It's not about the Calories

A recent study has provided further support that when it comes to regulating bodyweight the emphasis on 'Caloric content' is erroneous.

21 overweight/ obese individuals were recruited to participate in the study. To do so the subjects were required to demonstrate a loss of 10-15% bodyweight prior to the start of the study, as the purpose of the study was to investigate the ability to maintain weight loss, not create weight loss per se.

The subjects were divided into 3 groups; low fat; low glycemic; and very low carbohydrate. All diets were 'iso-caloric', meaning they contained the same amount of Calories, the difference being the macro-nutrient (Protein, Lipids and Carbohydrate) ratios that comprised the diets. The subjects followed these diets for 4 weeks.

The results were not really surprising; the low carbohydrate diet resulted in the least reduction in both Resting and Total Energy Expenditure, demonstrating a maintenance of metabolic rate. The low fat diet (similar to the usual dietary advice given by most health authorities) showed the largest drops in metabolic rate. The low glycemic diet was in-between these two diets, but closer to the low carbohydrate diet.

In a nutshell the difference in Total Energy Expenditure between the low fat Vs low carbohydrate is 300Kcal per day, even though the intakes were deemed similar.

There are flaws in the study, which hopefully a follow up study will resolve, but I expect the result will not be dissimilar.

So what is happening?

As I've said before, Calories are only vaguely related to how Humans process food. We don't consume Calories, store them or burn them, but because the term and idea has become so entrenched in the common psyche it's hard to get people to think using a different mental construct.

The study, in addition to Energy Expenditure, also measured a number of key hormones and this (the changes in hormones) begins to tell the real story.

The hormones measured (or related measures) were leptin, thyroid stimulating hormone, triiodothyronine, and free urinary cortisol, insulin sensitivity (indexes derived from an oral glucose tolerance test ), high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 activity, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein [CRP].

For most indices the low fat group fared worst, whereas the low carbohydrate improved the indices most, except for two; 24 hour Cortisol excretion and C-Reactive Protein. Cortisol is a measure of stress and CRP is a measure of inflammation, both hormones are intimately linked with each other and also in adiposity via Insulin resistance, so this is a fly in the ointment of this particular dieting format.

The low glycemic group again was somewhere in the middle, showing improvements in most indices better than the low fat group, but not quite as good as the low carbohydrate group. However, the low glycemic group modulated their cortisol better (and probably as a consequence CRP), which is a known effect of low, but stable blood glucose/ Insulin.

So from a purely metabolic rate stand-point the low carbohydrate diet is the clear favourite, however, due to the Cortisol/ CRP issue, it's certainly not ideal.

The low glycemic diet demonstrated modulation of the Cortisol/ CRP pathways, but it didn't quite have the same metabolic impact of the low carbohydrate diet, so although good, again it's not ideal.

Is there a way to gain the benefits of all of the different diets? Absolutely. In fact we can actually surpass the benefits of any of the individual diets and utilise their specific strengths; it's all a matter of timing. Taking into account the temporal effect of physiology and adjusting our environment to account for this, we can hugely increase our metabolic rate and improve our biomarkers of health all without a need to deprive ourselves of any type of food.

If you'd like to learn how to do this, the Lean for Life Program will show you in the easiest possible manner. To find out more about this state of the art program, follow the link below. As a bonus, the Lean for Life Program is being offered at a 50% discount for the group beginning in August 2012.

Lean for Life Program

Reference:

Ebbeling, Cara B. Effects of Dietary Composition on Energy Expenditure During Weight-Loss Maintenance. JAMA. 2012;307(24):2627-2634. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.6607

Mr and Ms Average

Looking at the most current figures the average UK resident is in fairly woeful shape. Ms Average is a touch over 5 ft 3 inches and weighs in at 11 stones with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 26.9. If Ms Average is 30 years of age then her body-fat percentage is about 35%.

To give you an idea of what this looks like, if you look at the attached image (above), the two photos on the left are a visual representation of a female at about 35% (although the lady in this picture is over 5 ft 4 inches, so this would be a ‘good’ example of 35%). The photo on the right is the same lady at about 18% body-fat.

To take Ms. Average from 35% to 18% and remain there without a subsequent constant battle with the scale is achievable in as little as 6 months if the right approach is adopted. 

Approximately 25% Vs. 10% Bodyfat

Mr Average fares about the same. Mr Average is about 5 ft 9 inches, 12 and a half stones with a BMI of 27.4. Again, assuming he is 30 years of age, his body-fat percentage is about 24%.

