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Losing Weight, But Not Fat
In January of 2004, I joined a gym (24 Hour Fitness) and hired one of their trainers. I told him about my background in casual weight-lifting and that I wanted to drop my extra fat pounds. I had already decided to steadfastly follow my trainer's advice regarding getting in shape . . . since he was the one who had all the knowledge. My trainer had me lift weights 3 times per week, during which I warmed up on an exercise bike for 10 minutes, then did 10 minutes of abs, then lifted weights. Also, he told me to eat around 1900 calories per day, which I did my best to do.
01/01/2004 to 03/31/2004
These are my daily dietary stats for that time period:
- 1970 calories per day
- 120 grams of protein (24.4%)
- 305 calories of carbs (61.9%)
- 30 grams of fat (13.7%)
I also did cardio on my own around 3 to 5 days per week at a heart rate of 155 BPM to 160 BPM, based upon what my personal trainer said was ideal for burning fat.
I Lost Weight, So What Went Wrong?
When I measured in at 188 lbs (down from 212 lbs at the start of the year) and my trainer took my stats in March, I was still at like 20 to 21 percent body fat and it was revealed that I had lost more lean body mass than fat. From the calculations (and the padding still covering my abs), I would need to be around 160 lbs before most of my fat was gone. I could not identify with being six feet tall and only 160 lbs, and I certainly didn't feel any stronger from all this time at the gym. At this point, I was really discouraged and I no longer made an effort to lose more weight.
First off, having never measured how many calories I used to eat gave me no idea how much or how little 1900 calories is (it roughly cut my calories in half, by my estimates). From what I know now, that was far too drastic of a reduction. I should have measured what I currently ate for a few weeks, then simply backed off that amount by 500 calories per day at most. Plus, I wasn't very happy eating only 1900 calories per day. I really felt like I was on a diet rather than making a lifestyle change regarding the food I ate.
Secondly, I didn't fully understand how protein should be consumed. It needs to be in every meal with those meals spaced about three hours apart. And I should have been eating much more protein from real foods rather than the powders I bought from 24 Hour Fitness. With a diet composed of 60% carbs, I was constantly spiking my insulin levels (putting myself into fat storage mode) while not providing my body with the proper amount of protein to maintain muscle mass.
Third, my trainer didn't have me work out on weights very hard. Not only did I do lighter weights than I should have been doing, I also lifted AFTER doing 10 minutes of cardio (that was too fast) and 10 minutes of abs. My body was already tapped for its best energy before I ever touched a weight. I know now that when I go to lift weights, that's all I should do, and I put my ab work at the end of my workouts.
Finally, all the cardio I was doing put me in more of a catabolic (muscle burning) state since it used up all my blood sugar too rapidly. My reading into weight loss has shown me that I need to stick to 135 BPM to 145 BPM to burn fat effectively if I am going to do longer sessions of cardio. My severe caloric restriction combined with cardio that was too intense for me did not burn fat, it burnt up my muscle. So, all that fat around my tummy stuck around and I was left with less lean body mass for burning calories on a daily basis. Great!
I liked my first trainer. He was a good guy and seemed like he wanted to help, but in the end he did nothing for me in terms of making me more fit and lean. I didn't lose the fat I wanted, I ended up with a lower metabolism, and I didn't create any good muscle during that time period. Whenever I think about getting in better shape, I remember this experience and try to avoid making these same mistakes.