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SickOfIt 07-14-2006 12:25 PM

Need some suggestions..
 
Well this probably isn't a normal post but here goes..

I'm as fat as fat gets basically.. I'm 25 I weigh 365lbs I'm 6'3" my blood pressure, my attitude/everyday feelings are bad now. This fat has absolutely ruined me and to be honest I'm pretty scared of diabetes/heart disease and common sense indicates I may already have some warning signs of both.

I ride an exercise bike 30 minutes when I get up at 7:00am and I ride for 30 minutes at about 11:00pm. I've been doing this for about 2 weeks now and my weight hasn't changed but I think I feel little better. I've been doing 35lb curls 15 reps 6 sets each arm when I get off my bike and I do 240lb bench press 10 reps 6 sets (about 40 seconds rest in between).

Should I just cut calories to like 1000 avoid the junk food and keep riding my bike and doing my weights?

I don't want to drag my feet anymore and make excuses and I need weight off now and a lot of it or I might not be around much longer... So if anyone can suggest anything for my situation I'd really appreciate it.

tjlaplant 07-14-2006 12:44 PM

okay im not a doctor or anything but i gained 50 lbs of fat in 5 months of not doing anything. this is how i got my fat down a lot. and i did it all through the way i ate and how i exercised

Food
- Chew every bite 30 times. your stomach will think its getting full and youll get so sick of chewing so many damn times that youll want to...
-CUT YOUR PROPORTIONS to half the size of the usual. like lets say you like to have 4 pieces of pizza, only have 2 or 3... dont stop eating the foods you like, just eat less of it
-Throw in some healthy snacks... PB and J sandwhich, almonds, apple, orange... etc.
-Spice it up... if you like hot sauce then use a little on your food, fact or not... im pretty sure this also speeds up your metabolism.
-DRINK A GALLON OF WATER A DAY! water cleans out your system and youll feel way healthier too! also when you feel hungry drink water, it helps you to fill up.
-Eat every three hours... this will help to stop bedtime eating... eat at 7am then every 3 hours after that and do not eat after 7pm.

Exercise
- that i cant help you a whole lot on but i do know that this is a body building web site so the resources are unlimited!!!

I hope that some of this helps! it helped me and im doin fine!

verbatimreturned 07-14-2006 12:53 PM

It's a very popular question, so don't feel weird asking.

Check out Dr.X's sticky on "How to Cut" which will provide you will a tutorial on how to create a diet to lose weight. http://www.bodybuilding.net/fatloss-...-cut-1160.html

NEVER cut your calories that low, it would just be rediculous.

Doing arm curls and bench everyday wont be to much good either, your muscles need time to heal, and rest. That's the only way they will recover and eventually get bigger. I also believe you are going a little overkill on the cardio as well.

Once you've read over Dr.X's sticky put a diet together and then post it up for us to take a look at, everyone here would be more than happy to help you as long as your willing to put in the effort :)

phreaknite 08-22-2006 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by verbatimreturned
I also believe you are going a little overkill on the cardio as well.

I hate to disagree with you verbatim, but 60 mins of cardio split up into two 30 minute blocks is not excessive at all for someone who is trying to lose weight. I applaude you SickOfIt for having the discipline to start such a routine and stick to it, which is the hardest part when you are just starting out.

Moving forward, putting together a diet can be tricky at first. I understand you are going through a big change now....obviously you didn't care about your health as much in the past and in the future u wish that to change. Don't go overboard by trying to do it ALL at once....thats how you discourage yourself when every goal can not be reached. Let the experiance of weight loss come to you and as it comes and becomes a lifestyle, you will see that you are learning more on your own.

Firsty, here is an important tidbit you should know. 3500 calories is equal to 1 pound of fat. If you deprive your body's metabolism of 3500 calories over the course of a week, you can determine how many calories you can cut to lose 1 pound of fat per week. It is possible to lose 2 pounds of fat a week healthily, if you are extremely overweight and your metabolic needs are very high. That means over the course of 1 week you deprive your metabolism of 7000 calories. In order to do this, you must calculate your metabolic rates.

