guest post by fat loss expert Josef Brandenburg
I’m probably going to get my Blog shut down over this, but I was up doing my market research for my new book (tentatively titled “The Booty You Want”). I’m scoping out the top selling competition on the bookshelves – what’s the hook? What did people like? What would people change?
I ran across the 4 Day Diet by Dr. Ian K. Smith. Then I went to his site and found a page with the results from Season 3 of the Celebrity Fit Club.
#1. Was Young MC (remember “Bust A Move”?) he dropped 38 pounds, but his body-fat % only went down by 8%.
Don't just stand there, bust a move!
Let’s do the math on that:
He started at 278lbs, so he lost 14% of his bodyweight.
So, 43% of what he lost was actually lean body mass (LBM), NOT FAT.
That is damn near half.
He dropped OVER 16lbs of LBM. Your metabolism is largely a function of how much LBM you have. If his metabolism slows down that much what are the odds that Young MC is going to keep that weight off?
Hmmm… Maybe that whole eat less and exercise more thing doesn’t really work all that well for most people?
If I get a 41 year old male client (Young MC was born in May 1967) he’s going to gain muscle while he drops body-fat.
NO, I did not cherry pick my data. Let’s look at all of the 100-Day Results:
#2. Bizarre: no data on body-fat % change
#3. Kelly LeBrock: did improve overall body composition (the ONLY one)
#4. Chastity Bono: 77% of the weight lost was LBM!
#5. Bruce Vilanch: 64% of the weight lost was LBM!
#6. Tempest Bledsoe: 55% of the weight lost was LBM!
#7. Countess Vaughn: just got fatter
Countess’ results beg the question: If you have someone motivated enough to embarrass themselves on National TV, and they GAIN weight on your 100 day program is what you teach of any value whatsoever? Are you just on TV because you are camera friendly and yelling at people makes for TV drama?
ONLY ONE PERSON in SEVEN made any meaningful progress. You can’t get any more motivated than someone being on TV. If motivation isn’t the problem, maybe your program sucks?
If you fall back on the “they didn’t follow through” excuse, then I say again: Maybe its your program that sucks? If people who are being embarrassed on TV can’t follow through on your program, who else will? If a program can’t be followed, then its sucks right?
Don’t even get me started on The Biggest Loser…
Josef Brandenburg is Washington, DC’s #1 fat-loss expert for busy people. He shows normal people with hectic lives and average genetics how to create the bodies they want in the time they actually have. To find out more click here.
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Note from Josh –
Today's article from Josef Brandenburg was re-printed with permission.
I get a ton of people asking to submit articles for the Lose Stubborn Fat! blog, and most of them I don't use. Josef's article I read on his blog and then I asked him if I could use it. It has two things that most articles I read don't have: 1.) It's fun. 2.) It fits the tone of this blog.
Most of the articles I get are really good information, but aren't entertaining. Just good info isn't enough. This blog has got to be a little fun, a little rockstar. Articles have gotta have personality.
With all respect to you, Josh, I don’t agree with your “maths”.
In theory it sounds correct, but it doesnt really apply in practice.
I’m a trainer myself, and I’ve worked with quite a few very obese clients myself. Bodyfat measurements in very obese clients just dont give accurate results, especially if you’re using callipers or electrical impedance methods. I don’t have experience with underwater weighing, so I can’t judge with that method.However, i doubt the subjects in this article used this method to determine bodyfat%.
Say a man weighs 280 lbs. Assuming his lean weight would be around 150lbs, his bodyfat % would amount to 46%, right? If he had to drop 20lbs to 260lbs, assuming his LBM remains the same, his bodyfat should measure 42%. However, in practice it never does. In my opinion bodyfat measurements are distorted in obese individuals because:
1. most common bodyfat charts are designed for ‘normal’ population
2. Obese people lose A LOT of bodywater when on a diet (I’ve had clients whose weight fluctuated by 6 lbs between morning and evening!)
3. Bodyfat is subcutaneous, intramuscular and visceral and therefore difficult to measure accurately.
Personally, in obese clients I believe that bodyweight and girth measurements are more appropriate for measuring progress.
Actually, I guess I should be adressing Joseph Brandenburg 🙂
Josef mentions the Biggest Loser with discontent. Do you feel the same? What parts of their program do you agree with? Thanks!
