Lose weight NEAT: the secret to lose weight without going to the gym
"I want to lose 7 kilos in less than a month like
Kim Kardashian
."
Surely you have heard this phrase countless times or even you yourself have started to find out on
how to lose so many kilos in such a short time.
I'm sorry to break into this fantasy, but I have to tell you that it's not possible, "unless you want to put your muscle tissue at risk by
losing more than 20-30%
of it, and clearly put your health and life at risk, since
a hasty weight loss could even lead to death
", emphasizes the specialist trainer in strength and conditioning,
Marcelo Fabian Brocq Angulo.
But why such a rush to lose weight now that summer is here?
"Because we live in a short-term world. In one in which we like things for "now", the famous "yaismo": "I already want to lose weight", "I already want cellulite to disappear", comments the specialist.
We don't like processes, waiting makes us desperate.
That is why we resort to alarming, abrupt methods that make us pay with our health to fit in with society or in a
Kim Kardashian
-style dress .
However, if one of your goals for this year is to
lose weight
, but along with being
healthy
, Brocq indicates that "
the only way is to be in a negative energy balance. A caloric deficit
. We are talking about calories, which are the unit by which energy intake is measured. To lose weight, that energy expenditure has to exceed intake."
And if you're the type of person who doesn't have time or just doesn't feel like going to the gym, the trainer says that
losing weight
doesn't have to complicate our lives
"playing with the kids, taking the dog out, going up the stairs, hanging up the clothes, playing with the kids, reading a book, standing on the subway, walking a trail can make you lose weight faster than you think.
This is called
NEAT: Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis
or in Spanish physical activity not associated with scheduled exercise that generates caloric expenditure.
But what is the difference between physical activity and physical exercise?
"Physical activity refers to any level of activity above resting and sitting. Physical exercise, on the other hand, is physical activity that is planned, structured, and repeated."
They are not the same, but both give us health.
Which one should a person who wants to lose weight focus on?
"Physical activity is key to generating caloric deficit.
Physical exercise also helps (although to a lesser extent than physical activity) to increase daily energy expenditure. Both are key. However, physical activity is essential because it helps maintain a negative energy balance. To lose weight it is not enough to train a few times a week and then have a sedentary life. It is physical activity that represents a very important and majority energy expenditure in our days".
In the line of "fit" the most recommended thing is that in that weight loss, what disappears is body fat.
But
when is weight loss considered successful?
"When the person is able to handle the anxiety that weight loss can generate, when they are able to handle the desire for unhealthy foods, and well, a third point is when this weight loss is achieved," says the specialist.
At this time of year when gyms are packed and we want to have the "ideal body", the specialist reminds us that there is no reason to carry out invasive and alarming treatments that put people's health at risk.
"Let them eat a high-protein meal, but not what they will say,"
he concludes.
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