So sick and tired of seeing and hearing all the misguided weight loss pitches bombarding me and the general public wherever we are or go! Eat this magical ‘cookie’ from the cookie jar… UPS will deliver our pre-packaged processed food that you then kill in the microwave… Hi! I’m Marie O., I lost weight, gained it back, lost it again, gained it back again and now I lost it again, so let me help you with a proven nutrition system based on scientific research! Yeah Right!

This sought after answer can be real easy if you just understand some basic information and then implement that information in Parts 1, 2 & 3 of this blog. Before we get 8th grade scientific, lets first understand the 3 major components of your success (weight loss / body fat % reduction) formula; Resistance Training, Calorie Burning Activity(cardio vs. Interval Training), and Nutrition. Of the 3, most experienced fitness professionals consider Nutrition the most important! Ok, now for the 8th grade commonsense science.

So you want to lose weight? As a fitness professional I take that as…So you want to lose body fat? So take it from me, it’s body composition that matters and not scale weight.

Body Fat and Lean Mass make up body composition. And lean mass of an individual is directly related to metabolism. Calories come into play which is just a unit of measure. It relates to “combustion” or, to produce energy. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates provide different rates of combustion. Fat is most efficient where protein and carbohydrates are less efficient. Your metabolism is the total amount of energy required by all your bodily functions for one day. Now here’s your take home message…It’s imperative to understand that in order to make a positive change (fat loss, weight loss), your body requires a certain metabolic expenditure and caloric consumption combination in order for that change to occur. Energy Out- one activity is the fueling of the basal metabolism(BMR). The second is the fueling of its voluntary activities (exercise). The primary cause of excessive body-fat and obesity is an energy imbalance in the body. If weight loss / body fat reduction is your goal, then you seek a Negative Energy Balance. The ‘old’ calories in vs. calories out equation! Now that you just graduated 8th grade, the question is ‘How do I proceed’!

First you need to be weighed so you can have a starting scale weight and thus help determine your body composition. Next have your body fat tested with either professional skinfold calipers or hydrostatic weighing(under water at a fitness testing facility). Those assessments will determine your fat pounds and lean mass pounds and give you a starting baseline of your own body composition. Next determine your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) to get a good idea of how many kcals your body burns at rest and is needed to operate optimally. Once you have your BMR, You MUST eat at least this number of calories per day! If you calorie restrict or deprive, your metabolism will shut down thus sabotaging you mentally and resulting in no change on the scale and lean body mass is sacrificed. And, you don’t want to lose any lean body mass, your goal is to protect that and increase it! First order of business is to start drinking pure water to the tune of 1 oz. for every 2 lbs. of body weight or half your body weight in ounces per day. To Be Continued!

Flex-Fit Training provides all clients with body fat analysis, scale weight broken down into fat pounds and lean mass pounds. Also we determine your BMR and thus establish a baseline of where you are at now to set goals to accomplish your body transformation needs. Call for a consultation 919.995.4679. Online clients are welcome also! duane@flexfittraining.com

Based on my last blog entry, you know that no matter what your New Year’s fitness resolution(s) are, it all boils down to…increasing your lean body mass and decreasing fat pounds.  You also gathered from my last blog entry that to accomplish this feat…one must use a three pronged attack paying attention equally to resistance training, cardio training and nutrition. But to digress, your first action step is to get your body fat tested to know where you are starting from. Basically, breaking down your scale weight into lean body mass pounds and fat pounds. I would only recommend hydrostatic weighing in a fitness lab or using quality skinfold calipers and a quality tester. DO NOT use BMI!

Now your goal is to bypass stupidity and start on your three pronged attack.

1) Resistance training- resistance training is the one activity that directly leads to lean body mass increase. Most people understand that, but to further explain the how, remember that every cell has a powerhouse called the mitochondria and mitochondria are directly tied to your metabolism. When you strength train, you add more lean body mass, thus adding more cells and more mitochondria. The more mitochondria you have the better off you will be burning calories at rest.

2) Cardio training- Cardio training is your calorie burning, fat oxidation activity. It does nothing for your metabolism like possessing high lean body mass. So your goal is to use cardio workouts specifically for calories out in the old Calories in vs. Calories out equation. Look at frequency, intensity and duration to keep your body guessing and also to keep you interested. Explore true Interval Training if you would like to speed up the process. This advanced type of cardio training actually stimulates your mitochondria to use oxygen more efficiently and burns more body fat stores as energy.

3) Nutrition – nutrition plays a much bigger role in accomplishing fitness results than most people think. In terms of getting measurable fitness results, use clean-eating as your basis of nutrition. Think of quality foods, natural foods, organic foods but ingest them as fuel for your workouts. Keep the size of the meal smaller than normal, but add more meals – up to 6 per day eating every 2.5 to 3 hours and always have some lean protein with each meal. Then plan a cheat night or even cheat day to throw your body off and then go back on the clean eating again. Concentrate on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, beans, nuts and seeds, and organic dairy choices as your core foods

Resistance training frequency – 2-4 times per week / Cardio training frequency – 3-5 times per week / Nutrition meals – 5-6 per day 200-500 kcals above your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)

For further explanation of this blog content, contact Duane Seybold at duane@flexfittraining.com