Weight Loss Secret — Think Bodybuilding
This little known secret has been used by bodybuilders for sometime now to achieve astounding results, including healthy weight loss when necessary.
Keep in mind, however, that bodybuilders also practice the diet basics of healthy weight loss…nutritionally sound and balanced diets with muscle building exercises.
The Bodybuilder’s Weight Loss Secret
Bodybuilders have successfully overcome one of the toughest obstacles to healthy weight loss…a slower resting metabolic rate.
Dieting to lose weight evokes a strong counteraction by the body to conserve energy. When you start a diet, one of the means to lose weight involves eating fewer calories. This acts as an alarm and signals the body to prepare for a future starvation state, something your body is extremely efficient at protecting against.
To counter the decrease in caloric intake and help keep you alive, your body conserves energy by slowing down the resting metabolic rate (number of calories burned per day).
A slower metabolic rate results in fewer calories burned than normal, which conserves energy and might allow for more fat to be stored.
A drop in the metabolic rate is one of the toughest obstacles for dieters to overcome. Here’s a quick summary of what’s happens:
- Start dieting by eating fewer calories
- Lose some weight
- Signals starvation
- Slower resting metabolic rate (fewer calories burned/day)
- Energy is conserved and extra is stored as fat
- Gain some weight
How does the resting metabolic slow down? Muscle loss!
To fight against a slower metabolic rate, bodybuilders have mastered the science of preserving (and building) muscle — the weight loss secret!
Preserving Muscle when Losing Weight
Two simple actions will help to preserve muscle while dieting:
- Add a lean protein source to each meal
- Add non-animal protein to each meal
- Drink a protein shake during the second longest fast of the day, after sleeping overnight. This is usually between lunch and dinner for most Americans
- To any aerobic workout, add resistance exercises for the major muscle groups
- For examples on how resistant exercises can help you lose weight, use this link…
Muscle is your greatest weapon to prevent weight gain and to maximize weight loss. Please, visit my home page and explore the different roles muscle plays in preventing weight gain and in helping you stay slim.
To Healthy Living! Muscle!
Michael A. Smith, MD
Chief Medical Consultant
Diet Basics Website
Dr. Smith is the Chief Medical Consultant for Diet Basics, a content based weight loss website dedicated to all dieters. Visit his site at…
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Dieting Mistakes – 5 Easy Tips to Avoid Disaster
Looking to avoid the dieting mistakes many of our weight loss readers have made? Are you interested in steering away from the pitfalls many of us fall into while considering which diet plan makes sense? Perhaps you’re just wanting to jump start your own path to nutrition and wellness — whichever your goal you’ll be better off learning from the mistakes of countless others.
While the basics of weight loss include time honored classics like ‘eat right and exercise’ many of us get caught up in the hype and spin of today’s weight loss services. Here’s a short list of dieting mistakes you will want to avoid to put you on the path to success:
* Vigorous Exercise – Crash diets are notorious for the adoption of an immediate and vigorous exercise plan. These are usually forced plans pushed out of desperation – with little lasting benefit. Stick with a sensible activity schedule — a manageable plan that maintains a steady aerobic activity on a regular basis (walking is often just as beneficial with fewer side effects) is more beneficial than a crash exercise plan that will usually only discourage or injure.
* Zero Carbs – Many diets, including Atkins and South Beach, focus on either the complete elimination or the temporary suspension of virtually all carbohydrates. This is both a shock to your system and avoids the simplicity that not all carbs are bad. Ultimately you’ll have to balance the benefits with the hardships — but remember that there are viable alternatives to complete removal of your favorite pasta or fruit/vegetable.
* Pre Packaged Foods – A lot of plans either require or encourage store bought branded foods. These are often backhanded attempts at revenue by the manufacturers and have little nutritional value. Always a red flag and warrants you looking carefully at the merits of the plan.All Plan – No Exercise: Sounds great, but the simple fact is that diets that have no exercise component to them aren’t as effective at long term weight loss. Most of the plans we recommend, such as eDiets, specifically include a structured but easy to follow activity plan.
* Fads / Pills / Point Counting: All are on our short list of fad related items to watch closely. Point systems are usually related to calorie counting systems – which ignore the more important factors like metabolism or food combinations.
Avoid the dieting mistakes noted above and you’ll be on your way to a successful weight loss lifestyle.
Wayne Mitchell is an author for diets-reviewed.com – which provides reviews and comparisons for wellness and weight loss programs, as well as free diet plan, offers.
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