Article shared with us by “Alicia and Carrie” of Complete Bootcamp Workouts

If you can’t lose weight, there are specific reasons for this that you have more control over than you think.

You’re not strength training. Often, people who can’t lose weight don’t do any strength training. The more lean, sleek muscle you have, the faster your resting metabolism, because muscle is the body’s most metabolically active tissue.

You’re not exercising in a way that forces the body to adapt. The adaptive response requires energy; it raises your body’s energy needs. The body will then dig into stored fat for this energy.

If you’ve been strength training and the weight hasn’t been coming off, it’s because you’re not doing much more than merely going through the motions.

There’s the story of a heavy-set woman who was doing lat pull-downs with 70 pounds. A trainer waltzed over, knelt beside her, said “Hi” with a smile, then moved the machine’s pin to the 100 pound mark.  The woman’s mouth fell open, but the trainer said, “You’re going to do 100 pounds for your next set, and eight times.”  “I can’t do 100 pounds!”  “Oh yes you can. Trust me. You’re going to complete eight reps.”

The woman said her goal was to lose weight, but nothing was happening despite regular workouts. She began pulling down the bar, and it wasn’t easy. She had to fight her way to the eighth rep, but she completed eight full repetitions.  The trainer said, “Now that’s the way every set should feel. Apply this effort level to all of your sets for every exercise. You won’t lose weight if you keep doing something your body is efficient at. You must do something that forces you to struggle. Struggling begets weight loss.”

A month later the woman reported having dropped an entire dress size.  Moral of this true story: Exercises that require struggling will burn fat and cause weight loss, especially when coupled with sensible eating.

You eat mindlessly. Every little sample and nugget counts. One tablespoon of gravy is 100 calories. A “little bit here and there” adds up. Avoid eating due to cues not related to sustenance, such as watching TV.

You drink diet sodas. (We’ve written about this one before ) Artificial sweeteners often trigger hunger.  Too many processed foods. These trigger hunger, and too much white sugar and high fructose corn syrup will get stored as fat.

You skip breakfast. We would like to add that you skip protein at breakfast, which we think is important.  Breakfast, even if it’s only a cup of yogurt, tends to tame later-day appetite.   Skipping it can make you feel entitled to overeat later on.

You don’t do cardio. It’s amazing how many people, who don’t do cardio, wonder why they can’t lose weight.  Taking care of two preschoolers or pulling weeds does not replace structured cardiovascular exercise.

You hold onto the treadmill. This has got to be one of the most weight-loss-sabotaging habits out there. The body has absolutely no reason to burn more fat in response to make-believe walking.  Instead, pump the arms and get winded to force your body to adapt. Remember, the body won’t adapt to something that it’s very efficient at doing (e.g., walking while holding onto something for support).

You don’t do HIIT: highintensity interval training. This form of cardio blasts fat.

Inconsistent exercise habits. Weight loss won’t go hard and deep if your workouts are not consistent. Even if you’re doing everything right in the gym, consistency is still very important.

Poor sleeping habits. Research shows that under six hours of sleep and over nine are strongly linked to excess body fat.

Too much daytime napping. Excessive inertia means a slowed metabolism to accommodate it.

Before you blame your parents and grandparents for having “the wrong genes,” review your lifestyle habits to find out what can be modified to promote fat loss.  Changing any one of these things can help you achieve your weight loss goals. 

For more details on changes you can make to boost weight loss, call us today.

I’m almost seven months out from my shoulder reconstruction surgery.  I estimate that my shoulder and upper body are 90% recovered from what they ultimately will be.  My shoulder is actually much more stable and pain free of course than it was pre-surgery, and my lower body is  stronger than before surgery.  I am setting PR’s on both the deadlift (425 lbs.) and the kettlebell low squat (200 lbs for 5 reps).  I train with weights 3 to 4 days per week.  Now that the weather is nice, I’ve been on the mountain bike trails loving every second of it.  My shoulder is doing great!

My goal for this year is to achieve a level of conditioning that I haven’t had since 2004.  I was at my leanest body composition then, and my strength and muscularity were at a peak level for me.  I re-started a good eating program for me in January.  At this time I weighed in at 185 lbs.  Since January I have lost 3 1/2 inches off of my waist, and my weight is down to 171.  My body leanness is improving weekly through my plan of disciplined eating and exercise. 

