Myth Busting #1: Weight Loss is Complicated

I'm starting a new miniseries of blog posts today called "Myth Busting." I recently had the opportunity to speak to a women's conference on exercise and nutrition, and my focus was busting 7 pesky myths. Those 7 myths will be the starting point for this blog miniseries...and depending on where it leads I may add some more. Here are the myths I plan on busting!

1. Weight Loss is Complicated
2. You Can Spot Reduce Fat (Click HERE)
3. Eat More Often to Spike Your Metabolism (Click HERE)
4. Never, Ever, Skip Breakfast or You Will Get Fat
5. Carbohydrates are Bad
6. If Women Lift Weights, They Will Get Bulky
7. Just Eat Healthy and You Don't Have to Exercise

Let's get right into it...time to bust some myths and make sense of the nonsense.

THE MYTH:

Weight loss is complicated. There is no rhyme or reason to weight gain or weight loss, so don't even try to figure it out.

THE TRUTH:

Weight loss is calories in versus calories out.

THE EXPLANATION:

If you consume more calories than you expend your body will store those calories and you will gain weight. If you expend more calories than you consume, your body will dig into it's storage and you will lose weight. Weight loss is really that simple. What isn't simple is behavior. Restraining yourself so that you are not eating foods that are packed with calories isn't always the easiest thing to do. As Cindy Greer, one of our veteran boot campers said, "Weight loss is uncomplicated. It is a mathematical equation. But Math doesn't get hungry for pizza."

Your macronutrient (carbs, fats, proteins) content will not make or break your weight loss...it's all about the calories. Ultimately, if you expend more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. If you consume more calories than you expend, you will gain weight. Now, the type of weight that you gain or lose has ALOT to do with your macronutrient content and your exercise habits, but that is for another blog post. Speaking of macronutrients, do you know how many calories are in each gram of carbohydrate, fat, and protein? Carbohydrates and proteins each contain 4 calories per gram, and fats contain 9 calories per gram. 

* It should also be noted that carbohydrate cycling can cause water gains and losses, and this can give people an unrealistic view of true weight loss. Because water bonds to carbohydrates (approximately 3 to 4g water per 1g of carbohydrate), if you eat a lot of carbs, you'll retain more water. Conversely, if you cut carbs you'll flush water out of your system. This is why people who go on a low carb diet can lose 5-10lbs in a week and then suddenly their weight loss stops cold. They get frustrated, and return to their regular eating habits, only to see that 5-10lbs come right back. Without a proper understanding of true weight loss, these people think they burned 10lbs of fat in a week, and then added the 10lbs of fat back over a weekend of binge eating. Sorry Charlie, that was almost all water weight. True weight loss doesn't happen that that fast (without insane caloric expenditure and calorie restriction...i.e. the Biggest Loser).

Breaking it Down

In order to lose 1lb of true body weight, your body must expend 3,500 more calories than it consumes (caloric deficit). Conversely, in order to gain 1lb of body weight, your body must consume 3,500 more calories than it expends (caloric surplus). So, if you want to lose 10lbs, then you'll need to expend 35,000 more calories than you consume (10lbs x 3,500 calories = 35,000 calories). Weight loss really is that simple. Most people try to make it a whole lot more complicated than it needs to be...but there it is in 3 sentences. Ok, now it's time to get practical and actually understand how to track the numbers and create a plan to lose weight. With discipline, it is fairly easy to track how many calories you are consuming (myfitnesspal is a great calorie counter). The question of how many calories you expend is a little more complicated. You'll need to consider your BMR and your activity level.

BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate

Your body burns a certain amount of calories each day just to carry on life and normal functions. The calculation for how many calories your body burns each day at rest is called BMR (basal metabolic rate). This number varies for each person depending on a number of factors including but not limited to: gender, age, weight, height, hormone levels, and body composition. One of the primary factors is how much lean mass your body has and whether that lean mass is under repaid (recovering from strength training). In order for your muscles to move, they need an energy source...calories are that source. Fat reserves sit in your body as storage, they don't expend as many calories...however, your muscles (lean mass) have to work harder to support the additional weight that fat stores add. Therefore, a person who has weighs 200lbs at 11% body fat  (178lbs of lean mass) will very likely burn less calories than someone with the exact same lean mass (178lbs) but weighs 240lbs at 26% body fat. This is because partly due to the larger person expending more energy via the work their muscles are doing by carrying around the additional weight. BMR calculations are an estimated average at best and aren't 100% accurate because they don't take body composition and hormone levels into account. BMR is calculated using gender, age, weight, and height; but again, it doesn't factor in how many pounds of lean mass you have. Looking for an online BMR calculator? Click HERE.

