The Best Ways To Lose Fat

Hi all:

Well, Easter and Passover are behind us. Did you indulge? Too much turkey, ham, potatoes, dessert, etc, etc? Do you feel guilty about it? DON’T!

Seriously, do NOT feel guilty about cheating on your diet/fitness journey. Ever. Want to know what I ate on Easter Sunday? Ham, gravy, potatoes, a bazillion kinds of veggies, several desserts, some wine, and other stuff. And I didn’t track my calories. Or lose sleep over it. Want to know why? I’ll tell you.

If you have been fairly strict with your food intake, as I am, and not cheating often, which I rarely do, then you are confusing your body. Remember, this primitive engine that is the human metabolism is living in the past. As far as it is concerned, we are all still hunter/gatherers, wandering the plains looking for our next meal. When we lower our caloric intake, the body thinks that food is scarce. It doesn’t realize that we can wander over to the closest supermarket and stock up whenever we need to. It’s stupid, really, but evolution has made it what it is and it’s not going to change.

So when we diet, the body lowers its metabolic rate to compensate, thinking that we are starving. Then we add exercise, which forces the body to burn calories almost against its will. If we do this lower calorie/more exercise regime right, by eating high quality protein and veggies, but at a caloric deficit, we lose fat and gain muscle. But the body still thinks its starving. So how do we help boost our metabolism and trick the body into getting out of starvation mode? We cheat.

Now, when I say cheat, I don’t mean every second day! Some systems advocate a weekly cheat day. Well, good on them, but I can’t subscribe to that. What I do believe is a couple of times a month, we are not only allowed to cheat, we must cheat, for our fitness journey to continue to succeed. So, did you overindulge during the holiday? Good! Pat yourself on the back, enjoy the memory and get back onto your journey. That’s the healthy way to live this life. And no guilt allowed!

Take care,
Dave.