Why eating too little stops you from losing fat

Losing body fat is a very simple business, it all boils down to the first law of thermodynamics: 

First take a system, let's use the human body as an example. In order to reduce the amount of stored energy within the system - the fat - the amount of energy leaving the system needs to exceed the amount of energy going in. In practical terms this means the amount of calories entering the body through the digestive system needs to be less than the amount of calories used in the same period of time. 

If you stick to this principle you will lose weight. However, I said it was simple, not easy.
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There are a number of variables to consider such as; 

• Resting metabolic rate (the amount of energy you use while resting), 
• Energy used exercising (both during and after exercise) 
• The energy cost of digestion (Some foods are harder to digest than others)  
• The type of exercise (Aerobic/Interval/Resistance)
• Hormones 
• Ensuring the retention  or increase of muscle mass 
• Maintaining a manageable lifestyle
• Gender

All of these variables affect the 'system' in different ways. One of the most common complaints is one coming from those on a low calorie diet, such as those promoted by these people. They start well but then plateau. 

Here's the problem:

In the beginning reducing calorie intake works, the energy intake decreases and so as a result the stored energy decreases in a similar fashion. BUT the human body is a self regulating system hard-wired for survival. When it's energy stores dwindle from reduced intake, it slows down the rate of work, offsetting the loss. Achieving a balance. This is what's referred to as a reduction in metabolic rate.

So now what? 

You go back to the diet meeting and are advised that you should exercise. This will increase the amount of energy lost by the system and will create a deficit like before. But as expected, the human body fights back further, slowing down even more. Only this time it is getting serious, energy is having to be withdrawn from systems such as the immune system. Disposable energy levels are low, leaving the body tired and prone to sickness. 

Simply put the attitude is wrong. 

The goal of losing weight is not one that should be used lightly, sometimes it is necessary but rarely. The actual goal is to lose fat. To alter the body composition to a more healthy state. Last time I checked starving yourself was not healthy. 

The effects of a chronic low calorie diet are as follows:

1. Reduced thyroid function, meaning a reduction in the willingness of your body to use energy eaten. (Reduced metabolic rate)
2. Reduced testosterone, which means less muscle mass. (Reduced metabolic rate)
3. Increased hunger (either more suffering or more energy in)

The best way to go about altering your body composition is to fuel your body with enough of the right foods so your body composition changes to an athletic and healthy physique, not to starve yourself to a desired weight. 

So go on eat something!

References

Fontana L, Klein S, Holloszy JO, Premachandra BN. (2006). Effect of long-term calorie restriction with adequate protein and micronutrients on thyroid hormones. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and metabolism. 91 (8), p3232-3235.

Cangemi R, Friedmann AJ, Holloszy JO, Fontana L. (2010). Long-term effects of calorie restriction on serum sex-hormone concentrations in men. Aging Cell. 9 (2), p236-242.

Chan JL, Heist K, DePaoli AM, Veldhuis JD, Mantzoros CS. (2003). The role of falling leptin levels in the neuroendocrine and metabolic adaptation to short-term starvation in healthy men. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 111 (9), p1409-1421.

Why do you bother warming up?

There are lots of good reasons to warm up, but if you asked the general population what they got out of it, I'd imagine the answers would be pretty weak. I train lots of clued up people, but I very rarely see a client who takes their warm up as seriously as they take their workout.

If you're reading this then I guess you care about your health. You've paid for a gym membership and you keep a strict diet. Even though you are busy you make time to train. You take supplements to give your body the best possible platform and you see yourself as dedicated. But if you don't warm up properly and correctly then you are cutting yourself short. 

Your warm up is not only a time to prepare your body but a time to prepare your mind. Take deep breaths, think.

At this point, leave any mental or emotional baggage outside the gym, it serves no purpose in there. Imagine your goal, let it motivate you from within. Read over your programme, and then begin the pre-exercises. 

Now that your mind is focussed, ensure you know what you're doing and why you're doing it. The reason for a warm up is not just to prevent injury, because the evidence for that is tenuous at best. The reason why you should warm up is that it primes your body for maximum performance. 



