Posted on 01/21/2006 7:21:11 PM PST by RightOnline
I mentioned this superb list of rules/suggestions for fitness and weight loss in another thread, and my FReepmail box filled pretty quickly. :)
To keep this brief: The Lovely Wife and I got into weight lifting (strength training) a few years ago, and one of the companies from whom we purchased sports supplememts (whey protein, etc.) issues a monthly email newsletter. This particular one I kept, because to my mind, it is the best......by FAR........encapsulation of the things we should all do to lose weight and keep fit. Anything and everything I have learned about fitness fit in these "rules" very, very well. I have sent this to a fair number of people, and without exception, EVERY one of them has lost significant excess weight and is far, far healthier.......and in a way they can so easily live with on a daily basis.
Therefore, I'm sharing this with all of you in the hope that it may help one or two of you. I can only promise that if you print this out, tape it to your refrigerator, and diligently follow what you read here..........you will feel sooooooo much better in such a relatively short period of time, you simply won't believe it.
Top 10 Ways to Drop the Fat by Cathryn Majorossy
1. Eat 4-6 small meals per day. Spread your calories out evenly during the day to help keep your metabolism moving and your energy levels naturally high. Try to target balancing each meal so that they contain roughly the same amount of calories. Meal replacements and nutrition bars are an easy way to supplement up to 3 meals per day.
2. Balance each meal with protein, carbs and fat. By providing reasonable amounts of these three essential nutrients at each meal, your body will have the fuel it needs to run at an optimum level. Balancing the nutritional make-up of your meals also helps prevent the storage of body fat.
Preferred sources of protein: fish, lean meat, chicken, eggs, turkey, lean pork, protein powders. Preferred sources of carbohydrates: fruit, vegetables, beans, whole grains. Preferred sources of fats: olive oil, nuts, fish oils, canola oil.
3. Choose the right carbohydrates. When constructing your meals, select complex carbohydrates that are “colorful” and high in fiber (like fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts). Try to avoid highly processed carbohydrates like pasta, bagels, crackers, chips, soda and candy. Highly processed carbs have little nutritional value and can easily be stored as body fat. If it’s a carbohydrate and it comes in a bag or a box, you should be suspect.
4. Don’t forget completely about the fat. Despite the hype in the 80’s and 90’s, fat IS an important part of everyone’s diet and is necessary for fat loss. It may sound strange but it is the reality. One benefit is that fat is slow to digest so it makes you feel full and thus you eat less. Fat also helps in proper digestion of carbs and protein; without it your body cannot process food efficiently. The key is to select foods that are rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These include salmon, mackerel, almonds, walnuts, olive and canola oils.
5. Eat until you are no longer hungry, not until you are stuffed full. A common mistake people make in their everyday eating habits is that they just eat too much. They eat until they are literally bursting at the waistline. You don’t need to be stuffed at every meal, or eat every bite . . . despite what your mom told you, it is ok to leave food on your plate. Even better, don’t put so much on your plate in the first place. Keep your portion sizes under control If you find yourself eating for no reason, or you just can’t stop, you are probably eating to fill a void in your life, as many people do. Taking some time to evaluate the areas of your life that are making you unhappy may help. Food is not the answer, and overeating always results in feeling worse.
6. Don’t cut your calories too low. Drastic calorie cutting attempts usually result in failure. If you are looking for lasting results and not just a quick fix, then your best bet is to aim for about 2/3 of your “normal” caloric, or food, intake. Putting your body into starvation mode will ultimately derail your weight loss attempts. Your body will fight back by trying to hold onto your fat even more tightly! Slow and steady wins the weight loss war.
7. Give yourself one, and just one, splurge day per week. If you are eating “clean” 6 days a week, you deserve a splurge day. Pick one day per week and save up all your cravings for that special day. Make a chocolate dessert, or have some extra pasta with dinner. Whatever it is, after 6 days of keeping your diet in order and keeping focused on your ultimate goal, you not only deserve a day of eating some of your favorite foods, but your body can also completely handle it. Remember, you cannot gain a significant amount of body fat in just one day. It takes months, in most cases, years of poor eating to add that weight. One splurge day a week is acceptable and even helpful; just make sure when the next day comes around, you get back in the saddle again and get ready for 6 more days of good clean eating and weight loss progress.
8. Get your body moving with exercise. You will not reach your fat loss goals without getting your body in motion. Exercise helps you burn calories more efficiently, improves blood circulation to all parts of your body (including your brain), helps your skin stay young looking, and even improves bone strength. Just 3 or 4 workouts per week is enough to get some truly life-changing benefits from exercise. There are so many types of activities you can participate in. There’s no excuse. Weight training exercises are great for both men and women to build muscle strength. The more muscle your body has, the more calories it burns per day. Cardiovascular exercise is a great way to get your blood pumpin’ and your energy levels high. And you can do some of your exercise outdoors and breathe in some of that fresh air too!
9. Drink plenty of water. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day is essential for fat loss. Water helps your digestion, helps you feel energized, gives you a feeling of fullness and keeps you looking young. In addition, water seems to act as a natural appetite suppressant. In fact, people on diets who do not increase their water intake will find themselves feeling “hungry” much more often and more severely than those who do up their water consumption.
One possible reason for this is that dieters are getting less water from their food, because they’re eating less food, so the body is actually craving fluid. These cravings can be significantly curbed with increased water intake.
10. Supplement wisely. The JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) now recommends a multi vitamin/mineral complex for all healthy adults. Also, a quality weight loss supplement may aid in your efforts and help you finally get rid of that unwanted fat. (Note: weight loss supplements work well only in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise program).
