This article explains why “I’ve tried everything to lose weight” is a myth, and what obese or overweight people CAN do for permanent fat loss without surgery.
“‘I’ve tried everything, but nothing works,’ is a common statement that I hear, over and over again in my clinic,” says Richard Kelley, MD, a practicing physician in Texas for 20+ years, and author of “The Fitness Response,” “The Three-Hour Appetite” and the ebook, “The Fitness Response ‘Diet’ for Women.”
Dr. Kelley adds, “For almost all of these clients and patients, nothing could be further from the truth.”
This article was inspired by the countless times that I have seen obese people on talk shows telling the hosts, “I’ve tried everything to lose weight.”
And certainly, physicians of many different specialties have heard these very words as well, numerous times.
Dr. Kelley continues, “Robert Kiyosaki is fond of saying, ‘Excuses are just lies that we tell ourselves.’ In reality, most people know deep-down, that they have not tried everything.”
Look around at your health club. Not only are few patrons actually obese, but you’ll notice other things:
1) It’s quite uncommon to see obese to moderately heavy men and women in the gym’s free weight section
2) And if they are, you won’t see them performing the killer calorie burn routines, and
3) Though many of a club’s overweight patrons are mostly on cardio machines, they’re all doing steady state rather than HIIT.
HIIT is the rocket fuel of cardio.
“In reality, in almost any circumstance and for almost every problem, there are alternative solutions to consider, even when we believe we’ve run out of options,” says Dr. Kelley.
He adds that the majority of his patients who DO exercise, confine it only to aerobics.
Aerobics-only exercise does not equate to significant weight loss.
“Researchers will point to the fact that there is not a strong tie between exercise and weight loss, but again, their data is based by and large, on aerobic-only activity and research that tends to test in the realm of aerobic-only data,” explains Dr. Kelley.
“This is a bias which may not even be recognized by many researchers and investigators, who may believe that ‘exercise is exercise,’ and it must all be equal in its ability to burn calories.”
Magic Bullet for Weight Loss for the Obese
Research showing the power that strength training yields for weight loss is relatively new.
Shutterstock/Travelerpix
But this power is no secret to physique athletes and bodybuilders. A “bodybuilder” is anybody who seeks to build muscle, and these enthusiasts do not necessarily bulge with veiny muscle. Bodybuilding or physique development is on a continuum.
“I encourage almost every patient I see, who can do so safely, to consider beginning a resistance training program, to help them bridge the gap between the limited number of calories that most of us can burn through aerobic-only exercise, and to help them transition to a physiology capable of burning calories more consistently, 24/7.”
What Dr. Kelley means is that a serious strength training regimen will create a substantial increase in resting metabolism, something that Zumba, dance aerobics, and steady state sessions on cardio equipment will never produce.
This is why men and women who seriously train with weights, and eat sensibly, have such small, tight waistlines.
If you’re obese and think you’ve tried everything to lose weight, ask yourself if you’ve tried heavy weightlifting for six months.
If you’re obese and believe you’ve tried everything to lose weight, have you tried deadlifts, leg presses and bench presses?
Deadlift Sequence
Leg Press
If you’re obese and believe you’ve tried everything for weight loss, ask yourself if you’ve tried HIIT: high intensity interval training.
If you’re obese and think you’ve tried everything but also believe you’re too large to do HIIT or intense strength training, you are mistaken. HIIT can be done by the obese.
Obese people are on an even playing field with thin people when it comes to strength training.
Next time you open your mouth to say, “I’ve tried everything to lose weight,” first ask yourself, “Am I sure?”
Chances are extremely high that you have never employed high intensity interval training–a proven way to crush fat.
Richard Kelley, MD, is an author, speaker, fitness expert and transformation coach.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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