Nutrition
Having looked at what the carnivore diet actually is in the first part of this series of articles, in this second part we will start to take a closer look at the benefits claimed by supporters of this diet and try to assess what the reality is based on scientific research.
What are the benefits of the carnivore diet?
Advocates of the carnivore diet say that it can do many things, including the following:
- Cause weight loss
- Improve cardiovascular health
- Reduce inflammation
- Increase testosterone levels
- Prevent nutrient deficiencies
Let's examine these claims with a healthy dose of science:
Weight loss
Here are a few of the most scientifically proven ways to achieve weight loss without counting calories:
- Eat more protein
- Drink more water with meals (6)
- Limit the foods you eat (7)
- Eat less oil, refined flour and sugar (8)
- Eat higher-volume foods (9) that require longer chewing (10)
And that's a perfect summary of the Carnivore Diet.
For starters, it includes a large amount of protein - 200 to 300 grams per day for many people - and if you've ever eaten large amounts of protein, then you know how effective this is when it comes to reducing appetite.
In addition, it's not unusual to eat two to four pounds of meat per day during this diet. Since meat is 70% water, this results in significant additional water consumption per day - and the fact that it is consumed with food enhances its satiating effect (6).
The carnivore diet is also very restrictive, which is an effective way to suppress appetite and reduce calorie intake. The fact that the carnivore diet eliminates all the highly processed foods that many people eat too much of - bread, sweets, ice cream, cakes, pizza and the like - makes this diet even more effective in this regard.
Finally, meat takes up more space in the stomach than other foods and needs to be chewed well, both of which can improve satiety and suppress appetite.
It is therefore not surprising that many people have lost enormous amounts of weight on the carnivore diet, particularly during the first few weeks when the body excretes water and breaks down glycogen in response to the carbohydrate restriction (11, 12).
However, it should be noted that the same results can be achieved with any high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet (13-15).
In other words, there is nothing really special or unique about the carnivore diet in terms of weight loss.
"But the insulin!" I hear the fanatical hordes of cannibals grumble. "This diet keeps the insulin under control!"
Ah yes, insulin, the metabolic villain of the hour, supposedly responsible for all kinds of metabolic disorders.
As for the Carnivore Diet, many people claim that it is superior to other forms of low-carb diets because it keeps insulin levels as low as possible, which in return is supposed to speed up fat loss.
And then there's the reality.
For one thing, protein-rich foods also raise insulin levels - just as much as carbohydrate-rich foods (17). Whey protein, for example, raises insulin levels more than white bread (18) and beef raises insulin levels more than brown rice (19).
Some say that the insulin response to protein-rich foods like whey protein and beef is slower (as if that's better), but this is wrong. Protein-rich foods, just like carbohydrate-rich foods, cause a rapid rise in insulin levels (19), followed by a rapid drop.
Even if following the carnivore diet kept insulin levels lower than other forms of low-carb diets, this would not guarantee fat loss.
As long as calorie intake is the same, people will lose equal amounts of fat regardless of what happens to insulin levels or how their bodies respond to them (20). Even giving overweight people medication to lower insulin levels does not cause fat loss (21, 22).
So the bottom line is that the carnivore diet can help you lose weight - but no better than any other type of diet that makes you eat fewer calories than you consume over time.
Cardiovascular health
One of the main reasons that various health organizations recommend limiting meat consumption is to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Animal products contain a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol and it is believed that both of these compounds can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
If you are not familiar with these two compounds, it is worth noting that saturated fat is the type of dietary fat that is solid at room temperature and that cholesterol is a pale, waxy substance that is chemically similar to dietary fat. Cholesterol is present in cells of the body and is used to make hormones, vitamin D and chemicals that help digest food.
A few decades ago, it was believed that foods such as eggs and meat containing cholesterol increased the risk of heart disease. Today we know that it's not quite that simple.
Eggs have been more or less rehabilitated (23) and scientific research shows that processed meat can be linked to a higher incidence of heart disease (24), but this does not apply to red meat.
It would be premature to say that cholesterol-rich foods do not play a role in heart disease (25), but most experts agree that eating cholesterol-rich foods does not significantly increase the risk of heart disease.
On the other hand, many foods that are high in cholesterol also contain large amounts of saturated fat, which is more of a concern.
The long-held view that saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease has been challenged by recent research (26), which many people who follow the carnivore diet are happy to throw around to prove that they are right and the establishment and naysayers are wrong.
The problem, however, is that these studies have been seriously criticized by well-known nutrition and cardiac researchers for several weaknesses, omissions and limitations (27, 28).
These scientists insist that there is a strong link between high saturated fat intake and heart disease (29) and that we should follow the generally accepted dietary guidelines for saturated fat consumption (30) (less than 10% of daily calorie intake) until we know more.
To put this into perspective, let's say you eat 2500 kcal per day, then your daily upper limit for saturated fat would be 30 grams.
If you follow a normal, balanced diet, then it's easy to stay below this threshold. To reach this limit, you would need to eat 150 grams of full-fat cheese, 20 strips of bacon or three large cheeseburgers per day.
However, if you follow the Carnivore Diet, you can easily exceed this upper limit on a regular basis.
For example, here is the nutritional content of 900 grams of ribeye steak, a fattier type of beef that is a staple in the diet of many carnivore dieters:
- 1,535 kcal
- 182 grams of protein
- 10 grams of carbohydrates
- 85 grams of fat
- 33 grams of saturated fat
As you can see, 20% of the total calories from ribeye steaks are made up of saturated fat and some meats contain even more saturated fat.
This is the reason why the consumption of saturated fat in people following the carnivore diet is often double the recommended amount.
In defense of this practice, these people often point to primitive peoples such as the Masai in Africa, and the Inuit in Alaska, Canada and Greenland, who are known to eat a lot of meat and saturated fats and are seen as paragons of health.
Such claims do not stand up to closer scientific scrutiny.
An early study conducted by scientists at Vanderbilt Medical School showed that the Maasai in Africa had fewer markers of heart disease based on blood cholesterol levels and tests of heart function (31).
The scientists were not able to accurately record or control what these tribesmen ate, but they assumed that many of their calories came from whole milk, which is rich in saturated fat - and not from meat, which they ate only five times a month.
The same scientists performed autopsies on the hearts of 50 Maasai tribesmen over the course of a decade and found that these people suffered from severe arteriosclerosis (a hardening and thickening of the arteries) similar to what is found in people who follow a Western diet (32).
As for the Inuit, research conducted by scientists at the National Institute of Public Health found that the rate of heart disease in these people was similar or even higher than in the average American (33).
In addition to this, none of these ethnic groups really follow a true carnivorous diet. The Maasai have a high carbohydrate intake from cow's milk (34) and the Inuit have between 8 and 54% of their calories from carbohydrates (35).
The bottom line is that there is little data to tell us how the carnivore diet affects the risk of heart disease over time.
Having said that, we can only laugh at some anecdotal reports from Dr. (or no longer Dr.) Shawn Baker, who shared his blood work with the rest of the world in a podcast interview with Robb Wolf (36).
