www.experiencelifemag.com

Table of ContentsWeight Loss 101 Jan./Feb. 2004 1-6

Weight Loss Rules to Rethink Oct. 2006 7-12

The Simple Way to Slim Jan./Feb. 2008 13-15

The Fit Way to Weight Loss Jan./Feb. 2008 16-21

A Better Way to Burn Fat Jan./Feb. 2007 22-23

Guide to Weight Loss

Being Healthy Is a Revolutionary Act

January/February 2004 Experience Life 1

By ERIC NEUHAUS

Back in grade school, even if you didn’t doparticularly well in a given subject, youcould get an “E” for effort, assuming youtried hard enough. Unfortunately, whenit comes to weight loss, “E” is about theonly letter most of us ever see, andfrankly, after a while, that innocuous lit-tle vowel gets downright annoying. What

does a person have to do to get an “H” (for hardbody), an “S”(for svelte) or at least an “L” (for less flabby than last year)?

If your attempts at weight loss have met mostly withmixed and temporary successes, don’t despair! For one thing, thepast is in the past. Demerits from previous terms do not carryover to the current one, and, happily, you can learn from yourmistakes (see below). For another thing, if losing weight weresimple and easy, everybody would have done it by now! Giveyourself some credit for persisting in the face of adversity.

The fact is, it can be extremely challenging to achieveand maintain a healthy weight, particularly in this culture ofconveniences, extremes and excesses. Plus, with so many com-plex diet and weight-loss programs out there (and so muchconflicting advice), you can easily spend years working yourway through them all without ever achieving an ideal balanceor lasting results.

It’s kind of like ending up in a graduate-level organ-ic chemistry class without ever having taken the introcourse: Until you have some perspective and basicskills under your belt, not much is going to sinkin except a deep, dunce-like sense of frustration.

To make sense of weight loss once andfor all, it may be that what you really need isa high-altitude overview of what’s requiredand how it all fits together — and maybe astudy guide to coach you through the corematerial.

In this article we’ll outline 16 essential lessonsin four key topic areas — the ones you most need tomaster in order to manage your weight successfully. We won’tsuggest that these simple lessons represent the be-all andend-all compendium of weight-loss knowledge. But we do con-tend that until you get these prerequisites nailed, all the morecomplex and detailed advice will be much harder to interpretand apply.

Learning From MistakesOne of the best things you can do before embarking on anyweight-loss program is to look closely at what has and hasn’t

worked for you in the past. Choose to see your past experiences not asfailures but as experiments — all of which are leading you in the direc-tion of a very valuable discovery.

Perhaps you’ve tried adjusting your eating in several ways buthave largely neglected exercise. Or you’ve embarked on a fitness planwithout adjusting your diet and lifestyle to accommodate it. Or perhapsyou’ve done all that stuff right but still found yourself repeatedlyderailed by lack of focus or some other internal self-sabotaging mech-anism. As long as you can look at this information objectively, it is use-ful to you.

When it comes right down to it, what’s missing in most weight-loss plans is balance and synergy. The key that leads folks to success isnot any one magic bullet or secret weapon: It’s the artful, experimen-tal combining of four separate-but-intertwining components:

LifestylePsychologyNutritionFitness

If you signed up for an actual class called Weight Loss 101, thoseare pretty much the topics you’d see covered on the syllabus, and that’sprecisely what we’ll be covering here. So read up. Take notes if you like,

and refer back to your personal experience whenever you can. Therewill be no pop quizzes, no midterm exams, no grades. But

you can count on an intriguing research project (you),and — if you’re willing to complete the extra-credit

study questions — some very rewarding homework.

LIFESTYLESeasoned weight-loss experts all agree that peo-ple who commit to making lasting changes toseveral aspects of their lives are the most success-

ful in losing weight and keeping it off. Joe Deckerknows this to be true. A few years ago he weighed

240 pounds. At 5 feet 8 inches, he had a body massindex of 36, which placed him in the obese category. One

look at his life explained it all. Joe, who was bartending in one of the wildest sections of New

Orleans, subsisted on a steady diet of junk food and alcohol, living aparty-centered life devoid of exercise or fresh-air activity. His sleepingpatterns were downright self-abusive, his friends were all fellowpartiers and his happiest moments were when he was either drunk orwatching TV. As he describes it, “My life had no real meaning.”

One day, Joe woke up, looked at himself in the mirror and decid-ed something had to change. Initially, he tried everything to loseweight — high-protein/low-carb diets, high-carb/low-protein diets,

Feel like you’re failing at weight loss? Forever stuck in the remedial class? Don’t despair!Here’s the study guide you need to make the weight-loss honor roll once and for all.

1]1]

WEIGHT LOSS 101WEIGHT LOSS 101

January/February 2004 Experience Life 2

weight-loss medication, even a “grapefruit diet.” But nothingworked. “A few pounds would come off but then I’d gain backeven more,” says Decker.

Eventually, it struck him that losing weight was a whole-life proposition. He dumped the idea of special diets and beganfocusing on just eating more wisely — lean pro-teins, good-quality fats, whole grains and plentyof fruits and vegetables. As his nutritionimproved, and his drinking subsided, he startedfeeling better and began introducing more regu-lar, daily exercise.

A former college athlete, Joe found it hum-bling to begin so slowly — just walking a few lapsaround his block. But then his stamina andendurance increased and he started incorporatingrunning, biking and strength training into hisworkout program.

As his strength and health improved, so didhis motivation and commitment to a healthylifestyle. He began feeling more athletic,more interested in being outdoors,less interested in the party life andmore committed to treating himselfwell. He began pulling his passionout of mind-numbing entertain-ments and into health, fitness andcompetitive endurance sports. As hedid, both his mind and body feltclearer.

Eventually, Decker geared up toworking out six times a week, and found thatthis structure worked well for him. “There were somedays I just wanted to be a couch potato and watch television,”he says. “But once I actually started my workout I’d always feelgreat afterwards.”

Over the course of six months, Decker lost nearly 60pounds and his BMI dropped into the normal range. But thebiggest change that occurred in Decker was his focus. He quithis bartending job, became a trainer and started helping othersget in shape. His circle of friends and daily activities changedcompletely. He also began doing some serious soul searching.

By acknowledging his own “addictive personality” andrechanneling it into a different, healthier set of concerns,Decker eventually embarked on a course of extreme athleticendurance competitions that won him a title — “The World’sFittest Man” — that would have been utterly unthinkable onlya few years before.

Joe recently chronicled both his personal transformationand his practical advice to others in a book titled The World’sFittest You: Four Weeks to Total Fitness (Dutton, 2004). While itoffers plenty of detailed eating and exercise guidance andemphasizes a quick-start four-week program, its core messageconcerns a process of gradual but comprehensive life change,beginning with a complete life inventory.

Decker recommends writing down what your life is likenow: “Are you healthy?” he asks. “Are you happy with the wayyou look and feel? Are you satisfied with what you see whenyou look in the mirror? Are you happy with your job? Your pro-

fessional life? Do you have friends and family you can talk to?”This is precisely the line of inquiry that sparked Decker’s own

transformation. Asking these larger questions made him face him-self, he explains. “Once I did that, I knew I wanted to change, notjust what I ate, but my whole lifestyle.”

PSYCHOLOGYTo create the proper mindset for losing weight, you

need to tap the power of positive thinking, says HowardRankin, PhD, author of The TOPS Way to Lose Weight:

Beyond Calories and Exercise (Hay House, 2004). This meansthat you must define the deep motivation and reason you want

to lose weight, whether it’s living to enjoy your grandchildren,feeling freer to express your true nature, or another priority. Mostof us want to look better, of course, but underlying that desire isalmost always some other, more essential motivation, such aswanting to feel more confident, more like our best self, etc.

Unfortunately, many people draw their commitment toweight loss from their deep-seated sense of dissatisfaction withthemselves. While this feeling can initially feel like a powerfulmotivator, it can also easily degenerate into a paralyzing cycle ofself-hatred and self-sabotage (see “Resolutions Reconsidered,” inthe January/February 2004 archives at experiencelifemag.com).

Rather than focusing on what’s wrong with you, mostweight-loss experts suggest, it is much more effective to let yourmotivation come from a sense of how much better your life expe-rience could be if it came from a place of health, vitality and solidself-esteem. See your weight-loss goal as serving those aims, theysay, rather than as an antidote to your current lack of acceptabil-ity.

If your temptation is to be self-punishing (in thought ordeed), be aware of those aspects of your personality and seizeevery opportunity to be kind and compassionate instead. Rankinalso emphasizes that because making large-scale life changes is sodemanding, you are more likely to succeed if you start graduallyand attempt to adjust only one behavior at a time. “In most cases,you’re setting yourself up for failure by trying to do everything atonce,” he insists.

Rankin advises launching your plan with a relatively simplecommitment, like cutting out dessert one week. The next week add

1] LIFESTYLE Study Guide Questions1) Are you leading the life of a healthy, active person — a person you could admire?Do you have the interests, priorities and passions of a healthy person? What posi-tive changes do you think might make the biggest difference?

2) Are you surrounding yourself with other healthy and motivated people? Do youhave constructive relationships that encourage and inspire you, or limiting rela-tionships that blunt you and hold you back?

3) Are you aware of any lifestyle habits or addictions (eating, drinking, overspend-ing, watching TV, people-pleasing) that are absorbing your energy or holding youback? What things are taking up an excess of your time and focus?

4) Do you have a variety of fun, relaxing or exciting opportunities tomove and use your body throughout the day and week? Are you

interested in using and enjoying your body beyond the con-fines of the gym?

2]2]

some exercise, and the week after that make the switch fromsoft drinks to water. As you accumulate small successes and feeltheir impact on your energy and self-esteem, he suggests, itwill become easier to undertake larger adjustments.

It will also feel easier if you don’t go it alone. When youmake any kind of big shift, Rankin suggests, a support groupof some kind can be invaluable. A support group, whetherformal or informal, provides positive feedback and encour-agement while anchoring you in your own commitment. It can also be a valuable source of information and positiverole models.

