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Answers to Your Fat Loss Dilemma
By jmboiardi
Exercise alone does not burn body fat - proper nutrition does. A lean physique is 90% diet and 10% exercise.
Here is where the errors lie:
1) Steady state cardio is the WORST for dropping stubborn body fat and actually can lead to muscle loss.
2) You are not eating enough healthy fats. Fats don't make you fat but they do let the body know it is alright to burn fat if it is seeing some in the diet. Eat whole eggs not egg whites, eat some olive oil, try to eat some fatty fish like tuna and salmon, eat avocados or nuts. I know some foods may not be readily available in India but nuts and avocados should be.
3) You haven't calculated your macros. You are basically flying blind. Carbs need to be manipulated to control insulin and body fat levels. Without knowing how much protein, carbs, and fats you are eating, it is impossible to tune your diet to lose body fat.
4) At the surface, you are not eating enough protein and fat and eating too many carbs. Carbs are the only macro to impact insulin levels and insulin is the only hormone that causes body fat storage.
5) You may not be consuming the right amount of calories. To lose body fat, you need to be at a 250-500 calorie deficit from maintenance level. Any more and your body goes into survival mode and slows down the metabolism and fat burning processes. Where did you get the 2500/day calorie figure? If this is your maintenance level, then you need to eat 2000-2250 calories/day to lose fat not 2500.
How to fix your dilemma:
1) CALCULATE your macros. Until this is done, there is nothing further we can do for you and the remaining steps below are useless and incalculable :-)
2) Do HIIT cardio not steady state at most 3 days a week and for no more than 15-20 minutes each session. HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training and is things like wind sprints, sled pulls, or jump rope. It can also be done on a treadmill or stationary bike. The idea is to do an activity at full speed for 30 seconds then slow down to a restful pace for a minute or two then go full out again. You do this 5-10 or so times in the alloted timeframe. This torches body fat and preserves muscle and always keeps the body guessing. You can change the intervals as you get more fit, e.g. do 1 minute of full speed followed by a 1 or 2 minute "rest" period. When you do steady state your body adapts and has no need to burn extra calories. You also tell the body you don't need strength muscle fibers (white) you just need endurance muscle fibers (red). White fibers grow bigger than red fibers. This is why sprinters look muscular and marathon runners look like concentration camp survivors - they have 0 muscle mass.
3) Get more healthy fats in your diet. Fat does not make you fat and healthy fats and cholesterol do not cause heart disease - processed foods and lots of simple and man-made sugars do. If the Chapati you are eating is not made with 100% whole wheat flower (the flour should not be white), then you need to stop eating it as this is spiking your insulin and preventing any body fat loss. 100% wheat flour does not necessarily mean 100% WHOLE wheat flour. There is a major difference metabolically.
4) Get more protein in your diet. Protein not only supports muscle growth but it burns 1/3 of the calories it provides in its digestion. This will keep you fuller longer and keep your metabolism in fat burning mode by keeping your insulin and blood sugar levels low and steady. You need to eat at least 1g per pound of lean body mass.
By jmboiardi
Exercise alone does not burn body fat - proper nutrition does. A lean physique is 90% diet and 10% exercise.
Here is where the errors lie:
1) Steady state cardio is the WORST for dropping stubborn body fat and actually can lead to muscle loss.
2) You are not eating enough healthy fats. Fats don't make you fat but they do let the body know it is alright to burn fat if it is seeing some in the diet. Eat whole eggs not egg whites, eat some olive oil, try to eat some fatty fish like tuna and salmon, eat avocados or nuts. I know some foods may not be readily available in India but nuts and avocados should be.
3) You haven't calculated your macros. You are basically flying blind. Carbs need to be manipulated to control insulin and body fat levels. Without knowing how much protein, carbs, and fats you are eating, it is impossible to tune your diet to lose body fat.
4) At the surface, you are not eating enough protein and fat and eating too many carbs. Carbs are the only macro to impact insulin levels and insulin is the only hormone that causes body fat storage.
5) You may not be consuming the right amount of calories. To lose body fat, you need to be at a 250-500 calorie deficit from maintenance level. Any more and your body goes into survival mode and slows down the metabolism and fat burning processes. Where did you get the 2500/day calorie figure? If this is your maintenance level, then you need to eat 2000-2250 calories/day to lose fat not 2500.
How to fix your dilemma:
1) CALCULATE your macros. Until this is done, there is nothing further we can do for you and the remaining steps below are useless and incalculable :-)
2) Do HIIT cardio not steady state at most 3 days a week and for no more than 15-20 minutes each session. HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training and is things like wind sprints, sled pulls, or jump rope. It can also be done on a treadmill or stationary bike. The idea is to do an activity at full speed for 30 seconds then slow down to a restful pace for a minute or two then go full out again. You do this 5-10 or so times in the alloted timeframe. This torches body fat and preserves muscle and always keeps the body guessing. You can change the intervals as you get more fit, e.g. do 1 minute of full speed followed by a 1 or 2 minute "rest" period. When you do steady state your body adapts and has no need to burn extra calories. You also tell the body you don't need strength muscle fibers (white) you just need endurance muscle fibers (red). White fibers grow bigger than red fibers. This is why sprinters look muscular and marathon runners look like concentration camp survivors - they have 0 muscle mass.
3) Get more healthy fats in your diet. Fat does not make you fat and healthy fats and cholesterol do not cause heart disease - processed foods and lots of simple and man-made sugars do. If the Chapati you are eating is not made with 100% whole wheat flower (the flour should not be white), then you need to stop eating it as this is spiking your insulin and preventing any body fat loss. 100% wheat flour does not necessarily mean 100% WHOLE wheat flour. There is a major difference metabolically.
4) Get more protein in your diet. Protein not only supports muscle growth but it burns 1/3 of the calories it provides in its digestion. This will keep you fuller longer and keep your metabolism in fat burning mode by keeping your insulin and blood sugar levels low and steady. You need to eat at least 1g per pound of lean body mass.
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