After following the Carnivore Diet for over a year, here's what those numbers looked like:
- His total cholesterol level was 205, which puts him in the "intermediate risk" category for heart disease.
- His HDL cholesterol level (the good cholesterol) was 44, which also falls into the "medium risk" category and is only 4 points above the high risk category.
- His fasting blood glucose level - also a risk factor for heart disease (37) - was 127. A fasting blood glucose level considered healthy is 100 or below, and the American Diabetes Society considers anything above 127 to be a sign of diabetes (38).
- His total testosterone level was 237, which is less than half of what is considered normal for people in their early fifties (39) and low enough to be classified as low testosterone (40). Low testosterone levels are also a risk factor for heart disease (41) and diabetes (42).
- His vitamin D blood level was 30, which, depending on who you ask, is pretty close to deficient (43). Low vitamin D levels are also a risk for heart disease (44).
In other words, his levels were modest to say the least.
To justify these levels, Baker claimed that such things are normal in athletes like him. However, even though there is evidence that some athletes have higher fasting blood glucose levels than sedentary people (45), I know of nothing to justify the high cholesterol levels, low HDL levels, low testosterone levels, and low vitamin D levels.
In addition, Baker said that his low testosterone levels could be with healthy downregulation in response to increased sensitivity at the cellular level. In other words, since his body is more responsive to testosterone (or not), it must not be producing as much testosterone.
Where is the evidence for this, you may ask. Who knows? Who cares...
And then, of course, there's the inconvenient fact that an overwhelming amount of research shows that eating fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of heart disease, and that not eating these foods increases that risk.
For example, a study conducted by scientists at the University of Nis came to the following conclusion (46):
Those in the top tercile of fruit consumption (> 5 pieces of fruit per day) had a lower risk of heart disease compared to those in the lowest tercile ( Another study, conducted by scientists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, found a strong correlation between low fruit and vegetable consumption and heart disease, cancer and overall mortality risk (47).These results have been confirmed by a number of other studies (48, 49, 50).
The conclusion is that the carnivore diet is likely to increase the risk of heart disease according to current expert opinion and a large number of studies.
Inflammation
The term inflammation is an ambiguous umbrella term for many undesirable physical symptoms and according to many followers of the carnivore diet, consuming large amounts of meat reduces inflammation.
Technically, inflammation is a prolonged activation of the immune system and is usually measured by looking at the levels of different chemicals in the body such as C-reactive protein and cytokines.
Scientific research shows that chronically high levels of these biomarkers are associated with various disease states including obesity and cancer (51, 52), so it is reasonable to take steps to reduce these levels.
As evidence that the carnivore diet is ideal for fighting inflammation, its proponents often point to a study conducted by researchers at Boston University on 55 overweight men (53).
The scientists divided the subjects into two groups:
- Group one consumed a diet that provided 55% of calories in the form of fat, 35% of calories in the form of protein and 10% of calories in the form of carbohydrates.
- Group two consumed a diet that provided 25% of calories in the form of fat, 15% of calories in the form of protein and 60% of calories in the form of carbohydrates.
These diets were designed to allow both groups to lose one pound of weight per week over a 12-week period, and the scientists measured blood levels of C-reactive protein at the beginning and end of the study.
After 12 weeks, a 30% reduction in C-reactive protein levels was observed in group 1, while only a 3% reduction was observed in group 2.
Carnivore supporters interpret this result to mean that
less carbohydrates = less inflammation = better health
but there is more to the study than meets the eye.
First of all, the low-carb group ate more than twice as much protein - as is the case in many other studies that "prove" that low-carb diets are better than high-carb diets. This makes it impossible to say whether the benefits were due to a reduction in carbohydrate intake or an increase in protein intake.
Second, the dietary control in this study was very loose, so it may be possible that the group that ate more carbohydrates also ate more refined flour and sugar, which could have increased levels of C-reactive protein (54).
Third, the group that followed the high-carbohydrate diet curiously showed better levels of other blood markers, which included a greater reduction in total cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol levels, so it is impossible for us to know which group would be healthier in the long run.
Another statement on inflammation that is worth addressing is the claim that plants can cause inflammation.
There is evidence that some people have negative reactions to certain foods (55), which may include certain types of carbohydrates such as grains, dairy products and even certain fruits, and that people suffering from autoimmune diseases may benefit from avoiding gluten (56).
However, there is little evidence that any of these reactions can cause inflammation or that eating only meat is the optimal solution.
The bottom line is that any claims that the carnivore diet reduces inflammation are based more on wishful thinking and deliberate misinterpretation than hard facts.
In the third part of this article series, we will look at the alleged positive effects of the carnivore diet on testosterone levels and take a closer look at the issue of nutrient deficiencies before coming to a final assessment of this nutritional approach.
https://www.muscleforlife.com/carnivore-diet/
By: Michael Matthews
Here is a brief summary:
- The Carnivore Diet involves consuming only animal products - no plants and mostly meat.
- People claim that this diet will help you lose weight and reduce inflammation, while protecting you from disease and increasing your testosterone levels.
- Like any highly restrictive diet, the Carnivore Diet can help you lose weight, but it's probably unhealthy to follow long-term.
What if I told you that by eating nothing but meat and other animal products - no fruit, no vegetables, no plant foods of any kind - you could achieve the following:
- Lose fat without counting calories
- Protect yourself from diabetes or even cure diabetes
- Avoid blood sugar fluctuations
- Increase your testosterone levels, build more muscle and improve your athletic performance
. . . But wait, there's more!
You may also be able to get rid of digestive problems like bloating and constipation and overcome depression, fatigue, joint pain and other ailments.
Well, according to a growing number of self-proclaimed health and diet gurus, this is exactly what happens when you follow the carnivore diet, which includes only animal products (along with water and salt).
One of these carnivore diet gurus is Dr. Shawn Baker, a former orthopedic surgeon and powerlifter who has been one of the more vocal advocates of the diet.
Baker shared many interesting things during a podcast in December 2017 (1), which included the following:
- "We eat for two reasons. We eat to get energy and to build muscle tissue... You and I are "animals" - we are made of animal tissue. The most efficient way to eat is to simply eat animal tissue, because it gives your body everything it needs in the proportions it needs it."
- "When smoking was shown to cause cancer, the epidemiology showed a 2,000% increase in cases of cancer...when they compared that to meat and cancer, they only found an 18% increase."
- "If we look back in history, there are all kinds of accounts of people using meat for athletic performance enhancement. Even in ancient Greece, people knew that you perform better if you eat a lot of meat.
Such statements may seem grotesque at first glance, but who knows...?
Scientists also used to believe that cocaine improves digestion, a lobotomy cures mental illness and drinking mercury can relieve constipation, so it's not too far-fetched to at least question some of the sacred cows of nutrition too - such as the importance of eating plants.
However, Baker destroys his credibility with statements like this (1):
"A molecule of glucose and a molecule of vitamin C are nearly identical and therefore compete for the same transporters.
Wait a minute, what?
A vitamin C vitamin looks like this:
And this is what a glucose molecule looks like:
Yes, Baker, I see where you're going with this. These molecules look "almost identical", but in a completely different way. It makes sense if you don't think about it.