Self Myofascial Release/Foam Rolling

This primarily improves range of motion through increasing soft tissue felxibility, without negatively affecting performance. This is important to get the most out of your exercise. To perform exercises correctly and without compensation good mobility is crucial. The better the form, the better the response to training. Take time to cover your whole body. Work out the sore spots, they are not supposed to be there. 

Static Stretching

Static stretching improves range of motion, but it does result in a loss of both maximal muscle strength and muscle endurance. 
But don't discount it there and ten, static stretching can be used to improve technique, long term durability and performance as long as you know how to use it. The acute decrease in performance is muscle inhibition. Some muscles need to be inhibited in order to restore normal function. 

These are muscles that have become tonic, meaning they are relatively tight compared to their antagonist. This can result in an imbalance, poor posture, improper development and ultimately pain. Stretching these will improve your soft tissue balance, meaning you are in the perfect state to train. 

Dynamic Stretching 

After having improved mobility, and inhibiting imbalances  Use dynamic stretching to re-teaching your body it's natural movement patterns for pain free longevity. Include all aspects of primal movement, reaching your limits of mobility and stretching them. Finish with some more demanding/intense movements, to promote blood flow and raise the heart rate. 

Now begin your training, focussed, flexible, warm and ready to give 100% to your training. But when everyone asks how you can be so switched on in every session, keep them guessing, it can be our little secret. 



Refs
Macdonald GZ, Penney MD, Mullaley ME, Cuconato AL, Drake CD, Behm DG, Button DC. (2013). An acute bout of self-myofascial release increases range of motion without a subsequent decrease in muscle activation or force.. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 27 (3), p812-821.

Nelson A, Kokkonen J, Arnall D. (2005). ACUTE MUSCLE STRETCHING INHIBITS MUSCLE STRENGTH ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 19 (2), p338-343.

McMillian DJ, Moore JH, Hatler BS, Taylor DC.. (2006). Dynamic vs. static-stretching warm up: the effect on power and agility performance.. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 20 (3), p492-499.

Enemy, thy name is... definitely not fat

Do you like being lied to?

Generally we are conditioned to implicitly trust information coming from a position of authority. It comes from childhood where we are told to trust adults, our teachers, our god; we must have faith. For many unimportant things it makes sense. Why would you waste your time questioning something which has little impact on your life? 

On the other hand, with things you are passionate about, things which you value, things that are important in life -   no matter how well read someone is or how strong their reputation is - they need to be able to back up what they say with some facts. Never is this more important than with your health.

Saturated fat has long been the hot topic of conversation when discussing causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The hypothesis is that too much clogs up our arteries, raises blood pressure and ultimately leads to our demise. The main sources are dairy, processed meats, dessert food, pastries and chocolate. We are told that saturated fat must be reduced in order to lessen the risk of disease.

So rather than having faith in the hype, I'll present the evidence and then leave it up to you to decide. 

When dietary saturated fat is reduced, the calories have to come from another energy source. From my experience , sandwiches, rice cakes, low cal biscuits and low fat yoghurts - all of which are low protein, low fat, high carbohydrate options - tend to be chosen for their healthy virtues. But what does research predict the effects will be on your cardiovascular system?

Siri-Tarino et al. 2010 - "There is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD"

Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of over 350,000 people, comparing different dietary interventions with risk of contracting CVD. 

After conducting a meta-analysis, researchers found that reduction of dietary saturated fat only affected CVD risk factors when altering the ratio of fat intake.  A ratio of roughly 2:1 unsaturated to saturated was found to be optimal, when fats made up around 40% of the calorific intake. 
Even more interestingly, when the calories from saturated fats were replaced with carbohydrates, particularly refined carbohydrates, the risk factors linked with CVD became more severe. 

Could this be the reason that CVD is the biggest killer in the UK? Refined carbohydrates cause saturated fats to become dangerous to heart health. The worrying thought is that most common sources of saturated fat come with a carbohydrate coating, think; cakes, biscuits, chocolate, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, it's all there.
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The implications of this extend beyond CVD to body composition. If refined carbohydrates are the cause of more bad fats circulating our bodies, then carbohydrates make us more likely to store fat and have an undesirable physique - and that's it.

Not quite, the conclusions that the above foods aren't good for you isn't new. The context of why they are unhealthy might be for some, but practically nothing has changed. So why do people continue to eat these foods? The simple answer is addiction. 



Te-Morenga et al. 2012 - "Among free living people involving ad libitum diets, intake of free sugars or sugar sweetened beverages is a determinant of body weight."

A study published this year in the British Medical Journal found that refined carbohydrate consumption was a predictor of body weight in the general population. The reasoning proposed was that processed foods trick your body into consuming more energy in the form of sugar than you would otherwise. 

Think of this as an example; if you were asked to consume 2 glasses of apple juice with breakfast, most wouldn't think twice. If you were asked to consume 8 apples, and then eat breakfast, you wouldn't even get close. Processing takes all the fibre out and leaves only sugar and water. The same principle applies to bread, pastries, and chocolate. 

Avena et al. 2008 - "The theory is formulated that intermittent, excessive intake of sugar can have dopaminergic, cholinergic and opioid effects that are similar to psychostimulants and opiates, albeit smaller in magnitude." 

These foods alter the brain chemistry, they are addictive and people can become legitimately hooked on them. When you get a big sugar hit, from something like a soda or a bar of chocolate, your brain chemistry changes and you feel good. If you do this regularly, your brain will become dependent on sugar, then the addiction begins. 

This is the point where people begin to become dependent on sugar, so much so that when an alternative sugar free diet is proposed they ask the question 'Well what is there left to eat?'.
The answer is to control blood sugar by eliminating refined carbohydrates and replacing them with fibrous types, then replacing calories with protein and a good balance of fats.  

If you genuinely are addicted to carbohydrates, then chances are this is going to be a very long and drawn out process, but stick with it, your heart will thank you when you are older. 

References
Siri-Tarino, P. (2010). Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 91 (3), p535-546.

Te Morenga, L., Mallard, S., Mann, J.. (2013). Dietary sugars and body weight: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials and cohort studies. British Medical Journal. 346 (1), e7492.

Avena, M., Rada, P., Hoebel, B.. (2007). Evidence for sugar addiction: Behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 31 (1), p20-39.

How to gain muscle, fast

Aristotle once said, 'It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.' I like this quote, it promotes open mindedness. Anything in this world that has a significant following must have something worth learning. A good example is in bodybuilding and the common practice of bulking and cutting.

The idea of bulking and cutting is to eat anything and everything whilst performing resistance exercise in a bid to gain as much mass as possible. Then when the desired size is achieved, the cutting phase begins. In this phase the body fat is stripped, so low calories and lots of cardio. The end result is more muscle mass that when the training began. 

However, any trainer worth their salt knows that for the vast majority of people this is not the best way of gaining a lean muscular physique. There are other better ways, but the honest truth is that it works. It must do to an extent or people wouldn't continue to do it. 

So what can be learnt from bulking and cutting?

The simple answer is that the body requires an excess of nutrients to gain size. However there is also a lot of fat gained during bulking. This is usually unwanted, and at least unnecessary. If you were to remove unnecessary macronutrients and leave only the essential foods, your body could gain muscle without gaining fat. The truth is, this is possible. I've seen it with my own eyes, and here's how to do it.

The key is mastering your body's biochemistry and first on the list is insulin. 

Insulin can be an anabolic hormone, promoting muscle growth, energy storage and when your cells responds strongly to it, an optimal physique. 

On the other hand insulin can be your worst enemy, if your body has a weak response to insulin then you will have less of an anabolic response. 

Overindulgence in carbohydrates results in too much sugar in the blood. The result of this is high exposure to insulin which causes cells to become insensitive.  Reduced sensitivity will result in more fat tissue, because muscle cells are not as readily triggered to absorb nutrients. The leftover nutrients in your blood will be stored as fat. Lastly, because fat tissue reduces insulin sensitivity  the fatter you are the easier it will be to put on fat and the harder it will be to put on muscle. 



So how does this relate to putting on muscle?

