Fat Loss Lessons From Manuel Uribe, One of the World’s Heaviest Men.

Above: What can this guy possibly teach you about fat loss?

The Discovery Channel is currently airing a one hour documentary on Manuel Uribe, a morbidly obese gentleman who, at his maximum, tipped the scales at a whopping 1235 pounds (560 kilos). He ended up losing nearly 400 pounds, and although still morbidly obese shows what some determination and proper nutritional intervention can accomplish.

Since most of us are merely struggling to lose a mere 10, 15 or (dare we say) 20 pounds, perhaps there are some lessons that can be garnered from a man who’s lost roughly a third of his body weight:

1) Fat loss is not just a game of calories, but a hormonal game as well.

Time and time we’ve been told that “calories are king”, meaning that the only thing that matters from a weight loss perspective is to consume fewer calories than you expend, period. With Manuel’s case, we can see an example of how managing hormonal tone enables protracted fat loss.

Manuel has been following a clinically individualized version of the Zone diet, which in its typical incarnation follows a macronutrient breakdown of 40% of calories from carbs, 30% from protein, and 30% from fat. What is important to note about the Zone is not the specific breakdowns, but the purpose behind those ratios – namely, not solely to reduce calories but to reduce inflammation and control insulin levels. By reducing the foods most responsible for inflammation and insulin spikes (cough*grains and starches), you help to accelerate weight loss.

 2) Emphasizing protein and vegetables works.

During the documentary, Dr. Barry Sears gives an example of how to eat more healthfully. He explains:

“If you take a plate, divide it into thirds, place a source of lean protein about the size of your palm (and no thicker) on it, and fill up the other two thirds with colorful vegetables, then you’re eating correctly.”

(Note: I’m not professing to have memorized his speech verbatim. But he did say something very close to this.)

Now, even though his diet plan allows for complex carbohydrates to the tune of 40% of your daily calorie intake, why does Dr. Sears make a point of including only protein and vegetables in his example? Perhaps it’s because that combination is the most important one, or perhaps it’s the one that’s most effective in getting results.

3) Create a social support network.

Throughout his entire struggle, Manuel has had the support of his mother, and the support of his girlfriend (at least through part of his ordeal). Creating a network of social support can be extremely helpful in achieving weight loss goals since they act as reinforcement and help to bolster you through difficult stretches where you may be tempted to quit.

It helps to have them cook your meals for you, too.

4) Make it bigger than you.

Motivation must continue past the initial “honeymoon” phase if lasting results are to be seen. By attaching your weight loss to a cause or external motivator, you can receive consistent “boosts” to motivation. Some examples of this could be, “I need to lose this weight so that I can be around to play with my kids when they’re older” or from Manuel’s own life, starting up a foundation for the support of those looking to lose vast amounts of weight.

Having a bigger reason to do things can be a great motivator.

5) Do anything you can, no matter how little it may seem.

I once asked my friend Dr. Warden, “So, how would you train a 1000 lb person?”

Indeed, how would you? The only exercise that someone in that state could likely manage would be merely moving around whatever limbs are mobile – which is exactly what Manuel did. As he lost weight, he continued to perform movements with his arms; not the best way to “exercise” per se, but what’s important is that he did something.

“Doing something” is often the best way to maintain high levels of motivation. You’ll often hear survival experts like Les Stroud or Bear Grylls instruct the viewer to “keep moving, keep thinking” so as to keep their morale up (which increases chances for survival).

Take action, even if it’s a small change (like taking the stairs instead of the elevator); it’ll help get you one step closer to your goals.

Quick, Efficient Workouts.

Above: By following the principles of a quick, efficient workout, Dubya could spend less time in the gym, and more time on his policy-making. Or maybe not.

From old-school HIT to Afterburn to Crossfit, there has been a veritable explosion of workout and exercise regimens pointed at getting you fitter faster. In fact, an entire movement is burgeoning with the focus on getting the greatest results in the shortest amount of time.

In other words, the days of the 2 hour workout are over (Sorry Arnold).

Now, this should come as no surprise to the average person. A glance at a contemporary best-seller like Tim Ferriss’ awesome book The Four Hour Workweek shows that our society as a whole is no longer interested in locking into the old paradigms of the past (i.e., work longer to get a better result). I’m not saying that you should eschew hard work, persistence, or consistency. But (in the words of Jay Abraham) you should look to optimize – to get the maximum result from every action you take.

When clients first begin working out with me, they inevitably feel guilty:

“Is this really all I need to do? Shouldn’t I do some cardio or take a yoga class or something?”

Sure, if those activities float your boat and you want to do them. But if you think you need to do those things, well, you don’t.

It’s really true – for fat loss and general health, just strength training a couple times a week is all you really need (I could probably make the case for just one weekly bout of exercise if you’re an older individual). The best part about utilizing quicker and more efficient workouts is that you have more time to do the other things in your life that need doing or that you want to do. And, if all your exercise time condensed into an hour or two a week, who wouldn’t be able to fit exercise into their weekly routine?

Stay tuned for Part 2 – the framework for a “condensed workout routine.”

Supplements Worth Taking #1 – Fish Oil (DHA/ EPA)

(Note: This is part of a continuing series on useful supplementation for health, fitness, and weight management.)The first supplement that I would consider worth including as part of an already good diet would be fish oil.

No big surprise there. Fish oil, or rather, the Omega 3 fatty acids contained within fish oil (DHA and EPA) are the current media and health industry darlings with regards to fitness and longevity due to their effects on the cardiovascular and nervous system.It also doesn’t hurt that DHA/EPA are reputed to seriously aid fat loss. But more on that later.

