Losing weight is simple?

Now that Turkey Day is near, I thought I would share these articles from my favorite guru of the day-Josh Hillis, the trainer. I really like his no BS approach to weightloss. Now go on and pig out on Thanksgiving:

Losing Fat Is The Simplest Thing In The World
All of the stories in the media make fat loss sound more complicated than it is. The way certain diets are marketed often complicates weight loss also. Sometimes searching for more information online and running into a million different opinions can complicate weight loss.

Let's take a step back and simplify. Take a deep breath, here comes reality: Most of the time, if someone isn't getting results, they are simply eating too many calories. Eating too many calories will ruin the results of even the best workout program.

One of my favorite people to listen to when it comes to fat loss, Neal Spruce founder of Apex Fitness Group, said this -

Calories in, Calories out
You must come to accept the factual calories in and out aspect of weight management; otherwise, there’s no point in trying to solve for the motivation aspect. Repeat after me: if you’re overweight, it’s not because of your age, it’s not your thyroid, it’s not menopause, it’s not because you don’t eat enough, it’s not your parents’ fault, it’s not the number of fat cells you were born with, it’s not that you don’t do your aerobic work in your target heart range, it’s not high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), it’s not that you weren’t breast fed, it’s not your medication, it’s not your hormones, it’s not sugar, it’s not trans fat, it’s not saturated fats, it’s not carbohydrates, it’s not because you eat after 7:00PM, it’s not because you had a baby, it’s not because you eat the wrong glycemic foods, and, no, it’s not the fast food industry’s fault if you are overweight and don’t like it...

...So let’s get past the calorie piece and all the misinformation and boil it down to one simple sentence you can apply to your life right now: “I won’t think about anything else except eating fewer calories than I burn until I reach my goal.” Say it again! “I won’t think about anything else except eating fewer calories than I burn until I reach my goal”.

That's what I like about Neal, he doesn't mess around.

It's really a pretty simple game we are playing.
Here is your four step plan to get you 99% of the way to your goal:

1.) Eat less calories. Keep an online food log. Trust your scale and how you fit in your clothes to tell you how accurate your food log is.

2.) Eat good food. You know what is good food, and you know what is bad food. Eat less bad food.

2.) Do short, high intensity cardio.

3.) Do an intelligent strength training workout a few times per week.

4.) Drink lots of water. Don't drink anything that isn't water.

If you are a girl just doing those four things will take you from 30% bodyfat (below average) all the way to 21% bodyfat (pretty damn hot). For a guy that would be like going from 20% bodyfat down to 12% bodyfat.

Getting lower than that it gets a little more interesting. If you want to get really rockstar lean, you'll have to periodize your workouts (your workout goes through different cycles, like seasons) and you'll have to eat even cleaner. But that's it. It's not rocket science.

Don't over complicate things.

Here is some wisdom from one of the best workout articles of all time, written by my friend Dan John:

"When things go wrong, simplify."

Usually, when we aren't getting the results we want, we complicate things to the point of insanity. That, of course, makes it worse.

When things go wrong, that's actually the time to get back to basics.

Focus on the few simple keys that make everything work. (steps 1-4 above) Ignore everything else.

By Josh Hillis
or:

How To Enjoy Thanksgiving and Not Get Fat

November means one thing in the fitness world - Thanksgiving.
I want you to totally pig out at Thanksgiving dinner, and still look like a rockstar. To do that, you've got to start now.
You should earn the right to pig out at Thanksgiving dinner.
That means tightening up your workouts and nutrition right now. Start keeping a food log now. The time between now and Thanksgiving is critical.
The best way to manage weight gain at Thanksgiving is to lean up right now.
If you lose 2lbs of fat per week, every week between now and Thanksgiving, you'd lose 10lbs total. With a smart workout program and a food log, losing 2lbs per week is totally realistic.
You can totally lose 10lbs in the next 5 weeks. Then if you gain 2lbs at Thanksgiving, you're still 8lbs leaner than you are right now.
Earn the right to be able to eat what ever you want on Thanksgiving, and not feel guilty at all.
My clients manage to enjoy Thanksgiving and come out ok on the other side. Most Americans get fatter because of Thanksgiving, and keep that fat until Christmas, when they gain more fat.
I want you to enjoy Thanksgiving, and in truth, I want you stuff your face until you pass out. It's only one meal, and one meal won't be the end of the world. But that's if it's only one meal.
Most people's Thanksgivings spill over into the whole following week.
People have such an "on diet" or "off diet" mentality, that they destroy themselves. They figure if they eat one "bad" thing then they might as well give up. So they figure after "messing up their whole diet" on Thanksgiving, they might as well keep on pigging out the next day, and the day after that. Hey why not keep on going straight through 'til New Years. That kind of thinking will put you 5 or 10lbs fatter at that New Years party.
I want you to plan to pig out for one day - on Thanksgiving - and then stick to that plan. And then get back to your clean, whole food, low calorie, balanced nutrition plan the next day. Stick to that plan. You can totally go crazy on Thanksgiving, just keep it to Thanksgiving Day.
Go back to your eating plan and go back to your workouts. The 2lbs of fat you gain you'll lose the next week, and then you'll be even leaner when you roll into the New Years.
Fat loss expert Alwyn Cosgrove just asked on his blog "Do you want to be the hot girl in the little black dress at the New Years party that everyone is talking about?" There's 12 weeks of training between now and then.
Or do you want to gain 8lbs over November and December like most Americans?
Waiting for January to make a new New Years Resolution is a mistake.
Set yourself up for the holidays by making smart food choices now. I recommend reading Tosca Reno's Eating Clean.
Get on a smart workout program now. I always recommend for guys to get Men's Health writer Craig Ballentyne's Turbulence Training, or for girls to get my own 8 week fat blasting workout program: The Stubborn Seven Pounds.
By Josh HillisAuthor of How To Lose The Stubborn Seven Pounds
National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (NASM-CPT) and Performance Enhancement Specialist (NASM-PES), and currently studying the Corective Exercise Specialist (NASM-CES) course.
Josh is a kettlebell instructor and personal trainer in Denver, Colorado.
© Joshua Hillis 2007