And then there's the whole "competing for the same transporters" thing.
Scientists have known for decades that even though vitamin C can get into cells using some of the same transporters (which you can think of as passages) as glucose, cells also have special transporters for vitamin C that don't accept glucose (2).
And so here we have someone who doesn't even understand the basics of chemistry and biology...and who had his medical license revoked in 2017 due to "incompetence" (3) ...giving radical dietary advice to the unsuspecting masses.
It's things like this that can change people's lives forever - in a very negative way.
However, none of this means you should throw the carnivore baby out with the bathwater. If you do some research online and read people's experiences with the Carnivore Diet, you'll find some compelling success stories.
Men and women of all ages and walks of life say that this diet has cured their arthritis, their digestive problems, their headaches, their sleep problems, their anxiety disorders, their concentration problems, their depression and their alcohol and nicotine addictions, while at the same time helping them to build muscle, lose fat and feel and look healthier than ever before.
On the other hand, there are decades of scientific research showing that eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains is healthy and some scientific evidence suggesting that eating large amounts of animal products can increase the risk of disease and dysfunction (4).
At this point, which position weighs heavier and which is better supported by scientific evidence?
Well, the short answer is that while it is possible to stay healthy on the carnivore diet (at least for a while), there is an overwhelming amount of scientific research showing that this diet is far from optimal and that there are much better options.
In this article, we'll look at the whole story. This includes the following:
- What is the Carnivore Diet?
- Why do people follow this diet?
- What are the pros and cons of this diet?
- How safe and harmless is this diet?
. . . and much more.
Let's get started.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet - which is often referred to as a "zero carb diet" or "ketogenic paleo diet" - is exactly what the name sounds like:
You eat only animal products (in combination with water and salt).
This means no fruits, no vegetables, no toppings, no herbs and plant-based spices, and no vegetable oils.
Dairy products are technically allowed, but many followers of the Carnivore Diet forgo them in order to keep their carbohydrate consumption as low as possible and minimize the risk of digestive discomfort.
It is not known when this trend began, but some of the better known followers of this diet include Charles Washington, who claims to have been following this diet for over 10 years, and Joe and Charlene Andersen, who claim to have been following this diet for almost 20 years.
The Carnivore Diet food list
The primary foods allowed on the Carnivore Diet include red meat, fish, poultry and eggs.
So a shopping list might include the following:
|
Beef steaks |
Pork and veal chops |
Ground beef |
|
turkey |
chicken |
salmon |
|
Sardines |
Anchovies |
Whole eggs |
|
Bacon |
Sausage |
Breakfast meat |
|
Liver |
Lard |
Bone marrow |
Fattier meats such as ribeye steaks, salmon and lamb are preferred as they make it easier to achieve the right balance of protein and fat.
Processed meats such as breakfast bacon, sausage and beef jerky are also allowed and more extreme followers of this diet favor offal such as liver, kidney and heart, which are more nutritious than commonly consumed meats.
Some advocates of this diet also insist that only organic food, meat from grass-fed animals and meat from wild-caught animals should be eaten, while most do not see this as mandatory.
Plant-based ingredients such as horseradish, mustard, ketchup, barbecue sauce, soy sauce and salsa are not allowed. The strictest advocates of this diet even avoid pepper.
Why do people follow the carnivore diet?
There are two reasons why people follow the carnivore diet:
- To lose weight and get healthy
- To alleviate symptoms that they believe are caused by
food intolerances and food allergies.
You can find many examples of people who have lost weight using the Carnivore Diet, but as you probably know, this is simply a function of energy balance and can be achieved with any type of diet.
In other words, the Carnivore Diet has no special or unique weight loss effects. Many people simply subconsciously consume fewer calories when they can only eat meat, making it easier for them to lose weight.
Even more common than weight loss success stories, however, are reports of people who have used the Carnivore Diet to alleviate or eliminate negative symptoms they associate with food intolerances or allergies.
A food intolerance is an unofficial term for a consistent, negative reaction to a particular food or food group.
For example, some people experience negative side effects - both physical and psychological - when they have eaten wheat, dairy or fermented foods and many believe that this means they are suffering from an intolerance to something contained in these foods. This includes things like gluten, lactose or histamines (which are found in fermented foods).
You'll also often hear carnivore dieters talk about how plants contain so-called 'antinutrients' such as lectins, phytic acid and gluten, which prevent animals from being able to digest them (and thus act as a natural defense mechanism against consumption).
These compounds are in fact found in many plant foods including soy, wheat, corn, oatmeal, tomatoes, apples, cherries, potatoes, carrots and more.
Meat does not contain these compounds, which means that if people eat nothing but meat, they can easily avoid all foods and compounds that could cause adverse reactions in their bodies.
This is common sense. It's basically the first step in an elimination diet - a scientifically tested way to determine which foods you can and can't eat (5).
By first removing all potentially problematic foods from your diet and then gradually adding them back in, you can easily figure out which foods you're better off not eating based on how your body reacts to each of these "challenges" (reintroductions).
Unfortunately, the Carnivore Diet never goes beyond the first step of complete elimination. Instead of using the Carnivore Diet as a way back to a nutritious and balanced diet - as a tool to achieve a goal - many use this way of eating as a goal.
More on this shortly.
Having looked at what the carnivore diet actually is in this part, in the next part we will take a closer look at the benefits claimed by supporters of this diet and try to assess what the reality is based on scientific research.
https://www.muscleforlife.com/carnivore-diet/
By: Michael Matthews
If you want to know what science has to say about "starvation mode" and "metabolic damage", you should read this article
The most important facts at a glance:
- "Metabolic damage" is not real. They have never stopped anyone from losing weight and there is no need to fix them with complex and cumbersome diet voodoo.
- "Starvation mode" is real in a sense, but it's not nearly as dramatic as many people think.
- There are three reasons you can stop losing weight while dieting "for no good reason": You retain water, you build muscle, or you overeat (and this is more common than you might think)
If you're reading this article, there's a good chance you've already experienced the following scenario first-hand:
You're dieting to lose weight and you're doing everything right. You.
- You maintain a calorie deficit
- You eat enough protein
- You stick to your nutrition plan
- You train regularly with weights
- You limit your cardio training
And at first, everything is going more or less according to plan. Your weight and waist size have decreased and your muscle definition has improved - everything was going according to plan like clockwork.
And then suddenly your progress comes to a standstill.
For no apparent reason, the pointer on the scales stops moving and your reflection in the mirror no longer changes. You know the concept of energy balance and - determined to keep the ball rolling - you continue to reduce your calories and increase your cardio.
It works, of course...up to a point. And then you're stuck again - and this time you feel even more emaciated than before.
What can you do? Is this the maximum your body can take? Have you reached your "set point"? Is a lower body fat percentage simply not achievable for you?
And then you hear about "starvation mode" and "metabolic damage."
You'll find stories about people - typically women - who say that even with extremely low calorie intake and many hours of exercise per week, they are not losing weight and claim that (alleged) metabolic abnormalities caused by calorie restriction are responsible.
