I know that for me, cheat days have become dangerous.  Sometimes they turn into a cheat weekend.  Once I start eating things I shouldn’t, it is hard to stop.  Often, this is because we go out and buy a few treats for cheat day, but always end up getting too much because everything looks so good.  Since I hate having junk around the house during the week tempting me, I just end up eating way too much on cheat day, trying to get rid of everything.  Crazy!

After a cheat day, my weight balloons way up 5 or 6 pounds.  This is mostly food weight and water weight (from all the sodium).  It takes a good part of the week just to get back down to the weight I was before the cheat day.  It really seems to be affecting my overall progress.

If I could handle having just a single cheat meal, without going overboard, I’m sure the results would be a lot better.  I think I need some time going cold turkey to get rid of all the cravings.

There are many web sites out there with conflicting opinions on whether or not you should have a cheat day or cheat meal.  Some say that a cheat day is key to rapid fat loss because eating high calories causes release of the hormone leptin, which essentially burns fat.  Others say a cheat day can only harm you.  My personal opinion is that for those who have control, having a small cheat once per week is probably just fine and maybe even beneficial.  It’s when it starts to get out of control that it can become harmful.

Here is an article against cheat days: What’s Wrong With a Cheat Day?

And here is one touting the benefits of cheat days: Leptin and Weight Loss

I’d like to hear from you.  What are your thoughts on cheat days?  Do you use them?  Have they helped you?

I’m going to share with you the most crucial weight loss strategy that will literally make or break your success. This is the number one fat loss tip I could ever give you. If you don’t get this right, you can kiss your fat loss results goodbye. This is the one absolute requirement for weight loss, and it’s something you’ve probably heard of before. However, there’s one critical distinction about this familiar advice that you might not have considered – and this one thing makes all the difference in the world…

Let me quote Melvin Williams, PhD, professor emeritus of exercise science at Old Dominion University and author of the textbook Nutrition for Health, Fitness and Sport (McGraw Hill):

“Human energy systems are governed by the same laws of physics that rule all energy transformations. No substantial evidence is available to disprove the caloric theory. It is still the physical basis for bodyweight control.”

There are a variety of diet programs and weight loss “gurus” who claim that calories don’t count. They insist that if you eat certain foods or avoid certain foods, that’s all you have to do to lose weight. Dozens, maybe hundreds of such diets exist, with certain “magic foods” put up on a pedestal or certain “evil fat-storing foods” banished into the forbidden foods zone.

Other weight loss “experts” invoke the insulin/carbohydrate hypothesis which claims that carbs drive insulin which drives body fat. That’s akin to saying “Carbs are the reason for the obesity crisis today, not excess calories.”

They are all mistaken.

Of course, there IS more to nutrition than calories in vs calories out. Food quality and nutrition content matters for good health. In addition, your food choices can affect your energy intake. We could even point the finger at an excess of refined starches and grains, sugar and soft drinks (carbs!) as major contributing factors to the surplus calories that lead to obesity.

However, that brings us back to excess calories as the pivotal point in the chain of causation, not carbs. A caloric deficit is a required condition for weight loss – even if you opt for the low carb approach – and that’s where your focus should go – on the deficit.

Now, here’s that critical distinction…

You’ve heard it said, “exercise more and eat less” a million times. However, saying “focus on the calorie deficit” is NOT the same thing. If you don’t understand the difference, you could end up spinning your wheels for years.

You could exercise more, but if you compensate by eating more, you cancel your deficit.

You could eat less, but if you compensate by moving less, again you cancel your deficit.

This type of compensation can happen unconsciously, which leads to confusion about why you’re not losing weight or why you’re gaining. That often leads you to make excuses or blame the wrong thing… anything but the calories.

Therefore, “focus on the calorie deficit” more accurately states the most important key to weight loss than “exercise more and eat less.” Make sure you understand this distinction and then follow this advice.

Last but not least, keep in mind that there are a lot of ways to establish a deficit and many of those ways are really dumb. Eating nothing but grapefruits, cabbage, twinkies… but in a deficit?… Dumb!

The bottom line is that a calorie deficit is required for fat loss, but once your deficit is established, the composition of your hypo-caloric diet DOES matter. That’s why any good fat loss program starts with “calories in vs calories out” but doesn’t stop there – you also need to look at protein, essential fats, macronutrients, micronutrients, food quality and how the diet you choose fits into your lifestyle. This is the pivotal strategy that my entire Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle system hinges upon.

Don’t let the simplicity of this idea fool you. This is the #1 key to your successful weight loss now and in the future: Focus on the deficit!

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto, author of
Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle

About the Author:

In one of my favorite weight loss books by Bill Phillips, he says that if you start out looking like a pear, and do nothing but cardio for your weight loss, you will just end up looking like a smaller pear. Sure, you will lose weight, but to really transform your body you absolutely need to incorporate strength training.

A common misconception is that you will “bulk up” if you do any kind of strength training. The truth is, you have to lift a LOT of heavy, heavy weight for a long time to really bulk up. When you do regular strength training for weight loss, your body will look toned and defined, not bulky. I’m not saying that you need to spend hours in the gym every day pumping iron to burn fat. I AM saying that by incorporating weight training into your regimen, you will lose more fat and reshape your body.

Strength Training for Weight Loss – Why is it important?

