HPC-UK’s Top Tips for Fat Loss; Tip No.4 - Eat Low Glycemic Carbohydrates.

I have shown in previous articles how carbohydrates are classified in terms of their capacity to raise blood sugar. 

For a lean body for life, stick to those with a low glycemic index. 

The most misguided mistake seen with the average dieter is the use of foods such as rice cakes or low fat cereals and cereal bars, akin to cardboard in my mind. Foods such as these generally have a glycemic index about the same as, or higher than, table sugar. They are all rapidly converted to sugar in the blood which usually causes insulin to go wild. 

The high level of insulin helps to turn the sugar into triglycerides which is stored as fat. The excess insulin is also converted into triglycerides, and also subsequently stored as fat. Add to this the fact that high levels of blood triglycerides cause temporary insulin resistance and promote the development of chronic insulin resistance which eventually leads on to diabetes.

It’s wise to heed the wisdom of Ben Franklin when he said ‘The honey is sweet but the bee has a sting.’

HPC-UK’s Top Tips for Fat Loss; Tip No.3 - Eat The Right Fats

The only fats you need are the essential fats linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3). Essential fats in amounts that you need will not put on bodyfat, in fact quite the opposite. With the right fats, you’ll get leaner than ever, easier than ever.

Essential fats regulate or play a part in pretty much all of your of bodily processes, a number of which I’ve described in my articles. But suffice to say without essential fats in your diet, your body will never be in an optimal condition to function or stay lean for life.

Other than essential fats, try to limit the fat in your diet, especially hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and their progeny trans- fats which usually come via processed foods. Don’t become too meticulous here though, just simple things like trimming the excess fat off of cuts of meat. Aim to keep total fats to 15-20% of your daily intake of food, you’ll get more indirectly in your diet, from unseen sources.

To make sure your body is functioning properly don’t forget to ‘Grease the Groove’.

HPC-UK Top Tips for Fat Loss. Tip No.2 - Stabilise Your Insulin

‘Dieting’, skipping meals, low/ no-fat foods, snacking on bars instead of eating, and the sundry other usual methods of the weight loss industry, all trigger a disruption in your insulin metabolism.

Simplified, all of the above methods destabilise your insulin. When you do eat, you get a big insulin burst. Insulin is a storage hormone. It causes your body to store everything. Not only do you store any extra food, but your liver converts all the excess insulin into triglycerides – fat, - and stores that too. So you can cut calories by skipping meals, yet still increase your bodyfat. Keeping a stable balance between the storage action of insulin and the catabolic action of its opposing hormone glucagon is crucial for being lean.

Aim for insulin stability and insulin efficiency. It’s the main way to affect your fat loss ability.

First, eat five to six small meals per day, each containing some low-glycemic carbohydrates, good quality protein and essential fats. HPC-UK clients are advised to eat every three or so hours using a schedule such as 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm, and 10 pm. They never suffer low blood sugar. Nor do they suffer insulin bursts. Their blood shows a stable balance between insulin and its catabolic partner, glucagon.

As the old saying goes ‘The continuous drip polishes the stone.’

Want Optimum Body Composition Results? You’ve Got To Resistance Train

You may have noticed my preference for resistance training as an exercise modality. With practically every client, resistance training is usually the best method for achieving the majority of goals. This is especially true of physique transformations, the results you can achieve in muscle and body composition will be greater and last longer if you perform progressive resistance training rather than perform endurance training.

If you’ve been reading my work you should already be well aware of this, but it’s nice to have some academic backup to support what we have all known for years.  Some new research coming out of Taiwan found that resistance training is more effective at building long-lasting lean body mass than endurance training. Let’s take a brief look at the study.

Previously untrained individuals performed three training sessions a week, either a periodised resistance training program of ten exercises, or 30 minutes of treadmill running at an intensity of 70-85% of maximal heart rate. The fact that the endurance group (EG) had a greater increase in maximal oxygen uptake (an indicator of cardiovascular capacity), was not really a revelation, but, and here’s what most people fail to appreciate, the resistance training group (RG) also improved (EG by 17 percent, RG by 12 percent). Lean body mass increased 71 percent in the RG and they maintained significantly more muscle after six months of detraining (a period of no training).

As I always say ‘the devil’s in the details’ and to a lay person the way this study is presented in no different. Take for instance that the study suggested the EG increased lean mass by 12 percent after training. So they gained muscle? Nope, the EG actually lost half a kilo of muscle over the six month training period, it only appears that way statistically because they lost fat mass during the period.

Between the two groups only the RG group had gains in strength and hypertrophy with training, and they had a statistically insignificant (but still very real) trend toward reduction in body fat.

After six months of detraining, the EG had lost the training gains with a return to pre-training body weight, body size and cardiovascular fitness. The RG lost its cardiovascular fitness but maintained some strength and lean mass, with higher than baseline values.

While greater cardiovascular gains can be made with endurance training, the benefits for body composition, strength, and overall long-term effects are substantially greater from lifting weights. A good way to increase cardiovascular capacity without compromising your program, is to perform high-intensity interval sprints or circuit training in addition to a resistance training program

Reference:

Lo, M., Lin, L., Yao, W., Ma, M. Training and Detraining Effects of the Resistance Vs. Endurance Program on Body Composition, Body Size and Physical Performance in Young Men.  Journal of Strength and Conditioning. July 2011. Published Ahead of Print.