Metabolism (secret part II)

       

 “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act"                

                                                                                           ~George Orwell  

By the looks of our advertising, most Americans seem to have a low metabolism and be extremely exhausted. Red bull, Monster drinks, and Five Hour Energy all purport to have a solution for this immense problem. Is it possible that these drinks are capable of everything that is proposed?

How do they work?  

“Energy drinks like the ones mentioned above, work by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system SNS (which is our fight or flight response… “the preparation to flee”) The SNS accelerates heart rate… widen bronchial passages… decrease motility (movement) of the large intestine… constrict blood vessels… increase peristalsis in the esophagus… cause pupillary dilation… piloerection (goose bumps) and perspiration (sweating)… and raise blood pressure.

The problem for a dieter that is consuming these drinks is where the fuel comes from. When the SNS is stimulated, glucose is injected into the blood stream. The dieter’s calories (especially low-carb, juicing type people) are low so the body has to create glucose from a non-glucose substance (Protein…aka muscle). This process is called gluconeogenesis.   

Priming the body with these “metabolic stimulants” actually stimulate the body to consume itself (muscle) during our workouts. These stimulants increase our metabolism during our workouts…but ends up lowering our resting metabolic rate for the rest of the day.

(Resting Metabolic Rate… “RMR” accounts for 60 to 80% of your daily total caloric expenditure)  

So what is our metabolism?

Your metabolism includes all chemical reaction occurring in the body which sustains vital functions and the productions of energy. Your body produces energy constantly, but how? Energy is production mainly through the breakdown of macronutrients such as carbohydrates and fats. Once your body produces energy, it then distributes the energy throughout your body to be expended and to perform vital functions.  

Your total energy expenditure is comprised of three major components:

~ The Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) – TEF is the energy used for digesting, absorbing, and assimilating food nutrients and accounts for about 10 percent of total energy expenditure. It also plays a small role in total body metabolism. (Eat a 300 calorie meal…burn 30 calories in the digestion of that meal)

~ The Thermic Effect of Physical Activity (TEPA) - a key factor affecting metabolism. TEPA may account of 15 to 30 percent of total caloric expenditure. It is generated through physical activity and occupational and lifestyle activities.

~ Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) – RMR accounts for 60 to 80 percent of daily energy expenditure. It is the “at rest” energy required to maintain the body’s daily functions. RMR varies greatly from individual to individual. The various factors that influence RMR include the amount of fat-free mass, amount of fat mass, level of physical activity, caloric intake, age, gender, and to a lesser degree, genetics.

The good news is you can affect your RMR, because it is greatly affected by the amount of fat-free mass in the body. The combination of endurance and strength training activities will certainly change you your body composition, and in turn, change your fat-free body mass. For example, endurance activities (i.e. running, walking, swimming) when performed for at least 30 minutes or longer (3 to 5 times per week) will enhance the body’s ability to utilize more fat for energy production. In addition, strength training activities enhance the body’s ability to build more muscle. In the long run, RMR will increase, elevating your body’s total daily energy expenditure.

But you have to be careful. Your RMR can slow down as well. Since RMR is greatly affected by the amount of fat-free mass in the body, a decrease in lean tissue will affect metabolism. For example, lack of physical activity will lead to decrease in overall muscle mass and decline in RMR. Also, individuals who engage in juicing (toxin diets…if it were only so easy) or low calorie diets… followed by rapid weight loss will cause the body to go into “starvation mode”. The body will slow down its metabolism in order to conserve energy. Lack of physical activity, a decrease in total body mass “starvation mode” (i.e. loss of muscle mass), and low caloric food intake will all cause RMR to decline. 

When setting a weight loss goal, an important element that is too often left out is having your RMR tested.  You can find your RMR by having your body fat measured. By accurately measuring your body fat, you can estimate total caloric expenditure per day, establish desirable goals for weight loss (or gain), and optimize total caloric expenditure.

To conclude:

In the long run you are only as good as your RMR. Muscle is the key to our metabolism. Any product or program that entices you by promising a “speedy metabolism” or “removing toxins” is a program that is designed to fail you from the beginning.

