It all started with a small serving of my usual whining. I said; “When I eat I gain weight (fat, of course), when I don’t I can’t lift (weights)”. He said; “You need to diet”. I was in the gym, and Bertan was the instructor there. From our previous conversations I knew he was taking my training too seriously. I was working out with intensity, but just for the fun. So I felt the need to clarify my goals; “I just want to eat like an animal”[1]. So it started.
We quickly drafted a plan and decided to start immediately. A 2 month diet period. I was enthusiastic because I was thinking all that food I can ingest, and I had done dieting before (I had lost 16 kg). Easy, right? I wonder if it would mean anything had he told me the truth; that I would suffer so much and feel so bad to the point the hunger would be comforting. I guess it wouldn’t make a difference.
Difficulty Is Not Incidental
At the end of 2 months I have lost 7 kg and took 11 cm off my waist. I would like to note that I lost almost no muscle (only 2 cm from my arms). It is of highest importance that you lose fat and retain muscle mass. So I am very happy with the results, much better than I had expected.
But make no mistake; it was not easy for me. It was especially difficult to sleep. Because you stop eating early (7~8 p.m.). Also because you increase your metabolism to the point where you hear a loud thumping noise when you go to bed. That is your heart rate at rest. This is the key to diet.
Many people believe that the exercise itself is burning the fat. NO! You exercise to increase your metabolism. You typically burn 300 calories per hour with the (aerobic or anaerobic) exercise. How long can you keep doing it? Your basal metabolic rate is likely to be around 1700 KCal/day. Do the math. When you start cutting calories your body reacts trying to utilize energy efficiently. Your metabolism decreases. This is where the cardio training becomes important. You keep yourself active and work against your body to keep burning fat.
Learn Through Pain
Everybody has a different physique, and react differently to individual types of food. I mean junk food, and unhealthy fats in general. But even with the most convenient genetics and lifestyle; sugar messes with your insulin levels and saturated fats find a way to stay within your fat tissues. Then why do we do this to ourselves, why do we keep eating the wrong stuff? I guess besides the obvious reasons[2], we find comfort in our ignorance.
I love cheese, for instance. Not that I am saying it is bad food. But good cheese has a lot of saturated fat. After this last diet, I started eating much less cheese. Being the Pavlov’s dog is nothing to be proud of, but it works. Even the thought of 
I still workout for fun. But I plan to eat clean and stay in shape. Diet if necessary. Because I am not getting any younger. Next time you are in the supermarket, take a good look at the fat on meats. Some of it is chopped of course. But you can still see the white tissue that serves no real purpose[3]. It gives me creeps when I think I was carrying that 10 kg of fat everywhere, just like the fat on that meat only much bigger. And I still have at least that much on…
1: Ok, this might sound funny now. But come see me working out one day, and you will understand why animal.
2: I am one of those people who eats more when depressed.
3: Have you heard of a drought nearby recently?
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