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Habits - Not Diets
by
Tom Venuto
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, low fat 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
body fat 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 body fat. 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. Tom
Venuto is the fat loss expert at Global
Health and Fitness. Please visit his
website for more great articles.
Here
are some interesting books from Barnes
& Noble, who offers free shipping
when you buy two or more items!:
Healthy Cooking for Two (or just
you)
Low-Fat Recipes with Half the Fuss and
Double the Taste
The Men's Health Belly-off Program
How 80,000 Guys Lost Their Guts...and
You Can, Too!
The Pilates Pregnancy
Maintaining Strength, Flexibility, and
Your Figure
Fit and Fabulous after 40
A 5-Part Program for Turning Back the
Clock
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