When someone decides to lose body fat whether it is for summer, an event or simply to improve their health, one of the first changes they consider making is to their eating habits. Once the decision is made, the next step taken is to research their possible diet options. This may involve speaking with people, reading magazine articles or visiting their local book store in order to find the ?holy grail? of diets- the diet that is guaranteed to shed fat off their body quickly and with little effort.
Of course a diet-only approach to fat loss is futile in itself but to make matters worse, dieters often become hopelessly confused about what to eat for the best results. Should they reduce their fat intake? Cut out all their carbohydrates? Eat only soup for a few days? Eat based on their blood type? Follow a de-tox diet? Liver cleansing? The options are endless.
The area that probably has dieters baffled the most is the issue of carbohydrates. Currently there are two dominant schools of thought when it comes to carbohydrate consumption.
On the one hand, we have dietitians and nutritionists telling us for the last 20 years that carbohydrates don't make us fat. This view is clearly stated in their promotion of the USDA's Food Pyramid and in more recent times, The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating pie chart. Both of these food guides recommend the majority of food intake come from refined carbohydrate sources, like bread, pasta, rice, cereals and other grain-based food products. In fact, the USDA Food Pyramid recommends we eat 6-11 serves a day of these carbohydrate sources in order to have a healthy diet! The advocates of this style of eating are often heard to say things like, ?Carbohydrates don't make you fat, it is what you put on them that makes you fat.? Examples include, sour cream on potatoes or butter on bread.
On the other hand, there are the advocates of low-carb diets. Popularised by Dr Robert Atkins in the 70's (even though their use has been documented for at least 150 years), low-carb eating appears to be experiencing a re-surgence. This is due mainly to the fact that many Hollywood celebrities have confessed to using them to achieve their movie-star bodies. As a result, the market is being flooded with low-carb diet books and an amazing array of low-carb products, including meal replacement bars, cookies, muffin mixes, cereal products, pizza bases and many others. Often these diets allow an almost unlimited amount of food so long as carbohydrates are restricted.
These diametrically opposed views often leave people hopelessly confused about what to eat to achieve maximum fat loss. In this article I hope to clear up the confusion so you can enjoy your food whilst at the same time lose all the body fat you want.
Insulin and glucagon
In considering carbohydrate and its affect on our body fat stores, we must firstly understand the function of two hormones, insulin and glucagon. Both of these hormones are produced by the pancreas (an organ that sits behind the stomach) and work in concert to regulate our blood glucose level. For example, when our blood glucose level rises (after a meal), insulin is the hormone responsible for storing the glucose and normalising the blood glucose level. When the blood glucose level falls, glucagon promotes the release of glucose from the liver, bringing the level back up again.
For fat loss to occur, insulin release must be minimised as much as possible because of the effects it has in the body, which include:
?Promotes the storage of nutrients in cells (positive effect- anabolic).
?Promotes the storage of fat in the adipocytes (fat cells).
?Promotes the uptakes of glucose into the adipocytes and their conversion into fat.
?Increases the activity of fat manufacturing and fat storing and enzymes (lipoprotein lipase - LPL and fatty acid synthase - FAS).
?Inhibits the release of fat from the adipocytes (which could be used as a fuel source).
Insulin is released as a result of mainly two factors and the amount of insulin released is in direct proportion to these two factors.
?The size of a meal.
?The amount of glucose in the bloodstream.
Accordingly, eating smaller, more frequent meals may help to reduce the insulin response (i.e. eat 5 small meals a day).
Also, regulating the amount of glucose entering the bloodstream will help. This may be achieved by:
?Reducing the portion of carbohydrate in each meal.
?Emphasising low Glycaemic Index (GI) carbohydrates.
?Emphasising low-density carbohydrates.
?Ensuring each meal contains a portion of protein, fat and fibre as well as the carbohydrate.
Reducing the portion of carbohydrate in each meal
Since insulin is released in response to an increase in blood glucose and fat loss will be maximised if insulin is low, people may be forgiven for thinking that a low-carb diet is the answer. Whilst it is true that these diets do promote fat loss, I do not recommend them for the following reasons:
?They are too hard to sustain long-term.
?They may lead to deficiency diseases due to their avoidance of fruits and vegetables.
?They may negatively affect bodily functions due to a reduced fibre intake and possible high intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol.