I have to ring in on this one! Both Josh and Gere are correct, they both have legit. arguments. I am a Doctor and have been studying theese issues for sometime. For argument sake, if you reduced 8lbs of the lost weight and attribute it to water etc… you will have a more accurate measurement, (this is for argument sake, variables are “TNTC”, TNTC=Too Numerous To Count). The bottom line, the program sucks and don’t even get me started on Oprah; she just blew over 200lbs, BS!!! I use to be 1 of theese people, 45%BF Diabetes, I have a broken neck w/plate, screws, plastic disc, cadaver parts etc… I am on the brain and spinal cord injury registry for Florida. I was Hemi paralyzed on my left side. I am currently 250 lbs, 12% BF and I returned to school finished my school, clinical work and live an awsome life.
The problem is, when the show is over, thet will not have the tools necessary to make this a life long transition. I will share theese 3 pieces of advice: be persistant, be consistant and keep your eye on the prize!
Have to ever watched the program? They condemned an entire team for using weight shedding techniques to try to win the weigh-in. The group lost weight by doing a high-protein, no carb diet for one week. The team lost more weight than their opponents, yet most lost little actual fat. One contestant’s body fat % actually increased. The group was shocked, but Ian shared that these techniques are futile and should not be employed. That team lost the weigh-in.
BTW, be “persistent” and “consistent” with your spelling. You’ll get it. 😉
ha ha that’s “have you”…once again iPhone FAIL
I have to completely agree with Richard (comment number 1 on this blog). I am a professor of Kinesiology and owner of a personal training studio dealing mainly with very overweight/obese clients.
If you have ever seen the calves and thighs (not to mention the connective tissue of the knees and angles) of overweight/obese individuals you will release that there is a certain amount of lean body mass that they can (should is probably a best word) lose.
Also, the amount of calories that is needed to be consumed to support heavy strength training for overweight/obese/out-of-shape individuals (as many internet gurus would suggest ALL individuals should train regardless of situation) would slow the weight loss down to such a degree that motivation (and probably adhering to the diet/exercise plan) would be a huge problem.
It is not realistic to believe that an extremely overweight/obese individual will not lose lbm with a new nutrition/workout program. Of course, lbm loss can be slowed dramatically with proper protein intake and strength training. You should always consider the motivation angle when trying to analyze whether a training program was successful. In my experience, individuals who allow themselves to get very out of shape have issues with motivation and discipline and if seeing the weight on the scale continue to drop keeps them motivation and with the program, I am okay with some lbm loss.
I have a lot of problems with the show.
#1. Above all else, there is a fundamental flaw in their program: the “eat less and exercise more” theory of weight-loss yields extremely poor results. It seems to fail about 98% of the time over a 2yr time-line.
#2. They do not understand the overweight/obese. We ain’t lazy. We will do ANYTHING to get lean. At some point a poor program (one based on a huge calorie deficit) will make it impossible to comply and become counter-productive.
If you have never been called “blubber thing” at summer camp, then you don’t understand what its like to be obese, or how motivated you are as a result. But, working hard at things that don’t really work won’t make them work any better.
We lose hope, but we are not lazy.
#3. Embarrassing fat people on National TV. No body who showed up to be on a humiliating TV show needs to be yelled at. In a self-selected situation people will follow a program and give it their all.
If you are having to yell at people to get them to complete their workout, then your workout sucks. If you are having to police people so that they don’t cheat, then your diet plan sucks.
I am very pleased to say that I am no longer obese. Quite the opposite now. BUT I did it by breaking all the rules – I ate MORE and exercised LESS.
Wow, this is a really interesting discussion!
Just a caveat – my average client is someone who comes to me with about 30lbs to lose.
That being said, I’ve worked with a dozen or so clients that lost 70-80lbs and one that lost 100lb, and went from 34+% to 20% (female) and 28% to 12% (male). And several of those started off on medication for Type 2 Diabetes and are now off medication.
I definitely feel like there is an acceptable amount of lean body mass loss in these cases.
If someone is really overweight, I’ll accept up to 1/3 of the weight loss being lean body mass (at first). In other words, if we’re losing a lot of weight, and 66% of it is fat, and 33% of it is LBM, I’m fine with that for a while.
I’ll take that all the way up until we’re under 18% BF for guys and under 28% BF for girls. After that point loss of LBM is unacceptable.
And I know the body fat measurements aren’t always accurate, but I take them anyway – If someone goes from a Durnin/Womersley 4 site caliper measurement of over 100mm to down to under 30mm, I know there has been a pretty major change.
I’ve always made these changes with a small caloric deficit and a DRASTIC CHANGE in the quality of food.
I start people on a fairly conservative strength training program and a fairly conservative interval training program. Conservative interval training program = walking slow alternating with intervals of walking fast.
That’s just my experience with the dozen or so clients I’ve had that lost in the 70-80lb range. Like I said, my average client comes to me to lose more like 30lbs.