It’s important to choose a group that suits your person-ality, needs and budget. Some commercial support organiza-tions heavily market their own food products and encourageyou to rely on them for weight loss. That can create a big financial burden and set up a reliance on processed foods.Seek out a group whose system and culture really appeals toyou and that promotes a sustainable, sensible approach toweight loss.

Not a joiner? You might try an online support resource,such as www.Nutricise.com, that emphasizes lifestyle changesand offers one-on-one guidance from a registered dietitian.

Many local hospitals and medical centers also offer struc-tured weight-loss support groups. Your primary-care physiciancan refer you to an appropriate facility. If you’renot able to find an organized group, enlist closefriends and family members who can help giveyou positive feedback and support.

Finally, keep in mind that your body andmind are linked! Both nutrition and fitness canhave huge physiological impacts on your emo-tional and psychological well-being. Bothaffect the hormones responsible for communi-cating brain-body messages and for regulatingmetabolism.

Just as clearing away emotional issues canmake it easier to begin eating right and exercis-ing, it is not at all unusual for people to startexercising and eating better and suddenly findthemselves more energized, optimistic andmotivated overall!

NUTRITIONOne of the biggest mistakes peoplemake in losing weight is approach-ing their eating habits as a diet.This implies a temporary change

and also elicits all sorts of troublingconnotations of temptation and

denial. It is far more useful to approach eating as

a pleasant and positive “fueling” activity, the whole point of which is toprovide you with the best energy and vitality possible. When you startthinking of eating right as a way of supporting your body’s natural healthand weight-regulating systems — rather than merely as a way of limitingcalories — nutrition becomes a lot more interesting. And the more youlearn, the more empowered and motivated you’ll be to make good choices.

According to Darlene Kvist, MS, CNS, a licensed nutritionist who con-ducts weight-loss classes and counseling at Nutritional Weight andWellness in St. Paul, Minn., very few people understand that good nutri-tion makes losing weight far easier. “Until you understand the biochem-istry of eating,” she explains, “the whole thing is completely mysteriousand frustrating.”

It’s very common, Kvist points out, for people to blame themselves

2] PSYCHOLOGY Study Guide Questions 1) Have you explored your motivations and values around losing weight and articulated or docu-mented them in a clear, powerful way? Have you visualized and documented your ideal body andyour life as a fit, healthy person?

2) Are you approaching weight loss from a positive perspective (the desire to reach your greatestpotential and happiness as a person), or from a negative one (the assumption you are not “goodenough” as you are, and that only by losing weight can you become “okay”)?

3) Are you aware of how certain aspects of your psychology (belief or value systems, fears, patternsof negative thinking, assumptions, etc.) might be playing a role in making or keeping you heavy?Have you established a protocol (e.g., counseling or EFT) for disassembling or dealing with them?

4) Have you developed a clear, realistic, gradual weight-loss plan — one that guides, encouragesand rewards action but that also observes obstacles and adjusts for setbacks? Do you have a sup-port group or guide to help you monitor progress and overcome hurdles?

3]3]

1. REWARDING YOURSELF WITH FOOD. Food should not be used as a rewardor to celebrate weight loss. Instead, choose a non-food item such as a book, CD,movie or massage.

2. SKIPPING BREAKFAST. When you skip breakfast you’re more likely to overeatat the next meal. If you’re in a rush in the morning, grab a healthy breakfast bar or yogurt.

3. SNEAKING OR HIDING FOOD. If you’re sneaking food, you’re ashamed orembarrassed about your eating habits. Instead, identify what emotions trigger youto eat.

4. EATING ON THE RUN. If you’re standing in the kitchen or eating in front ofthe TV rather than sitting at the table, you’re more likely to overeat.

COMMON [WEIGHT LOSS]

MISTAKES

5. MISSING WORKOUTS. Whenyou skip a scheduled workout,you’re getting out of your routine.If you can’t make it to the gym,climb stairs at your office on yourlunch break or do crunches andpushups while watching TV.

6. USING EXERCISE TO JUSTIFYBINGEING.A tough workout doesn’t licenseyou to go home and snarf a hotfudge sundae. Instead, eat a small,healthy snack to refuel your bodyand feel good about your fitness achievement.

January/February 2004 Experience Life 3

January/February 2004 Experience Life 4

and their emotional weaknesses for eating behaviors that havetheir roots in biochemical imbalances. “They may not see that thebagel they are having for breakfast is setting them up for irre-sistible sugar cravings and feelings of depression in the afternoon,or that missing out on good nutrition at lunch is causing them toovereat at night.”

Biochemical and nutritional problems can also make it verydifficult for people to lose weight. If you restrict caloric intakebut fail to properly manage your blood-sugar levels or to correctnutritionally related hormonal imbalances, Kvist explains, you mayfind that your body simply adjusts by metabolically slowing down.

“Getting an appropriate balance of protein, carbs and fats isimportant,” Kvist notes, “but just as important is monitoring thenutritional character and quality of those macronutrients.”

She points out that get-ting adequate essential fattyacids is necessary to supportthermogenesis — your body’sability to burn fuel forwarmth. Getting a good supplyof amino acids is crucial toneurotransmitter production,which in turn affects bothmood and energy. Eating in away that supports consistentblood sugar levels helps youreduce cravings and sustainactivity.

But while many peoplecan intuitively accept that

getting adequate nutrition is essential to weight loss, far fewerunderstand the nutritional principles involved. “It’s complex,”says Kvist, “because our bodies are complex. But once you doknow this stuff, it’s incredibly empowering and liberating. I’vebeen teaching nutrition and weight loss for 20 years, and I nevercease to be amazed at the powerful breakthroughs people havewhen they finally see how their bodies process the food they eat.”

Striving for good variety and high quality in your food choic-es (freshness, wholeness, healthy preparation) is far more impor-tant than achieving some “perfect” mathematical ratio of carbs,fats and proteins, says Kvist. Still, carbs (from fruits, vegetables,legumes and whole grains) are critical for energy. Proteins (fromeggs, meats, dairy, legumes and nuts) are essential for buildingand maintaining lean muscle. Fats (naturally occurring and addedin the form of healthy oils) are crucial for satisfying hunger andsupporting a variety of important biochemical operations —including some, like thermogenesis, that are key to losing weight!

Emphasizing whole foods, including plenty of fruits andvegetables, will make weight loss easier for a variety of reasons.First, these foods have relatively “low energy density,” whichmeans they’re high in water and don’t contain many calories. Youcan eat quite a lot of them to help satisfy your hunger. This

helps you avoid overeating more calorie-dense foods. You also need the nutrients, phytochemicals and fiber from

whole fruits and vegetables to stay healthy, to feel energetic andkeep your digestion working properly. Drinking plenty of waterthroughout the day can also facilitate weight loss and keep thirst-driven “phantom” cravings at bay.

In addition to making smart and healthy food choices, ofcourse, you also need to consider how much you eat. Eating smallermeals and adding two or three small snacks to satisfy cravings andenergy needs can help you reduce your desire for large portions. Trytracking your intake in a food journal. You will probably note that asyour nutritional health improves, your desire to overeat will also nat-urally diminish.

FITNESSNo weight-loss program iscomplete without an ade-quate fitness plan. Fitnesshelps you burn lots of calories

and develop lean muscle mass.Moderate exercise builds immu-

nity and keeps you healthier over-all. It gives you energy, balances

blood-sugar levels and helps you buildself-esteem. And one of the best parts about improving your fitnessis that it makes losing weight easier and more enjoyable overall. Arecent study by Consumer Reports found that eight out of 10 peoplewho succeeded in losing weight listed exercising three or more timesper week as their No. 1 strategy.

How much exercise do you need to lose weight? That dependsin part on what you are eating. But the American College of SportsMedicine (ACSM), one of the leading fitness research organizations inthe country, generally recommends at least 30 minutes of cardiovas-cular exercise five times per week.

3] NUTRITION Study Guide Questions1) Have you abandoned the “diet mentality” in favor of a sustainable commitment to healthy eating forlife? Have you created a plan that incorporates gradual, consistent eating improvements versus dramatic,overnight changes?

2) Have you educated yourself about nutrition and built a solid eating plan around a variety of fresh, wholenutritious foods you enjoy? Have you included a good balance of healthy proteins, carbohydrates, fats andfiber? Have you stocked your visible shelves with healthy foods?

3) Have you planned your food intake and broken it into several small meals a day? Have you ensuredthat you are eating enough, and often enough, to fuel your activity demands and athletic goals while min-imizing cravings and hunger? Are you drinking enough water, and getting enough nutrients and fiber?

4) Have you tracked your food intake in a journal and taken note of your portion sizes and your eatingschedule? Have you grown aware of any undermining or unconscious eating patterns (night or car snack-ing, meal skipping, sugar and carb addictions, etc.) and how they affect your energy levels and well-being?

Striving for good variety and high quality in your food choices (freshness, wholeness, healthy preparation) is far more important — and much easier — than achieving some “perfect” mathematical ratio of carbs, fats and proteins. [ ]

4]4]

You should also include a balance of strength trainingand flexibility work in your overall regimen. If it feels over-whelming to undertake all three at once, start with whatappeals to you and what you can do. Plan to periodicallyreview and expand your fitness program as you get stronger,more confident and more motivated. Which you will!

This brings us to an important and paradoxical point:You may find that you have far more success losing weightwhen you stop thinking about exercise as a way to lose weight and instead get serious about the process ofbecoming fit.

”Instead of thinking about fat, how fat you are, howmuch fat you want to lose, and identifying yourself as a fatperson,” advises Sally Edwards, a leading fitness expert andheart-rate training advocate, “start thinking about yourhealth and fitness. Instead of doing things that remind youof how fat you are, start doing things that help you thinkabout how fit you can become. Educate yourself about howyour body works and how you can help it work better.”

