There is, has been, and always will be bad information out
there about nutrition and exercise. Do I have all of the answers? No. Have I
been guilty of falling for and repeating bad info? Yes. Are we learning more
about exercise and nutrition everyday that can help us figure out fact from
fiction? Yes. Can this stuff be confusing? Absolutely…eecially when people are
selling you bad information!
This week, more so than normal, I’ve run across people 1) taking
a worthless product that promises wild health benefits, or 2) preaching bad
science without a fundamental understanding of physiological factors, or 3)
even stuff out of left field that defies all logic and reasoning…if I went into
specifics, you would be in disbelief! It is amazing how blind to logic and
common sense some people will be if they have an agenda. In most cases, these
products are harmless and simply cost money without any real benefit. In other
cases, a bad product or bad information can actually be dangerous, and people
who don’t know any better can be the victim. As a fitness professional, I feel
that I’ve got an obligation to protect my clients from bad products and
information…while at the same time walking the line of not straying outside my
scope of practice. I am not a registered dietician…I am a personal trainer…and
there is a big difference. With that being said, basic nutrition and physiology
is within my scope of practice, and I’d like to set the record straight on a
few things just in case you run across a so called “expert” who tries to sell
you a load of crap.
Weight Loss (Rant
coming…you’ve been warned!)
I’m sure at some point you’ve known of someone who has tried
a “new breakthrough product” and experienced dramatic weight loss with it. We
always want the magic pill or the easy way out. It is amazing how many
“breakthrough” products have come out over the years…but somehow all of them
fade into the background after the fad is over. In the last few years Americans
have become more and more obese, despite the miracle products. With all of
those miracles, how is that possible? Shouldn’t we all be thin and healthy? Claims
of losing 5lbs, 10lbs, 15lbs per week without doing a ridiculous amount of
exercise and caloric restriction are either bogus or are fluctuations of water
weight. The following is a physiological fact - take it to the bank. In order
for you to lose 1lb of true body weight, your body must spend approximately
3,500 more calories than it takes in. Therefore, 10lbs of weight loss would amount
to you creating a 35,000 calorie deficit. You think you can do that in a week?
Probably not unless you are on the Biggest Loser! A 400lb person burns a lot of
calories to sustain life. Change their diet to extremely low calorie levels and
closely monitor them by a team or doctors and nutritionists and then have them
work out 8 hours or more a day, and yes, they can lose 10lbs or more in a week.
Isn’t television awesome? Massive weight loss only comes with massive changes
in caloric intake and expenditure. So if you think you are incinerating fat
because you put a few drops of HCG under your tongue, or you took some
raspberry ketones, or you started drinking almond milk…I hate to tell you this,
but you’ve been duped. Test this theory if you want. Baring water weight (which
I explain a little further down) take all of the “special breakthrough product”
that you want and consume 500 more calories per day than a you expend, and I
promise you’ll gain weight. Stop taking the product and consume 500 calories
less than you expend and I promise you’ll lose weight. Say it with me “weight
loss is calories in versus calories out.” Body composition is a different
story…not sure if the rant will lead in that direction yet or not J
Metabolism (Rant #2
coming…by now you know what to expect)
Did you know that you can increase your metabolism by eating
6 small meals every 2.5 to 3 hours? Pretty cool huh? Would be nice if it were
true, but unfortunately that statement is COMPLETELY FALSE. This is one of the
things that before I became a trainer I believed and even spread the bad info
to others. Why? Well, I was guilty of repeating something that I’d heard without
doing any intelligent research. Notice I said “intelligent” research. There is
A LOT of junk out there on the internet written by clueless people. At the time
it made sense...after all, once you get on a 6 meal schedule you get hungry if
you skip a meal…doesn’t that mean your metabolism has sped up? Um…nope, it’s
called entrainment (your body gets used to a certain schedule). Here are some
actual factors that affect metabolism: body size, body composition, gender,
age, heredity, hormones, psychological state, and temperature. Because erratic
eating can affect hormones, it is possible that completely inconsistent eating
habits can cause hormone induced metabolic changes. However, the notion that
eating 6 meals versus 3 meals, or the notion that having an 8 hour fasting
window versus a 16 hour fasting window each day will speed up your metabolism
is simply not the case. Your body metabolizes food without fail…it can’t not
metabolize food…it’s like breathing. You would need to go 60 hours or more without food for your body to register any real metabolic decrease. The food you eat the night before doesn’t
just sit in your stomach idol until you eat breakfast to “wake up” your
metabolism…that is ridiculous. I’ve already mentioned in a previous post that
there have been studies showing that a larger percentage of obese people skip
breakfast than those who are thinner. These are correlation studies, but they
don’t consider the important factors, such as diet and exercise. Don’t
misunderstand what I’m saying here. If you are on a 6 meal schedule and you
like it…keep doing it! I personally think it can help you to create good eating
habits and remain structured with your nutrition…in fact I did that for years
and will probably do it again if/when I transition out of my I.F. plan.