Basically, this story goes like this:
Dieting gradually reduces your basal metabolic rate dramatically, ultimately halting fat loss and necessitating lengthy "recovery programs" to repair the damage - if you ever manage to regain a healthy metabolism at all.
Hence the term "metabolic damage".
When your body goes through the complex set of metabolic, physiological adaptations that supposedly lead to metabolic damage, your body is said to be in what is known as "starvation mode". This supposedly starts on the first day of your diet and gets progressively worse and worse over time.
How real are these claims really? Well, it all looks like this:
- "Metabolic damage" is not real. They have never stopped anyone from losing weight and there is no need to fix them with complex and cumbersome diet voodoo.
- "Starvation mode" is real in a sense, but it's not nearly as dramatic as many people think.
In this article, you'll learn why this is the case.
In addition, you'll also learn the real reasons why your weight loss stalls and what you can do to break through weight loss plateaus with ease.
Let's get to the point.
What is "metabolic damage"?
According to most theories, the term 'metabolic damage' refers to a condition where multiple physiological systems have been disrupted and as a result your metabolism is burning less energy than it should.
In other words, it is a hypothetical state in which you burn fewer calories than you should based on your weight and activity levels. Furthermore, once your metabolism has been damaged, it is said to remain paralyzed even if you stop dieting and simply try to maintain your weight.
This is called "metabolic damage" because, according to this theory, your metabolism is literally damaged to some degree and action is needed to repair the damage.
(And in case you are not familiar with this term, your body's metabolism is a collection of physical and chemical processes that serve to produce, maintain and destroy material substances and make energy available).
The cause of metabolic damage is said to be running a calorie deficit and/or starvation diet for too long, and too much cardio training is also often seen as a cause.
If you stop losing weight after a period of dieting for no apparent reason or struggle to prevent weight gain after a prolonged diet, some people will claim for this reason that you may be suffering from metabolic damage that needs to be repaired.
The "evidence" to support all of this is almost always stories. Stories of people who can't lose weight despite eating less than a hundred calories a day or even stories of people who gain weight despite eating almost nothing and doing intense exercise.
And so people all over the world have been convinced that dieting has messed up their bodies - perhaps even irreversibly - and that their only hope of getting back to normal is to take dietary measures.
How is metabolic damage supposed to be repaired?
The typical protocol for repairing metabolic damage is simple: increase your daily calorie intake in small increments - usually 50 to 100 kcal - each week until you reach your calculated daily energy needs.
In some cases, precise instructions are also given regarding the macronutrient breakdown.
The basic idea behind this approach is that by slowly increasing calorie intake (rather than drastically increasing calorie intake as most people do after a diet) you allow your "damaged" metabolism to "keep up" and process food efficiently, which should result in a gradual increase in metabolic rate without unwanted fat gain.
This is commonly referred to as "reverse dieting" and while it is indeed a good idea to gradually increase your food intake after a prolonged period of calorie restriction, you don't have to do this for the reasons usually given (more on this later).
What is 'starvation mode'?
The idea behind 'starvation mode' is similar to the idea behind the concept of 'metabolic damage'.
Here's how it works: If you're too aggressive in your calorie restriction, then your metabolism will slow way down, making it more or less impossible to continue losing weight without eating less than a lean model.
According to many fitness gurus, if you stay in a starvation mode for too long, the next phase of "punishment" will begin: Muscle loss and fat gain.
We are told that the only way to avoid this is to lose weight slowly through a small calorie deficit (10 to 15%). We are told that if we get too greedy, we will pay for it later.
The way most people describe it, metabolic damage and starvation mode work together in the following ways to hinder your progress:
- You eat too little and lose weight too quickly.
- You put your body into starvation mode and your weight loss stops.
- You eat less and exercise even more, which further exacerbates this reaction and leads to metabolic damage.
- The longer you stay in this state, the less weight you will lose regardless of what you do and the more damage you will cause that will need to be repaired later.
Now, as you're about to see, there's a grain of truth to all of this, but as with most things that everyone in the fitness world "knows", more of it is false than true.
Does weight loss actually damage your metabolism?
No.
Okay, I'll explain this.
To understand the true science of fat loss, you need to start with the principle of energy balance and understand how only your energy intake and energy expenditure dictate your weight gain and weight loss.
Once you understand this, you will realize that significant weight loss requires you to consume fewer calories (energy) than you burn over an extended period of time.
For most people, this is where the learning process ends. They wanted the one great trick to melt away their belly fat and life preservers and they now know it: eat less and move more.
What they don't know, however, may come back to haunt them later, because calorie restriction does more than simply reduce overall fat mass - it also affects your metabolism in different ways that can make fat loss increasingly difficult over time.
In short, when you restrict your calorie intake to lose fat, your body will try to reduce your calorie expenditure and increase your calorie intake. By doing this, it wants to eliminate the energy deficit and create a balance between calorie intake and expenditure, thereby bringing fat loss to a halt.
The truth is that in order to lose fat, you have to force your body to do something it doesn't want to do (mild and prolonged starvation) and in the spirit of self-preservation, your body has developed self-defense mechanisms that it uses to fight back.
Let's take a look at the most important of these...
Your basal metabolic rate will drop.
Your basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy your body burns at rest. Your body's biggest energy consumers are your organs and your muscles (these are the primary determinants of your basal metabolic rate).
When you expose your body to a calorie deficit, hormonal adaptations take place that cause your body to burn less energy at rest.
The primary hormones involved in these adaptations include leptin, ghrelin, thyroid hormones and testosterone, all of which are affected unfavorably by a calorie deficit.
The thermic effect of food decreases.
The thermic effect of food is the amount of energy expended in the consumption, digestion, absorption and storage of food.
Scientific research has shown that the thermic effect of food accounts for about 10% of daily calorie consumption, with the exact amount varying based on the macronutrient composition of the diet.
While calorie restriction does not appear to directly reduce the thermic effect of food, a reduction in overall food intake will naturally result in a reduction in overall energy expenditure.
You burn fewer calories through "spontaneous" physical activity.
Every day you perform varying amounts of spontaneous activities such as walking around while talking on the phone, going to the bathroom, drumming your fingers on the table while reading or bouncing your legs while thinking.
The energy burned by these activities is known as NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) and plays a much bigger role in your daily energy expenditure than most people think.
Scientific research has shown that NEAT can vary by as much as 2,000 kcal per day from person to person and the same research suggests that by taking simple steps to increase overall activity levels such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking short distances instead of driving, doing housework while watching TV, etc., people could burn an additional 350 kcal per day.
When you are in a calorie deficit, the body reduces its spontaneous activity levels and thereby reduces its daily energy requirements - often significantly.
What's more, scientific research shows that this adaptation can be maintained for some time after you return to a normal diet (this is one of the reasons why weight gain after dieting is so common).
You burn fewer calories during exercise.
When you reduce your body weight, you also reduce the amount of energy used during exercise (it takes more energy to move a heavier body).
There's more here than may seem obvious at first glance, as studies have shown that energy expenditure remains lower than normal even when body weight is artificially increased during weight loss.
