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I speak from experience when I say that losing weight is tough and the information out there overwhelming at best. With gimmicks and quick fixes at every turn who can you trust? If you recently saw the segment on ABC’s 20/20 episode featuring Jim Karas, myself and his new book: The Cardio-Free Diet, you clearly saw what appeared to be a gimmick. I am here to clarify.
Jim Karas’ second book, Flip the Switch, changed my life and outlook on exercise. At over 212 pounds, I suffered from back, knee and foot pain to mention a few. On a small 5’2" frame, this weight was literally too much to carry. Ever try grabbing up a pair of 50 pound weights and taking a jog on the treadmill? People would say "just start walking"; which would have been great if it improved the way I felt but walking made everything worse and got me zero results. Trainers and nutritionists continually advised 30-60 minutes a day of cardiovascular exercise. Not once did they suggest strength and resistance training as an important tool in weight loss. Jim was the first one to give me hope. I will start by saying I do and always have done some cardio in my daily routine-I average a 5-10-minute hill climb on the treadmill to warm up for weight training and I enjoy an active lifestyle daily. Jim’s new book actually does include some cardio in the form of interval training which ABC edited out of the segment.
The cardiologist interviewed stated that this cardio-free plan is a "call for action" and that more research is needed. She is right, research is needed but its not this controversy that calls for action it is the fact that over 30% of this nation weighs more than 300 pounds and that 63% of America’s population has a BMI of more than 25. The fitness industry is under a blanket of misconception with its one size fits all exercise prescription and are missing the big picture. America is fatter than ever and heart disease the number one killer-and we’ve been doing cardio since the 1970’s. Something’s not working here. Suggesting that cardio is the only way to lose weight is as dangerous as saying that everyone overweight should have gastric bypass surgery. Why is this dangerous? Because for those people overweight and struggling and turning to the industry to lose weight are discouraged and miserable and maintain a bleak outlook on success in their future. They eventually drop their exercise routine and food plans to go back to what is easier and less painful. They can’t commit to long sessions of cardio, and when they do they are starving which disrupts their eating plan and results in seeing no change on the scale. Where do they turn? The answer is pills, quick fixes and surgery.
My theory on the low cardio routine for weight loss is as follows based on my personal experience and what I have learned as a personal trainer/lifestyle support group facilitator. As we heard from the cardiologist, there is no research available to reference but here are some things we do know. We all know that cardiovascular activity is great for the heart if you exercise at an intensity that elevates your heart rate, but what does it do to your appetite? It creates a caloric deficit in a short period of time, during exercise and shortly thereafter, which then stimulates your desire to replace those calories causing you to consume the calories you just burned and maybe more. If you are on a reduced calorie plan this could sabotage your efforts. It also puts lots of wear and tear on the connective tissue; ask any seasoned long distance runner how their knees are. It’s called an overuse injury. What if we started doing less cardio but at a higher intensity to really elevate our heart rates? We increase our cardiovascular health and protect our joints and appetites and burn a few calories in the process. It’s this mindless, redundant and seemingly endless amount of time spent on cardio machines that is nonproductive for weight loss and gets our nation nowhere fast. Our bodies are amazing in that they adapt to change very quickly, so that person who has been walking or running at a steady pace for 5 miles a day for 2 years isn’t burning nearly as many calories today as they did when they began and wonder why they are gaining weight. They key to cardiovascular exercise is, not unlike strength training, progression. You have to keep challenging yourself as your body and heart adapt.
Now you are asking: so what burns the fat and helps us lose weight? The answer is increasing lean muscle mass. Weight loss decreases our resting metabolic rate. In the process of reducing our BMI, the body does not distinguish between losing muscle versus fat so many people on weight loss programs exclude this weight training aspect and lose not only fat but their metabolically active tissue-muscle. This is a clear example of why people so easily put the weight back on. When you incorporate proper strength training exercise into your routine you increase your lean muscle mass, which is the only metabolically active tissue in your body, and has a direct affect on your resting metabolic rate; therefore, when you have lean muscle mass you burn more calories 24 hours a day. My theory is that it is this slow but consistent burning of calories, which does not stimulate your appetite, that helps keep us on our low calorie food plans and drop the fat while at the same time preserving and creating lean muscle tissue and redefining our body’s composition.
Once I started losing the weight and creating lean muscle mass, I began to have tons of energy and self-confidence and began to really love exercise. I became much lighter on my feet and became more and more active throughout my day. I took up cycling with my family, hiking and gardening. I took TV out of our weekly routine, that’s right we watch no TV during the week. Because of my consistently active lifestyle, healthy diet and strength training routine I have maintained my weight loss for over two years now.
The bottom line is that everyone, no matter what size, should make a habit of moving their body every day and striving to be active as opposed to sedentary. Everyone, regardless of age or size, should be participating in strengthening activities on a regular basis-children should be out on the playground climbing ladders, swinging from the monkey bars and playing tag. Older adults should be participating in strength and resistance training to help maintain their health and independence. Everyone should be eating a variety of foods, low in unhealthy fats and sugar and eating portions in moderation. The key is tipping the scale a bit to find that for which each body responds and enjoys. Do what you enjoy and make changes to balance your lifestyle so that a healthy body and heart come out of the equation. Make exercise and healthy eating fit into your lifestyle and make the changes lifelong. If you need help making changes find a trainer/counselor willing to help you create a routine that you enjoy and that fits into your life instead of making you fit into the popular mold de jour.
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