Sometimes, thumbing through these forums and sticky posts can be difficult. I have a wealth of information in my head I would be willing to discuss with you one on one if you want to discuss it over AIM, MSN or even in private messages. (AIM = phreaknite, MSN = phreaknite@hotmail.com)

I would also have some resources available for you to read.

Its important that you KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Many people say things like "cut your carbs" and the recipient takes that the wrong way and stops eating all carbs including fruits and vegetables...

An example of this is the hot sauce claim that hot sauce speeds up your metabolism or that PB&J is a healthy snack. Both are untrue (no offense intended, tjlaplant)


I would be happy to educate you further.

verbatimreturned 08-22-2006 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phreaknite
I understand you are going through a big change now....obviously you didn't care about your health as much in the past and in the future u wish that to change. Don't go overboard by trying to do it ALL at once....thats how you discourage yourself when every goal can not be reached. Let the experiance of weight loss come to you and as it comes and becomes a lifestyle, you will see that you are learning more on your own.

Starting off with 60 minutes of cardio a day isn't going overboard? I have to disagree with you on this one, Sickofit is very motivated, but he also mentioned that he is concerned for his health and when one is concerned about their health to the point in which they think they are in danger of developing things mentioned below,I don't think starting off with cardio to that extent is a wise choice, I would advise you to focus more on diet and take it easy with the cardio until you get a little bit lighter, perhaps get an ok from a doctor if you think things are that bad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SickOfIt
This fat has absolutely ruined me and to be honest I'm pretty scared of diabetes/heart disease and common sense indicates I may already have some warning signs of both.

If 60 minutes isn't that much cardio what are we going to do when he platues as far as losing weight? add 15 minutes? that would be an insane amount of cardio on a daily basis. Combine that with weight lifting and I see overtraining. I've dieting several times in the past and I've never done anything over 30 minutes a day (and no not HIIT), I personally hate cardio, I make sure my diet is in order and the weight falls off. Plus I have no problem conserving the muscle I've worked so hard to develope

verbatimreturned 08-22-2006 06:55 PM

capsaicin: colorless pungent crystalline compound derived from capsicum; source of the hotness of hot peppers of the genus Capsicum such as chili and cayenne and jalapeno

Quote:

Effect of capsaicin on substrate oxidation and weight maintenance after modest body-weight loss in human subjects.

Lejeune MP, Kovacs EM, Westerterp-Plantenga MS.

Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, NL-6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. M.Lejeune@HB.UNIMAAS.NL

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether capsaicin assists weight maintenance by limiting weight regain after weight loss of 5 to 10 %. In this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, ninety-one moderately overweight subjects were randomly assigned to an intensive group that underwent all the measurements, and an extensive group that underwent the same measurements except the metabolism measurements. After a 4-week very-low-energy diet (VLED) intervention, a 3-month weight-maintenance period followed. During weight maintenance, subjects were divided into a capsaicin (135 mg capsaicin/d) and a placebo group. Body mass was measured before and after the VLED and after 1, 2 and 3 months of weight maintenance. The mean body-mass loss during the VLED was 6.6 (SD 2.0) kg (7.8 (SD 1.8) % initial body mass), and was not different between the subsequent treatment and placebo group. During weight maintenance, mean % regain during treatment was not significantly different compared with placebo (33.3 (SD 35.7) v. 19.2 (SD 41.8) %, P=0.09). RQ was significantly less increased during weight maintenance in the treatment group compared with placebo (0.04 (SD 0.06) v. 0.07 (SD 0.05), P<0.05), indicating a relatively more sustained fat oxidation. Fat oxidation (g/h) after weight maintenance was higher in the capsaicin group compared with placebo (4.2 (SD 1.1) v. 3.5 (SD 0.9), P<0.05). These results indicate that capsaicin treatment caused sustained fat oxidation during weight maintenance compared with placebo. However, capsaicin treatment has no limiting effect on 3-month weight regain after modest weight loss.
So hott sauce can be affective....to a certaint degree

