Archive for June, 2010

I am constantly asked the same question over and over “what’s the best exercise to lose fat?”

I am not a personal trainer, dietitian or a nutritionist, the only real credit I have to my name is the fact that I have been within my “healthy weight range” according to my doctor, my entire life. While I believe exercise has many benefits in maintaining cardiovascular health, flexibility, bone and muscle density, but  in terms of fat loss, it seems the results are often greatly exaggerated.

It is far too easy to over-consume energy that counteracts all of the hard work that you put forth at the gym.So how do you lose fat? Well, personally I think the answer is pretty straight forward: Stop eating so much. Instead of working off those extra calories, doesn’t it make sense to not eat them in the first place? (When I say this, I’m not suggesting to starve yourself, just be more conscious of what and how much you put into your body)

There is a ton of advice out there for weight-loss, it seems that everyone has a share of this billion-dollar industry.  There is one common denominator, one thing that all those  “experts” can agree on, and that is “eat less than you burn.” I am not here to tell you what to eat, when to eat it, or stress on what not to eat, every body is different. Make up your own personal set of “rules” to eat less, and tweak them as necessary.

Here are my rules that I live by:

1. Increase the weekly variety of foods (to maximize nutrient intake) but reduce the variety in each individual meal. When you limit your number of options at your meal you get bored quicker and tend to stop eating sooner. This is why I get the fullest at buffets and potlucks where as soon as you get bored of one thing, you move onto another. This can explain why you are always able to eat dessert even if you are stuffed.

2. Drink at least 2-3 liters of water a day, and take in 35 grams of fiber. This ensures that I never confuse hunger with thirst, and the fiber fills you up much better.

3. No snacking. I eat 3 square meals a day (sometimes even 2). Yes this differs from a lot of the nutritional advice currently out there, but my parents, and my grandparents lived by this rule, and people in their time were much smaller than our current population. If I must snack, it will be a piece of fruit or some veggies. I just find it much easier to prevent myself from overeating at 2-3 meals than at 5-6.

Make up your own set of rules or use mine, and change them as needed. I find that the three I have listed has made it very easy to limit my food intake.

Moral of the story: exercise for the pure enjoyment of it, reduce your overall calorie intake to lose the spare tire.