Don’t be afraid to seek help in designing a fitness rou-tine. If you don’t enjoy exercising on your own, find a train-ing group or group activity that will keep you motivated.Most cities have local running and walking clubs. (Checkout www.americanrunning.org for more information aboutclubs in your area.) Your local fitness center may havegroup activities ranging from swimming to bike riding tobasketball.

Most experts recommend monitoring your progress ina weekly journal or fitness log, noting when you workedout, how long, what you did, plus changes in your diet andany weight you may have lost. But don’t get obsessiveabout weighing yourself all the time. Instead, start payingcloser attention to how your body feels and to the changestaking shape beneath the surface.

Be ready to adjust and fine-tune your program as yougo along (for more on heart-rate training for weight loss, see“A Better Way to Burn Fat,” page 21), and remember thateven if you do everything right, your weight is likely to fluc-tuate up and down by a few pounds on a regular basis.

As you put on muscle and lose fat, you will see andfeel a positive difference. And if you don’t? More than like-ly something is missing: It could be a lifestyle or psycho-logical thing, a food or nutrition component, or some com-bination of all of the above.

You might start by running through this article’s studyguides, asking yourself questions and looking for things youmay have missed. You might also decide you could use someoutside help. Consulting an expert in any of the above areascan help illuminate blind spots, endow you with importantskills and pull you out of downward spirals.

Never be shy about asking for help and support. Itbeats taking an incomplete for the semester (or forever). Infact, come to think of it, that’s one effort that just mightnet you a big, gold star. t

Eric Neuhaus is a freelance health and fitness writer and former television producer for ABC News 20/20.

BOOKSThe TOPS Way to Weight Loss: Beyond Calories and Exerciseby Howard Rankin (Hay House, 2004)

The World’s Fittest You: Four Weeks to Total Fitnessby Joe Decker (Dutton, 2004)

WEB www.nu-train.com (nutritionist Heather Greenbaum’s site)

www.weightandwellness.com (nutritionist Darlene Kvist’s site)

www.nutricise.com (online weight-loss education and support)

www.heartzones.com (Sally Edwards’s site)

4] FITNESS Study Guide Questions1) Have you decided on a balanced workout or activity program thatincludes cardio, strength and flexibility?

2) Have you established a realistic workout schedule in keeping withyour goals and made this time “sacred” in your calendar?

3) Have you obtained the educational materials, expertise, gear andsupport you require (books, trainer, journal, shoes, heart-rate monitor,etc.)?

4) Have you integrated fitness goals and fitness-maintenance activitiesinto your life (changing routine, reading about fitness, doing events,active entertainments, etc.)?

RES

OU

RCE

S

1. ESTABLISH A REALISTIC GOAL: Think about whatyou want to achieve and why. Set a positive-minded,health-and-fitness-oriented goal that you know you canaccomplish. Be specific and realistic.

2. FIND A SUPPORT SYSTEM: Surround yourself withpeople who can help you achieve your weight-loss goal,whether that’s a formal support group, a class, one-on-one counseling or your friends and family.

3. THINK POSITIVELY: Resist destructive thinking andput your energy toward proactive steps that will takeyou to your goal. Stop thinking of yourself as fat, andstart focusing on how fit you can become.

4. USE NUTRITION AS AN ALLY: Emphasize goodnutrition and educate yourself about how nutritionenables your body to control cravings and regulate itsweight through healthy metabolism. Remember that youneed good nutrition in order to exercise effectively.

5. FIND TIME FOR FITNESS: Keep in mind that fitnessisn’t just about burning calories: It’s a fundamental com-ponent of a synergetic, effective weight-loss strategy andan active, healthy lifestyle.

6. WATCH FOR POSITIVE CHANGE: But don’t gethung up on the scale. The first changes may be seen andfelt elsewhere!

7. GET HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT: If you aren’t mak-ing progress, or if you’re feeling bogged down and confused, get some expert help! t

KEY [COURSE]CONCEPTS

January/February 2004 Experience Life 5

October 2006 Experience Life 6

WEIGHT-

RULES[ ]

October 2006 Experience Life 7

By VIRGIL McDILL

LET’S SEE NOW. Are carbs the source of all dietary evil — or is it fat? Is dairysupposed to be good for weight loss these days, or bad? Is protein’s day in thesun over, or just beginning? And should you be eating and exercising accordingto your blood type or your Ayurvedic dosha, or just strictly counting calories?

If you feel confused or clueless, it’s no wonder. Every season brings anew weight-loss trend. Infomercials on diet supplements and exercise gadgetspromise to help shed unwanted pounds, and we’re bombarded daily with dietand exercise tips — from folk wisdom to the latest medical research — whichoften seem contradictory or incomplete. With so much weight-loss advice towade through, many folks simply throw up their hands in despair and decidethat they might as well sit on the couch and eat whatever they like.

No surprise, then, that we just keep getting fatter: Nearly 65 percent ofAmericans are either overweight or obese. And the more obese our nationbecomes, the greater our collective risk for many deadly and costly diseases,including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and breast, colon and prostatecancers — to name just a few.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that we are not powerless. Weneedn’t let our lack of knowledge about nutrition and fitness prevail over ourcommon sense and our desire to live healthy, happy lives. We do, however, needto rethink what we think we know about dropping pounds and keeping them off.

For starters, we can forget about finding instant fixes and miracle curesfor what are essentially pathological lifestyle habits. “We must stop fallingfor the myths that keep us fat and perpetuate an endless cycle of weight lossand gain,” says Mark Hyman, MD, former long-time co-medical director atCanyon Ranch in the Berkshires, and current editor in chief of the journalAlternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.

As much as we all might like the idea of a “magic bullet,” most expertsagree with Hyman that healthy, sustainable weight loss doesn’t come fromextreme measures or single-faceted diets. Nor does it come from relying onheavily marketed low-fat or low-carb foods and diet drinks (which, in fact,have been shown to hinder weight-loss efforts by messing up metabolism,contributing to cravings and undermining energy levels).

If you really want to lose excess weight and keep it off (or if you justwant to maintain your current weight and stay healthy for the long haul),start by putting aside any worries about your love handles or saddlebags.Instead, start focusing on the space between your ears. Any weight-loss misconceptions or misinformation harbored there could present a real dangerto your weight-management success.

Fortunately, rooting out these wrong-headed notions isn’t as dauntingas it might seem. It just means sorting through the tangle of mixed messagesto discover what’s wise, what’s real, what’s helpful — and what’s not.

To make that effort easier, we’ve identified some of the most commonweight-loss myths and mistakes and rewritten them in ways that we hopewill help you make informed and empowered weight-management decisionsgoing forward.

Think you know everything there is to know about weight loss? Maybeit’s time to think again.

FORGET WHAT YOU’VE BEEN TOLD.FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW. START BREAKING THE RULES, AND YOU MIGHT JUST START MAKING SOME HEADWAY.

October 2006 Experience Life 8

thousands of years ago, is hard-wired to process wholefoods — the only foods our primitive ancestors hadavailable. Technological advances have given us refinedflours, processed sugars, fake fats, artificial flavors andmore, he notes, but our bodies don’t recognize thesefoods as viable sources of nutrients. Worse, by acting astoxins, pro-inflammatories and immune suppressors inour system, they can actively interfere with our weight-loss efforts — the classic rebound weight gain.

A healthy whole-foods diet (one that includes abalance of unprocessed carbs, fats and proteins) will alsonaturally tend to offer a relatively low glycemic load (GL)and a high phytonutrient index (PI) — precisely the kindof diet that Hyman and other nutritionally inclinedweight-loss experts recommend.

A low-GL meal slows the rate at which carbs turn tosugar in the bloodstream. And this “slow burn” allows yourbody to digest sugars, says Hyman, “without triggeringthe metabolic signals that promote hunger and weightgain.” Phytonutrients, meanwhile, act as powerful healingagents and metabolic regulators in the body.

“These compounds take part in all sorts of complexhealth-promoting processes,” says nutrition specialistRebecca Schauer, RD, LD.

To make the most of the calories you ingest,emphasize foods and food combinations with a low GLand a high PI, including vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts,seeds, olive oil, whole grains, teas, herbs and spices. Sayno to diet plans that put concerns with caloric intakeabove concerns for whole-body health and vitality.

It is true that if you take in more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. But it’s also true that the nutritional quality of those calories plays a big role inhow many calories your body burns. So if you’re simplycounting calories without looking at the nutritionalvalue of what you’re eating, you’re asking for trouble.

Why? Because our bodies require a consistent balanceof healthy macronutrients (complex carbs, high-qualityproteins and healthy fats), as well as micronutrients(vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals), plusadequate enzymes, fiber, water, and so on in order tofunction optimally. When we don’t get these things, ourenergy levels drop, our hormones and neurotransmitters getimbalanced, and our metabolism stops working efficiently.We simply aren’t as healthy as we should be, and our bodiesdon’t regulate much of anything (including our weightand body composition) as well as they are designed to.

The health of our metabolism — the machinery thatdictates how we burn fat and produce muscle —

requires whole, “real” foods and the complex, syner-gistic blend of nutrients they contain in order tofunction properly. This is why replacing whole foods

with “diet” fare (or foods selected exclusivelyon the basis of their low-calorie, low-carb, high-protein or low-fat characteristics)tends to work against long-term weight-

management goals.In his new book, UltraMetabolism: The Simple

Plan for Automatic Weight Loss (Scribner, 2006),Hyman explains that the human metabolism, forged

Many weight-loss diets call for a dramatic reduction indaily caloric intake, which tends to deprive the body

of the very nutrients it needs to effectively releaseand process unwanted fat. But eating too little or

skipping meals has another extreme downside: It puts the body in a starvation-like “fat-

conservation” mode. When you take in fewer calories than are

necessary to fuel your resting metabolic rate(the base amount of caloric energy your body

requires while at rest), your body simply compensates byreducing your metabolic rate. Goodbye, caloric burn.

