Every bit counts no Matter how Small.

So how do you  lose weight?

Simple, you need to create an energy deficit. In other words, consume less energy than you spend and you’re body has no choice but to burn some bodyfat (after all that’s what it’s there for in the first place).

So how do you create an energy deficit?

1) The easiest is to eat less calories than you burn. This means less calories than your BMR or your daily energy expenditure. Sadly for most people their BMR accounts for all the daily calories burned. (the other things that can burn calories are purposeful exercise and lifestyle activity)

2) Increase your lifestyle activity level. But this only works if you don’t compensate by eating more calories. This is actually tougher than it seems. Most people who have a busier or more active day just end up eating more and erase any weight loss benefit from being more active.

3) Do more exercise (or start exercising). This is different from lifestyle activity because exercise is usually for shorter periods of time and at higher intensity. Again this only works if you don’t compensate by eating more calories.

4) Take a supplement, or coffee, or green tea, or anything that you think will help you stick to your weight loss program. This is likely more of a placebo effect than anything, but going through the ritual of taking a vitamin supplement or a workout supplement might just make it all seem more real and keep you focused.

I have a friend who is successfully losing weight and he takes a different mix of supplements and vitamins every day.

The Ritual of Taking Supplements Might Be More Important than what's in Them.

He doesn’t really care what they’re supposed to do, but the ritual of taking them reminds him to stay on track with his eating and so far he’s doing great dropping 3-5 pounds per week for the past 9 weeks. (can’t say anything he’s doing isn’t working!)

The point is anything that can help you stay on track and focused on your weight loss goal is worth doing. If it means having a special coffee or tea twice a day then go for it. If you think you’d rather have a post workout shake and it helps you avoid overeating in the evening then the post workout shake might be critical to your success.

You’re the only person who knows your weaknesses and barriers when it comes to exercise, weight loss and eating. So once you find a system and ritual that works for you stick with it.

Real weight loss success comes from consistency, and consistency is usually rooted in rituals that make you feel good about the process and that remind you to stay on course.

John

Your Best Size and Shape has a Specific Weight

When someone says they want to lose weight what they’re really saying is that they want to change the look and shape of their body.

Weight loss itself isn’t much of a goal without a specific look that you think it’s going to produce.

In reality everyone that wants to lose weight is really after a specific look.

This simple thought experiment will prove my point.

Imagine an alternate world where weight didn’t add up to size…

In this world imagine someone who is 100lbs overweight, pretty big gut, big butt and big legs, flabby arms and just big all over.

Now imagine they lost 100lbs but their body stayed the same size but simply weighed less. In this imaginary world somehow dieting made you lighter without making you smaller. So your body could weigh 100lbs less but stay the same shape and size?

In this world do you think anyone would be concerned with weight loss? Ever? Not likely.

What they would really want is a way to change the size and shape of their body.

This thought experiment is to show you that ‘weight loss’ isn’t the goal, but rather changing the shape and size of the body is.

It just so happens that in the real world weight and size and shape are all connected, and we all have a specific weight range where we will look our best.

John

The only way to gain weight is to EAT BIG!

If you go to the diet book section of your local book store you’ll find dozens of books with their specific theory on how to lose weight. You’ll find explanation about blood type, parasites, ‘toxins’ (this one drives me nuts…well they all do, but especially this one), glycemic index, hormones, broken metabolism, and all kinds of genetic issues and bad food choices.

So here is an experiment you can do to prove to yourself that weight gain and weight loss is simply calories in vs calories out, and all of this other stuff is meaningless.

If I want you to gain 5 pounds over the next 10 days how would you do it?

Would you?

1) Carefully read through the blood type diet book and eat any of the three blood type diets that weren’t outlined for your type?

2) Read through the book about toxins and parasites and try to get as many parasite infections as possible and fill your body with ‘toxins’ (which by they way they never explain what the eff a toxin is)

3) Try to eat in a specific pattern that wasn’t ‘favorable’ for your fat burning hormones?

4) Try to actually ‘damage’ your metabolism so you were stuck in a mode of storing fat (I can’t even imagine what this would be or how it would be possible)

ORRRRR

5) Would you just eat as much food as possible every day until you gained the requisite 5lbs?

If you answered anything besides 5 please leave this blog and never return, because it’s clear you’ve lost your mind and long since lost your grip on reality.

John

Some people in your life might try to sabotage your weight loss success.

If you’ve decided to lose weight and announced this decision to various friends and family you’ve likely been faced with mixed reactions.

This is because the idea of weight loss hits at a very deep emotional level for just about everyone. This is because it’s a conscious decision to change your body.

Which could also be taken as a open admission that you’re not currently happy/satisfied with your body…otherwise why the hell would you be trying to lose weight.

I think it’s perfectly fine and normal for people to want to strive to change the look/shape of their body. After all, it’s your body, so it’s your right to choose what you’d like to do with it.

When you tell someone you want to lose weight and you get a less than favorable reaction, it’s more than likely that they’ve got a body weight and self perception issue that is causing the negative reaction. It’s not that they’re really don’t want you to lose weight, it’s that if you’re successful it will somehow make them feel worse about themselves.

