I have been wanting to write a clip on meats for a long time, but Vin Miller sums it up pretty well in the article below. I have been ordering my meats at uswellnessmeats.com and also found a place on Merwin Ave in Milford called Treats Farmstand. There is a local farmer there who sells grass fed beef - He is there on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Trader Joe's sells hormone free and antibiotic free meat which is a HUGE step up from most commercial places who sell toxic meat. If you want to go the extra step and get hormone free, antibiotic free, organic, free range AND grass fed feel free to visit Treats Farmstand or place an order with US Wellness Meats, I also get my grass fed butter from them...it's amazing. Remember, the quality of the food we eat comes from the quality of the food our food eats.
Enjoy the article!
When the topic of organic food comes up, most people think of fruit, vegetables, and perhaps dairy, but almost always fail to consider meat. This is an unfortunate mistake because meat from conventionally raised livestock comes with significant risk.
You Are What You Eat
Each of the trillions of cells that we’re made of are created from the nutrients we eat. While a healthy diet will support optimal cell function, a poor diet will promote cell malfunction and lead to disease. As the saying goes, we are what we eat!
This applies to animals as well. If forced to eat poor quality food, they’ll likely become sick and develop disease. By eating meat from these unhealthy animals, you’re relying on a poor source of nutrition and are consuming the toxic chemicals that made them sick. They’ll eventually make you sick as well. In other words, you are what your food ate! This is an important concept to keep in mind throughout the rest of the article.
Are Farmers Smarter Than Nature?
Understanding that livestock will do best on the diet they naturally eat in the wild is nothing more than common sense. Despite this, conventional farmers don’t even come close to raising their livestock in this fashion.
Based on millions of years of evolution, cattle and sheep eat grass while chickens and pigs primarily eat insects and plants. However, conventional farmers choose to ignore the significance of evolution and force their livestock to eat grain. In many cases, livestock are kept in enclosed buildings, and because they don’t have access to natural pastures, grain is all they eat.
How well do you think your health would hold up if you ate nothing but grass your entire life? It wouldn’t hold up at all! Because these animals are forced to eat foods that they’re not evolved to process, their health doesn’t hold up either.
Grain Quality Translates Into Meat Quality
As with most conventional crops, the grain fed to livestock is heavily sprayed with pesticides and other toxic chemicals. This causes health problems for the animals that eat the grain, and also for us when we eat the meat of these animals.
In addition to the chemicals, the conventional grain will probably have low nutrient levels. Based on all the consequences of the grain only diet, it’s highly unlikely that the livestock will receive the nutrition they need to support good health and this further compounds the risk of sickness and disease.
Furthermore, the grain that conventional farmers feed their livestock is often very poor in quality. In many cases, farmers save money by purchasing grain that failed inspection for human consumption, usually because of mold growth. Ironically, by eating meat from the animals that eat this grain, humans are exposed to the mold toxins anyway.
In general, the meat from purely grain fed livestock is not very nutritious, especially if the grain is of poor quality. The potential for the meat to contain toxins makes it a health risk as well.
Would You Like a Side of Antibiotics With That?
It’s clearly a big problem for a farmer to have sick livestock. The connection between unhealthy livestock and the grain only diet should be a matter of common sense. But instead of choosing to improve livestock health through a better diet, conventional farmers compensate by feeding their livestock grain that’s laced with antibiotics. How convenient.
Antibiotics originate from toxins produced by fungi. Although this may surprise you, it shouldn’t. After all, the phrase anti biotic literally means anti life. Antibiotics kill without discrimination, and as a result, good bacteria is killed along with the bad. This can easily lead to intestinal imbalance and destroy your health. Because antibiotics are toxins and enter your blood stream, they can also cause unwanted problems anywhere in your body.
In many cases, livestock are raised under such poor conditions that antibiotics just aren’t enough to keep them healthy. They become infected by parasites and develop cancer, glandular swelling, infectious arthritis, pneumonia, and other serious health issues. What’s most frightening is that the FDA allows the meat from these sick animals to be passed along to your plate as long as any relevant tumors or lesions are removed. Do you really want to eat the meat of a cancerous animals?
How About Some Newspaper and Cardboard?
Many conventional farmers are completely overcome with a greed based mentality. As such, they focus on efficiency and strive for quantity at the cost of quality. In exchange for easier profit, they’re sacrificing the health of their livestock, and more importantly, the health of the people who consume their meat.
To further reduce the cost of the already inexpensive grain, some farmers use fillers such as sawdust, cement dust, cardboard, newspaper, and sewage. Sounds tasty, doesn’t it? Before you answer, consider the fact that you may already be eating some of these fillers if you eat conventionally raised meat!
The use of these fillers provides the greedy farmer with another significant advantage that increases the incentive even further. In addition to reducing costs, the fillers also cause the livestock to gain weight. Because most farmers are paid by the pound for their livestock, this is an amazing deal. They not only save money on feed, but are also rewarded with additional profit. As you can probably imagine, only a farmer with the purest intentions would pass on this opportunity.
Hormones are Also on the Menu
For some farmers, the use of cheap grain and filler isn’t enough. To further accelerate growth, they feed synthetic hormones to their livestock.
Synthetic hormones are often associated with cancer. Furthermore, hormones can be very powerful in small concentrations and have a significant effect on our day to day function. It doesn’t take much to disrupt our delicate and complex hormonal balance, and when it does go out of balance, our health will often deteriorate significantly. Remember, if you eat an animal that was fed synthetic hormones, you’re eating the hormones as well.
Apparently, nature just isn’t fast enough for the business minded farmer. With the use of grains, fillers, antibiotics, and hormones, conventional farmers are able to bring a steer to full size in less than a year and a half. Under natural conditions, it would take 4 or 5 years! These animals are basically being transformed into mutants. Is that what you want to have on your plate every day?
A Quick Note About Dairy
Although this article is about meat, I want to quickly mention a related concern about dairy. Some farmers use a hormone called recombinant bovine growth hormone which is specifically designed to increase the lactation period of cattle. In fact, it nearly doubles it. As with other synthetic hormones, rBGH is linked to cancer and can disrupt normal hormone balance.
Producing milk is a physiologically demanding process for cattle. Their bodies are simply not evolved to handle the amount of milk production that’s possible with rBGH. As a result, their utters often become inflamed and infected which causes puss to be secreted into the milk. How does that make a nice thick milk mustache sound?
The cattle that are injected with rBGH are literally milked to death and typically die after approximately two years.
Animal Cruelty
Some of the horror stories associated with conventionally raised livestock are enough to turn a meat lover into a vegetarian. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. As omnivores, eating animal meat is part of our evolution. Although vegetarians and vegans may argue this point, meat is quite simply a basic part of our natural diet. But this certainly doesn’t justify the inhumane ways that some farmers maintain their livestock.
In many cases, conventionally raised livestock are kept indoors where they get absolutely no exposure to sunlight, are so crowded that they can barely move, and are forced to live in their own feces. This merely scratches the surface of how bad the living conditions can be for these animals. This significantly impacts the health of the animal and the nutritional quality of it’s meat, but more importantly, it’s cruel, inhumane, and absolutely unnecessary.
