Weight Loss vs Fat Loss

April 9, 2013 by ·

It’s traditionally busy times in gym-land over the coming weeks, the clocks have changed which means summer is (reluctantly) on it’s way and people now have an eye on summer and the prospect of having to get semi-naked in public.  The talk across the gym floor will be weight loss, or is it fat loss?  We probably do need to make the distinction, because whilst weight loss is relatively easy, fat loss is a different proposition.

There’s a discernible difference between temporary weight loss and permanent fat loss.  Weight loss is actually pretty easy to achieve (manipulate).  Ask any boxer who’s had to make weight, losing and re-gaining several kilos in as little as twenty-four hours.  Same goes for most women during their cycle, weight fluctuates – perhaps not to the extremes of our boxers, but 2-3kgs is not uncommon.  In both of these cases, it has little to do with losing or gaining fat.

Ever been on a low/no carb ketogenic type of diet where you’ve dropped five to ten pounds in as many days by cutting out carbohydrates, only to regain the weight back is soon as you get back on the your regular diet?  Likewise.  Why?  Pretty simple: you stripped the body of glycogen and the accompanying water and hence lost weight.  You then ate carbs, replenished glycogen and regained the necessary water.  Sure you probably dropped a bit of fat as a result of cutting out some of the crap etcetera, but you lost weight, not fat.

woman hiding eyes on scale

Using weight as the sole marker of progression is a one way ticket to frustrationville.

Too many people are fixated with their weight.  Perhaps understandably so given that in most cases weight is the marker used to measure body composition, but it shouldn’t be used as a standalone measure of progress.   Sure, you probably associate a certain weight with when you were looking your best, and that probably does have some relevance, but you need to switch your thinking away from weight, and towards fat loss and improved body composition.   How much you weigh is less important than what your weight is made up of (fat, muscle, water, other lean tissue), or your body composition.

By body composition we’re essentially referring to the relationship between total bodyweight, muscle mass (total lean mass) and fat mass.  Lets say you weigh 65kg for example, with 25kg of that weight being muscle mass and 15kg of fat mass.   You go on a ‘diet’ and lose 10kg of total weight, all of which is fat, happy days.  But, what if you lost say 4kg of fat and 6kg of lean mass?  You did lose some fat, but you also lost a significant amount of lean mass.  Not good long term.  This second scenario is the reality of what happens with diets.  You lose lots of weight, but relatively little body fat.

And what happens when you return to your regular way of eating and drinking?  Well, being that you can only shrink fat cells – your body has a kind of  ‘fat memory’ and remembers with fondness those fatter times – your are likely to regain most, if not all, of that fat.  Oh, and that lean mass you lost?  Unfortunately, that’s not quite so accommodating, you need to earn that back.

But, focus on improving your body composition – that is losing fat and maintain or better still adding some muscle (lean mass) and you’ll look and feel very different, both acutely and in the longer term.  The example below show’s just this.  This person has only lost 2kg of total weight, but has lost 8.4kg of fat and added 4.2kg of muscle.  So whilst 2kg (broadly 4lbs) of weight loss is nothing of particular note, the change in body composition is hugely significant.

Diptic

Note the change in the shape of the curve from C-shaped to D-shaped. A D-shaped curve indicates a positive relationship between fat and muscle relative to weight.

Focus on fat loss, not weight loss.  It will seem like you’re progressing more slowly (your weight won’t drop so quickly, especially if you add some lean mass), but surely it’s better to get leaner rather than simply smaller?

 

 

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New Year, New You?

January 11, 2013 by ·

Latest blog post from W10 trainer Rob:  Check out Rob’s blog here>>

As we ease into 2013 and everybody and their dog embark on their own personal ‘get lean for 2013’ campaign I want to give you an insight as to what I am starting to see all too often when people aim to eat healthily. It’s a common misconception that in order to lose body fat you need to eat less and whilst this may be true for some of the world’s greediest people I am yet to meet one of them. In fact most people I meet under eat, yes you heard me correctly, under eat.