Great point(s). Personally, I just use a hand blender to mix up protein shakes.....:).
Another little hint on those, by the way: Don't mix up a large batch of protein shake and then drink from it during the week. Protein should always be mixed up 'fresh' or it can lose its potency.
Actually, most Podcasts usually don't use that much disk space per hour (the ones I get from Premiere Radio Network sites are about 13 MB per broadcast hour). As such, I could burn on a single CD-RW disk about 45 one hour Podcasts.
I can distill all of the above to just three points:
Exercise EVERY day. None of this "three days a week" crap. I wear a step pedometer and ensure I do 10,000 steps a day (about 5 miles). I get up at 5AM every day to do a three mile walk so I'm already over halfway to my goal before I even have breakfast.
GOOD LUCK!
Well I certainly don't agree with all of your points....not by a long shot......BUT, I'll quickly add "whatever works for YOU.......well, it works!!"
Too much exercise can actually be counterproductive. That's a fact. I lift no more than an hour a day, five days a week, and usually closer to 45 minutes or so. Go to www.ast-ss.com and read up on the MaxOT workout; incredible stuff to read there........about workouts, fitness, health in general. Really destroys a lot of myths and stereotypes.
I think your dietary suggestions are overall pretty good.......but beer should be scratched from the list. Hugely fattening, no matter what anyone says. So is liquor.
Too many here don't quite "get" the multiple small meals concept. It isn't that hard; it's about proper caloric intake, proper foods.........no need to starve. Also, it's about keeping your metabolism in high gear. A "meal" can be nothing more than some greens with some grilled chicken breast on it. What many would consider a "snack", really.
But again.....if what you do works for you, go for it; you have had admirable results. I just wouldn't recommend many of the same things to just anybody is all.
So unless you plan to drink it in mass quantities, it shouldn't be much of an issue. But then, if that was the case, obesity probably wouldn't be your main problem anyhow!
I think beer gets its bad rep because it is associated with the consumption of unhealthy snackfoods like pretzels, chips and pizza. That is what causes the "beer belly" more than anything else.
Beer is essentially a pure substance. Barley, hops, yeast and water. That's it (unless you're drinking Budweiser that contains rice). In moderate consumption, it is a good part of a healthy, natural-food based diet.
In fact, it is far worse to drink a Diet Coke than to drink a beer. All that aspartame and all those other additives. Yuck. Not good for you at all.
As for your point on excessive exercise, walking five miles a day is hardly excessive. I believe the human body was designed for walking. It is in fact the perfect exercise and the exercise that puts the least strain on your body. Even those who have had heart attacks can safely incorporate a walking regimen into their routine. What's good about walking is you can do it anytime, anywhere. Just put on a good pair of shoes and go. Whenever I travel, I don't have to worry about searching for weight rooms and such. I just get out there and explore the neighborhood.
No, I DO agree with you about walking. Never took issue with that; it was your earlier point that you MUST exercise literally EVERY day that I took philosophical "objection" to. It just sorta flies in the face of all fitness teaching I've ever read or received over the years.
....and I'll also add that I tend to look at this from a weightlifting or strength training point of view rather than walking. There definitely are "points of diminishing returns" in such workouts. Anything over an hour.........actually can be detrimental rather than good. Three-a-week workouts like this can do one hell of a lot of good. MaxOT (the one I pointed you too earlier; the workout we use) has both a 3-day and a 5-day weekly regimen. Both work great; I just prefer the 5 day (but it's ALL rather brutal, must admit).
See post 36. Hee hee hee.
Can't wait to have you over for tofu sauteed with onions and peppers!
I understand tofu makes a great pan cleaner. Not worth eating so it must be good for something.
You know my view of it. If it's not meat, it's not really food.
BWAHAHAHAHA!!!
You know I'd never let you bring lard into my house!
I firmly believe that there are two types of people, grazers and predators. For the grazer a series of small meals may work. For me, and other predators, all a small meal does is prime the appetite for a larger meal.
I've found that if I eat one large meal a day at suppertime And exercise and drink water I drop about 2 lbs a week. If I eat small meals starting early in the day (the dreaded breakfast) I gain more than 2 lbs per week as each day is constant hand to mouth.
The second problem I have with most diets (ever notice that every diet begins with 'die'?) is that if you eat the food they prescribe you could live for ever, but why would you want to live forever eating the garbage they want you to choke down.
Man was made to eat meat. That's why we have fangs.
The key is to not over eat on a daily or routine basis
Fangs! You, sir, are KILLING me!!!
Its funny, being on the wrestling team we all lose a lot of weight and everyone wants to know how we do it. Although diet is a big part of it, working out for 3 hours a day is also very effective no matter what you eat. One guy I know eats McDonalds about everyday and has around 6% body fat.
I eat meat; lots of it. In fact, it's mainly what I eat.
WOW! You look great!
I had stopped eating refined sugar and white flour for a while now, and had lost 8 pounds (with about 90 to go!!!). After hitting a wall, the weight training was essential. You need the muscle for better metabolism, and small amounts of high quality food more often seems to fuel the fire.
No more weight loss as of yet, but my pants are looser and I have dropped a shirt size. That's just in 1 month! Oh, and no more flab hanging from my upper arms.
Do you use supplements? If so, what kinds?
Thank you.
Yes, I am partial to AST's products (www.ast-ss.com), although I buy them from various other sites even cheaper. Their whey protein (VP2) is outstanding, as is their micronized creatine and their glutamine. Those are the main things I take; occasionally a few other various supplements. I have a protein shake and a glass of water mixed with creatine and glutamine right before and right after each weightroom session (called "the bracket method").
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