I had a discussion with a gentleman about eating who was concerned about being light-headed and a little nauseous after his workouts. He explained to me he was trying to lose weight quickly by exercising in the morning before having anything to eat. He was also on one of those popular quick loss diet plans he said was working because he had lost a significant amount of weight over the last couple of weeks.
Over my 25 years in health and fitness I have heard this gentleman’s story countless times with the same results. You lose the weight quickly on one of the popular fad diets and then you gain the weight back faster as soon as you return to your normal eating habits. Here’s why this scenario plays out over and over with the same outcome. The weight that you lose on a calorie restricted diet is mostly from muscle loss and that decreases your metabolism. Then when you get tired of following the restricted eating plan and return to your old eating habits you will find that your body is not burning as many calories as before you started your weight loss effort. Click here to read more...
I'm an ACE certified personal trainer and National Masters Over 60 Powerlifting Champion with over 25 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. I've seen a lot of fads come and go, but three things remain constant in getting healthy and staying fit. A positive mental attitude, a healthy balanced diet, and a fitness program built on proper strength training and cardiovascular exercise. Practice these three things daily and you will discover that they lead to "The Fountain of Youth."
Showing posts with label diets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diets. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Sunday, October 8, 2017
The Low-Fat Diet Fraud
For decades, the mantra for
healthy eating has been “eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.” Touted as
a way to lose weight and prevent heart disease
and other chronic conditions, millions of people have followed this
advice. Seeing a tremendous marketing opportunity, food companies
re-engineered thousands of foods to be low-fat or fat-free. The low-fat
approach to eating may have made a difference for the occasional
individual, but as a nation, it has nether helped us control our weight
nor become healthier. In the 1960s, fats and oils supplied Americans
with about 45 percent of their calories. About 13 percent of the
population was obese and less than one percent had type 2 diabetes.
Today, Americans take in less fat, getting about 33 percent of calories
from fats and oils; yet 34 percent of the population is obese, and eight
percent has diabetes (mostly type 2). (Source: Harvard School of Public
Health).
Research has shown that the total amount of fat in your diet isn’t linked with weight or disease. What actually matters is the type of fat in your diet. Trans fats and saturated fats increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats do just the opposite. But then you ask, “what about cholesterol in food?” The answer is, for most people the mix of fats in their diets influences cholesterol in their bloodstreams far more than cholesterol in food. Click here to read the entire post.
Research has shown that the total amount of fat in your diet isn’t linked with weight or disease. What actually matters is the type of fat in your diet. Trans fats and saturated fats increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats do just the opposite. But then you ask, “what about cholesterol in food?” The answer is, for most people the mix of fats in their diets influences cholesterol in their bloodstreams far more than cholesterol in food. Click here to read the entire post.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Add Muscle to Lose Fat
As the New Year approaches, people make resolutions about weight loss and most of them start a low- calorie diet in January to accomplish this goal. By the end of February, if they can hold out that long, some people will have lost a significant amount of weight and will return to their old eating habits. "Let's face it, we are creatures of habit". However, when they begin eating the same things they did before starting their diet, they quickly find the scales zooming past their original weight, and wonder, "what is happening to their body"?
The above scenario happens millions of times each year. At any given time more than half our adult population is dieting, only to be disappointed with the results when they return to their normal eating habits, and here's why. You have to add muscle in order to lose fat.
On a typical low-calorie diet over 25 percent of the weight loss comes from muscle and this is detrimental to maintaining weight loss in the long-run because muscle is key to having a high resting metabolism (the calories your body burns just to survive). Think of it like this; if you were an automobile, your muscle mass would be the engine that provides the power for your movement, and the bigger the engine the more fuel you consume. Just as in this illustration, the more muscle mass you have the more calories your burn on a daily basis.
Adding muscle mass has a two-fold effect of increasing both physical capacity ( a larger engine), and resting metabolism (daily caloric requirements for survival). Thus, the more muscle mass you have the more calories you burn both when you are active and when you are at rest. And your muscle's favorite fuel at rest, and during low intensity activity is body fat.