In the same 6 months Mr. Average could go from 24% body-fat to approximately 10% without too much upheaval in their life.

This is what the Lean for Life Program sets out to achieve. The Lean for Life Program guides you one step at a time; essentially one habit per week, for 26 weeks to a place where your body is metabolically primed to remain lean permanently with minimal effort.

And in July the Lean for Life Program is being offered at a 50% discount.

For more details please see http://www.hpc-uk.net/6.html

Fat Loss Done Right

Graphical representation of the amount of fat lost over 6 months. This is 104 packets of butter.

Quarter Turns - Front

Quarter Turns - Side

Quarter Turns - Rear

This final photo was taken a few days before the final set of photo's. It has slightly better lighting, which shows the actual width of Russ' back compared to his waist. It demonstrates that not only has Russ lost a substantial amount of fat, but in the process gained a significant amount of lean body mass at the same time. This puts him in a better position now than at the beginning to further recompose his body composition, as he has more muscle tissue and an increased number, density, and activity of his mitochondria.

Whereas other 'weight loss' programs cause a down shift in metabolism and the supposed 'inevitable plateau', Russell has primed his metabolism to be able to shift up further, in addition to which it has already.

Gut Bacteria and Health

Link to Study Overview

During the assessment process I perform with clients one of the most important and revealing components is the medical history work-up. Part of this history is a very direct and specific section on gastro-intestinal health. One of the questions is whether the client has ever taken a course of antibiotics. If the answer is yes, an immediate red flag is lifted.

I’ll just give you a quick précis of the link between gut health and overall health as it’s a fairly complicated cascade. Please bear in mind that this is only one way it can be impactful.

An imbalance in gut microflora (bacteria), usually after (but not limited to) taking a course of antibiotics, allows certain populations (of bacteria) to become dominant. One good example is Candida, which in people with depressed immunity grows out of control and causes ill health. The Candida bacteria/ fungi have microscopic projections (roots) much like grappling hooks that allow them to cling onto the intestinal wall. To perform this, the projections known as Rhizoids pierce through the intestine which sets up a condition known as a ‘leaky gut’. Leaky gut syndrome is a condition where toxins, bacteria and other particles can move thorough the intestinal wall into the systemic circulation. To counter this threat the body mounts an immune response to remove or destroy the invasive item.

Both the damage to the intestinal wall, and the foreign entry into the circulation (as we’ve looked at in previous pieces on Immunity), lead to the creation of an inflammatory environment in the intestines and also the entire body.

Because of the direct involvement of the Digestive System and the Liver, a leaky gut will also cause a massive burden on the Liver due to the increased level of toxins introduced to the body which it attempts to detoxify and remove. The liver, in addition to being overworked becomes inflamed and if you look back to the piece posted on April 8th 2012 concerning circadian rhythms, you’ll see the eventual consequence of this situation, that being (initially) Non-Alcoholic Liver Steatohepatitis (NASH) and (eventually) by association the CHAOS complex of Diseases.

One of the initial steps is to rebalance the gut microflora, however this is not as simple as drinking a little probiotic drink each day, that’s fine to maintain an already balanced environment, but for cases where the environment has already been disturbed (the majority of people) you need a bit more of a targeted approach. First of all you need to know whether you have an unbalanced environment.

It would take to much space to list all of the associated symptoms, however if you would like to begin to determine whether you have an unbalanced microflora population I have a quick and easy questionnaire that will give you a nod in the right direction. Just send me a message and I’ll drop the file into your inbox.

Timing is Everything

Link to Study Overview

A brand new piece of research is once again underlining the vital impact that correctly functioning circadian rhythms have on metabolism. (To access the full paper follow the link, at the bottom of the article click on the ‘DOI’ hyperlink.)

I have been interested in circadian rhythms for over almost two decades now, and based my first dissertation study on the diurnal (daily) cycle of Testosterone and its implications for strength training adaptations. Over the years my gut feeling for their importance has gradually been borne out.

This recent paper shows that disruption to the sleep/ wake cycle completely disorders fat metabolism in the liver which then leads on to the development of metabolic syndrome or CHAOS (Cardiovascular Disease, Hypertension, Adult Onset Diabetes, Obesity and Stroke; more disease states are being added frequently to the list although the acronym highlights the major maladies that were first associated).

Regardless of diet or activity, the single fact of a disrupted sleep/ wake cycle initiates a process whereby the liver accumulates fat; a condition known as fatty liver disease or Non-Alcoholic Liver Steatohepatitis (NASH). When the liver is full of fat (it should contain very little), it secretes triglycerides into the general circulation.

