Weight loss plateaus can be frustrating, and can even make you a little crazy.

Typically, a plateau happens when you get down to that last 10 lbs, or when you drop a lost of weight and you hit the “good” body fat category.  This might not be enough and you still want to get further and move even lower, from the “fitness” region for body fat in to the “athletic” region for body fat.

So how do I lose that last 10 lbs?

There are 5 reasons you hit a weight loss plateau:

1) Your metabolism decreases

How does your metabolism decrease even though you are working out and dieting? This happens naturally when you cut back on calories. If you slash your calories too severely, your body will go into a starvation response.

With a calorie-cutback, your body’s adaptive thermogenesis mechanism slows down and you burn less because you are providing not enough calories to keep the metabolic response high. It’s your body’s way of avoiding starvation.

Think about a bonfire. The less wood you feed it, the smaller the flame. The more frequently you feed the fire, the better it will burn.

2) You need fewer calories

You lost the first 10 lbs. Now you are at standstill.

Calorie needs correlate one to one to your body weight and activity level. When you stand still, you do provide the calories that your body needs to stay at that the current weight.

Size also matters: If you are a smaller person, you need fewer calories. Also your basal metabolic resting rate is lower because you are smaller.

If you diet only, without exercise, you will lose  lean muscle tissue in the process. The loss of lean body mass will lower your Basal Metabolic rate. Lean muscle tissue increases your Basal Metabolic level.  Yet, too few calories, slows it down.

3) You move less weight

Try it out. Take a 10-lb weight and start walking the stairs for 10 flights. Then set them down and do the same.

It is easier to move without the additional weight, right?

At the same time, you work with less intensity, therefore you burn fewer calories.

A plateau can happen when you work less intensely and you’re feeding a smaller body.

4) You did not change your intensity level

Your original approach–to start  and stick with an activity program–achieved results. Your weight dropped and you continue with the same activity program that achieved your current weight.

The activity level of your program is affecting your weight-loss efforts. When you lose weight, you need to monitor the intensity levels of your workouts so that you don’t do the same program for the long term. This will result in no variety and no external stimuli for your body to gain muscle tissue, which in turn,  increases your metabolism.

5) Your current workouts are inadequate

Two workouts per week got the ball rolling. Your calorie intake follows that 2-day per week activity level.

A calorie deficit is still your goal objective when you want to lose weight.

Since you are on a standstill, you are maintaining your body weight with your current activity program. You can create a calorie deficit two ways: increase your workout and eat less.

As you know, when you eat already below 1200 calories (for women) or 1800 (for men) your body will go into a starvation mode. So I don’t recommend reducing your calories even further.

6) You cheat on your diet

Studies have confirmed that individuals have their calorie counts off. Some experts say that you don’t need to count calories when you try to lose weight.

I agree with this approach IF you start to focus on eating more on fibrous carbohydrates and increasing your protein instead of processed foods.

However, at one point this will not be enough when you want to lose the last 10 lbs.

You do need to be aware of how many calories you eat if you want to accomplish this. Studies have confirmed that many individuals who believed to eat 1500 calories really eat 1800.

Scientifically, at this stage, your body does everything to get you off your diet and try to get your weight to stabilize.  It is natural for your body to increase your appetite and heighten your senses to trick you into eating more.

You have noticed this: The more you cut your calories, diet for a long period, the more your body is trying to hold onto your current weight.

Solutions to break your weight loss plateau

Take a big breath and reanalyze, reestablish and stay focused.

Being stressed in this situation doesn’t help. Quite the opposite. Your body releases hormones that will slow your fat metabolism and help you to hold on even more strongly to the last 10 lbs.

This is your first strategy: take a big breath and bring your calorie intake back up to maintenance level and out of calorie deficit. By doing this, your body will adjust and start to reset the starvation hormones that slow down your metabolism.  Do this for about one week.

Start again to drop down into a calorie deficit and pay close attention to how many calories you consume. To fool your body not to go into starvation, your second strategy is to go 3 days into a calorie deficit and the 4^th day to maintenance level. This will prevent your body from going into starvation mood.

Reevaluate your calories. Do you eat more then you should in order to create a calorie deficit? Simply increase your cardio’s intensity level. This will help you to create again your calorie deficit.

