The Fat vs. Muscle War

Most people start their fitness journey as simply a weightloss journey.  That was the case for me!  And no matter what method you choose to start that weightloss journey, it works.  You follow the "rules" of the program and the number on the scale begins to fall and you have to start shopping for a new wardrobe.  Yet a journey based on diet alone burns fat AND muscle.  Now what you eat is the biggest part of this journey, however combining that with cardio/strength training is the most effective way to drop pounds. 

Before you stop reading and call me crazy, remember when I began my journey almost 3 years ago, I relied solely on diet.  And after a period of time, I stopped losing weight and was only maintaining the weight lost.  Why?  Because my body got smarter and said "oh you are making these changes so that I hold onto less fat, so let me start holding onto every bit of fat you give me".  And what results - your body starts burning the muscle instead. When I started running, my weightloss journey picked back up and I eventually reached my  goal.  Yet it wasn't until I started adding regular strength training that I saw even greater results - not in the scale, but in the shape of my body.

Types of Exercise and the Results Achieved
Cardio - it's the most basic form of exercise and usually the thing people do first because it doesn't require anything more then a pair of shoes.  You can take to the streets or hit the treadmill.  A typical cardio workout burns 300 calories, however you only burn those calories during the workout.  Not much happens afterwards.

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) - doesn't require anything more then cardio except for you to PUSH yourself.  Break up your walk with spurts of jogging or break up your jogging with spurts of sprinting.  You can increase your calorie burn in significantly less time as your body can only endure about 20-30 minutes of this type of exercise.  BUT, it will continue to burn calories for 2-3 hours afterward while you recover on the gym floor. 

Weight Training - as stated in the picture above, the more muscle you have the more fat you burn.   Why?  Because that muscles causes your metabolism to work all day long and probably explains why you feel hungry all day after a weight training session.  So in combination with a good diet, you reap the rewards of a weight training session all day long.



Still think I am crazy?



Alwyn Cosgrove, a fitness expert, wrote a great article discussing the Hierarchy of Weight Loss loaded with numerous studies highlighting the benefits of weight training in comparison to cardio. This is the best part:

Overweight subjects were assigned to three groups: diet-only, diet plus aerobics, diet plus aerobics plus weights. The diet group lost 14.6 pounds of fat in 12 weeks. The aerobic group lost only one more pound (15.6 pounds) than the diet group (training was three times a week starting at 30 minutes and progressing to 50 minutes over the 12 weeks).

The weight training group lost 21.1 pounds of fat (44% and 35% more than diet and aerobic only groups respectively). Basically, the addition of aerobic training didn’t result in any real world significant fat loss over dieting alone.

Thirty-six sessions of up to 50 minutes is a lot of work for one additional pound of fat loss. However, the addition of resistance training greatly accelerated fat loss results.
 

I encourage you to find what works for you and don't be afraid to try something new - the rewards might be greater then you realize.

Climbing on my soapbox...

I am going to climb on my soapbox for a moment, because quite frankly I've been where most of you are now.  There was a time, that I dreamt about being a healthier more physically fit version of "me".  There was a time, that I thought about being a healthier more physically fit version of "me".  If there had been Pinterest, I would have pinned every exercise program I could find no matter how crazy they seemed as my way of studying about being a healthier more physically fit version of "me".  There was a time that I didn't take action, I didn't own it and I sure as heck didn't believe that I could be a healthier more physically fit version of "me".

Every day I see posts on Facebook "talking" about making a change, I see friends "pinning" things on Pinterest "studying" about making a change, I have conversations with family/friends "thinking" about making a change.  Yet you have to live it, breathe it, own it and believe it - in order to go get it! 

You have to step out of your comfort zone and do the uncomfortable.  Walk into that gym you pay for monthly.  Substitute those favorite food items for a healthier option.  Throw out the uneaten Halloween candy after a week. 

You have to set a reasonable goal within a reasonable timeframe.  Nothing happens overnight!  It took me 90 days to work my way from walking on the treadmill to running on the treadmill. 

It takes 4 weeks for you to notice a change in yourself, it takes 8 weeks for friends to notice and 12 weeks for the world to notice.  So set a 4 week goal that is reasonable and a new goal every 4 weeks after that and these goals will take you to that bigger goal.

You have to have accountability.  In the beginning, this means someone else to hold you accountable because each of us can talk ourselves out of anything uncomfortable.  Share your goals with someone, ask them to call you out when they see you giving up, ask them to cheer you on when you keep going. 

In the beginning, my best friend & I started the couch to 5k program together - holding each other accountable.  I knew that neither of us would let the other one quit, neither of us would let the other one reach the 2 mile mark and give up.  We weren't going to let each other settle if we only made it half way.

When I first added strength training to my plan in 2011, I hired a trainer and fact:  it was the scariest day ever to walk in there the first time.  Yet I needed him to teach me how to train, to tell me to suck it up, to hold me accountable when I didn't show up for a session.  And quite frankly, he believed in me more then I believed in myself most days.  And recently as I completed my own 12-week program all on my own, I thanked him for teaching me to believe in myself.

Make the time, not another excuse.  Everyone has a busy life, everyone has more on their plate then hours in a day, everyone has a list of excuses MILES long.  Yet you only have one lifetime and you only have one body to live it with.  I promise that you have one hour of your day that you can and should give to YOU, you just have to take it - even if that hour is uncomfortable at first.

As I climb off my "box", I hope you feel uncomfortable enough to go get your "it" because I BELIEVE IN YOU!