The One Missing Ingredient In Virtually All Weight Loss Program

By Gary Gil

What's the single most common weight-loss strategy advocated by just about every diet guru out there? Cut your calories and do lots of aerobic exercise. Guess what... that strategy will cause you to lose weight all right. But, it won't be ALL fat! Instead, this strategy of aerobics combined with dieting can actually cause you to lose significant amount of lean muscle tissue... as much as 35%!

So what... you say?

Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in your entire body. Even at rest, muscles use energy (burn calories). In fact, each pound of muscle burns up to 50 calories a day-even when you are resting. So, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn throughout the day.

So when you follow the advice of most diet gurus, and engage in a program of dieting and rigorous aerobics, you actually lose lean muscle mass, which causes your metabolism to slow down. As you know by now... slowing down your metabolism is disastrous to your weight-loss efforts. This combination results in the yo-yo diet syndrome.

Here's a typically scenario: A person begins a program of strict calorie-cutting along with daily bouts of rigorous aerobics. Eventually they lose weight all right, but as much as 35% of that weight lost is lean muscle tissue. This slows down their metabolism, to an even slower rate than when they started the program. Within a short period of time, their energy level plummets along with their motivation to continue.

Before they know it, they fall completely off the weight-loss wagon and begin to gain back all the pounds they worked so hard to lose. But this time around, since their metabolism is slower than before, they wind up gaining back more weight than when they started. Sound familiar?

So what's the solution? Simply engaging in a regular strength-training program along with your aerobics program.

Numerous studies show that combining a healthy diet with weight training and aerobic exercise results in greater fat loss and minimal muscle loss compared to typical non-strength training efforts.

But there's another reason you should engage in regular strength training. Muscles shrink as you age. After the age of 40, men and women automatically lose strength and muscle- about 1/3 to 2/3 lb of muscle each year. This results in an automatic slowing of your metabolism by about 2% to 3% every 10 years. Thus, as you age, you burn fewer calories because of this reduction in lean muscle tissue.

Fortunately, you can prevent this age-related muscle and strength loss by engaging in a regular strength-training program.

I firmly believe that an integral part of any weight loss program is strength training.

Studies show that regular weight training can increase your basal metabolic rate (BMR) by as much as 25%. Your BMR accounts for 60% to 75% of your total calories burned in a day.

So if you increase your BMR, you can dramatically increase the number of calories you burn throughout the day, even while you are watching TV or sleeping. And the easiest way to raise your BMR is through regular strength training.

Of course there are dozens of very compelling benefits to regular strength training, but to summarize just a few, strength training does the following:

1) Revs Up Your Metabolism: Weight training increases the amount of lean muscle in your body and revs up your metabolism, so you burn more calories 24 hours a day.

2) Burns More Fat After Intense Exercise: When you work out intensely, you will increase your fat burning up to 300% during your recovery period.

3) Builds Strength: Regular weight training builds lean muscle tissue and increases your strength. And the stronger you are, the more energy you'll have to do the things you enjoy.

4) Sculpts You Body: When you build lean muscle, you literally sculpt your body, transforming yourself into a healthy, slim and physically fit person.

5) Improves Your Emotional Well-Being: Building muscle dramatically improves your self-confidence, energy level and self-esteem more than any other exercise.

How often should you workout with weights?

The exercise program I recommend requires just three days a week (i.e. Monday, Wednesday and Friday) of weight training and 20 minutes of aerobic exercise on alternating days (i.e. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays).

These are simple workouts that anyone can do at home with a pair of dumbbells or at your local gym. In my book "Weight Loss Secrets"

A few more tips to keep in mind when you begin your strength-training program.

1) Always warm-up prior to lifting weights. Walk for five minutes or do jumping jacks. Then start with light weights on your first set of each exercise to give each muscle a "movement-specific" warm-up.

2) Fuel-Up. Your energy source for resistance training is primarily derived from blood sugar and stored sugar in the muscles and liver (called glycogen). When you first start out, never lift weights on an empty stomach.

3) Stretch. Flexibility is an important component to fitness. Tight muscle can limit flexibility. Stretching after your warm-up, between sets and after your workout is highly recommended.

4) Drink Up. Keeping your body adequately hydrated during exercise is especially important. Dehydration can lower performance (strength and endurance) by up to 10%.

5) Focus on form. Many people make two common mistakes in weight lifting: They try to lift weights that are too heavy, or they try to lift weights too fast. This makes it impossible to lift correctly. Poor form can cancel out the benefits of weight training and increase your risk of serious injuries.

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About the Author:
Gary Gil is a weight loss expert and author of the popular book, "Weight Loss Secrets," which reveals the 12 secrets to
losing all the weight you want -- and keeping it off for life.

Each of the proven weight-loss secrets are revealed in full detail in Mr. Gil's book "Weight Loss Secrets." A electronic copy of his 212-page book (a $29.97 value) is included free as a member of the DietSecrets Weight Loss Program. You can learn about how you can become a member of the Dietsecrets Weight Loss program at: DietSecrets.com

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