EricT 08-23-2006 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phreaknite
I have a wealth of information in my head I would be willing to discuss with you one on one if you want to discuss it over AIM, MSN or even in private messages. (AIM = phreaknite, MSN = phreaknite@hotmail.com)

I noticed you do that a lot. No offence but if your info is so good then why don't you share it with the forum? Also, be careful of taking everything that applies to you and extrapolating that to the general population. Lots of people succesfully lose weight but until you've actually worked with many, many people and have learned to tailor things to what works for different individuals then it's not appropriate to set yourself up as an "expert".

It's similar to when a skinny guy gains 50 pounds of muscle and then immediately writes and e-book that's gonna "revolutionize" muscle gain. By that qualification I and many others here should be writing books....I'm not doubting what you've learned as much as wondering why you're trying to lure people away from the forum when there are knowledgable people here as well.

For most that are extremely overweight the initial pounds are going to melt off. However, what they do at first can determine how quickly they hit that weightloss "plateau" that verb spoke of. I too think that starting at 60 minutels a day may be excessive. One thing to keep in mind is that the number one effect of solid state "cardio" is to increase metabolic efficiency. Yes you burn some fat while doing it but over time you will burn less fat doing the same activity so the only anwer would be to "do more" as verb eluded to. Which would be ridiculous unless you're training for a marathon. Not to mention that lean mass is going to go to resulting in and unhealthy weight loss with a less than optimal appearance at the end. One of the causes of what seems like "saggy skin" is loss of lean mass along with fat loss. A proper weight training plan is in order although it may be beneficial to wait until a little more weight comes off.

phreaknite 08-23-2006 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric3237
Quote:
Originally Posted by phreaknite
I have a wealth of information in my head I would be willing to discuss with you one on one if you want to discuss it over AIM, MSN or even in private messages. (AIM = phreaknite, MSN = phreaknite@hotmail.com)

I noticed you do that a lot. No offence but if your info is so good then why don't you share it with the forum? Also, be careful of taking everything that applies to you and extrapolating that to the general population. Lots of people succesfully lose weight but until you've actually worked with many, many people and have learned to tailor things to what works for different individuals then it's not appropriate to set yourself up as an "expert".

The reason is because i type up a lot and a lot of stuff and would rather not get long winded and boring for peopole so i figured I would be on a 1 on 1 basis to be more helpful. I did it once and it worked out, so i did it again......i won't do it again to protect the spirit of the forum.

I respect your criticism of me and I will refrain from giving advice short handedly or not stating my whole case again. It appears when I do, I anger other people here and other people think my claims are not founded on experiance or research. To me this is a place to learn and to teach what I have learned. I would rather not get that confused with anything else and have us all learn from each other and I apologize if my presentation or information has made it seemed like I thought of myself as an "expert" because I have told you before I have much to learn.....but that doesn't mean I havent learned more than people such as SickOfIt and that I can not try to help and motivate him.

Now, let me just rebutt some of your rebuttals, so we learn from each other.

Here is a quote from the University of Maryland Medical Center's website.
Quote:

Originally Posted by University Of Maryland Medical Center
Weight loss

Capsaicin is also considered a thermogenic substance, which means that it allows you to burn more calories from food, particularly when eating a high fat meal. For this reason, some weight loss supplements contain capsaicin. There are no studies examining the safety and effectiveness of capsaicin for helping people lose weight, however.

