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It's time to see results!
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September 14, 2009
It’s easy to get discouraged when you first start an exercise program (and sometimes even when you’ve been at it awhile…). You struggle to fit a workout somewhere in your busy day, to eat well when your business meeting serves pizza, and to continue this for weeks and sometimes months without seeing the scale budge. And you’re not alone – we all (yes, me included!) struggle to see results from all this seemingly unrewarding effort.
Seeing results is key when you start a weight loss program. You want to know that your hard work is doing something for your body, bringing you at least a few steps closer to your goals. The secret to seeing these results is knowing where to look for them – because you won’t find them on that dreaded scale.
Weight Loss ReDefined
In order to see results, you have to first understand how weight loss works. It’s not simply about losing body fat, although we wish it were that simple. Your number one goal with a weight loss program is honestly not weight loss – it’s really about restructuring your body. When you do this, the pounds will naturally follow… but it takes time. And at least initially, this restructuring won’t show any change on your scale. You are losing fat and building muscle simultaneously, so you must choose an analysis method that will track these types of changes.
The Secret…
The secret to seeing results from the beginning is body composition analysis. Your body composition is your body’s ratio of fat to lean muscle mass. And there are all kinds of ways to measure this, including circumference measurements, bioelectrical impedance, and skin calipers. The important thing to know about all of these methods is that they will show you immediate results from your efforts, as opposed to those ominous scale readings. Plus, body composition measurements serve as excellent goal-setting tools. Instead of aiming for a goal “weight” (which may be unrealistic for your body type), you can shoot for a specific body fat percentage or waist circumference. These measurements are more specific and more attainable – and you can continue to measure every few weeks as your workouts progress.
How To Track Your Fat Loss
Although some methods of body comp analysis require expensive equipment, there are several you can do for yourself right at home. The artcile links below will address both body fat percentage and circumference measurements in more detail, outlining what numbers you should look for and how to calculate the values for yourself.
Do-It-Yourself Body Composition Measurements
Your Guide to At-Home Body Fat Analysis
May 1, 2009
This article is the last strategy in my weight loss series, “10 Ways to Make Weight Loss Work for You.” I hope you found some useful advice, and were able to share your own tips and weight loss routines in the comments section.
 Weight loss is a slow process, and depending on how much you’d like to lose, it can take a long time. I’m dedicating this last article to the principles of patience and persistence, because you just can’t succeed in losing weight without these attributes.
Goal-Setting to Stay on Track
This is one reason goal-setting is so important. Before beginning your weight loss journey, take a minute to write down what your goals are – whether it’s a particular weight or dress size, or a race you’d like to complete, or simply having enough energy to play with your kids on the playground. Write down as many goals as you can think of.
Now take another piece of paper and write down ALL the reasons you want to lose weight. Some of these might be similar to your goals, but this list will encompass a lot more about why you’re seeking to change your lifestyle. Again, write down as many as you can think of and keep the list accessible because you’ll want to add more as you think of them over the next few months.
This second list is my favorite simply because it can give you the patience and persistence to reach your goals. Since weight loss is such a long process, you will most likely hit more than one obstacle along the way and think about giving up. At these points, it is absolutely critical to have something to remind you of all the reasons you began this process in the first place and how far you’ve already come. Any tricks you can find to keep yourself motivated will work too. Some people like to take circumference measurements (waist, hip, chest, arm, thigh, and calf) and body fat percentages along the way to track their progress; others take before and after pictures of themselves for motivation.
Being Realistic With Yourself
It is important to be prepared for what is to come along this journey, and that includes dispelling unrealistic expectations. Often (quite honestly, TOO often) I see clients get discouraged early on in their weight loss efforts and give up entirely – all based on what they see on the scale. I can tell you from personal experience and from coaching hundreds of people through this process: it can take 8-12 weeks for you to see any change on the scale when you first start a weight-loss program (that’s two or three months of a stationary weight despite all your calorie counting and working out!).
I know what you’re thinking – why bother, right? What’s the point of putting in all that effort if it’s not doing anything? But it IS doing something – you just can’t see it yet. I promise! Remember when I said that the point of weight loss shouldn’t be just to cut calories, but to change your body? That’s what the initial changes are. If you haven’t exercised consistently for a few years, then your body is going to be in for a shock those first few months. It will be working hard to adjust to this new energy expenditure. And if you’re including some strength training, as you should, you’ll be building muscle too (which could also add a few pounds to your frame, but don’t worry about that – remember you want muscle because it will help you burn the fat you want to get rid of!).
