
"I want to lose weight." Have you ever said that to yourself? If
you're reading this, chances are you
have. Millions of people around the
world are looking for new and better ways to lose weight; they try
every new pill or diet out there. Unfortunately, they eventually realize
that these diets are always temporary. In fact, most of them don't even
work! When someone wants to lose weight, they get desperate. I know
this, because I was one of them. I used to weigh 265lbs. my senior year
in high school. Granted, I was a lineman in football, and still had lots
of muscle. But, there was that annoying fat around the belly.
After
I graduated from high school, I stopped lifting weights completely. All
the muscle I had underneath that layer of fat, disappeared. I was in
much worse shape now. I was also a heavy smoker. I was smoking 1-2 packs
a day. Actually, this is why I started to exercise again. I was hoping
to clean out my lungs. However, I did not lift any weights; all I did
was Cardio. Since I was going to college at the time, I had time to run
during the day. I started out jogging for 20 minutes; it was EXTREMELY
HARD at first because of all the smoking. But, I was eventually running
7-10 miles a day!
After running for several months, I quit smoking
and lost a bunch of weight. Of course, when I looked in the mirror, I
didn't think I lost that much weight. I can see why anorexics look in
the mirror and think they're fat. It was when friends and family
complimented me on my looks that I started to realize that I had
actually lost a lot of weight. That gave me more of an incentive to
continue running. Over the next year, I had lost a bunch more weight. I
was 265lbs. when I started and I got down to 170lbs. That's 95lbs of
weight I lost! Notice I said weight, not Fat. I did lose a lot of fat,
but I lost a lot of muscle too! I had a lot of muscle, due to being in
football and track back in high school. Back then, I was benching
365lbs. and squatting 615lbs. That should give you an idea of what I
used to look like. Now add about 50lbs of FAT on top of that muscle and
you'll get a better idea of what I used to look like. I lost that 50lbs
of fat, but I also lost that 45lbs. of MUSCLE! Now, these are just my
estimates, but they're pretty close.
So, a couple years go by and I
see some friends from high school at an event over the summer. When I
go up to them to say hi, they didn't recognize me. To some people that
might seem like a compliment, but to me, it was not. When they realized
it was me, they had an almost disgusted look on their face. Some
actually asked me if I got sick or something. I told them that I was
just doing a lot of running. After getting many of these looks, I took a
long look in the mirror and realized that I was way too skinny. Keep in
mind, I was always bigger and stronger than all of my friends at 6 Foot
265lbs. Now, I was their size or smaller, with not that much muscle
left. So, after losing all that WEIGHT, I decided to gain it back in the
form of MUSCLE. Wow, was that going to be hard!
I knew that in
order to gain muscle, I had to eat much more than I was now. That means
all the hard work, the 10 mile a day runs, would go to waste. I was so
pissed! In the next few years or so, I started my journey to a better
more muscular body. I have been struggling ever since. It has been 12
years since I graduated from high school. I have still not reached my
goal. I am 30 years old and 220lbs. with 19% body fat at a height of 6
feet. I am not in the worst shape in the world, but I am nowhere near
where I wanted to be. I am in the same place I was back in high school,
only smaller. I have lots of muscle, but still have the fat around the
mid section, which is where almost all of my fat is. I know exactly what
to do to gain muscle and burn Fat, but I have not been able to be
consistent with it, since I don't always have time due to work. I know
exactly how many calories, fat, carbs, protein that I need and how much
and what kind of exercise I need. But, the problem is actually
implementing it all. I have started lifting weights during my lunch hour
and doing light cardio after work. I am eating a pretty good amount of
GOOD calories so I can lift and gain muscle, and I am making sure I do
enough low level cardio (walking, biking) for at least 45 minutes so I
can BURN FAT and not just LOSE WEIGHT.
Up till now, I have been
giving you a little background on me and my experience. I have done lots
of research on burning fat and not just losing weight. I know I am now
on my way to achieving the body and health that I want, and I would like
to share that with you. There are many ways to lose FAT and KEEP
MUSCLE. I know I am on the right track now and have seen the results.
Now, I know not everybody is not looking to bulk up with muscle and lose
fat. But, the techniques I use work for everybody. In the next
paragraph, I will give you three simple steps that you will need to
implement in order to Lose Fat, Not Just Weight.
If you are
overweight and want to lose FAT, Not Just WEIGHT, there are several
things you need to do. This formula is very simple; I'm not going to get
into so much detail about exactly what you need to do, because each of
you will find what works best for you after hearing the basics here.
First of all, you can't be Lazy! You will have to workout! Now, you
don't have to work out 5 days a week at an intense level, but you do
have to work out. You can work out as little as twice a week. Second,
you will have to find out how many calories, fat, carbs, and protein you
will need for your age/height/body type. This is extremely important,
because it will give you a guide on how to eat right. This does not
necessarily mean you have to change your eating habits completely; you
may just have to change how often you eat and what you are eating. The
best thing to do is to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. This will
make sure your metabolism is up. The higher your metabolism, the more
fat you burn. Third, you will need to be consistent! You have to make
this a life style. This is not something you can do for a little while,
and then give it up because you achieved your results. You have to
continue to do this your whole life, and change your exercise and eating
habits accordingly throughout your life. If you can't come to terms
with this, then you will never be able to be in the shape you want.
Well, that's it; that's all you have to do. You may have heard all of
this many times, but that is because it is the best and only way to lose
fat, not just weight. You will need to find what works for you with
this formula. You can start now, and perfect it at your own pace.