Here is another quote from Barbara J. Moore, PhD
Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbara J. Moore, PhD
-- Metabolism Accelerators -- Calorie Wasting Supplements

(Krebs Cycle, Mitochondriacs, Fat transporters, glucose transporters, thyroid hormone stimulators, etc.)
A number of dietary supplements claim to waste calories by speeding up your metabolism in a variety of different ways. Some claim to stimulate your thyroid gland and increase production of active thyroid hormones. An example is Tiratricol which is a substance the FDA considers dangerous and is taking steps to remove from the market. Other dietary supplements claim to have a stimulating effect on the selective uptake and burning of glucose by muscle which they claim helps weight control by wasting calories while building muscle. Garcinia Cambogia (also known as Brindleberry) and Chromium picolinate (and other chromium supplements) are examples of this type. Others, like Capsicum or Capsaicin, claim to have a specific effect on heat production, which is a calorie wasting process. Still others like Pyruvate and the Ephedra compounds discussed above claim to have a general effect as a metabolism accelerator or calorie waster. The general criticism of these compounds is that they are not well studied from the standpoint of either effectiveness or safety. As discussed above, the Ephedra compounds are clearly unsafe. There are also disturbing reports about the safety of chromium supplements suggesting they may have a damaging effect on the genetic material inside cells. Shape Up America! advises against the use of any of these compounds for weight loss or any other purpose.

Here is another quote from the Medical Journal of Austrailia
Quote:

Originally Posted by Medical Journal of Austrailia
Abstract Objectives: To review the evidence for the effectiveness of popular, non-prescription weight loss supplements.
Data sources: A detailed literature search including all relevant medical and supplementary medicine databases and evidence submitted from manufacturers.
Data synthesis: The theoretical basis and rationale for the use of each substance is considered along with available research in the published literature on effectiveness and potential risks. We classified the level of evidence represented by the main research studies on each substance.
Conclusions: There is no good evidence for any weight loss benefits from most of the substances reviewed here. There is some support for mild effects of capsaicin, caffeine and fibre, but only in whole foods. In some cases (eg, chitosan), there is a plausible theoretical basis for the product, but no supporting proof of effect in humans in the absence of a calorie-controlled diet. Possible synergistic effects of different ingredients cannot be dismissed, but cannot be assessed from current data. There is an absence of good quality research on many substances, which means that advertising claims may be misleading.

So yes, while you have found studies that capsaicin does help with weight loss, my research also has shown me that it does not due to the fact that there is not suffient data from the existing studies to properly say that Capsaicin DOES in fact help with weight loss. Sure there is no harm in trying it, but it was stated saying "fact or not, put some on your food". I was just saying that there is not enough suffient data for it to be considered "Fact" at this point. However, it does appear that over the past few years, more data is being produced to support this claim, but there are a few in the medical field who are hesitant to agree with the claim. Since you brought it to my attention, I have been looking more into it and there is definitely much work being put into these studies (probably because they are in so many weight loss "magic pills"). I apologize if that seemed like an unwarrented attack or flame.

As for this...
Quote:

Originally Posted by tjlaplant
-Throw in some healthy snacks... PB and J sandwhich, almonds, apple, orange... etc

Just to defend my point that PB&J is not a healthy snack...
REDUCTED FATPeanut Butter
Serving Size: 2 Tbsp (36g)
Calories: 190
Calories from Fat: 110
Total Fat: 12 g
---Sat Fat: 2.5 g
Total Carb: 15 g
---Sugars: 4 g
Protein: 8 g

Concord Grape Jelly
Serving Size: 1 Tbsp (20g)
Calories: 50
Calories from Fat: 0
Total Fat: 0 g
---Sat Fat: 0 g
Total Carb: 13 g
---Sugars: 10 g
Protein: 0 g

Whole Wheat Bread
Serving Size: 1 slice (28g)
Calories: 70
Calories from Fat: 10
Total Fat: 1 g
---Sat Fat: 0 g
Total Carb: 13 g
---Sugars: 2 g
Protein: 3 g

Ok.....so If you make a SMALL modest PB&J Sandwhich, with 1 Tbsp of Reduced fat Peanut Butter (half a serving), 1 Tbsp of Concord Grape Jelly, and 2 Slices of Whole Wheat bread, then this is the stats you are looking at..

