• Here is the short and sweet answer to losing your last five, or 100+ lbs of body fat…get off your butt and move. It’s all cardio baby!

People are always asking, how can I lose weight? Isn’t there a pill I can take? Didn’t I hear Dr. so and so say something about this diet or that diet? And, many, many doctors, writers, and personal trainers have absolutely cashed in on your confusion. The supplement industry is now up there with porn in billion dollar a year sales. But, we openly talk about fitness. So, why is there so much confusion.? Isn’t science a clear solution to our questions? Why even have research and science, if all we have in the end is confusion?

Okay, let me start by cutting down The Biggest Loser way of losing weight. All I have to do is say this, “safety first.” There you go. Safety is not first for the Biggest Loser. It, as far as I’ve seen since they started the program, is getting better. What makes for a reality t.v. smash hit is not what always makes for a healthy approach to how WE take on our individual fitness needs. I’ll say one more thing, an example, that is clear to what I mean. On the last airing of The Biggest Loser that I watched, there was a 60+ aged gentleman who was clearly sedentary and out of shape. He hadn’t been in the gym, he needed to lose a lot of pounds. What do you think The Biggest Loser genius’ had these poor folks do on their FIRST taping and their first time in the gym? They literally looked at them and told them to go work out, without training supervision, just to give them a taste (and entertainment for the viewers, clearly.) Even after the editing, it was disgusting. This poor senior had to be shipped off to the hospital and eventually left the show. Duh. And, this show is supposed to be the ‘example’ for America to follow to better health, no way. The trainers, I’m sure, knew better then, and know better, but they are bound by the shows dictation and entertainment value. It makes me angry to see. And, if you go back into the shows history, you will find an episode where the male trainer, Bob, states that he had went back and talked to the previous winners and they had all put their weight back on…why? How could this be?

I will give it to you straight: The Biggest Loser works for losing weight because they make people work their butts off, in cardio, in weights, and in their nutrition with a closed set and personal chef’s. I would like that, wouldn’t you? But, the reality is that only the wealthiest of our country can afford to do that. And, of those, many do not attempt to become healthy, but instead buy $100,000 cars while driving around in a $2 body.

First, get moving. And, quit eating & drinking crap. It’s literally that easy.

I have heard so many excuses over the last ten years, that I do not accept any except for those verifiable emergencies like, “I went to the hospital”, or “I can’t make it because my car is getting towed.”

• Okay, so what about this pill I heard about? Does it work? Oh’, you mean a M.D. put his stamp on it so it must work, right?! Not even close. Any company can pay a doctor to promote their product. Don’t buy into the propaganda. And, this is where it gets confusing for most people. “Well, Dr. Weil says..,” or “Deepak Chopra says..,” or “My friend, who is a nurse (or trainer) says…” and of course there is, “I’ve tried this and it works!”

The fact is that scientists are still working out the facts. We don’t know for sure. That is why we hear warnings about supplements all of the time. Epinephrine caused some issues, for example (deaths), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and physicians put out stern warnings against their possible effects. There have not been enough long-term or short-term studies performed to either prove or disprove most all supplements. My thought on supplementation and/or pills (except for a regular multi-vitamin) should be treated or thought of by you, like this; You are the guinea pig. If you choose to take whatever supplement, know that you are the guinea pig. If you get ill, die, or get results that you seek, your testing of these products will serve in the future as the SCIENCE and FACTS behind these products. They are on our shelves today, but your use will serve as the research by people like me. Now, do you want to be a guinea pig? Not me. But, the choice is yours.

• What about a diet? Surely those work, look at all the testimonials! Gluten-free this and no carbohydrates (carbs) that…or Atkin’s this or South Beach that. Ultimately, if it works for you to get a better body and over all a more healthy approach to living…isn’t that the goal? Who cares which diet is the catalyst for you to get to living better? I can write a novel why Atkin’s is bad for you. And why Weight Watchers has some good value… but in reality, what is the importance of this? The method is not very important in the big picture. What is important, however, is, you guessed it, “SAFETY!” Who’s the guinea pig?

Before I get real direct about food and nutrition, let me put up this disclaimer: Every body is different. We may all look like we are similar. We have similar attitudes, likes, dislikes and such. But internally, we are very different. Genetics gets the Gold Star for that one. And, our DNA. That is why the medical field is referred to as “the medical practice.” It’s practice. If one thing doesn’t work, you got it, let’s try something different. It took me years of research to realize the facts about exercise and food. And, I’m still learning to tailor nutrition programs and exercise programs for different individuals. It is an ongoing science that is alive and must be modified as time goes on. The Biggest Loser cookie cutter approach to fitness is not reality. If all it took was a cookie cutter to make everyone the same healthy person, we wouldn’t have questions.

So what do you do? Quit eating garbage and get off your butt and make time for exercise and planning meals. Have you ever done that? Have you put exercise as a requirement in your day planner? What about meals? Have you ever planned a whole day’s food in advance? If not, you had better get started. I knew a doctor who used to say, “All these fat asses need to do is quit stuffing their faces with shit and get out and exercise to lose their fat, instead they want me to prescribe them medicine” or something to that affect! I would put it that way, but that is a little harsh for most people ’cause we are sensitive like that. Sure, we can tell people today that we don’t want their nasty cigarettes around us, but say something as insensitive about someone’s weight, and look out! It can almost be like bringing up politics, religion, or abortion. I think it’s getting better, but our overweight and unhealthy lifestyles must change. Our life expectancy, and that of our children, especially, depends on it.