However, don’t think that eating every few hours spikes your metabolism…because
that is hogwash.
Carbohydrates (Rant #3
…or is this all just one big rant?)
Do any of you think the only way to lose weight and get in
shape is to cut carbs? If so, you’ve been fooled! Carbohydrates are not the
enemy…they are the energy! Carbs are the primary fuel source for your body, and
you will not function efficiently without them. Various forms of low-carb diets
are all the rage, and many people have lost weight through some form of
variation of a low carb diet. BUT…this is the key…true weight loss was due to
the caloric deficit caused by cutting out calories, not cutting out carbs. Many
people who cut carbs drop weight dramatically at the onset of their diet.
Creating a caloric deficit will lead to some true weight loss…the rest is water
weight. Carbohydrate intake directly affects glycogen, and each gram of
glycogen in your body is bound to about 4g of water. When you cut carbs, your
muscles and liver empty their glycogen stores and you shed water weight. This
is why some people fluctuate on the scale so much, especially when dieting.
Replenish the carbs and that water weight will come right back. Consistent
eating habits (both time of day and nutritional content) will give you the best
picture of your actual body weight. So next time you get on the scale and think
that you gained 5lbs in 2 days…relax! Unless you ate 5 whole pizzas, 3 entire
apple pies, and an entire gallon of ice cream in those 2 days…it’s mostly water
weight. Same goes for weight loss. Just because you changed your diet and
started working out doesn’t mean you really lost 10lbs in the first week…most
of that was water. I hate to break it to you, but true, healthy weight loss
isn’t going to be quick. I recommend 1-2 lbs per week depending upon your size.
Some people can lose 3-4lbs per week consistently depending upon a number of
factors.
Final word:
Diet and exercise should go hand in hand. You are just
making life more difficult for yourself if you exercise your tail off but eat
like crap. A single piece of pie will put back all of the calories you burned
during that hour long intense workout you did. On the flip side, cutting
calories can help you lose weight, but if you want to preserve your lean mass,
strengthen your bones, and make your heart healthier…you need to exercise. Do
them both successfully and you’ll be very pleased with the results!
Rant over, thank you
for your time and attention J
Love me some deadlifts
Today I deadlifted 385lbs 4x! Last week, I lifted 380lbs 1x,
then jumped up and was able to get 400lbs 1x. I feel like I’m finally hitting
my current strength ceiling, because that 4th rep was HEAVY! I could
not have lifted a 5th rep. If heavy strength training jacks up your
catecholamine levels, then I have am pretty convinced I’ve got those things in
overdrive today! Aside from some weighted pull-ups and bicep curls, here is
what I did on deadlift today:
Deadlifts:
269lbs – 8 reps
337lbs – 6 reps
385lbs – 4 reps
I haven’t weighed myself all week which is not normal…I
usually try to weigh every other day during the I.F. plan so that I can keep an
eye on my caloric intake/expenditure. I’m going to weigh tomorrow, and then do
another eval on Sunday to see where I’m at. Have I made it to single digits on
my body fat %? I really don’t know. I might have to really focus on clean
eating in order to make progress now that I’m down to 10.1%. If you read my
initial goals, you’ll remember that 10.06% is where I stalled in the past. Despite
eating clean and working out A LOT was never able to hit single digits.
I continue to feel like my greatest progress is in my love
handles. I’m hoping to continue to burn off fat and hopefully cut down those
love handles and lower abdominal fat. I’d also like to see some gains in my
legs as I’ve really been pushing myself there lately. I’m already looking
forward to my Saturday leg work out and I might even add in some isolated
extensions and curls for fun.
Scripture for the day:
This kind of goes along with the theme of this post:
Proverbs 26:4-5
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Or you will also be like him.
5 Answer a fool as his folly deserves,
That he not be wise in his own eyes.
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