Here’s where it causes trouble.

High blood triglycerides alone promote Insulin resistance. If you also add glucose (blood sugar) into the mix then the problem is compounded. Since the triglycerides are inducing a state of Insulin resistance, the cells have a diminished capacity to take up glucose. This stimulates the Pancreas to further increase its output of Insulin to attempt to lower the toxic levels of glucose in the blood. Insulin is then transported to the liver where it is converted into triglycerides; which starts the whole merry cycle again.

For a while this increase in Insulin will manage to moderate the glucose levels but eventually the Insulin resistance becomes full blown Diabetes.

For fat loss and especially optimal health, you need to manage your circadian rhythms, as without attention, no matter what else you do, it will come to nought.

There’s plenty of information out there, however navigating through the misinformation, and outright lies to distil the truth is no easy task, you can either do it alone, or alternatively, let me guide you. I’ve designed the Lean for Life Online Coaching Program to either directly or indirectly support circadian rhythms at every step of the program. Each week another piece of the puzzle is put in place so that by the end of the program the entire picture is in place; however it’s provided in a way that it’s easy to implement and causes no real disruption to day to day life.

I’m starting a new group in August 2012, simply e-mail or inbox me to indicate your interest in joining us.

Why Dieting Makes You Fat; Part 3…

As suggested in Part 1, the whole approach to usual dieting is built upon a foundation of a temporary period of time. This single concept sets the scene for failure, and the numbers show it. As mentioned 95% of people who diet to lose weight gain a minimum of that weight back, and in many cases additional weight to add insult to injury.

So usual dieting is a recipe for weight gain. It negatively sets up what I call a ‘Metabolic Shift’ in the body. You can of course set up a positive shift, but that cannot be achieved with the principles espoused by the big weight loss companies. Why would they? If they teach people correctly, they lose any repeat custom, the biggest source of income for any company.

Let’s look at a quick example of the way usual weight loss is approached and the result.

Chloe is a 5’ 6’’ female weighing 154lbs, she would like to lose at least a stone and a half (21 lbs) in time for a big wedding she is to attend in 3 months, so she signs up to her local ‘Fat Fighters’ club who promises that if she follows the plan, which is easy, more like play really, then as long as she creates a 1000 Kcal deficit per day then she is guaranteed to lose 2 lbs per week.

Deducting 1000 Kcal off of her maintenance need of 2152 Kcal, Chloe is left with about 1100 Kcal to play with in her meal plan provided by ‘Fat Fighters’. A daily example of this is:-

Breakfast: Crumpet with Bananas and Honey

Lunch: Jacket Potato and Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Dinner: Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes

Chloe completely adheres to the diet plan, and the weight starts to come off, as ‘evidenced’ by the big weekly weigh in at the meetings. This weekly celebration is the highlight of Chloe’s week, even though for the rest of the week she has been progressively feeling mentally slower, tired, miserable and hungry, in fact thoughts of food and eating seems to be dominating her mind. And even though she is allowed treats and regular foods on her plan, she seems to still be craving certain foods, especially sweets.

Anyway, Chloe is determined that she is going to look amazing at the wedding, and maintains her will-power to successfully achieve her target weight. And she does. Although, it wasn’t quite what Chloe had expected she would look or feel like. She was definitely lighter and noticeably smaller, but she still looked and felt soft. In fact, she actually looked and felt softer than when she had begun. She managed to fit into her dress, but it didn’t quite look the way she had thought it would. And it actually took away from the enjoyment of the day, as Chloe still felt conscious and frumpy, so did not want to partake of the amazing spread of food that was on offer for fear of bloating.

So, what happened?

Chloe’s body did what any normally functioning body would do when put in the situation it was presented. It survived. From that viewpoint not only did Chloe’s body succeed, it excelled.

Chloe’s body took stock of the situation (dramatically reduced energy intake) and made its priority very clear, get rid of any short term unnecessary tissue. First to go: muscle. Since muscle is one of the most metabolically active and costly tissues in the body, logic tells us that this should be one of the first targets for breakdown in the body. Unfortunately it is also one of the biggest drivers of metabolism, so muscle loss = metabolic shutdown.

Also because Chloe is eating fewer and badly composed meals, her Resting Metabolic Rate and the Thermic Effect of Feeding are both substantially reduced. Another low blow to metabolism.

Also because Chloe is not eating enough to support her body’s production of neurotransmitters and hormones, she has become increasingly tired, unmotivated and lethargic, leading to a reduction in Physical Activity Levels (PAL).

