Running for an hour, followed by 45 minutes of weights, is overkill. You can’t out-train a crappy diet. In other words, thinking your going to combat the fat with excessive exercise—without changing what you eat—is a misperception; in fact, its a waste of time! As I have said in previous posts, food is the control when losing fat and building muscle.

Before I forget, I want to stress that fat doesn’t turn into muscle, and muscle doesn’t turn into fat.

Fat and muscle are two entirely different tissue types.

By regulating your blood sugar via a low-glycemic (sugar) food plan, you set the stage for losing fat. Insulin is a pancreatic hormone released into the blood after eating food. Its job is to transport sugar (glucose) to the liver, muscles and fat. Although there are other hormones of metabolism, I will focus on insulin, as it is the master hormone of fat storage.

Any food that increases insulin has a probability of creating fat

Carbohydrates, when eaten, become sugar (glucose) in the blood. Junk sugars like bagels, donuts, pancakes, candy, cookies, and white pasta, as well as more healthful sugars like fruit, brown rice, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets etc., all raise the insulin level.

If we learn the ins and outs of controlling our hormones, we can be the masters of our body composition.

This country has never been more overweight—I should say overfat.

The standard American diet and the antiquated food pyramid have contributed to the obesity epidemic. With slick marketing, sly advertisers have labeled food packaging ‘low-fat’, thus misleading the public into thinking that ‘low-fat’ is not only healthful, but that eating a low-fat product will contribute to weight loss.

However, after taking out the fat, they increase the junk sugars like high-fructose corn syrup, a synthetic sugar that ignites the release of insulin like gas ignites a burning fire, setting the stage for major fat production.

So, don’t be fooled!

Losing fat begins with your lifestyle:  cardio every other day, weights every other day, and eliminate eating junk sugars. Wake up eating protein instead of sugar; eat protein with complex carbs throughout the day, and the clinical pearl is … NO carbs at night. In fact, don’t have any big meal at night, including protein.

As your body winds down at the end of the day, you shouldn’t be eating as if you are starting your day.

Non-used calories will be stored as fat.

Summary:  Eliminate junk sugars, no carbs after 6-7pm, start the day with protein, and eat small amounts frequently throughout the day. Those changes will lead to more fat loss and less time in the gym.