By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES
It lays there, motionless and lifeless.
It beckons you, though, every morning to step on it.
It lies to you…
Every day, you faithfully step on it and turn your head, taking in a deep, soothing breath.
Then you look…
You may be surprised or HORRIFIED by what you see.
Your SCALE lies to you constantly.
It NEVER seems to change.
Maybe a pound or two, but for some reason it ALWAYS COMES BACK.
It mocks you and your weight loss attempts.
But now you have the power to FIGHT BACK.
You may know the scale as your WORST enemy.
Let me explain…
The Battle With Your Scale
If the scenario above rings a bell, then you may have experienced weight loss or weight gain success or failure.
The scale may be the WORST measure of your health and fitness.
Granted it does provide numbers, and sometimes those numbers drop.
But what it does not tell you is HOW FAT you are.
Weight may fluctuate every day or every minute of every day.
But remember, a scale measures EVERYTHING in your body.
From your FAT to your bones and everything in between!
The scale may give you accurate readings of EVERYTHING going on inside of you.
But it makes you frustrated.
You get mad…
You may even SCREAM at the top of your lungs, “you worthless, f#%$@ scale.”
Today, you need a NEW alternative.
A new way to measure success and a new way to make yourself FEEL GOOD!
These tips may take you on the road to happiness…
Weight Loss Trick #1: Throw It Out The Window
That’s right folks, step one is to throw your scale out the window.
Stepping on the scale may be your breaking point to weight loss success or failure.
When you focus solely on numbers, you may find yourself frustrated when the pin does not move.
Or if the pin moves…IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!
The scale is nothing more than a way to weigh everything inside of you.
It doesn’t determine how much FAT you have, compared to your lean mass.
It may determine how much WEIGHT you lose, but does nothing to determine how much FAT you have lost.
Losing the LBs is important, but the more important number might be how much FAT is covering your metabolism-boosting lean muscle.
Weight Loss Trick #2: Find Out Your Bodyfat
Not for a suit or a pretty new dress (but that may come later).
You should get your body fat tested.
By finding out how much fat mass you have, compared to lean muscle, may be a better judge as to where your weight loss stands.
More fat may mean an increased risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, or more.
And higher fat levels may indicate that you may have more visceral fat.
As a review, visceral fat surrounds your organs
And may be EXTREMELY harmful to your health!
Increased levels of visceral fat may increase your risk for heart disease and diabetes.
So you now have your numbers.
What do you do with them now?
Now it’s time to implement your exercise and dietary changes.
Weight Loss Trick #3: Include More Protein, Fiber, And Fruits And Vegetables Into Your Diet
Protein may provide the building blocks you need to SUCCEED.
Protein provides amino acids that may increase lean mass on your body.
Heard the myth muscle turns INTO fat?
It is not true (to set the record straight).
When your diet sucks and you may be lacking calories, then your body starts to USE your muscle as a source for energy.
Your body thinks you are starving!
And starvation may cause your body to keep your FAT stores, since they may possess a greater amount of STORED energy.
This may cause your METABOLISM-BOOSTING lean muscle to suffer.
Increasing protein may increase your lean mass, possibly BOOSTING your metabolism – even WHILE WATCHING TV.
That’s right, the more muscle you have may INCREASE your resting metabolic rate.
And this may lead to WEIGHT LOSS – especially burning your unwanted FAT STORES.
More circulating amino acids may build more lean mass (in combination with a solid strength training workout) and it may actually suppress your appetite!
This may lead to fewer calories eaten, BOOSTING your energy levels and your metabolism.
And speaking of muscle…
Weight Loss Tip #4: Exercise For Weight Loss (excluding boring old cardio)
There is a new method of exercising, which is GIVING TREMENDOUS RESULTS!
And it is very simple.
But first, if you do not exercise the best advice is to START.
One of the most effective ways to burn extra calories and fat may not be by using a treadmill, bike, or the stepper.
Intermittent bouts of high-intensity exercise may be your answer to strip away YEARS OF UNWANTED BELLY FLAB.
But it does not happen overnight.
You have to work at it!
Movements which target the whole body but done back-to-back with very little rest time in between exercises, may boost metabolism-boosting muscle.
This may boost heart rate, jumpstart muscle building, and DESTROY YOUR FAT CELLS.
The best part: you may still be burning calories – for days on end.
And this may lead to greater weight loss and a slim, sexier you!
Weight Loss Tip #5: Stimulate Your “Good” Hormones To Work CORRECTLY
Your fat cells release hormones every day.
And they are powerful hormones which may control your appetite and determine your need for more energy (energy = food).
But due to the way you eat or how much/what you eat, your cells may become inflamed.
And if they are inflamed, then chances are they may now be dysfunctional.
And that spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E for your weight loss.
Inflammation may prevent your cells from responding to certain hormones and others that cause you to eat more.
And this may lead to weight gain.
But there may be way(s) to stop this from occurring.
You may need to change your diet and add in superfoods, which may slow inflammation and possibly return your fat cells to normal.
Superfoods may contain TONS of antioxidants which like to eat up free radicals.
Free radicals are dastardly little molecules which roam around
and may cause inflammation and DAMAGE
But you need to eat A LOT of fruits and vegetables in order to get the same ORAC value as Krill oil or a Greens supplement.
But hope is not lost.
Increasing your fruits and veggies may give you enough antioxidants to possibly reduce the damage caused by free radicals.
Arm Yourself
Your fat is not the enemy.
But your scale may be!
Including these five tips into your weight loss arsenal may spell success or failure for burning your spare tire.
Remember, a scale gives you a measurement of EVERYTHING inside you.
And those numbers may fluctuate from day-to-day or even from morning to night.
Changing your eating habits to increase protein, fruits and veggies, and fiber may increase your FAT CELLS’ ability to regulate POWERFUL hormones responsible for weight loss.
You now may have the perfect weapon against weight loss.
You may be arming yourself with the BEST possible list to burn stubborn belly fat and BOOST your metabolism like you have never seen before!