Let's put it all together
As you can see, your daily energy expenditure is something of a moving target and one of the challenges during a diet is to adjust your exercise and nutrition plan accordingly to ensure that your energy deficit remains high enough for you to continue to lose weight.
The described changes in your basal metabolic rate, NEAT, the thermic effect of food, etc. are also known as "adaptive thermogenesis" and are your body's primary "countermeasures" during weight loss.
They can be very effective. If you don't know how to use them properly, they can significantly slow down the rate of your weight loss or even bring your weight loss to a halt.
What they can't do, however, is 'damage' your metabolism - even if you're cutting your calorie intake, eating too little protein and doing too little strength training.
While you can expect greater reductions in your basal metabolic rate if you do these things, the effects will be much less than many people would have you believe.
Several studies have shown that the reduction in metabolic rate associated with dieting, even with long periods of very low calorie dieting, only ranges from 5 to 15%.
Furthermore, it took a reduction in body weight of about 10% to produce the larger double-digit reductions and most of the research in this area was done with people who made pretty much every classic mistake: they ate too little, ate too little protein and did no resistance training.
We also know that these effects, although they can persist long after weight loss has ended, can easily be reversed by increasing calorie intake, training with weights and eating a high protein diet.
You might be wondering what happens if you do everything right - that is, if you use a moderately aggressive but not insane calorie deficit, eat about 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, and do a few hours of heavy resistance training per week.
Well, studies have shown that this approach to fat loss can actually increase your metabolic rate and muscle mass.
So the term "metabolic damage" is a misnomer. The more accurate term would be "metabolic adaptation", which can work for and against you depending on your goals and your actions.
Is starvation mode real?
No, not in the strict sense that most people understand this term.
As you already know, your body responds to calorie restriction with countermeasures designed to halt weight loss (adaptive thermogenesis), but there is no mode that the body goes into and no physiological switch that is flipped to make further weight loss impossible.
The best example of all this that I know of is one of the most extreme studies ever done to study human metabolism: The Minnesota Starvation Experiment.
This experiment began in 1944 as the end of World War II was approaching and its purpose was to find the healthiest way to help millions of starving people in Europe regain a normal body weight.
As you've probably guessed, this experiment involved starving people - and by starving, I mean starving in the truest sense of the word.
The scientists took 36 volunteers (who were given the choice of either going to the war front or taking part in this experiment) and, to replicate conditions in an average prisoner of war camp, they had to perform several hours of physical labor per day and walk 22 miles per week while being put on a diet that provided them with only about 50% of their average daily energy requirements - for a period of 6 months!
As you can imagine, things got really gruesome. By the end of the study, the men were nearly starving and one had even cut off several of his fingers to end the experiment early.
And what about their metabolism? Was their metabolism as severely damaged as advocates of the concepts of "metabolic damage" and "starvation mode" would predict?
No.
After losing an average of about 25% of their body weight, their basal metabolic rate was about 20% lower than scientists would have estimated based on their body weight.
In other words, after 6 months of the most extreme weight loss program, their metabolic rate was about 20% below normal.
During the next phase of the study, the subjects were put on a "recovery diet" that would allow them to regain most of the weight they had lost, and after 12 weeks of this diet, their metabolic rate was re-examined.
This time the average metabolic rate was only about 10% lower than would have been normal and in some cases it had even returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
Not great news, but not too bad considering what they had put their bodies through.
For example, if you started your weight loss journey with a basal metabolic rate of around 1,800 kcal, then played Auschwitz for 6 months and then regained the lost weight, you could expect a basal metabolic rate of around 1,600 kcal per day. That's not ideal, of course, but it's also not enough to make any future weight loss impossible.
It's also worth noting that, according to a new study, when looking at the long-term data (rather than the first 12 weeks of recovery), there is no evidence that any of the study participants suffered any residual 'metabolic damage'.
This means that everything returned to normal and some people simply took longer than 12 weeks.
This groundbreaking experiment is also another nail in the coffin of starvation mode:
Each participant lost weight steadily until the end of the study. The rate of weight loss slowed, of course, for the reasons already described, but weight loss never came to a complete halt.
So it's pretty safe to assume that with 1,500 kcal per day and many hours of moderate exercise per week, people still lose weight steadily ... for six months ... we have nothing to worry about.
So if metabolic damage and starvation mode can't make you stop losing weight, what can be responsible for a plateau?
The real reasons you stop losing weight
There are three reasons why you stop losing weight for no apparent reason:
- You are storing water
- You are building muscle
- You eat too much (and in most cases more than you think)
That's all.
Trust me.
Your metabolism is not as unique as a snowflake. Your body works the same way mine and everyone else's does. You just need to learn how your body is "tuned" and make sure you don't make any of the common weight loss mistakes.
The bottom line on metabolic damage and starvation mode
Metabolic damage and starvation mode are, for the most part, bogeymen.
Your metabolic rate may drop when you lose weight (although not necessarily), but if you know what you're doing, the effects of this will be negligible and quickly reversible with a short period of 'reverse dieting' once you've reached your goal.
Even if you've already done everything wrong to lose weight - you've cut calories too much, you're eating too little protein and you're doing far too much cardio - you still don't need to worry about this. Even the most extreme circumstances can only cause a small reduction in metabolic rate and this reduction will disappear naturally when you go back to eating normally.
Source: https://www.muscleforlife.com/metabolic-damage/
By Michael Matthews
Could a multivitamin supplement be the answer to new gains? Read this article to find out which vitamins' reserves are most depleted by your training and the best way to replenish those reserves!
You've seen the headlines. One day it's not necessary for anyone to take vitamins and the next day it turns out that everyone needs extra vitamins.
How important is taking vitamins really and which ones should we use for best results?
If you are a high performance athlete, then you know that you are more susceptible to nutrient deficiencies than the average person.
Bodybuilders and other athletes push their bodies hard and often restrict their consumption of certain nutrients or foods in order to get lean. However, doing this can put a barrier between you and the muscle growth you're after.
So if you're struggling with muscle growth, replenishing your energy reserves and performing at your best, it could simply be because your micronutrient intake is inadequate.
What are micronutrients?
Micronutrients, which include vitamins, minerals and additional co-factors such as coenzymes, are essential for life. Micronutrients make a myriad of biochemical processes possible in the first place. You can eat as much protein and carbohydrates as you want - if your micronutrients are not in the right balance, you can forget about building muscle mass.
Vitamins are regularly neglected by athletes. There are at least 13 important vitamins in the human body:
- 4 fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E and K) that can be stored in the human body over a long period of time.
- 9 water-soluble vitamins (8 B vitamins and vitamin C), which are quickly excreted from the body via the urine.
Many believe that the complete vitamin requirement can be met through a balanced diet that includes a wide range of fruit and vegetables. However, with an ever-growing list of environmental toxins robbing the body of essential nutrients, poor quality farmland, poor food preparation methods and daily stress affecting our health, it is unlikely that adequate vitamin intake can be achieved through whole foods alone.
