FAT LOSS: The Old Fashion Way Actually Works

There never has been an innovative way to burn fat and lose weight. Think about it. Why is it that every year we are getting a new book, workout routine, pill, machine, and diet plan? It’s because it sells. People are constantly looking for new ways to lose fat because the old way that they paid for just wasn’t working for them. It might seem like there are endless paths to losing fat. The companies that make these products basically take two simple concepts and try to make them look different in order to sell their products.

There has only ever been one way to lose weight and it’s the old fashion way. Simply put, you must have a diet plan that creates a net caloric deficit and an exercise routine with a high enough intensity to burns fat. These concepts go hand in hand and I’ll attempt to explain them below.

Net Caloric Deficit Diet:

This is exactly as it sounds. You basically consume fewer calories than you use in a day. When you don’t give your body enough calories through food, it starts to eventually break down fat to meet its energy requirements. How do you create such a diet? Just eat smaller portion sizes!!! Start by cutting down your portion sizes by a quarter, then by half. For example, if you eat a foot long sandwich normally for lunch, try to gradually get to eating only a 6 inch sandwich for lunch.

Exercise Routine With a High Enough Intensity to Burn Fat:​

Let’s look at how the body really breaks down fat when it is active. You have 4 energy systems that your body uses to convert food into energy. Think of them as 4 gears that your body goes into order to meet your energy requirements. Gear #1 is used when you do a short burst of intense exercise movements. Gear #2 is used when you do longer burst of exercise movements. Both of these gears are anaerobic. Gear #3 is the most dominant gear and it mainly uses glucose to create energy. Finally, Gear #4 is the gear that breaks down fat in order to produce energy.

You need to make sure that you’re pushing your body to Gear 4 when working out. Your body only starts burning fat when burning glucose no longer meets your body's energy requirements. If the workout intensity is not high enough, you will only burn glucose, which always gets replenished later when you eat. But if your workout is at a higher intensity, your body will start burning fat. The recommended intensity that you should aim for in order to burn fat is 60-90% of your maximum heart rate (please talk to your doctor prior to doing this).

The advices provided in this blog are for educational purposes. Please be sure to check with your doctor prior to doing any of the recommendations.