Any time you buy meat or dairy that comes from conventionally raised livestock, keep in mind that you may be supporting these cruel and inhumane practices.
The Alternative - Buying Quality Meat
The good news is that there are plenty of healthy and humane alternatives to the meat that comes from conventionally raised livestock.
Although organic certification is a fairly reliable marker of high quality fruits and vegetables, that’s not entirely the case with meat. While organic meat is free of hormones, drugs, and other chemicals, it may still come from a predominately grain fed animal. Even though the grain must be organic, it still compromises the health of the animal and the quality of it’s meat. Furthermore, people who are sensitive to grains can also be sensitive to meat that comes from grain fed animals.
The absolute best way to buy meat is to find a local farmer that raises livestock according to their natural diets, under humane conditions, and follows organic farming practices. Don’t be overly concerned with organic certification. Local farmers often have too small of an operation to justify the expense, and by overlooking this, you may be missing out on an excellent resource.
Below are some guidelines on what to look for when evaluating a potential source of meat.
Beef and Lamb
Cattle and sheep naturally eat grass. As such, you should buy beef and lamb from farms that allow their livestock to roam freely on grass pastures. Meat from a pasture raised livestock is often referred to as “grass fed.” Verify that pesticides and other chemicals aren’t used on the pastures and that the animals are not treated with antibiotics or hormones. Some organic minded farmers will use antibiotics on rare occasion when an animal absolutely needs it. You’ll have to decide for yourself if this is acceptable or not.
Some organic farmers “finish” their livestock with grain. This means the animal was raised on grass pastures, but was fed grain for a brief period before slaughter to increase the flavor and marbling of the meat. Personally, I think this is completely unnecessary and think purely grass fed beef and lamb taste excellent, but once again, it’s your choice.
Chicken and Pork
Chickens and pigs have much more variety in their diet than cattle and sheep. Chickens eat mostly insects and plants while pigs will eat just about anything. Because these animals eat more than just grass, their meat is often referred to as “free range.” This means they’re free to roam the pastures of the farm and are free to choose what they eat.
I’m not sure if chickens and pigs eat grain in the wild. My guess is that they don’t, but it seems to be quite acceptable and common for organic farmers to supplement the diet of their chickens and pigs with grain. What’s important is that the animals have the freedom to roam the pasture and consume the natural food it provides.
As with cattle and sheep, you want to make sure the pastures are free of chemicals and that the animals are not exposed to drugs or hormones.
Where to Buy Locally and Online
As I said, the best option is to buy from a local farmer that you can trust. EatWild.com is an excellent resource that will help you find local farmers that have embraced the practices of grass fed, free range, organic and humane farming.
If buying from a local farmer isn’t possible or is too inconvenient, you can often find quality meat at local farmer’s markets. Check LocalHarvest.org for a listing of farmer’s markets in your area.
Finally, if you prefer the simplicity of having your meat delivered to your doorstep, an excellent place to order from online is U.S. Wellness Meats. You can click on their “Protocol” link to read about how they raise their livestock.
Another excellent place to order from online is Blackwing Quality Meats. I’ve ordered from both places many times and think their meat is excellent.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Conventional Thyroid Testing
Most of my clients almost immediately lose weight and feel awesome when following the 6 pillars of The Plano Program. On the flip side, there are some clients that are too tired to exercise or even cut up vegetables. Their weight loss is incredibly slow or sometimes non existent even though they follow all the rules- they journal their food, exercise, get to sleep on time. eat a clean diet, etc. Their family, friends, and doctor tell them that they are not trying hard enough....and once again they feel like a failure.
Some of my heaviest clients are not food cravers or overeaters at all. They eat normally. In fact some of them even chronically undereat, because moderate eating, even combined with exercise, has resulted in continued weight gain! Some of them even gain weight on severely reduced calories or a medically supervised fast. When I looked into the research on this, I found that half of people entering formal weight loss programs do not overeat. The dropout rates for these programs runs as high as 85 percent, partly because so many dieters can not lose weight by cutting calories. What about Thyroid Function?
Common Symptoms and Risk Factors of Low Thyroid Function:
-Heavy since childhood
-Family history of thyroid problems
-Low Energy, Fatigue, trouble getting going in the morning
-Tendency to feel cold, especially feet
-High Cholesterol
-Headaches
-Poor concentration and Memory
-Low Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
-Hoarse voice
-Reduced libido
-Tendency to gain weight easily or inability to lose weight
How do you know that your weight gain and fatigue are due to a thyroid problem and what about conventional thyroid test??
The most common test for thyroid function is the TSH(thyroid stimulating hormone) test. The TSH measures a chemical sent by the pituitary gland in the brain, which relays order to the thyroid gland about how much TSH the body need at a given time. However, from my research, experience, and picking the brain of some of the most educated natural doctors, the TSH is NOT the most reliable test which frequently leaves you with, "Sorry, but the test reveals your levels are NORMAL" If I had a dime for everytime I heard this I would be a rich man.
Different doctors have different kinds of training and use different tests but MOST conventional doctors use the TSH test. If you feel that your thyroid is sluggish insist the following be performed:
1) TSH
2) T4
3) T3
4) RIA -Radioimmune assay
5) T3 Uptake
6) Reverse T3
7) Thyroid Antibody Test
8) FTI - Free Thyroid Index
2 simple Test You Can Do Yourself:
There are a couple of test that can be quite accurate at detecting a thyroid problem.- The Basal temp. test which was conducted by Dr. Barnes in 1942 which proved to be a highly accurate test. Another is the Ankle Reflex Test.
1) Buy a mercury thermometer - Do not use a digital thermometer
2) Place thermometer under your armpit 30 min after awakening but before you get out of bed or turn the light on. Keep your eyes open.
3) Leave it there for ten minutes
4) Do this for three mornings or more to get an average temp. If the axial temp is consistently subnormal (97.8 degrees), your thyroid function is probably low. (Your adrenal function is probably low too)
Testing Your Ankle Reflex
Here is another way to test for thyroid function. Does your foot bounce when the someone taps the tendon or the back of your ankle? This is a good indication that you do not have a sluggish thyroid.
Adrenal Function and Thyroid:
Adrenal function often affects thyroid function, it is crucial to test your adrenals (through saliva) as well as your thyroid. I have been doing tons of adrenal function tests lately, low and behold most of my clients are under some form of adrenal fatigue with strong hormonal imbalanes. For a better understanding of how the adrenals affect thyroid function please visit www.theplanoprogram.com under functional diagnostic nutrition.
PS I just got a shipment of Krill Oil in, let me know who needs more!
Regards,
Marc Plano
www.theplanoprogram.com
www.optimal-results.net
Some of my heaviest clients are not food cravers or overeaters at all. They eat normally. In fact some of them even chronically undereat, because moderate eating, even combined with exercise, has resulted in continued weight gain! Some of them even gain weight on severely reduced calories or a medically supervised fast. When I looked into the research on this, I found that half of people entering formal weight loss programs do not overeat. The dropout rates for these programs runs as high as 85 percent, partly because so many dieters can not lose weight by cutting calories. What about Thyroid Function?
