Weight loss - an outdated and dangerous term

Weight loss - an outdated and dangerous term

I'm mid way through writing a post relating to living by the ten laws of the primal blueprint specifically for type 1 diabetics. After all, it is one of my missions with this blog to find even one person who might benefit from the information and maybe even make the transition towards better health, blood glucose control and overall life satisfaction. I've taken a break from what will likely be my longest post yet, as I have tried to include as many references and external sources as possible. I have taken a break because a recurring annoyance has once again surfaced and I want to vent my opinions on this important issue. The issue is one that we have all heard of, "weight loss" and it's supposed importance. Why does it annoy me? Well, firstly because it is based on bad premises and ignorant viewpoints, but more importantly, because in writing my latest post I found myself slipping into using this awful phrase. I hate the misinformation the notion of weight loss has caused, and feel the need to vent, so here we go.

Apart from being an excellent anti-advertisement for fast food, this picture may raise a key question. Without thinking, does this child need to loose weight? I bet 90% or more people immediately answer yes; but I will argue here that you are dead wrong. This kid needs to loose excess body fat, that's it. Yes, weight loss will likely follow (unless he builds muscle mass, to be discussed later) from a reduction in this "little" boy's body fat, but weight reduction should not be the goal.

Not me sadly, one day though

Question 2: is this man (Scott Sonnon - awesome dude btw) borderline obese. If you said no then you are dead right. However, if you looked at the scales alone, or read his BMI you would get a 'borderline obese' result. Can you see where I am going with this - weight alone is not a measure of health or body composition. 

You really are, truely

Human beings are more than the weight we see when standing on our scales in the bathroom.
We are complex organisms that amount to more that a mere number of pounds or kilos on a set of bathroom scales. Yes you have fat, we all do, some more than others. But YOU are not fat. Weight and BMI do not equate to health. In no study has lower BMI/weight (as they are essentially the same thing, just in proportion to size) been associated with better health. However, lower body fat has. There is a difference. Which reminds me, I watched a TV special where two doctors tried a no-fat, or a no-carb diet which while interesting held the following statement "Your BMI is 24.6 (roughly, I forget the actual numbers), so you are 25% fat". No, no, no no no no no. For doctors these two were surprisingly misinformed and these things annoy me. BMI does not equate to body fat. Therefore BMI is not a worthwhile measure of good health (alongside weight).

Body fat and excess fat. 
I agree that too much excess body fat is bad for us, and I don't think anyone would disagree that shouldn't be sectioned under the mental health act. But, we should not be viewing weight as a measure of fat lost or gained. Especially if you are not rigorous in your testing (Yesterday I overheard a woman state that she weighed herself at home the day before and the scales at the doctors said she had lost 3 pounds - she sounded pretty happy, and I simply sighed internally).

Please please revise your thinking.
I don't claim to be an expert in health. I know what is good in general, and my research and education has provided me with some additional insight, as well as dealing with type 1 diabetes. What I do know is that over-reliance on meeting weight goals, and loosing that last 5 pounds is just plain unhealthy; mentally and physically. I am certain that a number of people with mental health issues surrounding their body image are focusing on weight far too much. I know that I am a guy, and to be honest, I want to put on some muscle mass which will likely increase my weight. But that does not mean that I don't understand that harm that can come from looking at a set of scales and allowing the number staring up at you to define your worth. After all, pre-diagnosis I was pretty happy that I had lost some 20 pounds and was getting skinny (another pet peeve, skinny is bad, lean is good - redefine this thought too). I am glad that I am no longer so stupid to view weight loss as a good thing, though I do relish the fact that my excess body fat is melting away with a combination of Primal dining, and Tacfit training.

I hope this makes my point clear, same weight (and BMI), healthier, fitter body

The above picture is from an article on paleo zone nutrition regarding bmi, weight and body image. Check it out for another article driving my point home.

Moan over, I needed that vent. Apologies that I have likely missed out some important key points, and couldn't find some of the literature I wanted to link.

Respectfully,
Sam

What the Primal Blueprint means to me. Law# 4 Lift heavy things

Last time we covered moving frequently at a slow pace and the benefits of such exercise. I also discussed how prolonged cardio-based exercise isn't particularly functional or useful (if health or fat-loss are your goals, if you're a dedicated marathon runner then power to you). This time I want to discuss lifting heavy things as a mode of exercise that stimulates muscle growth and strength building.