It seems that when people are consciously trying to watch what they eat in their quest for fat loss and health they quite literally starve themselves, think porridge for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch and chicken with veg for dinner. Now unless you weigh 40kg wet through you are not going to be consuming enough calories. Yes you will lose weight but that weight is going to be at the expense of muscle mass. This is the last thing you want when trying to reduce your body fat and ever have a chance of seeing your abdominals. Muscle mass is your engine, it’s what burns the calories and if anything you want to increase muscle mass and that is just not possible when you are starving yourself.

Another thing when under eating is that you will inevitably ‘fall off the wagon’. Your body is very clever, when you are not giving it enough fuel it will let you know. Your blood sugar levels will drop and you will get horrible cravings and you will eventually crack. This isn’t a lack of will power on your part but more a sign that you are not giving the body the fuel it needs. If you are fuelling the body correctly and giving it everything it needs to function optimally and cope with the day to day demands you place upon it then you shouldn’t crave crap food, you may want it but that is different to uncontrollable cravings.

So what it tends to look like is you have 3-4 days of being “good” (under eating) then on day 5 you crash, you feel horrible, tired and grumpy then eat everything in sight (over eat). You then swear to yourself it was a once off and you are back on it tomorrow. Sound familiar?

This form of eating is very stressful to the body and as you may know, stress can be very harmful to your fat loss goals. Your body will switch into survival mode meaning that the last thing it wants to do is preserve muscle mass and rid body fat, I mean, it’s struggling to survive here!

So as your body holds on for dear life its only option is to down regulate your thyroid. The thyroid is what drives your metabolism and metabolism is what burns calories, so now you are not only starving yourself, you are also training your body to burn less calories not to mention your energy levels have fallen through the floor and you now feel like crap. I think you will agree that this is not where you want to be in a few months’ time. So cut yourself some slack and don’t starve yourself.

Remember, muscle is an expensive luxury in terms of its caloric demands but necessary for your long term fat loss goals. Quick and, inevitably, short term weight loss is easy, don’t give your body enough calories and it will shed muscle. Smart and permanent fat loss requires a little more time and patience but will have you feeling and looking better in no time.

If you are unsure about your nutrition and would like some help in reaching your fat loss goals why not try out our W10 Performance Online Coaching Program. See our website for details.

I hope you have found this information useful and as always let me know your thoughts

Stay healthy

Rob (W10′s shortest trainer)

Filed Under: Blog, Motivation, Nutrition, Q&As, Weight Loss · Tagged: , , ,

January Goal Setting

January 9, 2013 by ·

So here’s our first post post Christmas and New Years festivities and what else could it possibly be about other than losing weight, resolutions and goal setting!

Every year people ‘come back’ in January raring to go and wanting to make big changes to their health and physique.  In all fairness, we’re not affected by it in the same way as other gyms.  For a start, we don’t spend masses of time and money on advertising and PR (at any time of the year), and secondly our membership base is less transient and probably a bit more consistent in their gym habits (well, most of them!).

Never-the-less, people want to get at it in January in our gym like any other.  Lethargy has been replaced by focus and people have got fat to lose and goals to achieve.  Good stuff – certainly for all us personal trainers out there! – but going at it all guns blazing might not be the answer….

Without question, the biggest goal setting and fat loss mistake people make is trying to do too much too soon.

“Right, that’s it.  I’m off the booze for six weeks, I’m going to smash it in the gym – three weights, two cardio sessions – and I’m giving up carbs, coffee, sugar, going wheat free and knocking the dairy products on the head”.  Sound familiar?  Honestly, you tried that last year, it didn’t work too well for you then (hence we’re here again) and you probably won’t keep it up this time either!  Why?  Too many changes at once.

TOO… MANY… THINGS… TO… THINK… ABOUT… SO… LITTLE… TIME… TO… GET…THINGS… DONE.

TOO… MANY… THINGS… TO… THINK… ABOUT… SO… LITTLE… TIME… TO… GET…THINGS… DONE.

Fat loss is generally most successful when you go at it slowly.  Unless you can dedicate yourself to it 100% and can commit to something like our six week Zero to Hero or our eight week Jeans Challenge programme, fat loss takes longer than most of us would like.

