How to Properly Lose Fat (Yes FAT not Weight) in 2017

This article has been contributed by Dan Cap courtesy of www.DCapFitness.com

In this new era of fitness trackers, we have more information than ever when it comes to our health and the good news is that it will get better as technology improves. You can see your current heart rate (or HR) based on your fitness watch or band (accuracy depends on price point and brand) and you can check how many steps you've taken so far in the day among other statistics. Taking steps (literally) is a motivating factor for many who don't have the initial motivation to get up and move. For the average or advanced gym goer, steps don't mean as much because you already have a set routine of how many days and hours you'll spend at the gym and which days you will be taking classes, doing cardio, or hitting the weights.

The primary goal for those just joining or getting back into their fitness routine in 2017 is losing 'weight'. Now the key word there is 'weight'. They use the scale as the determining factor. The scale should be a factor but not the main focus. Try the mirror test. Or try taking a selfie in the mirror daily or weekly and compare it to previous pictures. That will be the true testimonial for yourself. The focus should be on changing body composition. Too many people are married to the thought of losing pounds instead of losing fat and in return because they are stuck on losing pounds, they end up losing muscle along with some fat. Lets get into 'how to lose fat and not muscle'.

Nutrition (or 'diet' as everyone refers to it as) is the majority component when it comes to getting 'in shape' aka losing fat. Focus on the foods that you are eating first and make small tweaks of replacing a bad food or meal with a good one every day and you will notice a difference within a week. The main focus for foods should be for vegetables and protein rich foods. I won't list all the protein rich foods here because we have google for that and some people may be vegetarian but my specific go-to's are fish(cod, salmon, tuna), chicken (grilled with a little seasoning), and eggs (usually 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg). My goal is to aim for 1g per pound of body weight so I will have a whey protein shake right as I wake up. I know I don't eat enough protein in a day to hit my goal so this is the reason I go for a whey shake. Don't overdo it with the shakes and don't have more than 30g of protein at any 1 meal as the body won't absorb all of that and it will get excreted out(essentially you'll be wasting money). Focus on getting protein from actual food vs shakes. But why protein? Protein helps build and repair muscle. If you focus on protein-rich foods first, you are less likely to go for unhealthy foods. Then you'll be on your way to losing fat and building/maintaining muscle strength and toning.

Carbohydrates(carbs) are an interesting factor when it comes to losing fat. Somewhere along the years people, most likely influenced by a celebrity endorsement, went for these low carb or no carb diets because it made them lose weight. So again we go back to the determining factor that most people have(the scale) and not on body composition change. Carbs are good and essential for bodily functions. It's okay to limit them but only to a certain extent. I know personally when I dipped below 100g of carbs per day(I weigh 185), I couldn't think clearly. Low carb diets are known to suck the energy out of you and disrupt your thought process. Carbs are used for energy. When they are not used for energy, they are stored as fat. After going with the lower carb plan for a month or 2 I stopped because it was affecting my work and thought process and just wasn't worth it. These plans are not long term solutions. Intake carbs. If you intake too much, then expend aka workout.

So at this point you're thinking, okay thats great but it's worked for me before. I'm sure it has if you just looked at the scale but did you get a body fat analysis? These diets work short-term, and only if you are looking at the scale. Yes you'll look slimmer in the mirror and to other people but its deceptive. Its not mainly fat you're losing. It does not become a lifestyle change because it is something you can not and should not sustain and it disrupts your mind and body. Carbs are good because they produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate not to get too technical) which is basically the fuel you need to produce force. For those doing resistance (strength) training, this is good for you to have, especially before and after workouts along with approximately 10g of protein. Even if you're not a strength training person, carbs are still good and essential for you. If you're doing cardio, I'd suggest having a very small amount or none before a cardio workout as it uses a different energy system(aerobic) but afterward you can have a few more carbs and also protein. To sum it up, don't neglect carbs.

Fats are also essential. You may think, well why would I put fat in me if I'm trying to lose fat? There are different types of fat both in your body and in food. Read a nutrition label and you'll see the different types of fat under 'Total Fat'. There are good fats and bad fats. I won't dive deep into fats as this can get very detailed but stick with mixed nuts(if there are no allergies), extra virgin olive oil(stay away from fried foods as much as possible, especially when eating at a restaurant), and peanut butter. Fat will also be mixed in with other foods you eat here and there but focus on these for now.

Another factor for losing fat and not muscle would be your workouts. Everyone has their go-to for workouts. Beginners or those who don't know how to use weights properly will flock to the treadmill and either walk or run. Sure the treadmills have their place but you need to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Take a class (this goes for guys too). You'll get a good mixture of cardio and resistance (or strength as most people know it) training within a 45-60 minute window that will make you sweat and most likely sore for the next few days. Classes (including spinning, yoga, and dance) all have their place when it comes to flexibility, strength, weight loss, fun, etc. Mix in 1-2 cardio/resistance days per week along with 1-2 classes a week to get a solid workout week in. Your body will be sore at first but you will become familiar with the movements and will be a regular at the gym in no time, leading to your new lifestyle and a new you!

Buying food at the supermarket and preparing meals ahead of time is the best option for eating healthy. Changing your eating habits and workouts won't be a significant difference in a week where you may think you'll drop 10 pounds and be a model but it's part of a process that leads toward your success. Success is built in steps. It doesn't come overnight or in this case over a week. It is a constant battle. It is a lifestyle. When you become successful at your goal, you will appreciate the battles you had along the way so much more. Break down your big goal into weekly goals and start there. One of the things I preach to my clients is, if you hit a bump in the road and think its just too hard to get to your goal and want to give up, think about if going back to not doing anything will actually be a better option? The answer is always no. So you get back on the yellow brick road and keep going. It's the best option vs sitting back on the couch, watching TV, and staying depressed because you're not where you want to be with your health and fitness. Use your fitness watch/band, get up, keep the HR up, and change yourself!

