Time For A Little Lesson On Getting Leaner!
posted on: April 03, 2018. posted in: Weight loss, Nutrition
I'd like you to imagine a sponge.
Now imagine popping that sponge in your pocket and walking around with it all day, everyday, everywhere you go.
When your sponge is dry...
Your body is burning fat 🔥
When your sponge is wet...
Your body is storing fat 💧
Only when your sponge is completely dry does your body start burning off your fat stores, making you leaner. But whenever your sponge is the slightest bit damp your body starts filling up your fat stores, making you fatter.
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Now imagine every time you eat some food you pull out your sponge and pour some water on it.
If you eat a little bit of food?
You pour a little bit of water on it.
If you eat a lot of food?
You pour a lot of water on it.
If you have a full on binge?
You dunk your sponge in water.
And for as long as your sponge is wet, your body is storing fat, so you have to wait for your sponge to dry out before your body starts burning fat again.
The less food you eat and the less often, the drier your sponge and the faster you burn fat 🔥
The more food you eat and the more often, the wetter your sponge and the faster you store fat 💧
Oh, and exercise?
That's like a warm breeze on your sponge 💨
The harder you train, the longer you train and the more often you train...
The faster your sponge is going to dry out and the faster your body is going to switch back to fat burning mode 🔥
__________
Now imagine you've had a binge on Sunday night.
You wake up on Monday morning with a soaking wet sponge, and your body is still in fat storage mode from your blowout the night before 💧
If you start eating less and exercising more from Monday morning, it's going to take at least a day or two for your sponge to dry out and for your body to switch back to fat burning mode 🔥
But if you continue to eat less and exercise more (and keep your sponge dry) your body starts burning fat really quickly by the end of the week! 🔥
But what happens if you have another binge over the weekend?
You've gone and dunked your sponge again!! 💧
So you've switched your body from fat burning mode back to fat storing mode, and you have to eat less and exercise more for a day or two before your sponge dries out and your body can start burning fat again 🔥
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Having a piece of chocolate is like pouring a few drops of water on your sponge. Having a bowl of chips is like pouring a small glass of water on your sponge. Having a takeaway, pudding and wine is like dunking your sponge in water and holding there!
Now with this new knowledge and awareness, what do you think is best way to plan your nutrition and exercise if getting leaner is your goal?
"I know Liam!!! You need to eat as little as possible and exercise as much as possible to keep your sponge as dry as possible, so you burn fat super fast!!"
The theory sounds awesome...
Doesn't it?
But the application...
Not so good!
People who take this extreme sponge drying approach, cutting calories on diets whilst hammering out 5 different fitness classes a week, actually end up BINGING MORE as their brains fight back against starvation.
Meaning they spend more time with their sponge dunked under water, storing fat 💧than they do with a dry sponge, burning fat 🔥
Yes, they spend a lot of time eating less and exercising more, but never enough to counteract the huge binges and their permanently soaking sponges!
The secret to sustainable fat loss is far less obvious.
And somewhat counterintuitive...
It involves eating and wetting your sponge often enough that your body is fuelled and your brain doesn't think that you're starving, but equally keeping it dry enough that you actually tap into your fat stores and get leaner.
"So you mean I need to keep my sponge wet AND dry, but more dry than wet so I burn more fat than I store?!"
Exactly!
Wetting your sponge regularly keeps you well fuelled, preventing binges. And that fuel can then be used to increase your fitness, drying out your sponge.
And if you look at athletes?
And lean people?
That's exactly how they do it!
They aren't dieting off their fat.
They're training off their fat.
They take in a lot of calories to fuel their fitness by wetting their sponge, and that high level of fitness works like a fairly constant hair dryer, blowing on their sponge, drying it out and forcing their body into a state of leanness 💧💨🔥
The more you diet and starve your body, the less motivated you are to exercise, and the more time you spend binging and dunking your sponge under water, then wondering why you're getting fat 💧💧💧
The take home message?
You can't starve your sponge dry.
You have to train your sponge dry.
And to train your sponge dry, you need to eat!
This makes the equation for leanness...
💧+ 💨 = 🔥
Eat to fuel your fitness and your fitness will burn the fat, even while you rest. The challenge is convincing dieters that eating more will actually help them get leaner longer term.
Liam
p.s. if you've enjoyed this lesson then please share it with a friend! If you've found this lesson boring then please comment below with suggestions of what you'd rather be reading and learning about! Thanks in advance!
