It’s a simple formula; for a body to remain slim, said body must ingest fewer calories than is needed by that body for basic function.
The alternative is to ingest more than is needed and have the remaining calories (energy) converted to fat by the body then stored under the body’s skin in case of sudden famine.
Of course, every body’s sustenance/energy/calorie requirements are different; metabolic rate, body size, genes et cetera, all come into the equation, yet, taking in account a few variables, the above formula remains the same.
Working alongside one of those ‘variables’, few years ago, inadvertently, I discovered the key to superior fat burning.
Please understand, this was somewhat of an unwelcome revelation as, at that time, with 183 centimetres and barely 72 kilograms to my name, I was already closer to ‘underweight’ than I was ‘overweight’.
Thing about that, few years prior to my ‘revelation’, I recall witnessing the rapid transformation of British comedian, Jimmy Carr, as he went from a massive presence in every way to, only a brief time later, standing still as a hugely tall character but without the accompanying corpulence; also lost, arguably, in the months surrounding his downsizing, was a sizable portion of his ebullience but then, Jimmy Carr’s waning comedic ability of years gone by was not my concern.
Indeed, today’s concern relates to the modern-day penchant for compulsive or, over–eating. “But we’re so busy, you know,” some might contest, “we have no time to eat properly, like, we just have to take what we can get, you know, like a quick snack on the go or you know … We’re just so busy…”
Really? How busy are we? So busy we must eat more, or do less? I mean, really. Are we actually any busier than we were ten years ago, or have we just allowed our lives, our minds to become so terribly occupied by a modern-day technological scourge, that for most of us, we feel there is not-a-moment-to-lose, lest we miss out on the next update or like or comment or validation or request or, other highly-pressing-but-ultimately-pointless, notification? Yes, occupancy may have increased but likely, productivity has remained steady.
Jimmy Carr, all those years back, was interrogated by many notable characters; all asked basically the same question – “So what diet did you do?” – as if there was no way in the world he might just have started an exercise regime.
As I recall, Jimmy Carr, all those years ago, replied simply, “No, no diet, I just cut down to two meals a day.”
This strategy, at least this principle, as verified by my own experience some years later, is worth noting; remember, if your body doesn’t use the energy (calories) you have provided it, that energy (calories) will be converted to fat and stored under the body’s skin for later.
When I (unwittingly) discovered the technique that (lamentably) caused me to, an already slim being with (perceptibly) not a lot to lose, in the space of twelve months, somehow, drop from 72 to 68 kilograms, I was aghast; yet I felt I understood.
My routine for years has remained unchanged: I start the day with a gargantuan breakfast which I consume at my desk over the following hours then, sometime later, at around 2 p.m., I work my way through a similarly sizeable lunch, again at my desk, in preparation for a 6 p.m. sporting engagement (I realise exerting strenuously for the best part of two hours over four nights of the week, to many people, isn’t realistic but that’s fine, please, bear with; like I said, focus on the principle here). I return home around 8, ravenous, grab a banana, a few handfuls of nuts and an apple to wash it all down, before showering and going to bed.
Maintaining this schedule, as a 33-year-old man with no ostensible excess, I dropped a horrifying 4 kilograms; my target weight was, and still is, 75 kilograms yet here I am, to this day, languishing on 68. The principle, like Jimmy’s regime, cut out that evening meal or at least, make it more of an evening snack.
Do have breakfast and do not think that if you go to bed with a full stomach you can skip breakfast the next day, ‘Because you know, it’s like, basically the same thing’. It’s not the same thing. Your body has already taken all the leftover calories from that unnecessarily large evening meal and converted them to fat as you’ve slept. By skipping breakfast that next morning all you’ve effectively done is not announce to your metabolism that it’s time to wake; of course, your body will use some of the fat stores it accumulated the previous night but because you’re still biologically half asleep, because your metabolism has yet to properly awaken, your body won’t allow you to use nearly the amount of energy (calories) you might have after sustenance.
Alternatively, if consuming a sizable evening meal is more important to you than being slim, alright, but how about having it earlier – instead of 9 try 6 p.m. – give your body time to digest and more to the point, to metabolise what you’ve ingested.
Again, this earlier mealtime thing won’t be realistic to some but still, the principle remains the same; endeavour to go to bed empty, rather than full.
You’ll feel better, you’ll look better because of it.
Article by Tim Walker
Edited by Isla Orway Eatwell
Photography by Fatboy Slim