The need for vitamins is even higher for strength athletes and bodybuilders. The collective stress of hard resistance training and nutrient restrictions (such as pre-competition) combined with environmental factors make the use of a high quality multivitamin supplement a must for muscle building.
Why should you increase your vitamin intake?
In 2009, more than 2 billion people worldwide were affected by micronutrient deficiencies (14). With 50% of the population at risk of vitamin D deficiency (2) and one in four adults with a vitamin B12 deficiency, it quickly becomes clear that achieving the right micronutrient balance can be difficult, even in well-developed Western countries (9).
People who do not suffer from symptoms of vitamin deficiency may believe that they are getting enough vitamins from a balanced diet, but such a diet is in fact often less than optimal.
Over time, a suboptimal intake of vitamins can result in a breakdown of cellular metabolism, which is necessary for proper growth and function of body tissues and organs. Diseases and other ailments can be the result. Physical performance will certainly decline as a result.
Some people have a higher risk of vitamin deficiency than others. Older people, for example, are less able to absorb important nutrients. Athletes also tend to suffer from depletion of their micronutrient reserves due to the rigors of their training.
Those who are more prone to vitamin deficiencies might simply choose to increase their consumption of whole foods. However, while a balanced diet free of processed foods is undoubtedly a solid foundation for good health, such an approach can still lead to subclinical vitamin deficiencies.
Current farming practices and pesticides can significantly reduce the mineral and vitamin content of soils (15, 16). Unripe fruits are also deficient in certain nutrients. In addition, the processing and preservation of fruit and vegetables can also deprive them of valuable vitamins.
Multivitamin products: An essential part of an intensively training athlete's diet
Athletes who train hard are known to look for an edge to optimize their results. More repetitions, longer training sessions, optimal macronutrient intake, targeted supplementation - whatever it takes to gain an edge over the competition, serious athletes will do it. An often overlooked training edge that is also a fundamental key to excellent health and wellbeing is optimal vitamin intake.
As we will see in more detail later, athletes are particularly susceptible to nutrient deficiencies. The problem here is that with the masses of food that athletes eat - especially during the off-season - they have no reason to believe that they are at risk of inadequate nutrient intake.
But by emphasizing protein- and energy-rich foods, athletes often overlook what's most important for turning training efforts into tangible results: a complete array of micronutrients.
Compared to easy to moderate training, intense training (such as training with weights and regular high-intensity cardio) produces large amounts of free radicals (10). Such an increase in free radicals can exceed the body's antioxidant defenses and cause irreparable oxidative damage (or at least severe stress to the body).
Once damaged, the affected cells produce more free radicals and cause further damage to healthy cells. According to research by scientist Harshal R. Patil, heavy and prolonged exercise generates large amounts of free radicals that are likely to exceed the buffering capacity of the responsible body systems, making affected individuals more susceptible to oxidative stress (4).
Although not obvious at first, oxidative stress resulting from intense exercise accumulates while nutrient deficiencies are exacerbated as the body attempts to compensate for this stress by drawing nutrients from other areas. Unfortunately, meanwhile, micro-damage to the tissue continues unchecked.
Such damage increases the risk of heart disease, cancer and early death (1). The normal population may not feel any noticeable effects from accumulated microdamage, but in athletes, any amount of cellular damage will immediately and significantly impair athletic performance (7,11).
Many vitamins - and the B vitamins in particular - are significantly involved in energy metabolism. Although marginal deficiencies in sedentary individuals may have minimal impact, in athletes, even minor impairments in the ability to produce energy and perform at their best can have serious consequences (7).
Combine this with the fact that depletion of vitamin reserves in athletes is greater than normal due to the intense nature of their training and intentional dietary restrictions and it becomes obvious that adequate vitamin intake is particularly important in athletes.
As we already know, vitamin deficiencies can result in cellular damage. Since vitamins are critical to ensuring systemic function of the body, it follows that those at higher risk of oxidative stress need an insurance policy in the form of a high-dose vitamin product.
Differences between vitamin products
Today, you can find many common multivitamin products on the internet, drug stores and sporting goods stores that try to lure the masses of health-conscious people with fancy labels and exaggerated claims. Many of these products do provide the recommended daily amounts of the vitamins they contain, but that's about it. Others provide a single source of a given nutrient in small amounts to keep profits high. Many of these products are inefficient for hard-training athletes.
Many multivitamin products provide a full spectrum of supplemental ingredients, while others contain only a few select co-factors. For those who are routinely exposed to significant amounts of oxidative stress and depletion of their vitamin reserves, a product with high dosages of ingredients and a full spectrum of co-factors may provide superior benefits.
To work optimally, vitamins must be taken in adequate amounts and in conjunction with complementary co-factors, as vitamins and other micronutrients work together synergistically. Many vitamins can only help to promote health and well-being if they are included in a comprehensive formula together with all the other micronutrients required.
B Vitamins
You don't need a degree in biology to know that all 8 B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12) should be taken together for maximum effect. Each B vitamin plays a specific role in the body and all B vitamins work together to ensure that the food we eat can be converted into energy.
Tissue growth - including muscle tissue - and the formation of red blood cells will only occur at optimal levels if all B vitamins are on board. However, even a product that contains the full spectrum of B vitamins may be less than optimal. One B vitamin that is considered very important for health and tissue growth is vitamin B9 - also known as folic acid or folate. Folic acid is absolutely essential for the vital biological process of methylation.
Systemic methylation - the transfer of methyl groups that modifies DNA and occurs billions of times every day - underpins all biological functions. Methylation is essential for health. Without sufficient intake and absorption of folic acid, methylation is severely impaired.
Unfortunately, folic acid must undergo several biological transformations in the body before it becomes 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), its biologically active form. This is an inefficient process that can limit the absorption of folic acid (3). Folic acid absorption is problematic for many. However, by supplementing directly with 5-MTHF, your body can benefit directly and fully from all the benefits of folic acid. (3)
Another B vitamin - vitamin B12 - is considered the most important energy nutrient of all. Vitamin B12 protects RNA and DNA, supports immune function, protects nerve and brain cells, helps with serotonin production and contributes to the formation of red blood cells.
Similar to vitamin B9, different forms of B12 found in multivitamin products must go through a multi-step conversion process before they can be converted into their naturally occurring coenzyme form called methylcobalamin. (5)
This process is metabolically costly and very inefficient. However, direct ingestion of methylcobalamin eliminates the need for this conversion. In addition, methylcobalamin is more stable and bioavailable than other forms of vitamin B12. (5)
Vitamin E
The fat-soluble vitamin E penetrates the body's fatty tissues to neutralize toxic oxidants, thereby protecting membranes susceptible to oxidation. Vitamin E is one of the most effective antioxidants, not only neutralizing oxygen-based free radicals to protect cells, but also helping to fight inflammation and protect nerve cells from overproduction of the neurotransmitter glutamate.
By neglecting most forms of vitamin E in favor of the most commonly used form in supplements called alpha-tocopherol, supplement manufacturers are taking advantage of the customer. To work synergistically and deliver all the benefits of vitamin E, eight different forms of vitamin E need to be present: 4 tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) and 4 tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta)(12).