But still, Chloe achieved her goal of losing the 21 lbs she had hoped to. So Chloe now says ‘Thank you’ and ‘Goodbye’ to ‘Fat Fighters’ and resumes her normal diet again.

But Chloe’s not quite the same as she was 3 months ago. The hunger and cravings she progressively experienced through her time on the diet plan, haven’t subsided. Since she is not on a diet anymore Chloe doesn’t feel as restricted, so occasionally indulges her cravings, not a lot mind you, just a little taste here and there.

Even more occasionally Chloe’s will power is completely caught napping and she makes easy work of ploughing through a party sized packet of crisps, a full-on sized bar of chocolate and a bottle or two of wine.

The lost weight begins to pile back on – and with a vengeance.

It’s not because Chloe is weak willed or actually eating ridiculously large amounts of food, she is neither, and these aren’t actually the real cause of the regain. Even if Chloe didn’t slip, or had remained on the ‘Fat Fighters’ plan the weight would’ve still come back on. In fact, studies have shown that people who are on and remain strict (verifiably) to the big commercial weight loss plans begin to gain weight again at the 6-9 month mark, even though they are only eating tiny amounts of food. Why?

Well, Chloe dramatically lowered her metabolism and level of muscle, so she has in effect re-set her metabolism to need less and less energy. Even on a semi-starvation diet Chloe’s body will still register this intake as an excess to requirements. With normal eating, it’s as though Chloe is actually a Glutton.

Chloe starved her body and mind of the nutrients it needed to function, so her body made changes to counter this situation. When the diet stopped the body remained in this state and simply stock piled any excess intake as insurance for any future threats.

So Chloe is now back when she started, except not quite. At the same weight as when she begun, she now carries more fat, feels completely drained and puts on weight at the sight of a celery stick.

Chloe has a few options. The most often chosen option is to return to the diet that set her up in this situation in the first place. This can continue indefinitely with the only result being a more and more unhappy, tired, depressed, frustrated and progressively out of shape Chloe. Chloe could also simply say ‘I give up’ and just learn to accept the negative emotions, and future health problems that her ‘Fat Fighters’ plan has created.

Or, she can once and for all learn to lose weight the right way and join the Lean for Life Group Coaching Program.

If you would like to finally achieve the body of your dreams, then simply click the link provided to discover how the Lean for Life Program works.

And it works, believe me.

Why am I so confident? To be honest, I can’t afford for it not to be. Due to the unique guarantee I offer, I have to be 100% confident in the program, and so should you.

Guarantee? Click the link and find out, you won’t find a guarantee like that anywhere else.

http://hpc-uk.net/6.html

Why Dieting Makes You Fat; Part 2…

In the previous piece we looked at the way limiting food intake decreases Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) which accounts for 50-75% of your daily energy expenditure. Remember I mentioned Energy Flux, well the simple act of eating less causes your body to become extremely conservative with its resources (especially fat stores). Imagine a hungry dog with a bone; you haven’t got a chance in hell of getting it to give it up without a fight.

We also saw that by eating less you weren’t capitalising on the process known as the Thermic Effect of Feeding, which depending on the foods consumed can result in a teeny-tiny increase in metabolic rate or if the right foods are chosen can account for a fairly noticeable jump in metabolism; meat sweats, anyone?

One of the biggest problems, which directly ties into both of these components of metabolism, is muscle loss. Without a shadow of doubt, the biggest influence on your metabolism that you have in your control is the amount of muscle you carry and how much activity you ask that muscle to perform. The problem with usual dieting is that they do not emphasise either an increase, or even at a minimum, maintenance of muscle. With usual dieting, yes you’ll lose a little fat (nowhere near as much as you are lead to believe); however a lot of muscle is lost in the process. This is disastrous.

In a famine situation (the body doesn’t know otherwise), your muscle is metabolically very costly, it chews up energy like there’s no tomorrow, and doesn’t provide much energy when it’s broken down. Fat cells on the other hand are very efficient at storing energy and when the fat content is broken down it provides over three times as much energy as glucose*. Which do you think will support life the longest? Exactly, the body gives up muscle in a heartbeat, but aggressively defends its fat stores.

So, absolutely you’ll lose a little weight from the scale, but it’s not the right type of weight.

Going back to Energy Flux again (Remember this is not the fallacious concept of Energy Balance; Calories In vs. Calories Out), which is the flow of energy in and out of your body, the ‘in’ part is generally provided by the food we eat and the ‘out’ part is all the processes in your body which we combine to call metabolism. The largest influence with have over the ‘out’ part is our Physical Activity Level (PAL). And this is where it gets tricky.

