Elephants are Vegetarians!
Thursday, 17 June 2010 00:00 Written by Mark Last Updated on Friday, 18 March 2011 15:38
About 3 years ago I was sitting in my office eavesdropping on a conversation one of our trainers was having with a couple of members. They were discussing diet and how these women just couldn't lose the weight they wanted to lose. These ladies fit the mold of the typical deconditioned, middle-aged woman that wants to lose weight, spends a little bit of time in the gym, and honestly thinks she is doing the right things to attain her goals. She really has no idea what she is doing and got all of her ideas about fitness and weight loss from a trendy magazine or a friend that knows somebody that lost weight.
As I listened to this trainer politely listen to and answer all the questions being thrown at him, I began to get a little apprehensive. The women were telling him how they ate alot of fruits, vegetables, and salads. He was trying his best to explain to them that what they were eating wasn't the problem, but they just weren't getting it. I almost fell out of my chair when he had had enough and finally said, "Elephants are vegetarians!"
Fortunately for him, he got to keep his job and surprisingly wasn't slapped. Although a little crude, his point was something that many people fail to realize. When it comes to weight loss, it doesn't matter what you eat, but how much of it you eat. It all comes down to calories in, calories out. Too much of even the "healthiest" foods can cause you to pack on the pounds. If you want to eat 3000 calories of pizza and ice cream, go ahead! You just better burn 3000 calories to get rid of it.
Losing weight is really pretty simple. It all comes down to simple math. 3500 calories=1 pound. So simply, a 500 calorie deficit a day for a week produces 1 pound of weight loss. I'm not saying that fat, carbs, and protein is unimportant, but when it comes to just losing weight, it doesn't matter how many grams of fat or carbs you eat. Its all about the calories.
If you are like most people and just want to lose a little bit of weight, get off the couch and burn a few more calories and leave a little bit of food on your plate, and the weight will start to come off. And the next time you are at the salad bar thinking you are going to eat healthy, just remember that elephants are vegetarians...and manatees...and hippos...