Common Symptoms and Risk Factors of Low Thyroid Function:
-Heavy since childhood
-Family history of thyroid problems
-Low Energy, Fatigue, trouble getting going in the morning
-Tendency to feel cold, especially feet
-High Cholesterol
-Headaches
-Poor concentration and Memory
-Low Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
-Hoarse voice
-Reduced libido
-Tendency to gain weight easily or inability to lose weight
How do you know that your weight gain and fatigue are due to a thyroid problem and what about conventional thyroid test??
The most common test for thyroid function is the TSH(thyroid stimulating hormone) test. The TSH measures a chemical sent by the pituitary gland in the brain, which relays order to the thyroid gland about how much TSH the body need at a given time. However, from my research, experience, and picking the brain of some of the most educated natural doctors, the TSH is NOT the most reliable test which frequently leaves you with, "Sorry, but the test reveals your levels are NORMAL" If I had a dime for everytime I heard this I would be a rich man.
Different doctors have different kinds of training and use different tests but MOST conventional doctors use the TSH test. If you feel that your thyroid is sluggish insist the following be performed:
1) TSH
2) T4
3) T3
4) RIA -Radioimmune assay
5) T3 Uptake
6) Reverse T3
7) Thyroid Antibody Test
8) FTI - Free Thyroid Index
2 simple Test You Can Do Yourself:
There are a couple of test that can be quite accurate at detecting a thyroid problem.- The Basal temp. test which was conducted by Dr. Barnes in 1942 which proved to be a highly accurate test. Another is the Ankle Reflex Test.
1) Buy a mercury thermometer - Do not use a digital thermometer
2) Place thermometer under your armpit 30 min after awakening but before you get out of bed or turn the light on. Keep your eyes open.
3) Leave it there for ten minutes
4) Do this for three mornings or more to get an average temp. If the axial temp is consistently subnormal (97.8 degrees), your thyroid function is probably low. (Your adrenal function is probably low too)
Testing Your Ankle Reflex
Here is another way to test for thyroid function. Does your foot bounce when the someone taps the tendon or the back of your ankle? This is a good indication that you do not have a sluggish thyroid.
Adrenal Function and Thyroid:
Adrenal function often affects thyroid function, it is crucial to test your adrenals (through saliva) as well as your thyroid. I have been doing tons of adrenal function tests lately, low and behold most of my clients are under some form of adrenal fatigue with strong hormonal imbalanes. For a better understanding of how the adrenals affect thyroid function please visit www.theplanoprogram.com under functional diagnostic nutrition.
PS I just got a shipment of Krill Oil in, let me know who needs more!
Regards,
Marc Plano
www.theplanoprogram.com
www.optimal-results.net
Sugar and Cancer
Dr. Mercola’s Comment:
Most people, physicians certainly included, are absolutely clueless how devastating sugar can be on your health. They just don’t understand how something that tastes so good can be so damaging to your health.
That is one of the reasons why the typical American, and I am confident that includes most all doctors, consume 175 pounds of sugar EVERY year.
If you ever questioned how much sugar worsens your risks of developing cancer, this should be eye-opening. This important study shows that high blood sugars can increase your risk of cancer even when there are no signs of life-shortening type 2 diabetes.
This has to do with the amazing hormone insulin. A fasting blood insulin level is one of the most important tests you can have and it is relatively inexpensive. If you are walking around with a high fasting insulin level you are a walking time bomb.
Ideally it should be below 3 or 4. Anything over 10 is a disaster. The higher the number the worse you are. I like to see insulin levels 2 or lower.
There is just no question that if you have cancer or are interested in reducing your risk of developing cancer, one of the most important things you can do is to make sure your fasting insulin levels are normal, ideally below 5. As I said, this is a very simple and inexpensive test to perform and should be regularly monitored if you have or are at risk for cancer.
When your blood sugar rises in response to eating carbohydrates, your pancreas releases insulin. Insulin ensures your cells receive blood sugar necessary for life, but high levels of insulin can cause major damage to your body.
The most recognized of these is diabetes. In addition, hypertension, obesity, high levels of cholesterol and other lipids, heart disease, kidney disease, female infertility and neurodegeneration are all caused by eating too many carbohydrates, resulting in high insulin levels.
High insulin levels are also one of the most potent ways that you can increase your rate of aging. Conversely have low insulin levels and you slow down your aging rate.
Another absolutely essential tool for you to actively engage in is to follow a diet appropriate for your metabolic type. What would be a great anti-cancer food for someone might actually increase someone else’s risk for cancer.
"Marc's Metabolic Typing and nutrition program really works. I have had severely reduced kidney function for most of my life. Since I started the metabolic typing program 2 months ago my kidney function has improved by over 40%, energy and endurance levels are much higher and I have lost 16lbs. It is true when Marc stresses the importance of your body having the proper pH balance.
Mark Vallas, Branford CT
Marc Plano
CPT,CSCS,Certified Sports Nutritionist, Metabolic Typing Specialist
www.optimal-results.net
Most people, physicians certainly included, are absolutely clueless how devastating sugar can be on your health. They just don’t understand how something that tastes so good can be so damaging to your health.
That is one of the reasons why the typical American, and I am confident that includes most all doctors, consume 175 pounds of sugar EVERY year.
If you ever questioned how much sugar worsens your risks of developing cancer, this should be eye-opening. This important study shows that high blood sugars can increase your risk of cancer even when there are no signs of life-shortening type 2 diabetes.
This has to do with the amazing hormone insulin. A fasting blood insulin level is one of the most important tests you can have and it is relatively inexpensive. If you are walking around with a high fasting insulin level you are a walking time bomb.
Ideally it should be below 3 or 4. Anything over 10 is a disaster. The higher the number the worse you are. I like to see insulin levels 2 or lower.
There is just no question that if you have cancer or are interested in reducing your risk of developing cancer, one of the most important things you can do is to make sure your fasting insulin levels are normal, ideally below 5. As I said, this is a very simple and inexpensive test to perform and should be regularly monitored if you have or are at risk for cancer.
When your blood sugar rises in response to eating carbohydrates, your pancreas releases insulin. Insulin ensures your cells receive blood sugar necessary for life, but high levels of insulin can cause major damage to your body.
The most recognized of these is diabetes. In addition, hypertension, obesity, high levels of cholesterol and other lipids, heart disease, kidney disease, female infertility and neurodegeneration are all caused by eating too many carbohydrates, resulting in high insulin levels.
High insulin levels are also one of the most potent ways that you can increase your rate of aging. Conversely have low insulin levels and you slow down your aging rate.
Another absolutely essential tool for you to actively engage in is to follow a diet appropriate for your metabolic type. What would be a great anti-cancer food for someone might actually increase someone else’s risk for cancer.
"Marc's Metabolic Typing and nutrition program really works. I have had severely reduced kidney function for most of my life. Since I started the metabolic typing program 2 months ago my kidney function has improved by over 40%, energy and endurance levels are much higher and I have lost 16lbs. It is true when Marc stresses the importance of your body having the proper pH balance.