Physical activity will of course require energy to be performed, but the body, ever the economist, will try to make that activity as efficient as possible. Some types of activity will promote more efficiency than others, so even though you are more active than before, your body will learn to do it at the lowest investment of energy. This is why some forms of exercise are amazing for certain types of fitness, but is horrendous if your pursuit is fat loss, they make the body extremely efficient, even at rest.

So in some cases, by doing the wrong type of exercise, in combination with reduced energy intake, will actually cause your metabolism to slow down, rather than speed up.

This is not understood by most mainstream programs, which still, regardless of their attempts to seemingly update their system, suggest you can trade off a walk for a cake. This is still, although wrapped up in different clothing, the old and erroneous ‘Energy Balance’ concept; however you want to ‘play’ it.

To learn how to drop the right type of weight (and have verifiable proof that it is fat loss) join us in the Lean for Life Program where you’ll be provided with the knowledge and the tools to create the body you want and deserve. Click on the link to find out more…

http://hpc-uk.net/6.html

* Even though muscle is composed of protein when it’s broken down it produces amino acids which the liver can convert into glucose

Lack of Slumber Increases Hunger

Link to Study Overview

A recent study has added yet more evidence that poor sleep quality or quantity can have profound effects on metabolism. This is the latest in a steadily growing mass of research that is indicating that sleep, or lack of, results in extensive dysfunction in bodily systems, especially the ability to use fat as a fuel.

For many reasons sleep is becoming a huge issue with the group of sufferers becoming younger and younger. So it’s not, as before, a consequence of usual ageing, but more and more often a result of environmental factors.

Lack of sleep, whether quantity or quality, will put a spanner in the works of any attempt to improve or even maintain the functioning of your body or mind. Not only will you struggle to progress, lack of sleep will also cause rapid deterioration.

Because sleep is such an integral component to health and performance and your ability to lose fat, the Lean for Life Program intertwines key and easy to implement strategies to improve the quality of your sleep.

If you’d like to benefit from this unique program, check out the program summary over at the main website (http://hpc-uk.net/6.html) and get in touch.

Why Dieting Makes You Fat...

Think of the word ‘diet’. What words come to mind? Restriction? Deprivation? …Failure? I’ll also place a bet that your mental representation also involves some ‘temporary’ way of eating.

This is what the word has come to represent, although it doesn’t actually mean that at all. Yes ‘diet’ does refer to a way of eating, but with no emphasis on a temporary period of time or restriction. Yet the word has been misused so many times in this manner that any reference to the word will dredge up these misplaced associations.

Because of this mindset, a typical person will go on a diet, lose ‘weight’, go off the diet, gain ‘weight’, go on a diet, lose ‘weight’, go off the diet, gain ‘weight’ and continue this cycle either for the rest of their life or just throw their hands up in despair and give up permanently.

The facts speak for themselves, with usual dieting 95% of people will regain any weight lost, and a good percentage of those will gain back even more.

This is diametrically opposed to the way dieting should be approached. Why?

‘Dieting Paralyses Metabolism’

With usual dieting you generally eat less. When you eat less, you decrease what is known as Energy Flux. By decreasing Energy Flux, you limit the energy that flows through your body. Any time you limit energy flow, you slow your metabolism dramatically. A slow metabolism is the absolute worst scenario if fat loss is your goal.

When you eat less, you also have fewer opportunities to increase your metabolism by using the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). The act of digesting and metabolising food requires energy and certain foods have a much bigger effect than others, in some cases it’s the difference between a 0% and 30% increase.

As I’ve shown before when you reduce your consumption of food, your body goes into emergency mode which causes it to preferentially store as much incoming energy as fat as it can to prepare for famine. The effect of this is a potentially permanently compromised metabolism because of its influence on your fat cells, muscle, hormones and neurotransmitters. It slows down the function of your body, both physically and mentally to a point of feeling constantly tired, unenthused and living in a world with the colour set to grey.

With the right nutrition the opposite is true. You’ll eat more which gives you access to more energy which will result in a more dynamic, vibrant, passionate life full of vivid colour.

Want to re-ignite your inner flame? Then join us in the Lean for Life Program, where you’ll be guided step by step towards realising the body of your dreams.

What’s Lean for Life? Click on the link and find out.

http://hpc-uk.net/6.html

Weight Loss Guaranteed...