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Weight loss

Body Composition, Energy, Metabolism, Performance, Weight
Fasted exercise has some benefits, but not top peak performance
- October 24, 2022
Training in a fasted state is something that has been fairly popular. Many enjoy it because they don’t like the feeling of being too full during physical activity. Others are a bit more intentional with fasted exercise though and are looking for specific benefits. Typically these benefits are related to body composition or weight goals but it needs to be done in a smart manner. Specifically, not when in a situation where needing to perform at one’s peak potential.

What is fasted exercise and why do it?

Fasted exercise is when training in a fasted state, meaning not eating anything before it. Most people do this by working out first thing in the morning. Other common times are done several hours after their previous meal or by having a cardio session after an intense workout just occurred. The main goal is to be working out when the body has low glycogen and overall energy stores. What happens then is the body is forced to pull from fat stores to produce the needed energy.

Increased fat burn and body composition

By forcing the body to use fat for energy, the body is being trained to use fat more easily. In theory this should help the body to burn fat throughout the day more as well. So not only during the workout is the body using more fat, but it could potentially last even after leaving the gym as well. People seeking improvements in body composition are very interested in this strategy because of that effect right there. What’s important to keep in mind though is training with a low/empty fuel tank can make it a lot harder to train at a level you normally would.

Performance impact

Having that low fuel tank is what could negatively impact your performance in that moment. If trying to make that fat burn change in the body, don’t try that strategy when doing an intense and competitive session. You also want to be careful not to try fasted exercise if simply looking to lose weight. It’s likely you will fatigue a bit earlier in this situation which could decrease the overall work done in that session. Save this for light sessions. Peak performance requires peak energy on hand!

When to try fasted exercise

Low intensity, cardio focused sessions typically is best. Having a set amount of work that’s to be completed helps too. That makes sure you still get the total amount of work in while getting the fat burn benefits. As always, you need to make sure you’re still staying hydrated. Most importantly please do not do this on intense training days, especially not on competition days! Your performance will almost always be better with a little food. If worried about feeling full, keep the snack before hand light. Stick to foods you know and that sit well for you. Liquids are easiest to digest and would be a great option to consider as well.

Study referenced: click here

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Body Composition, Diets, Macronutrients, Metabolism, Weight, Wellness
Metabolism Changes To Keep In Mind During Weight Loss
- October 12, 2022
Weight loss is one of the most common nutrition goals amongst any population. The formula is basic that everyone has heard regarding eat less and move more for the calories in, calories out idea. But it isn’t talked about as much how the metabolism changes with weight loss. Those changes are why many tend to regain the weight they just lost.

How the metabolism changes

The body tries really hard to stay at its current weight. No matter if someone’s goal is weight loss or weight gain, the body fights it a little bit. Change is hard for everyone, our body’s included! Two hormones in particular drive this; leptin and ghrelin.

Leptin is what helps us to feel full. After a big meal, leptin levels increase and signal to the brain “ok, that’s enough” to stop eating. Ghrelin is the opposite and makes us feel hungry when we need to eat. Long periods without food, ghrelin levels increase until we eat something.

When losing weight, these signals get a little mixed up. To try and keep the body weight at the same level, leptin levels become reduced. The signal and how loud leptin is shouting that the body is full also decreases. These things result in feeling more hungry and thus eating more.

Rate of weight loss

How quickly someone loses weight can impact these effects. Slow and steady is the key. The faster weight is lost, the greater amount of that weight tends to be muscle. This obviously isn’t ideal! By going at a “slow” rate of around 0.5-1.0 pounds lost per week, that can be a great rate to preserve one’s muscle. That muscle is what will help to keep the metabolism burning to maintain the weight that is lost.

On the other hand losing weight quickly comes at the expense of muscle. The metabolism changes with that are that it begins to slow down. Ghrelin levels increase quite a bit as well which can lead to overeating or sometimes even binge eating. It’s a recipe for potential disaster. This is a big reason why many people who regain their weight, had originally lost that weight in a fairly quick manner.

Foods that can help

There are some foods that can be a bit more helpful than others though. Those foods are ones higher in protein and fiber. Both of these nutrients provide more satiety and help to create that fullness feeling. As discussed earlier, that fullness feeling can be a challenge so focusing on protein and fiber rich foods can help ease some of those hunger pains.

Increasing one’s protein intake will also help maintain muscle mass. We work hard for our muscle and if we cut weight we want to make sure it isn’t lost. Eating extra protein helps the body to repair and rebuild any potential muscle damage. Aiming for right around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is a good reference point.

Diet breaks and refeeds

There are different theories on the best way to reduce calories for weight loss. The most common and typical strategy is a continuous calorie restriction. This is where day in and day out calories are pulled back a bit. Some feel that this long term restriction can cause the body to adapt and slow metabolism down. Based on this thinking, adding in some times for a diet break or a refeed can help avoid that slow down. What this can typically look like is 5 days of a bit more sever restriction with then going back up to a weight maintenance level of calories for 2 days. Overall there is still a total calorie deficit resulting in a similar weight loss.

Study so far show no actual difference between the two strategies. For athletes though, strategically adding in a refeed can be great when those are timed around competition when maximum performance is the key. The biggest difference in these strategies seem to be the psychological effects. If being able to have a day or two of maintenance calories allows someone to relax a bit and overall help increase the sustainability of their diet then it’s worth it. For those who would feel worse with bouncing back and forth, the consistent restriction is better. Everyone responds differently to different things so it’s finding what works for that person specifically.

Key points to limit metabolism changes

– Slow and stead rate of weight loss

– Increase protein intake

– Focus on high fiber foods

– Caloric deficit is the goal

– Best eating strategy for caloric restriction is unique to each person

– Continue lifting weights to maintain muscle mass

Study referenced: click here

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Body Composition, Muscle, Performance, Weight
Lose Fat, Build Muscle, Have Patience
- February 2, 2022
To lose fat while preserving muscle, patience is king

“I want to lose fat and build muscle” can be worded many ways. No matter how you want to phrase it though, that is one of the most popular topics in nutrition. Many people are trying to achieve this trade of fat to muscle and are willing to try just about anything to do so. That is a recipe for a lot of potential problems.

It’s hard work to build muscle in the first place! And if looking to lose fat, we don’t want to lose that muscle along with it. For the body to lose weight it comes down to consuming less calories than our body burns. To keep the body going though it needs to still get energy from somewhere. Our goal is to get the body to focus on pulling from fat for that energy.

The faster that weight is lost though, the greater the risk that muscle will be pulled from. Faster weight loss means less calories being consumed and naturally the body is looking for energy wherever it can get it to keep going. That is the formula for when muscle becomes collateral damage. While the scale may have a lower number, what’s lost to quickly get there likely isn’t worth it.

So then how can we lose fat while building muscle?

1) Hard work in the gym

Again, it was a lot of work to build muscle in the first place. That doesn’t change during this time period where we are looking to lose fat. Keep lifting and stimulating that muscle growth.

2) Patience

A weight loss of ~0.5 pound to 1 pound per week is a good rate. This slower rate loss allows the ability to still provide enough calories to fuel our workouts and our muscles while still losing weight.

3) Extra protein

Having extra protein will provide the building blocks to help the body build and maintain muscle. Aim for around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. (Ex: 180 pound person = 180g protein per day)

4) Sleep

Turn off Fortnite and go to bed! When we sleep our body does the most recovery and muscle building/repairing. If we don’t get enough sleep our body has an increase in stress as well. This added stress can cause a hormonal shift making it tougher to lose fat as well as to build muscle. So go to sleep! Sometimes the simplest advice is the toughest to do.

Focusing on these keys and doing them consistently will set you up beautifully. Like in most situations, good things come to those who wait! Throwing in some sweat and hard work helps too 😉

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