So, how do I add muscle your ask? Here's the answer, research clearly demonstrates that regular strength training can add muscle to your body at any age. Results of studies show that people who engage in a strength training program 2 to 3 times each week that addresses all the major muscle groups on average gain 3 pounds of muscle and lose 4 pounds of body fat in a 3 month period. As a result of the increased muscle development and energy requirements of strength training, they increase their daily caloric requirements by approximately 15 percent. For the average person that's equivalent to burning an extra 250 calories each day.
As you can see from the above, the best approach to long-term weight loss and an improved body composition is to add muscle, and the best way to build muscle is by regular strength training. If you are convinced that this is the way you want to lose weight while improving your strength, checkout my strength training routines at Forever Fit and Firm.
The above scenario happens millions of times each year. At any given time more than half our adult population is dieting, only to be disappointed with the results when they return to their normal eating habits, and here's why. You have to add muscle in order to lose fat.
On a typical low-calorie diet over 25 percent of the weight loss comes from muscle and this is detrimental to maintaining weight loss in the long-run because muscle is key to having a high resting metabolism (the calories your body burns just to survive). Think of it like this; if you were an automobile, your muscle mass would be the engine that provides the power for your movement, and the bigger the engine the more fuel you consume. Just as in this illustration, the more muscle mass you have the more calories your burn on a daily basis.
Adding muscle mass has a two-fold effect of increasing both physical capacity ( a larger engine), and resting metabolism (daily caloric requirements for survival). Thus, the more muscle mass you have the more calories you burn both when you are active and when you are at rest. And your muscle's favorite fuel at rest, and during low intensity activity is body fat.
So, how do I add muscle your ask? Here's the answer, research clearly demonstrates that regular strength training can add muscle to your body at any age. Results of studies show that people who engage in a strength training program 2 to 3 times each week that addresses all the major muscle groups on average gain 3 pounds of muscle and lose 4 pounds of body fat in a 3 month period. As a result of the increased muscle development and energy requirements of strength training, they increase their daily caloric requirements by approximately 15 percent. For the average person that's equivalent to burning an extra 250 calories each day.
As you can see from the above, the best approach to long-term weight loss and an improved body composition is to add muscle, and the best way to build muscle is by regular strength training. If you are convinced that this is the way you want to lose weight while improving your strength, checkout my strength training routines at Forever Fit and Firm.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Staying Fit and Firm With Age
My name is Darvis Simms, and I am a personal trainer. Over the last 20 years , I’ve helped hundreds of people get healthy and stay fit. In
this series of posts, I want to help you realize your fitness potential
by showing you what I do myself and with my clients. I’m writing these
posts based on the things that I have learned and applied in my exercise
program over the last 30 years in my quest to stay fit and firm as I
age. My methods are not based on scientific theory but rather on
results that I have attained for both myself and my clients.
As I mature and my client base matures, I’m beginning to specialize in fitness over age 40. I’m in my fifties so I understand the challenges you face as you fight the aging process. I am stronger, fitter, and I feel better than I did in my twenties. I’m writing this series of posts to show you how to look and feel as good, or even better, in your forties and fifties than you did in your twenties.
People seem to think that once they reach the age of forty, their bodies start to deteriorate , slipping down the slope into old age. They blame their lack of energy, their pudgy appearance, and their aches and pains on “getting old”. Most of these symptoms are however the result of years of negative thinking, lack of exercise, and poor dietary choices. The key to keeping your body fit and firm as you age is making healthy lifestyle choices on a daily basis.
It’s a proven fact that people who make healthy lifestyle choices live longer and have a better quality of life than those who adopt unhealthy habits. So, deciding to incorporate healthy habits into your life is the first step to getting and staying fit and firm with age. The next step is choosing those activities that are the most beneficial in your quest to stay fit and firm.
Those, including myself, who stay fit and firm as the years pass find that a positive state of mind, and a proper mix of strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and balanced nutrition is fundamental to getting and staying healthy as you mature. People, such as Jack LaLanne and Al Beckles are examples of the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.
Jack LaLann, who recently passed away, was a living icon to the benefits of healthy thinking, eating, and exercise. Over the years he performed amazing feats of strength and conditioning on his birthdays as he got older. Jack was in great shape, and worked outs two hours each day, devoting one and a half hours to strength training well into his nineties. This is a true testament to the value of strength training as you age.
