Whoa!
Did This week start with a bang or what?
Tuesday Morning I wake up to BBC news ‘uncovering all’ about High Intensity Training (HIT Training) and then I thought to myself “Phew, I’m glad I have been doing this kind of thing for the past 7 or 8 years!!!
High intensity training is simply the most time-efficient way to burn fat – and we do it in a group at bootcamp to push each other to keep the work rate high 🙂
Also, I got wind of a few discussions on Facebook about the TV programme:
Weight Watchers: How They Make Their Millions (Click to watch!)
I thought I would drop my verdict and Weight Watchers, and why it’s NOT something I recommend.
1. Low calorie doesn’t mean healthy.
I touched upon this years ago in my popular article “The Calorie Conundrum “ (Click to read if you have free membership). If you are not a member yet – go here:
Is it more unhealthy to consume 400 calories from wild salmon, broccoli and other veggies……..or have 300 calories from chocolates and sweets?
I think that statement alone makes you wonder how it’s gotten so messy.
2. While Low calorie diets will usually result in lost weight – it usually comes back……..and then some more.
3. As dispatches pointed out – it’s all about marketing, and highlighted the fact that leaders of these groups get a slice of the profits from books, and scales and products being sold at meetings.
Do these leaders use these products?
Do these leaders even look how you want to look?
Sometimes you need to see if they practice what they preach
4. Dispatches highlighted the chemicals that low calorie foods contain (not just weight watchers).
Would you like to pay more of your hard-earned cash for some weird chemicals that are meant to taste ‘like flavour’??!
5. While groups make it easier to lose weight together (partly why my bootcamp has been so successful) – I have heard that these groups simply weigh you – and then everyone chats about what they have done that week – but its very hard to pin down why weight was lost.
This is because it is not an exact science and a flawed system!
You could weigh less, or more, from….
…going to toilet / not going to toilet
…eating less salt / eating a bit more salt
…drinking a glass of water just before weighing
..stress / sleep /
It really is silly to look at half a lb here or there as water is really heavy!!! Take a photo – don’t jump on the scales!
The biggest reason I don’t recommend Weight watchers – or counting calories, or being worried about the weight on the scale so much…………
Weight is weight!
Muscle and fat are not the same!
Let me put this into perspective.
Say male athlete A has a BMI of about 25. (He is quite lean at 10-12%)
If said athlete puts on 2 stone in 12 months………(and their BMI goes to 29…….are they now fat?
Answer? Not necessarily!
They could well have the same percentage of fat (10-12%) and they have gained 2 stone of muscle (and would therefore likely be a lot stronger.)
BUT!….
They could have gained 2 stone of body fat, and they would likely be weaker (relative to their bodyweight) and less able to do aerobic tasks too.
It would likely be a mix of the two – you get my drift.
Another one- but here is a picture to illustrate this time. Same guy, but who is heavier?
Believe it or not…the ripped version is 2kg HEAVIER.
Take home message?
Muscle is muscle. Fat is Fat.
Do not confuse the two.
(If you lose or gain half a stone or more……..you probably know just by looking if its good or bad weight!) 😉