Yes, we have all heard of how to achieve rapid weight loss. “Exercise for just 8 minutes a day and lose 20 pounds in 4 weeks!” Claims like this have been around for many years. You buy this junk contraption and get incredible results for only $19.95! Or buy this $2000 cardio equipment and the weight will melt away! Let’s be realistic here. Do you really think losing weight is that easy? If it were, everyone would be in great shape and the obesity epidemic would be nil. Sure, some of these things will work, but the results will be limited.
The real question with popular home gym equipment is how well it is built. They are certainly not as durable as the commercial equipment at your local gym. What many of these companies rely on is the fact that you will wear it for 8 weeks or less and then turn it into a hanger.
Sorry, I got a bit off topic. Let’s get back to the heart of the matter. Rapid weight loss is not achieved with a small level of commitment, popping a pill or using only a specific piece of equipment. It’s a factor of a lot of hard work, discipline, the right nutrition strategy, and possibly some form of supplementation.
I said it there. No, I am not going to tell you that it is easy and it will come with little time and effort. This seems to be the “American way” with everything we do in life. Unfortunately, very little results will be achieved by following any quick weight loss strategy. I’ve mentioned the following before, but I think they may need to be reviewed one more time.
Fat Loss Program Needs
1. Weight Training – This is probably the biggest area of concern besides nutrition. If you understand anything about the human body, you know that efficiency is of the utmost importance. This is the “survival mechanism” and it applies greatly to weight loss efforts.
For example, let’s say you’ve started a calorie-restricted diet. This tells the body to use its energy stores (fat) and minimizes energy use (muscle). Without weight training, the body will break down muscle tissue due to its high energy cost. In turn, this will slow down your metabolism and cause your results to eventually level off. Lost muscle mass, JASP!
2. Nutrition – Definitely the most important aspect of a fat loss program. If you eat too much food, you will need a lot of exercise to lose weight. I’m talking about a 24/7 issue with minor improvements made. Therefore, it makes sense to reduce/control caloric intake.
This can be achieved through popular nutrition strategies like Adkins, The Zone, South Beach, Low Fat High Carb, etc. Understand, however, that rapid weight loss will not and should not happen. The goal should be around 1 to 4 pounds per week, depending on body composition and body weight. Any more than that and chances are you’ll be losing muscle and a lot of body water.
My personal belief is that the quality of the food must be addressed first. This means minimizing processed foods and going back to more natural sources. After this, I discovered that the overweight population does not take well with carbohydrates. This is especially true as the day progresses. Nutritionists call this “nutrient time.”
The body is better able to utilize carbohydrates earlier in the day when testosterone levels are higher. As the day progresses, levels drop and carbohydrates are more easily stored as fat. In people with higher amounts of body fat, this window is even smaller. YUCK!
3. ESD – This is also a very important area that needs to be addressed. For fat loss, energy must be consumed through activity. Unfortunately, in this technological age, this cannot be achieved through ADLs or Activities of Daily Living. We work in jobs where sitting is dominant and cars provide any and all means of transportation. Many also rely on steady state cardio methods, whereas I tend to believe that relying on higher intensity activities like sprinting and intervals will produce faster results.
4. Complementation: There is a tendency to rely too much on complements when undertaking such an objective. They are just what their name suggests, a supplement to your diet program. In other words, going on a shitty diet with tons of supplements will get you nowhere!
Some supplements I recommend that research has found to help with exertion include: fish oil, post-workout shakes, a multivitamin, and possibly some type of stimulant.
I hope you don’t fall for the tricks to lose weight fast and realize that it will take time and energy to get where you want to be. Go to a gym and get to work!