Think Fat Loss - Not Weight Loss

If you're considering going on a weight loss program, it can be confusing and even a little scary. Questions come to mind and you aren't sure of the answers. Which programs or products really work? Are they safe? Do they really get the results that they claim? Shall I use supplements or diets or exercise? What's the best program for me? Well, I'm going to give you some guidance in this area. I'll be discussing why you should be focusing on fat loss not weight loss. When you focus on fat loss, instead of weight loss, you're headed in the right direction toward a sensible and effective fat loss program. Let me explain.

The weight loss industry is a $55 billion a year business. The marketing of diets, diet foods, supplements, weight loss products, and exercise systems to help people lose weight is a very competitive business. As such, many misleading and false claims are offered by some companies to gain the sales advantage in this lucrative market.

For instance, many weight management or diet programs entice you to use their program with claims such as "you will lose 30 pounds in 30 days". The most ridiculous claim I've seen was made by a diet supplement company who claimed that their product could "blast up to 49 pounds off user in only 29 days, obliterate 5 inches from waistlines, and zap 3 inches from thighs, without dieting or exercising". Needless to say, the FTC slapped a restraining order against this company for their obviously false claims.

There are many weight loss or diet programs that claim that you can lose a lot of weight in a short period of time. Some of these claims are false. Also, some of them are true, but the fast weight loss is unsafe and unhealthy for you. If you're in the "market place" looking for solutions to reducing your weight, then you need to be educated about which approach is the most effective, healthiest and safest for you.

The ultimate goal in losing weight is to lose body fat exclusively. Many weight loss programs will help you to lose weight fast. However, many of the fast weight loss programs cause you to lose muscle along with the fat. Any fast weight loss program that claims you can "lose 30 pounds in 30 days" will most likely cause you to lose muscle along with the fat loss. This is self-defeating since muscle uses energy to function and the additional muscle loss will cause your metabolism to drop which reduces your fat burning capacity. This why you must participate in a program that focuses on fat loss instead of weight loss.

Losing body fat is all about creating an energy deficit. To lose body fat, you must expend more energy than you ingest (in food and drink). This situation creates an energy deficit that must be made up from stored carbohydrates, stored fat or muscle tissue. The trick is to create an energy deficit in a manner that spares the muscle and uses primarily fat to make up the deficit. "Crash" or starvation diets cause an excessive energy deficit which results in consuming fat and muscle to satisfy the deficit.

An effective fat loss program should be specifically designed to remove body fat in a sensible and safe manner with the main focus on losing body fat and losing inches, not just pounds. To accomplish this, the fat loss program must be designed with three key components:

Resistance Training - to create an energy deficit while sparing the muscle from being used to satisfy the energy deficit and also building muscle to increase the metabolism.

Cardio Training - to create an energy deficit while improving endurance, energy and cardiovascular health.

Sensible Diet - to create a moderate caloric intake deficit through proper food selection and portion control.

An effective fat loss program should be designed to induce a bodyweight loss of about 1-2 pounds per week (or 1% of your bodyweight per week). Weight management experts, weight loss doctors, and obesity experts recommend these guidelines for any sensible, safe and effective weight/fat loss program. Higher weight losses per week can result in muscle loss.

I hope this "sheds some light" on the confusing and complex subject of weight loss. 

For My Free Report on How To Burn Fat ==> CLICK HERE <==

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1810885

Top 15 Weight Loss Myths

There are many common weight loss myths that people live by when it comes to their health. It is difficult at times to separate the weight loss myths and fact from what is true. Many sound true while others are just laughable. I once read somewhere that if you drink water at night that you are going to gain weight or that if you scratch your head too often you are going to lose your hair....

Weight Loss Myth # 1
The more weight that I have to lose the more intense my exercise routine should be

Weight Loss Truth: Although having an intense workout routine is great, there are a few things you should consider: the first being that everyone is at a different level when it comes to their fitness and how much intensity they can actually handle. If you have been physically inactive for a number of years, an intense work out for you might be, walking half a mile a day. After you walk that half mile you notice that you are sweating bullets and that you are tired. However, for someone who has been physically active for many years, walking half a mile can be done without a sweat. Everyone has a different definition of what "intense" is.