There is no magic pill/drink or program to help in our efforts to lose weight. There is only science and application. Good nutrition and moderate activity will always be the key to weight control.

The Secrets of Weight Loss (part 1)

                                         
                                      They shouldst eat to live not live to eat. ~ Socrates

 What if I told you there is one meal that can boost your metabolism all morning?

Would you do it?

Would you believe me if I told you that the “secret” to weight loss is about eating more…not less?

I’ll even go so far as to propose there is one meal that can not only help you burn fat, but can help you become smarter, reduce fatigue, and help prevent night time binging.
Think about this…

~You could be a fat burning machine all day long.

~You can create Adderall like focus without taking drugs.

~You can cut your cravings for sugar, salt and fat.

These attributes can all be attained through the addition of one meal…BREAKFAST!

Breakfast literally means breaking the fast.

As we sleep, chemicals in our bodies are at work digesting food eaten earlier in the day. By morning, we are ready to "break the fast" after a period of not eating. The blood sugar (glucose) we need to power our muscles and brains is normally low when we wake up, and breakfast helps replenish it. But if we miss the day's first meal, we start tapping our energy reserves — including what's stored in our muscle. In addition to making us feel tired, missing breakfast is likely to increase the temptation to reach for an unhealthy snack later on and to overeat in general.

Morning is the worst time to skip a meal. For that reason, eating even a small amount within an hour or so of waking is a good idea. Fueling up in the morning can be especially important for children and adolescents, whose metabolic needs are relatively greater than adults.

Yet many American children and adolescents don't eat breakfast. Health surveys have shown that 20% of American children and 32% of adolescents usually miss the morning meal. The unhealthful pattern is not limited to the United States or to children and teens. A review of two dozen studies showed that between 1.7% and 30% of the population in several developed countries, including the United States, doesn't eat breakfast regularly.

Other studies have associated regular breakfast-eating with everything from enhanced memory and concentration to lower levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol to reduced risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

A number of studies have focused on weight control, and researchers have found that breakfast eaters are, on average, thinner than breakfast skippers. Including protein, carb, and fiber in your brerakfast first thing in the morning may curb your appetite during the rest of the day. An interesting study published in 2010 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined the breakfast patterns of several thousand Australians in 1985, when they were children, and then about 20 years later, when they were adults. The study participants who reported skipping breakfast both as children and adults were heavier and had larger waists, higher LDL cholesterol levels, and less healthful diets than those who reported eating breakfast at both times in their lives.

The composition of a good breakfast should include carbohydrates with fiber (whole grains, fruits, or vegetables), some lean protein sources such as eggs or yogurt (Greek yogurt has more protein than regular), and some healthful fats such as those in nuts or low-fat cheese (keep to a minimum). A low-fat cheese omelet with a slice of whole-grain toast qualifies as a good breakfast, as does a bowl of high-fiber cereal topped with fresh fruit and skim milk.

Carbohydrates often get a bad rap in diet books, but they are essential in a healthy breakfast. They have been labeled simple or complex, based on the sugar molecules they contain. Another way to classify them is by their effect on blood sugar levels… foods with a high glycemic index get digested quickly and cause blood sugar levels to spike, triggering an extra-large release of insulin to bring them back down. Things such as pastries and sugary breakfast cereals generally have a high glycemic index. Some research shows that high-glycemic foods wind up making people hungry sooner. And high-glycemic diets have been correlated with increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, weight gain, and other undesirable conditions that nobody wants. (Note. The Glycemic index can be cut in half by adding protein to your meal)

Whole-grain foods enable you to have carbohydrates and keep the glycemic index of your breakfast down. In addition to moderating blood sugar spikes… whole grains supply vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, dietary fiber, and other potentially valuable substances. You don't have to look very hard to find epidemiologic evidence for whole grain having protective effects against obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Eating breakfast may be the key we been looking for when it comes to managing our focus, energy, and health. They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step…well… it just so happens that breakfast is the first step in our journey to becoming healthy and wise.