Getting fit may be as easy as setting goals

Fitness trainer says science and metabolism play into weight loss

By CHRIS CLINE
Daily Journal Staff Writer

Now that the new year is here, it’s time to shed those extra pounds picked up over the holidays. How many people actually follow through a weight-loss plan? Is it because they don’t want to do it, or is it because they don’t know how to do it?

Diets, diets and more diets, which one will be the fad of the year and what be the secret key to burning fat? The one that restricts you to 1,000 calories a day? The one that says you can’t consume carbohydrates? What about the one that says you must eat at least six times a day? Does that have your attention?

It all has to do with science and metabolism.

Jerry Toler is a certified personal trainer and nutritional counselor at Better Bodies Inc. He has been at the local fitness center for about eight years.

He is originally from the St. Louis area and is retired from AT&T.

“I was always an athlete in high school,” Toler said. “Then after high school I went through a bad period in my life in which I got really, really fat. I finally got disgusted and the athlete came back out in me. I started trying all of the diets. I got the same results everybody else gets. The ups and downs, the roller coaster.”

Toler said he decided he needed to start studying nutrition. He said at the time he was working out at a gym in St. Louis called Body Builders Inc.

“Someone at the gym introduced me to John Parrillo,” Toler said. “I started reading his stuff. He is a nutritional genius. Twenty years ago he started out the multi meal a day plan. This was unheard of before him. His plans really worked for me. Not only did I buy into his nutritional plans, I also bought into his philosophies in working out, cardio and stretching. I used these not only on me, but also on the people I was helping. They really worked and that is what has shaped my philosophies as a personal trainer.”

After Toler retired from AT&T he became a Parrillo certified personal trainer. The biggest satisfaction he gets is when his clients achieve their goals.

“There is nothing better than that for me,” Toler said. “I enjoy helping people. I think if a person knows how to do things the right way, it’s easier for them to do it.”

Toler doesn’t believe in quick fixes or taking pills to lose weight. He believes in developing a balanced plan that a person can maintain the rest of his or her life.

He said this time of year is typically the gym’s busiest time.

“It’s a new year and people have these new year’s resolutions,” he said. “It’s a big thing about getting fit. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day people typically put on about 12 pounds. So the first thing they want to do is get rid of that weight.”

Toler said when people make resolutions to lose the weight they gained, they are setting themselves up to fail. Instead, he believes in setting goals.

“People make New Year’s Resolutions that say they want to lose 15-20 pounds,” Toler said. “Rather than do that, set a goal. Make it an attainable goal. Instead of going after it all at once, take smaller steps and set yourself up to have success.”

He said the main difference between a resolution and a goal is that a resolution is too broad.

“Instead of saying I want to go down two dress sizes, start off by saying I want to go down one dress size,” Toler said. “After you have obtained that, then you can set another goal to go down the other dress size.”

Toler said the No. 1 reason people fail is they set their goals too high and they get discouraged.

“People expect immediate results,” he said. “Ninety percent of my clients want to lose body fat. If they come to me and say they want to lose weight, I caution them about that. There are a lot of differences between losing weight and losing body fat. I teach these people about nutrition. I would say 90 percent of the people who say I eat well aren’t eating enough. They are not getting enough nutrients.”

Toler said that is one of the main reasons people can’t lose fat. He said if the body doesn’t get enough calories it will go into a starvation mode.

“It’s a defense mechanism inside our body,” Toler said. “Your metabolism shuts down at that point. When your metabolism shuts down, your body will refuse to burn fat. It keeps body fat for what it sees as a famine. In other words, your body will store the body fat, but will start cannibalizing on your muscle. You will lose muscle and will actually retain or gain fat. That’s not what you want.”

Toler said there is a right kind of calorie and a wrong kind of calorie. Find out more about the difference in Wednesday’s edition of the Daily Journal.

Chris Cline is a reporter for the Daily Journal. Contact him at 573-431-2010, ext. 114 or at ccline@dailyjournalonline.com.

 

Archives Web Site Marketplace Obits Babies Jobs