Despite the possible negative consequences of low-carb diets, the overall philosophy of reduced insulin response is sound. Therefore, people wanting to lose bodyfat should reduce (without eliminating) their portion sizes of carbohydrate in every meal.
Emphasising low Glycaemic Index (GI) carbohydrates
The GI is a score given to carbohydrate-containing foods based on how rapidly they cause a rise in blood glucose after being consumed. A high GI means the food causes a rapid rise in blood glucose and a low GI means the food causes a more sustained release of glucose into the bloodstream.
Since a rise in blood glucose promotes insulin release we should emphasise low GI carbohydrates in our diet. See Table 1 for more information.
Emphasising low-density carbohydrates
Carbohydrate density describes the amount of carbohydrate a food contains per serve. For example, pasta (high-density) contains 76.5 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams whilst broccoli contains a minuscule 0.5 grams per 100 grams. Obviously the greater the carbohydrate density the greater the likelihood of the food causing a rapid rise in blood glucose, and in turn, insulin as well. See Table 2 for more information.
Ensuring each meal contains a portion of protein, fat and fibre
Not only does having protein, fat and fibre with the carbohydrates ensure a more ?nutritionally complete? meal but these nutrients also have the effect of slowing down the absorption rate of the carbohydrates, which allows a more sustained release of glucose into the bloodstream and therefore a reduced insulin response.
Quite often people will have a piece of fruit, a diet yoghurt or a low-fat muffin for their mid-morning or mid-afternoon meal in their quest to lose body fat. Unfortunately, these foods alone don't provide an adequate amount of all the nutrients required by the body and may also cause a rapid rise in blood glucose, halting fat loss in its tracks!
As a result, these foods should only be consumed with other foods to ensure a complete meal. For example, have a piece of fruit with some nuts, mix a small amount of cottage cheese with the yoghurt (it doesn't taste that bad- honest!) or have a low-fat muffin with a protein shake.
From this information it is safe to conclude that following a diet based on the Food Pyramid or Australian Guide to Healthy Eating perhaps isn't the best way to assist our fat-loss efforts. Furthermore, a big question to ask yourself is this:
?Since the Food Pyramid was designed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), do their interest lie in looking after our health or in supporting the economy??
[NOTE: The base of the Food Pyramid recommends 6-11 serves a day of high density, mostly high GI, refined, grain-based carbohydrates.]
In summary, your fat-loss efforts will be greatly improved by consuming carbohydrates in the following way:
?Eat smaller, more frequent meals.
?Reduce your portion size of carbohydrate without eliminating it.
?Ensure all meals contain portions of carbohydrate, protein, fat and fibre.
?Slow the passage of glucose into the bloodstream by emphasising low-density and low GI carbohydrates.
If you make an effort to ensure these recommendations are followed every day, you can literally watch the fat melt off your body! Go for it!
6. Never Workout Without Music! Did you ever pay attention to the soundtrack of your favorite TV show or movie? Did you every wonder why certain songs were playing at certain times? Music evokes emotion, and emotion can carry you through even the toughest of workouts. I've had workouts totally come apart when the battery died on my iPod Nano!
Several studies have been conducted to show the effect of music on workouts. One study showed that upbeat, hard-driving music can increase your strength and intensity, while another study revealed that music has been shown to increase pain tolerance during a workout.
Putting on a pair of headphones also helps you to block out all of the distractions that loom at the gym (as previously noted). Sometimes, just hearing the opening beat of some of the tunes on my iPod gets me revved up - especially since I workout first thing in the morning (more on this in future issues of the newsletter).
Some of my favorite tunes on my workout list include a variety of genres: - "Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor - "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns 'n Roses - "Beautiful Day" - U2 - "Wake Up Call" - Maroon 5 - "Enter Sandman" - Metallica - "Higher" - Creed
Make your own workout mix and get moving!
7. Never Workout Without a Heart Rate Monitor! The best way to keep yourself honest in the gym is to wear a heart rate monitor. A heart rate monitor will let you know how hard you are working, and when you need to crank up the intensity of your workout. Whether weight training or interval training, it is the best indicator of how hard you are working and help you to figure out your optimal rest intervals.
