It is the fault of our popular media we are all obsessed
with weight loss!
Unfortunately, this is to the downfall of our "real" goal
of looking great naked!
The media obsession with those figures on the scales sets
false hopes and promises, ultimately leading to failure in
our goals. Whilst some publications and reports have
recently stopped using weight as the primary indicator,
it's twin brother of Body Mass Index (BMI) is used instead,
in the false assumption that there is an ideal weight for
your height!
Yes, BMI is a slightly better indicator than simply weight
alone, but it forgets some of us are naturally built like
an anorexic marathon runner, or a muscle packed
quarterback, throwing the BMI measure completely out the
window.
The problem with weight loss is the unhealthy fixation with
restricted calorie diets, hundreds of hours of aerobic
exercise, and in some cases, surgical methods to cut a few
pounds from the scales.
I call it "unhealthy", as these traditional weight loss
methods have been shown in many scientific studies to be
detrimental to our body's metabolic rate, causing our body
to hold on to the body fat we are so desperate to lose.
There is more evidence in the gym today, you'll spot many
of the members on the treadmills and in aerobic classes day
after day, week after week, without any noticeable
difference in body shape. Even the aerobics instructors are
looking a little "chubby"!
Restricted calorie diets cause our body to go into
starvation mode, with the ultimate result of slowing our
metabolism and causing us to store more fat rather than
losing the stuff.
It is clear that all the old approaches are not working, so
what does work then?
If fat loss or body shape and size was our primary focus, I
believe we are more likely to attain our goals. The process
of "fat loss" would mean you concentrate on actions to
boost your normal metabolic rate, and boost it
significantly enough to allow fat to simply disappear
naturally.
This would include exercises to build more metabolically
active tissues, this means resistance type training to
increase muscle tissue. You would also look to adopt eating
habits that boost your metabolism rather than slow it down,
meaning eating smaller meals every 2 to 3 hours, and eating
foods that contain good protein sources and not the
processed carbs that are so prevalent in the modern diet.
These methods will not only allow you to drop the 1, 2 or
more dress/jean sizes, show your flat stomach or 6 pack
abs, and make your butt look smaller, but you'll probably
lose some weight in the process too ;o)
So today is the day to change your focus from those numbers
on the scales, to simply working out how to lose the fat
that is covering your body. Losing the fat is not
complicated, it simply requires a shift in your perception
of what are the most "effective" methods. Start today by
quitting the "diet", eating sensibly and regularly instead.
Get into the gym and do the more effective resistance
workouts and stay away from the cross trainer!
----------------------------------------------------
Tim Goodwin is a Luxembourg based fitness professional
specializing in help the busiest people achieve more with
their amateur sporting interests, and at the same time
ridding them of excess body fat. Visit
http://www.getfit.lu/success.html to get a free 18 page
report "How to lose weight even when you are really busy"
containing a full 4 week program which you can start today!
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