PB&J Sandwhich
Serving Size: 1 Sandwhich as described above
Calories: 285
Calories from Fat: 75
Total Fat: 8 g
---Sat Fat: 2.5 g
Total Carb: 46.5 g
---Sugars: 16 g
Protein: 10 g

So even with reduced fat peanut butter, a PB&J sandwhich on whole wheat bread contains 25% of its total calories from fat. This MIGHT be good as part of a meal (or a whole meal, depending on how much you are cutting calories) but definitely not as a snack. In addition to that, 60% of this meals calories is attributed to Carbs. Even according to the post "How to Cut" posted by Dr. X, this would already be 35% of the daily carb intake recommended there...in one snack.

My advice, if you want to snack, stick to fresh fruits and vegetables. While you are just starting out, to make sure not to overwhelm yourself, stick to things you enjoy. As you get more into the routine, make the switch from some fresh fruits and vegetables that you enjoy towards fruits and vegetables such as grapefruits, pineapples, oranges, spinach, etc.

If any of this can be deemed as incorrect please let me know.....but this is the precise reason why I said to just contact me on AIM since when I get going with a point ot prove.....I can be very verbose.

Once again, sorry about any offense I have caused or confusion I might have created.

verbatimreturned 08-23-2006 08:41 AM

Thats alot of research much respect for that one^ my personal opinion on the whole thing is if theres a small chance of it helping me out why not splash on some tabasco sauce anyways lol its dirt cheap, and I know that if I put on a shit load of crushed red pepper on my pasta and stuff I sweat from eating it as opposed to not sweating from just eating plain pasta...doesn't really mean much since there are so many variables that can change this but I say go for it anyways. As far as the peanut butter and jelly sandwhich, well obviously thats not good for cutting lol

If you want to snack then just wait for your next meal there should only be a very slim amount of time between them anyway 2-3 hours.

No offense taking phreaknite

EricT 08-23-2006 09:00 AM

No anger and no offence, I assure you. As you said I am only speaking to the "spirit of the forum". Nothing wrong with contacting people privately at all...it's just that it would be nice to share some with the rest of the forum so that others can benefit or help. I can understand your desire not to be too verbose since I tend to do the same thing. I make an effort to be concise but personally I would rather see a wordy person who is really trying to help instead of someone who inserts a one liner just to get his post counts up! But back to the thread...

Pesonally, I love hot sauce on my food. But I actually use it to stimulate and increase my appetite and it seems to do just that. Similar to bitter foods and herbs.

On the peanut butter and this whole "reduced fat" thing. Have you not noticed that in processed foods reduced fat means more added sugar?

Look at natty pb:

Calories: 180
Calories from fat 140 (12% from sat fat as opposed to 24%)

Fat: 15g (only 2.5 sat fat) as opposed to 12g (with 2.5 g sat)...
The reduced fat has INCREASED the % of saturated fat?

Carbs:
6 g (1g sugars0 as opposed to 15g (with 4g sugar)
This is self explanatory.

Protein:
7 g

Leaving out the jelly and bread part of it and just speaking of NATTY peanut butter: Is it a HEALTHY snack? I'd say hell yes and most nutritionists would agree provided you have no peanut allergies. Whether it fits into a diet is up to the individual but I don't think a serving of pb in itself would be a bad idea as long as it didn't tip the calorie scale. You get a very low GI, you get protein, you get healthy fats...as far as the pb&j goes I certainly agree.

phreaknite 08-23-2006 09:17 AM

Personally, when I was cutting, it didn't even occur to me to eat PB&J. When I had reached my goal of 9% body fat, I was at my mother's house and she had some PB in the fridge and I had a spoonful. Since then, I eat anout a Tablespoon or 2 a day. I consider it a healthy treat. I eat it in isolation (just because i love peanut butter) and I eat it to give my tastebuds a little something to tie me over until the next meal...