For example, during interval training, you need to create an oxygen debt - that is, your body is asking your lungs for more oxygen than it can provide. How do you know this is happening? After you stop your hard effort, your heart rate should actually increase and you begin to pant in an effort to take in more oxygen - and that is your debt situation. Having the HRM makes it much easier to determine when you've reached this point.
I'll go into the optimal ranges for your heart rate activity during exercise, calculating your maximum heart rate and other relevant information. For now, get a heart rate monitor, read the manual and take it for a test drive. You don't need one with all of the bells and whistles (unless you're into gadgets like me) - my favorite brand is Polar, and you can get great prices by searching the Web.
8. Stop Socializing at the Gym! Every gym has one - I call him "the Mayor". He's the one who knows everyone and feels the need to come over and talk about just about anything. He'll do his very uninspired set on one of the weight machines, often grunting loudly or distorting his face to get further attention, and when he finishes says "Whew!" loudly to no one in particular. The poor soul who acknowledges him will then be subjected to a 10-minute discussion on the economy, the presidential race, the stock market, or whatever strikes his fancy. He may even horse around with the personal trainers, who are now not watching their clients as they perform their sets.
You should avoid the Mayor at all costs - he will derail your fat loss efforts in an instant! In fact, you should avoid all interaction during your workout, with the exception of asking someone if they are using a particular weight or rack. If you're following my advice above and working out to music, this is really easy to accomplish - just turn up your tunes and tune out the others.
Folks at my gym may think I'm anti-social because I don't acknowledge anyone - heck I don't even look at people - while I'm in the middle of my workout. Why? Because I only have a limited time to accomplish my goals for that day, and stopping even for a moment to chat takes away from the time I have. And if I don't reach my goal for that day, I consider it a failure (more on that in future newsletters). To combat people's perceptions, if you care about things like that, a simple smile or wave hello as you enter or leave the gym is enough to reassure them that you are not a recluse. But once you strap on your music, it's "Go Time!"
9. Never Workout Without Consuming Protein Afterwards (and Sometimes Before)! I train first thing in the morning, so sometimes I drink a protein shake prior to heading to the gym, sometimes I don't. There is a lot of debate over working out in a fasted state that I won't get into here. Suffice it to say that consuming protein before your workout has been shown in research to increase muscle mass and decrease body fat, so it is a good idea to have a protein shake before a workout, especially if you'll be working out later in the day.
You should always consume protein after a workout, preferably a protein shake made from whey protein isolate. I will go into much greater detail in subsequent newsletters about reliable brands, tasty recipes, etc. How much protein? Take your current body weight and divide by 5.5 - that is how many grams of protein should be in your post-workout shake. What about carbs? The conventional wisdom says that the number of grams of carbs in the post-workout shake should equal the number of grams of protein. BUT...what I have found through my research and practice is that post-workout shakes are more effective for fat loss if they are kept low in carbs. One of the aspects of protein consumption that will be covered later is exactly how many grams should be consumed in a day, and questions about safety concerns from ingesting large amounts of protein.
10. Stop Stretching Before Your Workout! Do you know how many people walk into the gym from the street and immediately start to stretch? Do you know how counter-productive this is?
First, there are two kinds of stretches - static and dynamic. An example of static is when you throw your leg up on a parallel bar or rack and bend at the waist until you feel a slight pull, then hold for a period of time. Static stretching before workouts is a very bad idea. Static stretching forces the muscle to relax, this making it weaker. When a muscle is weaker than its counterpart (for example if your hamstrings on the backs of your leg are weaker than your quadriceps in the front of your leg) it causes an imbalance that could lead to strains, tears and pulls.
Dynamic stretching is the way to go to get loose before your workout. We'll cover this in greater detail in the future. For now, save your static stretching for any time other than before your workout.
Both Stephen James Smith & Matt Lisk are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Stephen James Smith has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fat Loss, Lose Weight and Fitness. Stephen has been involved in the fitness industry for over 16 years and writes articles for various health and fitness magazines throughout Australia. For more information on his book, 'Look Good, Feel Great' as well as many weight-loss articles, visit:. Stephen James Smith's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
Matt Lisk has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Fat Loss and water weight loss. Matt Lisk is a expert who has used his knowledge to lose over 70 pounds of body fat, reduce his body fat percentage to under 10% and to resolve a variety of health is. Matt Lisk's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.