“Your body thinks it’s starving to death,” explainsHyman. As a result, it not only cuts back on theenergy you need to exercise and move about, italso ”sets off chemical processes inside you thatforce you to eat more.” Net result: weight gain.

You can get a very rough estimate of your restingmetabolic rate, says Hyman, by multiplying your weightin pounds by 10 (if you weigh 150 pounds, for example,your resting metabolic rate would be approximately1,500 calories per day). “If you eat less than thatamount, your body will instantly perceive danger and turnon the alarm system that protects you from starvationand slows your metabolism,” says Hyman.

The deprivation mindset of dieting — characterizedby “just until I lose this weight” thinking — is anotherenemy of weight loss. It causes us to alternate betweenextremes of “on the diet” and “off the diet” behavior. Thatsets us up to have an unhealthy relationship with foodthat can turn weight management into a miserable, life-long struggle. A better approach: Decide to eat healthyfor life. Enjoy delicious, high-quality foods in ways thatnurture your body and your senses for the long haul.

OLD RULE: A CALORIE IS A CALORIE.NEW RULE: ALL CALORIES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL.

OLD RULE: TO LOSE WEIGHT, GO ON A DIET.NEW RULE: TO LOSE WEIGHT, CHOOSE TO EAT HEALTHY.

October 2006 Experience Life 9

People have been holding forth on the evils of fat for solong now that many of us can’t indulge in somethingother than a low-fat yogurt or a couple of Snackwell’scookies without feeling a Pavlovian sting of guilt. Butavoiding fats is a mistake, according to biochemist andnutritionist Mary Enig, PhD, and nutrition researcherSally Fallon, authors of Eat Fat, Lose Fat (Hudson StreetPress, 2005). In fact, taking in an adequate supply ofhealthy fats is essential to proper body composition,whole-body health and long-term weight management.

One of the keys to losing weight, Enig and Fallonassert, is to understand the differences between bad fats(notably trans fats and rancid fats, found in most processedfoods) and good fats (including monounsaturated fats,like those found in nuts, seeds and fish. They also adviseeating small to moderate amounts of saturated fat, thekind found in real butter, cream, grass-fed meats and virgincoconut oil). Enig and Fallon recognize that it can seemcounterintuitive that our bodies need fat in order toburn fat, but they say — and a great many other notablenutrition experts agree — that we must get over our fearof good fats if our bodies are to function properly.

Your body needs not only the much-touted omega-3fats, they say, but also some plant-based omega-6s anda certain amount of the much-maligned saturated fat, in

order to nourish your brain, heart, nerves, hormones andcell structures.

Fail to get these fats, assert Enig and Fallon, andboth your health and weight-loss efforts will suffer forit: “Your energy drops, your nerves don’t fire efficiently,glands malfunction, your hormones and metabolism headsouth,” they explain. “With cells weakened from lack ofnecessary nutrition, weight loss is an uphill battle.”

While eating an excessive amount of any kind of fatwill compromise bodily function and lead to weight gain,Enig and Fallon note, eating a moderate amount of thegood fats found in whole foods not only helps our bodiesstay healthy and vibrant, it also delivers the benefit of con-trolling blood-sugar levels and appetite, both of which havea direct impact on successful weight loss and maintenance.

Most nutrition experts suggest taking in between 15and 25 percent of your daily calories as fat. Be vigilantabout including it in the form of nutritious, whole foods(think avocados, nuts, fish), healthy oils (cold-pressedolive, seed, nut) and small-scale saturated-fat indulgences(real butter and cream, grass-fed meats, coconut, etc.),and you’ll get all of fat’s weight-management benefits —without compromising your waistline. You’ll also find iteasier to say no to fatty processed foods and otherunhealthy indulgences of all kinds.

OLD RULE: EATING FAT WILL MAKE YOU FAT.NEW RULE: GOOD FATS ARE YOUR FRIEND.

FOCUS ON HEALTH AND FITNESS FIRST, weight second. The healthier you are, the easier weight loss becomes. Andif you lose weight at the expense of your health, you’re unlikely to keep it off.

SET REALISTIC GOALS. Say no to extreme, fad and quick-fix diets. Create sustainable habits that can last a lifetime.Start where you are and make gradual changes. Take pride in your progress, learn as you go and, most important, takeslip-ups and setbacks in stride. Every so-called failure is really just feedback about what doesn’t work for you.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS. Notice when you are triggered to overeat or skip workouts. Observe the impactcertain foods have on your energy, digestion, water retention, etc. Start reading labels on everything you buy — cof-fee creamers, sauces — in order to suss out toxins like trans fats (hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils), arti-ficial sweeteners and flavors, and blood-sugar-spiking sugars (e.g., high-fructose corn syrup).

SAY “NO” TO BIG PORTIONS. Keep in mind that the average adult stomach has only about a 1-quart capacity, so eatinga platter-size meal makes no sense. Overstuffing also impedes digestion and gives your body more calories than it can putto good use at one time. If you’ve got a big appetite, start your meal with a large vegetable salad.

CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND YOUR BODY WILL FOLLOW. Even small steps — like drinking more water, walking aroundthe block in the morning or refusing to eat while watching TV — can start you in the right direction.

REMEMBER, WEIGHT LOSS IS INDIVIDUAL. We all have different bodies and different metabolisms. So don’t fretif your best friend seems to be shedding weight at a faster rate. Just keep your eyes on the prize: healthy weight lossand whole-body vitality that lasts. If you’re not getting good results from your current efforts, seek expertise from aqualified health, nutrition or fitness expert.

TO SUCCESSFUL — AND SUSTAINABLE — WEIGHT LOSSTHE SECRETS

Fitness-focused exercise also improves your strength andendurance, which makes activities of all kinds easier, andthus encourages you to be more active overall. And,since regular exercise also improves your energy level,confidence, emotional outlook and self-esteem, it canhelp you get through weight-loss plateaus when you’renot seeing the inches melt off as quickly as you’d like.

“The most popular benefit of exercise is weight con-trol, but it also clears the mind,” says Steven Aldana, PhD,professor of exercise science at Brigham Young Universityand author of the recent book The Culprit and the Cure:Why Lifestyle Is the Culprit Behind America’s Poor Healthand How Transforming That Lifestyle Can Be the Cure (MapleMountain, 2005). “It gives you time to think in differentways, which helps you be more creative. It’s also a commontreatment for sleep disorders.” And this promotes a healthycycle: When you feel more relaxed, resilient, rested andin control, you have more available energy and internalresources to devote to your weight-loss goals.

Body-mind fitness approaches (like yoga, Pilatesand tai chi) can also be helpful in creating a more self-respecting, self-aware mindset that supports healthylifestyle goals. Caloric formulas fail to consider any ofthese benefits. But you shouldn’t!

The key to getting the most out of exercise, manyexperts say, is to include a balance of cardio, strengthand flexibility activities that you enjoy, and to keep yourheart rate within its optimal “training zone” while work-ing out. (For more information on heart-rate training,see “A Measure of Success” in the October 2004 onlinearchive and “Missing Your Max?” in the January/February2005 online archive at experiencelifemag.com.)

No exercise program is one-size-fits-all, so taketime to figure out what is most effective for you. (See“Active Planning” in the January/February 2006 onlinearchive at experiencelifemag.com.)

Yes, exercise burns calories, and burning calories can helpyou lose weight. But exercising for improved fitness hasmany weight-loss benefits that go beyond per-sessioncaloric burn. Understanding this can make a huge differ-ence in how you approach your exercise routine.

For one thing, being fit gives you a distinct meta-bolic advantage at a cellular level. Fit people have agreater number of mitochondria within their cells.Mitochondria are organelles (like mini-organs) that containimportant enzymes associated with aerobic energy production. In fact, they are often referred to as “cellular

power plants,” because they are our cells’primary means for producing

energy from food. Mitochondria also

handle the aerobic oxi-dation of fatty acids (fat burning!) thatoccurs even when we’reat rest. Thus, increas-ing mitochondrial massthrough exercise helpsraise our metabolismso we burn more calo-ries — not only withevery exercise session,

but also when we’re notexercising at all.

Performed at the prop-er intensities and intervals,both cardio training andresistance training can helpto build lean muscle mass,to increase mitochondrialfunction and, in turn, toincrease metabolic rate.

OLD RULE: EXERCISE TO BURN CALORIES.NEW RULE: EXERCISE TO BUILD FITNESS — AND BURN MORE CALORIES WITH EASE.

Maintaining a healthyweight involves bothnutrition and fitnesscomponents, but very fewchronic weight challengesoriginate exclusively inthose domains, and nei-ther do their solutions.“Weight loss starts with

the brain, not the belly,” says psychotherapist Doris Wild Helmering, MSW, coauthor of Think Thin, Be Thin:101 Psychological Ways to Lose Weight (Broadway, 2005).

For many people, achieving a healthy weight is onlypossible once certain mental and emotional issues havebeen addressed. Why? Because many of us overeat oravoid exercise for reasons we don’t entirely understand— or that we feel powerless to control.

Maybe we make poor choices when we’re stressed

OLD RULE: WEIGHT LOSS IS ABOUT CHANGING YOUR BODY.NEW RULE: WEIGHT LOSS IS ABOUT CHANGING YOUR LIFE.

October 2006 Experience Life 10

October 2006 Experience Life 11

out, sad, ashamed or angry. Maybe we make unconsciouschoices when we’re tired, distracted or numbed out.Whatever the reason, says Wild Helmering, the excessweight we carry on the outside is sometimes the symptomof an unresolved problem on the inside.

In such cases, the first step is to turn inward andask yourself some questions. “‘What am I really hungryfor?’ Perhaps you need a hug or a word of encouragementfrom a friend instead of that piece of leftover chocolatepie in the refrigerator,” she says. Perhaps you need tobust out of a stressful job track, a destructive relationshipor a self-abusive attitude in order to make your personalhealth and well-being a priority.