Increase the duration of your cardio program.  Have fun with it and mix it up. Call a workout partner and schedule workouts together so that you can increase not just length but also add additional resistance to your program.

Make smarter nutrition choices. The key is to eat volume in food so you can  eat more without gaining weight.  Increase your fibrous carbohydrates instead of your starchy carbohydrates. Fibrous carbs provide you more nutrients and are less calorie dense than starchy carbs. This will help you maintain and increase your calorie deficit.

There is more then one strategy to break through your weight loss plateau. The best approach is to combine many strategies—not just one– to accomplish your weight goals.

And lastly, stay focused and expect success.

Kind regards,

Stefan

P.S.:  You will learn more strategies about how to break though your weight loss plateaus in the book www.AlpineWeightLossSecrets.com.

P.S.S.: Need personal help? Check out the www.EasyAndSimpleWeightLoss.com. We have 2 spots left.

Eat right and exercise.

Yeah, it is really that simple.

Wait a minute!

If it were that simple, why isn’t everybody doing it—and losing weight? And how come if you ask 10 experts, each is going to give you a different answer?

We do have a lot of information available. Then add infomercials, companies who make money by selling you a product, exercise gadgets, or the miracle pill or food that helps you to burn fat. I am sure you have heard about green tea, acqui berries, or dark chocolate that supposedly burn fat for you. It’s a noisy jungle out there.

Before you get beach-body ready, or burn off the fat that’s been hiding under your winter coat, or just get in your best possible shape ever, you need to clear your mind, turn down the background noise and focus on the information that helps you to burn fat and build muscle.

Here are the facts behind the top 5 fat burning myths:

Myth: Long-duration aerobics is better for shaping up than weight training.

Fact: Weight lifting transforms your body and High Peak Cardio training burns the most fat

Walking or running for a long period of time is better then doing nothing; I agree. But the best exercise to burn fat and reshape your body is weight training.

When you weight train, you increase your muscle mass, which in turn, increases your metabolic rate. You burn more calories overall. Also, your fat burning benefit lasts about 2 hours longer after weight training vs. cardiovascular training. The moment you stop cardio training, your fat burning benefit also stops.

Aerobic exercise is beneficial for fat burning when you use the following technique: High peaks of anaerobic threshold training. This form of interval training has been proven not only to burn the most calories but also the highest fat calories overall.

Myth: You can eat what you want when you exercise.

Fact: To burn fat you need to eat the right amount and quality calories.

More of us exercise every day. Many celebrities are helping to bring awareness about the benefits of being active. Michelle Obama joined this movement when she moved into the White House.

Wouldn’t you think that individuals are getting healthier since we exercise more? The fact is that our food supply has changed. High-fat, high- calorie diets cancel the benefit gained from exercise for weight loss.

Physically active individuals need more nutrients than their sedentary counterparts. You need nutrients for energy and restoration. When you start exercise with a body that’s deficient in nutrients, you are creating an even greater nutrient deficiency. Your body is using what it has available.

This deficiency can cause even more problems, as your body can’t restore itself properly after physical activity. For example, calcium will be taken from your bones if your blood doesn’t have sufficient quantities available. Your body tries everything to maintain its natural balance, or homeostasis. When nutrients and minerals are used up and not replenished, then your body gets out of whack.

This can show up in your endocrine system, affecting weight loss and fat burning. This system is a very fine tuned one that is affected by foods that we eat. So pay attention to what you eat; consume lean proteins, whole grains, brightly colored produce and “good” fats.

Myth: A certain number of reps and sets will burn the fat.

Fact: The best results are created by high intensity workouts.

We’ve established that weight training is beneficial. Even when you train with light weights you do benefit in one way or another through the movement – stimulating your immune system, digestive system, cardiovascular system, endocrine system, joint range of motion, building your self esteem, increasing strength … the list goes one.

As I said before, any activity is better then no activity.

But if your goal is to burn fat fast, you do need to schedule high intensity workouts. You have to push yourself. You need to sweat and feel fatigued once you are done with your workout.

I agree that not everyone can work at this intense level due to  injury, chronic conditions or if you are feeling burned out (the likelihood of injury is higher if you are in this state).