Mark Vallas, Branford CT
Marc Plano
CPT,CSCS,Certified Sports Nutritionist, Metabolic Typing Specialist
www.optimal-results.net
Friday, March 26, 2010
Is Your Adrenal Health Slowing Your Weight Loss?
Dr. James Wilson coined the term "ADRENAL FATIGUE" in 1998 to identify a group of signs and symptoms that people experience as a result of suboptimal adrenal function. This lack of optimal adrenal performance is often associated with the affects of chronic stress on the human body.
Are You Experiencing Adrenal Fatigue?*
Tired for no reason?
Having trouble getting up in the morning?
Need coffee, colas, salty or sweet snacks to keep going?
Feeling run down and stressed?
Using the #205 Adrenal Stress Profile test you submit four saliva samples; morning, noon, evening and bedtime. The cortisol and DHEA measurements at these times tell us how well your adrenal glands are functioning. Plus, we look at the main steroidal (sex) hormones, estradiol, estriol, progesterone and testosterone. We also look at melatonin, the sleep hormone, because one of the most common main complaints is sleep problems. Other complaints that may result from poor adrenal function include:
anxiety
panic
depression
loss of immunity
disturbed sleep
thinning skin
poor concentration/memory lapses
heart disease/atherosclerosis
hot flashes
night sweats
osteoporosis
irregular menstruation
painful intercourse
slow healing
reduced libido
malaise/lethargy
unexplained weight gain
fatigue
loss of appetite/increased appetite
hair loss and dry skin
Most conventional/western practitioners focus on the symptoms and try to reduce these with drugs. Likewise, the typical nutritionist usually offers the same type of advice, substituting more natural products like herbs, vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients instead of drugs. However, this approach still fails to address the underlying cause or condition.
Stop treating symptoms and get to the root cause!
If you answered yes to any of one or more of the above questions, you may be experiencing adrenal fatigue.
The following is a common case study:
A client came in because she had symptoms including fatigue, hair loss, chronic pain, overweight, constipation and memory difficulties. She was tested by her Dr. and her thyroid tests were within normal limits. We tested her adrenal health through the salivary tests we use in our clinic. The test revealed a very low Cortisol to DHEA ratio along with a steroidal hormone imbalance. She started on the proper nutritional supplementation and after six weeks she was reassessed and stated that her energy was 40% improved, and that she had lost five pounds. After two months she had lost another 7 pounds and her energy continued to improve. She was eventually started on an exercise program. In total she has lost 25 pounds, but more importantly her memory is clear, she has hope for future and her energy level is better than it was 10 years ago.
In a study published in The CFS Research Review in December 2003, researchers found that corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH -- the hormone that stimulates the adrenal gland) caused an increase in an inflammatory hormone called IL-6 (interleukin-6) in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Normally CRH will stimulate the adrenal gland to secrete cortisol which is anti-inflammatory, in part, by reducing IL-6 levels. This does not happen in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome because they often have adrenal insufficiency. Chronic fatigue results from insufficient adrenal gland hormones.
The adrenal gland hormone cortisol has many bodily functions including:
-Helping with energy production
-Helping with heat production
-Mobilizing immune cells
-Decreasing inflammation
-Controlling allergic reactions
-Raising blood sugars
-Waking you up in the morning
-Stimulating thoughts
If you or someone you know has fatigue, concentration difficulties, low blood sugar, achiness, allergies, whole body inflammation (chronic pain), or trouble getting out of bed in the morning, most likely they have adrenal insufficiency. Give us a call and we'll help you get to the root cause of your health problems.
Regards,
Marc Plano
1-877-Plano-Plan
Top 6 Reasons You are Not Losing Weight
If you have struggled to lose weight in the past, there may be a ‘hidden’ underlying reason(s) preventing it from happening, despite your best diet & exercise programs.
The conditions I am going to talk about are very common but most mainstream doctor's might not be well versed in these areas or brush them off as insignificant even when you feel awful.
Modern medicine is great in certain areas like emergency medicine, surgery and dealing drugs like a bad neighborhood in Bridgeport but it tends to be lousy in other areas like identifying the CAUSATIVE factors that lead to poor health & disease. I also want to clarify something that's often misunderstood - PREVENTATIVE medicine encourages getting more tests at younger ages, however, true PREVENTION means not doing the things that lead to disease and DYSFUNCTION in the first place.
These issues, when ignored or not resolved, will lead to more serious dysfunctions & disease so don’t ignore your body when you don’t feel great. There's only so long you can mask symptoms by using a drug. Don't get me wrong sometimes people NEED drugs, other times we might need to take a closer look at lifestyle factors such as diet, rest, sleep, stress, supplementations. etc. Remember, we are designed to look & feel like a SUPERSTAR - all of us. So, here we go…
1 - Digestive Stress- Most people we know have digestive problems which include bloated, gassy, indigestion, acid reflux or stomach aches...these conditions are NOT normal - its a sign of a problem. If you have that low ab bloat, experience gas often or have acid reflux, you likely have a digestive disorder. It could be as simple eliminating crappy processed food that doesn’t digest well OR you have a digestive disorder that needs to be fixed.There are a few types of disorders like inflammation, infections (bacteria, fungus, parasite, yeast), allergies & deficiency of healthy bacteria.- (Remember, taking tons of medications kills good healthy intestinal bacteria which can lead to some serious problems) that can create a myriad of health issues.
IBS, in my experience, is not a real problem, its more of a ‘catch all’ phrase used by doctors who are not exactly sure what’s going on. From what I have seen, IBS is a combination of several of these factors listed below and everyone I have met who was diagnosed with IBS had multiple issues going on at once. If you have "IBS" I would recommend using the MRT test which will help you identify reactive foods. Check out www.theplanoprogram.com for more info on the MRT test. Several things can cause digestive disorders: unmanaged stress, lousy diet, gluten grains, pasteurized dairy, processed foods, eating in a hurry, traveling to lesser developed countries and some medications. You can also get infections from kissing your pets on the mouth-which I would be guilty of. Pay attention to what happens to you AFTER you eat, keep a journal and try to spot abnormal patterns then simply elliminate the culprit. Common culprits are gluten, dairy (except butter), alcohol, soy and protein powders. The longer you eat allergenic or inflammatory foods, the more serious the digestive disorder becomes-its a viscous cycle, the inflammation this causes effects how every system in our body works taking us further away from optimal health. You will eventually end up with a serious problem.
2 - Thyroid Problems The thyroid is the Master Regulator of the body and controls many critical functions. Much like gluten intolerance, thyroid problems affect a large number of people, yet it goes undiagnosed in many.Some thyroid problems I have worked with are caused by an adrenal overload. The adrenal glands are intimately connected to the thyroid, so in some cases, the thyroid slows down as a result of the adrenal glands being exhausted. I recently just tested 2 people with stage 3 adrenal fatigue, ironically they both have a sluggish thyroid and are having a terrible time losing weight. However, according to one of the world’s leading thyroid experts, Dr Bryan Walsh, 80% of low thyroid cases are an autoimmune issue, known as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.