However, for someone trying to cut, I wouldn't recommend it since most people who are very overweight lack the control or knowledge of how to properly eat something like peanut butter. Some of my family members are a good example. You tell them "Peanut butter is healthy" and suddenly they are slapping it on every piece of bread they eat. In this respect, I find it easier to just tell people who are overweight and cutting to just avoid things like peanut butter and almonds. While they need the fat, chances are since they are still new to the whole concept of weight loss, they are getting their fats elsewhere until their mentality adjusts to the type of eating required for effective weight loss.

As I said also, if you want to eat hot sauce, i don't see a harm.....but i dont necessarily think it will be much of a help either. Sometimes when people think of something as a big help, and they start to do it and see litle to no results, it's discouraging.

The biggest factor in losing weight is motivation and positive reinforcement regarding the changes to their lifestyle. When the changes are expected to pay off, and they do, the person who is losing weight feels rewards and more motivated. WHen things are not going as expected, there is a cause for loss of motivation. I am just trying to alert people to avoid these high expectations from something like eating hot sauce.

As for the cardio training, its quite possible I am wrong. After more research into my training, I have learned more about muscle fibers and their composition. The type of training I had done to lose weight (nearly 3 hours of training a day, since it was fun martial arts training) was more working out the fast red fibers whereas I thought these were cardio workouts. However, most cardio workouts work out the slow, white fibers for prolonged use. In that respect, I would say your advice is more valid.

EricT 08-23-2006 10:04 AM

I think your right about the control aspect. Now peanut butter is a healthy snack but I agree that this could lead people to overconsume. But people can also respond well (and most want this) to SPECIFIC instrutions. The problem with people "getting there fats elsewhere' is that they need healthy fatty acids like the omega's so they may need some specific advice on where they should be getting these which will help tremendoulsy in fat loss.

Peanuts in general are a healthy snack IN MODERATION. But they are not nuts. They are legumes. They contain lots of monounaturated fats but do not protect arteries according to research (in rats, rabbits and "primates" :) ) but have the opposite effect. Also too many peanuts (as well as most nuts) would lead to too much omega 6 in the diet in relation to omega 3. Almonds are a better choice in this regard.

One of the best nuts is walnuts. Ratio of 4.2 omega 3/omega 6. Most of the fat should come from omega sources like flax and/or fish oil (i would recommend some of both) and the number one best oil for general dietary use HAS to be olive oil.

I don't think you were wrong at all about the weight loss effects of martial arts training..only wrong to compare the two. A person should choose the martial art that appeals to them but Tae Kwon Doe is a great choice with it's emphasis on speed with lots of punching, kicking and moving. But of course it depends of the instructor and how the class is structured. Some days may be more beneficial than others and there's also the instructors who spend more time having people wait in line to kick a bag or where everyone sits in a circle while two people spar....

But it's more akin in general to HIIT or a mixture where you simply have short periods of high intensity activity with cool down periods and then a repeat. This type of training really revs up the metabolism and I don't think there is anything more fun or that makes you feel better about yourself than martial arts training :) .

EricT 08-23-2006 10:17 AM

This is from Alwyn Cosgrove's site. He's all about interval training. I'm SURE someone could come along with all sorts of info about the fat loss benefits of traditional steady state cardio. The result being that we could only conclude that BOTH probably have their useful place.

(Excerpt from Afterburn)


Energy System Training For Fat Loss – by Alwyn Cosgrove

The difference between cardio training and aerobic training

This is important to understand. Cardio refers to any exercise in which the heart and lungs are involved. This could be jogging, running, sprinting, swimming, circuit training etc. Quite simply – if you are elevating your heart rate and respiration rate, you are doing some form of cardiovascular work.

Aerobic training refers to a state in which the cardiovascular work is performed. Aerobic literally means ‘with oxygen’. It is a relatively low intensity state of exercise that can be maintained almost indefinitely (as long as oxygen is being supplied to the working muscles, in the required amounts – the exercise can be continued. This is aerobic training.

All aerobic training is cardiovascular training. Not all cardiovascular training is aerobic. Hopefully that makes sense.

