If you have excess weight only in specific parts of your body, you still must look at yourself as a whole. It's not possible to spot reduce; in other words, you can't dictate that you only want weight to come off one place or another. In most cases your so called "trouble spots" is where the fat will come off last, so be prepared to lose weight in your fingers (rings fall off) and your face (friends may ask if you're feeling all right) first. There is hope for losing that belly fat though.
If you work toward building muscle and reducing body fat you will eventually tackle those trouble spots though, and develop a better physique in the process. Muscle tissue is active meaning it requires calories to be maintained. If you were stranded without a food supply, eventually your body would turn to its own muscle tissue as a source of nutrition first (muscles are protein) while saving the fat stores for last. Simply put, fat is nature's way of ensuring survival during times of famine. That's why the prevalence of heart failure kills someone who is severely malnourished. By building more muscle you become a more efficient energy burning machine which translates to mean you can eat more food! That to me is a good thing.
That explains why some people can eat so much more than others yet not gain weight; your efficient energy burning friend simply has a greater proportion of muscle to fat than you. Muscle is more dense than fat. It's often said that a pound of muscle is heavier than a pound of fat, but the truth is a pound is a pound. What they mean is a one pound volume of muscle is a smaller package than a one pound volume of fat, or put another way, fat is billowy and fluffy while muscle is sleek and compact. Lady No. 1 weighs 120 pounds with 30% body fat so she has 84 pounds of lean tissue and 36 pounds of fat, while Lady No. 2 also weighing 120 pounds but at 18% body fat is carrying roughly 98 pounds of muscle and 22 pounds of fat. Would you rather be Lady No. 1 or Lady No. 2? Which do you think takes up more space, 22 or 36 pounds of fat? I'd say 36 pounds of fat would be a lot bigger package than 22 pounds.
That is why body weight as a number by itself is meaningless, but your ratio of fat to muscle is very important and worth working to change. Strive to decrease your body fat and increase your muscle mass and you'll look better, you'll feel stronger and more energetic and you'll simply be healthier.
You can generally have your body fat tested at fitness centers and most gyms so ask about having it done. It's better to know you have 30% body fat and work to reduce it to 29, than not to know and only think in terms of body weight. Most people who think only of how much they weigh tend to do everything to reduce that weight, and it's usually at the expense of losing more valuable muscle.
The best way to increase muscle and decrease fat is through a consistent exercise program. Start at whatever is your beginning, but do start.
Begin with an overall body conditioning type exercise program, doing whatever you enjoy, whether it be a sport, gardening, weight lifting, biking, hiking, or any other activity. Any physical movement you do regularly counts as exercise even if it is doing laundry or taking out the trash. Get as much as you can out of every chore you do, and stop thinking of it as a chore but instead as an opportunity to move your body.
In the early 1900s a washing machine was a new invention. People used to wash their clothes by hand, and hang them outside to dry. Being a housewife was actually a pretty strenuous job. It's no wonder women were thankful for modern conveniences like automatic washers and dryers, but now we've come to where our daily activities are not taking our bodies at all, so unless we want to get fatter and fatter we must do something about it.
It doesn't make sense to drive around and around in the parking lot looking for the closest space when you're on your way to run or walk on the treadmill. Why take the elevator five flights every day at work and then pay a monthly fee to do the StairMaster after work? What if we all started to notice that our world is full of exercise equipment.
We could become so much more fit if we'd just start to notice all the opportunities for physical movement we miss in the name of convenience. Look around and see if you can spot some exercise opportunities, and then get busy and get fit.
~~ Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of the free e-book: Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of onemorebite-weightloss.com
Get onemorebite-weightloss.com: Inspirational Mini Lessons Using EFT and NLP for Ending the Struggle with Weight Loss.
detailed home cleaning Lake Forest ..The pursuit of a healthier me (or you) shouldn't involve... Read More
These days, Jennifer Secrist has little interest in idle activities.... Read More
A common claim from gastric bypass detractors is that after... Read More
Obesity is now assuming epidemic proportions. Worldwide there are over... Read More
Do you want to lose weight? Of course you do,... Read More
Although every dieter knows that keeping food records is a... Read More
Name a diet...any diet. It doesn't work. Try to name... Read More
Hold the onions! Let's talk "liver". No, not beef liver,... Read More
Once upon a time, I fretted about going to a... Read More
Much has been written about obesity and globesity. Obesity is... Read More
Supporters of the Atkins Diet claim that a low carbohydrate... Read More
Q: "I'm wondering if you can help me. I'm not... Read More
I am sure that when I mention setting objectives for... Read More
Permanent Weight loss is not about Diet. If you are... Read More
In today's bustling world we are constantly surrounded by media... Read More
The answer to the title of this article is "none."... Read More
If you are looking for a way to lose fifty... Read More
Did you ever think about the fact that losing 2... Read More
Weight Loss tipsAll throughout my childhood and teenage years I... Read More
I personal lost 60 pounds in 2003. Here are some... Read More
Obesity is a disease that is not caused by a... Read More
Considering the US Center for Disease Control's advice is a... Read More
I'm sure you already know that weight loss and improved... Read More
All of us that have had a love-hate relationship with... Read More
I don't know about you, but I absolutely love bread... Read More
trusted cleaning company Des Plaines ..The cost of a tummy tuck is something to consider... Read More
FINDING THE PERFECT DIETArriving at the Perfect Diet is no... Read More
The difference between weight loss, and steady or weight gain,... Read More
Ever heard of the expression, "Getting up on the wrong... Read More
The average American eats about twice as much protein than... Read More
If you're always on a diet you probably spend half... Read More
It is very important for low carb dieters to stick... Read More
We all know that losing weight and improving your overall... Read More
The importance of drinking water is mentioned in almost every... Read More
The Review Diaries She Unlimited MagazineThere are masses of carbohydrate... Read More
Although many patients have few problems after bariatric surgery, there... Read More
The human body is designed to run best on a... Read More
What is the link between Hispanics and obesity? Are people... Read More
How's the practicing going? Are you spending time each day... Read More
My last article, Make Diets Work, concluded that dieting the... Read More
Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More
I'm sure you have heard it before, but one of... Read More
Everybody you know is on the latest weight loss bandwagon:... Read More
Many patients of gastric bypass report feeling fearful of succeeding... Read More
When we gain more weight than is good for us,... Read More
There are currently over 100 billion dollars sold in weight-loss... Read More
If you are overweight and suffer from pain in your... Read More
Over two thirds of Americans are over weight, and half... Read More
The term 'thermogenic' refers to a group of drugs or... Read More
Who'd have thought healthy eating could be so controversial? Lunching... Read More
Weight Loss |