* It should be noted that various hormones and enzymes that your body produces can up-regulate or down-regulate your metabolism. The thyroid gland produces the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) which play a factor in your body's overall BMR. A condition of hypothyroidism may account for a small decrease in BMR; however, this factor is insignificant when you consider the overall picture of calorie consumption through diet and expenditure through exercise. I've read somewhere (which I can't find now) that most cases of hypothyroidism are responsible for less than a 5% decrease in metabolic rate. In a 2,000 calorie diet that amounts for about a 100 calorie allowance. My opinion is far too many people who have a hypothyroid condition use this as an excuse for weight gain versus looking at their eating and exercise habits. Furthermore, the majority of these people are taking medication to regulate their hormone levels, negating the majority of the metabolic slowdown. These people sell themselves short by buying into the myth that they can't lose weight, and give themselves an excuse to eat poorly and not exercise (the actual cause). There are A LOT of overweight people who don't have a thyroid condition, and it is due to their habits not a hormone imbalance.

Calories Burned Through Activity

Exercise is the #1 thing you can do to increase your body's calorie expenditure. Do you have a job where you are on your feet all day, or a sedentary desk job? Do you play sports or exercise regularly? There are some very good calorie counters available online which can provide you a good estimate of your calorie burn for varies types of exercise. The biggest challenge for getting an accurate estimate is your own estimate of "effort." The difference between moderate and intense exercise may be lost on some people, and studies have shown that most men women overestimate exercise intensity (see study #1 and study #2).

Putting it all Together

Ok, so now that: 1) you understand that you have to expend more calories than you take in to lose weight, 2) and have tools and methods to track your calorie intake, 3) you have tools and methods to track your calorie expenditure, and 4) you know that in order to lose 1lb of body weight you have to expend 3,500 more calories than you consume; it's time to put together a weight loss plan. I consider healthy weight loss 1-2lbs per week. Depending upon weight, this number could be greater or smaller, but 1-2lbs is a good range for the vast majority of people. Therefore to lose 1lb per week, you'll need to run a daily caloric deficit of 500 calories (-500 calories x 7 days/week = -3,500 calories, or 1lb weight loss per week). To lose 2lbs per week, you'll need to run a 1,000 calorie deficit each day. Still need some help visualizing how to calculate your daily calorie goal to lose weight? Check out the following formula with an example. 

FORMULA to lose 1lb per week:

BMR: _____ + ADCB _____ - 500 calories = Daily calorie goal: _____

* ADCB = Average Daily Calorie Burn.

Here is an example (with estimates provided for BMR and exercise activities) which shows you how to calculate your ADCB and your Daily Calorie Goal for 1lb weight loss:

Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) (how many calories you burn at rest per day based on your age, height, weight):   1,700

Average calories burned daily through exercise    (ADCB)                                       + 229

(Add your total exercise calories for the week and divide by 7 days)

                Boot Camp x 2 days = 950 calories

                Jogging 30 mins x 2 days = 400 calories

                Strength training x1 day (45 mins) = 250 calories

                = Total 1,600 calories / 7 days  = 229 calories per day

Daily caloric expenditure with exercise                                                                     = 1,929

Less 500 calories per day for 1lb/week weight loss                                                      - 500

Daily Calorie Goal in order to lose 1lb per week:                                                       1,429

Hopefully this post clarifies some of the mystery behind nutrition for weight loss. Yes, there are many other factors to consider when you have goals aside from just losing weight, but if weight loss is the context in which you are considering a plan of action...focus on CALORIES.

Scripture for the Day

If you haven't read my post entitled "A Father's Perspective" I wanted to link to it again HERE.

- Major Pain