It’s worth noting that stress alone can create a biochemical profile that’s antithetical to weight loss.When we experience stress, whether or not we are inimmediate physical danger, our physiological “fight-or-flight” survival responses kick in — and they set off aseries of chemical reactions in our bodies that encourageweight retention.

So, building self-awareness and self-acceptance,regularly incorporating healthy stress-management techniques, or simply talking things through with trustedfriends or loved ones could be as central to weight lossas hitting the treadmill.

In the end, says Aldana, if we don’t have psycho-logical health, we simply won’t have the drive to loseweight — or to keep it off. “If you are unhappy,” hesays, “you are not likely to care much about your physicalhealth or body weight.”

By now you’ve probably noticed that all theseupdated rules turn on one central notion: that losingweight isn’t simply about any one diet or exercise regimen— it’s about transforming the way we live. It’s alsoabout adjusting the widespread and mistaken assumptions

about weight loss thathave kept us stuck inunhealthy patterns —patterns that have doneour entire culture a greatdeal more harm than good.

Another key take-away: No single weight-loss approach is right foreveryone. Every body, andevery life, is different. Andso, in the end, there are nohard-and-fast “rules” —only principles, evidenceand guidelines that eachof us must explore andrefine until we find themix that’s right for us.

Perhaps that’s thevery best part. Eventually— once we’ve tried enough“miracle” diets, and oncewe’ve started and stoppedenough “surefire” exerciseroutines — the wisestamong us settle into thekinds of stable-yet-evolv-ing routines that bringreal and lasting results.

Over time, we discover that the real rewards ofhealthy weight management lie in thinking and experi-menting for ourselves, in doing it all for the right reasons,and in making the rules up as we go. t

Virgil McDill is a Washington, D.C.–based writer.

RESOURCESBOOKSUltraMetabolism: The Simple Plan forAutomatic Weight Loss by Mark Hyman, MD(Scribner, 2006)

Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary Enig, PhD, and SallyFallon (Hudson Street Press, 2005)

The Culprit and the Cure: Why Lifestyle Is theCulprit Behind America’s Poor Health and HowTransforming That Lifestyle Can Be the Cure bySteven Aldana, PhD (Maple Mountain, 2005)

Think Thin, Be Thin: 101 Psychological Ways toLose Weight by Doris Wild Helmering andDianne Hales (Broadway, 2005)

American Heart Association No-Fad Diet: APersonal Plan for Healthy Weight Loss by theAmerican Heart Association (Clarkson Potter,2005)

French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret ofEating for Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano (Knopf, 2005)

WEBMedline Plus: Weight Control — www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/weightcontrol.html

Mayo Clinic Weight Loss Center — www.mayoclinic.com/health/weightloss/WT99999

January/February 2008 Experience Life 12

By CATHERINE GUTHRIE

Here’s a thought to ponder: What if reaching a healthyweight isn’t about counting calories, depriving yourselfof edible pleasures or exercising till you drop? What ifit’s simply a matter of finding foods that soothe ratherthan irritate and inflame your body?

To anyone who has spent years struggling with excess weight, itmay sound too good to be true. But according to a growing numberof health experts, the premise may be more fact than fiction.

Many alternative-minded health practitioners view reachingand maintaining a healthy weight as a natural byproduct of shiftingone’s focus from calories to nutrients, from denying your body tosupporting it. This group wants you to toss out everything youthought you knew about dieting, including the word “diet.”

“I like to call it a ‘new eating plan,’” says Elson Haas, MD, medical director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in SanRafael, Calif., and author of The False Fat Diet (Ballantine, 2001).“People only start losing weight when they stop thinking aboutcalories and start thinking about nutrition.”

This alternative weight-loss theory hinges on the idea that atoxic diet precedes and perpetuates weight gain by triggeringimbalances in the body, such as chronic inflammation and metabolicdisorders. These experts use the word “toxins” to refer to everythingfrom pesticides to high-fructose corn syrup to any product that cantrigger food sensitivities.

“Most people talk about toxins as coming from chemicals inour environment, but the vast majority are created in our guts by the foods we eat,” says Barry Sears, PhD, a former research scientist atBoston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Instituteof Technology and author of the forthcoming Toxic Fat Syndrome. Henotes that the number of toxins in the American diet, including refinedcarbohydrates and processed vegetable oils, has grown lockstep withthe obesity epidemic in the past 25 years. “It’s the perfect nutritional

Nutrients Nutrit ion Know-How

THE SIMPLE WAYto SlimSubsisting on low-calorie foods and skipping meals is no wayto lose weight — and no way to live. Instead, we should ridour diets of toxins and inflammatory irritants. As a byproductof cleaning up our bodies, we’ll shed extra pounds.

January/February 2008 Experience Life 13

storm,” he says. And one of the best ways to reduce toxinsis to curb your consumption of inflammatory foods.

Erin Steinberg is a case in point. The 49-year-oldmother and office manager in South Huntington, N.Y., waswafer-thin as a teen but gained weight after the birth ofher children. Between family and job demands, she had little time for exercise. Over the years, her weight crept up,and yo-yo dieting only made matters worse. Last year, the5-foot 11-inch Steinberg tipped the scales at 285 pounds.

At this point, some might choose gastric-bypass surgery. But Steinberg wasn’t interestedin going under the knife. She was,however, intrigued when her husband,Harold, suggested she cut wheat fromher diet. A physician, Harold wasinterested in the reported linkbetween chronic inflammation — afrequent response to wheat allergies— and obesity. Erin was game.

Seven wheat-free months later, she is 80 poundslighter and couldn’t be happier. “For the first time in 30years, I see definition when I look in the mirror,” she says.“Instead of a rounded outline of my body, I see my waist,my thighs and my knees.”

While weight loss is a nice perk, experts say it is secondary to the good health bestowed on those whoclean up their diets. Mark Hyman, MD, author of TheUltraSimple Diet (Pocket Books, 2007), says his patientswho have detoxified their diets have conquered everythingfrom migraines to arthritis to asthma.

“The same things that make us sick, make us fat,” heexplains. “People need to stop focusing on weight loss andstart focusing on getting their bodies back in balance. Fromthere, excess weight will start to drop away automatically.”

Quit Fanning the FlamesFor many people, the first step toward balance is to reduceinflammation. A buzzword in some medical specialties,such as heart disease, inflammation is new to the lexiconof obesity, yet its role in weight gain is piquing interestamong top scientists.

When nutrition researchers at Harvard Medical Schoolhosted a symposium last March to discuss the relationshipbetween the two, “the consensus was that inflammationprecedes obesity,” says Sears, who attended the meeting.

The process is complex, but here’s the CliffsNotes version: The immune system’s inflammatory response is agood thing when it happens on a small scale. A localizedcut or infection calls for an outpouring of white blood cellsto mop up the mess. You see some swelling, some irritation,but within a few days, things are back to normal. Whentoxins in the diet irritate the lining of the gut on a constantor near-constant basis, however, the immune system maygo into overdrive and can do more harm than good.Swelling and irritation may occur throughout the body.

Antibodies build up and start confusing and compromisingthe body’s organ and endocrine systems. “Many types ofbiochemical and inflammatory reactions can result fromthese antibody reactions,” says Haas.

Over time, a food sensitivity like Steinberg’s can triggeran inflammatory response that snowballs into disturbancesin hormone levels, brain chemicals and the immune system.

The end result is weight gain — and increased risk forchronic diseases of all sorts. “If you aren’t following ananti-inflammatory diet, anything else you are doing to live

a healthier life, such asexercising and takingvitamins, is not going towork nearly as well as itcould,” says Sears. “Aninflammatory diet willalways work against you.”

Jacob Teitelbaum,MD, medical director of the Fibromyalgia andFatigue Centers, andauthor of From Fatiguedto Fantastic (Avery,2001), sees the gut-inflammation cycle — acondition he calls “boweltoxicity” — play outagain and again in hispatients whose immunesystems are out of whack.In a nutshell, he says, when the immune system is onoverdrive, cortisol levels in the blood spike. When cortisolgoes up, so do blood insulin levels, which results in weightgain. On average, he sees a 32-pound weight gain amongpeople with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia.“Weight goes up just from the stress on the body causedby bowel toxicity,” he says. “When we treat these stresses,including bowel infections, people lose the weight.”

Food sensitivities are also a big factor in unwantedweight gain. Some studies estimate that up to 60 percentof adults are sensitive to one or more foods. But, unlike aclassic food allergy (like a peanut allergy) that can sendpeople into anaphylactic shock, food sensitivities aresneakier. The side effects — including bloating, waterretention, brain fog and sinus congestion — can be delayedor can linger for days, which makes the cause-and-effectrelationship difficult to pinpoint.

“The same things that make us sick, make us fat. People need to stop focusing

on weight loss and start focusing on getting their bodies back in balance.”

January/February 2008 Experience Life 14

The Fat FactorSo why should you care if dietary indiscretions are pavingthe way to inflammatory all-nighters in your gut? Becauseinflammation disrupts metabolism, which leads to anaccumulation of fat.

Here’s the deal: Fat cells don’t just twiddle theirthumbs — they attract pro-inflammatory gunk, specificallyarachidonic acid. Like magnets, fat cells pull the stuff inand hold it tight. Your fat thinks it’s doing you a favor bysucking inflammatory compounds out of your bloodstream.But ultimately the acid gains control of the cells and turnsthem into factories capable of churning out even moredastardly pro-inflammatory substances with even biggernames, such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor.These guys cruise out of the fat cells and onto the body’sfreeway system (a.k.a. the bloodstream) where they speedto all corners of the body. More inflammation ensues. Ergo,more fire and more fat.

This creates a vicious cycle. “The fatter you are, themore inflammation you generate around the clock,”explains Sears. “So, the question is not how do you loseweight, it’s how do you keep inflammation under control?”

Nutrients Nutrit ion Know-How

Sears, PhD, a former research scientist at BostonUniversity School of Medicine and the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology and author of the forthcom-ing Toxic Fat Syndrome. One of the best ways tosnuff out inflammation is by heeding food sensitiv-ities and intolerances. These are inflammatoryresponses that occur when the gut fails to breakdown certain foods.

