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Katrina Eden asked:




Did you know you can program your body to burn more fat - not just when you’re active, but all day - and all night - long?

Increasing your metabolism (or fat-burning ability) really is simple once you know how …

Here’s what you need to know:

Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), more commonly referred to as your metabolism, is what dictates how many calories you burn each day just by being alive.

For the average person, about 60-70% of the calories they burn each day come about by doing precisely nothing. All you have to do is keep breathing. Most people burn an additional 20-30% of their calories through daily activity, including exercise, and the other 10% is through the thermal effects of absorbing and digesting your food.

The people who lose the most weight, and keep it off, are those who are not just willing to work hard on their body, but know how to be smart about it. And one of the smartest things you can do to maximise your weight loss is to build more lean muscle so that your body works FOR you rather than AGAINST you.

I’m not talking about bulking up or becoming a body-builder. Even a small increase in muscle mass can dramatically impact your BMR. You see, for every pound of muscle you gain, your body will burn an additional 50 calories per day - just by being alive. Sure, 50 calories isn’t much (about 12 M&Ms), but what if you were to build 5 pounds of extra muscle? Or 10? Keep in mind that 10 pounds of muscle would be equivalent in size to 4 tennis balls - spread out over your whole body - so it’s not as though you’d be physically bigger. In fact, if anything, you would look a lot leaner - I know I’d rather have 4 tennis balls worth of lean, toned muscle on my body than 4 footballs of pudge (the approximate size of 10 pounds of body fat).

Wouldn’t you?

Not to mention, that the extra 500 calories you’d burn would equate to around 110 M&Ms you could eat every day without affecting your weight! Or (crazy idea!) you could NOT eat them, and watch your body fat start to melt away as if by magic :

So how do you get to that magic place and start burning fat all day long - even while you’re sleeping?

The most effective way to build lean muscle is to train with weights. For beginner’s, even once each week will cause you to build muscle. For more advanced exerciser’s, I’d recommend 2-3 times per week. In my experience, multi-joint full body exercises are the best way to go. Remember - we’re not trying to be bodybuilder’s: no single-joint movements or split body routines necessary. In fact, this could even slow your progress down, unless you are an extremely conditioned and experienced exerciser.

This is not a quick fix! Building muscle is an ongoing process, and it takes some people longer than others. Those with a slight build can expect to gain around 0.7 pounds for every 12 weeks of training, while those with a solid build may build up to 3.5 pounds of muscle in the same time frame.

IMPORTANT! Women particularly - please do not worry about becoming ‘bigger’. Lean muscle will make you much smaller in size, although your weight on the scales may remain unchanged. Why? Just remember the tennis ball vs the football. If you need more reassurance, measure yourself around the belly button each week, or use a favorite pair of jeans as a size guide.

A final point before I leave you to go hit the weights room (I’m writing this from the café in my gym - gotta practice what I preach!). Even if you’re happy with the way you look right now, or still aren’t convinced on the weight-training front, remember that for every year that passes as a non-exercising adult, you lose approximately 0.5-2% percent of the muscle you had as a young adult. This decline begins around 25 on average, and is accelerated in those are very inactive.

Scary! And this explains why so many naturally thin people end up with a soft and droopy look in later years, or a sudden and unexpected surge in weight once they enter their thirties.

The moral of the story? Train with weights. Don’t forget to stay tuned for my next article - the best way to train weights for INCREDIBLE fat loss!

Craig W Smith asked:




Male or female increasing pull-up power and strength is possible so there is no need to make excuses. It’s a fact increasing pull-ups will make you stronger, more functional and help balance out your muscles, keep in mind we do so many different pushing exercises we need to do some pulling ones too.

Increasing pull-up power and strength builds muscle in the back, your shoulders, your arms, and don’t think you won’t get a great grip work out too, the longer you are on the bar the stronger your grip becomes.

Even if your someone that can’t even do one pull up yet don’t worry about it just use some assistance. Find something to stand on a box or chair and use your legs to help push you up. Plus work at negatives-coming down from the bar and resisting all you can.

Just hanging from the bar is a great way to increase your strength and work up to better number of reps plus you can also do this and just pull like crazy until the day comes when your able to do a pull-up yourself!

Make a point of practicing a full range of motion, all the way to the top, chin up and over the bar then all the way back down, arms fully extended. For beginner a medium grip is recommended.

Training the same body part 5 days a week is perfectly fine because we are talking about body weight exercises here not pumping iron in the gym, there is no need for split sets and resting X number of days before hitting the same muscle group again. You never see monkeys taking a days off do you? Seriously, If you train this way with you’ll have great results.

Kaye Bailey asked:




Sometime, during the phase of rapid weight loss after gastric bypass surgery, many patients may find their weight loss is stalled. Talk about discouraging. The daily ritual of weighing and celebrating another pound gone has turned into depressing torture because the scale just won’t move- the dreaded plateau has arrived.

One reason for the plateau is physiological. The body reacting to the restrictive caloric intake sends out a signal to start burning less stored fuel. In other words, the metabolic rate (the rate at which the body burns fuel) is reduced as the body attempts to conserve fuel in reaction to a state of famine. Your body is hanging on for dear life to it’s beloved fat.

Face Down The Dreaded Plateau:

There are things we can do to face down the dreaded plateau. The first is to avoid beating up on ourselves or regretting the decision for WLS. Simply accept that a plateau is part of the natural course of weight loss and this too shall pass. Plateaus can last two to four weeks. Try to be patient and consider your body is simply taking a rest from the hard work of losing weight.

Avoid snacking during the plateau. Old eating habits that caused obesity may resurface as we comfort our disappointment with extra snacks or make unhealthy food choices. Try to avoid this type of self-sabotage. Keep in mind, a plateau is a difficult time emotionally. I can recall feeling, “I really didn’t deserve to lose all this weight anyway, so I may as well eat this or that.” Avoid the self-pity trap.

Re-examine your commitment to healthy eating and exercise. Sometimes a plateau can be busted simply by returning the very basic principles of living after gastric bypass. One nurse-dietician suggests a return to pure protein for 48-hours. That means eating only eggs, low-fat cheese, chicken, tuna, turkey, etc. - nothing processed. The science behind that is the intake of pure amino acids (protein) will boost metabolism and force the body to burn stored fat.

Another way to feel proactive in plateau busting is to kick-up the exercise program. Add an extra half-mile to a walk or an extra set of repetitions to the strength training program. Any little change will catch the body off guard and it just may respond by dropping a pound or two.

And of course continue to drink clear fluids, specifically water, to flush the body of toxins and fat.

Counterfeit Plateaus:

Now, What about the plateau that lasts longer than four weeks and you still have lots of weight to lose? These are referred to as “Counterfeit Plateaus” in the health community. Most counterfeit plateaus result from miscalculations or forgetfulness on the part of the dieter. For example, maybe we are forgetting to avoid starchy carbs or processed snacks. Maybe we are eating a tiny dinner and an hour later eating another tiny dinner? Perhaps we’ve fallen out of the habit of exercise. Little slip-ups or forgetfulness can become quite costly if we let it go too long without correcting the behavior. Take a hard look and find ways to improve habits and boost weight loss.

Water/Fluid Retention Plateaus:

Too much salt in the diet will cause a water retention plateau – avoid prepared soups or other foods that have excessive salt. A fluid retention plateau is the result of insufficient water consumption so the body retains fluid to compensate. Remember, drink the water.

Plateaus are Temporary:

Remember, plateaus are temporary. As discouraging as it may seem at the time it will pass and it is a natural part of the weight loss journey.

Copyright © 2005 Kaye Bailey - All Rights Reserved.