But remember, if your goal is to burn fat fast you need to go above and beyond. You need to train to point of failure when you lift weights after 3 sets of  8 to 15 repetitions. When you do high intensity interval workouts (vs. low and medium), you need to able to rest the next day before doing cardio training again.

Those who can do this–go over the mountain peak–will experience results fast.

Myth: Don’t eat to lose fat.

Fact: You have to eat to build a lean, healthy body.

Starvation slows your metabolic rate. When you eat less to lose fat and go throughout the day without food, you do your body more harm than good. Your body responds to starvation by slowing down your metabolism. This is the last that you like to do when you want to burn fat.

This is the approach that you see over and again in January. The commitment to New Year’s revolutions are high. Goals have been established and competitions start.  Who loses the most amount of weight?

When you don’t eat when you start an exercise program, you don’t provide your body with energy to be able to perform the workouts that are required to burn fat and build lean muscle tissue. Dizziness, low energy and low blood pressure can be all the result within 10 minutes of starting your workout. This will not help you to commit to a workout schedule that you can follow for the rest of your life.

You do need to eat when you build lean muscle. Lean muscle tissue is your metabolic furnace. Fat tissue just lies there and muscles use energy in the form of calories even while you are sleeping.

No doubt you will lose weight when you go on a crash diet.  But this is the body weight that you don’t want to lose—it’s mostly muscle weight and water. The feeling of weight loss will fool you. When you start eating again, your body has still a slow metabolism and therefore will store calories as fat again. In short, you will gain more fat while you lose lean muscle tissue.

Myth: You need to drink only when you are thirsty.

Fact: You need more fluid than you think you need

According to Dr. Jeffrey Utz of Allegheny University, different people have different percentages of their bodies made up of water.

Babies have the most. When babies are born,  78% of their body is water. When they reach one year their percentage drops to about 65%. In adult men, about 60% of their body are water. In adult women, it’s about 55% because they have more fat due to genetics. Fat tissue does not contain as much water as lean tissue.

You do need to stay hydrated to transport minerals and nutrients to working tissues. Water also helps transport waste out of your system. When you’re fully hydrated,  you will feel more energetic.

When it comes to eating, drinking before eating can be a weight loss strategy. Fluids before eating will give your body a sense of fullness and your brain will register that you had enough food. This will help you to alleviate that feeling of not having enough eaten when you reduce your calories for weight loss.

During exercise, do drink. Water is important to stay hydrated when you sweat. I can’t overemphasize how important water is for your success.

Implement these 5 Facts to start your fat burning success.

Stay focused and expect success.

Best,

Stefan

P.S.: Announcing the Quick All Natural Weight Loss Summer Challenge 2012. Participate officially or unofficially and win big. Check it out here.

Honestly, we really don’t have a weight loss problem, we have a weight-relapse problem.

Here are the eight reasons why you fall off the wagon:

1. Unfocused: You didn’t set goals, focus on them and or read them daily to remind yourself what you have to focus on. Focus is like a vision board and gives you directions not to get lost.

2. Forgotten priorities: You had set your goal. For example, you wanted a flat stomach, to add to your energy, improve your flexibility, balance, strength, and appearance. Might it be that the priority to watch TV in the evening is higher on your list than feeling hot, sexy, and strong?

3. A wrong support system: A lone ranger is never good when he needs help. Do you find yourself in a situation with no check-in system, training partners, mentors, trainers or coaches to turn to for information? And how about your emotional support when the going gets rough?

4. No Accountability: Measurements, logs, goals, records you have set. But did you show them to a friend, family member, or coach? Report to someone and show your results to someone else to know you have points of check-ins.

5. Expecting instant results: Unrealistic expectations and thinking only short-term doesn’t get you far. You gave up because your 20 pound weight loss in four weeks wasn’t accomplished. This isn’t very smart, isn’t it?

6. No direction: Throwing a dart without a board doesn’t give you a direction where to throw it. You started a workout program without having a planned workout – on paper, for your work schedule, lifestyle, and family life. The old excuse comes in handy: I am too busy.

