If my gym is any indication, New Year’s resolutions are in full effect. I haven’t seen so many cardio machines occupied on a Sunday evening in quite some time. Actually, in about a year to be more exact about it. Even the weight room was pulsating with epic levels of brotitude. I should have snapped some photos.
And yet, I still see so many folks avoiding the very exercises they need most, continuing to seek the easy way out. Everyone wants to know, what’s the secret to fat loss? How do I get abs? How do I get rid of all that excess leg fat?
Here’s your magic equation: T (Time) + IEE (Inspired & Educated Effort)= R (Results)
It works every time.
I can’t help you with the time, you have to figure that out on your own. If something matters enough, you’ll make time.
I can help, to a certain extent, with the inspiration. I am a bonafied former fatty, and not just the kinda-sorta overweight kind. No, I fell into the “obese” category for the majority of my adolescent and teenage years, and while my story may be inspiring, I can’t physically give you my inspiration.
What I can offer you here is education. To get you started, I’ll give you three easy steps you can take right now to make whatever program you’re following that much more effective.
1. Eat more protein
This alone could stave off culinary hedonists from rampant overeating. Protein is satiating, it’s thermogenic (meaning it encourages fat burning in the body), and it’s the big dietary component of muscle creation or muscle retention. Without it, you’ll turn out to be a smaller, weaker version of your current self. If you’re on a fat loss program, aim for around 1.25g/lb of total body weight in protein per day.
2. Define your goals
Trying to prep for a marathon and focus on fat loss is, frankly, dumb. They are two contradictory goals, and while not mutually exclusive, one does not necessarily follow from the other. Lose the fat first, then focus on the marathon. The same goes for guys who want to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. It’s an entirely possible but long and slow road, necessitating at least short-term improvements in one or the other.
3. If you’re a woman, start resistance training
I have no idea what the current tenor of the Internet is with regard to women and bulkiness in relation to sexiness, but my stance is firm. If you’re female and you want to be curvy, toned, or sexy, you have to do some form of resistance training. Now does this mean you need to do the same training as a figure competitor if you want to look like Jessica Alba? No. But it does mean getting accustomed to handling your bodyweight, being able to perform push-ups, lunges, and the like.
So there you go. Three easy pieces of fat loss friendly fun. Get to it.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Do we really need that much protein? Is it really anabolic? If so, what’s the mechanism? How do we know it’s a dose-response curve? Does the curve flatten out with a ceiling effect at 100 grams, or some other number? [Underpowered studies are useless.] Eating 1.25g/lbs. TBW is easy enough if you weigh 125 lbs., but what if you weigh 200 lbs.? 2.5 lbs of meat is a lot to choke down in a day. I wonder if this will be the next BB “truth” to go the way of 6-8 meals per day? I know that most of the big sites are supported by the whey powder industry, so I don’t expect much mainstream press on this one. No argument that protein is the most satiating nutrient, although I personally find I get full better when it’s packaged in sat. fat. What if all that can be said about BB is just eat a reasonable amount and work hard in the gym, and accept our genetic limitations? Anyway, another nice article, thanks!
Odds are, if a person is on a fat-loss diet, they’re going to be in a caloric deficit. If they’re on a fat loss diet that’s going to work, then I can guarantee that they will be.
So I suppose first of all mentioning anabolism in the context of weight loss makes you look silly, Rob.
Secondly, and more to the point, that much protein probably isn’t necessary if you know what you’re doing. This article doesn’t seem to be addressing the advanced dieter and instead targets people looking for the quick-less-than-10 list of what to do. Lean losses through insufficient protein are unlikely at maintenance, and once you start dipping into the deficit range, the easiest thing to recommend to spare protein: More Protein.
In a caloric deficit, an optimal protein intake will regularly exceed bodyweight in grams across a day. While outside the scope of this article, I urge you to take a look at some of Lyle McDonald’s work on protein.
And Eric is correct in that this article was intended for your ‘newbie’ dieter. I’m getting more readers from outside the realm of fitness forums and wanted to provide them with something they could apply immediately.
I love the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Suckah!) approach to this post. If people did just 1 of these they would be further along towards their goals than most.
My advise is to set realistic goals and don’t think everything is going to change over night. Concentrate on moderate progression.
I wouldn’t worry to much about a specified protein recommendation. If you are eating a moderate amount of protein with each meal you are probably consuming plenty. The scientific literature generally suggests 1.2 – 2.o gms per kg bdwt per day. However, more may not necessarily be a bad thing as other benefits may occur. Personally, I have went as low as .7gms per lb while training multiple times per day and following
ultra low cal diet and seen no differences in performance or appearance. Although, I do have a relatively low P-ratio, and I am not suggesting that there were no losses in bodily proteins.
jamie hale
Jamie, great suggestions. I’m not sure if I agree with your point on specific protein suggestions. The notion of “moderate” varies from individual to individual. Some folks think some beans and rice will cover them for their protein requirements. It’s all a matter of context, and I think educating folks, showing them what 1g/lb of bodyweight actually amounts to, will go a long way toward them adopting proper eating habits.
What I see on a daily basis is people hovering at polar opposites in regards to how their eating while training. Either their no paying enough attention or paying too much attention. Both are unproductive.
My intention is to find the best way to help the most people. I look around everyday, everywhere I go and see people young and old that labor to do any and everything. Some will tell you their happy, but you know it is a lie.
We can all be super intelligent and learn all the terms and nutrient ratios to body weight in the world. But, I submit that it isn’t necessary. I didn’t know jack about all that stuff when I got started. I’m guessing most that reach their goals didn’t either. It wasn’t until I saw my desired results did I say “Wow, this is great I want to know more!” So I started to educatie myself, mainly to be credible to others in the field.
So now, I’m digging for information away from books, and I have to say it is pretty brutal. Complicated. Wordy. People are confused and they need not be.
Gotta run for now.
BC