Weight loss is easy, sustainable fat loss is a different animal and this is best done and most sustainable when done with small consistent steps through easy to implement and sustainable lifestyle changes.

Goal setting is important.  Real and tangible goals provide motivation and keep us accountable.  These are often along the lines of, ‘I want to drop a dress size’, ‘I’ve got two stone to lose’, ‘I want to look like X’, or ‘I want to lose the moobs’.  All reasonable goals and what are referred to as OUTCOME goals.

The reality is that we are all fully focussed on these in January but we’ve lost sight of them by mid February.  Why?  Because they’re often loaded with a daunting amount of sacrifice which we just ‘can’t’ give.  This lack of stay in power is understandable given we only have so much self-will and one always wants what one cannot have (‘I needed a chocolate digestive’).

480299_520468717972206_2014872475_n

“I WILL NOT EAT CARBS, DRINK ALCOHOL OR CONSUME ANYTHING THAT I USED TO GORGE ON DAILY”

But what if we put the outcome goal to one side for the moment and set PROCESS goals, focussing on the small steps (behaviour changes) that need to be taken to get to the end goal….?

You want to lose a stone for example; and to make that happen you’re likely to have to make certain changes involving exercise, nutrition and other lifestyle factors.  These might include going to the gym, moving more regularly, drinking more water, including more of some foods, eating less of others, and so on.

But rather than focussing on the outcome and trying to do these all at once – as is our extremist nature – a more effective approach (we’ve seen this more times than we could count) would be to focus on the steps it will take, or processes, and work to skittle these off one by one.  Perhaps something along these lines:

Week one, I’ll drink more water and go to the gym three times per week.

Week two, I’ll eat breakfast every day.

Week three, I won’t take on anything else whilst I nail the other things down.

Week four, I’ll swap my lunchtime sandwich and crisps for a serving of protein and salad/vegetables.  Perhaps a serving of fruit also.

Week five, I’ll eat a smaller dinner portion.

Week eight, I’ll cut wheat out of my diet.

And so on.

Before you know it, you’re three or four months down the line and you’ve made lots of little changes that are now second nature.  And guess what, you’ve lost your stone and a little bit more.  And, you might not need to go through the process again next year.

The trick for most people is to shift your focus from the losing a stone to the things that need to be done to get there.  The outcome will then look after itself.

Be consistent.  Be patient. #BeTheTortoise.

 

 

 

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W10 Member Success Story

December 19, 2012 by ·

Here’s our latest and last W10 member success story for 2012!

We’re particularly pleased with A-N’s six week progress.  Not so much because of the pictures – although that’s a pretty decent improvement indeed – but because someone who had previously worked out sporadically and eaten what we’ll call a less than optimal diet (he won’t mind us saying so!), never prioritising either, managed to stick to the programme and has continued with a similar schedule since finishing.

A-N works long hours and wasn’t sleeping well (both quality and quantity) so we needed to make sure that the schedule was one from which he could recover.  So the approach here to training was three full body resistance trainings sessions each week (preferably on non-consective days) and one, short, sharp interval training session.

The nutrition was straight forward also.  Ditch the rubbish, eat regularly, increase the protein, include the majority of carbs at night (more conservative amounts in the first ten days), and indulge in a bit of want you want twice per week (which kept him compliant the rest of the week!).  Simple.

As always we’d prefer that the journey be told in the first person, so here’s AN’s experience in pictures and in his own words:

“My life is pretty much dominated by work so I was very sceptical about my ability to both fit in and commit to a programme that had me in the gym 4 times a week…..

BUT, the beauty of the W10 programme is its simplicity: you are in and out the gym within 45 minutes, the diet plan and the food diaries make it easy to plan your meals; and you’re kept honest with the regular weigh-ins and food diary reviews. In short, if you follow the plan it’s idiot proof.

I joined up for the 6 week programme with the intention of losing body fat and maintain muscle, and the results by the measuring tape and the mirror are certainly noticeable.

However, I think I have been more surprised by the changes which the mirror don’t really reflect.  I have changed my attitude to food and drink, have more energy and am certainly less stressed.