This is something you need to be aware of if/when you ever set out to lose weight and are looking for some social support.

Choose the people you tell wisely.

I like to call it ‘recruiting your weight loss team’. Some people will be very supportive, while others will be a drag on your progress and make you feel lousy about trying.  If this ever happens just realize that their negativity is not about you, it’s about them.

If you are in the middle of a weight loss program,  I suggest taking an inventory of everyone who is positive and supportive and those that are a drag and negative about it. From there you can either cut back the amount of time you spend with the negative people, cut them out completely, or if they’re really important people ask them to support you no matter how it makes them feel cuz it’s important to you.

Weight loss is tough enough, having anyone around you that is trying to sabotage it will make it almost impossible. It’s your job to be aware of who the likely saboteurs might be and insulate yourself from them.

John

For Most of us a lack of Thyroid Hormone is NOT the cause of weight gain.

Sticking with the hormone theme we’re going to discuss thyroid hormone today based on a request from Lillea.

I’ll try to knock this out in a way that makes sense without leading to more questions but rather leading to at least some sort of understanding.

Thyroid hormones T3 and T4 are released from your thyroid gland (located in your neck) and they affect all cells of your body. They basically tell the cell what pace to work at (this is a very unscientific term but you get the point)

Too much thyroid hormone and your cells start working overtime, this can lead to a whole host of problems including irritability, restlessness, anxiety, hair loss, muscle aches, intolerance to heat, weakness, tremors, hypoglycemia, and many other symptoms, one of them being weight loss.

But any weight loss effect you might get from being hyperthyroid isn’t worth living with the other effects.

In short, it would really suck!

The most common cause is an autoimmune disease known as “graves disease”, a less common cause is an inflammation of the thyroid gland (there are also other even more rare causes that aren’t worth discussing here)

Hypothyroid is the reverse (having low thyroid output) which may also be caused by an inflammation of the thyroid.

Some of the symptoms are fatigue, depression, cold intolerance, muscle cramps, poor muscle tone, osteoporosis, weight gain, water retention.

In summary, hypothyroidism would also suck!

The point being that hormonal manipulation to cause weight loss (in this case thyroid hormone) is likely not a viable option considering all of the other issue it could present.

If you feel like you have a weight problem because of an underactive thyroid this can easily be tested for, and you would likely have many other symptoms as well.

With that said, underactive thyroid is rare and in most people’s cases they’re perfectly healthy and simply eat a bit too much.

So if you REALLY think you have a thyroid problem I suggest doing some simple google type internet research first and then booking an appointment with your physician to get yourself tested if you seem to have the signs and symptoms of thyroid deficiency.

BUT if you make it all the way to getting tested don’t be surprised if your levels are perfectly normal and that most of your signs and symptoms weren’t due to thyroid deficiency but rather an inactive lifestyle.

John

The Battle For Weight Loss Happens In Your Mind.

Yesterdays post seem to resonate with some people, I know I got a higher amount of emails than normal, and I’m sorry if I ruined your dining experience (I’ll leave the name out but you know who you are!) seriously I wasn’t intending to make you feel like you should stop enjoying your pizza

So to the issue. Weight loss is largely a matter of mind over matter. Most diet and fitness marketers will avoid this truth because it is a difficult concept to both sell and accept, but it is the truth.

Anyone who has successfully lost weight can attest to the mental effort that is required. I’m not saying that it is the toughest thing you’ll ever do in your life, but it’s not as easy as some make it out to be.

And the battle is more subtle that you might think, it’s not a matter of dealing with ‘cravings’ or hunger pangs, or even habits of eating at a certain time of day or with certain people.

For many of us it’s a challenge of our belief systems and who we think we really are and what we deserve.

Here is a very powerful quote I heard from someone who was kind enough to share their journal notes with me about their weight loss progress which perfectly illustrates that BELIEF is really at the root of weight loss success or failure:

These were two negative beliefs that she had about herself:

1) “I’m not good enough to lose weight”

2) “I will be lovable when I lose weight”

Put the two together and you get:

“I’m not good enough to be lovable”

How much does that suck?!

With this kind of belief system it will be next to impossible to lose weight. These types of beliefs (no matter how they came about) need to be worked on and changed into a positive a proactive belief (easier said than done, but very doable nonetheless).

This isn’t exactly ‘fun’ work to do, but for some of us (probably most of us) this is where our lack of weight loss success is rooted.

Failing at weight loss isn’t because you haven’t found the right mix of carbs to protein, or the right supplements or workout, it’s that you don’t yet believe you DESERVE weight loss.

So how do you change that belief?!

well…you must work on changing these beliefs, you can do it on your own OR…

…(onto my shameless plug)

Getting to the root of your belief system is part of what we do in my weight loss coaching program. If you want to get off the starting line and make weight loss happen once and for all drop me an email and we can discuss if you’re ready to take the next (or first) step.

