Fat is to the body as coal is to the fire...and burning calories is all about heat..
There is a constant debate regarding how the body uses nutrition in relation to exercise. And most importantly, how to burn off fat. So to open up this topic I want to ask you, whomever you are the following question. What is a calorie? If you answered that it has something to do with a measurement of energy, or how we determine the composition of food, you'd be in the majority. If you said the following you're in the 2% category.
The scientific definition of a calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by one degree Celsius from 15° to 16° at atmospheric pressure
Hmmm...so how does that apply to me, Average Joe/Judy who's primary goal is to come to the gym or go to my garage and exercise and burn off some of those love handles. (and by the way, that's got to be one of the craziest oxymorons ever!) So how about I give it a shot without getting too technical.
Food is divided into 3 basic groups. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats. All three of them generate energy. It's just that some are better than others. And ironically enough, we can create a 'parallel' to those 3 items, hence the title of this article. So remember this. Carbs are akin to paper. Protein is akin to wood. And fat is akin to coal. Now let's talk about fires and heat. Because you can't forget what a calorie is - A unit of Heat.
The longest and hottest burning fuel for a fire is without doubt coal. After that you'd have to say wood. Followed by paper. Interestingly enough, the exact same concept goes for your body in the arena of energy. But we refer to them in the opposite order. The first and best source of energy would be carbs. Followed by protein. With fat bringing up the rear. Got that?
So how does that translate to exercise and fat burning? Here's some bad news and it's a statement that when I tell my clients annoys them thoroughly. The human body was not created to use fat as a primary source of fuel. Nor is it a secondary source of fuel. It's the last choice possible for generating energy. So when you go to the gym on an empty stomach thinking that you are going to use fat to power your way through a workout, I hate to say it but you won't. If you read the other articles you'll understand the body's need for fuel to perform appropriately.
So what can you do to burn fat? Once again, let's take the fire analogy. If I go to the gym and jump on the treadmill and run for 20 minutes on an empty stomach I'm going to fatigue very quickly. And no matter how convinced I am that I can motivate myself to go another 20, 30 or 40 minutes, I won't. I'll quite simply run out of juice/energy/strength. It's the equivalent of holding a butane lighter over a lump of coal (fat). There's no way in hell that you're going to get that thing to burn before the lighter runs out! You could also say the same for wood (or protein). You aren't going to be able to get a fire burning before the lighter runs out. On the other hand let's look at paper (carbs)
An hour before I go to the gym I consume 200 “ 300 calories of carbs. My body converts these carbs into an immediate source of energy. I use this energy to get me through the first 20 minutes of my workout. Then I run out. Just like the butane lighter. But unlike with wood or coal, the lighter has served its purpose. It has created a fire. And allowed the wood (protein) to ignite and burn. Which too will run out. But as the wood runs out, the coal continues to burn. Hot and long! Which is exactly what happens to my body.
If you're skeptical about this observation, I recommend you give it a try. Get up at 7 and go run 6 miles on an empty stomach. Review your run “ pace, level of effort, level of fatigue, recovery rate etc. Then a few days later get up at 7 and eat a whole wheat bagel with some low fat peanut butter and sugar free jam with a banana. An hour (depending upon your bodily functions) go do the same run. I can almost guarantee that the results will be much better than running on an empty stomach.
I went into a lot of detail in this article (you'd be correct if you said I belabored the point or smashed it into submission!!) but my intention is simple. Things aren't the way you wish they were....they're the way they are! And I have the following conversation with all of my clients regarding nutrition. œBut that's not what I want to hear.? I know it's not what you want to hear. You want me to give you a different observation. But I can't. But I'd love to help you out. Let's chat.