So here’s what you can expect (in general; remember, every person’s body is different):
Weeks 1-12: These first two or three months will feel like a lot of work. During the first couple of weeks you might feel like you’ve been hit by a bus if you’re doing all the exercise I suggested. Don’t worry – that will pass after the first month and in its place you’ll find you have more energy all the time. Have someone take your circumference measurements, and check them again every four weeks. This is where you’ll see the initial changes – in inches lost. You’ll also feel different – stronger, fitter, tighter, and your clothes will start to loosen on you even if the scale says you’re the same weight. The first months include a lot of internal changes, so focus your mind on all the positive changes you’re making in your life, how you feel, and the goals you’re working towards. Don’t pay attention to the scale!
Weeks 13-24: The next three months will be where you start to see the scale go down. At this point, you can expect a weight loss of around 1-2lbs per week, depending on your daily calorie deficit. Your circumference measurements will continue to decrease and your clothes will fit looser. You’ll begin to see the difference on your body. Your strength will have increased significantly if you’ve been including strength training exercises in your program. By the end of six months, other people will begin to notice your weight loss. This is actually the part that takes the longest, so be patient – it might be hard for other people to notice all your hard work until you’ve lost a significant amount of weight.
The bottom line is that eating well and working out is a lifestyle, not a quick fix, so patience and persistence are key. The scale will drop in time and by then you’ll have found a thousand other ways fitness has positively influenced your life. Be proud of all the work you are putting into your body and your health, and pay attention to all the ways your new habits are improving your life!
April 29, 2009
 In “The Only Math You Need to Know,” I talked about creating a daily calorie deficit. Specifically, in order to lose 1 pound per week you need to create a deficit of 500 calories each day. Exercise is really the most powerful tool to do this. Working out expends energy and, in order to expend that energy, your body needs to burn calories (usually sugar and fat). Could you lose weight simply by cutting 500 calories from your diet without working out? Sure. If you’re creating a deficit, you’ll lose weight – no matter how it’s done.
Changing Your Body
But weight loss is not about getting down to a certain clothing size or a number on the scale (although that’s often what goals are structured around unfortunately). It’s really about restructuring your body – about building a system that not only works more efficiently, but processes food and burns calories in a way that keeps you from gaining the weight back. Sure, you can lose weight through diet alone, but I guarantee you that weight will come back just as quickly as you lost it. And often you end up worse off than you were before you started losing weight. This is a vicious cycle that many people get caught up in – often termed “yo-yo dieting”.
The addition of exercise does more than increase your calorie deficit. Exercise is the mechanism by which you can change your body.
Here’s how it works: There are three main components of exercise – strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular work. Flexibility should always be a part of your exercise program, but for the purpose of this discussion I’m going to assume you include some stretching after your workouts and leave it at that. Strength training and cardiovascular exercise are the two components I’ll focus on for weight loss.
The Cardio Component
Cardiovascular exercise is aerobic activity (think running, walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, skiing, hiking, etc). People usually engage in these types of activities to burn calories and because they enjoy them. But cardiovascular exercise can improve your health on so many other levels beyond weight loss.
Here are just a few of those benefits:
- Reduced blood pressure.
- Reduced total cholesterol.
- Reduced body fat.
- Reduced depression symptoms.
- Reduced resting heart rate.
- Reduced incidence of some cancers.
- Increased HDL cholesterol (the “good” kind).
- Increased heart function.
- Increased oxygen consumption & blood flow to active muscles.
- Increased utilization of fat.
- Prevention of type-II diabetes.
For weight loss, I would suggest 45-60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 3-4 days per week. Any activity that is sustained for this period of time and keeps your heart rate up around 65-80% of your maximum heart rate will help you burn calories and reap the benefits listed above.*
The Strength Component
I’ve written before about strength training (“4 Reasons Why You Should Be Strength Training”) and its significant benefits, both for weight loss and for restructuring your body. Here’s a clip from that article:
Your muscles are what carry out many of the metabolic reactions that burn sugar and fat stores for energy. Want to lose weight? Increase the percentage of lean muscle mass you have on your body, and you’ll be burning more calories per day – even while you’re sleeping!
