There are some major differences between what you do to lose weight and what you do to lose excess body fat. Somehow with all the misinformation that is rife about weight loss we can easily lose sight of which one of these two is the one we want.
The main difference is that a weight loss regime is one that restricts calories in the hope of starving fat from the body. The goal is to eat less fuel (calories) than you burn each day. A fat loss program on the other hand focuses on ‘metabolic fitness’ and the goal is to re-balance hormones so you are burning more fuel each day than you take in.
Weight loss diets tend to back-fire and cause the body major problems as when you restrict food intake a tad too much you risk shunting the body into a metabolic shutdown in anticipation of a perceived famine. Once this happens your energy is drained away, you feel miserable, your body becomes weak and flabby and health is compromised.
Food cravings and overeating become a problem from an increased appetite driven by the fat storing hormones (cortisol) stimulated by ‘diet’ stress. The types of food eaten on this type of regime does not matter as long as calories are kept low – which means heavily processed foods are acceptable but they do nothing to re-build health.
With less energy available from the lowered food intake putting some effort into a proper exercise program is difficult if not impossible so you cannot make the necessary changes to the muscular system to boost metabolism *the body’s engine) for the long haul. A weight loss regime is really about less – less food, less energy, less fat burning from a slowed metabolic engine.
The fat loss diet is totally the opposite – it is all about creating better ‘metabolic fitness’ so there is increased fat burning. The idea is to create tons of energy so higher levels of strength and fitness can be obtained to create ‘fat burning’ hormones that increase the metabolic rate around the clock.
To achieve this state a proper strength training exercise program is first and foremost as it is the only type of exercise that can boost the metabolism. A healthy eating plan is also necessary to support this type of exercise and that means balanced macro-nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats) at each meal.
Better quality natural unprocessed foods are also chosen and cooked from scratch to avoid the chemicals and additives that make losing body fat very difficult. They keep you on a hormonal roller coaster, mess up the metabolism and create the cravings that make it virtually impossible to stick to your healthy eating plan.
The whole emphasis on this type of program is the creation of a strong, lean, shapely and healthy body so not only physical health is improved but mental and emotional health is also boosted which creates higher levels of motivation and discipline so you can stick with your program.
It is a bit like a jigsaw with all the pieces coming together to give you more – more food, more strength and more energy so it makes losing that excess body fat as easy as it can possibly be. So, forget the old fashioned restrictive approach and go for the goal of rebuilding a healthy metabolism and it will in turn build you a brand new slim body.
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