I want to see what I can achieve at the age of 50, which is just around the corner.  My inspiration is Sylvester Stallone.  If he can do it, then I can do it!   Check out a compilation video of some of  the exercises and workouts that I’ve been doing since January this year. 

Train hard, smart, and with passion!

Rob

I mentioned in the last newsletter that my wife and I were CLEANING UP our eating and going on a 32 day diet.  It is a huge asset for me to have a partner in this process.  We can hold each other accountable and encourage each other too.  I have felt really good throughout the first 8 days, but I was more than ready to start this program.  I’ve been lean before, and I was ready to feel that way again.  Lisa felt a little deprived on day 7, but she stuck with her calorie commitment.

Our results so far ~

Rob:  Down 7.5 lbs   |    Waist measurement down  1 1/8 inches

Lisa:  Down  5.6lbs   |    Waist measurement down 1 3/8 inches    |   Hip measurement down 1/2 inch

For the next 8 days we will be adding 100 calories per day to our eating regimen.  I will go up to 1600 cal. and Lisa will go up to 1300 cal.  We have good momentum going into our 2nd 8 days and that was the purpose of being so restrictive in our calorie intake for the first 8 day period.  My goal for the next 8 days is to lose another 3 lbs. on the scale and another inch around the waist.

I would like to mention our exercise regimen during this 8 day period.  My exercise is a bit restrictive as I’m still healing from shoulder surgery and my arm movement is strictly limited.  I’m riding a stationary bike and walking for about 45 – 60 minutes most days, and doing some basic lower body and core strength movements 2 days per week.  Lisa is doing 2 days of cardio in the strength and conditioning class (30-45 minutes) and two days of strength training.  That’s it.  It’s not a ton of work.

You must restrict your diet if you want to lose weight.  The “Biggest Loser” show rarely, if ever, mentions their calorie intake for the day, which is really a disservice to most people watching the program.  Marathon workouts are impractical and unnecessary for a healthy lifestyle and weight loss. We can all increase our activity and eat better.

If you have decided to join us…let us know how you are doing.

~ Rob Hudson

The second annual “Biggest Loser” competition is set to begin on November 1st at IMG, just before the onslaught of typical holiday eating.  The event runs for 6 weeks, and like the previous event, financial incentives play a role in the competition.

In February of 2011 a total of 62 IMG employees completed the “Biggest Loser” program.  You can read here for more details about that competition.  This year’s competition will be similar.

The program will kick off with a weigh-in and 3 key physical tests to give each person their starting point.  The goal of the IMG contest is to help the employees lose weight and gain a healthier lifestyle through exercise.  We will test again at the end of the six weeks to chart each person’s weight loss and their strength and cardio fitness gains.

Steve Smith, Matt Hudson, and myself will be taking the IMG employees through their workouts and offering up simple and effective weight loss advice.   Matt Hudson is the newest addition to our personal training staff here at FBD, but he is not new to the “Biggest Loser” style of training.

In 2009 Matt was a big loser. He lost over 200lbs! He began with a bootcamp style workout regimen that I designed for him, and reduced his caloric intake to 2000 calories or less.  Since then Matt has picked up 2 personal training certifications, and has been working in the fitness industry over the past year.  We know he will have a great perspective for participants that need to lose 40 lbs. or more.

If you are your company are interested in being “big losers”, give me a call. We can definitely help.

On September 17th, Ian Worden  received the Dick Lugar Fitness Award for his commitment to fitness in overcoming Guillian-Barre syndrome.  Ian has been a client at Fitness by Design since August 2003.

Over the years his trainer, Steve Smith, has specifically tailored a fitness program for Ian, working on his strength and balance issues.   Where there was an increase in weakness from his disease, Steve applied extra strength training to those areas.

Last year Ian adopted a nutrition program and dropped his body fat percentage from 45% to 20%, which greatly improved his cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and blood pressure.  Ian lost the weight he used to have around his mid-section negating the potential for diabetes down the road, and gained defined abs.  He also competed in the Concept 2 (Indianapolis) Rowing Challenge in January of this year for the first time, adding another component to this fitness routine.

One of Ian’s favorite perks from his improved health and wellness, is out skiing his buddies on Mount Bachelor, Oregon instead of being the one left behind.  Of course, getting back to his love of mountain climbing is another great bonus. He recently climbed Mount Rainier, a big physical achievement indeed!

Ian’s focus on his fitness in addition to the great medical care he received, rehabilitation, and support from Sharon (Ian’s loving wife)  has gotten him past such a debilitating disease.  Congratulations Ian!