Here’s standard quote: “Losing weight can improve health and reduce many of the risk factors related to diabetes and heart disease.” Unfortunately, that’s not true. The correct statement is “losing excess body fat can improve health and reduce many of the risk factors related to diabetes and heart disease.”
It may seem like a minor difference, but it makes a world of difference. Weight loss could be due to water loss or cannibalization of lean body mass (muscles and organs), neither of which will lead to any health benefits.
If you want to reduce excess body fat, you have to lower insulin levels. How do you control that on a consistent basis? Remember the 80/20 rule. That means 80 percent of your insulin control will come from following a strict anti inflammatory diet, and 20 percent will come from increased physical activity.
This means the best exercise program can be undone by the wrong diet. Physical exercise has many important benefits, such as reducing the likelihood of diabetes and heart disease, improving sense of self-worth and hanging out with like-minded individuals.
Unfortunately, initial weight loss is not one of those benefits since research has demonstrated that exercise increases one’s appetite. This is why following a strict anti inflammatory diet is imperative if you are trying to lose weight by increasing your exercise. Another helpful hint is to increase your high purity omega-3 oil intake, as it has been demonstrated that fat loss is significantly increased when high purity omega-3 oil is used in combination with exercise.
On the other hand, after you reach your weight goals, the balance of diet and exercise to maintain your weight shifts to a 50/50 balance. Now exercise becomes an ideal way to maintain your weight as long as you continue to control insulin through the anti inflammatory diet.