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
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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
Monday, September 14, 2009
You and Your Low Fat Diet
Most of my clients are shocked to learn that the The Plano Program contains plenty of fat......even saturated fat like coconut oil, raw butter, and whole cage free organic eggs. It's hard to think of fat as a nutrient because for years we have all been hearing so much about fat as a health hazard. While we fear and vilify fat, we have forgotten how essential it is to our health. Here are some real fat facts for you.
-A Harvard study of forth thousand nurses found that the 20 percent with the lowest fat intake had the highest rate of cancer.
-Eskimos had normal cholesterol levels for thousands of years on a diet containing 75% sea animal fat.
-Mediterraneans, too, are notably free of heart disease, although they consume diets containing 40% fat
-Scandanavians, the Celtic Irish, and north coast Native Americans, among others, have high genetic requirements for the fats that they have traditionally got from their original fish-based diets. Depression and alcoholism are two conditions that they suffer from now that their diets are much lower in fish and the natural fats that fish contain.
-We all need the essential fat-soluble vitamins A and E that low fat diets
jeopardize. Some of the most dramatic functions of vitamins A and E are to maintain the immune systems and our eyesight and to protect against stroke and liver disease.
-Every cell in the body is protected by a lining of fat called phospholipids(another reason why I like Krill oil vs. traditional fish oil)
-The brain is 60% fat
-Imperative for normal hormone production
The fact is, fats (or fatty acids, as they are biochemically know) play an essential role in our body's function. Our recent high carb/low fat mania has yielded many adverse results. All fats are not created equal, we need to take a closer look at our diet to make sure we are not deficient in these vital fats
-A Harvard study of forth thousand nurses found that the 20 percent with the lowest fat intake had the highest rate of cancer.
-Eskimos had normal cholesterol levels for thousands of years on a diet containing 75% sea animal fat.
-Mediterraneans, too, are notably free of heart disease, although they consume diets containing 40% fat
-Scandanavians, the Celtic Irish, and north coast Native Americans, among others, have high genetic requirements for the fats that they have traditionally got from their original fish-based diets. Depression and alcoholism are two conditions that they suffer from now that their diets are much lower in fish and the natural fats that fish contain.
-We all need the essential fat-soluble vitamins A and E that low fat diets
jeopardize. Some of the most dramatic functions of vitamins A and E are to maintain the immune systems and our eyesight and to protect against stroke and liver disease.
-Every cell in the body is protected by a lining of fat called phospholipids(another reason why I like Krill oil vs. traditional fish oil)
-The brain is 60% fat
-Imperative for normal hormone production
The fact is, fats (or fatty acids, as they are biochemically know) play an essential role in our body's function. Our recent high carb/low fat mania has yielded many adverse results. All fats are not created equal, we need to take a closer look at our diet to make sure we are not deficient in these vital fats
Monday, September 7, 2009
A calorie is NOT a calorie!
A Calorie is NOT a Calorie
By: Jose Antonio
A calorie is just a calorie; it doesn’t matter what you eat as long as you watch your calories. That is. if you eat less than you expend, you’ll lose weight; if you eat more than you expend, you’ll gain weight. And it don’t make a helluva difference what you eat. That’s because a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Or is it?
Here's what I suggest; if you want to gain lean body mass, eat tons of Jello and butter; sprinkle a donut here and there and top that off with a hefty serving of lard. Oh and one more thing, make sure you get these extra couple hundred calories right before going to bed.
Or try this; eat the SAME number of calories, but instead eat the following: a protein powder mixed with skim milk and a half a banana. Now you gotta be a complete moron to think the effects overeating on protein powder is the same as eating lard. Otherwise, physique athletes would be touting their lard and jello diet to gain mass!
If a calorie is just a calorie, it shouldn't matter what you eat, correct?
First of all, this doesn’t take into account the much higher thermic effect of consuming protein which is higher than carbohydrates or fat. And carbs are higher than fat. But there’s another piece of that puzzle that scientists haven’t figured out but those in the fitness and bodybuilding world seem to have a better handle of.
So let's look at a couple pretty cool studies.Hopefully, this might sway to think that apple pie calories are NOT the same as eating chicken breasts for chrissake....
Study #1
The first study, took 20 normal men and had them go from their habitual diet (17% protein, 47% carbohydrate, 32%) to a ketogenic diet (30% protein, 8% carbohydrate, 61% fat). They remained on this diet for 6 weeks. Now keep in mind the ketosis seen in normal people on a low-carb diet is not the same as diabetic ketoacidosis.They found that despite the large amount of fat consumed, the ketogenic diet subjects had a decrease in serum triglycerides as well as a drop in post-prandial lipemia (amount of fat in the blood after eating) and a drop in serum insulin. Mmm…so far so good. Additionally, HDL cholesterol (the good one!) increased in the ketogenic subjects. But the best news of all is that these subjects following the low-carb diet had a significant increase in lean body mass (+2.4 pounds) and a drop in fat (-7.5 pounds). This was accompanied by an increase in thyroxine (T4) hormone. So in these men eating a low-carbohydrate diet, blood markers of health, metabolism, and body composition improved.
Another investigation:
Okay, that’s a fluke you say. Well, let’s look at another study done in a group of normal young women (24yr old). The initial baseline diet of these women was an average of 1959 calories of which it was 50% carbs, 16% protein, and 34% fat. They divided the women into two groups. They both consumed the same number of calories ( about 1660 kcal); however, the protein group consumed 41% carbs, 30% protein, and 29% fat while the carbohydrate group consumed 58% carbs, 16% protein, and 26% fat. They did this for 10 weeks. You can predict that if they’re eating less calories, they should lose weight. Correct? Well, yes. But, and there’s always a ‘but,’ the nature of the weight loss was NOT the same. The carbohydrate group lost a total of 15.3 pounds compared to a 16.6 pound loss in the protein group; But let's look at the numbers as closely as you would look at the kiss between Britney and Madonna. The carbohydrate group lost 10.4 pounds of fat versus 12.3 pounds of fat in the protein group. And, drumroll please….the carbohydrate group lost 2.7 pounds of lean body mass compared to just a 1.9 pound loss in the protein group. So the ratio of fat/lean body mass weight loss was better in the protein group.
Losing weight, for some, is as difficult as sticking your finger through a brick. So why make it worse by losing more lean body mass? Another good thing found in the protein group was a significant reduction in blood triglycerides. Both groups decreased similary in total cholesterol too. Furthermore, the carbohydrate group had higher insulin responses to meals and higher postprandial blood glucose levels. The protein group also reported greater satiety with their meals. Something to think about…
What’s fascinating is that the protein group in study 2 did not partake in a ketogenic diet even though some would call that a ‘low-carb’ diet; the ratio of that diet was actually a 40:30:30 [CHO:PRO:FAT]. The ratio of the diet in study 1 was 8:30:61 [CHO:PRO:FAT]. The commonality that you find in these two studies is that if you drop your carbs to 40% or less, it seems to improve body composition as well as improve markers of health (lipids, insulin, etc). The fact that thyroid hormone levels are likely to be better maintained on a lower carbohydrate/higher protein diet might contribute to a body composition change. Also, we know that if you go on a low-calorie diet, it’s helpful to eat more protein to help alleviate any loss of lean body mass.
Moral of the story… Clearly, not all diets work equally for everyone. My recommendation is that you eliminate processed carbs and replace them with lean sources of protein if your goal is to improve your general physique and health.
References:
Volek J et al. Body composition and hormonal responses to a carbohydrate-restricted diet. Metabolism 2002;51:864-70.
Layman DK et al. A reduced ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein improves body composition and blood lipid profiles during weight loss in adult women. Journal of Nutrition 2003;133:411-417.
By: Jose Antonio
A calorie is just a calorie; it doesn’t matter what you eat as long as you watch your calories. That is. if you eat less than you expend, you’ll lose weight; if you eat more than you expend, you’ll gain weight. And it don’t make a helluva difference what you eat. That’s because a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Or is it?
Here's what I suggest; if you want to gain lean body mass, eat tons of Jello and butter; sprinkle a donut here and there and top that off with a hefty serving of lard. Oh and one more thing, make sure you get these extra couple hundred calories right before going to bed.
Or try this; eat the SAME number of calories, but instead eat the following: a protein powder mixed with skim milk and a half a banana. Now you gotta be a complete moron to think the effects overeating on protein powder is the same as eating lard. Otherwise, physique athletes would be touting their lard and jello diet to gain mass!