Our ancestors walked a lot, and this should be a given when thinking about hunter-gatherer societies. Also, they lifted heavy things, not for exercise per se, but to drag the kill home, climb a tree to avoid danger, or haul something heavy across a campsite. For any parent readers, there were no carriers or places to leave your young ones for a few hours, babies would be carried almost non-stop through the days travels. This was an every day event, and as such our ancestors (including the children, and the women) were strong and lean. We may not be able to emulate these brief, yet regular exposures to lifting heavy things in modern society due to 9-5 working weeks and hectic lifestyles. But, the importance of lifting heavy is integral to health. Oh and for type 1 diabetics, increasing muscle mass (especially combined with reduced excess body-fat) increases insulin sensitivity and therefore less insulin is needed. Sound good?

The closest we can get to regular heavy lifting in modern society is planned exercise. There are loads of options out there, but a few key rules should be followed. Firstly, sessions should not exceed around 45 minutes (maybe an hour with breaks, not counting warm-ups and cool downs). Secondly, watch the intensity, you should be working hard, but not at full speed/capacity - that's what law#5 - sprint occasionally is all about. If you rated your excursion on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being maximum effort, I would say around a 6-8 rating would be ideal. Third, the sessions should focus on full body exercises where possible and not focus on isolating individual muscles. But I like the bicep curl machine, or the ab machine or the bench-press machine at the gym some will say. I could argue at length about this, but to keep it short I will only point out that our bodies are designed to work as an entire unit. Take the bench press as an example. You are missing out on the stabilizing tension the core and legs must perform during push ups. This is why gym muscle builders are so injury-prone, because their bodies are imbalanced and their musculature is out of whack. Personally, I would rather be fully-recovered, balanced, and have the ability to perform full body movements, rather than under-recovered, injury prone, but with the ability to boast defined biceps. So, in short lifting heavy things sessions should be brief, intense and full body events. See Marks post on the exercise action items here. What counts as a heavy thing? Firstly, we are heavy things - I weigh about 155 pounds, I would say that that's a heavy thing to lift. Of course weights, kettlebells and so on all count, but I argue that body-weight exercises should form the center of any exercise regime.

Push-ups are good

If you're feeling adventurous.

I plan on writing a series on different full body exercises and routines for beginners with progressions etc. But as I currently utilize TACFIT almost exclusively, I would feel like too much of a thief of Scott Sonnon's work just now. For a series of awesome body weight, dumbbell, and clubbell routines, amongst others - check out the TACFIT programs offered here.
Here's an overview of my medium and high intensity sessions. The exercises stay the same, but I vary reps to increase intensity. Medium intensity should be 6-8 on our exertion scale, and High intensity should be 8-10 (this is where it gets into sprint-like sessions).
Part 1- After warm-up - TACFIT Commando. Six exercises, each performed for 8 rounds of 20 seconds exertion folllowed by 10 seconds rest with a 60 second break between exercises. Totaling 30 minutes exercise. There are three 'missions' each with three progressions. Each runs for 28 days.
Part 2- Clubbell exercises. I'll post a full video on clubbell exercises soon, but for now lets agree that they're awesome. For the uninitiated, the clubbell is like a baseball bat, made of steel, weighing between 2-20kg. It doesn't sound heavy, but the swinging motions work the whole rotational movement. True caveman exercise :-) I am currently working on achieving a century in the double swipes from Trial by Fire to build up.
End with full body compensation yoga, and I am done in around an hour. I know this pushes the boundary of the prescribed 'lift heavy things' mantra. However, I have higher goals than average and ensure that I keep the sessions within safe limits and most importantly know my own limits.

Get a clubbell (or two), use it, love it.

I'll be writing a future post about the benefits of the TACFIT and CST health and recovery first exercise because it is the way forward. It functions perfectly with the primal/paleo lifestyle and most importantly for me, works amazingly to maintain my health living with type 1 diabetes. So, there we have it. Exercise 1-3 times a week for a brief, intense session with full body exercises to improve overall health, and build muscle mass. See you next time for Law#5 Sprint occasionally.

Respectfully,
Sam

Link love #2 Scott Sonnon

My second idol after Mark Sisson. Scott Sonnon is an awesome dude and his health first fitness is pure genius. He also endorses a paleo diet combined with smart exercise.
Don't work harder, work smarter

Check out his blog here