How do I lose my arm or stomach flab?
I think I get asked this question more than any other
question in my professional career! My wife alone has asked me this question
about fifty times and she is always dissatisfied with the answer. It’s a simple
answer to a simple question that people usually don’t want to hear. This is my
fat loss golden rule: To lose fat anywhere, you must lose fat everywhere!
It really is that simple. It’s physically impossible to lose fat locally without
total body fat loss. You can do 1,000 crunches a day and you will not see any
stomach fat loss unless your calorie intake is less than your calorie output.
Meaning, that what you eat (calorie intake) has to be less than what you put
out during your daily life and exercise (calorie output). A recent study has
shown that it is not just about exercise but that diet contributes most to
weight loss.
[Small tangent: Women have a tendency to pool fat in certain
areas of their body in subcutaneous fat (below the skin). These areas are the
upper arms, stomach, thighs and buttocks. Men have a tendency to pool fat
viscerally (below the muscle, around organs in the abdomen) Subcutaneous fat is
harder to lose than visceral fat… Sorry, ladies.]
How do I lose weight?
So let’s get one thing straight. You should not just aim to
“lose weight.” Instead, you should aim to lose fat mass in relation to lean
body mass (muscle). There are plenty of very, very unhealthy “skinny” people.
Take for example, an anorexic female that has very low fat mass but also has
critically low muscle mass and is malnourished. Although the anorexic female
may be skinny, she is also incredibly unhealthy. Your focus should be on being
fit and healthy—NOT skinny!
Losing fat mass and gaining muscle mass is critical to achieving health
and fitness. Losing fat mass and gaining muscle mass does not only
improve your aesthetics, but also improves
blood chemistry, reduces the risk of certain heart conditions, improves bone
density, and increases overall strength, along with a whole laundry list of
other benefits. Therefore, exercise is critical to overall health—although your
diet is most important factor in losing weight.
With that said, I think it’s important to note that you should not just
cut your calorie intake by eating less or simply not eating.
How should I diet?
Crash diets will work in the short run but will always fail!
I do not say “always” lightly. The reason why these diets always ultimately
fail is because the body is designed to require nutrition and will always seek
it out. If you think of an engine, it is designed to require several elements
to run. The engine requires gasoline, air, a spark, coolant and oil among other
things. If any of these elements are eliminated, the engine will not run
correctly or fail to run at all. The same goes for the human body. If you’re
not eating correctly and you’re lacking elements of nutrition, your body will
not run correctly. Likewise, if you’re consuming all the necessary elements but
you’re not consuming them in the correct ratios, your body will not run
correctly. These elements at the basic levels are the following: Protein, Carbohydrates,
Fat and Fatty Acids, Minerals, Vitamins, and the most often forgotten—WATER!!!
(Coffee and diet coke DO NOT COUNT.) If
you’re finding that you’re lacking in some of these areas, a good place to
start is our Maven Shake, which combines the basics with a little extra
something that’ll give you an extra boost. (Note: This isn’t just a shameless
plug. I started drinking the Maven Shake every morning and I notice a legit
difference.)
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