You can also have a hyper-thyroid where it speeds up, although it is much less common.When the thyroid is sluggish, you will experience symptoms like fatigue, cold hands & feet, you can gain weight easily, thinning hair, depression, lack of motivation & constipation to name a few.
Thyroid testing done by general practitioner docs can be insufficient. In my opinion you need a specialized expert to run a more comprehensive panel of tests, so don’t rely on standard thyroid tests. If you don’t feel well and your tests come back normal - find a better doctor!
3 - Adrenal Fatigue The adrenal glands produce stress hormone (cortisol) and adrenaline. So the more stress, or the longer you experience stress, the more work for these little guys to do.Its common for many people today to have adrenal glands that are overworked and cranking out too much cortisol. Eventually, this leads to adrenal fatigue and then they start to slow down and produce much less cortisol. Either way, you have a problem.Whenever you have these problems, weight loss is simply NOT A PRIORITY for the human body. Survival is more important.I actually am working through some adrenal fatigue right now. I have been rehabbing my adrenals for the past few months and do feel a ton better. The adrenals are highly correlated with just about every physiological process in our body, especially weight loss. Poor adrenal function also compromiset memory and learning, sleep, neuron conductivity, hormone regulation, insulin management, thyroid function, etc. If you would like to test the state of your adrenals stop in my office, It's a simple saliva test.
4 - Brain Chemistry Imbalance Mood swings, depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, inability to tolerate stress - from my experience most of these are signs and symptoms of an imbalanced brain chemistry.There is an idea propagated in our culture that says if your depressed you were born with a deficiency, but it showed up as a teenager. I hear this often and that idea is great for keeping people on medications for life. Medications don't make you healthy, identifying & CORRECTING the problem and buidling health MAKES YOU HEALTHY.These issues can also be mental, not chemical - the result of imbalanced thoughts, so remember to balance out any thought that creates a strong emotion so you stayed centered and balanced…to help you do this you might want to check out THE SECRET. This is a mandated viewing for most people who work with me.
If you truly have a chemical imbalance medication is most likely needed and you should consult with your Doctor. Digestive disorders, processed foods, dieting, skipping meals, caffeine, sugar, recreational and pharmaceutical drugs and certain so called ‘health’ foods like zone bars and other chemical bars can cause chemical imbalances. Dieting starves the brain of important nutrients especially amino acids; sugar, caffeine & drugs deplete the hormones and neurotransmitters that keep us focused, motivated, feeling balanced and help us tolerate stress.FYI - I didn’t tell anyone here to stop taking meds. If you or your child are experiencing these issues, I strongly suggest you look at your diet first before considering medications.
Again, you simply can’t lose weight - which is a hormonal process - when your hormones and neurotransmitters are depleted.If you suffer from depression or seem to be in a funk, I recommend checking out the Diet Cure by Dr. Julia Ross. Dr. Ross uses specific amino acid supplementation that helps balance neurotransmitters and brain chemistry naturally. This is an amazing book that I have learned so much from.
5 - Food Sensitivities Food intolerance/allergies cause inflammation in the gut and that causes a cascade of problems that interfere with normal hormonal process involved with weight loss and brain chemistry. Food sensitivities are very difficult to detect, you might present with symptoms such as gas, bloat, chronic fatigue, joint pain, etc 48-72 hours after eating the most common foods. I had a client the other day that was sensitive to strawberries, turkey and caffeine. For more info visit the www.theplanoprogram.com for more info regarding this matter.
6 - Hormonal Imbalance There are different types of imbalances and different causes, but skipping meals and dieting causes serious hormonal imbalances in young women. There are estrogen-like chemicals in the pesticides sprayed on our food; we eat out of plastics which leak xenoestrogens into our foods & water; there’s growth hormones in the meat & dairy products we were raised on; women use TONS of chemical crap cleverly disguised as ‘Beauty Products’ - all create hormonal problems, especially with estrogen, which is a serious problem.This is a serious and complicated issue and some symptoms can include irregular menstrual cycles in women, low sex drive in men, cravings for sweets, water retention, anxiety, uterine fibroids, mood swings and PMS, just to name a few. Fat loss is a hormonal process. In order to lose weight, you need a healthy hormonal system.
To summarize… All of these are serious issues are common and many mainstream doctors are not trained to look for them, especially thyroid and adrenal issues. Many doctors, not all, but a LARGE percentage of mainstream docs don’t understand basic fundamental nutrition principles OR understand how important nutrition is as a means of prevention. All of these will PREVENT WEIGHT LOSS despite your best diet & fitness efforts. Its simply NOT A PRIORITY for the body to lose weight when your health & survival are being threatened.
If you think you might have one or more of these issues and you want to do some functional diagnostic testing, shoot me an email at marcplano@aol.com and either I can work with you or I can hook you up with someone in your area that can set you up, get you tested and get you back in the health and fitness game! Also, you do not need to be local to work with me. I can easily send test kits all over the US and consult via phone/email. Human beings are designed to be vital, healthy and strong! Sometimes, we need to correct some imbalances from dieting or poor eating & lifestyle choices, but with a little work, you can heal your body, get healthy and lose weight. Please share this idea with some people you know… You cannot lose weight to improve your health, you must improve your health in order to lose weight. It's all about building health from the inside out!
I Love Me Some Saturated Fats!
For more than half a century, saturated fat has been regarded as a deadly nutrient that clogs your arteries and causes heart disease. However, a substantial amount of evidence indicates that this simply isn’t true, and when you consider the fact that we’ve been eating saturated fat for millions of years, it just doesn’t make sense that it could be so unhealthy. In fact, the “heart healthy” vegetable oils that we’ve been told to use instead of saturated fat pose a much more significant risk. For those of you that are on The Plano Program know we use a myriad of saturated fat sources from Cage Free Organic Eggs, Coconut Oil, Butter, and Grass Fed Beef just to name a few.
Despite the bad reputation that saturated fat has undeservedly earned, it supports many of the body’s critical functions. The following are 12 reasons why saturated fat is an essential part of a healthy diet.
1. Physical Protection Because saturated fat is dense and is able to remain solid at body temperature, it’s used to pad bony surfaces such as the palms, soles, and sitting bones and cushion vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, and intestines.
2. A Good Source of Energy Fat contains more than twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates and protein making it an efficient source of energy. When consumed, fat can be used immediately for energy or stored for later use. Saturated fat accounts for nearly half of our body fat and can be produced by the body from excess carbohydrate consumption. This ability to produce and store body fat is what enabled our prehistoric ancestors to survive long winters and avoid starvation. The heart, the liver, and resting muscles consume most of the energy used by the body and prefer fat as their source of fuel. In fact, the saturated fats stearic acid and palmitic acid are the preferred source of energy for the heart which is a major contradiction to the idea that saturated fat causes heart disease. Unlike most other fats, short and medium chain fatty acids such as capric acid and lauric acid are easily absorbed through the intestines without the need to be broken down by bile acids. They’re transported directly to the liver, and as such, are an excellent and quick source of energy. Coconut oil, Palm Kernel Oil, and Ghee are both abundant sources of medium chain fatty acids, particularly lauric acid.
