Eating for health or eating to get lean?

I was talking to a client in my gym in Ambler recently  and it hit me that a lot people believe that “eating healthy” is the same as eating to get lean.  Most people I talk to eat pretty “healthy”.  Their diet consists of a good amount of protein, vegetables, and a moderate amount of grains along with plenty of water.  From the outside looking in you may womder how some of them ever got to be 50lbs over weight.

Approximately 95% of the people who walk through my door, come there for one reason. Yeah they may try to sugar coat it and say they want to be healthier, or the doctor told them to lose some weight, etc., etc.   You know what I say, bull-ish.  Let’s face it, the number one reason you would hire me is because you want to look better naked.  So if vanity is the #1 reason for hiring a trainer, then why is at that so many people who work with trainers never see any results?  The reason is simple – somewhere along the line people began to ignore the basic law of calories in vs. calories out.

If you over-eat by 100 calories a day you will gain 10 lbs in a year.  Over-eat by 500 calories/day and you will gain 50lbs in a year.  Most people don’t over consume large quantities of food every day, but most do it often enough to cause weight gain.   In North America, they currently they produce 3,900 calories a day per person and food marketers will do whatever they need to do to get you to buy it.

It doesn’t matter what you’re eating if you eat too much of it.  Yes I know it’s a little harder to over eat healthy foods, but make no mistake about it, you can still do it if you’re not careful.  When you eat “healthy food” in an effort to be lean, you must be in a caloric deficit or it will not work.  The next time you think about eating ask yourself am I eating to get lean or am I just eating to be healthy.

Coach Blair

Let’s face it. Fat is the only thing that can really make you look fat. The good part is, you can control that problem.

You are in the driver’s seat when it comes to the way you look and that means you have the power to never ask that dreaded questions again. For starters, looking great starts with controlling your calories and regularly following an exercise program.

Do these shorts make me look fat?

If you decide to make a trip to the fast food joint you need to be sure any calories you consume support your goals of getting that body you truly desire.

Diet will control your base weight up or down.  Strength training is for showing the shape of  your body once the fat is removed.  Contrary to belief, we all have very similar shapes.  The difference is the way your body stores fat.

Without exercise and proper nutrition, you are pretty much leaving your shape up to your pre-determined genetic pattern.

Coach Blair

Dear Friend,

This is a letter from your ol’ pal, muffin top. Well here we are at the beginning of another year.  You know the time of year when we make ourselves lot’s of false promises?  I’m really looking forward to hanging out and having some more fun with you again.  Last year was freaking awesome.  Lots of good times, great food, and sitting around eating until the itis kicked in.

Now that's a muffin top...

Well, I’m thinking about hanging around another year if it’s kool with you?. But you might need to get a bigger pair of pants, as I was thinking about expanding my place down here and I would like to be comfortable.

If you could do me a favor and avoid that boot camp you were thinking of doing. The last time you did that, I nearly had to look for a new place to live. I felt like Frosty The Snowman when he takes off his hat.  I was melting fast!  I’m sure glad you cared enough about to stop working that hard.

So here’s our plan for this year, we’re going to do a lot of slow long duration cardio.  You know the kind that gets you a little sweaty and keeps you in the mythical “fat burning zone”? Yeah that’s what I’m referring to.

One more thing, don’t listen to Coach Blair, but keep listening to those “experts” at your gym who say strength training doesn’t help you burn body fat. The research clearly shows they’re wrong when they say lifting light weights with lots of reps will help you “tone up”.  If you were to put down those light weights and actually started doing some serious strength training, I won’t be able to hang out with you this summer and you know neither of us want that.

Remember when you tried those metabolic circuit workouts last year?  It felt like someone lit a match under our collective butt. I was burning up down here!  But boy oh boy, I sure was glad you gave that up and went back to just lifting utensils and not dumbells and kettlebells. Thanks for showing me that you still care about me

Sometimes I wonder what did you ever do in college without me, your trusted muffin top?  Back then, you were so lean and couldn’t wait to go to an event that allowed you to show off your body. Not like these days though where we stay in the shade and keep the cover-up clothes on.  Besides, its a lot closer to the cold drinks and food when you’re sitting in the shade avoiding all the fun down on the beach.

Well, I appreciate your time and it sure was good chatting with you.  I’m sure we’ll be in touch more often, as long as you stay away from Coach Blair and those 3DFitness workout routines.

Brings a tear to my eye whenever I even think about those workouts and all the muffin tops it’s melted. Heck, it’s melted more muffin tops than a frying pan has melted butter!

So again, if you want to keep your dear old muffin top around for another year and another summer, and I know you do, don’t join 3DFitness – otherwise, its all over and you’ll never see me again.

Your friend and spare tire,
Muffin Top