Category: Anything

Not So Fast!!!

Someone posted a video about fasting on a message board that I frequent. The basic gist of the video was that fasting works for weight loss, NOT eating less. The video resulted in a spate of people commenting in agreement with the efficacy of fasting and idiocy of calorie restriction.

The idea that weight loss isn’t about calories in-calories out (CICO) is something that’s been gaining traction throughout the years with the popularity of fasting in general and intermittent fasting in particular. The weight loss success stories of many fasters who weren’t as successful when it came to counting calories are mainly why there’s now this growing idea that weight loss is all about fasting and has nothing to do with calorie intake.

That’s wrong.

Having to enter a calorie deficit to lose weight is an irrefutable fact. It’s the first law of thermodynamics, which governs the use of energy. Because calories are nothing but units of energy, the law also governs them as well.

With that said, however, a calorie deficit is not the sole arbiter of weight loss. Hormones and gut flora, for example, also play a significant role in weight management. But a negative energy balance (i.e. calorie deficit) is central to weight loss, for nothing will happen if, for example, your thyroid is properly functioning to produce T3 and T4 hormones but your calorie intake is placing you in a positive energy balance.

Those who are intermittent fasting and finding success with that eating approach are doing so mainly because, unbeknownst to them, they’re in a caloric deficit, as they’re taking in less calories than they normally would due to the limited eating opportunities.¹Research shows that people eat 300 to 500 fewer calories per day when they restrict themselves to an 8-hour window even though they’re not intentionally doing so by calorie counting.

That’s not arguable.

A Show Of Hands

How many of you have gained weight in the past few weeks with the quarantine shit that’s been going on?

Let me see a show of hands.

Wow, that many of you!

Alright, you can put your hands down.

Whoa, why are even more hands going up?!

Damn, you folks really let yourselves go!!!

Okay, since so many of you are looking to lose weight, here’s a quick tip to help you figure out how many calories you need to eat.

What you do is take your current weight and multiply by

Then subtract 500 from that number.

Presto!

What you now have is a ballpark figure of the amount of calories you have to eat to lose at least a pound per week. Because the total is just an approximation though, you may have to make some adjustments, as well as refer to some of the FREE resources here to help you along with other shit, like figuring out your macro ratios and what foods to eat.

Hold on, I know what you’re thinking…

Yeah, that’s a lot of advanced math. Who the fuck has time for that? And adjustments? Who the fuck has time for that?! And figuring out what to eat? Who the fuck has time for that?!?! If that’s the case, you could always just hire someone to calculate your exact calorie needs and design a meal plan for you.

Since I’m a coach and I’m the one writing this, that someone you may want to hire is ME!!!

Body Shaming And The Shame Of It All

By now, you should be familiar with fat shaming and the rise of the body acceptance movement to combat it. According to the body acceptance movement, society should accept all bodies rather than discriminate against people for not being a certain size.

Sounds good, right?

We should judge people on the content of their character and not on their double chin.

Those advocating for body acceptance sure are fighting a noble cause.

Okay, then what explains fit shaming?

Not as familiar with that as you are fat shaming?

Well, fit shaming is the act of putting people down for their decision to lose weight, work out, look in shape, etc.

Now that you’re familiar with the definition, what explains fit shaming when it’s done by those on the side of body acceptance?

I don’t know about you, but I love double standards.

Absolutely love ’em!!!

If you love them as much as I do, here’s one for you… Continue reading Body Shaming And The Shame Of It All

A Rather Complex Problem

I have a client who I’ve been getting out of bed very, very early in the morning to go train for almost three years now. Yes, she’s been inconveniencing me for that long!

After about a month of reducing her calories to place her in a deficit to start preparing her for the warmer weather and the half-nakedness that goes along with it, our gym was shuttered like all other gyms in various locales across the country to slow the spread of COVID-19.

And what happened to my client?

…

Not a damn thing happened to my client!

In the two months since the gym’s closure, she’s still averaging a loss of 1 lb per week.

But not everyone has the self-government to work out when they’re supposed to or eat what they’re supposed to eat. Nor does everyone have a merciless trainer like me who doesn’t give a fuck about what’s going on in the world, let alone in your personal life during normal times.

Nope!!!

Instead of continuing on with what they were doing prior to the virus’s interruption of their lives, some people have thrown their hands in the air and let their best-laid plans go to rot, with them putting on the “quarantine 15“ because not having access to a gym somehow has something to do with the ability to control your hand and not put so much shit into your mouth (I was apparently absent the day that was covered in my physiology course during my undergrad)!

Since you’re clearly one of those people because I love casting you in a negative light, what are you to do now that the country is slowly phasing out of lockdown and various gathering places are on the cusp of reopening? Yes, that means you’ll eventually have to be seen in public again (unless, of course, you choose to live the remainder of your days as a recluse à la Howard Hughes)!

Should you beat yourself up about falling off the wagon?

As much as you’d like to do that, I’d much more prefer that you left the beating up of you up to me. After all, I’m pretty good at it!

No, what you should do is forget about the weight you’ve gained and just get right back to practicing the habits you were practicing before the virus’s outbreak, which was caused by 5G networks, Bill Gates, a Chinese laboratory, or whatever the latest batshit crazy conspiracy theory is.

It’s really that simple.

Like A Doof

There’s no such thing as “toning” the muscles. You saying there is makes you sound like a doof. There’s no such thing as “toning” the muscles. You saying there is makes you sound like a doof. There’s no such thing as “toning” the muscles. You saying there is makes you sound like a doof. There’s no such thing as “toning” the muscles. You saying there is makes you sound like a doof. There’s no such thing as “toning” the muscles. You saying there is makes you sound like a doof. There’s no such thing as “toning” the muscles. You saying there is makes you sound like a doof. There’s no such thing as “toning” the muscles. You saying there is makes you sound like a doof. There’s no such thing as “toning” the muscles. You saying there is makes you sound like a doof. Damn, you really read all the way to down here like there was going to be something written other than there’s no such thing as “toning” the muscles and you saying there is makes you sound like a doof? Sorry, but there’s no such thing as “toning” the muscles! Oh, and you saying there is makes you sound like a doof!!!