7. Latest marketing fad: ‘I want it now’ is the instant gratification world we live in. This doesn’t work with weight loss. Slow and steady wasn’t your approach and you stopped again as you were not able to maintain the extreme diet and workout routine.

8. One fits all approach: You are unique. So are your body type, personality, training experience, and schedule. The program you have started and stopped wasn’t tailored to you.

So there you have the eight reasons why people fall of the exercise and diet wagon.

Are you guilty of any of these transgressions? If so, the solutions are clear and simple:

Focus, stay accountable, ask for support, plan your day, don’t go for fads, be patient, and personalize

I am excited for you because I will announce the “Quick All Natural Weight Loss Summer Challenge 2012” soon. What do you have to do? Sign up for the newsletters and you will receive the update for the challenge in the following days.

Stay focused and expect results.

Stefan Aschan

PS: Strong, Happy and Hot! Summer Is Around the Corner and Let’s Face It, Your Shirt Will Come Off and Reveal What Is Hidden. Are You Ready for the First Comments from Your Friends? Yeah, it is time again. We have two spots available for the Easy and Simple Weight Loss Program. 

What works for one person might not work for another.

When it comes to body shape, energy level, daily schedules, and physical ability, we all need a personalized fitness routine.

What should we keep in mind when planning our own fitness routines?

Master the “principles” first before you decide on the “methods”

Body principles do not change. They are the same for everyone. No matter what your age, or whether you are active, inactive, in shape or out of shape. There are three principles that you need to master to prevent injury, stiffness, and imbalance to get in shape.

Breathing: Think about it. Even when you are  standing, you are moving. Take in a breath and feel how the diaphragm moves down,  into your abdominal cavity. Breathe out and feel how it moves back towards the chest cavity. If you are a chest breather, meaning you are raising and lowering your chest instead of expanding and contracting your rib cage, you will not gain the benefits or proper breathing during exercise.

Rotation: Movements work from a specific axis of rotation. When the axis of movement of a joint shifts from the center of rotation, you will experience a shearing force, wear-and-tear and a movement pattern that should not be loaded with additional resistance. Otherwise, you may intitiate a dysfunctional movement pattern. When you start an exercise program, pay attention to the hot spots: your neck, shoulders, thorax, spine and hip position. Do the joint work as they are intended to or  ask yourself are there deviations when you start moving? Start correcting even before you work with resistance.

Integrating: Easier said then done. Integrate proper breathing and stability through isometric activation in your midsection as you move. Test yourself. Sit upright and move (rearrange) your butt cheeks behind you (anterior tilt). Lift yourself up through your spine as you relax your shoulders. Place your fingers on the sides of your body (at the level of your obliques) and press them in. When you exhale, you should feel your fingers move sideways out,singlaing an activation of the core. When you feel this activation, maintain this activation and start to breathe. As you start to move, simply slow down if you have difficulty holding the isometric activation.

Breathing, rotation and integration are basic principles for all body types. Once you master the principles, you can chose any workout method or movement method/therapy that suits your taste, schedule, or goal objective.

Choose your method

What are the differences between a workout method or a movement method?

Workout methods are great for individuals who are not injured and like to work against additional resistance such as Cross Fit, Kettle bells. This approach is very sports specific or functional.

Movement methods are based on moves integrating the system as a whole, such as Pilates, Feldenkrais, Alexander, Gyrotonics or Yoga. A gentle system to stay in shape.

Both methods achieve improvements in your appearance. Which method is best  if you have a body type such as “hour glass” or “triangle”? It doesn’t matter, as long you implement your three principles.

But instead of choosing your workouts via body types, you should choose your workouts based on your goal objectives.

Goal: Definition

Are you thin and  would like to gain muscle to increase your body tone?  Follow a strength training program that helps you to develop lean muscles and to burn more fat tissue. Perform repetitions between 8 to 15 repetitions.

Goal: Weight Loss & Toning

Train all your energy systems. Strength/interval training will help you to gain lean muscle while you burn fat tissue at the same time. How does it work? Choose two sets of strength moves and one set of cardio moves and repeat this cycle three times before you move to additional new cycles. Aim for between 15 and 20 repetition for your strength set and an interval approach of 10 seconds cardio and 10 seconds rest; repeat 3 to 10 times as a cardio set. This technique is also referred to as the German Cluster Technique.