3. Safe Cooking The high temperatures of cooking can easily damage fats and oils and make them a health concern. This is especially the case with unsaturated fats because of their shared bonds. Polyunsaturated fats are the most unstable, and when exposed to the high temperatures of cooking, they easily become oxidized and form free radicals that are highly damaging to cells. In fact, free radical damage from polyunsaturated fats is now believed to be a major contributor to atherosclerosis and heart disease. As such, the polyunsaturated vegetable oils that have been pushed as “heart healthy” alternatives, such as soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, and canola oil, are anything but, especially for cooking. These oils are also commonly used in restaurants and in the manufacturing of processed foods. Fats that contain a higher percentage of saturated fatty acids, such as butter, coconut oil, and palm oil, are excellent to cook with because they’re very stable and are also highly nutritious.
4. Healthy Brain and Nervous System Function More than half of the human brain consists of fat and cholesterol, and between a third to more than half of the fat in the brain is saturated. Both saturated fat and cholesterol represent a significant portion of the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers and preserves proper function of the brain and nervous system. If this protective layer is compromised in any way, it can lead to a number of neurological disorders.
5. A Source of Fat Soluble Vitamins Saturated animal fats are an excellent source of fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, and K2 which are essential for good health and are deficient in most diets. These vitamins are important for proper immune function, bone production, and many other critical functions.
6. Healthy Cell Function According to Bruce Lipton, a cell biologist and the author of The Biology of Belief , the cell membrane regulates gene expression based on its surroundings and has a significant influence on our health and wellbeing. Saturated fat constitutes more than half of the cell membrane, and as such, contributes greatly to this influence. Because saturated fat increases the strength of cell membranes, it also provides cells with physical protection.
7. Strong Bones According to research cited from Purdue University, saturated fat is essential to proper bone development and it’s incorporation of calcium. The fat soluble vitamins D and K2 that can be obtained from saturated animal fats are critical for healthy bone development as well.
8. Protection Against Toxins Research has shown that saturated fatty acids help to reverse liver damage caused by alcohol and other toxic substances. Because saturated fats produce fewer free radicals, they’re also less likely to cause liver damage and impair it’s detoxification capabilities.
9. Stronger Immunity Short and medium chain saturated fatty acids, particularly the lauric acid found in coconut oil and palm kernel oil, have natural antimicrobial properties that can provide protection against undesirable microorganisms in the intestines and promote a healthy balance of intestinal bacteria. This is important because the intestines account for more than two thirds of the immune system and have a tremendous influence on our health.
10. Good Lung Capacity The alveoli of the lungs, which are where gas exchange occurs with blood, are lined with a material called surfactant. This material is what enables the alveoli to expand and facilitates the ease of breathing. As such, saturated fat is essential to healthy lung function, and it’s believed that when trans fats are consumed and used by alvoli cells to produce surfactant, lung function can become compromised and lead to the development of asthma.
11. Resilient Skin Saturated fat makes skin cells more resistant to oxidative damage from the sun which can help to prevent sunburn, wrinkles, and skin cancer.
12. Proper Utilization of Essential Fatty Acids Essential fatty acids are criticial to our health, and because they cannot be produced by the body, they must be obtained through diet. Among the many ways in which they support optimal health, they are important for proper immune, brain, and cardiovascular function. Saturated fats are believed to play a key role in the importance of essential fatty acids by promoting their proper utilization and protecting them from oxidation.
Fats are an essential part of a healthy diet, and to truly promote optimal health, it’s important that you understand their importance. To learn more, I highly recommend that you read Know Your Fats by Mary Enig PhD. This book is an excellent resource that dispels much of the popular misinformation about the health impact of various fats, particularly saturated fat. Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon is another excellent resource that also doubles as a great recipe book.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Myth About Muscle And Metabolism
Most of my newsletters are usually based around nutrition, in the next two newsletters let's take a closer look at exercise. I am often asked how my clients get such phenomenal results. Let's take a peek at The Plano Program fat blasting exercise strategies and some of the myths that surround muscle and fat burning.
You've probably read similar claims that muscle "burns calories around the clock just to maintain itself, even while you are sleeping or sitting at a desk."
The idea is that for every pound of new muscle, your body will burn an extra 60 calories per day. Add five pounds of new muscle and you will automatically burn an additional 31 pounds of fat in a year... or so the theory goes, anyway.
When you gain muscle, your resting metabolic rate (the number of calories your body burns at rest) does go up. But, this increase is a lot less than the 50-100 calorie figure you'll often see written.
Where does the 50-100 calorie figure actually come from?
I have no idea. It just seems to be one of those myths that have been around for so long that its accuracy is no longer questioned, and probably exists for the same reason we have misconceptions about a lot of things. Somebody says something, somebody repeats it, and then we repeat it. Suddenly it's established as fact.
In studies that have tracked changes in muscle mass and metabolism, it might appear that the metabolic rate of muscle is somewhere in the region of 50-100 calories per pound. But when you take a closer look, you'll see that things are not quite so simple.
Let me give you a couple of examples...
The first comes from an 18-week study of 26 sedentary men published in the Journal of Applied Physiology . During the first eight weeks, the men gained roughly 2.8 pounds of fat-free mass. The average daily metabolic rate increased by 263 calories per day.
Dividing the increase in resting metabolic rate (263 calories) by the increase in fat-free mass (2.8 pounds) gives us a figure of 94 calories per pound. However, we can't assume that this figure represents the metabolic rate of muscle.
Why not?
The first problem is the daily metabolic rate includes the energy cost of physical activity. We can't say for sure that the increase in calorie expenditure was because of the extra muscle alone.
But that's not the only problem.
From week 8 to week 18, the men gained another 1.8 pounds of fat-free mass. If muscle had such a big impact on metabolism, we'd expect to see another rise in the men's metabolic rate. But this didn't happen. Nor was there any change in sleeping metabolic rate during the study.
In another trial, women who trained with weights three days a week for six months gained 2.9 pounds of fat-free mass. In that time, their resting metabolic rate increased by an average of 60 calories per day.
Dividing the increase in resting metabolic rate (60 calories) by the increase in fat-free mass (2.9 pounds) gives us a figure of 20.7 calories per pound.
However, even this figure overestimates the metabolic rate of muscle.
Methods for measuring resting metabolic rate and body composition vary widely in their precision and accuracy. We don't know for sure if the change in resting metabolism was because of the extra muscle, or whether it was due to measurement error. The control group in this study did no exercise, yet their resting metabolic rate increased by 31 calories per day.
In addition, other studies show an increase in resting metabolic rate even when gains in fat-free mass are taken into account. Researchers think that mechanisms other than the increase in fat-free mass (such as changes in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system) are partly responsible. And fat is not simply a "dead" tissue. It secretes proteins such as leptin and cytokines, which can affect your metabolism.
So, what is the "true" metabolic rate of muscle?
