There are 3500 kcal in a pound of fat. So, if you want to lose weight, just cut your calories and increase your exercise, right? This is the advice we most often receive. We especially hear the suggestion to “do more cardio”. It is true that the major factor in weight management is caloric balance—i.e., you have to be hypocaloric to lose weight—but there is more to it than just that.
First, we have to consider the goal itself. What does one mean by “lose weight”? I once cut 17 pounds in 24 hours to make weight for wrestling. (Not the smartest thing I have done in my life.) I wish it was 17 pounds of fat, but it wasn’t. It was nearly all water—which is what most of our initial weight loss is. In addition, I didn’t do my meager muscle mass much good either. Rather than weight on the scale, one needs to focus on body composition (then relative amounts of fat and lean—muscle—tissue in the body). One may not be overfat, per se. Rather, one may be under-muscled. No amount of cardio is going to add an appreciable amount of muscle mass. Adding muscle will add weight to the scale. Thus, there may be doesn’t need to be quite so much movement in the negative direction.
In the eat less and exercise more model, one usually focuses on a 7000 kcal/week deficit (i.e., a combination of caloric restriction and metabolic output equivalent to 1000 kcal/per day). In doing so, one often forgets that extreme caloric restriction can slow metabolism and cause the body’s self-defense mechanisms to kick is. Extremely low-calorie intakes (e.g., less than 1200 kcal) tend to limit nutrient intake to below sustainable levels and also limit performance. It is much better to focus on fueling the desired exercise and physical activity with the proper nutrients—i.e., by adjusting the macro (protein, carbohydrate, and fat) balance. It is also critical to include activity to increase or maintain muscle mass—e.g., heavy resistance training. I have counseled numerous dieters over the years to “eat more” to lose weight. The reality is that you will still be in a caloric deficit because the increases in basal metabolic rate, thermogenic effect of food, and (likely) physical activity will more than compensate for the extra calories. Moreover, the added energy will supply the muscles with the fuel to grow. The scale may not show it as much, but the fat will decrease.
Emphasize healthy eating and nutrient balance and timing. Count macros rather than calories.
Emphasize exercise—especially weight training—rather than merely counting steps (physical activity). We do need to move more, but we need to include meaningful movement.
Let the mirror, rather than the scale, be your guide.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!