Each form of vitamin E fulfills different functions and all of these forms are important for health and well-being. For example, if the body tends to store more alpha tocopherol, then the different tocotrienols can penetrate cell membranes more easily due to their unsaturated bonds. Gamma tocotrienol has a particularly strong protective effect.
Vitamin C: repair and detoxification
Vitamin C is of such crucial importance for health that a vitamin C deficiency can quickly lead to illness. Water-soluble and known for its strong antioxidant effects, vitamin C is also important for numerous detoxification processes in the body and is crucial for the growth of many body tissues, ranging from collagen to blood vessels and skin.
Similar to vitamin E, vitamin C works best when several forms are taken in combination (6). Sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate and ascorbic acid are the three effective forms of vitamin C that should be included in a good multivitamin product. However, most products will only contain one of these forms of vitamin C.
Nutrient absorption
Vitamin supplementation should always accompany a balanced diet. But it is still not guaranteed that all nutrients - from food and supplements - will be properly absorbed. In fact, many people are deficient in the digestive enzymes needed to properly digest and absorb the food we eat.
A good multivitamin can help with this dilemma by providing the full range of digestive enzymes. Of the 6 key enzymes (lipase, amylase, protease, bromelain, papain and serrapeptase) needed for optimal nutrient absorption, proteases are crucial for breaking down proteins into amino acids to support muscle growth, while amylase is needed to convert carbohydrates into glucose, which is needed as energy for your workouts (17).
Determining the requirements
In terms of needs for specific performance requirements, all vitamins need to be prioritized regardless of athletic goals. While antioxidants such as vitamins E and C are great for combating oxidative stress and the B vitamins are essential for energy production, each individual vitamin (including the often overlooked vitamins D, K and A) plays a specific role in health, well-being, performance and tissue growth.
General lethargy, which is not limited to exercise, can be a sign of a vitamin deficiency. Cravings for processed foods can also be the result of a lack of nutrients. Such cravings can also result from low-calorie diets.
More obvious signs of a vitamin deficiency include cracking of the skin at the corners of the mouth, a red, scaly rash on the face, hair loss, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, muscle cramps (which in most cases can be attributed to an electrolyte imbalance) and red or white bumps resembling acne on the arms, thighs, buttocks and cheeks. (8)
Rather than choosing specific vitamins to treat specific ailments, it may be better to ensure an optimal balance of all vitamins (meaning adequate amounts to promote health).
Hard-training strength athletes, including bodybuilders, need a multivitamin product specifically tailored to this target group to provide the additional nutrients required for progress in the gym.
Vitalize yourself with vitamins
A good multivitamin needs to be used all year round - even during the off-season, when people often don't pay as much attention to their diet. While you can neglect certain other supplements and foods during certain times, a good multivitamin must always be at the center of a serious exerciser's training plan.
Building muscle and immense strength is not simply a matter of maintaining a balanced macronutrient intake. The regulation of every chemical process that occurs in the human body is a combined interplay of a full spectrum of micronutrients, of which the vitamins described in this article are a large part.
So before you grab that protein shake or those high-performance carbohydrates, make sure you've got all the important aspects of nutrition covered.
References:
- Ames, B., DNA damage from micronutrient deficiencies is likely to be a major cause of cancer. Mutat Res. 2001 Apr 18;475(1-2):7-20.
- Ceglia L. Vitamin D and skeletal muscle tissue and function. Mole Aspects Med. 2008;29:407-414.
- Debe, J., L-5-MTHF: New supplement that could save your life [Online] http://www.drdebe.com/articles/l-5-mthf-new-supplement-that-could-save-y... - retrieved on 4/15/16
- Fisher-Wellman K, Bloomer RJ. Acute exercise and oxidative stress: a 30 year history. Dyn Med. 2009 Jan 13;8:1.
- Kikuchi M, Kashii S, Honda Y, et al. Protective effects of methylcobalamin, a vitamin B12 analog, against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in retinal cell culture. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1997 Apr;38(5): 848-54.
- Levy, T., The Many Faces of Vitamin C. [Online] http://www.peakenergy.com/health_ebytes/issue_9.php -retrieved on 14.4.16
- Maughan, R., Role of micronutrients in sport and physical activity. British Medical Bulletin 1999; 55 (No. 3): 683-690
- Mercola, J., How to Recognize Nutrient Deficiencies. [Online] http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/11/03/nutrient-d... - retrieved on 15.4.16
- Mercola, J., 11 Most Common Nutrient Deficiencies. [Online] http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/10/19/most-commo... - retrieved on 15.4.1
- Patil H, R., O'keefe J. H., Lavie CJ, et al. Cardiovascular damage resulting from chronic excessive endurance exercise. Mo Med. 2012 Jul-Aug;109(4):312-21.
- Powers et al. Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress: Cellular Mechanisms and Impact on Muscle Force Production. Physiol Rev. 2008 Oct; 88(4): 1243-1276
- Treadwell, B., Eight Faces of Vitamin E. [Online] http://www.juvenon.com/the-eight-faces-of-vitamin-e-0903/- retrieved on 15.4.1
- Xionga, A., Distinct roles of different forms of vitamin E in DHA-induced apoptosis in triple-negative breast cancer cells. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2012 Jun;56(6):923-34
- Investing in the Future: A United Call to Action of Micronutrient Deficiencies. Global Report 2006. [Online] http://www.unitedcalltoaction.org/ - retrieved on 2.9.16
- Horrigan, L., Lawrence, R. S., & Walker, P. (2002). How sustainable agriculture can address the environmental and human health harms of industrial agriculture. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110 (5).
- Pimentel, D. (2006). Soil erosion: A food and environmental threat. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 8(1).
- University of Michigan. Health system. Digestive Enzymes. [Online] http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hn-2840008 - retrieved on 1.9.16
Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/taking-vitamins-to-increase-gains
In the first part of this series of articles, we looked at the current situation regarding obesity and the first three factors that can promote weight gain. In this second part, we will look at other factors that can lead to weight gain.
Factor #4 - Stress and depression
Even though stress and depression play a role in binge eating, they deserve their own section.
In the animal kingdom, there are only a very limited number of things that cause stress in animals. One of these stressors is hunger. When we feel stressed, it triggers a biomechanical response that puts us into survival mode.
In this state, our metabolism slows down and our body tries to store energy. We will also feel the urge to eat - another self-protection mechanism that is activated in response to stress.
In the modern world, it is almost impossible to escape stress. We are constantly busy and with constant access to news and information and incoming text messages and Facebook updates, we rarely get any rest. Life always finds a way to disrupt us.
Combine this constant hustle and bustle with easy access to any food we could possibly want and you have the perfect recipe for overeating and obesity.
Stress and weight loss
- Keep a stress diary. Write down everything that triggers stress-related eating for you. Try to avoid these situations whenever possible and plan for them if you can't avoid them. Know in advance what you are going to eat when you are stressed.
- When you are stressed, force yourself to do 30 minutes of cardio exercise before you give in to your craving to eat. This period of exercise will help you feel better and will hopefully reduce your stress levels enough that you won't give in to the urge to stress eat.