When you only do cardio, you burn calories while you are doing the cardio, and for a short time afterward. If you want to burn more calories during the day, you have to do more cardio. When you do strength training, you burn calories while you are doing the exercise, and for a lot longer after you are finished. Burning calories for longer after an exercise session is not the only benefit. As you increase your muscle mass, your resting metabolism increases because muscle takes more energy to maintain than fat. An increased metabolism means that you are burning more calories all day long, even when you are not exercising!

It is important to incorporate a balance of different types of cardio AND strength training for weight loss. When you consistently do both, combined with a healthy diet and plenty of rest, you will see the results you are looking for.

Image via Wikipedia

Here are my numbers for this week:

• Weight: 245.2 lbs (down 2.2 pounds from the previous week)
• Body Fat (scale method): 30.6% (first measurement since I started up again)
• Stomach: 44.5″ (first measurement since I started up again)
• Chest: 44″ (first measurement)

I am happy with 2.2 pounds this week. I did my 3 strength workouts as detailed here. I only did 1 day of cardio this week, so there is room for improvement there. I ate well all week (one minor cheat – I had 2 pieces of pizza at my daughter’s school year end party), averaging around 2300 calories per day.

I just realized that I have gained 2.5 inches around my stomach since just over a year ago – ouch! I hope that I can stay consistent from now on and not let the upcoming school year prevent me from reaching my goal!

For the next couple of months, my exercise routine will be as follows:

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Weight training 3x per week:
Monday – Chest / Triceps / Abs
Wednesday – Hamstrings / Quadriceps / Calves
Friday – Back / Biceps / Shoulders

Each weight training day I choose 2 different exercises for each muscle group and do 5 sets (8-10 reps each) of each exercise. So, for example:

• Chest – Dumbbell flyes – 5 sets of 8-10 reps with 1 minute rest in between each set
• Triceps – 5 sets of dips
• Abs – 5 sets of reverse crunches
• Chest – Decline press – 5 sets of 8-10 reps
• Triceps – lying dumbbell extensions
• Abs – 5 sets of planks

This workout usually takes me just over an hour. Sometimes if I still have energy after weight training I will hop on the bike or treadmill for 20 minutes as well.

Cardio at least 3x per week:
Tuesday/Thursday – 20-30 minute interval run or spin bike. I usually do my interval runs on the treadmill because it is easy to track your speed.
Saturday – long run (currently 10k, hope to increase it a bit each week). I am training to run a half marathon in the fall so I need to get the distance up.

I also take the dog for a long brisk walk a few times per week. I don’t consider it part of my exercise routine, but every calorie burned helps!

Incidentally, I don’t currently have a gym membership so I have to do all of my workouts with dumbbells at home.  I do have a treadmill and spin bike and pullup bar at home as well.  I miss some of the equipment at the gym, but have found reasonable substitutes for all of the exercises I’m used to doing there.

Diet:

Right now I am not following any particular diet plan, I am just trying to eat as healthy as possible. I eat 5 meals per day and make sure to get some healthy carbs and protein with every meal. I am also tracking calories so that I can adjust as necessary after seeing how my progress goes. I do allow myself a cheat meal (or a cheat meal and a treat) every Saturday. I used to call Saturday “free day” where I didn’t watch my diet at all, but quite often went overboard so I am limiting it now.

I have recently found a few really delicious recipes that are super healthy and I plan to start a healthy recipe section here shortly.

Looking forward to my weigh in this weekend – I’m having a pretty good week so far!

I have always believed that it’s not really crucial to be perfectly accurate, but more important to be consistent. If you think you are burning 2500 calories per day, and your weight loss is stalled, you can increase your activity until you think you are burning 3000 calories per day. Whether those numbers are perfectly accurate or not isn’t really too relevant (as long as they are reasonable). However, if you want to be more accurate, then there are ways you can do so.

I have been looking into various armbands that are supposed to track your daily calorie burn for you. One that many of us have seen on the Biggest Loser is the BodyBugg. One of the biggest drawbacks of this particular system is the cost. As of right now, you pay $250 upfront, and $9.95 per month for a subscription to access and analyze your data. I don’t think there’s any way to use it without paying that monthly fee. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Another one I have looked at is the dotFit exerspy. Again, you pay upfront and also have to pay a monthly fee, although in the long run it looks to be a better deal than BodyBugg. I do like a lot of the features of this one though.

I want to hear from you! If anyone has had any experience with these or any other calorie counting arm bands, please post in the comments. Let us know what you like or dislike about them.

When you are trying to lose weight, it is very important to have a caloric deficit each day, but not such a huge deficit that your metabolism slows down. Many people will say they know how much they are eating and don’t have to track calories. For some people that may be true but for the majority of people, it isn’t.

How do you really know how many calories you are putting into your body unless you are keeping track? It is important to have a good idea so that you know whether you need to decrease, or even increase your caloric intake. It also helps you to keep track of your macros and make sure you are getting the right ratio of protein, carbs, and healthy fats.

When I first started counting my calories I was shocked at how many I was actually taking in. I was able to adjust and the weight started coming off again. Some people might find it necessary to start eating more in order to lose weight. If you starve yourself your body fights back and slows your metabolism way down, making it really difficult to lose weight.

It’s not important to be 100% accurate. What is important is to have a good idea, and to be consistent with how you track. Then, you can make adjustments if necessary.

I’ll be the first to admit that tracking calories can be a pain in the butt. I usually do it for a few weeks to make sure I’m on the right track, then stop for a while. You’ll find that after you’ve tracked for a period of time, you’ll have a good idea of how much you’re taking in. Every so often you should track again for a week to make sure you are still in the right range.

Stay tuned for another post on how I track calories and how to make it as easy and painless as possible.