-Dan

Dan Cap is a Certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach. He can reached for Personal Training, Online Training, or anything health related. Follow him on Facebook or at his website www.DCapFitness.com. Also down his app "DCap Fitness" on the App Store

 

The Road Less Traveled - Fitness and Dieting

MERRIBALLZ ON FITNESS

I don’t even know what to focus on, so here’s a list: hoards of selfies, false advice, fucked up dietary advice, objectification of women, objectification of men, waist training, personal training, body image, judgment, narrow-mindedness, fake versus real, opinions versus fact, me, you , them. What I have written above is called a stream of consciousness and is great when you have a topic in mind but don’t know what theme or idea to work with. As I sat down to write my first fitness post I found myself rambling and jumping all over the place with my ideas, so I deleted everything and instead just typed out several topics I will eventually cover in my fitness related posts. True to my libra nature I have the tendency to pass judgment severely in all aspects of my life.

 Growing up, I have become conscious of this part of my personality and have been making a big effort to become well researched and informed before forming my ideas and opinions. In regard to fitness, I have learned that my journey and experience is only relevant to me. My methodology may be useless to one person and extremely helpful to another. I cannot emphasize how important staying true to yourself is when it comes to body image and fitness. Fitness isn’t only about having physical strength and an aesthetically pleasing figure. One must have a happy and healthy mind as well . To begin, I will give that generic “My fitness journey” story so anyone reading this can have an outline of where I’m coming from. Generic as it is, this will help readers as well as myself with organizing future thoughts and arguments.

As a child I was always skinny and never applied any energy or thought to physical fitness. My mom was a homemaker who was always there to make my family healthy home-cooked meals. Growing up I learned to love everything. I had my favorite fruits and vegetables and always loved beef, chicken and especially seafood. I also developed a huge sweet tooth. My mom is a MEAN baker so I always had fresh cookies and cakes to choose from for my dessert. My lifestyle was very active. Growing up before iphones and ipads I had to… GASP! PLAY OUTSIDE!! Dodgeball, manhunt, and street hockey were my favorites and I would spend all day with my friends running all over the neighborhood. Going into high school I started buying lunch and started some less healthy eating habits. I lived on soda, bacon and cheese bagels, and sweets, however I still had an active lifestyle dancing and walking 2 miles a day to and from school. When I went to college things began to change.

 My freshman year I developed seasonal depressive disorder because I was living in Syracuse, NY which is very cold and dark from November to April. I spent most of my time sleeping and would only get up to stuff my face with unhealthy cheap foods. When I wasn’t sleeping or eating, I was drinking like a fish. When I transferred to school in New Orleans I was much happier, but still eating like shit and partying all weekend. My “fitness life” started at about age 20. My mentality was “I want a 6-pack.” Ughh… So I started as I think most young women do, running on the elliptical and doing some crunches. I lost some weight over the summer going into my senior year, but gained it back quickly when I returned to New Orleans for school. With the help from some friends I discovered my love for weights. Starting with the basics I was curling 8 lb dumbells and doing lightweight tricep pull downs along with my elliptical bullshit. I started eating really well and learned how to deadlift.

I had a crazy 3 hour gym routine involving weights, abs, cardio, stretching and sauna time, followed by a healthy post-work out meal. My body was finally starting to look great… and then 2 things happened. I got back together with the love of my life just in time for Mardi Gras season. The party that year was great , but when it ended my routine was fucked. I would finish class and instead of hitting the gym would go and spend the night in bed with my man smoking weed and watching TV with some burgers and fries. Upon graduating another depression hit. What was I doing with my life? What would become of my relationship now that we were apart? So I came home and drank, smoked and ate my feelings away and throwing all my progress out the window. When I saw the photos from my annual Montauk vacation with my friends I was pissed. What the hell happened? This is when I became obsessed. I started following a lot of “fitness girls” on facebook and looked at their posts as my bible. I started all kinds of crazy dieting. Not eating any bread made me a psychopath. Protein pancakes were gross. But I still forced myself into these other people’s diet plans hoping my body would look like theirs. THE WORST MENTALITY EVER! However, my weight training improved as I became more informed and soon I cut out cardio all together and focused on the weights.

I started to love how my body was looking, but my mind was still unstable. Eventually I unfollowed all those “fitness girls” and started making decisions for me. The process was slow but soon I found a way to balance my love for sweets and comfort food with healthy options. This was long process I won’t go into on this post, but I learned dieting was a personal thing you have to do WITH your body not AGAINST your body. Wanting to look like someone else wasn’t working for me. Last year I started dancing again which has proven to be the best way for me to be healthy. Not only does it work my body physically, but mentally as well. I dove headfirst into ballet, contemporary, west African and other styles of dancing. I have re-kindled my true love and have never been more content with my body and mind.

My fitness journey is on its 5th year and had a lot of ups and downs. Besides figuring out your diet, injuries, heartbreak, and stress have a big impact on physical fitness. Your journey has to be all about YOU which is a huge challenge this day and age with influences from friends, family and social media most of all. It really is a challenge to stay on track but anything that knocks you down will make you stronger if you choose to learn instead of lament. My next posts about fitness will be targeted toward certain topics so please feel free to comment something you would like me to write about. I will do my best to be objective, but certainly be prepared to hear some ranting and raving as I find many aspects of fitness culture to be extremely problematic.

~~MERRI BALLZ~~