Do all roads really lead to Rome?: The many routes of losing weight.
Do all roads really lead to Rome?: The many routes of losing weight.
Hey everybody, welcome back to The Dojo where today we will be covering the age-old question: What is the best way to lose weight? While the basic principles of the topic have become common knowledge: caloric deficit, cardio, getting enough sleep, etc.; the right combination has much debate, as well as which components are the most important. According to a 2018 cdc study, almost 50% of American adults had attempted to lose weight in the previous year. I decided to write about this topic because, currently, I am on a weight loss journey aka a "cut." In the bodybuilding world, athletes are continuously ebbing and flowing between "cutting" phases and "bulking" phases. As the titles suggests, "cutting" is the act of losing or cutting the weight off your body, while bulking is consuming food and protein in amounts to help you gain muscle. At the time of writing this, I currently weigh 206lbs, which is still a little too much, but I started a week ago at 215. So all things considered, I'm making good progress. Today, I hope to provide you with enough information so that you can come to your own conclusions and see what works best for your body.
Today, in order to keep things concentrated and concise, we will be focusing on information found at https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/food/why-eating-fewer-calories-wont-help-you-lose-weight. This article takes a surprising stance towards the topic of weight loss. While many articles will provide heavily biased information, this source takes a surprisingly realistic and nonpartisan take on the subject. The article opens by expressing the dangers of eating in an extreme deficit. The article describes that our bodies have a built-in "starvation mode" that has been instilled within us since our hunter-gatherer days. This refers to our body's ability to adapt to a lower number of calories being taken in and lower the rate we burn calories. However, doing an extreme deficit can cause this adaptation feature to kick in early. While this may seem good, whenever the extreme caloric deficit ends, the body has no idea what to do with the "excess" calories that come with returning to a normal diet. Additionally, cutting your caloric intake too low is known to cause headaches, brain fog, aches, pains, and many more symptoms. The article goes on to suggest that gradual methods of weight loss are much superior and are more likely to result in long-term success. According to the source, your best bet is to set your sights on losing about a pound to two pounds a week. This would mean that the average male should consume around 1800 calories. The article closes by stating that on top of a clean diet, exercise and other healthy choices are essential to achieving weight goals.
Despite the thorough and logical reasoning the article provides, I encourage you to draw your own conclusions. I know, from personal experience, that I struggle more with long-term weight loss goals than I do when I am intense. This is mainly because 1) the excess calories make me want to eat more and 2) a more strict plan results in more immediate gratification. But that's just me. Based on the information presented here today, some questions I believe you should be asking yourself include:
1) Did I learn anything new about my body/taking care of it?
2) Do I trust myself in the long term or do I need hasty results?
3) What are some changes I need to make in my life to prepare for a weight-loss/weight-gain journey?
4) Do the benefits of "cutting" outweigh the inconvenience the whole process is?
Today, we covered a lot of information that will always be useful to know, even if you are not ready to make a change today. As for myself, I intend to stay on my intense weight-loss regiment, however I will continue to pay close attention to my body and make sure to protect my health. Thank you for reading and I hope you consider the possible changes you could make for yourself. And, as always, thanks for stopping by The Dojo.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db313.htm#:~:text=Nearly%20one%2Dhalf%20(49.1%25),40%E2%80%9359%20(52.4%25).
https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/food/why-eating-fewer-calories-wont-help-you-lose-weight
Hello Sensei Dale! I learned quite a bit about the fitness world from reading your article. I learned about cutting and bulking, and the benefits and cons to it. I believe that a more long term approach to weight lost is best when it comes to developing new habits. I picked up fasting and have seen significant improvements to my weight lost journey. As for cutting, I'm not a big fan of the idea and think that the cons outweight the pros to it.
ReplyDeleteHello Iain! Thank you for learning from my article. I understand being intimidated by the idea of cutting or bulking! They are very difficult and the lifestyle changes are hard to adapt to. As your sensei, I recommend you do whatever is best for you and your lifestyle. However, don't be afraid to push yourself from time to time. Its ok to leave your comfort zone now and again.
DeleteThis is an extremely informative article. Great Job! It's really important that you lose weight the healthy way, especially if you plan on doing a long term weight loss journey. It's wonderful that you are so aware of these healthy habits. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Sydney, I'm glad you learned something. As the sensei here, its my job to be knowledgeable on these sorts of topics, and I work every day to further my knowledge!
DeleteThose are some interesting questions. I definitely have issues with keeping weight off on the long term. however, I have a hectic life and strive off routine so maybe if I made it into a priority and implanted it into my routine I could get into better shape. I think I need to add work outs to my calendar so that it feels like more of a commitment. This was a little hard to read due to the font.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you had a hard time reading. Maybe you should invest in glasses! I'm joking I'm joking, your comment will be taken into consideration. However, as for your hectic life, I have found that, as sensei, we often make time for what we consider important. Whenever you can fully commit yourself to fitness, I'm sure you will find a way to make it work with your life!
DeleteI am extremely grateful you supplied everyone with realistic goals and the knowledge of what can happen when you take on an extreme diet. Much information is currently involving fad diets, such as Keto (also unsustainable), and I know almost everyone has questions regarding the "best method." Truthfully, the best method is what works for you and your body type. Everyone's lifestyle is different; whether you work on your feet all day as a Nurse or sit at a desk as an Accountant, no one moves or lives similarly. With the body positivity movement, I was hoping we would work ourselves out of the societal fad diet phases. Still, I am concerned that more people are just that much more confused by all the "healthy tips" influencers are putting out on social media platforms. My hope is more people will get involved with nutritionists going forward.
ReplyDeleteMars, you are my star student for this post! You got the message perfectly! The best method is exactly that, whatever will work for you! As the sensei, I always feel honored and respected when people take the time to read and understand my work! I too fear for those who are not educated on this topic. Today, everyone tries to push their personal agenda and give biased tips that help sell a product. Thank you for reading!
DeleteThis is a very well thought out and informative article. You made a lot of very interesting points and provided good information. I completely agree with your statement that while the basic principles of the topic have become common knowledge: caloric deficit, cardio, getting enough sleep, etc.; the right combination has much debate, as well as which components are the most important.
ReplyDeleteThank you for acknowledging the effort put into this post, Life Skills! As the sensei, I do try to make interesting points to help my students read and understand what I'm trying to share. Thanks for stopping by the dojo!
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