Back " in the day" when I used to be a time personal trainer and I met with clients in person at my New Jersey Health Club , the first thing I always ask my clients during the initial consultation was :
"Tell me exactly what you want ... and I'll show you how . "
Typical response of clients:
"I want to lose 20 pounds fast . "
My answer :
" Are you sure this is what you want? If I can, I'll show you how to lose 20 pounds very , very quickly, are you happy ? "
They nodded their head affirmatively as their eyes lit up in anticipation of the secrets of quick weight loss , I was about to reveal ...
His face went white when - with a totally straight face - I pulled out a hacksaw and started walking towards them .... threatening .
You do not know whether to laugh or to flee in terror , said:
"What are you doing? "
" You said you wanted to lose 20 pounds fast . This is the safest most effective way easy , I know to take 20 pounds more than fast! Actually, I guess the right leg of yours might even weigh £ 25 "
I went in and started to sawing position , wielding my fast, effective and guaranteed weight loss tool ...
" Have patience with me , because it is fast , but sometimes it takes me a few minutes to cut through the bone . "
At this time , my client and I are completely crack or I seriously fear of life that you know about them , or just think I 'm a complete fool ... ( It depends on whether I was able to keep a straight face or not ) .
Finally, the bulb lights , and my client to see where I was going with this :
"Okay, wise guy ," I understand ... You do not want to lose weight you want to lose fat . "
Sometimes I would amuse me so much, I just want to play ...
! ! " But why not It's easy, fast and guaranteed - just what everyone wants these days ... it's even better than taking a pill ... Come let me hack off Thou shalt my next witness : "I lost 20 pounds in 5 minutes Imagine what it will do for my business " !
" Very funny . You have said, I understand, I understand ! Want to lose fat , not muscle and bone . Need my leg !
Naturally , of course, I still do not have that I have to get my trusty sword . From time to time ... as often as a total solar eclipse ... a client answers my question like this:
"What I want? Tom, I want to lose 20 pounds of body fat in the next 12 weeks . Would you do it slowly , safely and healthily and keep it off permanently . Want all the fat around the hips and thighs completely gone and I want a firm stomach . want muscle throughout the body while still looking feminine. would like to see me in a 16 % body fat and maintain all my muscle or gain a few pounds of lean body mass if you can, . especially in my arms it's important for me because I want to be a good example for my children, I want to be healthy and live at least 90 years old and I want my husband looked at me and said, ' J ' love your body , baby, " and I want to be able to * honestly * say back to him ," me too! "
It is on those rare occasions when I know there is still intelligent life on this planet.
If you could answer the question : " What do you want " with the clarity that this woman did not think you ever have difficulty reaching your health goals and ... or any other goal in your life, to elsewhere.
This response is what you call a very " well-formed " goal , backed with a lot of motivation to encourage emotional "why."
"I want to lose weight " is a malformed target.
"Weight " is not the same as "fat." Weight includes muscle , bone , internal organs as well as lots and lots of water .
If you have only one thing from this article , get this:
What I really want is to burn fat while maintaining muscle ! !
Fat loss is what you want, not weight loss .
If your body is 100% rock- solid muscle , with absolutely nothing to shake ( unless it was supposed to ) , how much do you weigh yourself ?
I bet you would not!
So stop worshiping SCALE AND IMPLEMENTATION MEASURE BODY COMPOSITION !
By measuring your body fat , you take the guesswork out of your health plan and fitness and have a clear idea of what is really happening in your body as a result of diet and exercise.
Instead worry if you lose muscle , or whether you lose fat , you can measure and know for sure . ( They always give me a good laugh when someone tells me they are concerned about the loss of muscle still measuring the amount of muscle they have! )
Instead of being confused by all the "opinions" of weight loss and exercise "experts" are all that is saying something different, you can measure your body composition and based on results, we can know for sure if your program works.
A wise man once said :
" One measurement is worth a thousand opinions."
So how do you measure body fat ?
There are many methods. Thank you to the technology, there are few existing methods are so accurate , they can tell you whether your left pinky has more fat than your right pinky ! Unfortunately, many of them are too expensive or unavailable , is found only in hospitals or research centers .
Rather than bore you with a lecture on the different testing methods of body fat, I'll give you three tips , quick and easy :
Tip 1: Have a professional measure or coach in the fat of your body, if this service is available at your local health center . Sometimes there is a fee - usually $ 15 - $ 25, although some clubs offer this service for free to all members.
Suggestion 2 : Buy a measure skinfold Accu- caliber . The Accumeasure was designed to allow you to measure your own body fat in the privacy of your own home (you do not have someone measure) . Do a search on Google or Yahoo to find a dealer.
Some people wonder if this is really accurate . The truth is that it is not as accurate as a multi- site testing folds of an experienced tester , but it's better than nothing. In addition , the most important is not the " accuracy " per se , but the reliability and consistency of its measures so that you can track your progress. Clips skinfolds are generally not accurate or inaccurate , it is the person doing the test that it is accurate or inaccurate.
Tip # 3: If you have a spouse, partner or friend who can measure your body fat, you can purchase a "Slim Guide " body fat caliper . The Slimguide is the best cheap (about $ 20), caliper available for multi-site test, it is not designed for you to measure your own body fat as the Accu Measure . Other body fat calipers models ( if you want to splurge ) , range from $ 150 to $ 450 . ( At our health clubs, the use of the electronic clamp " Skyndex " with 4 - . " Durnin formula " website)
The clamps come with instructions , or you can use these formulas, I have used and found to be very specific :
4 Site formula for men ( abdomen, suprailiac , thigh , triceps)
% Fat = 0.29288 (sum of 4 skinfolds) - 0.0005 ( sum of four skinfolds squared ) + 0.15845 ( age) - 5.76377
Form 4 - Site for women (abdomen , suprailiac , thigh , triceps)
% Fat = ( .29669 ) (sum of 4 skinfolds) - ( .00043 ) (The sum of four skinfolds square ) + 0.02963 ( age ) + 1.4072
Source: Jackson AS, Pollock , M ( 1985 ) Practical assessment of body composition. Medical Sports Med. 13: 76-90 .
The percentage of body fat varies with age and gender, but 20-25 % body fat is average for women ( 15-19% is ideal) , while 15-20 % on average for men (10-14% is ideal).
Once you know your body fat percentage , then weigh yourself and record your weight and body fat on a progress chart . You can also calculate your lean body mass (muscle and other fat free tissue) very easily crunch a few numbers :
For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and have 10 % body fat , you have 20 pounds of fat (10 % of 200 = 20). That means you have a lean body mass (LBM ) of 180 pounds. Now we're talking ! With these data, we can have a clear idea of how your exercise and nutrition program are affecting your physique.
Losing weight is very easy. Losing fat - and keeping it without losing muscle - is a much bigger challenge. If you simply want to lose weight , could cut the leg. Or , (slightly less painful) , could show how down 10 to 15 pounds at the weekend just by dehydrating yourself and using diuretics natural herbal . Bodybuilders and wrestlers do it all the time to make a weight class. But what good is that if it's almost all water and you 're just going to gain it all back in a few days ?
You do not have to "throw away your scale " like many "experts" say By all means , keep using the scale, tape measure and even photographs and the mirror - . Most for the better, but body fat is where it's at . feedback
Also, I recently bought a chain saw and a shiny new ax from Home Depot , and I practiced my "American Psycho" and Jack Nicholson, "The Shining" imitation ... so if you wanna come to my office soon for personal consultation , you 'd better have the right answer to the question: " What do you want ? "
I share with you Easy ways to lose weight