The most notorious offenders are dairy, wheat,corn, sugar, soy, eggs and peanuts. Keep a fooddiary to identify negative reactions (which may bedelayed by hours or days after you’ve eaten), thenroot out food sensitivities by following an elimina-tion diet for at least a week. (For more on that, see“False Fat” in the March/April 2003 archives atexperiencelifemag.com.)

By eliminating the foods that irritate yourbody and eating more of those that help your bodycombat inflammation, you’ll get rid of a lot ofbloating and water retention, produce fewer“weight-gain” hormones, and have more energy foractivity, says Elson Haas, MD, medical director ofthe Preventive Medical Center of Marin in SanRafael, Calif., and author of The False Fat Diet(Ballantine, 2001). That sounds like a slim-downstrategy we can all live with.

INFLAMMATION: SEE IT, STOP IT

Conducting a Clean SweepTo start, clear your cupboards of pro-inflammatory foods:essentially anything that contains white flour, processedsugar and trans fats. Then, bring on the inflammationfighters: brightly colored fruits and vegetables, includingberries, bell peppers and leafy greens like kale. Reduce yourred meat and processed meat consumption, opting instead forhealthier sources of protein, such as legumes and coldwaterfish that are rich in omega-3s (like mackerel and salmon).

And yes, even if you eat clean, you still need to exer-cise. Clinical trials show exercise lowers levels of inflam-matory markers circulating in the blood. Just remember tovary the intensity of your workouts to give your body timeto recover. If muscles aren’t given sufficient time to heal,the body may become more, not less, inflamed, says Sears.

Steinberg recently added walking to her new get-fitroutine. Between upping her activity level and powerwashing her diet, she knows she’s taken the first steps onwhat will be a lifelong path to good health. Although shesays giving up wheat was “the hardest thing I’ve everdone,” her cravings subsided within a few weeks of making the change. Finding wheat-free alternatives for herfavorite treats (she now makes Belgian waffles using riceflour) eased the transition. Today, she’s thrilled by howamazing she feels and says there’s no turning back: “I planto stick with it for life.” tCatherine Guthrie is a writer based in Bloomington, Ind.

THE SIGNS OF INFLAMMATION are many and varied — it’sbeen linked to everything from bloating to joint pain to sinuscongestion and skin rashes. Although a clinical assessment is theonly way to determine for sure if you suffer from inflammation,the more of the following symptoms you experience, the morelikely you have low-grade inflammation, says Mark Hyman,MD, author of The UltraSimple Diet (Pocket Books, 2007).

Bloating, belching, passing gasDiarrhea or constipationFatigue, sluggishnessItchy ears or eyesDark circles or bags under eyesJoint pain or stiffnessThroat tickle, irritation or coughingStuffy noise, sinus trouble, excessive mucusAcne, cysts, hives or rashesRuddy, inflamed-looking skinFlushingWater retention, skin puffinessCraving certain foodsCompulsive or binge eating

The good news: Inflammation is fixable: “Our best tool toreverse inflammation isn’t a drug, but our diets,” says Barry

January/February 2008 Experience Life 15

THE

WAYTO

WEIGHTLOSS

By GINA DEMILLO WAGNER

AMERICANS SPEND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEARon quick weight-loss solutions. Yet, these “solutions” areeither temporary or they cause more problems than theysolve (remember Fen-phen?). Whether you want to lose 10pounds or 100, the key is to avoid the plethora of gimmicks,myths and quick fixes, and focus on sustainable changesthat produce lasting results.

The only surefire way to lose weight and maintain thatloss over time is to focus on fitness, notes Gary Miller, PhD,associate professor of health and exercise science at WakeForest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. That axiom isconfirmed by volumes of research in recent years, includinga 2003 study published in the Journal of the AmericanMedical Association that found that women who maintaineda fitness routine for 12 months or longer significantlyimproved their chances of sustaining long-term weight loss.

Now, putting in a lot of treadmill miles on a relativelylow-intensity “fat-burning” setting will certainly burnsome calories, and it may even help you burn off some fatover time. But exercising with an aim toward improved fitness — as opposed to just burning calories — will morerapidly and radically change your body on a cellular level.

These changes enable you to automatically burn morecalories throughout the day, thus making it easier to shedunwanted fat and keep it off. The same changes also curbyour appetite for unhealthy foods and boost your energy,making overeating less tempting and making exercise fareasier and more appealing.

Combine all this with a satisfying, whole-foods nutritionplan that supports your fitness goals (versus a low-cal dietthat emphasizes deprivation and that inadvertently windsup lowering your metabolism) and — ta da! — you havethe formula for sustaining a healthy body weight for life.

KICK YOUR CALORIE FIXATIONMost people trying to lose weight get fixated on calories, sothey make maximum calorie burning the exclusive aim of alltheir workouts. They often do very long and homogenouscardio sessions — walking or jogging for an hour or moreat a relatively low, even level of intensity. But this is rarelythe most efficient way to burn off unwanted fat, and it’scertainly not the most effective way to achieve and maintain

a strong, lean body over time, say the experts. To do that, you need to shift your metabolism, which

regulates your body’s ability to become (and stay) lean. Andshifting your metabolism depends on upgrading your fitnesswhile supporting yourself with good nutrition.

“One thing that most people don’t realize is that theircalorie-burning capacity is directly related to their level of fitness,” explains Mark Hyman, MD, editor-in-chief ofAlternative Therapies in Health and Medicine and author ofUltraMetabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss(Scribner, 2006).

When your body turns food and oxygen into energy —something it does throughout the day, virtually all day —it burns calories. That process takes place in your cells’ mitochondria, which need oxygen to burn those caloriesefficiently. So the more oxygen your body is capable ofprocessing per minute (a function of your VO2 max —more on that in a moment), the more calories it can grindthrough on a given day.

In other words, being fit helps your body run morelike a finely tuned machine — one that’s naturally inclinedto eliminate excess weight.

“People who have a higher level of fitness burn morecalories even while at rest and asleep,” Hyman says. Exactnumbers are difficult to nail down because each person’sresting metabolic rate is unique (based on muscle mass,age, genetics and even climate). Still, some experts esti-mate that fit, muscular adults can burn an extra hundredcalories or more per day — while at rest.

It’s important to note that in the course of their dailyactivities and workouts, fit adults can and do burn a couplethousand more calories daily than unfit, more sedentary ones.

And here’s the beauty of it: Fit people are naturallymore inclined toward activity and tend to exert themselvesat higher levels. That’s because exercise and activities ofall kinds become easier as your fitness improves, and evenintense levels of exertion become more comfortable. All ofwhich makes calorie-burning activities a much more appeal-ing proposition, thus further increasing active inclinations.

This is what’s known as a “benevolent circle” (as opposedto a vicious one) — and the more fit you become, themore you can take advantage of its fat-burning effects.

TIRED OF YO-YO DIETING AND ENDLESS HOURS ON THE TREADMILL? THE SECRET TO REAL AND LASTINGWEIGHT LOSS IS SIMPLER THAN YOU THINK.

January/February 2008 Experience Life 16

January/February 2008 Experience Life 17

FLIRT WITH YOUR THRESHOLDOf course, becoming fit requires you to do some work upfront.To tailor a workout plan to your unique physiology, SallyEdwards, MS, founder and CEO of Heart Zones Training System(www.heartzones.com), recommends exercising for at least30 minutes, four to five times per week, within your targetheart-rate zones — as determined by your current level offitness and as measured by a heart-rate monitor.

The best way to determine your target zones is to iden-tify — or at least get a good estimate of — your anaerobicthreshold (AT). From there, you’ll want to do a variety ofworkouts that approach and occasionally cross over thatthreshold level of exertion. (For more information on anaer-obic threshold and heart-rate training, see “A Better Way toBurn Fat” on page 21.)

If you haven’t been working outregularly, start by building your aerobicbase by exercising at 70 to 90 percentof your AT. As your fitness improves,begin incorporating intervals (briefperiods of more intense exertion).

Intervals activate your mitochon-dria (your cellular powerhouses),because they force your body to con-sume and process more oxygen. A typi-cal interval routine involves exercisingfor one minute at 100 to 110 percent ofyour AT followed by three minutes at 90to 100 percent of your AT, and contin-uing the pattern for 20 to 30 minutes.

Working out this way — at theproper intensities and intervals —produces a more effective workoutbecause you’re not over- or under-training. But you are triggering yourbody to change at a metabolic leveland to significantly increase its levelof fitness. A bonus: “You’ll also noticea boost to your self-esteem that will make fitness moreenjoyable,” Edwards says.

In addition to cardio, focus on building and maintain-ing muscle mass, Hyman suggests, because more muscleequals more cells and more calorie-busting mitochondria.

FEED YOUR FITNESSFor many Americans, a weight-loss plan begins and ends with deprivation dieting. This inevitably backfires because1) such diets are virtually impossible to maintain, 2) theylower your resting metabolic rate, and 3) they work againstthe very fitness improvements wise exercisers will strive toachieve as part of their weight-loss efforts.

A fitness-centric nutrition plan, on the other hand,puts the emphasis on supporting the body, not depriving it.It also looks and feels a lot more like “normal” eating —because it is.

Lona Sandon, MEd, RD, assistant professor of clinicalnutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas,recommends a nutrition plan that’s heavy on vegetables,fruits, lean meats, legumes, whole grains and healthy fats.Making such whole foods the center of your diet naturallydelivers fewer calories and more real satisfaction whilesupporting you with all the nutrients and metabolism-boosting factors your body needs to achieve a high levelof vitality and an ideal body composition.

Meanwhile, limiting refined carbs, sweets and other simple sugars helps moderate cravings and energy dipswhile decreasing blood-fat levels, helping you maintain ahealthy weight without obsessing over every last calorie.

