Cardio doesn’t work for fat loss. If you want to lose fat, you will need to change your diet. While cardio can increase the total calories burned, it isn’t the best path for real fat loss. If you want to lean out, the best route to go is to find your resting metabolic rate (RMR).

Now you will know the number of calories you cannot drop below during the day and build out your macro set knowing how many calories you need to hit your fat goals. Calories and macros are all diets. The old adage that you cannot out-train a bad diet is 100% true. If you want to gain muscle or make your heart stronger, then cardio is a great answer. If you want fat loss, then you need to change your chemical intake.

The first uncomfortable reality we have to recognize is that you have to supplement if you want to be healthy and you want good nutrition. You can no longer get the chemicals/nutrition your body needs from our foods.

This brings us to the statement that we eat for macros and thus energy, and we supplement for nutrition. If you have too much fat, you need to reevaluate your macro and calorie set. If you do not have the minerals or vitamins you need, that is a supplementation issue.

Going vegan, carnivore, or the Mediterranean is not going to change your nutrition much if you are in the United States. You can go from really bad all the way up to mediocre as far as nutrition goes, but you cannot get too good or great without supplementation unless you grow your own food. If you have a greenhouse where you grow your own food, you can escape supplementation. For those of you who can grow your own food, I highly recommend it; however, for those like me who cannot, your only real choice is supplements.

If we can all understand these 2 points: macros for fat content, and supplements for health, then we can start to get healthy.

Check out the Chalmers Facebook Group for Wellness updates! And ask me any questions you have at questions@chalmerswellness.com. I answer all of them and look forward to hearing from you.

Dr. Matt Chalmers