It’s Called BODY FAT for a Reason

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I tell you what. You all are amazing!!! Keep the questions coming because that way I can address topics that YOU want to know about vs. me trying to pick and choose what subject matter to cover.

At first I was hesitant to actually cover this subject as it has MANY faucets. There are so many questions that will spawn from this article that I will not even attempt to cover any answers other than the basics. I will cover a few things that I know for a fact that some of you do NOT want to hear. I just feel that it’s my duty to spare you any undue embarrassment or any wasting of your valuable time. Here we go…………

I’m Fine But……….

I know I start many of my articles and sentences with this however it’s just the truth. I have at least one person per day tell me “I’m fine BUT, I just need to lose some weight around my stomach” or “I’m fine BUT I just want to tone my arms and shoulders.” NEWSFLASH!!!! You can basically delete everything from BUT on back. If you have anything at all to say after the BUT then you are NOT fine……period. You are in denial and that is the truth. There is no “I’m fine BUT…………..” It does not and cannot exist. Personally I think that you would be rather ill built if you toned just your arms and shoulders but left everything else looking like smashed apples. Just understand that your fat is not arm-fat, back-fat, leg-fat or abdominal-fat. It’s BODY-FAT. Think of it as a blanket layer rather than parts. I hear women make references all the time to Angela Bassett as Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do with It” and her arm development. Do you think that Angela Bassett walked in the gym and just did curls and triceps press-downs? No………….she had a diet and workout plan (that she obviously stuck with because at 50 years young she still looks fantastic) that took her to a lower level of body fat that would show her well sculpted arms and shoulders.

There is no such thing as Spot-Reduction.

I know you hate to hear it and so will all the 3am infomercial gadgetballpilatesab-doer salesmen. You can drone away with upwards to 1000+ crunches, ball sit-ups or whatever else and you will get nothing more than sore and a possible tear in your weak abdominal wall. In order for you to see a reduction in body-fat you will have to have a reduction of calories period. There is no way around this. Your muscles DO NOT hold the lease to the fat that surrounds them. The fat on your arms isn’t exclusive to the Triceps. So working that muscle to death won’t reduce the fat that surrounds it. I know some of you out there don’t believe me and that’s fine you don’t have to, however ask any trainer, doctor, scientist or ape and they will tell you the same thing.

It’s in your Genes & your Jeans.

The way that you carry your body-fat can usually be spotted early on by looking at members of your family. You will have more in common with those in your family then you will with the person that’s on TV telling you to buy X and Y product. Not only that, but males and females seem to carry their “blanket” differently. In men the lower back and abdominal area are usually the last bits of fat to be released. In women it’s usually around the hips and thigh area. So when you don’t see the fat in these areas start to strip off first do not panic. Just stick to the plan and continue down the path to fitness and health.

Patience is a virtue.

I tell everyone that I speak to at any length of time about fitness and fat loss this one particular statement:

“It didn’t take you 2 weeks to put that belly on so don’t expect it to take 2 weeks to get it off!”

Everyone wants that quick fix but in all fairness unless you have a controlled environment and can dedicate a full 12 hour day to diet monitoring and workouts ala’ The Biggest Loser then you will have to be patient with your transformation. For a lot of you it took YEARS of bad dieting and poor workout habits to destroy your metabolism and put on the 50-80lbs since high school or college. That’s that stubborn “I ain’t goin’ nowhere” fat! The good news is that with the miracle that is the human body it won’t take you years to get it off (unless that’s your plan). I have seen and helped individuals shed 100+ lbs of body fat in a year all it takes is dedication and patience.

Sean Connery not Ronnie Coleman

I understand that the majority of you all just want to be able to take your shirt off and not be compared to Jabba the Hutt. The example that I usually use is Sean Connery in his role as James Bond. He was not super lean but he was an acceptable level of body-fat and didn’t look a mess with his shirt off (Minus the taco meat but hey, some women are into that, lol). He was even in a physique contest or 2 (see the photo below) back in the day. Not everyone wants to be a bodybuilder and without superior genetics you don’t have that to worry about. As a matter of act I will go on a limb and say that if you did have the genetics of your average Professional Bodybuilder then you probably wouldn’t need to worry about body fat accumulation. Yes they also take drugs however that is a very small piece of the puzzle. The average person can take the exact same regime of drugs as a professional bodybuilder and will see maybe 1/10^th of the progress. They are truly that genetically gifted.

Just be the best YOU that YOU can be.

Time after time you will find someone comparing their progress to someone else’s or trying to look like a fitness pro that they saw on the newsstand. Goals are good to have but you also have to be realistic. First things first, set up a plan and stick to it. Once you get that piece of the pie in place you can then take steps towards possible competition or whatever your goals may be. You can get help with this from me at (BigNerdNutrition@gmail.com) to aid you in putting together a viable plan to get you started and on track.

Yours in Health and Fitness,

Aaron “K Nine” Washington, CFT

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