If a calorie is just a calorie, it shouldn't matter what you eat, correct?
First of all, this doesn’t take into account the much higher thermic effect of consuming protein which is higher than carbohydrates or fat. And carbs are higher than fat. But there’s another piece of that puzzle that scientists haven’t figured out but those in the fitness and bodybuilding world seem to have a better handle of.
So let's look at a couple pretty cool studies.Hopefully, this might sway to think that apple pie calories are NOT the same as eating chicken breasts for chrissake....
Study #1
The first study, took 20 normal men and had them go from their habitual diet (17% protein, 47% carbohydrate, 32%) to a ketogenic diet (30% protein, 8% carbohydrate, 61% fat). They remained on this diet for 6 weeks. Now keep in mind the ketosis seen in normal people on a low-carb diet is not the same as diabetic ketoacidosis.They found that despite the large amount of fat consumed, the ketogenic diet subjects had a decrease in serum triglycerides as well as a drop in post-prandial lipemia (amount of fat in the blood after eating) and a drop in serum insulin. Mmm…so far so good. Additionally, HDL cholesterol (the good one!) increased in the ketogenic subjects. But the best news of all is that these subjects following the low-carb diet had a significant increase in lean body mass (+2.4 pounds) and a drop in fat (-7.5 pounds). This was accompanied by an increase in thyroxine (T4) hormone. So in these men eating a low-carbohydrate diet, blood markers of health, metabolism, and body composition improved.
Another investigation:
Okay, that’s a fluke you say. Well, let’s look at another study done in a group of normal young women (24yr old). The initial baseline diet of these women was an average of 1959 calories of which it was 50% carbs, 16% protein, and 34% fat. They divided the women into two groups. They both consumed the same number of calories ( about 1660 kcal); however, the protein group consumed 41% carbs, 30% protein, and 29% fat while the carbohydrate group consumed 58% carbs, 16% protein, and 26% fat. They did this for 10 weeks. You can predict that if they’re eating less calories, they should lose weight. Correct? Well, yes. But, and there’s always a ‘but,’ the nature of the weight loss was NOT the same. The carbohydrate group lost a total of 15.3 pounds compared to a 16.6 pound loss in the protein group; But let's look at the numbers as closely as you would look at the kiss between Britney and Madonna. The carbohydrate group lost 10.4 pounds of fat versus 12.3 pounds of fat in the protein group. And, drumroll please….the carbohydrate group lost 2.7 pounds of lean body mass compared to just a 1.9 pound loss in the protein group. So the ratio of fat/lean body mass weight loss was better in the protein group.
Losing weight, for some, is as difficult as sticking your finger through a brick. So why make it worse by losing more lean body mass? Another good thing found in the protein group was a significant reduction in blood triglycerides. Both groups decreased similary in total cholesterol too. Furthermore, the carbohydrate group had higher insulin responses to meals and higher postprandial blood glucose levels. The protein group also reported greater satiety with their meals. Something to think about…
What’s fascinating is that the protein group in study 2 did not partake in a ketogenic diet even though some would call that a ‘low-carb’ diet; the ratio of that diet was actually a 40:30:30 [CHO:PRO:FAT]. The ratio of the diet in study 1 was 8:30:61 [CHO:PRO:FAT]. The commonality that you find in these two studies is that if you drop your carbs to 40% or less, it seems to improve body composition as well as improve markers of health (lipids, insulin, etc). The fact that thyroid hormone levels are likely to be better maintained on a lower carbohydrate/higher protein diet might contribute to a body composition change. Also, we know that if you go on a low-calorie diet, it’s helpful to eat more protein to help alleviate any loss of lean body mass.
Moral of the story… Clearly, not all diets work equally for everyone. My recommendation is that you eliminate processed carbs and replace them with lean sources of protein if your goal is to improve your general physique and health.
References:
Volek J et al. Body composition and hormonal responses to a carbohydrate-restricted diet. Metabolism 2002;51:864-70.
Layman DK et al. A reduced ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein improves body composition and blood lipid profiles during weight loss in adult women. Journal of Nutrition 2003;133:411-417.
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