Finally, what about the personal trainer who tells you that you must work with weights to get lean and trim. Nope, not true. You actually do not even have to touch a weight. You see, your body, though it may be hiding your muscle under a layer or layers of fat, is there! It is present! Phew, isn’t that a relief?! For some, it will be. So, don’t suffocate yourself thinking that the only way to lose weight and get muscles is to hit the Arnold Schwarzenegger stacked weight gym to do it. Sorry Bally Total Fitness, sorry 24 Hour Fitness, LA Fitness, Gold’s Gym, etc.

• What do you do, then, to melt away that body fat to expose your built muscle? See first the nutrition bit above, and then get moving. It is cardio activity that will burn the most calories for you to get you to where you want to be. Simple equation really. You get up and move, calories burn and body fat drops. Your body must be taxed MORE than what you are used to doing in everyday life, however. This is the principle known as “overload.” You tax your body with more than it’s used to, and it HAS TO change. Oh’, there’s that science again… You all know the Subway guy Jared right?! What did he do, for example? Everyone knows. He got up off his duff, walked, and ate a mostly healthy sandwich every day. That was a marked difference from how he was living, so over time, his body was forced to change. See my article in diets and exercise, The Subway Diet.

This is where the personal trainers get upset at me. Why? Well because it contradicts what they tell people, and their clients. But you see, that is their living. If you don’t lift weights, what will they do? Will they run beside you on the treadmill for an hour? Or walk around the block with you? Maybe, but unlikely. So what will weights do for you? Why are they even around? Weights and gyms came to be, in large part, due to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thank you Arnold! Back in the 1900’s (remember them?) we actually plowed fields and worked on farms. We didn’t have heaters and coolers to keep us warm and cool, so our bodies were forced to do what? Burn calories to keep us warm and to cool us via sweating. In our contemporary “new” world, gyms provide a way for us to make our bodies get similar types of training to keep us fit.

Okay, time to back the trainers off--Here is my disclaimer about weights: Yes, weights are very important! They will challenge your bones and joints. They will keep your muscles strong and make you stronger. They will get you looking more trim and fit (once you lose the body fat.) There is literally no substitute for weights when it comes to strength and ultimate conditioning. But for pure weight loss, it can be on the back burner, until you get your body into decent shape.

• Well, you say, what about the fact that the body is more efficient at burning calories when you work with weights because with more muscle your body is burning more calories everyday so therefore you should work with weights to get that extra calorie burn? Yes, okay, you’re right! But, and I mean BUT the % is very tiny. Negligible in fact. Not worth the thought, even. Science shows that you do increase your calories burned by adding more muscle, but for weight loss, it really doesn’t matter. It just doesn’t. Hey, I told this to my clients for years before I learned the real truth, so if you are a trainer and you wish to tout this still, yes it is true, but c’mon.

Yes, I went to college and I have a degree. So for those of you that want some of the science on this, here you go: Dr. Cedric Bryant, from the American Council on Exercise, answers quite nicely:

• “Question: One of the more common perceptions in some fitness circles is that strength training individuals lose weight because one pound of muscle can burn approximately 30-50 calories per day. Is this claim valid?
• Answer: It is true that muscle in its resting state is similar to an idling engine and burns energy (fuel) in the form of calories. However, according to reputable scientific research conducted on the subject, the actual number of calories burned by a pound of resting muscle in a day is considerably less than 50.
• In fact, the caloric expenditure that can be attributed to lean muscle mass is not very significant. For example, muscle tissue has been observed to burn roughly seven to 10 calories per pound per day, compared to two to three calories per pound per day for fat. Therefore, if you replace a pound of fat with a pound of muscle, you can expect to burn only approximately four to six more calories a day. Given the fact that the average person who strength trains typically gains approximately 3 to 5 pounds of muscle mass over a period of three to four months, the net caloric effect of such a training regimen is very modest-only 15 to 30 calories per day (the equivalent of a few potato chips).
• Despite the limited calorie-burning potential of muscle, strength training should be an integral part of any exercise program aimed at weight management. Here are just a few of the weight management-related benefits of strength training:
• Helps to prevent or minimize the loss in lean body mass that is typically a by-product of dieting.
• Burns calories (i.e., a modest caloric expenditure of approximately 150 calories per average 30-minute training session.
• Strength training favorably affects an individual's overall body composition, resulting in a greater proportion of lean tissue relative to fat tissue. This training adaptation helps to enhance both functional performance capabilities and physical appearance.
• Source: Dr. Cedric Bryant, ACE's Chief Science Officer, Mar/Apr 2006.” *1

In closing, I will say this; you can lose weight! And you will with effort. It takes effort, you must exert yourself. There are medical conditions in some people, like thyroid, that are legitimate body issues that cause weight loss to not occur or to be limited. There are also medicines and such that make you add weight too. You should consult a physician and get a clearance for exercise, and one that is physically active himself, would help. Also, most of us find that we can’t get the motivation to get ourselves up to get moving. This is where paying a trainer to make sure you get off your butt comes in useful. And, as you lose weight, you will have proper instruction on how to use those great weights. Be sure you have a certified trainer, and not some young kid that was “made” a trainer by the gym or his buddies. There are several nationally recognized certifications you can easily find on a basic search using Google or Yahoo. You can also find groups on Craigslist that meet for free. Depending on others to keep you consistent, is important.

I am passionate about fitness and health. I aim to give you solid direct information that will clear up the daily concerns you may have in your exercise and nutrition. Now, get off your duff and make calorie burn happen baby! Thank you for your time and attention! Your votes do count too!