John

P.S. Email me at john(at)adoniseffect.com

“I’m starting my weight loss program today”

“I’m back on track…starting today”

Eventuall you have to leave the starting box...

Being in a perpetual starting position is just another way of saying that you’re standing still. You may recognize what I’m saying about those people around you who are always ‘just starting’ something.

But those same people never come back 3-4 months later when they’re ‘finished’ the program.

Sadly for most people they’re forever stuck in the starting blocks. They desperately want to do something, but somehow are frozen in place and can’t get going.

This inability to follow through is not because of a lack of discipline, or a physical inability to get things done…it’s rooted in a belief system.

All of our actions are preceded by a belief. In the case of weight loss or getting in shape many people are stuck with a belief that they simply do not deserve to lose weight or get in shape. As bizarre and contradictory as that sounds this is something people learn and it becomes ingrained into their subconscious over time.

Changing this belief system is the key to getting out of the starting blocks and actually getting into and finishing the weight loss and exercise race.

Changing beliefs like this is what you might call a paradigm shift, and it’s at base of both the Adonis Effect and Eat Stop Eat.

If you haven’t read them I suggest you do, if you already have them, re-read them to remind yourself why you workout and why you at least think twice about how you eat and look.

For those of you who don’t know, I’m going to be offering a coaching program to help get you out of the starting blocks and into the race for both weight loss and muscle building. I’ll be posting more details in the next few weeks, but if you’re interested in getting a gentle nudge (or maybe a good old fashioned kick in the ass) to make your weight loss and fitness dreams a reality I might just have the foot your looking for!

Email me at john(at)adoniseffect.com and we can discuss further.

John

He could stand to lose some weight regardless if its fat or water.

“Weight Loss” is the term most people use to describe their dieting efforts. It’s not uncommon to hear people refer to ‘wanting to lose weight’ or needing to ‘drop a few pounds’. Regardless of what the exact words are, the point is always some sort of reduction in ‘weight’.

Fitness competitors and bodybuilders tend to speak more of ‘fat loss’ or reducing ‘bodyfat’ levels.

Reducing body fat levels will also result in weight loss, but to a bodybuilder there is a distinct difference, and that is the understanding that there is also a certain amount of ‘water weight’ that also must be dropped to get ready for a show.

In both cases overall body weight will be reduced (either from a reduction in body fat or body water).

When you embark on a weight loss program you will likely lose both body water and body fat. There is no need to make a distinction between the two as it is advantageous to both your health and your overall look to reduce both.

It’s not possible or practical to try and divide fat loss from weight loss, and it’s not worth your effort or attention.

Focusing on a reduced calorie diet will take care of both and get you to where you want to go.

John

Who should be eating more and who should be eating less?

I went out for a steak dinner this weekend and like I normally do, I split an entree with my date. We ordered a 10 oz striploin steak with vegetables and a baked potato on the side and started with a soup and some of that awesome house bread that any good steak house always serves.

This one entree split between two people is more than enough food. So we always just order one entree and share it.

The interesting part is when the food actually gets served to us.

The waitress told the kitchen to split the entree in half on two plates…think about that for a second.

They served a 180lbs man the same amount of food as a 120lbs woman. Doesn’t really make sense does it?

This is one of the fundamental problems women face when eating with men…they typically get served the exact same amount of food as the man and may feel some pressure to eat more than they want (or perhaps are tempted to overeat)

This is just another example of the assumption that all people can/should eat the same amount of food as each other (which of course is false)

No matter where you are or who serves you, it’s up to you to decide how much food you will or won’t eat. If you’re the type who will eat all that is served to you, then the easiest thing to do is ask to have less food served. That way you can eat till your plate is clean and still be satisfied that you kept your calories under control.

John

In this episode Meatwad is trying to ‘exercise the fat away’ by power walking. What you don’t see in this clip is the pile of gummy bears he sets out for himself as his target to walk to. Once he arrives at the pile of gummy bears he eats them as a reward for his exercise. (Once again Carl is right on the money with his criticism of meatwads strategy)

As ridiculous as this sounds, this is exactly what many people do who start working out…they reward themselves with food after they complete a workout. This totally defeats the purpose of working out in the first place. (the other day I saw a large woman with a personal trainer, and she was eating a granola bar between her sets in the gym…I can only imagine how absurd the conversation between her and the trainer must have been that allowed a granola bar to become part of the workout)

Back to reality:

The so called ‘health benefits’ of physical activity and exercise are very similar to the health benefits of caloric restriction and the subsequent weight loss that follows.

If you think you can be ‘healthy’ without losing weight you’re missing half or most of the picture. The extra fat mass and added weight itself is a risk factor for many lifestyle diseases and therefore simply being active while eating more food (such that you don’t lose any weight) still does not address the issue of losing body fat (if you have excess bodyfat to lose).

There are many ‘meatwads’ out there who would rather tell themselves the lie that they can eat as much as they want and overcome any ill effects simply by exercising more, but those people will never get the body changing results they really want and likely wont be much ‘healthier’ either.

John