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[M775]Muscle & Weight Gain

by Jonathan Perez, Jon

People are under the misconception that you can gain a lot of muscle weight without gaining fat if you eat a high protein diet.

This is because protein does have a thermogenic effect on the body...........but not enough to make an impact!

"Thermogenesis" or something that has a "thermogenic" effect on the body refers to anything that causes the temperature inside your body (sometimes your temperature on the skin is different from the temperature inside, your core temperature) to rise, to increase.

Well, we all know from school that the average / normal core body temperature is 98.6 degrees.

However, when your core temperature increases, even by just 1 or 2 degrees, it is said that this higher temperature causes the body to turn into a "furnace", raising the metabolism, which results in fat being burned, and sometimes while eating a high calorie diet when trying to "bulk up" or gain muscle weight fast.

Here's where everyone is missing the point.

Sure, protein causes the body to work harder to digest it, which causes the body's internal temperature to rise, but it is not enough to really make a dent in burning fat or preserving muscle mass.

Researchers at Arizona State University examined individuals that ate a high protein diet and compared them to another group that ate a high carb diet.

What they found was that eating a high protein diet resulted in an average of 30 calories per meal being burned in digestion (on average).

Yes, the size of the meal, the calorie amount, and the amount of protein grams in that meal will affect exactly how many calories will be burned through this thermogenic effect.

However, the determining factor will be genetics, and, at best, we are only talking about a handful of calories being burned, not some massive amount that is going to visually make a difference.

Read that again.......30 calories per meal.

Whoop-tee, doo!!!

30 calories!

Okay, then let's say you eat 5 meals a day.

30 calories per meal, 5 meals a day, that equals 150 calories.

So, you would only be burning an extra 150 calories a day if you were to go on a high protein diet.

Big deal!!!!

150 calories is 1 cup of milk.

It's 2 eggs.

It's half a candy bar.

150 calories isn't going to make any difference whatsoever in helping you gain weight, build muscle mass, or burn fat.

Everyone keeps saying, "Oh, but you can eat more protein and not gain any fat because of the thermogenic effect".

Give me a break........150 calories.....I rather just cut out 1 can of soda a day and get the same effect!

Don't be fooled by the "high-protein" fans.

They just want you to go out and spend your hard-earned money on their bucket of protein.

If you are looking to gain weight and build muscle, concentrate on the overall calories.

Copyright (c) 2006 Jonathan Perez

Some people complain that no amount of exercising or dieting can help them lose their weight. It seems that even if they reduce the amount of calories they take in daily or increase their exercise regimen, the drop in their weight stays marginal at best. There are also a number of individuals who shed a few pounds in the first few weeks of their diet program and encounter a weight loss plateau after a month or two.

If you are one of the individuals who feel so frustrated with losing weight naturally, then you need to realize that eating a lot of food and/or too little exercise are not the only reasons why you gain weight. In fact, there are a number of conditions or situations that make it harder for a person to lose weight the natural way. Here are some of them:

Medications

The drugs that you take may actually be the hidden cause of your widening waist. Weight gain is actually a common side effect in some drugs. The only way to minimize weight gain induced by medication is actually minimizing your dependency on these pills or simply increasing your weight-loss efforts by three fold.

Steroids are some of the drugs that almost always make a person double his or her size. Studies have shown that the use of this drug for an extended period of time can boost your appetite and cause a weight gain of 20 pounds or even more. However, since steroids are often prescribed to individuals with severe illnesses, you can't simply stop taking your medications just because you are packing on pounds. If this is the case, then you better be disciplined with your choice of foods.

Other medications that can wreak havoc to your waistline include anti-depressants, oral contraceptives, and even anti-diabetes tablets.

Sluggish Thyroid

The one condition that almost every celebrity is citing to justify his or her weight gain is hypothyroidism or a sluggish thyroid gland. Many people think that once this condition is treated, the 30 pounds that they have gained can magically disappear. However, some experts believe that hypothyroidism, which may cause weight gain of a few pounds due to the decline in a person's metabolism, is not the sole reason why you have gained twice your body mass in three years or so. Eating habits and lifestyle can still dramatically affect whether a person with sluggish thyroid would put on a lot of pounds or not.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

A lot of women who have PCOS, short for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, do not realize that they have a hormonal problem till they have gained a lot of weight, lost some hair or grown facial hairs. Women who have PCOS usually have an increased production of male sex hormones. However, experts believe that the rise in testosterone levels in women is not the cause of weight gain. Actually, up to now, scientists cannot explain why women with PCOS gain a lot of weight.

So what do you have to do if you have PCOS? You have to take medications and work doubly hard in shedding your weight. An increase in physical activities, strength training and a controlled diet program can help anyone with PCOS to lose even more than 10% of their body weight.

Water Retention

Another problem that is more common in women than in men is swelling and bloating due to fluid retention. Women who are experiencing premenstrual syndrome or those who are into perimenopause or menopause are more susceptible to weight gain due to water retention.

If you think you are suffering from water retention due to hormonal imbalance, then you can start losing excess water by eating less salt and drinking plenty of water. You can also try supplements, such as Expelis, that not only targets bloating, but the underlying hormonal problem as well. For more information about Expelis, go to

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About Author

Both Jonathan Perez & Janet Martin 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.

Jonathan Perez has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Build Muscle and Cardio Training. How did a Cleveland Firefighter discover how to gain over 40 pounds of muscle weight WITHOUT using any supplements, no special diet, eating very low protein, and working out only 2 hours a week?Jonathan Perez has exposed the truth if you are tired of all. Jonathan Perez's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.

Janet Martin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Womens Health, Pregnancy Problems and Asthma. Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine.