Why is so hard to lose belly fat?

One of the complaints I hear the most from people is, “I hate this concentration of fat on my belly.” So common is the issue that literally hundreds of products are on the market to deal with it. Tackling the notorious “belly fat” has become a lucrative market for many and an obsession for many more. The irony of it all is that you really do not need any particular product – the solution lies within YOU!

I will begin by mentioning that there is no way to lose fat in a particular area without surgery. Fat is distributed throughout our body in two areas. Some is stored between organs (called visceral fat), while the remaining amount is stored just below the surface of the skin (called subcutaneous fat). How much you store in a given location depends on your genetics.

I like to think of fat as excess energy. If, on a given day, you ate 3000 calories worth of food, yet only burned 2500 calories throughout the course of the day, you created a caloric surplus. Your body is not going to throw that surplus away. It stores those calories for the day that you have a caloric deficit – IT STORES IT AS FAT! The problem is that many people have more caloric surplus days than caloric deficit days and thus fat tends to accumulate on the body.

The ONLY way that you are going to lose that excess fat is by continually creating a caloric deficit. By doing so, you are calling on your body to dip into your stored stash of calories (i.e., fat) for your energy needs. Creating the deficit once or twice a week is just not going to cut it! The surplus created on the remaining days will average it all out and you will stay the same. You have to create a caloric deficit EVERY DAY in order see a difference.

How can you create a caloric deficit? You will need to vital pieces of information: 1. the number of calories you consume each day, and 2. the number of calories you burn each day.

You are going to have to count EVERY calorie that you put into your mouth. Learning to read nutrition labels and properly factoring portion sizes is key. Food databases like http://www.calorieking.com make your research a little easier, but the fact remains that you must have a pretty accurate idea of just how many calories you eat in order for this to work.

Thanks to advancements in exercise science, it is actually easier to calculate how many calories you burn. There are products on the market that, when used as directed, provide a fairly accurate assessment of the number of calories you are burning. Two products I find particularly reliable are the Polar F6 heart rate monitor and the Bodybugg. Wear one of these for a 24-hour period and you will now (more or less) how many calories you are burning. Do so for several days in a row, and you will be able to get an average.

Once you have these two important pieces of information, you can attack the problem one of three ways: you can either 1. reduce the amount of calories you eat, 2. increase the amount of calories you burn, or 3. do both. So long as you end up with a deficit at the end of the day (every day), you are bound to reduce the amount of fat on your body – yes even that stubborn belly fat.

- Jeff

Set your own dietary goals

Salter Nutri-Weigh Dietary Computer Scale

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Featured in AskMen.com!

http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_200/241_fitness_tip.html

Feel free to visit the link and buzz it up!

"That AskMen.com thinks enough of my writing to consider it for publication is truly flattering. I am not much of a writer (not in the formal sense, anyway), but I most certainly enjoy sharing what I know about fitness." - Jeff

NATURAL BORN CHEATERS

When discussing resistance exercise (i.e., lifting weights), you routinely hear the term "proper or strict form." Most who exercise are familiar with the term, yet few truly apply the principle to their fitness routine. How can it be that we consistently leave out such a critical element? Simply put: it goes against our basic design.
When you perform a physical task - let's say, pick up a box - your body recruits every available muscle for the job. This "division of labor" keeps one particular area of the body from being overworked. Resistance training is the EXACT opposite! Each exercise is designed to fatigue one area of the body and practicing proper form (in theory) keeps other muscles from helping. In essence: we are naturally inclined to cheat or exhibit poor form when we lift weights.

The key to overcoming this dilemma is through movement analysis. I'll use the bicep curl as an example: When I do a bicep curl, the only part of my body that should move is my forearm. Once my elbow moves either forwards or backwards, the angle of resistance is changed and my bicep gets relief. This is why you see people arching their back or throwing their elbows forward while performing this exercise. Their body is simply looking for the most efficient way to complete the movement. Keeping those elbows along the sides of the body and not swaying the torso effectively removes any assitance leverage might provide.

Proper form dramatically affects the amount of weight you can lift. You must understand, however, that you lifted more because you used other muscles (or leverage) to complete the movement. Although you are moving fewer pounds, you are actually making greater use of your energy by focusing on an specific area.
Through concentration and adjusted resistance, one can go against our basic design and focus on a particular area while resistance training. The benefit is more effective use of your energy towards reaching your fitness goals.

From Jeff

When you tackle your health and fitness goals with the same level of intensity and tenacity you apply to maintaining your present standard of living, you will meet with similar success - an investment in the quality of the rest of your life. Now what could be a wiser investment than that?

I am a certified and insured personal trainer with over ten years experience helping others achieve their individual health and fitness goals through developing and administering cutting edge, exciting and effective training programs. It is my mission to enhance your quality of life through promoting and encouraging healthier living habits, including the importance of proper nutrition and regular exercise.

Whether your goals involve weight loss, strength training, cardiovascular improvement, increased flexibility, decreased stress, or general fitness, I can prepare a customized training program for you and train you in the comfort of your home, office, or fitness facility. Boxing, boot camp, mountain biking, and active isolated stretching are among the myriad of activities offered.

If improving your health through fitness is of interest to you, contact me to schedule a free initial fitness assessment, which includes skin fold body composition analysis, blood pressure reading, target heart rate calculation, body circumference measurements, core/upper body strength & cardiovascular fitness level assessment. This information is required in order to design an appropriate program and help set fitness goals.

For more information on our programs and services and to schedule a free initial fitness evaluation, contact me directly at:
Chizeled Physiques
786.439.9498
info@chizeled.net

Good luck and good health,


Jeff Mendoza, CPT, HFS

FAT VERSUS LEAN BODY MASS

The scale is NOT a true indicator of whether or not you are losing fat. Your weight is divided into two separate and distinct groups: fat and lean body mass. Let's elaborate briefly on the two...

FAT: In a nutshell, fat is stored energy for the day you have no food. Waaaaaaay back in the caveman days, we hunted for our meals and had no idea where (or when) the next piece of food was coming from. Consequently, we evolved into creatures that stored excess calories in preparation for those lapses in feeding. Fat is what excess calories are converted to for storage. Fast forward to today and guess what --- there's food EVERYWHERE! We consume so many excess calories that we (get this) BECOME OVERWEIGHT!!! All this excess energy is metabolically inactive (i.e, not living tissue)-- that is, fat does not require any energy to survive in your body.

LEAN BODY MASS: This one is easy to explain -- lean body mass is everything in your body that is not fat. Skin, muscle, bone, organs -- all these things are metabolically active (i.e., living) tissue and thus require calories to exist.

Considering the aforementioned, it stands to reason that the more lean body mass we have on our body, the more calories we will burn each day. When you start burning more calories than you eat every day, you will force your body to dip into that storage bin of energy called "fat."

Once we reach adulthood, the only aspect of lean body mass that we can increase is muscle. This is why resistance training is just as important as cardiovascular training when fat loss is one's goal. This is also why we cannot rely solely on the scale in determining whether we are losing fat. Body composition assessments distinguish between fat and lean body mass and therefore serve and a more accurate indicator of fat loss, muscle increase, or both.

In my next posting, I will go into detail about the various methods used to perform body composition assessments.

Why Evaluations are so important? :)

March 18, 2007

Attached please find the results of you initial fitness evaluation...

What I want you to realize is that we are trying to lose fat without losing any muscle mass. This is why it is important to measure bodyfat. It is also why it is important to use a heart rate monitor.

At present, 32.1% of your total weight is fat. Consequently, the American Council on Exercise classifies you as obese. In order to get you out of the "obese" category and into the "acceptable" category, We must get you down to 221 pounds without losing any muscle mass.

So in essense our short-term goal will be for you to lose 26.6 pounds.

This can realistically be accomplished between 13 and 26 weeks. As we work together, I will explain the reasoning behind this and steps you can take to ensure you are doing everything you need to to stay on track.

I look forward to working with you.

Jeff Mendoza, CPT, HFS


May 8, 2007

The following are significant changes since your previous evaluation:

• Overall weight decreased by 5 lbs.
• Bodyfat decreased by 1% (i.e., 4lbs.)
  
• Lean body mass decreased by 1lb.
• ALL circumference measurements except the waist decreased.
• Exercise heart rate decreased significantly
• Recovery heart rate decreased significantly
• Upper body strength increased
• Flexibility improved
  

Cesar, you improved in EVERY area except one....... you lost one pound of muscle. But you know what? I am not worried about that . All that means is that you have been pushing yourself perhaps a little too much. When you consider that our present focus is to lose fat, I can live with a loss of a pound of muscle -- for now.

I am EXTREMELY proud of your efforts and honored to be a part of this change in your life. Keep up the good work... for there is still much work to do.

Respectfully,

Jeff MEndoza, CPT, HFS

Clients' Testimonials

FAT LOSS/FLEXIBILTY
“Jeff has helped me vastly improve my fitness level and I feel stronger and more energetic - plus I fit in my old clothes again! I have worked with him for over six months and he has helped to increase my flexibility as well as balance. His workouts are challenging, creative, personalized and always fun. The workout routines are varied enough so it does not get boring. When I began, I had 30% body fat; after few months of working out with Jeff, my body fat dropped to 21%”.
Julie Chen (age 32), C.P.A., C.B.


