For years, conventional wisdom has said that cardio is the best exercise for weight loss. After all, running all day, every day, burns more calories, right? Well, now recent research has cast doubt on that theory. If you want to lose weight, this fat loss pyramid shows what is most important.
Fat loss pyramid to lose weight properly
The pyramid designed by NASM certified personal trainer Sam Altieri shows what is most effective when it comes to losing weight.
1. Cardio
First things first, a common notion persists that cardiovascular exercise is preeminent for losing body fat. While cardiovascular exercise is great for strengthening your heart and lungs, increasing bone density, reducing stress, and reducing your risk of heart disease if weight loss is your ultimate goal, cardio alone won’t get you there. Instead, integrating cardio with resistance training is your best option.
“The biggest danger is that by doing a lot of cardiovascular exercise and without resistance training, you are going to sacrifice some of the muscle tissue. If we are trying to lose weight, at the very least, we want to maintain the muscle tissue we have while burning body fat. “ Greg Stark, a Better Being coach.
Weight loss VS Fat loss
When we talk about weight loss, it is not about losing weight per se. It’s about losing fat. The goal of successful weight loss is to preserve as much muscle as possible (or even gain some) while at the same time losing as much body fat as possible.
Muscle is essential to your fat loss success
Muscles have these little fat-burning energy sources called mitochondria. Mitochondria are cellular power plants that are responsible for energy production. It is in the mitochondria that fat is metabolized. There is a positive correlation between the amount of muscle you have and the number of mitochondria. Therefore, it is reasonable that the more mitochondria you have, the greater the potential for fat loss.
2. Sleep
Poor sleep can really affect your weight loss goals. When you’re not sleeping well, you can skip breakfast and instead lean on a large coffee for support. You’re more likely to skip training because you’re too tired, get ready for dinner because you can’t bother to cook, and then fall behind because your sleep schedule is completely unhinged.
One study found that sleeping too little helps people eat larger portions of food, and in a review of 18 studies, researchers found that lack of sleep led to increased cravings for high-carbohydrate foods and Lots of energy. Sleep is like nutrition for the brain. Most people need between 7 and 9 hours each night.
3. Lift weights for fat loss
Weight training is more effective than cardiovascular exercise in building muscle, and muscle burns more calories at rest than other tissues, including fat.
Research has shown that you burn more calories in the hours after a weight training session, compared to a cardio workout. In fact, there are reports that resting metabolism remains elevated for up to 38 hours after weight training, while no increase was reported with cardio.
This means that the benefits of burning calories are not limited to when you are exercising. You can keep burning calories for hours or days afterward.
4. Protein intake
Proteins are the main building blocks of your body. Protein is crucial when it comes to losing weight, and science also admits that eating protein can increase the number of calories you burn by increasing your metabolic rate and reducing your appetite.
However, protein not only helps you lose weight, it can also prevent you from gaining weight in the first place. In one study, a moderate increase in protein from 15% to 18% of calories reduced the amount of fat recovered after weight loss by 50%.
High protein intake also helps build and preserve muscle mass, which burns a small number of calories throughout the day.
According to these studies, a protein intake of around 30% of calories may be optimal for weight loss. This equates to 150 grams per day for someone on a 2,000-calorie diet.
A protein intake of around 30% of calories appears to be optimal for weight loss. Increase your metabolic rate and cause a spontaneous reduction in calorie intake.
5. Caloric deficit
An essential part of every weight loss diet is creating a caloric deficit. This is when you consume fewer calories than your body burns.
How to Create Your Ideal Calorie Deficit?
Although your main goal is to lose fat, there are actually 3 goals to consider when creating a caloric deficit:
1.Maximize fat loss.
2. Minimize muscle loss.
3. Do it all in the most feasible and sustainable way for you.
There are generally 3 different categories of „sizes“ that the deficit can be:
- Small: If your deficit is too small, it means that you will lose weight/lose fat at the slowest rate possible.
- Moderate: A moderate caloric deficit is a perfect option for most of the population. It is what works best in most cases.
- Large: If your deficit is too large, it will be extremely difficult to maintain (because you will be hungrier and more annoyed), training performance will suffer, and the possibility of muscle loss will be maximum.
Whatever your daily calorie maintenance level, it should be about 20% below it each day.
Example: Let’s say you have a daily maintenance calorie level of 2,500 calories.
20% of 2500 is 500 (2500 x 0.20 = 500)
This means that you must create a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day. In this example, that would mean eating 2,000 calories per day.
Food quality
As part of the above fundamentals, the quality of your food intake really goes hand in hand with your weight loss goals. In fact, according to a 2009 study, people who exercised at high intensity craved to eat later, and not just any food: the high-fat/sweet kind. So, ultimately, the hunger brought on by vigorous cardio exercise could actually cause weight gain.
While no food is a magic bullet for weight loss, certain foods can help you achieve fat loss. The foods on this list have a few things in common:
1.They are high in fiber (which helps you feel full longer).
2. They have a low energy density (you can eat a decent portion without going over the top in calories).
Popcorn
Popcorn is a great weight loss snack (as long as it is not buttered). Not only is popcorn rich in fiber, it even provides some protein. A 1-ounce serving of air popped corn (about 3½ cups) has 4 grams of fiber, nearly 4 grams of protein, and 110 calories.
Almonds
Almonds are an excellent source of fiber and are also high in protein. Eating foods with twice the fiber and protein can help you feel fuller for longer, making it less tempting to have an unhealthy snack between meals.
Avocados for fat loss
Rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, potassium, and phytochemicals. People who eat avocados tend to have lower BMI, body weight, and waist circumference than people who skip this green superfood.
Eggs
They are rich in high-quality protein, fat, and essential nutrients, such as vitamin D and choline. Eating a protein-rich breakfast promotes weight loss, as protein increases satiety while regulating appetite and appetite hormones, helping to avoid hunger until lunchtime.
Beans
Beans are full of fiber, and fiber is your best friend when trying to lose weight. This is because fiber helps you feel full for longer.
Yoghurt
Plain yogurt is packed with protein and packed with probiotics, which are great for gut health and weight loss. Your gut health can affect your weight, and eating more fiber and probiotics helps keep your gut bacteria happy, which is a plus for your metabolism.
Salmon
Salmon is a rich source of high-quality protein and provides many good fats such as omega-3 fatty acids.
Fruit
Eating fruit can help you lose weight. In addition to getting a natural sweet treat, you will get the benefits of fiber and antioxidants. A recent study found that higher fruit consumption was associated with a lower risk of being overweight or obese. Cardio (exercise) is great for your health. However, it is not the only thing that is important for fat loss and therefore weight loss. So, don’t expect to lose weight by increasing physical activity alone. The simple fact is, if you are trying to lose weight, you must put in 100% effort (not only in your exercise routine), but also in your diet routine and good sleep.
