If you want to burn off fat and keep it off permanently,there are a few things you absolutely must do, and a newstudy from Wake Forest University has just uncoveredanother one…
Previous research has concluded without a shred of doubtthat high levels of exercise are one of the keys tokeeping fat off and maintaining your ideal weight.
In this new study just published in the October 2008 issueof Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, researchersfound for the first time, proof that the drop in physicalactivity that happens automatically during calorie restrictionis directly correlated to weight regain.
We’ve known for some time that when you restrict calories,your level of non exercise physical activity (non exerciseactivity thermogenesis or NEAT), drops spontaneously, evenif you don’t realize it’s happening.
Your physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) alsotends to drop when you restrict calories.
Basically, when you cut calories, you get sluggish, youmove your body less, you don’t feel like exercisingand if you do exercise, you do it with with less “gusto.”
This means that unless you intentionally counter thistendency by pushing yourself to keep active and keep upthe intensity, despite your low calorie intake, yourweight loss will slow down automatically as you continuewith caloric restriction. (can you say, “fat loss plateau?”)
The new twist to this story is that in this latest studythe researchers followed up on the subjects through themaintenance period – with 6 month and 12 month checkups.
This is significant, because most fat loss “success stories”are reported immediately after the weight loss phase, butyou never know what happened to them afterwards.
Not surprisingly, it wasn’t much of a “maintanence”period… almost everyone regained most of the weight.
The surprise was WHY they regained back the weight andWHO regained the most…
The drop in physical activity during the diet was directlyrelated to the weight regain after the diet!
The researchers wrote,
“The greater the decrease in physical activity energyexpenditure (PAEE) during the energy deficit, the greaterthe weight gain during the follow up.”
“That won’t happen to me,” you say? Think again. That dropin activity usually happens unconsciously. It’s part of the”starvation response” (or “weight-regulating mechanism” if you prefer). Your body tricks you in countlessways, in order to restore energy balance and stabilizeyour weight.
If you believe that diet alone is the answer or thatyou can skimp on the training, you are shooting yourselfin the foot and thinking short-term.
When you extend out your time frame to a year or longer, youget a whole new perspective.
For years, I have been imploring my readers and subscribersto “burn the fat” with higher levels of exercise – strengthtraining AND cardio training – while “feeding the muscle”with a higher intake of clean food, instead of simply”starving the fat” with low calorie diets and littleor no exercise.
“Eat More, Burn More”… “BURN The fat FEED the muscle.”those are the mottos you want to remember.
can you lose weight without exercise? Of course. Just besure you have a dietary-induced calorie deficit. Is itthe best way? Not by a long shot.
Bottom line: If you want to MAXIMIZE your fat loss, and keepfat off permanently, it is imperative not only to keep upa high level of energy expenditure (BURN calories not justcut them), but also to make a conscious effort to make sureyour activity level does not drop as you lose weight duringthe calorie deficit.
If you’d like to learn more about this effective and provenapproach to fat loss: “eat more, burn more,” then pleasevisit my “burn The Fat” website at www.BurnTheFat.com
Train hard and expect success,
Tom Venuto
www.BurnTheFat.com
Excellent article, Tom; very well-put!Matt
That was great and just what I need to hear! I have found myself stuck in the “diet” mentality that I have to restrict, restrict, restrict to lose anything. The result? A year long weight loss “plateau” that I realize is completely self induced.
Great advice Tom! This is particularly applicable to my weight training program. When I cut calories for very long, my strength diminishes and my motivation fades. I’m still able to perform cardio at a high intensity level, but weight training is an entirely different matter. I guess I just need to continue pressing on, knowing that my body is fighting tooth and nail to preserve calories while I’m attempting to burn them LOL. Thanks for this timely post!