

 

A standardized weight loss herbal extract of pure green tea is needed in order to maximize the weight loss benefits of green tea. The market offers several green tea weight loss products that do not use standardized extract. These non-standardized green tea weight loss products are cheaper but do not contain enough active green tea substances to have any significant weight loss benefits.

 

Scientists and traditional herbalists believe that better weight loss results are achieved when green tea is used in conjunction with other weight loss herbs and with other nutrients. So before buying a green tea weight loss product, it is advisable that you choose a product that contains a rich blend of green tea herbs, minerals and nutrient that aid in weight loss.

 

Green tea when combined with ginger and olive leaf helps lower cholesterol and promotes weight loss. Green tea helps stop blood vessel constriction while CoQ 10 protects the heart and ensure blood pressure levels. By mixing green tea with CoQ 10, you will not only achieve maximum weight loss but you will also be able maintain the health of several body systems at one time.

 

The Ideal Green Tea Weight Loss Product

 

The first thing to make sure of when buying green tea products is to see if the manufacturer of the green tea extract follows strict GMP compliance, the manufacturing standard used throughout the world. Having GMP approval in green tea products assures you that you are getting a product of the highest quality.

 

Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, herbal products such as green tea are considered dietary supplements. This means that the success or effectiveness of these products do not have any guarantees. Companies or manufacturers that claim 100% success in their green tea products are doing false advertising and should not be patronized.

 

For assurance that you’re getting your money’s worth when you buy a green tea product, find a product that is using standardized green tea extract. Look for strict GMP compliance and make sure that the manufacturer of the green tea product has all the proper credentials in product formulation.

Weight Loss With Hypnosis?

Now that the New Year has come in like a lion, it is time to finally, take charge of the excess weight, getting your body in the best shape ever. While eating right and hitting the gym are two options for losing weight and keeping in shape, you can also turn to the power of hypnosis. Many people have good intentions when it comes to weight loss but getting started is the hardest part. With hypnosis, you get that push in the right direction needed to reach and maintain your goal.

 

The interesting thing about hypnosis and weight loss is that losing the extra pounds is actually much easier than expected. You have probably heard about the failures and dangers of crash diets. Sure, people will lose weight initially but then within a few months, put it right back on. Therefore, the top doctors in the country tell people to lose weight slowly for the ultimate and longest lasting results. With hypnosis, you can lose weight healthy and slowly, learning how to eat properly so you get the weight off permanently but in a good way.

 

The interesting thing about weight loss with hypnosis is that you are retraining the subconscious mind. That means you are learning and changing past behaviors; accepting new behaviors that will help you eat healthier and have an interest in working out in the gym. In other words, through repetitive and positive suggestions given by a professional hypnotist or hypnotherapist or even through self-hypnosis, you begin to learn new habits. Therefore, the formula for success with weight loss is actually easy. In addition, the formula you use that proves success never changes.

 

If you are tired of going round and round with your weight problem and want to make this New Year different, really want to change, permanently, you can. Hypnosis is a powerful tool that works exceptionally well for people just like you, people interested in losing weight while having the opportunity to build healthy habits. This natural weight loss plan is something you can use any time and best of all, hypnosis is 100% safe.

 

Through positive suggestions, exercise can become a part of your weight loss plan. If you dread spending time in the gym before, you will now find yourself eager to work out. The change you see with hypnosis is gradual, which ensures the weight loss is natural and more importantly, lasting. As mentioned earlier, the most common problem with weight loss is that weight comes back because the loss is so fast. However, by using hypnosis to change behaviors or habits, the changes come over time and the results stay.

 

Keep in mind that hypnotherapy can help you lose weight and then keep it off in a number of different ways:

 

You will develop a new self-image, seeing yourself as a thinner, more healthier person that makes you want to achieve the goal of weight loss

 

You will learn how to relax about weight loss and weight management, stressing less, which can have better results. Often when a person becomes stressed, they use food as a crutch.

 

You will become positive about the process of weight loss and weight management whereas before, you might have seen the process as something negative. Hypnosis will retrain the mind to view the entire process much differently.

 

You will be creating your future as a new person. You will feel better about yourself, and that confidence lets you work toward other goals pertaining to family, friends, work, hobbies, and so on.

 

Typically, when a person uses hypnosis to lose weight, they find themselves moving in a positive circle, being happier, stronger, and healthier individuals. The things that can do to the mind are incredible. Suddenly, the weight loss and exercise all makes sense and as the weight begins to drop off, life takes on an entirely different look, all for the better!

Weight Loss With Hoodia

No one knows for sure, but it's believed the San People of South Africa used Hoodia for most or all of the 27,000-plus years they lived in the Kalahari. It was not until 1937 when a Dutch anthropologist observed them munching on the cactus to stifle fierce hunger pangs during long hunting trips that Hoodia first came to the attention of the outside world. Then, for inexplicable reasons what was then and remains today the most powerful natural appetite-suppressant known to man sat on the back shelves for decades to follow.

 

The new diet pill that kills your appetite, ups your mood, and gives you waves upon waves of energy. When western drug companies learned the San people of South Africa have been using the Hoodia plant to successfully stave of the worst hunger pangs imaginable for days at a time without unwanted side effects, the push was on to bring this product to market.

 

• Only the gordonii variation of hoodia has appetite suppressant abilities.

• Hoodia tricks the brain into thinking you've eaten, and makes you feel full.

• Hoodia may work right away, or may take several weeks.

• Key results of hoodia reported include a reduced interest in food, delay in the time after eating before hunger sets in again, feeling full more quickly, and a general feeling of well-being.

• Hoodia gordonii is not a stimulant, and has no known side effects.

• Hoodia appears to be safe for most people.

 

Weight Loss with Alternative Medicine

Weight loss is one of the big topics-no pun intended-on the late night television circuit. While flipping through the channels after 11p.m., you are apt to come across several advertisements for weight loss pills and diet supplements, each promising to help you drop those unwanted pounds and remove stubborn belly fat once and for all.

 

Let's face it, if these pills really worked, America wouldn't be the top overweight country in the world.

 

There are types of alternative medicine which can help with weight loss, however, and with great results. While no alternative medicine is a magic solution, practicing these principles can help you become more limber, feel more energetic, and the end result-or side effect if you will- is weight loss.

 

Take yoga for example. The low impact stretching involved with yoga will help you feel less stressed, and as a result less likely to over eat as a result of depression or anger. Acupuncture has exact pressure points in the ear which help reduce cravings, and detoxifying teas and herbs can help you feel healthier, and the side effect would be thinking twice before deciding that you want to "pollute" yourself again with oily and fatty foods. In this respect, alternative medicine is wonderful for weight loss.

 

Most alternative medicines for weight loss come in the form of detoxifying teas, energy supplements, and vitamins. The exercise and diet plans are the basis-as they should be- for safe and effective long term weight loss. There is no magic potion to lose weight. Truly dropping pounds and keeping them off requires regular daily exercise and a change in eating habits, period.

 

However, to get you ready for weight loss, here are some alternative medicine detoxifying teas and interesting supplements:

 

Take turmeric, ginger, and lemon-about a half teaspoon each and the juice of half a lemon, and boil it all in 2 cups of water. Drink every morning as a detoxifier before you start your diet.

 

All diets should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, and buying a juicer is a great way to make a habit out of eating healthy. Please see your doctor before starting any kind of diet plan.

 

Omega three is a fine source of nutrient, and can be added to any smoothie or juice that you're drinking.

 

Visit your local food co-op or herbalist, they can get you set up with all sorts of alternative teas and nutrition advice, and can refer you to a good homeopathic doctor who will evaluate you as to what your individual nutrition needs are.

 

Bovine and shark cartilage are two dietary supplements to hit the alternative market. Both have been used for years outside of the United States and Britain, but now are big business in the health food stores.

 

The most popular form of alternative medicine for weight loss isn't really medicine at all, rather behavior modification through hypnosis. Hypnosis doesn't make you rely on will power, that's one of the reasons it's so popular. 

 

How hypnosis works is that it investigates what is subconsciously holding you to the thinking and eating habits that keep you overweight. Hypnotists believe that if the root cause of the obesity can be alleviated, the patient will naturally begin to lose weight. It is actually a very effective form of alternative medicine, and overall can cost much less than trips to day spas and expensive over the counter weight loss pills. Through hypnosis you can let go of fears that keep you from eating healthy, and begin to allow a positive energy flow through you, causing you to want to stick to the new way of eating and exercising.

 

DISCLAIMER: This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.

 

Since natural and/or dietary supplements are not FDA approved they must be accompanied by a two-part disclaimer on the product label: that the statement has not been evaluated by FDA and that the product is not intended to “diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”

Weight Loss With Acupuncture: Can Acupuncture Help You Lose Weight?

In recent years, more and more people are trying out acupuncture to lose weight. Just what is acupuncture? How can acupuncture treatment help you lose weight?

 

Acupuncture is a branch of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been around for about 5,000 years. It is the practice of inserting very thin needles to stimulate pathways or meridians in the body to treat many illnesses and diseases especially to relieve pain from chronic disorders. 