Increasing your muscle mass is accomplished with strength training. By adding weight training and toning exercises to your routine, you’ll be burning calories while you build muscle. And the more muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn each day – which really means that as you lose weight and change your body, it will get progressively harder for you to gain that weight back! That is the key right there, and it’s the reason why so many people can’t successfully maintain their weight. They haven’t fundamentally changed their body.
Putting It All Together
For weight loss, I would suggest 30-60 minutes of total body strength training 2-3 non-consecutive days per week. Combined with your cardio work, your exercise schedule would look something like this:
Monday 50 minutes Cardio
Tuesday 40 minutes Strength Training
Wednesday 50 minutes Cardio
Thursday 40 minutes Strength Training
Friday 50 minutes Cardio
Saturday 60 minutes Cardio
Sunday Rest
It’s important to allow yourself at least one day off each week, to let your body recover from the stress of exercise. Strength training, especially, requires a recovery period, which is why I say schedule your weight training on non-consecutive days. After these training sessions, your muscles need time to synthesize proteins and build strength back up, which typically takes about 48 hours.
Adding exercise to your weight loss program will not only help you in reaching your calorie deficit, it will improve your ability to utilize and burn fat and reduce your risk of many diseases. You will be more successful in keeping the weight off – and let’s face it, you’re working hard to lose that weight! Don’t set yourself up to fail by neglecting the most important part of weight loss – exercise.
*If you are just beginning an exercise program, are recovering from an injury or illness or are over 65, start with 20-30 minutes of cardio activity at an intensity of 40-65% maximum heart rate and gradually build up to higher levels.
For more on weight loss strategies: “10 Ways to Make Weight Loss Work for You.”
Resources:
Bryant, Cedric X., and Daniel J. Green, eds. ACE Personal Trainer Manual, 3rd ed. San Diego: American Council on Exercise, 2003.
March 23, 2009
You’ve heard it before: Calories In – Calories Out = lbs lost or gained. But if weight loss is really as simple as this equation suggests, why aren’t more of us actually losing weight?
Why is the process of weight loss so difficult?
The Calorie Defined
Let’s start with the source of it all: the calorie. You can think of a calorie as energy. Your body needs to digest food in order to fuel its many cellular processes, and the energy released during these processes is calories burned.
So here’s the math:
1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
1 gram of fat = 9 calories
 You can see that fat contains more than double the number of calories per gram that carbohydrates or protein do. What does this mean? It means that by eating a fatty item like peanut butter (1 tbsp), you pack over 200 calories into your body. You could eat 2 ½ apples for that same amount of calories! The term for this is calorie-dense. Nuts, butter, red meat, and most dairy products are ALL calorie-dense. When you are trying to lose weight, you need to get as much nutrition for as few calories as you can – the biggest bang for your buck so to speak. Because fats are naturally so calorie-dense, you really have to watch your portions on these food products when you are trying to cut back on calories. This fact stands no matter how “healthy” the food is.
Now getting back to the math: One pound of fat = 3500 calories. Just one! (Think about how many pounds you’d like to lose, and you get a picture of the kind of numbers you’re up against.) As overwhelming as that figure may seem, it is possible to lose those pounds with no tricks, no magic pills… just simple math. Seriously.
How Many Calories Do You Need?
To determine how many calories you need per day, you must first calculate your basal metabolic rate, or BMR (the number of calories your body needs per day in order to maintain its basic functions). This first calculation equates to about 60-70% of the total calories you burn in a day.
For women, your BMR =
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)
For men, your BMR =
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)
Example:
35-yr-old female, 5’4” tall, weighs 150lbs
655 + (4.3 x 150) + (4.7 x 64) – (4.7 x 35)
655 + 645 + 300.8 – 164.5 = 1436 calories/day
Next you need to account for the other 30-40% of your daily activities – everything from brushing your teeth and walking to your car to your workouts and cooking dinner. Decide which activity level you fall under for an “average” day (as shown below), and multiply your BMR by this figure.
Sedentary: BMR x 1.2 (little or no exercise, mostly sitting)
Light activity: BMR x 1.375 (light exercise, 1-3 days per week)
Most people will fall in these first two categories.