- Be proactive. Take an hour each day while not watching TV or using any other electronic means of communication. Relax, read something or take a nap. Go for a walk. Do something for yourself.
Factor #5 - Liquid calories
Liquid calories tend to hide well. They can add up quickly and are one of the primary factors that contribute to weight gain and obesity.
Unless you are making your own juices or drinking milk or homemade protein shakes, there are very few forms of liquid calories that have any useful nutritional value. Even pure fruit juice, which appears to be healthy, is actually quite unhealthy. Fruit juice is like fruit that has had all the good nutrients (from the skin, pulp, etc.) removed, leaving a sugar content that is often higher than sugary soft drinks.
Keep a record of all the liquid calories you drink for a week. Next, try to find a suitable calorie-free substitute for these drinks. Choose natural drinks if possible.
You may find it hard to give up your daily syrup-flavored coffee, but look at the numbers. 300 liquid kcal per day adds up to an additional 110,000 kcal per year or a weight gain of 30 pounds. Even if you can cut your liquid calories in half, this will make it much easier for you to maintain your weight or lose weight.
Liquid calories and weight loss
- If the thought of plain water doesn't really appeal to you, try adding some fresh lemon juice or a flavored amino acid powder. Both will add a lot of flavor to your water without adding a lot of calories.
- Love your flavored coffee? Try adding a spoonful of chocolate protein powder to your hot or cold coffee for a creamy mocha-like flavor.
Factor #6 - Excessive, long-term carbohydrate consumption
This might be the most controversial factor in this list. I will present it for informational purposes.
Carbohydrate consumption raises blood glucose levels. To remove this glucose (blood sugar) from the bloodstream, the pancreas secretes insulin. The glucose is then converted into glycogen, which is stored in the liver and muscle tissue. As the body can only store a certain amount of glycogen, excess glucose is stored as fat.
Over time, excessive carbohydrate consumption can lead to insulin resistance. The result of insulin resistance is that excess glucose remains in the bloodstream. This leads to increased blood sugar levels, which the liver then has to deal with. The liver will convert this excess blood sugar into fat, which then re-enters the bloodstream and is distributed throughout the body.
There is a heated debate in the health and fitness industry about which factor is more important when it comes to fat gain: calorie intake vs. calorie expenditure... or excessive carbohydrate consumption. As health-conscious individuals, how should we eat then? It's probably best to not only keep calories within a reasonable range, but also minimize consumption of unhealthy carbohydrates as much as possible. This will cover both cases.
Carbohydrates and weight loss
- Don't be afraid of fat consumption. Your body needs healthy fats. Make sure that at least 20% of your daily calories come from healthy fats.
- Use the 20% rule. Try to minimize your junk food consumption to 20% of your daily calories or less. Since junk food is overloaded with unwanted carbohydrates, this is an excellent way to control insulin resistance in the long run.
- Eat more protein. Not only is protein needed for muscle building and repair - it's also hard to overeat protein.
Factor #7 - Lack of meal planning
On the surface, this may seem like a trivial factor, but meal planning can make a big difference in your life. If you know what you're going to eat for dinner or prepare your secondary meals in advance, then you're much less likely to make a trip to McDonalds or grab sweets from the vending machine.
You can learn a lesson from top fitness models and bodybuilders. These athletes tend to prepare smaller meals in advance. Instead of preparing 5 different lunches or eating processed foods for lunch, they will prepare one large meal and divide it into several Tupperware containers.
It's not uncommon for these athletes to spend part of their Sunday cooking meals for the week.
Meal planning and weight loss
- Make a list of 10 to 20 quick and easy meals that you can prepare in bulk. Make sure these meals are made from wholesome and nutritious foods. This means no processed meals and no ready-made meals.
- Plan your dinner for each week in advance before you go shopping.
- If you have very little time to cook in the evening, get a slow cooker. There are thousands of slow cooker recipes online that require very little prep time.
Fact #8 - Prescription drugs
It is well documented that certain prescription drugs can promote or cause weight gain. A team of scientists from the University of Glasgow analyzed a pool of 25,000 individuals. One of the interesting findings was that individuals taking medications for mental disorders (such as olanzapine and clozapine) gained up to 22 pounds in one year.
This study also found that those who used insulin to treat type 2 diabetes gained up to 13 pounds in one year, while some antidepressants caused a weight gain of up to 8 pounds during the same time period. Medications used to treat heart disease, epilepsy and high blood pressure also caused a small but noticeable weight gain.
The "big 3" when it came to weight gain were olanzapine, beta-blockers and corticosteroids. It should be noted that the degree and amount of weight gain associated with medication varies greatly from person to person.
The use of the contraceptive pill also poses a risk of weight gain. Pills with a higher estrogen content are more likely to increase appetite and also lead to more water retention.
Prescription drugs and weight loss
- Before taking a new prescription medication, you should ask your doctor about possible side effects regarding weight gain - and how you can minimize them.
- If you gain weight while taking a prescription medication, do not stop taking it. Talk to your doctor.
- Be proactive. Clean up your diet and put together a good exercise program.
Factor #9 - Menopause / low testosterone levels
It is estimated that 90% of all women gain weight during menopause. This weight gain typically occurs between the ages of 35 and 55.
Men face similar problems as they age and their testosterone levels drop. The male sex hormone helps maintain proper insulin levels, as well as optimal glucose and fat metabolism. Low levels of this hormone are associated with increased insulin resistance, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and, of course, weight gain.
Even though hormonal changes seem inevitable, there are certain things you can do to mitigate the effects of aging. Eat the right foods, exercise, kick bad habits like drinking and smoking, reduce your stress and find ways to be happy and enjoy your life.
Menopause / low testosterone levels and weight gain
- Diet and exercise play an important role in how we age. Eat right and exercise. This will not only help you prevent weight gain, but will also counteract possible age-related weight gain.
- Live a balanced life. Don't smoke, limit your alcohol consumption, neglect trivial worries and do more things to enjoy your life. All of these things will create a healthier, more hormonally strong and balanced body.
Weight control - a brief summary
While the factors listed above are not an all-inclusive list, they do provide a very useful guide that can show you how to limit weight gain. Here is a simple 9 point program that everyone should remember:
- Step 1 - Move. Exercise. Do something extra every day
- Step 2 - Eat better. You don't have to eat perfectly, but even small changes will make a big difference in the long run.
- Step 3 - Control binge eating through preparation and portion control.
- Step 4 - Take steps to avoid, or at least control, stress in your life.
- Step 5 - Reduce liquid calories as much as possible.
- Step 6 - Avoid excessive carbohydrate consumption and limit your intake of white sugar and white flour products as much as possible.
- Step 7 - Plan your meals. You should know in advance exactly what you are going to eat and when. This will help you to reduce impulsive eating.
- Step 8 - Ask your doctor about your prescription medications and possible side effects.
- Step 9 - Live a balanced life. Take care of yourself, laugh, love, smile and have fun. Take care of yourself mentally and physically.
In the next part of this article series, we will take a closer look at some of the most popular nutrition and diet plans for fat loss at the moment.
Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/how-to-lose-weight
