Why do men lose weight easier than women?

    It is a very common belief, or fact depending on who you ask that men have an easier time losing weight than women. A study from Brookhaven National Laboratory published in January looked at one of the possible reasons for the differences. Here is the short version of what the study found: A group of men and women were told to fast for 17 hours. After the 17 hours, they were presented with their favorite foods, were required to smell and taste it, but could not consume it. Both men and women’s brain activity showing hunger were exceptionally more active. They were then asked to think about something else while still in the room with the food. The researchers found that men were better able to forget about the hunger, but the women continued to have emotional cravings.  

What happens to a person's metabolism when they consistently eat too little?

     That said, the point is not to lose weight too fast by radically reducing calories because first and foremost that method is inadequate and generally not sustainable. Secondarily, there is a slight (fairly insignificant in the big picture) metabolism down regulation in response to a very low calorie diet – but – the main reason it may appear to slow down more than it actually does, is because it’s the very low calorie intake that is slowing YOU down. In other words, you become tired driving a reduction in your daily activities, causing you to move less thus burn fewer calories.

 (Take it to the bank message: never blame disappointment on metabolism – no matter what anyone tells you!)

What is a realistic percentage of body fat to lose in a three-month period?

    It's better to think of the goal in pounds of fat loss and let the percentages fall where they may. We measure body fat as a percentage of total body weight, but calculate the loss in pounds because people who lose fat, especially in health clubs (from exercising, taking supplements, etc.) often gain muscle at the same time. Therefore, total body weight doesn’t always depict an exact picture about how much body fat is lost.

   For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and have 40 pounds of body fat, 20% of your total body weight is made up of fat. If we project a loss of one pound of fat per week, and you gain no muscle, you will weigh 188 pounds after 12 weeks. You will also have 12 pounds less fat, leaving you with 28 pounds of body fat.  To conclude your body-fat percentage, we divide 28 (pounds of body fat) by 188 (weight) for a body-fat percentage of 15%.

    When it comes to losing body fat, the lower your body-fat percentage, the slower you should go. We like people to lose no more than one pound of body fat per week once they get closer to their goal. If your body fat is reasonably high (>20% for males and >28 for females), you may safely lose at a faster rate. If body fat is very high, a loss of three pounds a week is safe. But again, as you get closer to your individually realistic goal, slow down the loss in order to adjust to your new lifestyle and to help you maintain your new physique.

Do specific foods or activities increase my bodies, metabolic rate?

     Your body uses more calories to break down and utilize carbohydrates and proteins than it does when utilizing fats. Therefore, a higher carb & protein intake can theoretically increase your metabolism, but only ever so marginally so don’t worry about it.  Just eat as close to a balanced diet as possible – and don’t tell me you don’t know what that is – because you do. If you don’t know here is a solution RESET. On the activity issue, use your common sense – the harder you work the more calories you burn.

I'm a skeptic. Weight loss pills don't work. So what's the deal with Fat Burn supplements?

ONE ON ONE 247 believe  dietary support can be very effective in assisting the weight reduction process for many people.  

Our stance is very clear: the goal of including a supplement or drug into a weight loss program is to assist the participant in complying with the necessary eating and moving guidelines that lead to weight reduction.

There are two functions dietary supplements try to complete as they relate to weight or fat loss: 1) increase the caloric deficit by helping the body burn calories so you don't have to continually increase work to lose the weight that might otherwise cause you to give up. For example, to lose 1 LB per week you need to eat 500 fewer calories per day than you burn. Let's say when you're not taking the supplement you burn 2000 calories per day, meaning you can consume 1500 per day to stay on goal. Including the supplement you might now burn 2250 per day because of the product's thermo genic (or calorie wasting) properties and its ability to drive you to increase your daily activities i.e. move more. As long as you continue to consume 1500 calories per day, you will now lose 1.5LBS/week.

2) The second purpose a dietary supplement may accomplish is lessening the participant's drive to eat, making compliance to the 1500 calories of food per day easier for the dieter, thus allowing steady progress. The number one reason people fall off diets is that their appetites increase in order to force them to recover the weight lost - the body prefers to gain weight, not lose it.

Now what occurs when you stop taking a dietary supplement? ONE ON ONE 247 recommends you use supplements when you need a little help (and most of us do at some point), and that you stop when you reach your goal or you feel you have your lifestyle & appetite under control. 

In summary, the main goal of dietary supplements during weight loss is to assist you in compliance while you tackle the real problem, i.e. crafting the necessary lifestyle to achieve and maintain fitness. Discontinuing the use of the supplement should not affect your results because you get to eat more once you reach your goal. Therefore, staying with the same example above, you can now consume 2000 calories instead of the 1500 because you do not need to lose more weight. The extra 500 calories is a lot food and should help satisfy your appetite, and your new body should keep you motivated.

Are carbs bad for me?

     Undeniably not. Carbohydrates are the major source of energy for our body. The reason carbs have gotten a bad name, is that most of the yummy 'carbs' have transitioned from whole grains, fruits and vegetables to refined grains and highly processed foods (with added fat). Unless you are Diabetic and need to survive your blood sugars daily, it is important to incorporate carbohydrates into your daily intake. Trying to stick to fiber rich carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables or whole grains instead of simple carbohydrates such as sugar, white flour or highly processed foods will allow you the energy needed to power your body plus give you the extra nutrients those foods provide. 

Can you hold on to excess fat by not eating enough calories

    No. Any time you are consuming fewer calories than you burn, you will lose (and continue to lose) weight comprising of lean body mass (LBM) and/or fat until your calorie intake matches or exceeds your calorie expenditure. Those are the facts. The goal is to lose only body fat (unless you are extremely overweight in which case you will lose some LBM). This is accomplished by not going too low in your calorie intake, safeguarding that your muscles have enough nourishment to maintain their size and workload during the weight-loss program.

