Finally! How to Lose Fat Without Going Hungry or Losing Muscle! 6.5 Ways to Improve Body Composition. Guaranteed!

Healthy, Happy, & On Track To Play With Your Great-Grandchildren

Almost everyone is aware that they feel better when living with body fat levels between 5% and 20% for males, and 10% to 30% for females. Where does your body fat percentage (BF%) land now? And where was it when you consistently felt your best? 

Then, why is 42.4% of the population considered obese (See stats here (2))?

How can we change this statistic and FAST?

Be aware of the principles of healthy body fat management and put them into practice!
​Do not be afraid to share this article, or at least the information, with people who could benefit! 

Figure 1. Obesity Trend from 1999 to 2018

Need motivation to make a change?
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Share this with others and commit to a healthier future together!
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Why is this important to you, me, and humanity?

Did you know that a high waist-hip ratio(WHR) strongly correlates with heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and type II diabetes? (1)

You probably did. 

What about this evidence regarding 'mental health' from the HUNT-2 study? 

"Results: Elevated WHR was associated with increased prevalence of both anxiety and depression. After adjustment for BMI, physical activity, social isolation, and somatic diseases, WHR remained independently associated with depression in both males and females..."

Again, it probably does not come as a surprise to see studies showing that a suboptimal body composition comes with the downward spiral gang (see 'Spirals') of lack of confidence, lower energy/motivation, decreased engagement and enjoyment of physical and social activity, etc. The mind's tv channel of 'negative self-talk' loves to make noise all the more. 

This is just to paint a picture of why a WHR of less than 1.0 and BF% is a meaningful milestone.

Figure 2. BF% range from essential to obese for males & females

You can use this chart to help make your milestones

"I shall no longer be considered 'obese' by insert date here!"
"See me better than average and considered 'fit' by insert date here!"

Measured progress is one of the most motivating tactics in maintaining consistency and enjoying the results of healthier changes.

Choose your measure wisely. (see 'why I think 'weight goals' is doing you a disservice')

Body Fat Percentage (BF%) is an excellent measure because it demonstrates the ratio of adipose tissue to lean mass. Lower BF% (up to a point: about 4% for men, and 9% for women) correlates with longer, more thoroughly enjoyed lives. It also gives you that lean, muscular look of an athlete. Most people want to feel sexy and be with sexy partners, a highly prominent and unspoken motive that gets people exercising. Lower body fat also makes locomotion easier, meaning you can go further and go faster while feeling less tired. 

Cons: It is not exactly easy/cheap to measure accurately.

The DEXA scan is the crème of the crop. Usually $80-$300, but the 'exercise as medicine' deal could reduce the out-of-pocket price. This may be something to track progress annually with you doctor. 
 
Skinfold measurements do the job on a low budget, but you must perform the pinch/caliper on precise locations, which can be difficult (and awkward to ask someone else to do it).

The look and guess method is be far the easiest. This makes it a common choice even though the accuracy is relatively terrible (body dysmorphia is very prevalent). But hey, if its about the looks.... Comparing photos of male/female bodies in certain percentage ranges to a picture of yourself. As inherent differences in bodies and photograph lighting are unavoidable, you'd be lucky to guess within a 10% accuracy range. (see figure 3)

Figure 3. Inaccurate and easy method of estimating your past, present, and future BF%

Circumference/Girth Measurements:
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Well-taken girth measurements are indubitably better than stepping on the scale because it measures something most people aesthetically care about. 
Weight fluctuates normally. Don't let it demotivate you. 

Many women want to lose arm flab, shrink their waist line, etc. 
Many men want to see their muscle gains while their waist shrinks. 

Using a flexible tape to measure around specific-consistent areas on the hip, waist, arms, and legs gives one a measure of seeing the fat disappear and seeing muscle mass grow. 
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Consistency is vital to accurate measurements here too. This 

You can invest in measurable progress with this fancy digital tape here for $30

You can invest in a simpler, more inexpensive tape for $6.39 here

What simple practices can I do to sustainably lose fat and improve body composition?

It is important to be aware of the details, so keep reading for the elaboration on each behavior.

1. Exercise 30-5mins before eating.

2. Enjoy Intermittent Fasting

3. Increase Protein Consumption Without Increasing Your Total Caloric Intake (Decrease carbs and fats)

4. Engage in Resistance Training 2-6 times per week.

5. Stop being stressed. Stop  increasing cortisol by being on the cardio equipment for more than 10min. 

6. Play sports you already love. Learn & try new physical activities regularly.

6.5. Schedule and follow through with Epic Things. 

1. Exercise 30-5mins before eating (especially carb-rich foods)

This one habit:

• makes it near impossible to develop diabetes/insulin resistance.
• up-regulates the metabolism for more calorie burning 
• prevents a sedentary day/lifestyle and the diseases and mobility issues associated. 
• Improves mental and physical energy levels
• stops unhelpful snacking
• pushes the body into ketosis (burning fat for fuel) faster.
• & more!

When you exercise to the point that you 'feel the burn,' you are depleting your muscles of glycogen (carbohydrate) stores. 
Eating carbs within less than 30 mins of exercise is preferable because then the glucose goes straight back into the muscle instead of ramping up blood-sugar levels and potentially going into fat storage. 
The muscle is rehydrated and fueled, thus remaining strong, and you can enjoy tasty, nutritious carbs without adverse side effects.


HOW TO PRACTICE
Do an exercise you just barley manage for about 2 mins (on both sides of the body). Aim for consistency 80% of the time or more. 

Popular options include:

• 40 squats (can do them in the restroom of a restaurant)
• Push-ups
• Pull-ups (I picked up a doorway hang bar for $3 at a thrift store, and when I moved, I got another one for $5!)
• Plank Variations
• Long Hold Yoga Asanas
• Variable Resistance Exercises (with X3 for safe and ultra-effective training to failure
• Wall Sit for 1-4mins
• Sprint

Have fun integrating this habit of metabolic boosting throughout your day!

2. Enjoy Intermittent Fasting

For a comprehensive guide, click here.
 
Summaries from Ben Greenfield's guide are as follows:
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• "Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Glucose Tolerance – Eating all of your meals within a 9-hour window can improve glycemic variability. Or, better yet, an earlier (8 am-5 pm) 9-hour window can lower your fasting glucose.
• Intermittent Fasting Reduces Fat Mass and Improves Total and LDL Cholesterol – Intermittent fasting at 70% of your usual caloric intake, three days per week can help you lose fat and improve your metabolic health, especially if you struggle with resistance to weight loss.
• Fasted Cardio Has a Surprisingly Satiating Effect – A leisurely, one-hour bicycle ride at 50% of your peak power output can keep you feeling more satiated throughout the day.
• Ramadan IF's Positive Effects on Decreasing Fat Mass – Fasting from dawn to sunset for one month can help you with losing fat, but it may also lead to impairments in aerobic capacity. TRF may be an effective way to avoid such impairments.
• Calorie Restriction Stimulates a Meaningful Reduction in Weight and Promotes Aging-related Benefits – By reducing metabolic rate and protein and DNA damage, CR may slow down the aging process and allow you to live longer with less risk of age-related diseases
• An Earlier Fast Start Time Results in a Reduced Likelihood Of Becoming Obese – Starting a fast earlier (around 8 am) is more effective for fat loss than starting later in the day.
• A Very-Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet Promotes Weight Loss and Reductions in Visceral Adipose Tissue and Liver Fat Fraction – While a VLCKD can promote weight loss, long-term carbohydrate deprivation can have significant negative impacts on your health. If you're going to go on a ketogenic diet, it’s important to add sufficient sodium to your diet, stay well-hydrated, and incorporate “carb re-feeds.”
• Intermittent Calorie Restriction Reduces Triglycerides and Improves Insulin Resistance – Intermittent Calorie Restriction is just as effective as continuous calorie restriction for lowering triglycerides and improving insulin resistance.
• Intermittent Fasting Is a Feasible Weight Loss Strategy to Improve Metabolic Syndrome – Intermittent fasting can help bring down high blood pressure and sugar, reduce fat, and lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels—all markers of metabolic syndrome."​

3. Increase Protein Consumption Without Increasing Your Total Caloric Intake (Decrease carbs and fats)

Good News!
Proteins have no way of being stored in the body except for lean mass. If you eat excess protein, they will either be put into muscle synthesis, burned as heat, or eliminated from the body. 

0.6 to 1g (up to 2.2grams per kg) of protein is recommended for most people's best results in improving body composition.  
If you weigh 160 pounds, then consuming 100-160 grams of protein per day (except when doing longer fasts) can be a sustainable way to continue to build muscle while maintaining low BF and even reducing it further. 
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PS: Beware of consuming lectin-rich proteins such as those found in high concentrations in kidney beans. If you suspect leaky gut, consider eliminating as many lectins as you can  for a few weeks.  
If your gut is compromised, your brain, digestion, and more is also harmfully effected. 
A healthy gut is way more important than losing a bit of fat and gaining some muscle. Generally, everything feels better and goes more smoothly when the gut is happy and not getting wrecked faster than it can repair. 

​Learn more about dietary lectins here.

4. Engage in Resistance Training 2-6 times per week.


Simple enough, right?

Regular resistance training will build more lean mass (density if not actual size), which upregulates your metabolism significantly, thus increasing the amount of calories being burned when existing at any given time. 

When done correctly, it also maintains/improves heart and circulatory system health, bone strength, and other key longevity markers. The fittest old people on the planet are consistent with their resistance training. 

"I thought cardio was for fat loss" - well, resistance training is cardio training as well. It also seems to be much more effective for improving body composition that cycling or running for hours a day. 

I suggest using variable resistance training that promotes optimal strength gains, muscle hypertrophy(growth), fat loss, and more with minimum joint damage and risk of injury. 

Variable resistance is lighter at our weaker range of motion is weaker, and up to 6times heavier during our stronger range of motion (such as the weaker bottom portion of squat, compared to the upper range of the squat where you can handle many multiples of the lower range resistance)

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Click on the book above, and read it, to learn more about how variable resistance training can help you achieve your highest fitness milestones. 

5. Stop being stressed. Stop  increasing cortisol by being on the cardio equipment for more than 10min. 
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Want to increase quality of life and testosterone?

Less caught up in mental insanity and/or long cardio sessions = less cortisol
Less cortisol = more testosterone
More testosterone = more muscle/less fat
more muscle/less fat = more confidence, sexiness, and longevity
more confidence, sexiness, and longevity =  spiraling up quality of life!

You know when you get stressed for no other reason beside your mind making up crap that won't happen, or didn't happen? Or the mind wants to replay something that did happen but you can't change now so you just feel all upset inside about it. Or when you stress out your body for over an hour like its running from a herd of angry bulls? How about when you demand the universe be just like you want it, but everything and everyone doesn't obey your every (and often conflicting) desires so you throw a little tantrum? Maybe that's only me.

LET
IT
GO

Just like Elsa, in Frozen,  let all that useless stressing, fussing, and demanding go because why would you choose to be bothered by it anyway. Are you going to unconsciously let the mind run rampant trying to solve every self-created problem, demanding the body get pumped with stress hormones because ________________________. Or are you going to wake up and be aware. Maybe don't take that mental noise seriously for a few hours and instead choose to surrender to the peace of the present moment?

Why? If you want more 'reasons' keep reading. 

Giving your sympathetic nervous system a break will allow the emergency fat to go away while quite possibly saving a lot of expensive medical bills, damaged relationships, and missed magical moments. 

People that practice this don't just live longer, look fitter, and perform better where others crumble. In addition, they generally report a much higher quality of relationships and state of well-being when alone. 

As if we really need a  logical reason to let our  self-inflicted stress and punishment go bye-bye. At least science and religion has been backing it up for millennia and continually coming out with new case studies.

I find Michael Singer's podcast a very helpful resource in keeping me from being so insane and full of cortisol. Download and listen anytime and read "The Surrender Experiment' for a brilliant testament in letting go.

Loving physical activity and the challenge to endlessly improve skills is amazingly fun and satisfying while often  promoting supportive social relationships, brain health, and fun physical motion. 

Quick Summary:
 - Bone Strengthening
 - Improved Agility
 - Seems to improve development and connectivity of white and gray matter in brain, enhancing overall performance. 
 - Developing more than just hand-eye coordination. Core engagement and stability (that helps prevent losing balance and falling) too. 
 - Practice rapid decision making skills
 - Lots of opportunity for social relationships centered around a mutual activity
 - Often accompanied by nature bathing, sunlight, and other often neglected essentials for health that come from playing outside. 

A significant impact on physical and mental health is yours for the taking. With numerous studies demonstrating its benefits, I think its safe to say, if you are not engaging in fun physical activity, including sports and games, you may be missing out on a very worthwhile investment of your time.

Here are some key studies that highlight the goodies within the journey of a casual sports player.

1.  Reduced Risk of Chronic Diseases:
   Not surprisingly, a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that regular physical activity, including playing sports, was associated with a reduced risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes (Hamer & Chida, 2008). Other studies have also found that physical activity can lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and improve cholesterol levels, all of which contribute to better overall health (Haskell et al., 2007; Warburton et al., 2006).
   
   
2. Improved Brain Development:
   Playing sports has been linked to better brain development, especially in children and adolescence, but can be highly beneficial to all ages. (Lustig et al., 2009). A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that participation in sports was associated with improved academic performance and cognitive function (Loprinzi & Davis, 2016). Another study found that playing sports could improve brain structure and function, including better white matter integrity and increased neural connectivity (Di et al., 2012).
   
   
3. Opportunities for Personal Growth and Social Connections:
   Playing sports can provide ample opportunities for social connections, and the growth that often results. Sharing books about optimizing health and performance, getting coaching/mentorship, and activity partners that challenge each other to keep getting better is invaluable. When centered around a healthy sport, social tension of "what are we gonna do" is mostly eradicated. These sporty social circles can be great alternatives to circles that is centered around alcohol. Research has found that participation in team sports can help improve self-esteem and social skills, particularly in children and adolescents (Eime et al., 2013; Weiss et al., 2013). Additionally, playing sports can provide a sense of belonging and social support, which can contribute to better mental health (Kim et al., 2018)
   
   
4. Provide Motivation For Peak Physical Condition:The clear headed priority of loving an activity that you need health and fitness to enjoy does wonders for the motivation to be sustainably healthy, and injury free.
   Self-preservation and self-improvement because of the obvious and immediate repercussions. You can feel or see your performance suffer if you let your physical and mental optimizations slip. Feeling more fatigued, feeling unable to perform like you used to or just the desire to keep improving can and does whip people into a fitness habit and nutritional changes more solidly than most other measures (in intrinsically motivated individuals).
   We all like to be good at something, and continue to get better. Sometimes its more like haulin butt away from getting worse because that is a wake up call that hurts, sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally, sometimes because we can't keep up with our friends in the sport. 

The cooperative-competitive element of many sports keeps people accountable in their progress and physical condition. "If you can't keep up, you may be left behind" as many runners say. 

Setting and achieving goals (I prefer to use the less attached term, 'Milestones') in your sports can lead to increased motivation and self-confidence in more than just your physical life. The positive effects in every area of your life could be considered a crucial motive and help keep you spiralling up in your atheletic performance and elsewhere. (Latham & Locke, 2007).

With a near overwhelming amount of scientific and anecdotal evidence supporting these findings, it's clear that engaging in fun physical activity/sports can contribute to a healthier and happier life, and less body fat. 

6. Play sports you already love. Learn & try new physical activities regularly.

6.5 Schedule and follow through with Epic Things. 

This often aligns with sports/hobbies, hence '6.5'. 

When we talk 'Epic Things' here, we're talking about whatever thing is a bit huge, outside of your comfort zone, and required physical and mental buy in. 

Examples and extremely varied between individuals and include things like:
- Doing your best in a Spartan Race/Tough Mudder
 - Backpacking from Mexico to Canada.
 - Going for a 10 mile hike in '_____whatever mountain range______.
 - Signing up for a snow sports challenge event.
 - Building a house/structure
 - Biking to a friend that lives far away. 
 - Competing in a local or international event/game. 
 - Schedule with meeting with 'Guinness World Records'.

I like to think of epic things on a sliding scale. Some epic things are once every few years (the expensive or particularly time consuming once). Some epic things can be done every season, annually, and some on a more weekly basis. How you schedule this and what you are willing to invest in them is up to you.

I hope you appreciate the power of commitment to these things, especially when they are planned with friends. You don't want to let them down or be seen as one with weak integrity. Accountability works
 
Developing and executing a realistic plan of action that prepares you for the epic thing is essential.

Example: If you want to go on a 5 day backpacking trip through the Appalachians, with an average pace of 18 miles per day, you would be wise to ensure a strong foundation of regular weighted hiking before high-fiving the Appalachian Trail head sign with a 55 pound pack on. Practice the smaller epic things from a walk up the hill, to a 40 mile 2 day hiking adventure nearby. If you fail the 2 day 40mile option, that's okay. Reschedule, make whatever changes you need, and try again before attempting the 5 day trip. With the smooth progression, you may find that the 'big epic things' are not so challenging and daunting in hindsight. 

DO IT. 

References:

Di, X., Biswal, B. B., Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. (2012). Metabolic brain covariant networks as revealed by FDG-PET with reference to resting-state fMRI networks. Brain connectivity, 2(5), 275-283.

Eime, R. M., Young, J. A., Harvey, J. T., Charity, M. J., & Payne, W. R. (2013). A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents: informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport. International journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 10(1), 98.

Hamer, M., & Chida, Y. (2008). Active commuting and cardiovascular risk: a meta-analytic review. Preventive medicine, 46(1), 9-13.

Haskell, W. L., Lee, I. M., Pate, R. R., Powell, K. E., Blair, S. N., Franklin, B. A., ... & Bauman, A. (2007). Physical activity and public health: updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 39(8), 1423-1434.
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Kim, J., Lee, Y., & Lee, J. (2018). Effects of sports participation on psychological and social variables in Korean adolescents. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(5), 929