In her book Ultimate Fitness: The Quest for Truth about Exercise and Health, science writer for The New York Times Gina Kolata talked to Professor Claude Bouchard, a respected researcher in the field of genetics and obesity.
Bouchard points out that muscle actually has a very low metabolic rate when it is at rest, which is most of the time. And the metabolic rate of muscle pales in comparison to other parts of the body.
In fact, the heart and kidneys have the highest resting metabolic rate (200 calories per pound). The brain (109 calories per pound) and liver (91 calories per pound) also have high values [5]. In contrast, the resting metabolic rate of skeletal muscle clocks in at just 6 calories per pound, with fat burning just 2 calories per pound.
Organ or tissue Daily metabolic rate
Adipose (fat) 2 calories per pound
Muscle 6 calories per pound
Liver 91 calories per pound
Brain 109 calories per pound
Heart 200 calories per pound
Kidneys 200 calories per pound
In other words, while skeletal muscle and fat are the two largest components, their contribution to resting energy expenditure is smaller than that of organs. The vast majority of the resting energy expenditure of your body comes from organs such as liver, kidneys, heart, and brain, which account for only 5% to 6% of your weight.
As is often the case with these things, not everyone agrees on the exact figure.
Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Robert Wolfe, Ph.D., Chief of Metabolism and Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Texas Medical Branch, points out that, "every 10-kilogram difference in lean mass translates to a difference in energy expenditure of 100 calories per day, assuming a constant rate of protein turnover."
That's 10 calories for one kilogram of muscle, or a little less than 5 calories per pound — not too far away from the previous estimate of 6 calories per pound.
Wolfe does mention that this number assumes "a constant rate of protein turnover." Most types of resistance exercise will increase protein turnover (an increase in the rate of protein synthesis and breakdown), which is going to increase calorie expenditure in the hours (and, in some cases, days) after exercise.
And there are studies to show that the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn after an intense workout [6].
"When exercise ends, it takes time and energy for muscle cells to return to resting levels," says Chris Scott, Ph.D., exercise physiologist at the University of Southern Maine Human Performance Laboratory. "Recovery can also be expensive: Depleted glucose and fat stores need to be refilled, accumulated cell products need to be removed and protein levels need to be built back up. All this requires energy."
And the more rebuilding to be done, the greater the rate of EPOC, which in turn means that more calories (mainly from fat) are being burned after your workout.
So, while the resting metabolic rate of muscle isn't as high as previously thought, it is going to help you burn a few more calories after a workout is finished.
What does all of this mean for you?
Well, if you were to lose two pounds of fat and replace it with two pounds of muscle, your resting metabolic rate will increase by less than 10 calories per day. It would take a vast amount of muscle to substantially increase your metabolic rate — far more than most people are going to build in the gym.
Which brings me to another important point.
Unless your very overfat, returning to exercise after a layoff, or just starting an exercise program, very few people gain a lot of muscle and lose a lot of fat at the same time. Your body just isn't that great at doing both things at once. That's why I recommend you focus on one of two goals when you're trying to get in shape — building muscle while minimizing fat gain, or, losing fat while preserving muscle.
Despite the fact that the resting metabolic rate of muscle is not as high as previously thought doesn't mean that training with weights is pointless if you want to lose fat. Far from it. In fact, resistance exercise will improve your body composition in a number of different ways.
Firstly, with a properly designed exercise program, you'll burn calories (and fat) both during AND after your workout, although it's my opinion that the light-weight, high-repetition "toning" workouts most people do have only a minor impact on post-exercise metabolism. Those who have great results with The Plano Program know that nutrition is always addressed first and then the MAGIC happens when the nutrition component is coupled with the metabolic conditioning exercise (moderate to heavy weights in superset fashion) is used. The moderate to heavy weight training in correct sequence is SUPER DEMANDING on metabolism for days on end.
Second, if you don't do some kind of resistance exercise while you're dieting, a lot of the weight you lose will come from muscle as well as fat.
If you are fortunate enough to gain a significant amount of muscle while you're losing fat, the impact of the extra muscle on your resting metabolic rate will be small, and certainly won't amount to 10,000 extra calories a month....but with the correct training variables we can manipulate metabolism immensely.
In the next newsletter we will take a closer look at metabolic conditioning my clients use to blast fat....and I guarantee you, it's not doing moderate intensity cardio or using pink dumbbells.
References
1. Poehlman, E.T., Denino, W.F., Beckett, T., Kinaman, K.A., Dionne, I.J., Dvorak, R., & Ades, P.A. (2002). Effects of endurance and resistance training on total daily energy expenditure in young women: a controlled randomized trial. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 87, 1004-1009
2. Pratley, R., Nicklas, B., Rubin, M., Miller, J., Smith, A., Smith, M., Hurley, B., & Goldberg, A. (1994). Strength training increases resting metabolic rate and norepinephrine levels in healthy 50- to 65-yr-old men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 76, 133-137
3. Van Etten, L.M., Westerterp, K.R., Verstappen, F.T., Boon, B.J., & Saris, W.H. (1997). Effect of an 18-wk weight-training program on energy expenditure and physical activity. Journal of Applied Physiology, 82, 298-304
4. Wajchenberg, B.L. (2000). Subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue: their relation to the metabolic syndrome. Endocrine Reviews, 21, 697-738
5. Wang, Z., Heshka, S., Zhang, K., Boozer, C.N., & Heymsfield, S.B. (2001). Resting energy expenditure: systematic organization and critique of prediction methods. Obesity Research, 9, 331-336
6. Smith, J., & McNaughton, L. (1993). The effects of intensity of exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and energy expenditure in moderately trained men and women. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 67, 420-425
You've probably read similar claims that muscle "burns calories around the clock just to maintain itself, even while you are sleeping or sitting at a desk."
The idea is that for every pound of new muscle, your body will burn an extra 60 calories per day. Add five pounds of new muscle and you will automatically burn an additional 31 pounds of fat in a year... or so the theory goes, anyway.
When you gain muscle, your resting metabolic rate (the number of calories your body burns at rest) does go up. But, this increase is a lot less than the 50-100 calorie figure you'll often see written.
Where does the 50-100 calorie figure actually come from?
I have no idea. It just seems to be one of those myths that have been around for so long that its accuracy is no longer questioned, and probably exists for the same reason we have misconceptions about a lot of things. Somebody says something, somebody repeats it, and then we repeat it. Suddenly it's established as fact.
In studies that have tracked changes in muscle mass and metabolism, it might appear that the metabolic rate of muscle is somewhere in the region of 50-100 calories per pound. But when you take a closer look, you'll see that things are not quite so simple.
Let me give you a couple of examples...
The first comes from an 18-week study of 26 sedentary men published in the Journal of Applied Physiology . During the first eight weeks, the men gained roughly 2.8 pounds of fat-free mass. The average daily metabolic rate increased by 263 calories per day.
Dividing the increase in resting metabolic rate (263 calories) by the increase in fat-free mass (2.8 pounds) gives us a figure of 94 calories per pound. However, we can't assume that this figure represents the metabolic rate of muscle.