All these benefits work to support an active, fitness-oriented lifestyle, she notes. The betteryour body feels, the easier it is to getoff the couch and go for a jog, headto the gym, go out dancing or simplyenjoy time outdoors with your family.

Your nutritional needs do increasealong with your activity levels, so it’simportant to eat small, frequent meals(including an ample supply of whole-food carbohydrates, proteins andhealthy fats) to curb cravings andkeep your metabolism high. (For moresuggestions see “Weight-Loss Rules toRethink” in the October 2006 archivesat experiencelifemag.com.)

THE HORMONE SECRETFor a deeper understanding of whyweight loss is hardly the simple “calories in, calories out” equation it’smade out to be, consider how fitnessaffects your body’s hormones.

Fit people have lower levels ofcortisol (the stress hormone that can

trigger overeating and cause your body to store fat morereadily) and higher levels of growth hormone (which buildsmuscle and increases your metabolism). And, as Hymannotes, more muscle and a higher metabolism lead to moreweight loss and better fitness, which in turn lowers stress-hormone levels and leads to more muscle gain. Anotherbenevolent circle at work.

Good nutrition coupled with fitness can further influenceyour body’s hormones to promote weight loss. “Appetitecomes from high levels of insulin — a result of a diet ofrefined foods, refined sugars and carbohydrates,” Hymanexplains. “When you exercise, you lower your insulin levels,you become more insulin sensitive, and the cravings go away.”

Gender-specific hormones also play a role in fitness,he adds. “Fit men have higher levels of testosterone, whichbuilds muscle.” Testosterone works by synthesizing theproteins in muscle fibers. A 1999 study published in the

A FITNESS-CENTRIC NUTRITION PLAN

PUTS THE EMPHASIS ON SUPPORTING THE BODY,NOT DEPRIVING IT.

January/February 2008 Experience Life 18

Journal of Behavioral Medicine found that fit, healthy menhad slightly elevated levels of testosterone and more leanbody mass. As a bonus, they were also significantly lesslikely to suffer a heart attack and had lower blood pressurethan overweight men with lower testosterone — just onemore advantage fitness has over diet and exercise alone.

Women’s hormones are a bit trickier, notes Hyman.Women naturally experience low-energy days before theirmenstrual cycles, when fluctuating progesterone andestrogen levels cause them to cravemore calories and feel bloated andfatigued. You can minimize theseconditions by lowering the intensityof your workouts during the two orthree days before your menstrualcycle, since your body is naturallyunder more stress. By resting, youcan avoid a surge in cortisol, whichcauses you to store fat.

More good news: As you increaseyour fitness, these hormone fluctua-tions will become less dramatic andless likely to cause you to overeat orabandon your exercise routine. How?Adipose tissue, which stores fat, alsoproduces estrogen, Hyman explains.So as you lose fat, your estrogen levels decline.

Researchers at the University ofPennsylvania School of Medicine inPhiladelphia also found that maintain-ing healthy levels of adipose tissuehelps improve energy levels by keep-ing your thyroid function stable. (Toomuch or too little body fat can tip thehormonal scales in your disfavor.)

GRADUAL IS GOODWhile these fitness and nutritionguidelines apply to everyone, there aresome added precautions you shouldtake if you want to lose more than 20 or 30 pounds.

For significantly overweight individuals, launchinginto a high-impact, vigorous fitness routine can lead tojoint pain, shortness of breath, overheating and otherserious conditions.

The solution? Start small. “Pick one goal for the weekand stick with it,” suggests Sandon. Focus on walking for20 minutes each day, or replace one high-fat, calorie-richsnack with some fruit or veggies. Each week, build on theprevious week’s goals until you have a routine that includescardio exercise, weight training and a nutritious diet. Bythen, the changes will have been so gradual that you’remore likely to stick with them.

It’s especially important for overweight or obese people

to exercise daily — even if it’s low-intensity activities,such as walking or swimming, say researchers at LavalUniversity in Quebec. In two separate studies, they foundthat moving the body every day improves insulin sensitivity,lipid profiles and blood pressure.

As you become more accustomed to exercise, you canrev up your metabolism by adding interval training (asdescribed on page 17) to your routine, Hyman suggests.

For now, just do what you can, knowing that you are shifting your metabolism in the right direction and getting healthierin the process.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENTSome of the most important changesyou’ll experience as your fitnessimproves are the ones you don’t see:the boost in confidence that comesfrom being present in your body. Thesense of strength you feel in yourmuscles. The increased desire to moveyour body for the joy of it. The pridethat comes from making palpableprogress toward a truly meaningfulgoal. These are subtle changes thathave a huge impact on the way youfeel — and the way you live.

“All successful behavioral changeis influenced by attitude,” says DanielZeman, MS, an exercise physiologistwith nearly 30 years of experienceadvising individuals of all shapes and sizes.

The most common hurdle Zemanencounters? “Many people view weightloss as punishment,” he says. “Someonewho believes they need to lose weightbut has a negative view of the changesays, ‘I will starve myself and exerciseexcessively until I reach my goalweight, and then, having paid my

debt, I can return to my real life,’” he notes. If, on the other hand, you see improved fitness and

the resulting loss of excess weight as central to creating amore enjoyable life, he says, you’re more likely to make ashift that lasts. Which means you can say a permanentgoodbye to diets and “fat-burning” workouts — and sayhello to a body you’ll want to live in for the rest of your days. Gina DeMillo Wagner writes about fitness and exercise for magazines includingOutside, Skiing, Runner’s World and Shape.

WEB EXTRA!To find tips on curbing your cravings, see the onlineversion of this article at experiencelifemag.com.

SOME OF THE MOSTIMPORTANT CHANGES

YOU’LL EXPERIENCE AS YOURFITNESS IMPROVES ARE

THE ONES YOU DON’T SEE: THE BOOST IN CONFIDENCE THAT COMES FROM BEING PRESENT IN YOUR BODY. . . .

THE INCREASED DESIRETO MOVE YOUR BODY FOR THE JOY OF IT.

Next time you’re tempted to diet your way out of some extrapounds, stop and consider your fitness-based alternatives.Here, the top five reasons a comprehensive fitness approachis a more effective and sustainable weight-loss solution:

FITNESS REVS YOUR CELLULAR ENGINES. Yourcells’ mitochondria are the calorie-burning power-houses in your body. Mitochondria need oxygen,so the more oxygen you consume per minute(VO2 max), the more efficient your cells become,and the more calories you burn.

FITNESS BALANCES YOUR HORMONES. Over time,fit people experience positive hormonal changesthat help keep them fit. Lower stress hormone(reduces inflammation), higher growth hor-mone (builds muscle) and lower insulin (con-trols cravings) are just a few of the hormonalbenefits fitness brings.

FITNESS GROWS ON YOU. Unlike dieting, whichfew people can tolerate for long, fitness quicklybecomes a way of life, notes Daniel G. Carey,PhD, assistant professor in the Health and HumanPerformance Department at the University of St.Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. The more fit youbecome, the more you’re inclined to move. So formost fit people, seeking daily activity becomesan almost instinctive habit.

FITNESS GIVES YOU A METABOLIC ADVANTAGE.Fit people have more lean muscle mass and ahigher metabolism, which helps them weathersetbacks such as holiday binges that can pack onexcess pounds.

FITNESS IS FUN. People often overlook the emo-tional element of exercise, notes Sally Edwards,MS, exercise physiologist, professional athleteand founder of Heart Zones Training System.“For people who aren’t fit, intermittent exerciseis a form of masochism,” she says. “You go to anindoor cycling class to punish yourself, you worktoo hard, and it doesn’t relieve stress.” A fitlifestyle, on the other hand, involves regularlyparticipating in activities for the sheer enjoy-ment of them. It’s more fun, it relieves stress,and it’s easier to sustain.

HOWFITNESSBOOSTSWEIGHT LOSS

1)2)3)

4)5)

January/February 2008 Experience Life 19

STILL DEPENDING on calorie-skimping diets and deadly boring“calorie burning” workouts for yourweight-loss strategy? Then you’redoing yourself a disservice.

Here are some tips to help youswitch into a fitness-centric mode:

Just for now, agree to set aside whatyou think you know about weight loss.If what you’ve been doing hasn’tworked as well as you’d like, a freshapproach may be just what you need.Taking the emphasis off your weightand putting it on fitness improvementsinstead will not only transform your approach to nutritionand activity, it will help “reboot” your whole mindset in a healthier direction. (For inspiration and direction, see “Weight-Loss Rules to Rethink” on page 6.)

Give up the diet and “low-cal” foods. For a period oftwo to three months, focus entirely on empowering yourbody and fueling your fitness activities with frequent,small meals based on whole-food nutrition. (For tips, see“Eating for Energy” in the June 2007 archives and “PoorSubstitutes” in the December 2007 archives at experiencelifemag.com.) As long as you keep your activity levelshigh and your intake of processed flours and sug-ars to a minimum, you’ll likely lose weightwithout even trying.

Pick up a heart-rate monitor and discoverhow much more motivating and more effec-tive it is to work out in your appropriateheart-rate zones. Start out relatively easy,particularly if you’re new to exercise, thenincrease the intensity level as your fitnessimproves. Your monitor will let you know howhard you’re working and let you see theprogress you’re making along the way. Consider

BOOKSUltraMetabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss by Mark Hyman, MD(Scribner, 2006) — This book offers practical advice for losing weight naturallythrough fitness and eating whole foods. It debunks several common diet mythswith exercise science.

The Complete Book of Fitness: Mind, Body, Spirit by Karen Andes (Three Rivers Press,1998) — The sheer number of studies and reports on fitness and weight loss can bedaunting, but this book is an ideal road map. It boils down the basics on the key ele-ments of fitness — cardiovascular training, strength training, wellness and nutrition.

SWITCH YOURTHINKING

fitness testing — available at better health clubs andsports clinics — to help you gauge your current level of fit-ness, identify your ideal zones and plot out an appropri-ate fitness-building plan. (See “Fitness Testing 1-2-3:Cardio Capacity” in the May 2006 archives at expereincelifemag.com and “A Better Way to Burn Fat” on page 21.)