Goal: Mobility and Flexibility

If this is your goal, you want to master the three principles above. These principles stabilize your trunk, also referred to as the chest abdominal canister. If the stabilizers in your trunk do not work, your body will stabilize the spine and joints by activating the large muscle groups such as chest, neck, lats, gluteus, hamstring and quadriceps. This will give you a sensation of tightness, stiffness and inflexibility. Your goal is to improve the activation of the core, staying engaged during movement and focusing to integrate both breathing and activation during movements.

Nutrition will have the biggest impact in your goal. The fact is, you can move and workout, but when you don’t pay attention to your nutrition, you will not lose pounds or define your body.

Inflammation of your gut due to eating processed foods will also affect your principles. When you have bloating, constipation or cramping during your menstrual cycle, you will not be able to activate efficiently your abdominals to create stability in your chest abdominal canister. Therefore, your movement method will be influenced by your food that you eat as well as the outcome of your goal objective.

Move and eat right for your best workout results for your body type.

Stay focused.

Dedicated to your success.

Stefan Aschan

Stefan Aschan, M.S., author of the Alpine Weight Loss Secrets, which teaches you how to outsmart your hormones and lose belly fat without drugs or surgeries. His approach is holistic, scientific and based on centuries of experience from those living in Alpine Environments. He is a certified strength coach, personal trainer, integrative movement therapist and naturopath. Learn more about how to loss weight naturally by visiting www.AlpineWeightLossSecrets.com or click here to learn about his services in NYC http://strength123.com/services/.

Good Habits Bad Habits

Clearly, we have an obesity problem. Not just in America, but in many other countries as well.

Honestly, I don’t think that we have a weight loss problem. Rather, I propose that we have a habitual problem with our actions.

A study from Oxford University published in the International Journal of Obesity confirms that within 3 to 5 years, about 80 percent of all ‘losers’ have regained the lbs, and often gained back a little extra. Read closely and you discover that what happens is that individuals get back to the habits they have had in the first place; the ones that caused the problems to begin with.

Another study published in the Internal Journal of Obesity concludes that frequent intentional weight loss may reflect susceptibility to weight gain, rendering dieters prone to future weight gain. Dieting itself may induce a small subsequent weight gain. This study found that this tendency is independent of genetic factors.

Look even further. We can say that lots of people have lost weight but not many have kept it off. From this prospective, we don’t have a weight loss problem, rather we have a problem with a habit that wasn’t addressed during the weight loss cycle and haven’t found a way to change it (and make it stick) for a lifetime.

This you can see year after year.

New Year’s resolutions start in January. By the time spring is around the corner, we have forgotten our good intentions.

It is not that we don’t have good guidelines for a  weight loss nutritional program. We actually have some of the best nutrition programs in the world. Our issue is how to stick to it.

You have probably done those steps:

• Come up with a goal and a timeline when you want to accomplish your goal.

• Made it a priority to minimize over- indulging in desserts, alcohol, and fast food.

• Implemented a support system to help you to stay active. Fact is, it is easier to stay on a long-term wellness regimen with qualified support vs. just on your own. A lone ranger never goes far.

• Planned meals. You sat down and followed your sample menu programs religiously.

• Personalized your workout and nutrition to your body type (sonotyping), lifespan and injuries.

• Received motivation through meetings, newsletters or videos.

All those steps are necessary to succeed in your weight loss approach, in order to burn the fat and keep it off.

I’ll share one strategy that is often overlooked. This is a strategy that you most likely haven’t analyzed yet and might be the reason for your ups and downs in your weight loss attempts.

Learn from your habits

Going to the fridge and eating because of boredom is a pattern. This is an example of a bad pattern that  doesn’t help when your goal is weight loss.

It is widely recognized that it is difficult to change bad habits. Alcoholism, drug addiction and smoking (just to name a few) are patterns ingrained in our daily routines that are associated with pleasurable rewards to us.

Rather then fight the habit that contributes to your weight gain or the destructive behavior, acknowledge it. Simply work with it. When you know how to do this, then it is easy to start to work with the bad pattern and turn it into a beneficial habit that will help you to accomplish your goal.