The effect can be demonstrated by injecting insulin into the body after protein has been consumed. The extra insulin stimulates protein synthesis and inhibits protein breakdown, which means more muscle growth. This effect can be mimicked naturally by increasing your sensitivity to the insulin already in the blood.  

The best way to achieve this anabolic effect is to lose body fat, as fat tissue blunts the insulin response. Get lean by doing resistance training to maintain muscle mass, intervals to boost metabolism and by eating lots a protein and vegetables. When you are lean enough, begin to strategically introduce starchy carbohydrates into your diet. Have them post workout, or as a recovery tool. At this point they will go straight into your muscles, you won't put on fat, and with the right diet and exercise your muscles will grow consistently. 

This is the point which you want to stay at for life, looking good and getting stronger. No more crash diets, no compromises in strength or size to lose fat, just consistent growth. 

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Refs.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2662701

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9124320

3 common dietary pitfalls which could come back to haunt you

As a result of rising obesity rates, the food production industry has introduced a wide range of 'healthy' alternatives. These offer a more favourable option to common treats for those trying to lose weight. 

However nothing comes for free, what is the compromise for these healthy alternatives?

Meal Replacement Shakes 

The Pros

These foods contain all the nutrition of a well balanced meal, but with the added convenience of a quick drink. They are low calorie and as a result they have been shown to help people lose weight. They taste good and most importantly they keep healthy eating very simple: one shake at breakfast, one shake at lunch and then a meal in the evening. 

The Cons

These foods are digested very quickly, they contain simple nutrients and are almost always consumed on an empty stomach. As a result the nutrients are also absorbed quickly and produce a spike in blood sugar. This effect means that a lot of the calories absorbed will be turned into fat and hunger will soon follow. They do not stimulate the metabolism and will most likely slow it down. These effects mean that although you may be losing weight in the short term, you may be conditioning your body to store fat long term

Low fat options

The Pros

These meal options have the same taste as the regular options but contain less fat. These may help to contribute to an effective weight loss programme based on a calorie controlled diet. 

The Cons

In order to make their products taste good, fats are replaced with carbohydrates so often the calorie value is not that different. The big difference is that fat gets absorbed into the blood stream more slowly than carbohydrate which means that there is a more gradual infusion of nutrients into the blood so the fuel is used more effectively and hunger is reduced. This again means that in the long term people who eat full fat options should have better body compositions. 

Diet soda drinks

The Pros

These offer the same taste as normal fizzy drinks but without a caloric value and they don't induce the high blood sugar that follows regular fizzy drinks.

The Cons

These are a contentious issue, but should be treated with caution. The sweeteners which are used in diet sodas are toxins. Toxins which cannot be cleared are stored in fat tissue and prevent it from being mobilised. Toxins require energy in the liver for detoxification, so when the liver is overburdened with toxins it cannot focus on fat mobilisation. Lastly over-consumption of sweeteners has been shown to increase cancer risk. 

The point I am making here is that when improving body composition nothing comes for free  There is a good chance that the diet foods being eaten are actually making people more unhealthy than they were, just for a different reason. 

It is important to exercise your own reasoning with these foods, some may be a better option in an emergency or exceptional situation. But with that in mind, they should never become a staple part of your diet.

Train fast, train smart

If like the vast majority of people, the goal that motivates you to exercise is aesthetics, there seems to be two types of exercise at your disposal. You either do aerobic exercise on cardio machines or resistance exercise with weights. 

As knowledge of exercise progresses, cardio machines become more sophisticated. They now offer you interval training and variable resistance which makes it possible to have a varying intensity workout. This is great. but even with this option available, people tend to spend most of the time at the same intensity and operate in a relatively comfortable aerobic state, only hitting the really uncomfortable bit for a few minutes at the end.

The other alternative is resistance exercise, which maximally exerts different body parts intermittently. Usually there is less of a cardio workout (there doesn't have to be) but the time spent exercising is shorter and it tends to be more varied and interesting so there is a balance.

