Here’s how to use insights from new weight-loss research to help you peel off the pounds fast and efficiently.
It’s an old chestnut of the fitness industry, the notion that for every 3,500 calories you burn you’ll lose a pound of fat. As a personal trainer, though, I often see guys slogging through week after week of running, walking, lifting, whatever — workouts designed specifically to reach that 3,500-calorie-per-week mark — only to weigh exactly the same when it’s over. What gives?
The problem with that old weight-loss formula, researchers now say, is that it doesn’t take into account what goes on when you’re not exercising: the calories you would have burned anyway, the calories you’ll add from overeating after overtraining, and the ones you won’t burn the next day because you’re too sore to move. The old weight-loss math assumed that your body was like a block of marble and that by systematically chiseling away at it with exercise you could gradually get rid of the undesirable stuff and end up with Michelangelo abs. But your body’s not a block of marble; it’s in a constant tug-of-war between consuming and burning calories, whether you’re eating, sleeping, reading, or watching TV. So the calculus for getting rid of that pound is far more complex than just subtracting the “calories burned” number from your weekly goal at the end of each workout. “The 3,500-calorie figure is theoretically correct,” says Ralph La Forge, the managing director of Duke University Medical Center’s Lipid and Disease Management Preceptorship Program. That is, if you burn that fat in a closed container under laboratory conditions.
You may also be building muscle while you lose fat, particularly if you’ve started a new program or if you’re lifting weights. This is a nice problem to have; the more muscle you add the more readily your body will burn calories. But if you aren’t keeping track of your body-fat percentage, the lack of results on the scale can be a demoralizing kick in the gut at the end of a rigorous week of training.
You might also be sabotaging your weight loss goals by training too hard. Burning 700 calories on a hard bike ride is good, but if you’re so dead afterward that you spend the rest of the day on the couch, you have to consider the calories that you won’t use because you’re too tired to walk the dog. Plus, overtraining can lead to an increased appetite. If you’re so hungry after your bike ride that you eat an extra cheeseburger (310 calories), the net calorie burn for your workout drops from 700 to 390.
The bottom line: You’ve got to exercise more than you thought. But the best way to be sure your workout results in weight loss is different for every sport. That’s why we’ve analyzed four of the most popular activities — running, swimming, cycling, and weight training — to help you shed pounds the right way.
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October 30th, 2008 at 9:50 am
“That’s why we’ve analyzed four of the most popular activities — running, swimming, cycling, and weight training — to help you shed pounds the right way.”
So… where’s the info on your analysis?
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December 21st, 2008 at 9:46 am
Just so you don’t think Nexus is the only one wondering where the analysis disappeared to: is there more info available on the popular activities impact?
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February 5th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
yea, could i get the analysis info on the popular activities?
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February 14th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I do not usually post to someone’s blog but I enjoyed this post so I felt forced to do so. Straying in a slightly different direction from the subject somewhat, what is your opinion regarding walking? It is generally being put forward as the best exercise to burn fat.
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February 27th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
I got into the fitness biz after leaving the Marines 16 years ago, and this was one of the basic teachings to my clients; less but more rigorous time exercising, emphasizing the anaerobic is just a better all around philosophy.
From my own anecdotal experience I believe a combination body weight exercises, weights, sprints and medium distances is best. The best I’ve ever felt was when I was boxing. The workouts involve probably 6 to 7 hours of bag work a week, jumping rope, lunges, body weight exercises, and instead of running, I prefer swimming which you can do sprints and distance, with an emphasis on the sprints. Weights were also minimized with just the basic power movements being utilized.
In the last few years I’ve seen researchers connecting this to similar research on the diet of primitive man. Essentially, man was designed for shorter bursts of energy, not running miles, and miles at a time. Hunting, running from predators, walking or running within a relatively small area due to the lack of other transportation, etc. (The diet research focuses on whole foods, meats and fruits instead of cultivated grains, etc.)
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March 10th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Thank you for this great read. I love reading about weight loss tips, stories, and general info. It has always been a hobby of mine. Also, if anyone is interested, I recommend trying TriSlim to lose weight. It’s working great for me.
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March 11th, 2009 at 5:36 am
Nice post buddy, couldn’t agree more. Weight loss is all about three simple things, mindset, diet and exercise
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March 17th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Crap so now i have to add on another hour of heavy bag training >< what a drag
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March 18th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Very nice information. Thanks for this.
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March 20th, 2009 at 1:53 am
American’s are so fat and lazy. I should know, I am one of em, lol. Well, I used to be, but now I’m getting better. I am trying my best to lose some weight.
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March 23rd, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Nice Articles, thanks for this, I really liked your blog!
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April 10th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Great but where is the rest of the article?
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October 9th, 2009 at 11:57 am
The universal rate of winner of these weight loss plans which are incessantly competing with each other is more or less the one. And the most funny part is that these programs all choke at the same vault in spite of working really tall claims. This bechances because the consistency gets accustomed to the severity through which it is put and aligns itself to the new routine and the metabolic process slows down. You have to be smarter than nature to be able to illusion the body into falling back weight. Without pursuing this measure then you will always inquire why you cannot lose weightiness.
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