Why not?
The first problem is the daily metabolic rate includes the energy cost of physical activity. We can't say for sure that the increase in calorie expenditure was because of the extra muscle alone.
But that's not the only problem.
From week 8 to week 18, the men gained another 1.8 pounds of fat-free mass. If muscle had such a big impact on metabolism, we'd expect to see another rise in the men's metabolic rate. But this didn't happen. Nor was there any change in sleeping metabolic rate during the study.
In another trial, women who trained with weights three days a week for six months gained 2.9 pounds of fat-free mass. In that time, their resting metabolic rate increased by an average of 60 calories per day.
Dividing the increase in resting metabolic rate (60 calories) by the increase in fat-free mass (2.9 pounds) gives us a figure of 20.7 calories per pound.
However, even this figure overestimates the metabolic rate of muscle.
Methods for measuring resting metabolic rate and body composition vary widely in their precision and accuracy. We don't know for sure if the change in resting metabolism was because of the extra muscle, or whether it was due to measurement error. The control group in this study did no exercise, yet their resting metabolic rate increased by 31 calories per day.
In addition, other studies show an increase in resting metabolic rate even when gains in fat-free mass are taken into account. Researchers think that mechanisms other than the increase in fat-free mass (such as changes in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system) are partly responsible. And fat is not simply a "dead" tissue. It secretes proteins such as leptin and cytokines, which can affect your metabolism.
So, what is the "true" metabolic rate of muscle?
In her book Ultimate Fitness: The Quest for Truth about Exercise and Health, science writer for The New York Times Gina Kolata talked to Professor Claude Bouchard, a respected researcher in the field of genetics and obesity.
Bouchard points out that muscle actually has a very low metabolic rate when it is at rest, which is most of the time. And the metabolic rate of muscle pales in comparison to other parts of the body.
In fact, the heart and kidneys have the highest resting metabolic rate (200 calories per pound). The brain (109 calories per pound) and liver (91 calories per pound) also have high values [5]. In contrast, the resting metabolic rate of skeletal muscle clocks in at just 6 calories per pound, with fat burning just 2 calories per pound.
Organ or tissue Daily metabolic rate
Adipose (fat) 2 calories per pound
Muscle 6 calories per pound
Liver 91 calories per pound
Brain 109 calories per pound
Heart 200 calories per pound
Kidneys 200 calories per pound
In other words, while skeletal muscle and fat are the two largest components, their contribution to resting energy expenditure is smaller than that of organs. The vast majority of the resting energy expenditure of your body comes from organs such as liver, kidneys, heart, and brain, which account for only 5% to 6% of your weight.
As is often the case with these things, not everyone agrees on the exact figure.
Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Robert Wolfe, Ph.D., Chief of Metabolism and Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Texas Medical Branch, points out that, "every 10-kilogram difference in lean mass translates to a difference in energy expenditure of 100 calories per day, assuming a constant rate of protein turnover."
That's 10 calories for one kilogram of muscle, or a little less than 5 calories per pound — not too far away from the previous estimate of 6 calories per pound.
Wolfe does mention that this number assumes "a constant rate of protein turnover." Most types of resistance exercise will increase protein turnover (an increase in the rate of protein synthesis and breakdown), which is going to increase calorie expenditure in the hours (and, in some cases, days) after exercise.
And there are studies to show that the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn after an intense workout [6].
"When exercise ends, it takes time and energy for muscle cells to return to resting levels," says Chris Scott, Ph.D., exercise physiologist at the University of Southern Maine Human Performance Laboratory. "Recovery can also be expensive: Depleted glucose and fat stores need to be refilled, accumulated cell products need to be removed and protein levels need to be built back up. All this requires energy."
And the more rebuilding to be done, the greater the rate of EPOC, which in turn means that more calories (mainly from fat) are being burned after your workout.
So, while the resting metabolic rate of muscle isn't as high as previously thought, it is going to help you burn a few more calories after a workout is finished.
What does all of this mean for you?
Well, if you were to lose two pounds of fat and replace it with two pounds of muscle, your resting metabolic rate will increase by less than 10 calories per day. It would take a vast amount of muscle to substantially increase your metabolic rate — far more than most people are going to build in the gym.
Which brings me to another important point.
Unless your very overfat, returning to exercise after a layoff, or just starting an exercise program, very few people gain a lot of muscle and lose a lot of fat at the same time. Your body just isn't that great at doing both things at once. That's why I recommend you focus on one of two goals when you're trying to get in shape — building muscle while minimizing fat gain, or, losing fat while preserving muscle.
Despite the fact that the resting metabolic rate of muscle is not as high as previously thought doesn't mean that training with weights is pointless if you want to lose fat. Far from it. In fact, resistance exercise will improve your body composition in a number of different ways.
Firstly, with a properly designed exercise program, you'll burn calories (and fat) both during AND after your workout, although it's my opinion that the light-weight, high-repetition "toning" workouts most people do have only a minor impact on post-exercise metabolism. Those who have great results with The Plano Program know that nutrition is always addressed first and then the MAGIC happens when the nutrition component is coupled with the metabolic conditioning exercise (moderate to heavy weights in superset fashion) is used. The moderate to heavy weight training in correct sequence is SUPER DEMANDING on metabolism for days on end.
Second, if you don't do some kind of resistance exercise while you're dieting, a lot of the weight you lose will come from muscle as well as fat.
If you are fortunate enough to gain a significant amount of muscle while you're losing fat, the impact of the extra muscle on your resting metabolic rate will be small, and certainly won't amount to 10,000 extra calories a month....but with the correct training variables we can manipulate metabolism immensely.
In the next newsletter we will take a closer look at metabolic conditioning my clients use to blast fat....and I guarantee you, it's not doing moderate intensity cardio or using pink dumbbells.
References
1. Poehlman, E.T., Denino, W.F., Beckett, T., Kinaman, K.A., Dionne, I.J., Dvorak, R., & Ades, P.A. (2002). Effects of endurance and resistance training on total daily energy expenditure in young women: a controlled randomized trial. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 87, 1004-1009
2. Pratley, R., Nicklas, B., Rubin, M., Miller, J., Smith, A., Smith, M., Hurley, B., & Goldberg, A. (1994). Strength training increases resting metabolic rate and norepinephrine levels in healthy 50- to 65-yr-old men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 76, 133-137
3. Van Etten, L.M., Westerterp, K.R., Verstappen, F.T., Boon, B.J., & Saris, W.H. (1997). Effect of an 18-wk weight-training program on energy expenditure and physical activity. Journal of Applied Physiology, 82, 298-304
4. Wajchenberg, B.L. (2000). Subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue: their relation to the metabolic syndrome. Endocrine Reviews, 21, 697-738
5. Wang, Z., Heshka, S., Zhang, K., Boozer, C.N., & Heymsfield, S.B. (2001). Resting energy expenditure: systematic organization and critique of prediction methods. Obesity Research, 9, 331-336
6. Smith, J., & McNaughton, L. (1993). The effects of intensity of exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and energy expenditure in moderately trained men and women. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 67, 420-425
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