Maximum Fat Loss During Exercise

The September 2010 Fitness Rx issue has an excellent 3-page scientific article about fat loss.  It's called, "The Scientific Approach to Ultimate Fat Loss:  Burn Body Fat As Fuel".  Let me save you the trouble of trying to sift through all of the scientific verbage that was even tough for me to get through (and I made an A in that class).  I'm going to concisely sum up the main points of the article.

1.  To burn maximum fat during exercise, use interval training.  This is where you mix in bursts of high intensity exercises with periods of moderate intensity exercises.  As an example, if you were on a treadmill, you might speed walk up hill at 3.5 mph and 5% incline for 10 minutes followed by 5 minutes of jogging at 6.0 mph and 5% incline, then continue those intervals for 3 cycles.  This alternates you between moderate and high intensity exercise.

2.  Time your exercise for 4 to 6 hours after a meal if you're not planning to work out before breakfast.  This allows blood insulin levels to level off and puts your body in the best position to burn fat during exercise, especially in the type of exercise described above.

3.  More on timing:  The best time to exercise is first thing in the morning, before eating breakfast.  I explained this point in my previous post that can be found at:  http://leanbodypro.blogspot.com/2010/08/research-on-fat-loss-exercise-in.html. 

So, there you have it.  Most people drown in the science.  Even I think it's boring sometimes.  You don't want to read about mitochondria, fatty acids, and adipocytes.  Just give it to me straight.  Well, I did.  Interval training and exercise on an empty stomach.

Research on Fat Loss: Exercise in the Morning

Fitness RX Magazine, in my opinion, is the BEST fitness magazine on the market.  I've read the others and they don't compare when it comes to the research.  Fitness RX has lots of short articles that are based on the research of exercise scientists from different countries and colleges.  A typical article will say something like, "Researchers from the University of ________________ found. . ."  These aren't just opinions from workout junkies.  Instead, they're derived from solid research that you can rely on.

One recent article discusses a research study about the relation of fasting to fat loss.  Researchers found that exercising after 12 to 14 hours of fasting promoted fat loss.  Study participants did this 3 to 5 times per week for 12 weeks and lost an average of 16 pounds.  The reason this works is because carbohydrates are less available for use as energy during exercise (after fasting) and this causes the body to use more fat as energy.

So, how do we make this article apply to you?  Easy!  What time do you typically eat dinner?  Whatever your answer, eat dinner at 6pm.  Then, wake up at 5am and exercise first thing in the morning.  You'll start your workout at 6am and that will be a 12-hour fast since your last meal.  Study participants did this 3 to 5 days per week and lost 16 pounds in 12 weeks.  If I told you that in 3 months, you could be 16 pounds lighter, wouldn't you make some sacrifices to reach that goal?

When you eat, eat healthy.  Workout first thing in the morning.  This might be a serious lifestyle change for you, but isn't it worth it?  Don't eat breakfast until after you workout.  Then, eat healthy.  The other benefit to an early morning working is increased energy throughout the day and a higher metabolic rate for that day than if you didn't workout in the morning.

Important Considerations for Weight Loss

When you're trying to lose weight, there are several things you must consider, some of which you may have never thought of before.  In order to put together a total weight loss plan, your plan must include the following areas.

1.  Eat right.  Counting calories is important, but the most important thing is to eat the right food.  Foods that are high in fats or high in carbs are bad for weight loss.  You want high protein, low fat, low carb.  Each gram of fat has roughly 10 calories, so these are the most critical.  Carbs and Proteins each have 4 calories per gram.

2.  Drink plenty of water.  Don't drown yourself, but your body needs to be adequately hydrated in order to function properly.  In this case, functioning properly includes losing weight.

3.  Build muscle tone.  Muscle is the body's best fat burner.  Better tone doesn't necessarily mean larger muscles.  Women often say, "but I don't want to look like a body builder."  OK, then don't take steroids.  Women - you don't produce enough testosterone to build that kind of muscle, so don't worry about it.  Muscle burns fat and looks good.

4.  Don't skip cardio exercise.  Losing weight is all about math.  You maximize weight loss by burning calories during cardiovascular exercise.

5.  Take supplements.  These include multi-vitamins, amino acids, fat loss supplements, and maybe even metabolic enhancers (although these may not be safe depending on your health condition).  They also include protein shakes as snacks during the day.  When you reduce the calories you eat and you burn calories in exercise, your body loses valuable nutrients that can be avoided with proper supplementation.

6.  Get enough sleep.  The body regenerates during rest.  This means that if you exercise hard, your body recovers best when you are sleeping.  It also helps you function better and feel better so that you have the energy to go back to the gym.  Experts say that getting about 7 hours of sleep per night is just about right.

Over time, I'll get into more detail in each of these areas, but this will give you a general outline of the areas that will be important to you when you want to take up an effective weight loss program.  The most effective plan must include each of these key areas.