The only downside of the programme is that you will invariably have to train to a selection of 90’s power ballads…”.

We really are going to have to say something to Jonesy about these power ballads…..

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W10 Client Success Story

December 11, 2012 by ·

Here’s W10 member CM’s results from twelve weeks of training and nutrition.  We think you’ll agree that the results are pretty impressive – despite a demanding work schedule, complete with trips away , and the odd night out here and there! – and are testament to CM and the work ethic and commitment he showed throughout the programme.

Three resistance training sessions and two interval based cardio sessions was the approach employed, coupled with a nutritional programme which was overall higher protein, moderate fat and moderate to low carb, but included higher carb days (“cheat meals”) twice per week throughout the twelve weeks.

Here’s CM’s experience in pictures and in his own words:

“I started the 6 week programme thinking that I would be able to deal with the exercise side but would struggle with a strict diet side of things.  But although I found the diet tough it is not so strict or rigid that you cant do it.

As for the training, it’s hard, but the programme and exercises change continually to make things interesting and you very quickly were able to feel, and more importantly see, the results.  

Between “The three Amigos” (Adam, Rob and JC) they were incredibly helpful. They were tough when needed and supportive throughout. I would highly recommend W10, and this programme in particular, to anyone looking to kick start their training.

Thanks again W10.”
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The Benefits of Vitamin D Supplementation

December 5, 2012 by ·

With winter in full swing and with it the short days, dark evenings and lack of sunshine, we thought we’d post a reminder about the benefits of using Vitamin D supplementation.  We recommend that almost everyone supplement with Vitamin D throughout the winter months, especially if they live in the UK.

It’s always worth getting tested beforehand to ascertain what your current Vitamin D status is and help you decide what is an appropriate dosage.  We recommend people who take Vitamin D supplementation get retested at least bi-annually.

Here’s guest post from Canadian Strength Coach Charles Poliquin on the benefits of Viatmin D supplementation:

“Take vitamin D to lose fat and gain muscle. Over and over again, research shows that if you have low vitamin D, you will be more likely to be overweight, have less muscle mass, and higher risk of injury. Vitamin D deficiency is SO easy to solve—don’t let it keep you from getting and staying lean!”

Read the full article here==>>


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Latest W10 Member Success Story

November 19, 2012 by ·

Transformations are definitely not always about before and after shots but sometimes you look at the photos and just have to stand back and say ‘hats off’.  We think you’ll agree that PW’s transformation in just six weeks is one of those occasions.

In order to provide some background/perspective, PW was an existing W10 member who decided that he wanted to focus 100% for six weeks before his friends wedding – so he had a decent training base and we we knew what he would/would not be able to do and also recover from which makes life easier.

He works in the City at a large bank in a reasonably senior position so training was kept to three times each week for no more than an hour.  Nutritionally we recommended moderate protein and fat, with plenty of carbs which were manipulated on training vs non-training days, nothing fancy.  Nothing else – no cardio, no HIIT, nothing.   Just the occasional walk if/as/when he fancied some fresh air.

Here is PW’s experience in pictures and his own words:

 

“I would definitely recommend the w10 six week programme. The programme will always be judged on results and I was really happy with mine but also I liked how easily it fit into my week and the fact it didn’t completely dominate my work and social life like other programmes I’ve tried. I think the most challenging part was not drinking alcohol but the best part was enjoying eating porridge on training days! Would definitely do it again.”

We’ll put this post on our Facebook page and if there’s enough interest we’ll do a further post on the training and the nutritional programme over the six weeks.  And with some luck, a few more words from the famously understated PW himself!

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What’s the best rep range for toning?

November 15, 2012 by ·

I’ve long lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked the ‘best’ rep range for a certain goal.  “Are light weights, high reps best for toning?’ or “will low reps, heavy weights bulk me up?” etc.  The truth is this that there is no such thing as the best rep range for anything.  It depends on the person their starting point, their structural profile, their end goal, and many others factors.  Anyone who tells you different is just trying to sell you a particular programme or system.