 

Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners or TCM physicians claim that acupuncture can help you to lose body fat by making you feel full and so will eat less. This curbs excess caloric consumption in the patient treated with acupuncture and is a great help in the patient’s weight loss program.

 

Acupuncture treatment can also be used to raise your metabolic rate and help you to burn more calories to speed up weight loss. Some Chinese medicine practitioners say that acupuncture stimulates the production of a hormone called endorphins and this hormone helps to lower body fat, insulin and lipid levels in the bloodstream thus less insulin is converted into body fat.

 

Acupuncture is not a miracle cure for obesity. TCM physicians often stress that to achieve good weight loss results from your program and maintaining your weight, acupuncture treatment alone is not enough. To lose weight effectively and keep the fats off permanently, acupuncture treatment must be combined with healthy eating habits and regular exercises. 

 

Before you begin your acupuncture treatment, your Chinese physician will conduct a medical examination on you by checking your pulse and examination of your tongue to ensure that you are suitable for acupuncture weight loss treatment. This is because TCM is a holistic branch of health care and do not just specifically target the ailment or medical complaint. So an investigation into other reasons why a patient is obese is necessary to solve the problem holistically.

 

If you want to lose weight naturally and without drugs, why not try TCM acupuncture for your weight loss program?

Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss: Discover Why Your Scale May Be Your Worst Enemy

In your pursuit of a leaner body, you know doubt utilized a bathroom scale to chronicle your progress. However, you may have been doing yourself a grave disservice. As you know, a scale measures how much weight you have lost, but it will never tell you where this weight was lost from. This is where the problem lies. When dieting, your combined weight loss could potentially come from fat loss, water loss, or muscle loss. Obviously, the former is what we all want to achieve, and the latter two are what we need to try and avoid whenever dieting. Unfortunately, many of the fad diets claiming rapid weight loss are often achieving this at the expense of water loss and/or muscle loss. Generally speaking, if you are losing greater than two pounds per week you are likely losing muscle as well.

 

The best way to monitor your progress when embarking on a new diet is to measure your body fat percentage and your lean body mass. Lean body mass is your weight excluding fat. Lean body mass includes bone, muscle, and other fat free tissues with the majority of this being muscle. By measuring these two items, you will be able to determine how much fat you are losing and whether or not you are losing any muscle. The simplest way to measure your body fat percentage is through skinfold testing. If you know a personal trainer or other fitness professional in your area, they will likely be able to take these measurements for you. However, self skinfold testing is available with the use of the “Accu-Measure”, which can be found easily online.

 

Once you have determined your body fat percentage, you are ready to calculate your fat weight and lean body mass. To calculate your fat weight, multiply your total weight by your body fat percentage. Remember to convert your body fat percentage to decimal form before multiplying. I.e. 11% body fat would be converted to 0.11 Once you have calculated your pounds of fat, subtract your pounds of fat from your total weight in pounds, which will give you your lean body mass.

 

Armed with these simple equations, you will be able to track your weight loss much more accurately than by simply using a scale alone. You will know exactly where your weight loss is coming from, so you can quickly make adjustments to your caloric intake to maximize your results. For example, if your lean body mass decreases and your body fat decreases, this should tell you there is to much of a calorie deficit and you should increase your daily calorie intake slightly to prevent the loss in lean body mass. Whenever you’re on a calorie restricted diet, some loss in lean body mass and therefore muscle is hard to avoid. However, this loss in lean body mass should be limited to a few tenths of a pound per week. Initially, when first starting a diet program, you will likely notice a larger drop in lean body mass due to water loss. Don’t get alarmed by this. An obvious downward trend in your lean body mass over time is definitely a concern.

 

It is beyond the scope of this article to discuss proper nutrition and how to calculate daily caloric needs for weight loss; however, I will mention a simple formula that can be utilized to get you in the ballpark if you have average or better body fat percentages. To calculate your total daily calories needed for fat loss, multiply your total weight by 12-13. This will give you a good starting point. I will also mention that spreading your calories out over 5-6 meals per day with each meal consisting of approximately 55% complex carbohydrate, 30% lean protein, and 15% fat will give you the best chance of permanent fat loss. Obviously, these percentages may not work for everyone, but they are a great place to start. If you want to maintain your hard earned muscle, it is also imperative you maintain a weight lifting routine, while dieting.

 

I hope this information will help you achieve all your weight loss goals and help you understand exactly how your nutrition and diet program is affecting your body. There is certainly still a place for the bathroom scale, but unless you’re also measuring the items above, you will never fully realize the effect of your diet program and reaching your full potential may be difficult. I wish you the best of luck.