If intense for you is working out for an hour a day, but due to life's busy schedule you only have time for 20 minutes a day, then those 20 minutes will go an extremely long way. It might not necessarily be classified as "intense", according to your definition, but those little cardio moments will have positive health altering effects.

Fat Loss Myth # 2
Stress and weight gain do not go hand in hand

Weight Loss Fact: This is one of those "laughable" myths. To learn more how stress is adding lbs. to your life please download my free E-Book, "Psychology of Releasing Weight"

Weight Loss Myth # 3
I can lose weight while eating whatever I want

Weight Loss Truth: Sir Isaac Newton once said " What goes up must come down." There are natural principles that govern our lives. If you throw a ball up in the air, it is going to come back down. You can sit on your couch and imagine and visualize that the ball will staying afloat in the air, but natural principles teach us that it will come down. Same goes when it comes to our weight.

This is one of the most common weight loss myths out there. It is illogical to think that your health and weight are going to be in balance if your nutrition consists mainly of twinkies, chips, and donuts. Sure you can burn it off by exercising, but most people whose diet consists of mainly junk food are probably not disciplined enough to stick to a workout routine. I do know a few people who, from the outside, look like they are in good shape, because they are not "fat, but who have high cholesterol.

Just because I feel sorry for crushing the hearts of so many twinkie lovers out there, I would say this. You can eat junk food, cookies, chips, ice cream, pizza, burgers.... All of those "soul satisfying foods", but it should be in moderation. Anything in excess is never good.

Fat Loss Myth # 4
Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight

Weight Loss Fact: There are numerous studies that show that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer times during the day tend to be a lot heavier than who have a healthy nutritional breakfast and then eat 4-6 small meals during the day. The reason to this might be the fact that they get hungrier later on in the day, and might have a tendency to over eat during other meals of the day.

Weight Loss Myth # 5
I will not lose weight while eating at night

Weight Loss Truth: You can over indulge in food during the day and not eat a single thing at night and you WILL gain weight. As is the fact that you can starve yourself during the day and eat all night long and you still will gain weight. The key here is balance. If your body is telling you that it is hungry then perhaps you should listen to it. The truth is, that over eating, while not exercising, will cause you to gain weight; no matter what time of the day that you eat. Whenever I am hungry at night, as is my habit with other meals during the day, I try to select something that is natural in nature. Something like fruits, vegetables, or I might even make myself a fruit smoothie. During those moments that I am craving ice cream or something sweet, I allow myself to get some, and DO NOT feel guilty about it. Many people who are overweight live their life in guilt and shame. I allow myself to get some, however, WITH MODERATION.

Fat Loss Myth # 6
I'm not acceptable until I lose weight

Weight Loss Fact: The person who doesn't feel acceptable because they are fat is because they are not acceptable to themselves first. The way that you think others view you is based on your view of yourself. I honestly believe that one must become emotionally fit before becoming physically fit. I have gone through these self-limiting emotions before. Once I realized that I was ALREADY ENOUGH in the eyes of God and that I had no need to prove myself to anyone or to receive external validation for my self-worth, that made all the difference for me. Once you accept yourself as who you are RIGHT NOW and realize that you are already enough in the eyes of God, you will not feel like you are not acceptable because of your weight.

Weight Loss Myth # 7
I need to cut calories to lose weight faster

Weight Loss Truth: Cutting your calories down might be a great thing, if you are drastically overeating and stuffing your face. However, if you are eating proportionally then cutting calories might have an aversive affect. If you are cutting calories and are starving your body, then that will lower your metabolism, or in other words slow it down, which may result in you actually not losing any weight at all, even if you are "cutting calories"

Fat Loss Myth # 8
Skipping meals will help me lose weight

Weight Loss Fact: Skipping meals may actually cause you to gain weight! You will become too hungry and will eventually have to eat. This will knock your metabolism off track and will eventually slow it down. Think of a car running low on gas (food), if you do not fill it up, it will eventually stop working. Same goes for our body, we need to keep it fueled constantly.