It’s not about one given rep range, rest period, type of exercise or six week fat loss system, it’s about planning and progression.  This is something that those who are in the know in the fitness industry call periodization.  Periodization refers to phases that a training programme moves through and is something that is essential when programming for anyone.

It’s important to recognize that any programme will work for six weeks. But one given programme or one method of training is very unlikely to lead to long-term success and continued results.  To make long term meaningful gains you have move forward progressively. There is no magic bullet, there is only what works for that person at that time, and that is entirely influenced by what has gone before and what is coming after.  And most people need to play the long game.

Let me explain.

Everyone who comes into our gym for example has an evaluation before they start training.  This sometimes irks the impatient folk who just want to get stuck in, but it is essential in helping us to determine your baseline in terms of mobility, stability, strength, nutrition, and ‘invisible’ factors such as sleep, stress, motivation, and so on.  We are then well placed to design a personal training programme that will get the desired results.

Now let’s assume for a minute that higher reps, lower weight, shorter rest period training is good for fat burning.  So, being that most of the people who come to us do so for the purposes of fat loss it makes sense that this would be where we start right?  Not quite.  In actual fact, we actually steer most people away from this type of fast moving metabolic style of training.  Why? Because this type of training is only effective when done from a strong and stable base – something that many people (especially women) do not present with initially.  Sure you’ll shift some fat in the first couple of weeks but it won’t work long term and it’s very likely to lead to plateaus and/or injury (we used to see it our gym and we still see it all of the time now with other gyms and personal trainers).

So where do we start?

Firstly we work to balance the body where needed.  Amongst other things we make sure that posture is correct (no, it doesn’t have to be perfect), that the shoulders are stable, the hips are doing what they should be and the abdominals are firing.  We also clean up the diet thus improving gut health and reducing inflammation, both of which will increase energy levels and allow us to get better results from training.  At this stage we might use moderate repetitions, typically in the 8-15 range – a range that’s going to help us simultaneously build muscle and gain strength.  Here we’d typically keep rest periods long enough that you can maintain the weight and complete each exercise in good form.

Next we might add some more focused strength training into the mix where we’d introduce some lower repetitions to allow us to focus on gaining strength (yes, women need to be strong also!).  Here we might introduce repetitions as low as 4-6 where we’re using weights that are heavier and challenging in that range.   Our goal here is to increase strength, not raise the heart rate, so rest periods here might be longer again.

A quick note for females:  Lifting heavy will not make you bulky – not if you keep the total volume of weights lifted low*.  There are guys all over the land going out of their way to add muscle to their miserable pigeon chests and failing miserably.  It would be a terrible evolutionary injustice if females could just wander into the gym, pick up a pair of 3kg dumbbells, and add muscle.  It just doesn’t work like that!

*In strength training we typically increase the number of sets as we decrease the number of reps. For example we might do 2 (sets) x 15 (reps), 3 x 10, 4 x 6, 5 x 5 and so on.   When we train females we might decrease the reps but NOT significantly increase the number of sets.  This ensures that we get the desired strength gains but create insufficient stimulus (volume) for muscle growth.  Hence, doing these heavy weights won’t make you bulky.

Following some structural balance and corrective work and a period of strength training we might then look to add in some metabolic resistance or circuit style training.  At this point we have a solid base from which to push, pull, squat, lunge, bend, sprint, jump and so on and we can use a decent amount of resistance under fatigue.  Here we would use higher reps or perhaps go for time rather than reps and minimal rest – with the goal here being to get the heart rate up and metabolically disturb the system as much as possible.  Which equals rapid fat loss.

Yes, the whole process might take longer than the ‘workout for ten minutes for super-duper abs’ but now we’re talking sustainable, injury free, fat burning and muscular development that leads to serious increases in fitness and a lean physique, with little risk of exercise induced injury.  Exactly what most people are after.

All because we have taken the time to build a solid foundation of stability and strength upon which we can work.

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W10 Member Success Story

November 11, 2012 by ·

We’re not big on ‘before & after’ shots here at W10.  Why?  Well, they’re a bit naff frankly.  However, we have come to understand (eventually) that we are missing a trick in terms of our website, marketing and the commercial aspect of running a training business, so we’ve decided to start sharing some of our members’ success stories.