Charles Duhigg, author of “The Power of Habit”  writes: “Habits don’t change without a fight. So, to shoehorn in a new routine, it has to be triggered by an old cue, and deliver the old reward. That’s the rule: If you use the same cue, and provide the same reward, you can shift the routine and change the habit. Almost any behavior can be transformed if the cue and reward stay the same.”

Here is what he suggest it works:

• Use the same cue.

• Provide the same reward.

• Change the routine.

For example: You are stressed and you want to snack. This is the cue to eat. After you snacked—whether it’s noshing on pretzels, chocolate–or taken a cigarette break, it gives you a stress release reward. You feel better and you think you can handle the task.

This can be the routine that triggers your actions during emotional, work or relationship stress.

This is the routine that we need to change.

In this approach, we work with the same the same habits and cues. As mentioned above, stress and food. In this instance, we enjoy the pleasure when we respond to our cues and reward ourselves.

Solutions to change your bad habits

Here is the trick that you need to change your routine: Instead of just eating (or smoking), implement a different routine, such as walking around the block, getting up from your desk, or performing 10 push ups in the office before you snack or smoke. It may take some time for you to figure out which new activity helps you ditch the old, bad one.

The cue and the reward stay the same. But what you have done is to change the action that proceeds the reward.

When you start to doubt yourself and don’t implement the new routine to receive your reward, do not reward yourself until you have done the new routine.

So here you have a strategy on how to change your bad patterns into a successful way so that you can stick to it.

Focus, prioritize, get support, be accountable, be patient, plan, balance and personalize. Those are the musts that you need to implement.

For motivation, accountability and support, there is no better tool than to join a support community like our Get Fit Accelerator program. Check it out:  

Stay focused.

Dedicated to your success.

Stefan Aschan

P.S.: “How To Skyrocket Your Natural Weight Loss Success To Get Fit, And Gain a Hot, Sexy and Vibrant Body and Lose Weight, Burn Fat and Belly Fat In the Next 12 Months Than You Ever Thought Possible…With ZERO $ RISK To You!” Check it out…

Giant Kohlrabi

Daylight Savings started this Sunday!

Do you like spring and do you like savings? I do, particularly when it comes to food and natural fat and weight loss.

This week, I am going to share with you how you can shed some lbs with caloric cutbacks, eat more  and not to feel hungry—all at the same time. When you are dieting and your goal is to create a natural caloric deficit, this is tricky.

The problem with conventional “restriction” diets is that you are missing the foods that you like. Many plans recommend foods that are just plain tasteless. It’s either the ingredient itself, the way it is prepared or the seasoning used that have an affect that can make you love or hate the food.

In the little village where I grew up, taste wasn’t a problem. Seasonal foods were full of flavors that didn’t need a dressing or a sauce to make it taste good.

Seasonal foods in the wintertime are rare … if you don’t look for them. But hey, they do exist.

So what is seasonal winter food? In general it’s produce that has been harvested in the fall (before  the frost) such as root vegetables, as well as fruits that can be stored, such as the apple.

My Seasonal Winter Weight Loss Salad

Here is a seasonal winter salad that I prepared at a dinner party last Friday. My guests loved it!

Hudry Wusch Technique

Insiders know what this means. Become one of them (see below).  But in short, Hudry Wusch in Austria means: as quick as one, two and three without effort.

This is what will you need:

1 kohlrabi

1 apple

1 tsp of anise seeds

2 tsp of fresh lemon juice

This is what you do:

Wash the apple and the kohlrabi. Peel the kohlrabi. Julienne both the apple and the kohlrabi.

Toss both into a salad bowl and mix.

Sprinkle fresh lemon juice and anise seed over. If you like, add some sea salt, but it is not necessary.

Let sit for  20 minutes; then serve. The anise flavor will  perfume and complement the texture of the fruit and vegetable.

“How do I come up with the recipes?” is something I am asked many times.

The key: Simply compare the textures. Combining two ingredients with a similar texture always works. And once I started to consider the kohlrabi, my response was: apple. They both share the  same crisp texture.

Kohlrabi belongs to the brassica family of cruciferous vegetables.  The apple is part of the fruit family. Both supply a sweet, fresh and crunchy taste when eaten raw.

