This is the final article in my three part series on how to lose body fat. Parts one and two covered exercise and diet. I will provide brief summaries below, but it may be useful to review both before reading on.
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Fat Loss Nutrition for Athletes
This is the second of my three-part series on how to lose body fat. My previous article addressed the most effective exercise strategies for reducing body fat. As I mentioned before, fat loss occurs in response to a negative energy balance. This means that excess body fat is oxidized when energy intake is less than energy expenditure.
Anyone who intends to lose excess body fat must make a decision about how to achieve a negative energy balance. The choices are to eat less, exercise more, or both. [Read more…]
Exercise to Lose Fat: The Right Way
This is the first of my three-part series on how to lose body fat. In this section, I’ll cover exercise strategies. The next two articles will cover nutrition and program adherence, respectively.
Anyone who’s struggled with fat loss has thought “I just need to eat less and exercise more.” Maybe it’s not that simple.
The two problems with most fat loss programs are 1) “exercising more” can lead to exhaustion, frustration, and overeating, rather than fat loss, and 2) adherence to a fat loss program can be extremely difficult to maintain long term.
So Why Exercise?
I’ve addressed the issue of exercise for fat loss before in this article. Traditional “cardio” is a poor strategy for fat loss for four reasons: the impact on fat loss is minimal when compared to caloric restriction, it’s time consuming, it may be exhausting, and it can enhance appetite. Then why exercise? [Read more…]
Does Eating Wheat Contribute to Excessive Body Fat?
Energy to support low-intensity activity, such as walking, is primarily derived from body fat. As exercise intensity increases, carbohydrate becomes the preferred source of energy. Athletes who train at a high intensity may recognize the importance of consuming foods rich in carbohydrate to support their training, but many find it difficult to maintain a desirable weight or body fat percentage while following a high-carbohydrate diet. It’s important to recognize that excess body fat is a result of overeating and not due to carbohydrate consumption, specifically.Limitations of Exercise for Losing Body Fat
Compared to energy management through diet (i.e., caloric restriction), exercise is a poor strategy for promoting fat loss. This is because the amount of activity required to lose a significant amount of body fat is excessively taxing to the body and it’s time consuming. It’s been estimated that the approximate energy requirement of running a mile (after accounting for the energy requirement of merely keeping the body alive) can be computed by multiplying weight in pounds by .63.
I'm Joel Minden, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist, cognitive behavior therapist, sport psychology consultant, and strength and conditioning specialist.