Set your anxieties aside. It’s OK if you don’t think ofyourself as the athletic type. It’s OK if you “don’t knowhow” to exercise. It’s even OK if you’re not in love withthe way your body looks or feels right now, or if you’rescared to set foot in a gym shoe, much less an actual gym.Just keep telling yourself this is an experiment — one

you’re doing out of love for yourself and the loyal,hard-working body that’s brought you this far. Need

help? Peruse this article lineup at experi-encelifemag.com: “Overcoming Gym Jitters”

(July/August 2005); “Feeling Groovy: A FitnessPrimer” (July/August 2005); “Plan forSuccess” (January/February 2007); and “Ready,Set, Go!”(November 2006). Above all, focuson cultivating a mutually respectful partner-ship with your body. After all, you’re in thistogether — for the long haul. t

RESOURCESThe Best Life Diet by Bob Greene (Simon and Schuster, 2006) — Written byOprah’s personal fitness guru, this book focuses on long-term success strategies,not short-term diet and exercise gimmicks.

WEBwww.mydietbuddy.com — Like an online matchmaker, the My Diet Buddy Website’s goal is to pair you with a “diet buddy” who shares similar fitness goals andinterests. It capitalizes on the theory that two or more people are more likely toreach their weight-loss goals if they work together rather than alone.

January/February 2008 Experience Life 20

January/February 2007 Experience Life 21

It’s not fair, you say: You’re eating right and you’re workingout for hours every week, yet your unwanted fat is barelyfazed — in fact, it’s just plain ignoring you. What gives?Well, it could be that you haven’t yet trained your

body to burn fat efficiently. Or it could be that you’veadapted to your current program and, as a result, you’reburning fewer calories than you were a few months ago.Either way, stalled weight loss can be frustrating, buthere’s the good news: Using strategic heart-rate training,you can drop those stubborn pounds.

Heart-rate training is a personalized form of cardio-vascular training that serves more than weight-loss goals.It establishes optimal exercise intensities — or zones (seeright) — based on your unique metabolism, heart rate,current level of fitness, and health or fitness goals.

By strategically working out within these parameters,you encourage your cardiorespiratory system to becomestronger and more efficient. This leads to improved athleticperformance and a tendency for your body to use storedfat rather than its circulating and stored sugar (glucoseand glycogen) for energetic fuel.

The bottom line? Regardless of why you undertakeheart-rate training, you’ll probably wind up burning morefat, more easily. And if you’re trying to lose weight, that’sprobably especially sweet music to your ears.

Gauge Your IntensityWhether you run, swim or do step aerobics, you can useyour heart rate to personalize your weight-loss program.

The idea is to train at the right intensity for the right amountof time. All you need is a heart-rate monitor or a keen senseof your exertion levels. (See “Master Your Monitor” in theOctober 2005 archives at experiencelifemag.com for aguide to heart-rate monitors.)

This approach removes some of the traditional focuson “per-session caloric burn” and instead places it squarelyon metabolic fitness. “Heart-rate training changes yourphysiological structure,” says Kevin Steele, PhD, vice pres-ident of research and development at Life Time Fitness. “Thegoal is to improve cardiorespiratory strength, increase leanbody mass and elevate metabolism in the process.”

You’ll first need to determine your anaerobic threshold(AT), the heart rate at which your body transitions fromburning primarily fat to using primarily carbohydrates(sugars) for energy. When your body kicks into sugar-burninggear, lactic acid begins to accumulate in the bloodstreamfaster than you can use it. While this intensity produces ahigh rate of caloric burn and significant fitness gains, it’sdifficult to maintain for long. Happily, you don’t have to.

By simply cycling your intensity up and down (intervaltraining) so that your heart rate repeatedly approaches,crosses and then drops below your AT, you can achievedramatic fat-burning results, both during exercise andwhile you’re going about your daily business.

Find Your Happy PlaceYou can calculate your AT by taking a Metabolic AssessmentProfile (MAP) test at your health club, or you can get ageneral sense of it by referencing the heart-rate-trainingchart at lifetimefitness.com/heart_rate. (For more on cardio-testing methods, see “Cardio Capacity” in the May 2006archives at experiencelifemag.com.)

The heart-rate training zones are based on your individ-ual AT and form the backbone of your weight-loss program.

ZONE 1 Use this warm-up and active recovery zone tobegin and end your workout, and when you’re fatigued, soreor overtrained. Your heart rate is 60 to 70 percent of your AT,and you generally burn more fat calories than carbohydrates.

ZONE 2 In the aerobic development zone (70 to 90percent of your AT), you build your aerobic base and effi-ciency, which improves your overall conditioning andendurance. In this zone, you are typically still burningmore calories from fat than carbohydrates.

ZONE 3 Just below or at your AT (90 to 100 percent),the aerobic endurance zone is where your body begins touse an equal combination of fat and carbs as a fuel sourceand creates a higher caloric burn rate. This “hard” zonechallenges your cardiovascular system and results inimproved endurance and cardio efficiency.

ZONE 4 The anaerobic endurance zone (100 to 110percent of AT) raises your AT and increases your tolerance tolactic acid, training the body to reuse it as an energy source.In this zone, your body primarily uses carbs for energy.

If your weight-loss efforts seemstalled or stymied,heart-rate-basedinterval trainingmay provide justthe metabolicboost you need.

By SHEILA MULROONEY ELDRED

Fitness Fixes Overcoming Fitness Obstacles

A Better Way to BURNFAT

A Better Way to BURNFAT

January/February 2007 Experience Life 22

ZONE 5 In this zone — the most difficult of all —you pour on effort and intensity for short intervals thatchallenge your body to reach its full athletic potential.Carbs are nearly the sole fuel source. This level of exertion is extremely difficult to maintain for more than a few minutes (or for the untrained, seconds).

If your primary goal is weight loss, you can applyheart-rate training to your program by initially spendinga significant portion of your workout in zones 2 and 3,which help you develop a solid aerobic base. Concentratingyour efforts there allows you to exercise harder and longerwhile burning fat as the primary source of energy.

Once you’ve developed an aerobic base, you’ll beginto exercise at intensities closer to your AT (the boundarywhich separates zones 3 and 4). You’ll burn a greater num-ber of calories, but more important, you’ll teach your bodyhow to shift between the aerobic and anaerobic energysystems, building your metabolic rate and encouragingyour body to burn fat at increasing levels of intensity,thus improving your exercise endurance. (You’ll recognizethat you’ve built a solid aerobic base when you can spendtime doing cardio exercise without experiencing the highfatigue level you felt when you first started the program.)

From Stalled to StellarCaroline Connor, of Shelby Township, Mich., had just aboutgiven up on trying to lose weight when she learned aboutheart-rate training. Connor’s fitness had stalled so muchthat she started to wonder if her body was actually immuneto exercise. As a last resort, she decided to give Life TimeFitness’s O2 heart-rate-training program a try.

Twice a week with a trainer, Connor did group workoutsbased on her unique AT, exercising primarily in zones 1, 2 and3. She also did similar workouts on her own twice a week. Bythe end of the six-week program, the 48-year-old nurse haddropped her body fat from 20 to 18 percent, and loweredher four-mile running time by more than four minutes.

Most people embarking on a heart-rate-training pro-gram for the first time see changes in as little as three tofour weeks — provided they exercise three to four timesper week in the zones appropriate for their current levelof fitness. The following changes will be evident in bothyour cardiovascular and musculature systems:

Cardio. By introducing training stimuli, the heart becomesmore efficient at working above its resting heart rate.Translation: It becomes easier to work out harder forlonger — thus you burn more calories with greater ease,and in less time. Your resting heart rate also decreases,meaning your heart is capable of pumping the sameamount of blood with fewer beats. Ultimately, your cardiac output and efficiency improve.

The key to metabolic-training success, says Steele, isconsistency and variety. Working in different zones helps boost

your overall fitness level, increasing the range in which yourbody uses fat for fuel. It also helps maximize the number ofcalories you burn postworkout and encourages your bodyto store carbs as quicker-burning glycogen instead of fat.

Musculature. Mitochondria, often referred to as “cellularpower plants,” are responsible for burning fat. Regularexercise increases the number of mitochondria in yourcells. Thus, increasing mitochondria through exercisehelps you burn more fat calories — not only when you’reexercising, but also when you’re at rest. By strategicallyworking out in zones 2, 3 and 4, you can increase yourmitochondrial count, build lean muscle mass and increaseyour metabolic rate, resulting in fat burning that extendshours beyond your workout.

Breaking ThroughRunning 30 minutes at the same pace every day is great forgeneral health, but over time, this type of repetitive work-out is likely to lead to a fitness — and weight-loss —plateau. Heart-rate training helps you cleverly avoid thistrap by empowering you to work out at an appropriate andconstantly varying level of challenge — one that yourunwanted fat can’t possibly ignore. tSheila Mulrooney Eldred is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer.

BOOKSTotal Heart Rate Training: Customize and Maximize Your Workout Using aHeart Rate Monitor by Joe Friel (Ulysses Press, 2006)

The Heart Rate Monitor Guidebook to Heart Zone Training by Sally Edwards(Heart Zones Publishing, 1999)

WEBwww.trifuel.com/triathlon/heart-rate-training — A compilation ofresources intended for triathletes, but applicable to anyone interested inheart-rate training.

www.beginnertriathlete.com — Search on “Heart Rate Monitor Training forTriathletes, Part 1” for an article debunking myths about heart-rate training.

www.runnersworld.com — Search on “Heart-Rate Training” for resources,including suggestions on buying a heart-rate monitor.

WEB EXTRA!For tips on supporting your training with results-enhancing nutrition, see the online version of thisarticle at experiencelifemag.com.

Most people embarking on aheart-rate-trainingprogram for the firsttime see changes inas little as three tofour weeks.

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Fitness Fixes Overcoming Fitness Obstacles