In my previous article I outlined a few points for a diet plan for weight loss. As you probably have heard this phrase a million times by now: abs are made in the kitchen. About 80% of your weight loss efforts will come down to your diet.You can estimate how much energy you burn during exercise, but the rule of thumb is that the more intense the exercise, the more calories are burnt.
For eg for a 150 lb person (69 kg) 30 mins of:
- walking at 3 miles/hr burns 150 kcal
- walking at 4.5 miles/hr burns 233 kcal
- martial arts burn 401 kcal.
More often than not you see people in the gym, plodding away on the treadmill, crosstrainer or bike at a speed that allows them to play on their phones or talk to their friends.
Just to compare the calories and how much it takes to burn them off:
A Krispy Kreme chocolate ice donut with Kreme filling is 360 Kcal. That equals to =
- 94 mins walking
- 41 mins jogging or
- 48 mins cycling
A double cheese burger at McDonald’s is 440 Kcal. That equals to =
- 115 mins walking
- 50 mins jogging or
- 59 mins cycling
And usually when people go to McDonald’s or Krispy Kreme they don’t just have 1 donut or 1 burger.
So my point is: with a balanced diet it’s easier to ‘keep in shape’ than doing a yo-yo diet.
If you want to maximise the exercise component in order to shed body fat, choose exercise modes that are physically demanding as they use more energy. So instead of walking on the treadmill at 3-4 mph for 45 mins, do a HIIT training for 20-25 mins. With this type of training – even though you’re out of your ‘fat burning zone’, but you deplete your muscle glycogen stores and your body will be forced to tap into the adipose tissue for fuel. We have an almost unlimited supply of energy in the form of stored fat. Marathon runners fatigue due to glycogen depletion, not fat.
You will also burn more fat post workout, during your recovery, if you engage in high intensity training.
And last but not least: strength train! Girls, boys, everyone. The more muscle you have the higher your metabolism is. Building muscle and strength is intense. Intense training depletes glycogen therefore more stored fat is used for energy. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