Most of our members are regular folk who, whilst they have definitely come to us because they want to look better, it’s actually about more than just aesthetics.  Most are not prepared to give up everything in pursuit of aesthetic perfection (although there are some who are!), rather they want to move better, be injury free, feel better, be healthier…. you know, all the things that are important to most grown ups looking to lead physically fulfilling lives!

Here’s an example of one such case with W10 member AP’s story in pictures and in his own words:

“I’m in my late 30′s and I thought I hated exercise and by extension, all gyms. I decided to join W10 Performance with a certain amount of determination following a blood test that showed elevated cholesterol and liver function enzymes. But to be honest at the back of my mind I thought I wouldn’t stick it out in the same way I had joined and cancelled memberships at Holmes Place / Virgin Active five times over 15 years.

However almost ten months on, and training at W10 is now firmly part of my routine. I think the reason I’ve managed to stick with it for the first time in my life is down to JC and his team’s unique approach to running a gym. Having a personal training session every week isn’t in itself unusual (although it goes without saying that the quality of the training and advice at W10 is far better than anything I’ve experienced before) however, always having someone on hand to ask questions to and occasionally check on you whilst you are training on your own really makes all the difference. Actually caring about their clients and their progress creates an atmosphere that is the complete opposite of a faceless corporate gym. That sense of support is invaluable when it comes to giving you the motivation to try and achieve your goals.

Combining the training sessions with sound nutritional advice and small group metabolic classes, the results I have achieved since joining W10 performance speak for themselves. I lost over 20 kilos in the first 5 months, and am stronger, fitter and healthier than I have ever been in my entire life. I’ve gone from a 36/38″ waist to 32/34″. Before joining my blood test results of concern were (with the recommended ranges in brackets);

Total Cholesterol – 5.3 mmol/L (2.5 – 5.0)
Triglycerides – 2.2 mmol/L (0.5 – 2.0)
HDL – 0.90 mmol/L (1.0 – 4.0)
LDL – 3.4 mmol/L (0.1 – 3.0)
ALT (Liver function) – 44 u/L (5 – 40)

Seven months on, my last test now showed me within the target ranges;
Total Cholesterol – 4.2 mmol/L
Triglycerides – 0.78 mmol/L
HDL – 1.3 mmol/L
LDL – 2.5 mmol/L
ALT (Liver function) – 23 u/L

JC, Adam & Rob always strike the right balance of pushing you hard whilst also providing the right level of support to achieve your goals. They understand that most people can’t live, train and eat like a machine 24/7 – but that most people can also do these things a lot better than they currently are if they are shown how to. If you can embrace that philosophy and are dedicated, then it’s a great place to train. Adam just needs to lay off the 80′s soft rock playlists…”

Good work AP.  And agreed on the 80’s soft rock front!

 

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Does Eating Carbs at Night Make us Fat?

August 31, 2012 by ·

This week Blog Post is a guest post from Dr Layne Norton.  Layne is a guy with a scientific approach to training and nutrition and is someone we can all learn a great deal from.

Layne’s latest blog post addresses the myth that eating carbohyrdates at night will make you fat:

“There are quite a few things that everyone in the fitness industry KNOWS.  You have to eat 8 meals per day, consume 400g+ protein per day, do fasted cardio, use heavy weights to bulk up, and light weights wit high reps to tone up… oh wait, those are all BROSCIENCE!

Don’t get me wrong, bodybuilding and fitness have been on the cutting edge of many dietary and training interventions that mainstream science is only now catching up.  Unfortunately, the vetting process for many of these protocols isn’t exactly stringent.  Thus, many things become accepted as ‘fact’, when in reality they are based in little actual research data.

The debate about whether or not it’s ok to have carbs at night has been all but settled in the fitness industry.  You simply can’t consume a shred of carbohydrates at night or you will store fat faster than vampire rises after the sun sets!  That is, according to many fitness ‘experts’ out there.  So I decided to examine this fitness factoid to determine if eating carbs at night was actually detrimental to your body composition or if it was all fallacy.”

Read the full article here>>

 

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