Diet Trumps Exercise for Weight Loss

Didn't we just tell you in our last blog posting that diets don't work?  So have we changed our minds already?  No.  Most people refer to a diet as a very calorie-restricted eating plan.  Our definition of diet is the foods that comprise your daily eating, and we stand by our assertion that the only diet we endorse is one that encompasses healthy eating habits that you can maintain for a lifetime.  So while we do not agree with low calorie or fad diets, we do concede that a diet defined by healthful eating habits is more likely to lead to weight loss than exercise.

So are we saying you should just push away from the table and forget about push ups?  Never!  Exercise has so many benefits that far outweigh (couldn't resist) weight loss that if you do experience weight loss as an added benefit of exercise it is just the icing on that chocolate cake you had for breakfast.  Remember that study?

Does it really mean anything if you achieve your weight loss goal but you are winded trying to keep up with your child or grandchild?  Can you maintain your independence as you age if you develop osteoporosis and you fall and break your hip?  Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of so many diseases that they are too numerous to list.  In addition, functional exercise will improve your ability to perform everyday tasks and to remain active at the things you love.  And finally, the mental benefits of exercise cannot be ignored.  Doctors have long been advising their patients to keep their minds sharp by doing crosswords or Sudoku puzzles.  More recently, though, physical exercise has been shown to have an even greater impact on preventing dementia or Alzheimer's than performing mental challenges like crosswords. 

Most people who begin an exercise program to lose weight "fail".  They fail to lose weight right away so they give up on their exercise program.  Metabolic training all by itself is not a weight loss program.  It is a fat loss program that leads to body transformation, and as we have witnessed with many of our Warriors, a life-transforming program. 

The first changes that we see in our Warriors are increased strength and a younger looking face and some "shifting".  This shifting is actually a reduction in body fat and an increase in lean muscle.  So while you may not be seeing the number on the scale going down, your body is undergoing a very healthy change.  Your heart is getting stronger, your balance and flexibility are improving, and you are gaining lean muscle that will improve your ability to do everyday tasks and improve your performance in your athletic endeavors. 

When our Warriors start seeing and feeling these changes, they become more motivated to make other lifestyle changes to improve their health and to achieve weight loss if that is their goal.  Those "other changes" include moving toward clean eating habits and adding more cardiovascular activity.  So if you are just beginning on your journey as a Metabolic Warrior, be patient, it is one step at a time.  If your goal is to lose 10 or 20 pounds, you didn't gain that weight in 2 weeks and you are not going to lose it in 2 weeks.  But as our veteran Warriors know, it is a journey toward good health and fitness that is worth taking.