Moderate activity: BMR x 1.55 (moderate exercise, 4-5 days per week)
Vigorous activity: BMR x 1.725 (vigorous exercise, 6-7 days per week)
Extreme activity: BMR x 1.9 (DAILY competitive sports training, marathoner, etc. or a VERY physical job)
Once you have chosen your individual activity level (be honest with yourself!) and done the math, multiply the new figure by 0.1 (10%). This last 10% accounts for digestion and the regulation of body heat, both of which require energy to complete. Let’s use the same example from above:
Example:
35-yr-old female, BMR = 1436 calories/day, light activity
1436 x 1.375 = 1974.5 calories/day
1974.5 x 0.1 = 197.45
Now add them together:
1974.5 + 197.45 = 2172 calories/day
This female requires 2172 calories/day to maintain her weight.
NOTE: Age is factored into the BMR equation because calorie needs decrease every year past the age of 20. So this particular female needs 2172 calories/day this year, but will have to recalculate her needs as she ages and if she gains or loses weight.
Weight Loss Formulas
Now look at a weight loss of 1 lb per week: a realistic goal, especially when first beginning a weight loss program. The idea is to take those 3500 calories you need to lose and divide them up over the course of the week. Essentially, you’re creating a daily calorie deficit. 3500 calories /7 days = 500 calories/day. So in order to lose 1 lb/week, you would need to create a deficit of 500 calories each day.
Five hundred calories per day – that sounds attainable, right? Well it is. But it still takes a LOT of work to achieve, especially on a daily basis. Think about what you’ve been doing so far to lose weight. Do you think you’ve been cutting out 500 calories every day? If you aren’t burning 500 calories in the gym every day (and you shouldn’t be – your body needs at least one day off each week), then your calorie deficit needs to come from your diet. This is almost ALWAYS the hardest part for my clients.
Counting Your Calories
As tedious as it might seem, keeping a food diary is the absolute best way to check your calories. Don’t worry – I’m NOT telling you to diet. As much as you think you know what you’re eating, I guarantee you’ll be surprised by the portions and/or number of calories you’re consuming. Items like butter, sugar, and other condiments can add a significant amount of calories to your meals, and you are less likely to notice them (or count them) if they’re not recorded. Likewise, serving sizes are very frequently underestimated. For example, start measuring your peanut butter and pasta – I bet you’re eating more than you think! (One serving of pasta is ½ cup; peanut butter is 1 tbsp, not 2).
Try keeping a food log for just two weeks at first. A good resource to try: www.dietpower.com. This software program includes an extensive food and exercise database, calculates the number of calories you should be consuming, and gives you a daily “grade”. They also offer a free 15-day trail too, so you can do your 2-week food log experiment at no cost! There are lots of free phone applications and websites that are useful as well.
Making Sure You’re In The Negative
Of course, your calorie deficit should come from a combination of decreased caloric intake and increased exercise. Exercising 45-60 minutes five or six days a week will help you burn calories to reach your daily deficit goal. Using two to three of those days for strength training will increase your metabolism, so you’ll burn more calories no matter what you’re doing! Strength training is so important for weight loss because it actually re-structures your body, making you more efficient at burning fat in the long run. Learn more on the benefits of strength training.
In the end, slow, steady weight loss is the healthiest way to approach your goals. This method will ensure the habits you develop stay in place. Remember that this is a lifestyle change, not a fad. Define your goals in the beginning and be realistic about how long it will take you to get there. It’s a good idea to aim for a loss of 1-2 pounds per week like in the examples. If you lose more than that you could end up losing lean muscle mass rather than fat, which ultimately lowers your metabolism (very bad!). Weight loss takes patience and persistence, but when you know the facts and stick with it, you’ll not only reach your goals – you’ll develop healthy habits that will stay with you for the rest of your life!
For more articles on weight loss, try “10 Ways to Make Weight Loss Work for You.”
Resources:
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, http://mypyramid.gov/guidelines/index.html
DietPower 4.4 software program, www.dietpower.com
NOTE: There are also a number of apps for your iPhone, iTouch, and other devices that allow you to look up calorie amounts when you’re out at a restaurant or track your calories for the day. Sadly, I can’t recommend any since I don’t have an iPhone – I know, I know, I’m behind the times… That being said, does anyone have application suggestions?
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