Steady State Aerobics – why it hasn’t worked

Let’s think of all the reasons steady state aerobic training is supposed to burn fat.

It burns calories. Good. I’ll buy that. How does it burn calories? Because the muscles are hard at work and demand extra oxygen to help them continue working. Hmmm. There are a ton of activities such as weight training, sprinting, sleeping, talking watching TV that ALSO burn calories by requiring work from the muscles. So no extra points for aerobic training.

The fat burning zone. Nope. Sorry – it doesn’t exist. The fat burning zone is a concept that the body burns a greater amount of fat at lower intensity aerobic exercise than it does at higher intensities. This is a misinterpretation. It’s true that the body burns a greater percentage of fat at lower intensities than at higher intensities, but taking this to its logical conclusion – the body will burn a greater amount of fat as a percentage lying on the couch than doing anything else right? And we know how good lying on the couch works for fat loss. It’s the “as a percentage” line. At lower intensities the body may burn 50% of the calories from fat, while at higher intensities it may only burn 35% of calories from fat. BUT at higher intensities you burn way more total calories, and more fat calories overall than you do at lower intensities. Think about a real world example – are sprinters (running 10-20s) fatter than marathon runners (2-2.5 hours of running). No. Actually sprinters carry less body fat than distance runners due to their muscle mass.

Aerobics makes your body an “efficient fat burning machine”. True but this isn’t a desirable response. The ONLY tissue that burns fat in the body is muscle. Yes – aerobic training does demand work from the muscles, but not as much as other activities. Aerobic training doesn’t require the muscle tissue to stay around either. Aerobic training makes muscles more efficient at using fat (don’t get excited – if your car became more efficient at burning gas – you’d be using less of it).

So if muscle is the only tissue that burns fat, and aerobic training makes it smaller and more efficient at burning fat, then essentially you are creating a smaller, more efficient fat burning machine. That’s not effective.

Aerobic training raises your metabolism. I’ll cover this in more detail later but the short answer is no it doesn’t. Metabolism is largely a function of how much muscle you carry. As aerobics does nothing to even maintain muscle, never mind build muscle, it will do nothing to contribute to raising your metabolism at rest. Sure, you’ll burn calories while you’re doing it, but will you burn any more at rest as a result of doing aerobics? No. And as you’ll find out later, you may actually burn less.

The adaptation conundrum

The body literally adapts to anything we attempt to do by responding in the reverse manner. Don’t drink any water? Your body tries to retain water. Does weight training build muscle? No it doesn’t. What actually occurs is a breakdown of muscle tissue and the body ADAPTS by building muscle.

So if you burn a ton of calories doing aerobic training, that same body adapts to aerobic exercise by slowing your metabolism and allowing your body to store more fat. Same body – same system.

The biggest problem with aerobic training is that you get better at it. In weight training, as you get better, you add more weight or more reps and there is literally no finish line. In aerobic training, the work required to run 5 miles will become less and less as you get fitter. So to continue to improve you either go further (do more work for the same amount of calories) or you run it faster. Going further kind of defeats the purpose. Is there much joy in running 40 mins to burn the calories you once burned in 30 mins? And going faster involves the same problem. Eventually, the new speed becomes too easy for you and you have to go more intense to get the same benefits. Now as I mentioned, there is no end point with weight training. However there is an end point with aerobic training. You will reach an intensity eventually that will be the end of the aerobic zone. Quite simply going any harder will send your body into the anaerobic zone. So at some point you’re not doing aerobics any more. So, if you have to stop doing it at some point to get the benefits you seek why not do anaerobic work to begin with?

Metabolism

Your metabolism or your metabolic rate is what determines how many calories you burn each day – or more importantly for the purposes of this book – how many you need to maintain your current weight. Your metabolism is quite simply how many calories you burn in a typical day. It is affected and controlled by your thyroid, and is largely a factor of your muscle mass. To break it down further – every pound of muscle you put on requires calories per day to maintain. doesn’t take into account the calories burned in training to develop that muscle, or the calories burned in training to keep that muscle – these calories are just the amount needed by that muscle to just sit there.

