Fatloss Ad Nauseam

A news flash in Danish television prompted me once again to touch upon the subject of fatloss.

In 50 minute long show, various scientific test and measurements were conducted to confirm or bust fatloss myths:

1. "I have a slow metabolism, so even if I live healthy and keep calories down, I cannot loose weight." This must be one of most well established excuses for not being able to shed fat! A young lady in her late twenties weighed in at about 180lbs. But still she was in good physical condition, she walked a lot, attended various cardio based workout classes during the week, so her only problem was the alleged "slow metabolism". She was then instructed to document her daily calorie intake, with a video camera and food lists.  According to these her calorie intake was a few hundred below her maintenance level approx. 1800kcl. Then she was sent to a lab that could measure her intake accurately. The result of the test was a whopping 3000kcl.!!! This experiment confirmed very clearly what has become an established fact, that fatloss clients unconsciously under report their food intake, by a massive margen, in this case nearly 40%. Finally she was subjected to a metabolism test, which confirmed that her metabolism was completely normal. Conclusion: Lack of fatloss was the result of too high calorie intake. This stresses the need to establish a caloric deficit in order for fatloss to take place.
2. "I haven't got the time to work out and I don't like extreme physical activity" Another test person, who had about 20lbs to lose, was subjected to a treadmill session of 90 min (It was not explained why this time frame was chosen). Effort level was about 30-40% of max, at brisk walking pace. The objective was to show the effect of moderate cardio activity on caloric expenditure during and after the activity. During the session, close to 400kcl were spent. And then the clue: up to 24 hours after, the resting metabolic rate was elevated compared to normal RMR. Conclusion: So-called afterburn is an established and measurable fact. So extreme activity is not necessary and the afterburn effect is a valid parameter.
3. "You have to turn your lifestyle upside down to lose fat" The third test was arranged to show how small changes in your activity level are enough to deliver on fatloss. A sedentary test person, working on a radio station, was chosen. First calorie expenditure was measured on a normal day, doing nothing special. Next calorie expenditure was measured, introducing a number of small increases in activity level: Taking the stairs, walking around while talking on the phone or in a microphone. Doing a few minutes of stretches every now and then. Nothing extreme at all. Net result was an extra 300kcl burned pr. day. On a yearly basis, without increasing food intake, this would result in a fatloss of 24lbs !!! So there really are no valid excuses for not doing something.

Now I hear you say: If fatloss is so easy, why don't more people do it!

There are no free rides in this world, so of course the picture is more complicated. Especially for those of us who have been at it for a while.

First of all there is adaptation. Your body adapts to exercise and diet requiring increased efforts to keep losing fat. There is a trap in this as well. As your bodyfat decreases, your calorie maintenance level drops. Many people tend to overlook this fact. For a while I overlooked this fact myself.

Finally there is the hype around diets and workout routines. I am sure that the complex nature of many diets and workout routines scare people away. First of all there is the lingo, not easy to get to grips with for the uninitiated. Then there is the plethora of schools of thought. Some rule out cardio, some only involve resistance training, some combine these, etc., etc.. Not easy to navigate through and choose what is right for you.

This was just a repetition of facts, that are known to many of you, but which tend to be forgotten in the rush and buzz of everyday life. Its rare to see media treat this area of life with objectivity and in a sober manner, but this was exactly the strength of this particular show.