Fundamentals: Energy Balance is King

I wanted to lay out some fundamentals before delving deeper into other subjects. I saw no better subject to start with than how and why we lose or gain fat.

Burning fat, at its core is very simple. As you're probably aware, the amount of body fat you hold on your frame is ultimately the result of energy balance over time. If you consistently take in more energy than you expend, you will store fat. Thankfully, the opposite is also true. There are many different factors that effect this equation, but ultimately whenever you have lost fat, its because you have expended more energy than you have taken in.

There's a huge plethora of training and nutrition strategies aimed at achieving this energy deficit, some more popular than others and some more effective than others. Some more sustainable, some more difficult, some "fads", some even dangerous. Whatever the strategy, if it has ever worked for anyone, its because it created an energy deficit, meaning the body had to use it's stored body fat as fuel.

If you are looking for a long term solution to sculpting and maintaining a physique you are happy with, then you have to find the most enjoyable method of getting and staying there. If you take an approach that you really hate, then it's going to be extremely difficult to achieve your goals, let alone maintain them.

This is where things start to get a little more complex, and hence why there is so much literature and conflicting information on the subject. You've probably heard the phase, "you've got to find what works for you". As cliche as this sounds, there is some truth to it.

When it comes to reducing bodyfat, just understand that regardless of what route you take, this basic law of thermodynamics underpins everything.

About The Author

Hi, I’m Tim Peck, I’m a fitness enthusiast and since graduating in BA (Hons) Product Design I work as a freelance designer specialising in web, graphic, and 3D Design (www.timpeck.co.uk). The nickname “Timmy Pectorals” is a title I picked up during my first summer working at the summer camp “Timber Lake Camp“. In typical British style I built a reputation for making the most of the summer sun, and would rarely be seen at camp wearing my staff shirt, and so I guess because of that reputation coupled with my surname, the summer camp community soon gave me the nickname of Timmy Pectorals.

In my first article getting lean with open mind I mentioned how I would often inadvertently cycle through stages of being very lean, and stages of not being quite so lean as I would have liked. My diet before intermittent fasting was fairly strict, and I due to good discipline I was able to achieve fairly lean results (see image below), but I was never far from a set back, so keeping this lean for longer than a few months at a time was very difficult.

Above is a picture taken in summer 2009, I got pretty lean, but was only able to sustain this for a couple of months, and my diet felt really strict and so it wasn't a lot of fun.

Here in comparison I have lost quite a lot of definition. I would often cycle from this kind of shape and the greater level of definition seen in the first image. I wouldn't say I was in particularly bad shape in this photo, but this would be as far as I would allow myself to go before I would put my foot down and start aggressively getting in better shape. I was too impatient, and would try and get too lean too quickly. So I never spent much time where I was really enjoying food as much as I would like, I felt like a was having to cut back a lot, and so it wasn't a great long term solution. Plus the fact I would diet through calorie restriction alone and eating 6 small meals meant I was constantly fuelling my body, and so fighting against insulin all the time, making getting lean more difficult (I will talk about this in more detail in another article).

In my opinion the key to staying lean, is to find a method which isn’t difficult to sustain. You must be happy with your diet not just in terms of results but also in terms of how it is effecting your life. If you’re going through each day struggling to put off cravings, its just a matter of time before you crack. With this in mind, I believe patience is very important. If you can be patient with your results, and be happy to progress very slowly, the less extreme your diet needs to be and so the easier it will be to sustain. I would often try and quickly “lean up” after a set back, and so my diet would again be very strict, probably too strict and setting me up for another set back later on down the line. My recent success and ability to sustain a level of definition I’m happy with is due to finding a method which works for me long term, I’m able to enjoy food, and enjoy results, it’s a much more balanced lifestyle. I don’t spend every day putting off cravings, and if I do go very low calorie I only do it for one day at a time, I never put very low calorie days back to back. Below are pictures of my more recent condition:

December 2010

February 2011

 

May 2011

I have been in this condition for the past 7 months, and its been incredibly easy to sustain, in fact I’ve spent the past 7 months, very slowly burning fat, whilst making satisfying gains in strength.

Following on from my point about the importance of patience, I believe that as you see results come through, the more motivation you have to continue, and so the easier any diet becomes to sustain. I believe that failures may be due to the fact that people lose heart when they don’t see results as quickly as they hoped and so their motivation drops, and eventually they quit. The trick is to stay patient and stick with it, eventually results come. Once those results come, the easier it becomes to continue. Another factor that can effect motivation is water retention, but that’s something I will write about in another article. Anyway I’m starting to waffle so I will stop there.

Whenever I have anything fitness related on my mind that I want to write about I will post it here.



TP