So in order to really get the athletic look we want to develop, the key is not just how many calories we can burn during exercise, it’s how many calories we can force the body to burn all the time. Raising your metabolism is the real key in long term fat loss and physique change.

Caloric expenditure

In order to lose body fat, you must burn off more calories than you consume. Despite the proliferation of diets- low carbohydrate, low fat, high protein, high carbohydrate etc this simple rule remains. I don’t want to talk about nutrition here as this is more than adequately covered in another chapter in this book, but suffice to say the caloric balance is still important.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard people say “I barely eat anything – I eat like a bird and I still gain weight”. Oh really. You are eating fewer calories than you need and your body is gaining weight? Impossible. This violates the law of thermodynamics. Usually it’s a case of not really being aware of how much you are actually eating. Because let’s face it – if your body was capable of producing body weight from nothing, then we better get you sent over to NASA or UNICEF immediately – with magical genes like yours, we might just be able to solve the Third World’s hunger problem.

Fat loss is all about caloric expenditure. We must burn more calories than we take in, and the real key to doing this, as mentioned before, is not aerobic training, which will burn calories while you are doing it, its anaerobic training, which burns calories while you are doing it AND increases the calories burned for hours afterwards. In the case of weight training, if we build muscle and keep it, that burns calories forever more. Even when you sleep!

The key with anaerobic training is what is known as EPOC. Anaerobic exercise burns a ton of calories while you are performing it. However, the metabolism remains elevated following this type exercise. This was, at one time, referred to as the oxygen debt, but is now referred to as the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). The recovery of the metabolic rate back to pre-exercise levels can require several minutes for light exercise (aerobic training), several hours for very heavy exercise (anaerobic cardio training), and up to 12 to 24 hours or even longer for prolonged, exhaustive exercise (interval training or circuit weight training).

The EPOC can add up to a substantial energy expenditure when totaled over the entire period of recovery. If the oxygen consumption following exercise remains elevated by an average of only 50 ml/min or 0.05 liter/min, this will amount to approximately 0.25 kcal/min or 15 kcal/hr. If the metabolism remains elevated for five hours, this would amount to an additional expenditure of 75 kcal that would not normally be included in the calculated total energy expenditure for that particular activity. This major source of energy expenditure, which occurs during recovery, but is directly the result of the exercise bout, is frequently ignored in most calculations of the energy cost of various activities. If the individual in this example exercised five days per week, he or she would have expended 375 kcal, or lost the equivalent of approximately 0.1 pounds of fat in one week, or 1.0 pounds in 10 weeks, just from the additional caloric expenditure during the recovery period alone. This is the key to maximizing the return on your exercise investment.

The next obvious idea is – if you trained the next day while your metabolism is still elevated, will we have an even higher return – is the effect accumulative? Is the whole greater than the sum of the parts?

Science has yet to give us an answer, however in the real world, I think so. I have seen amazing results with my clients using this exact protocol.

Interval training

So is there a better way of performing cardio workouts to prevent these adaptations, and rapidly improve fat loss results? Yes. The key is to perform what is known as interval training.

Interval training simply refers to a series of intense activity separated with short rest periods. Through using interval training you are able to exercise at a higher intensity without getting tired. In other words – because we alternate the periods of high intensity work, with periods of lower intensity work – you are able to do much more work in the same time period than you were before.

The beauty of this is as you improve, the work intervals can get harder and harder, and the recovery intervals can be shortened, or performed at a higher speed. In fact, there is no end in site, and no downside to interval training (other than it is really hard).

Berserker 09-08-2006 01:21 PM

I lost about 2 pant sizes and a shirt size from only eating chicken breast and fruits every 3 hours...
And powerlifting helped and cardio, Use fitday.com to track what you eat. You won't know if you're eating correctly if you don't chart it. I tried to stay under 150 carbs and under 30 grams of fat. (Not including fish oils and the works.)


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