Al Beckles is a legend in the bodybuilding world. At the age of 55, Al placed second in the Mr. Olympia competition. The Mr. Olympia Competition is the premier bodybuilding event which thousands of competitors from across the world dream of winning each year. Al Beckles competed well into his sixties because his physique was still phenomenal and better than competitors more than half his age.
While I don’t place myself in the same class with Jack LaLanne and Al Beckles I can tell you the value that healthy lifestyle habits have in my life. As mentioned , I am in my fifties and I keep my body fat at 10 percent or less. My fitness program consists of four strength training sessions each week followed by 20 minutes of cardio. I can chest press 100 pound dumbbells for 10 repetitions and leg press more than 1000 pounds, neither of which I could do in my twenties.
The best balanced nutritional plan that I've seen in my 20 years in the health and fitness industry is a system developed by Dr. Donald K. Layman, called Metaboliq. It's based on balancing the proper amount of protein and carbohydrates in your meals. This is the way I've eaten for years. You can find out more about this amazing system by following this link: Metaboliq
As I mature and my client base matures, I’m beginning to specialize in fitness over age 40. I’m in my fifties so I understand the challenges you face as you fight the aging process. I am stronger, fitter, and I feel better than I did in my twenties. I’m writing this series of posts to show you how to look and feel as good, or even better, in your forties and fifties than you did in your twenties.
People seem to think that once they reach the age of forty, their bodies start to deteriorate , slipping down the slope into old age. They blame their lack of energy, their pudgy appearance, and their aches and pains on “getting old”. Most of these symptoms are however the result of years of negative thinking, lack of exercise, and poor dietary choices. The key to keeping your body fit and firm as you age is making healthy lifestyle choices on a daily basis.
It’s a proven fact that people who make healthy lifestyle choices live longer and have a better quality of life than those who adopt unhealthy habits. So, deciding to incorporate healthy habits into your life is the first step to getting and staying fit and firm with age. The next step is choosing those activities that are the most beneficial in your quest to stay fit and firm.
Those, including myself, who stay fit and firm as the years pass find that a positive state of mind, and a proper mix of strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and balanced nutrition is fundamental to getting and staying healthy as you mature. People, such as Jack LaLanne and Al Beckles are examples of the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.
Jack LaLann, who recently passed away, was a living icon to the benefits of healthy thinking, eating, and exercise. Over the years he performed amazing feats of strength and conditioning on his birthdays as he got older. Jack was in great shape, and worked outs two hours each day, devoting one and a half hours to strength training well into his nineties. This is a true testament to the value of strength training as you age.
Al Beckles is a legend in the bodybuilding world. At the age of 55, Al placed second in the Mr. Olympia competition. The Mr. Olympia Competition is the premier bodybuilding event which thousands of competitors from across the world dream of winning each year. Al Beckles competed well into his sixties because his physique was still phenomenal and better than competitors more than half his age.
While I don’t place myself in the same class with Jack LaLanne and Al Beckles I can tell you the value that healthy lifestyle habits have in my life. As mentioned , I am in my fifties and I keep my body fat at 10 percent or less. My fitness program consists of four strength training sessions each week followed by 20 minutes of cardio. I can chest press 100 pound dumbbells for 10 repetitions and leg press more than 1000 pounds, neither of which I could do in my twenties.
The best balanced nutritional plan that I've seen in my 20 years in the health and fitness industry is a system developed by Dr. Donald K. Layman, called Metaboliq. It's based on balancing the proper amount of protein and carbohydrates in your meals. This is the way I've eaten for years. You can find out more about this amazing system by following this link: Metaboliq
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Dr. Donald Layman Talks About The Importance of Protein
Here is a very informative video by Dr. Donald Layman about the importance of protein in your daily diet. Dr. Layman is one of the top minds in the world on the subject of nutrition and obesity.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Fad Diets Don't Work
Fad diets don't because they are not a way of eating that you can stick with for the long-term. The only way for permanent weight loss and maintenance is developing an eating style and healthy habits that you can incorporate into your daily life.
Balance and moderation in the foods you eat is the best way to achieve a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle. I'll take talk more about this in my next post.
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