Here are the 5 top reasons you should seriously consider supplementing with fish oil:

1) It’s “brain food.”
Omega 3 fatty acids comprise part of the myelin sheath (a fatty “insulation” for nerve fibers), improving function of the nervous system. Additionally, they help promote repair of nerve tissue in the brain. Although studies are inconclusive at this point, Omega 3 fatty acids also seem to help improve mental health (particularly in patients with diagnosed depression or bipolar disorder).

2) It helps to reset fat levels.
Studies (like this one and this one) show that fish oil is effective in stimulating greater fat loss, versus groups taking a placebo. May be of some interest to those of you looking to optimize your fat loss efforts.

3) It promotes CV health.
Ok, I know you’ve been good little readers. You’ve read Dr. Malcolm Kendrick’s The Great Cholesterol Con and The Cholesterol Myths by Dr. Uffe Ravnskov and you know that the almighty cholesterol doesn’t play a part in cardiovascular disease. Well, consuming fish oil appears to play a protective role anyway: in addition to lowering blood levels of triglycerides and VLDLs, a study from the British medical journal The Lancet showed that supplementing with EPA provided a protective effect against cardiovascular events.

4) Fat is good for your health in general.
You need fat in your diet, period. Even saturated fat is vital for optimal health. Why not get all the additional benefits from the Omega 3 fatty acids while you’re at it?

5) It reduces inflammation.
Dr. Andrew Weil is one of the many experts who promote fish oil consumption as a way to fight inflammation. But you don’t have to take his (or my) word for it – you can just read the science yourself.

Since there’s no RDA for fish oil, you’ll hear different experts make different recommendations (Dr. John Berardi recommends up to 6-12 grams a day). A good rule of thumb is not to exceed 3 grams per day (since benefits from fish oil consumption have been observed at low, moderate, and high doses).

Of course, you could just eat a whole lot of wild salmon every week.

Listen, Learn, Execute. Don’t Be Uncoachable.

Seth Godin delivers some great insights on coaching.

If you’re like most people, you have neither the time or the inclination to become a savant on exercise, nutrition, and the science of fat loss. The smart thing to do, in this case, if you’re looking to lose a little around the waistline, is to go out and employ the services of a quality trainer.

Most folks get to this step just fine. But as my friend Christopher recently blogged, no amount of good advice can help you if you’re not ready to receive and use it.

It literally shocks me as to how many clients don’t listen to or follow their trainers advice. No, I’m not talking about all the time (nobody’s perfect), but as a whole, on average, even at all. Why bother having a coach at all if you (as Seth puts it) are “uncoachable?”

In this season of The Ultimate Fighter, BJ Penn’s team is the epitome of “uncoachable.” His fighters claim they know exactly what to do, but don’t do it. One fighter knows he needs to cut weight and lose about 25 pounds, but opts instead to stuff his face with cake and junk food. Another of Penn’s fighters is a ground game master, but opts to fight standing with his opponent despite Penn’s impassioned pleas to the contrary. Penn screams himself hoarse at every fight instructing his team members and reminding them of their gameplans.

All of which is completely ignored.

The same outcome occurs whether you’re a client who’s non-compliant with the program you’re supposed to be on or you’re an MMA fighter who ignores your coach’s fiery pleas to take your opponent to the ground and armbar him or something:

You lose. And your coach can only shake his head.

Remember why you retain a coach in the first place. A coach is there to view your performance with a set of (hopefully) impartial eyes; to use his unique third-party perspective to bring you to the next level. What he’s not there to do is to ruthlessly squash your ego or to babysit. If you’re working with a good coach, realize that everything he does has a reason or purpose behind it – (even if it seems incomprehensible at the time) – to get you from where you are now to where you want to be.

Don’t be uncoachable; listen to your trainer(s), and follow through on what they tell you. Drink the water, eat the right food, and do the exercises.

And if you don’t, don’t complain that the program didn’t work – you didn’t work.

(BTW, I love all my clients, mostly because they’re awesome people, but also because they’re coachable.)

Train Your Strength, Not Your Skill.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that strength and skill can sometimes be confused. Usually, what happens is that you’ll see a smaller person doing something a larger, stronger looking person can’t. Like this, for example:

Now, do any of you really (I mean, honestly) think that Glover Texiera is weaker than Nicole? Especially in leg strength? The Crossfit guys at least had the courtesy to point out that Glover’d never performed the overhead squats or the muscle-ups. What happened in this clip is that you got the best illustration that demonstrations of so-called “strength” are really just demonstrations of skill and technique.

What does this have to do with you?

Focus on those exercises that have a big payoff in terms of improving actual strength. It’s cool to being able to do movements that demonstrate your strength, but in terms of building strength, it’s best to stick to the basics:

 

1. A lower body push, such as a basic squat.
2. A lower body pull, such as a basic deadlift.
3. An upper body push, such as the overhead press or bench press.
4. An upper body pull, such as a row or pulldown.

If you work to your maximum capacity, even on a truncated program like this one, and you follow proper progression and recovery principles, your strength and physical abilities will skyrocket much faster than if you were to spend your time learning to juggle kettlebells (a demonstration of strength).

You shouldn’t think that skill is unimportant. To be maximally successful at sport, you need to maximize both. As a little guy in a big man’s jiujitsu academy, I can tell you that skill (aka technique) is of vital importance. But you shouldn’t confuse the fact that I can armbar an opponent over 100lbs heavier than me with the idea that I’m stronger than that guy.

In order to reap the maximum benefit from both, you should keep your skill and strength training separate. Life’s much better that way.