Habits Not Diets
By Tom Venuto GHF’s
Fat Loss Expert
With swimsuit weather right around the corner, many of
us are once again faced with the daunting task of shedding the layers
of flab we have accumulated over a long winter of eating and drinking.
Of course this comes as no surprise because removing our "winter
coats" has become a ritual for us every spring. This year, instead
of wondering "how can I get rid of this belly in time for the beach,"
why not ask yourself a totally different question: "How can I lose
this excess baggage permanently so I don’t have to keep taking it off
every year?"
If you are having a difficult time keeping fat off permanently,
it is probably because you foster the entirely wrong attitude towards
nutrition. For most of us, our idea of a summer shape-up program consists
of jumping on the latest diet bandwagon, which we inevitably end up
falling off of when the summer is over. Losing weight is easy; the hard
part is keeping it off. Instead of looking for quick fixes, we need
to focus on developing better eating and exercise habits that we can
maintain for the long haul. Instead of going on and off diets, we need
to completely change our approach and make exercise and good nutrition
our way of life. Small changes in our daily habits, over time, can produce
quantum changes in your body and your health.
The first habit you must develop is to keep track of your
daily caloric intake. Calories do count! Human physiology dictates that
losing fat is a simple matter of consuming fewer calories than you burn
up. Too much of anything gets stored as fat. However, it is not necessary
to starve yourself. In fact, you can actually eat more and still become
leaner by eating small meals more frequently. Five small meals, each
eaten three hours apart, will speed up your metabolic rate, allow your
body to absorb and utilize more nutrients, stabilize blood sugar and
insulin levels, and increase your energy levels. Most importantly, small
frequent meals will decrease fat storage by controlling your portion
size and never giving your body more calories than it can utilize in
one sitting.
The trick is to decrease your calories slightly below your
maintenance level but not to cut them too far. Women can usually eat
as many as 1400-1800 calories per day and men 2200-2600 per day and
still lose bodyfat. Most diets are based on severe calorie restriction,
often dipping well below 1000 calories per day. This approach may work
initially, but it will never work in the long run. Many people believe
that they can just skip meals or "starve the fat off" by hardly
eating anything at all, but it’s not that simple. Your body is an extremely
efficient fat storing machine during times of famine or deprivation.
The direct and unavoidable consequence of very low calorie diet is a
reduction in lean body mass and a decrease in metabolic rate. When this
occurs, your progress will grind to a screeching halt. Once this dreaded
plateau strikes, most frustrated and discouraged dieters end up falling
off the wagon and gaining all the weight back.
The next habit is to divide your calories into the correct
portions of protein, carbohydrates and fats. Each meal should contain
approximately 30% of the calories from lean proteins and 55% from natural
complex carbohydrates. The remaining 15% will come from fat. For high
energy levels, your best sources of carbs include 100% whole grain cereals
and breads, potatoes, yams, brown rice, oatmeal, beans, legumes, vegetables
and fruits. Great sources of protein for muscle development include
egg whites, lowfat dairy products, chicken, turkey, fish and lean cuts
of red meat. Fats should be kept to a minimum, but cutting all the fat
out is not necessary. Essential fatty acids are just as important as
amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Your diet must contain a wide variety
of natural, unrefined foods. The less processed your food choices are,
the better; eating foods in their natural state the way they came out
of the ground is ideal.
Plan on losing weight slowly. Everyone wants fast results,
but you can’t undo a lifetime of inactivity and poor nutrition overnight.
If you lose weight at a rate of 1-2 lbs. per week you will be more likely
to keep it off permanently. Many diet programs promise rapid weight
loss. High protein, low-carbohydrate diets for example, can take off
pounds very quickly, but much of the weight loss consists of water and
muscle. Instead of worshipping the almighty scale, measure your progress
in terms of body composition. Use your bodyfat percentage as the ultimate
yardstick of your success. This will help you distinguish between fat
weight and muscle weight. If does you no good to lose 5-6 lbs. per week
if it is mostly muscle!
Arguably, the most important habit of all is exercise.
Nutrition is only half the battle; the other half is working out. Cardiovascular
exercise is the real secret to burning bodyfat. Aerobic activities such
as bicycling, walking, jogging, stair-climbing, cross country skiing
and rowing are all terrific fat burners. Shoot for at least thirty minutes,
three to five times per week for optimal results. Weight training is
also essential because the more lean muscle tissue you have, the higher
your resting metabolic rate will be. In other words, by developing more
muscle, you will be burning more body fat all day long, even when you’re
not working out.
It is human nature to look for quick fixes. However, when
it comes to fat loss, there are no shortcuts. It is easy to fall for
the hottest diet craze, the newest workout gizmo, the trendiest class
or the latest miracle pill, but the results they produce are often short-lived
at best. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Short-term
diets never work! Dieting for a few weeks or months just to get in shape
for summer, only to put the weight right back on makes absolutely no
sense at all! Get off the diet roller coaster once and for all by developing
habits that you will be able to maintain for the rest of your life.
If may take a little more discipline, patience and hard work this way,
but it the end it will all be worth it.
This article was provided by GHF.
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