Weight Loss Myth # 9
I think I have genetic weight gain, it runs in my family!

Weight Loss Truth: Can someone say E-X-C-U-S-E-S? I will not deny that there might be tendencies for heavy parents to raise heavy children who will remain heavy their whole lives, but I don't believe that there is actually a "fat" gene or DNA out there. What we do inherit from our family, primarily those who directly raised us, are our views and beliefs. Your views about food, money, religion, politics, education, etc. are based upon how you were raised. If you were raised in a home where the primary meals cooked where fried foods, then you might have a tendency to continue cooking and eating fried foods throughout your life. If that is the case then you might be a little heavy around the waist. The easy thing to do is to blame it on those who were in charge of your upbringing, however, you ALWAYS have a choice to change.

Fat Loss Myth # 10
Eating healthy is too hard

Weight Loss Fact: Eating healthy is the simplest thing in the world.....once you have trained yourself to do it. How many times have you placed a goal to lose weight or to "eat better"? The first few days you are doing great, eating all kinds of foods which you normally wouldn't eat. Then something funny started to happen, you went back to your old habits and behaviors. This has happened to you in other areas outside of your health. It could be with making money, looking for a new job, or in your relationships. Creating a new habit takes time because our brain's do not like change. Change to the brain is dangerous. Anyways, if you would like to learn more about how our brain attempts to sabotage us from creating new habits then please download my free E-book, "Psychology of Releasing Weight"

Weight Loss Myth # 11
You have to give up your favorite foods to lose weight

Weight Loss Truth: What would a world without chocolate and without pepperoni pizza be like??? I think it would be a torturous world to live in!! lol, now on a real note I completely disagree with this myth. You are definitely able to eat your favorite foods. Depriving yourself of this kind of pleasure is not fun, and quite frankly you probably WILL eat it anyways. As has been mentioned before, the real key is moderation. If you are a steak lover, then perhaps it might not be the best things to eat it every single day, but perhaps once or twice a week. Those who know me personally know that I LOOOOOOOOVE chicken wings with pizza. In a perfect world where I wouldn't gain any weight and my arteries were clog-less, I would love to eat it several times per week, well more like every day. However, I know that those aren't the healthiest of food choices so I have it about 2-3 times per month. I am not giving up my favorite foods, I am just eating it in moderation so that it doesn't catch up to me in the form of excess weight.

Fat Loss Myth # 12
Overeating is caused by hunger

Weight Loss Fact: Nice try there. If only we could blame "hunger" for it. In fact, this person we call hunger has nothing to do with you OVEREATING. It might have something to do your body telling you that it is time to "fuel up" and that it needs food, but that is not an indication that one should overeat. What causes many people to overeat are different reasons. One of the main ones is feeling of stress, depression, loneliness, anxiety, fear, and other down grading emotions of that nature. Many times food can be a means of satisfying your needs. You might be actually getting your needs met through your foods. For example, if you live a lonely life, and aren't very happy, then food could perhaps be a means of you feeling happy and comforted. There are other articles that I have written on this subject but suffice it to say that overeating is NOT cause by being hungry.

Weight Loss Myth # 13
Only drastic diets work

Weight Loss Truth: There goes that word again...DIEt....those "drastic diets" are only good for quick weight loss and rapid weight gain once you get of it. These drastic diets range from the "cookie diet", lol.... All that way to "the water only diet"..... I am sure you can lose weight while on these DIEts, however the weight will be gained right back and usually with some added weight as a bonus

Fat Loss Myth # 14
I am too fat and too far down the road to begin

Weight Loss Fact: A long journey begins one step at a time. It is natural to expect instantaneous results and to even fear the road ahead of you; especially if you are extremely overweight. The secret here is to make SMALL incremental changes. Don't expect perfection because that will lead you to disappointment. You are never too far down the road to where you cannot see the sun's light......

