This article tackles 5 of the biggest myths sounding fat loss, some of them you will shake you head at, others you will flat out disagree. BUT with a raft of studies to back up the statements, you may start to review your training and nutritional habits...
I recently gave a presentation to about 70 females on the subject of fat loss and the common methods we use to attempt to rid ourselves of excess body fat. During my research for the talk, I unearthed a large amount of material that supports my belief that most of the world's population are being misled in their quest for a slim, but healthy body, that so many of us crave!
Does it feel like the whole idea of fat loss is only possible for the genetically gifted...
Are you searching for the quick fix that will trim away body fat overnight?
Or are you still waiting for our "trusted" pharmaceutical companies to produce the ultimate weight loss pill that will solve worldwide obesity problems...
Sharing some of the following facts and myths with you is not going to be easy for you to stomach, I suspect that you'll be shocked, dismayed or maybe you'll feel that none of what I tell you is true.
In fact I am fairly sure you'll dispute much of what I report, so I ask you to check my sources, read for yourself the studies that I cite. You'll be as shocked as my audience when you really do discover the truth about fat loss!
Myth 1 - Skipping meals and snacks is OK if I want to lose fat! Do you skip breakfast, the odd lunch, or maybe you don't eat at all for a whole day, because you "don't feel hungry"?
PLEASE DON'T!!
There is nothing worse for your metabolism than irregular feedings.
Eating 6 meals a day compared to just 2 meals a day of the SAME caloric value total for the day, will result in more fat loss!
Check out study no.1 to discover why eating every few hours is ESSENTIAL for fat loss!
Myth 2 - A calorie is a calorie
Unfortunately NOT.
Eating a diet of refined carbs and low fat will actually make you fatter, than a diet of low carb, high fat of the same caloric value!
If you think about it we have been told by the FDA in the US to reduce the amount of Fat in our diet and replace it with carbs like bread and pasta. The food pyramid clearly showed this!
Sadly it is all those refined carbs that have been adding to our waist line and not the fats.
Study no.2, proves that a diet high in fat actually resulted in MORE fat loss!
Myth 3 - You must only train in the "fat burning zone" to lose fat!
Probably the biggest myth in the world of health and fitness today, and one that drew the most gasps and head shaking in my audience!
The fat burning zone DOES exist BUT, it is NOT an effective workout strategy for overall fat loss.
How can that be?
To be honest you don't need to read the studies to prove this, you can see for yourself in the gym. How many people do you see going to the gym week after week for months on end, doing their fat-burning zone workouts, BUT never actually changing shape?
The nail in the coffin of your fat burning zone workouts is crystal clear study no.3 comparing a 'diet only' group to a 'diet and exercise' group. The exercise consisting of a 45 minute "fat burning zone" routine, 5 days a week for 12 weeks.
The abstract from this study states: Results indicate that moderate aerobic exercise training during a 12-week period has no discernible effects on body composition.
i.e. fat burning zone workouts do nothing for losing body fat!!
WOW!
Myth 4 - Calorie counters on machines are useful for fat loss...
We've all done it, waiting for the calorie counter on the treadmill or cross trainer to tick by 400 or 500 calories burnt during your workout. We can then feel all virtuous as we tuck into our post workout coffee and chocolate muffin, safe in the knowledge we have "earned" it.
Unfortunately, calories burned during your workouts are not significant when you want to lose fat!
Study no.4 compared endurance style workouts to higher intensity interval training where the number of total calories burned during the workout, was over twice as much for the endurance group than the intervals group.
You would think that the endurance group would logically lose more fat given that they have burned more calories in total? However the intervals group lost NINE times more fat than the endurance group!
Those calorie counters on your exercise bike are really worthless, my advice, cover them up!
Myth 5 - Crunches will get rid of your belly fat!
How many crunches do you do each day? 10, 20... maybe 50, 100... or maybe more?
Any self respecting fitness professional will tell you that "spot reduction" doesn't work! If it did, all the people doing 100 crunches a day would be walking around with a perfect SIX PACK, but flabby butt and thighs! It just doesn't work like that!
So quit wasting your time and effort on this ineffective exercise and have a go at doing some of the more effective methods instead...
THREE truly effective ways of getting rid of body fat
1. Drop the refined carbs from your diet. Eat more high quality proteins and unrefined carbs in the form of fresh fruit and vegetables. 2. Do some short, sharp and very effective interval workouts. 3. Get your trainer to show you some intensive ALL BODY resistance workouts, utilising large muscle groups as much as possible!
Each of these methods will achieve the necessary result of boosting your "basal metabolic rate", this is your 24/7 fat burning system in your body.
Utilise all 3 methods and fat will literally melt away!
12 weeks is a relatively short time period in your lifetime, and this is all it took for Claire to drop over 5% in body fat, and drop 2 dress sizes utilising the same three methods of fat loss. With renewed confidence in her body and her structural health too, she is now embarking on a new sporting passion of rock climbing....
So what would you do with your new body?
Whilst you may not want to believe that these 5 myths really ARE myths, I urge you to follow up on the studies I cite and see for yourself!
Better still, would be to get down to your gym, adjust your nutritional habits, and try out the EFFECTIVE methods for yourself.
Tim
Study 1. Iwao, S., Mori, K., Sato, Y. Effects of meal frequency on body composition during weight control in boxers. Scan J Med Sci Sports 6:265-272, 1996 Study 2. Effects of a low-fat versus a low-carbohydrate diet on adipocytokines in obese adults. de Luis DA, Aller R, Izaola O, Gonzalez Sagrado M, Bellioo D, Conde R. Study 3. Influence of diet and/or exercise on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness in obese women. Utter AC, Nieman DC, Shannonhouse EM, Butterworth DE, Nieman CN. Study 4. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Tremblay A, Simoneau JA, Bouchard C.
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