To put the issue into viewpoint, first realize that children and adults around the world who die of starvation are not fat when they pass away.

    To be sure, when you severely cut calories, your metabolism will make a slight change (not a large compensation), allowing it to run on fewer calories. This is where some health professionals get confused about "holding onto fat."

  The real problem is that as you lose weight, it gets harder to continue progress because you are lighter and fit. Your amplified efficiency forces you to have to perform more work or eat less in order to continue progress. So don’t worry about the slight decrease in metabolism, simply keep your workout "unaccustomed" or add movement (e.g. steps) to your daily activities as your weight decreases. Also often when dieting on extremely low calorie intakes, you may be slowing down. In other words, you become less energetic, forcing a decline in your daily activities and therefore burning fewer calories overall. This can lead to a weight-loss plateau.

So the answer is no.

If I want to lose fat quickly, should I do as much cardio as possible?

    Not unless you love it. Dropping calories, as opposed to burning the extra calories, is by far an easier method of reducing weight quickly. That said, do a little cardio for your health, and don't lose weight too fast, it will come back.
 Low-Intensity or High-Intensity Aerobic Exercise:  Which One's Right For Your Goal?

What is the difference between high and low-intensity exercise?

• High-intensity cardiovascular exercise (60 to 80 percent of V02 max. or 80 to 85 percent of your max. heart rate) burns more total calories in less time and more absolute fat calories than low-intensity exercise.

• Low-intensity cardiovascular exercise (40 to 50 percent of V02 max. or 60 to 65 percent of your max. heart rate) burns fewer total calories but a higher percentage of fat calories than high-intensity exercise, measured for the same amount of time.

• With the goal of body fat loss, higher-intensity exercise yields the same results as lower-intensity exercise, but in a shorter period of time.

Guidelines for proper cardiovascular intensity

• Beginner exercisers should work within 50 to 60 percent of their maximum heart rate.

• Once you become accustomed to an exercise intensity level, it is helpful to increase your workout intensity. Changing the intensity and/or duration of your aerobic workout every two weeks helps you avoid plateaus and continue to lose body fat.

Main thing

If your goal is body fat loss, higher-intensity exercise yields the same results as lower-intensity exercise, but in a shorter period of time. In order to keep the body in a revision phase, the mode and intensity of aerobic training should be changed every two weeks.

If I have excess fat around my thighs, how can I make sure that I get rid of the fat there rather than somewhere else?

    You can't. There is no such thing as spot decreasing, which is probably obvious to you by now because your thighs generally move more than any other body part but the fat still ends up there. As you maintain a calorie deficit “eat less than you burn”, body fat will leave from whatsoever area your body was genetically programmed to draw it from. As a rule of thumb, last place on is the first place off. All that said, if you maintain consuming fewer calories than you burn, that stuff on your thighs will go, it just might be the last place it disappears disappear from.

How does eating fruit affect your fat loss?

   Calorie for calorie, fruit packs more healthy nutrients than most foods including important vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, etc. Everyone's diet goal should be to do the best they can to eat healthy foods (e.g. whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins) within the amount of calories that allows a healthy weight or body configuration. Dieting by definition means consuming fewer calories which lead to fewer nutrients consumed. When dieting it becomes more important to select foods like fruits (1-3 servings/day based on preference and total calories allowed) with higher nutrients per calorie. As the saying goes, "you need and get more bang for the buck".
  When dieting you are allowed a certain number of calories in order to reach your goal, so choose the foods that make you feel active, satiated and help cover your overall nutrient needs. And take a multivitamin & mineral supplement to shore up any low or missing nutrients, which is especially common during dieting.

I am 5 lbs from my goal, but I am having such trouble with this last little bit, I have decreased my calories and increased my expenditure.

Don't get discouraged!  Due to the fact that you're only 5 lbs. from your goal, your deficit should be relatively small (the closer you get to your goal, the harder it becomes to continue to lose weight).  I suggest you take about 10 weeks to drop those last few pounds, which means your deficit should be about 250 calories per day, or you might contemplate switching to maintenance for a month or so and allow your body some time to adjust to its new weight, and then start a new weight loss program tracking body fat rather than weight alone.  Using body fat as your measurement will require that you have a expert measure you with calipers once every 2 weeks (preferably the same person each time).You could also completely change your workouts (if you do work out), or start working out if you don't already. Another option would be to increase your calories burned through daily activities.

Is it normal to gain weight while trying to lose weight and tone? I have lost 3 percent body fat, but gained 5 pounds and I am getting depressed. My personal trainer thinks I am making progress. My scale and I are not so sure.

If you were a bodybuilder, you would be the happiest person on the planet, but I am assuming you are not.  When you do everything “right” for the first time (eating, supplementing and training), muscle comes swiftly. And if fat loss is your primary goal, the muscle gain should rapidly plateau. I will admit that your gain seems extraordinary and should not continue unless you had previously lost a significant amount of muscle through sickness, very low calorie dieting or a long layoff from resistance training. If this is the case, you would be experience what we call "muscle memory." In this state, when you resume normal eating and/or activities (especially weight training) after a long layoff, your body very quickly restores the lost muscle. When the body has recouped its losses, gains dramatically slow.      All that said, except for the acute issue mentioned above, if your goal is primarily fat loss, you should start losing net pounds within the first four weeks of your program. If not, your calorie deficit is not large enough. Therefore, increase your movement and/or decrease your food intake and the pounds will start flying off. And keep in mind that adding a little muscle is a good thing because it increases your calorie burn, helps you look more eye-catching and makes daily life easier.