But there is a secret third option, which is power training. This is different from resistance exercise because it focuses primarily on speed, ie the amount of energy you can expend in a short but constant period of time. Examples of this include battle ropes, sprints and short circuits. 

So, how do you decide which method of exercise is best for the body composition you want?

Deciding the type of training you want to do in order to achieve the physique that you want is a simple process. Simply look at someone with the physique you want and train like they do. If you mirror their actions, with time you will mirror their results. 

In order to demonstrate an example I would like to discuss Olympic athletes. What I have done is collected 2 pictures of the best men's and women's sprinters at the summer games and compared them against the 2 10,000m gold medalists. 

I would like to make clear at this point that I have the utmost respect for all of these athletes, the passion and discipline required to achieve what they have is nothing short of inspirational. Having said that I train people who want primarily to look good and this example is the best I can think of. 



Usain Bolt - 100m, 200m, 4x100m Olympic Champion




Mo Farah - 5,000m and 10,000m Olympic Champion 



Allyson Felix - 200m, 400m and 4x400m Olympic Champion



Tirunesh Dibaba - 10,000m Olympic Champion

So you've seen the specialists and I'm sure you can spot the difference; sprinters and middle distance runners are both very lean, the difference between the two is muscle mass, simply put sprinters have more of it. Also notice how Allyson Felix clearly has more muscle mass and still looks feminine. 

Sprint Training - Strength and power training in the gym and then power training on the track. 
Middle distance training - Steady state aerobic cardio, strength training in the gym and moderate intensity interval training. 

For men I think the point is settled. For women who tend to be a bit more resistant to leaving the treadmills behind, I'd like to point out that these athletes are extreme examples. Many women fear six packs, thinking it looks unattractive on a woman, which is fine, but a 6 pack won't happen by accident. No-one in history got a 6 pack when they specifically didn't want one. 

With those pictures in mind, what kind of training do you want to do? At RWL Gym have proven that we don't need cardio machines in order to get the body composition results that people want. The choice is yours.

Refs
http://www.squidoo.com/usain-bolt-workout

http://www.zimbio.com/Mo+Farah/articles/ivi-fu6fcap/Mo+Farah+Training+Regime+Keys+Success

The most fundamental aspect of any training programme

The most under represented aspect of health coaching is the mind. Health and fitness blogs and websites spend pages dissecting the ins and outs of techniques to optimal body composition. However you can have all the knowledge in the world about physiology and conditioning, you can design the perfect programme and advise the perfect bespoke nutritional advice; but if the person who is changing doesn't have their head in the right place nothing will work. Their compliance will be low, they will give up and that will be that. Think about it, doctors know all this stuff but they often aren't the picture of health. 

The reason I point this out is that many clients who say they are unhappy with their health are riddled with attitude problems. I don't mean this in the way that teenagers have attitude problems, I mean this in a way that the main underlying reason that they are unhappy is that they have the mindset of an unhealthy person. 

As the famous quote says we are a product of our thoughts, we are a living legacy of the decisions we make in our lives. What you see in the mirror is a direct result of your actions and our actions come as a result of our thoughts. The thoughts are small, but the implications are huge.



So what can be done? Something as simple as changing the wording of what you say has made a huge difference to clients.

Instead of saying 'I can't eat something', which suggests a crash diet to which you are being externally subjected to; you should say 'I choose not to eat that'. All of a sudden you are in control, you are thinking like someone who will achieve the transformation you want. 

Other alternatives seem small but when combined can add up, referring to a meal as a 'feeding opportunity' subconsciously makes it seem like an opportunity to better yourself. Calling  a trip to the gym 'training' implies it's something which you do regularly. A cheat meal is not a cheat meal, you aren't cheating anyone because you control what you eat. Celebrate your success with a win meal. 

Avoid using the word 'try'. Never try to do anything. The word try is non-committal, there is no risk, and so only stunted personal growth. If you want to do something have the conviction to say 'I will change', don't leave it up to chance by trying to change.

Don't dwell on things which hold you back. Instead of thinking about how far you have to go, take pride in how far you have come, be confident in your ambition to become the best version of yourself. 

Change your thoughts, become a healthy person, your body will soon follow suit.