CARDIOVASCULAR TRAINING
“Being a ballet dancer for over 18 years has enabled me to become in tune with my body. However, I always had the mind set that health equaled skinny. I never imagined the benefits I would receive from strength and cardiovascular training. Ever since I began training with Jeff, I have discovered different ways to challenge my body. As a result, I am fit, stronger, healthier and most importantly: happier. I always look forward to my training sessions, for every session is different, fun and full of challenges. I look at myself in the mirror and see a girl that is confident and comfortable with her body.” Aimee Prieto (age 23), College Student


STRENGTH TRAINING
"Not only does Jeff have a sincere interest in my fitness goals but he also has the expertise to turn them into a reality. In the short time I have been training with Jeff, I have lost 15 lbs. of fat and am making significant strength gains every month. Jeff workouts are motivational, creative, educational and fun. His holistic approach encompasses everything from proper nutrition, proper technique, and flexibility to avoiding injury. His attentive and customized approach has empowered me to achieve a level of health and well-being that I could not have reached on my own. Thanks Jeff!"
Cordis Murillo (age 40), District Sales Mgr.

You don’t need to be a celebrity to have a personal trainer…
Whether your goal is to get in shape for a special occasion or improve your body strength, Chizeled Physiques will help you reach it.
· Nationally certified personal trainer (English – Spanish)
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Serving South Florida area only. All ages and levels are welcome, 30 minute and 60 minute one on one, partner, and group sessions are available.

*The fitness assessment will determine the following:
weight, body fat, blood pressure, resting heart rate, target heart rate, body circumference measurements, core strength, upper body strength & endurance. This information will be used to design an appropriate program and set your goals.

Abs article

It’s a generally accepted truth that the defining characteristic of a fit individual is a toned midsection. Aesthetically speaking of course, a person might have big arms and legs, but without toned abs they do not appear fit! In this article, we will detail the muscles making up the midsection and explore what steps one might take to improve their overall appearance through core training.
The Abdominal muscles (or “abs” as they are generally referred to) are the only muscles of the body not directly supported by bone. The bicep, for example, is supported along its length by a bone called the humerus. Abdominal muscles are unique in that they form a crisscrossing pattern over the midsection in three layers to provide protection for the organs and facilitate movement of the torso.
The outermost layer of our abdominals is the external obliques. They arise from the eight lower ribs and attach either straight down to the iliac crest or diagonally across to an aponeurosis that stretches across the front of the abdomen. Contracting one side causes side bending or rotation on the opposite side. Contracting both causes flexion of the trunk.
The second later of the abdominals is comprised of both the external obliques and the rectus abdominis.
Also known as the ascending obliques, the internal obliques are under the external obliques but over the transverse abdominis. They arise from Poupart’s ligament, the iliac crest, and lumbar fascia and attach either horizontally into the linea alba or diagonally upward and inwards into the aponeurosis which divides the rectus abdominis. Contracting one side causes side bending or rotation on the same side. Contracting both causes flexion of the trunk.
The rectus abdominis is a long flat muscle that runs vertically down the front of the abdomen. Each side is divided by the linea alba and the number of segments on the rectus are determined by individual genetics. This muscle is mainly a flexor of the trunk
It is important to note that the rectus abdominis is ONE muscle and not six or eight little muscles. Therefore, it is anatomically impossible to develop the lower section of the rectus without developing the upper section. The lower section appears more difficult to develop because more fat accumulates in the region and thus muscular growth is more difficult to see.
The transverse abdominis are the deepest superficial abdominal muscle. They arise from Poupart’s ligament, the iliac crest, the lower ribs, and the lumbar fascia. The fibers mostly run horizontally across the abdomen to an aponeurosis. Contraction helps corset the spine and thus does not facilitate trunk movement.
Abs are no more difficult to develop than any other major muscle group in the body. However, they are difficult to see because the body tends to store more fat in that area. Consequently, one must be lean in order to see the muscle at all! This is accomplished through a combination of four distinct activities: strength training, cardiovascular exercise (of which the frequency, intensity, and duration is crucially important), a sound nutritional program, and adequate rest. Concentrating more on one area than another is a surefire path to failure. I encourage clients to train their abs up to three times a week – resting at least a day between training sessions.
I believe that educating clients on how their body works is a key component is helping them reach their fitness goals. As such, I am hopeful this article can help you along on the road to a more fit and healthy lifestyle. - BY JEFF MENDOZA, CPT, HFS

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