Hey… its been a crazy week! I wanted to talk to my women today through the blog because ya’ll got real issues!!!! I have no idea why the same questions come up from women again and again, but it always revolves around 4 things hence my title, “Four Women Only”. I am going to run down these 4 things and get them off my chest and be done with them once and for all. I don’t know if you can detect my “tone” by my writing but if you can’t, then I’ll tell you I’ve had enough up to my eyeballs with answering these 4 things. Ladies, I am going to run them down to you right now, pay attention!

Diet-  The cookie diet, oatmeal diet, cat diet, rat diet… whatever diet you are on stop now because I can tell you it is only a temporary “fix” and it won’t last. Most of the weight you lose on diets is unhealthy weight loss… you lose weight, but also muscle. Muscle is what keeps your fat burning oven going all day. Our society places pressure on women by telling them they have to be a certain dress size and certain weight to look good and diet companies feed off this. I don’t care if Dr. Seuss made your diet… it ain’t gonna work long term! The only long term solution is a change in eating habits and weight training.

Starving yourself– The principle of fat loss is burning more calories than you consume but you need to eat! The right foods can help your metabolism along but starving yourself only slows down your metabolism.You can strategically fast” to lose bodyfat and there are some obvious benefits to this, but just plain starving yourself is crazy.

Instant Gratification– Tell me why… why, why, why do I always get asked by a woman who hasn’t exercised in years ask me within 2 workouts why they aren’t losing any fat. It didn’t take you 2 days to gain all the fat you have, why do you think it’s gonna take you 2 days to lose it! This leads me to my last and final point.

Scale Watchers– Women by far are the most guilty of this. Quit watching the scale and worrying about weight loss. The name of the game is fat loss. Muscle is more compact than fat so as you start to train with weights etc., you’ll notice your clothes will start to fit better and you’ll look better naked. Yup I said it! ( smile) It may not necessarily show up on the scale but it will show in the compliments you get, and the added energy you’ll receive from working out. Always remember… you want to improve lean body mass.

Bonus Tip***** Women… please don’t be afraid to pick up a weight or a resistance band and start using it. You’ll transform your body quicker doing this. If you have the chance to weight train vs climbing on the treadmill doing boring cardio,  go for the weight training. Ladies send me your questions/ comments I would love to hear from you. See you on the lean side.

Darren McDuffie
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Nutrition Education and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist