Weight Loss

By Ben Peterson

Weight loss " I want to lose some weight ", " I am after weight loss ", "My goal is to lose 10 kilos".

Do these phrases sound familiar? Most of us have uttered them to either ourselves or if we are brave we have also said them to someone else as well. But what do we mean we talk about weight loss? Is there any weight that you should keep? Is there "good" and "bad" weight you can lose? You bet. When we talk about weight loss, most of us are really talking about getting rid of our bodyfat. Bodyfat is a the layer of adipose tissue, typically near the surface of the skin, that creates the "jiggly bits" or the "lumps and bumps" that we wish we didn't have. Getting rid of, or reducing the amount of this tissue, is the way almost everyone gets thinner, leaner, and most often, quite a bit happier too. The only way to create this reduction in bodyfat, is to use more energy everyday, than we put in our mouths. This situation results in an "energy deficit", which basically means, your body must draw on its own energy reserves (fat, amongst other sources) to continue to supply energy.

The challenge is that when most people lose fat, they also lose muscle (lean body mass). The body tries hard to keep it but unless we do specific things, muscle is lost as well as fat. And muscle tissue is o-so important, our body actually uses 10 to 50 times more calories everyday to maintain a kilo of muscle, than is uses to maintain a kilo of fat. So having more muscle is a great benefit for those trying to lose weight (bodyfat) because it greatly speeds up the amount of energy used, even when you are not exercising. Now thats alright!

So how do we keep as much muscle as we can when we are trying so hard to lose our bodyfat?

Two words: Resistance Training. Resistance training is what we are doing when we lift a dumbbell, when we carry a heavy box, when we are squatting to pick up something off the ground, and when we are doing everyone’s favorite exercise :sit-ups. Other exercises also classify as resistance training, and it also goes by the terms Weight Training, Gym Training, Lifting Weights, Pumping Iron etc. Generally, a resistance exercise will target a muscle of particular group of muscles, and when you perform it, you will not be able to continue it for more than say 45-75 seconds, although this will vary depending on a number of factors. If we perform a full body resistance exercise routine at least once a week, preferable twice or more, it will significantly help our body to maintain muscle mass, when we are trying to lose bodyfat. By using our muscles, our body says "Hey, I'd better keep these at the moment, because I am being asked to lift some heavy things" and it focuses on losing fat as the energy source.

The type of resistance exercise routine that is suitable for someone will vary significantly depending on their age, exercise history, current health/injury status, motivation levels, and lifestyle. Please seek professional advice when designing a resistance training program as injury is a real risk for novices and those with little experience in designing such programs. So, summing up, when we want to lose weight, we want to lose the bodyfat, not the muscle. And to make sure this happens, we must incorporate resistance exercise into out weight loss/exercise program. Do that, and you are on your way to maximizing your weight loss with real results.