The magnificent benefits supplied by this salad

1.      The potassium we need

A cup of raw kohlrabi contains 14% of the required daily allowance for potassium. Potassium’s main role is assisting with muscle and nerve functions. It assists in the storage of carbohydrates, which are used as fuel by the muscles. Nerve transmission and nerve reaction  relies heavily on an adequate level of potassium in the body.

2.      The fiber we love

Kohlrabi is an excellent source of dietary fiber. For each 1-cup serving size, this vegetable supplies approximately 5 grams of dietary fiber. Dietary fibers help promote bowel regularity by maintaining a healthy intestine and colon. Fiber also preserves the population of good bacteria that live in the gut. All these actions contribute to lowering the risk of digestive problems, hemorrhoids and colon cancer.

3.      The fewer calories we need

A cup of raw kohlrabi only has only 36 calories. And a cup of apple has only 57 calories.

This meal has less then 100 calories, which makes it perfect for a natural weight loss secret recipe.

Stay focused.

Determined for your success.

Stefan

 

P.S.: “How To Skyrocket Your Natural Weight Loss Success To Get Fit, And Gain a Hot, Sexy and Vibrant Body and Lose Weight, Burn Fat and Belly Fat In the Next 12 Months Than You Ever Thought Possible…With ZERO $ RISK To You!” Check it out…

SpeedAndWeightLossPrincipals

I have one fat burning, metabolism-friendly tip for you today that should be in your bag of tricks in your quest to gain a strong, defined and vibrant body.

If your goal is to burn fat, lose weight and maintain a strong defined body for life, then you need the info in this newsletter. Here, you’ll read about the one thing you should NEVER, EVER, (and I MEAN NEVER) be without, so stay tuned.

The biggest debate for weight loss is the question: Do I use cardio or strength training for weight loss?

Everyone agrees that we need to create a calorie deficit for weight loss. We know that this can be done be simply eating less and moving more.  But even experts are divided on which is the best strategy.

Some experts argue that it is best to just cut calories and skip exercise because working out is just too hard.

And still other experts argue that you need to exercise because it increases your metabolic rate and helps you gain lean muscle tissue.

I am one of the experts who supports this latter strategy as this approach benefits not just weight loss but helps you to build and maintain strength, endurance, skeletal health, mental health, digestive health,  immune function, … and much more.

Experts agree that cardiovascular training and strength training are important. Yet, when it comes to burning fat and losing weight, strength training outweighs the benefits of cardiovascular training.

What has not been fully addressed in this formula is the speed of strength training when it comes to weight loss.

The effect on lifting speed for weight loss

I am about to share with you the most overlooked principle when it comes to lifting weights and producing increased metabolic changes that speed fat loss and weight loss.

Slow speed lifting yields more metabolic adaptations than does high speed lifting.

It doesn’t mean that you just pick up some light weights and move them slowly. It is important that you work with a weight that produces muscular fatigue between 8 and 12 repetitions.

This form of training is associated with increased muscle glycogen, Adenosine triposphate, creatine phosphate, and Krebs cycle enzyme activity. The take-away:  your muscles use more of the stored energy in your body.

How to implement this speed training strategy?

To implement this strategy, slow down on the eccentric phase (the elongation of the muscle), taking between 2 to 6 seconds time to bring the weight to the starting position. For example, let’s use biceps curls. Start with straight arms next to your body. Curl to bring the weights just above 50 degrees in one second and then lower the weights back to the starting position, taking between 2 and 6 seconds.

Another strategy is to simply implement isometric pauses in the movement. Just hold the weight for a second midway during the eccentric phase, for example.

I always favor working at a high intensity level if you are not injured and if you can maintain proper form and load. That goes for both weight training and cardio.

This approach will help you to stay active, strong and injury-free for a very long time.

Dedicated to your success.

Stay focused.

Stefan

P.S.: “How To Skyrocket Your Natural Weight Loss Success To Get Fit, And Gain a Hot, Sexy and Vibrant Body and Lose Weight, Burn Fat and Belly Fat In the Next 12 Months Than You Ever Thought Possible…With ZERO $ RISK To You!” Check it out…

What do you think. Healthy or not?Leave a comment below.