There Are No Shortcuts to Fat Loss

New gym member: I want to lose 15 pounds as soon as possible.

Trainer: Well, it took a while to put the weight on and it will take a while for the weight to come off.

New gym member: How long are we talking here?

Trainer: At two pounds a week, which is safe, it'll probably take eight weeks or so.

New gym member: Two months?

Trainer: Yes, assuming you follow your diet and work out 6 days a week.

New gym member: Can't I just do that juice diet thing and do two or three aerobics classes each night? Wouldn't that make it faster?

Trainer: That's not a healthy approach.

New gym member: I don't care about health. I just want to lose 15 pounds right now.

Trainer: Okay. You're right handed, right?

New gym member: Yes. Why?

Trainer: Since you want to lose the weight right now, I figured we'd just cut off your left arm and get it all done today. How does that sound?



I've had the above conversation a couple of times. It usually helps get the point across that there is a good way and a bad way to lose unwanted weight. However, there are no easy shortcuts.



The worst example of the shortcut approach in the mainstream, besides the obviously anorexic models and actresses, is Subway Jared. I give credit to anyone who makes the effort to be healthy, but he is an example of how to do it all wrong.



Jared lost an enormous amount of weight by eating Subway sandwiches and walking every day. But, if you look closely, Jared is still a pudgy guy. He has no muscle, still has man-boobs, and looks like he has never worked out a day in his life. It's likely he will gain that weight back in the not-too-distant future.



For two meals a day, Jared ate Tubway, I mean Subway, sandwiches. One of the sandwiches had meat but less than 20 grams of protein; the other sandwich was a veggie. The first mistake is eating refined flour, which is what both the white bread and the "wheat" bread at Subway are made from. Refined flour equals high insulin levels, which means no fat burning, which means glycogen (stored sugar) and muscle are burned for energy. The second mistake was not eating enough protein, which means the body breaks down muscle to get the amino acids it needs to maintain normal functions, which means loss of muscle as well as any fat losses.



Most heavy people have a lot of muscle. Think about it -- it takes a lot of strength to carry around 100-200 pounds of extra weight. If you want to maximize fat loss, you maximize the muscle you have. Muscle burns calories to keep itself alive -- fat doesn't. Muscle looks good -- fat doesn't. Pound for pound, muscle takes up much less space than fat. If a 400-pound man lifts weights as part of his effort to lose fat, he will maintain the muscle he has, keep his metabolism elevated, and look a lot better when the fat comes off.



Jared barely ate enough calories to maintain good health. That was his third mistake. If you eat too few calories, your metabolism will slow down because your body thinks it's starving to death and will try to store any calories it gets as fat. In addition to storing those calories, the body will slow all of its metabolic functions to conserve energy. You'll lose more muscle mass and keep your fat stores.



On the other hand, Jared could have gone to the gym two or three days a week in addition to his walking. He could have eaten five or six smaller meals and gotten adequate protein (the more the better -- protein takes more energy to metabolize and provides a greater sense of satiety after meals). He could have ended up with a beach body instead of a soft, pudgy body.



There are no shortcuts to good health. Lift the weights. Do the cardio. Eat a clean, healthy diet (see other posts on this site for info on how to eat well). If you put in the time, make it a lifestyle rather than a torture, and focus your willpower on the goal of a long, healthy life, you can have the body you want. And keep your left arm.