Weight Loss Myth # 15
I can't do it, I have tried many times and have failed

Weight Loss Truth: The great Henry Ford once said "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't- you're right.'"......It is 90% mindset, and 10% actually getting off your butt and doing something about it. You fall down, you get back up.... you fall down again, you get back up again. If you have tried to lose weight in the past then it is time to keep trying. Discouragment is to losing weight as is a piece of fried chicken to a vegetarian......they DO NOT go hand in hand.

Lose Belly Fat Fast, Free Report.. ==>DOWNLOAD NOW<==

Should You Be Counting Calories?

What is a Calorie? A calorie is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius, in another words a calorie is a measure of heat energy. When food is burned, it releases a certain amount of heat (energy), depending on the type of food, for example; Fat has more calories (9 calories per gram) than Carbohydrates (4 calories per gram). The more calories that are in the food, the more energy will be released when it is burned and whatever surplus energy that is not used by the body will get stored as adipose tissue (body fat).

Whatever your goal might be, be it to lose weight or gain weight, you need to count calories to reach your specific goal. If you want to lose weight then you need to be in a negative calorie balance, for example; if you require 2500 calories per day to maintain your body weight, then to lose weight you would need to lower your calorie consumption per day (negative calorie balance) and the opposite is true if one wants to gain weight. So if you do not count calories then you will not know whether you are in a negative or positive calorie balance and that’s one of the reasons why so many people go through numerous diet plans and training programs without achieving the results that they require.

Do not assume your calorie consumption, if you say to yourself that you will eat less than what you normally do so you can be in a negative calorie balance, then I have news for you, this in most cases will be disastrous because if you go too low on your calorie consumption it will send your body into starvation mode where you will plateau quickly which in turn will slow your metabolism and make it more difficult to lose weight. You will also put the weight back on and more when you start to binge, which is bound to happen on a very low calorie diet.

A very low calorie diet is not sustainable and will lead to muscle depletion, low energy levels and other ailments and injuries. The loss of muscle will result in unhealthy weight loss and a slower metabolism and this is the reason why you find a lot of people on very low calorie diets put the weight back on and a lot more.

My Advice is to get a body assessment done by a professional. The results will reveal the amount of calories you require per day to maintain your current body weight. You can then adjust your calorie intake based on that. 

To get my free report on how to burn fat fast ==> CLICK HERE <==

What Is Your Body Type?

There are more than 6 billion people on this earth and every single one of them is unique, nobody shares the same body type. Some may look alike but they have a different cell structure, gene structure, bone structure etc. When it comes to physique there are 3 different body types, a Mesomorph, an Ectomorph and an Endomorph.

Mesomorph – A Mesomorph is naturally lean with small waists, broad/square shoulders, high metabolism, chest dominates over abdominal area and they gain strength and muscle very easily, they are natural born athletes and body builders. They are the genetically gifted.

Ectomorph – Ectomorphs are generally tall and skinny with small joints and waist, they have high metabolisms and maintain extremely low body fat. These are the people that can eat anything and everything all day long and will put on an ounce of body fat. They are hyperactive.

Endomorph – These are the people that work and train hard but still find it difficult to lose weight, an endomorph has a very slow metabolism and stores body fat very easily, most endomorphs are carbohydrate sensitive meaning they can store carbohydrates as body fat very easily, they have wide waists and hips with their waists dominating over their chest. They are the genetically challenged.

Now not everybody is a pure Mesomorph, Ectomorph or Endomorph, some may share a combination of 2 or 3 with one being the dominant type. If you are a pure Endomorph don’t panic, it is not the end of the world, there are ways you can improve and change your body type. No one should blame their genetics for being overweight, weak, out of shape or lazy, you may have been dealt a bad hand but you are in control of the way you look and feel and you can change that anytime.

There is no single perfect diet, training program, or eating plan for everybody due to the fact that everybody’s body type is not the same.