Got this great article in yesterday from Sean Nalewanyj , Fat Loss Expert & Best-Selling Fitness Author www.MuscleGainTruth.com
By Sean Nalewanyj
So much focus and attention is placed on the idea of “weight loss” and “losing weight” that most typical beginners seem to lose sight of the actual concrete goal of achieving a lean, defined and healthy body…
Here’s a hint…
It’s NOT a simple matter of "losing weight".
In fact, let’s go ahead and remove the term “weight loss” from our fitness vocabulary altogether.
Why?
It’s because “losing weight” is NOT what you should be concerned with!
If you’re reading this article right now and are interested in burning fat, then chances are that you’re looking to achieve at least one of the following goals…
1) Improve your appearance to feel more confident, attractive and sexy.
2) Enhance your overall health to increase longevity and quality of living.
3) Boost your energy levels and mood to feel better about yourself on a daily basis.
Surely there are other reasons as well… but for the majority of you out there, these are probably your primary concerns.
Am I right?
If so, it is absolutely critical that you understand the following…
Losing body weight on its own will NOT allow you to achieve these goals! Instead, all of your focus must be placed on changing your body COMPOSITION.
The reason for this is simple…
Your body is made up of various different “types” of weight, all of which contribute differently to your overall appearance and health.
There are very “heavy” individuals who are in excellent health with lean and impressive bodies…
and there are very “light” individuals who are in poor health with soft, flabby and out-of-shape bodies.
Your overall body weight is made up of various different components, such as body fat, muscle tissue, water and glycogen. The haphazard approach of simply aiming to “lose weight” is incredibly misguided as it does not take these specific types of body weight into account.
In order to achieve your goal of a lean, energetic and healthy body, your goal is to get rid of the excessive amounts of “bad” body weight while maintaining as much “good” body weight as you can.
To put it simply, the underlying goal of your entire program is as follows…
Burn off body fat while maintaining lean muscle mass.
This is truly the only way to get into the shape you desire and to set yourself up for permanent, positive long-term results.
Stop obsessing about the number on the scale!
Instead, start worrying about gradually dropping your body fat percentage while holding on to your lean muscle mass.
There are three primary reasons why you should focus on this…
First of all… one very important factor that determines your body’s basal metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn at rest) is the amount of lean muscle tissue you have on your body. The more muscle you have, the faster your fat burning metabolism operates.
Secondly… maintaining a reasonable level of muscular development will allow you to achieve the shapely and athletic appearance that the majority of you are probably striving for.
A low body fat percentage may be the ultimate goal, but without a decent amount of muscle mass your body will simply take on a small and smooth form without those “cuts” and “lines” that are considered so desirable.
Finally… those who simply place themselves on “crash diets” and attempt to drop large amounts of body weight over short periods of time are inevitably doomed to fail. Such an approach places the body into a starved state and actually programs you to store more fat over the long run.
The body will react to severe calorie deficits by slowing down the metabolism in an attempt to conserve energy, wasting away lean muscle mass, and increasing the production of hormones that inhibit fat loss.
The end result is an unhealthy, out of shape body that, while being temporarily “lighter” than it was before, has now been programmed to store fat and will inevitably end up returning back to its original weight and more.
The way to avoid all of the negative effects listed above is simple…
Structure your “weight loss” approach in such a way that you aim to gradually reduce your body fat levels while keeping your lean muscle tissue levels in tact.
This is the ONLY realistic way to burn fat, keep it off over the long run, and achieve the kind of lean and athletic appearance that you strive for.
Forget about this obsession with trying to lower the number on the scale as fast as possible, as it is only one small piece of a much larger and more important puzzle.
About the Author:
Sean Nalewanyj was once an awkward, underweight, 125-pound "loser" who couldn’t talk to a woman if his life depended on it. Now, he’s a ripped, rock-solid, 195-pound renowned bodybuilding expert and fitness author.
He did it without drugs or steroids, without endless hours in the gym, and without slaving away to a tedious diet plan… All in a matter of months… And wants to teach YOU how to do the same…
Visit Sean’s website at : www.MuscleGainTruth.com
