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"Nutrition: The Myths and The Truth"

By Jason Goggans

Calorie Deprivation

Calorie deprivation is BY FAR the most popular way Americans attempt to reduce their weight. It is also the reason why most Americans are left frustrated and confused. As we know, when the number of calories that you take in equals the number of calories that you expend in energy, you are maintaining an energy balance and your weight will not fluctuate very much. Conventional wisdom (as well as most diet books) says that if you cut back on calories, the end result will be weight loss. This method has proven to be nothing short of long-term-weight-loss-suicide!

When you cut back on calories many reactions begin to happen inside your body. Let?s face it; we have ALL tried low-calorie diets in our life. I am willing to bet that we all experienced the same reactions as well. See if this sounds familiar.

One day we are looking in the mirror and realize that our stomachs and hips are expanding at a seemingly unstoppable rate. Or, we go to put on our favorite outfit and it just doesn?t seem to fit like it once did or does not fit at all. What do we do? Like most people we decide to go on a diet. We figure out that our body burns 2200 calories a day on its own so we decide or are told that we need to reduce our calories to 1200 a day and we will loose 6 or 7 pounds a week. You proceed with the diet and guess what? You lost FIVE pounds!!! A week later you've lost another two pounds. WOW!! This is great. A strange thing happens in week six, however. You step on the scale and - NOTHING. What now? Simple. Reduce your caloric intake to 900 calories. A miracle happens. The scale starts to move again. However, there is one small problem. The weight loss is accompanied by these deep, dark, uncontrollable cravings for things like PIZZA, doughnuts, chocolate, cheesecake, etc. You try to ignore the cravings but once you hit another plateau, you question your willpower, and give in. Not only do you give in, you go NUTS!! In the end you blame nothing but your willpower.

In reality, it had nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with your body's natural response to Calorie Deprivation. When you deprive your body of calories it begins to sense that it is starving. Your body has no idea that you?re dieting to loose weight. All it knows is that it must act fast so that it doesn?t die. This sets off a chemical reaction in your brain that tries to drive you towards substances that will enable you to survive this perceived ?famine?. Your brain will drive you towards the nutrient that it can survive on the longest - FAT!! And the substance that will provide the quickest energy boost - SUGAR!! You are now in a complete binge state caused by the diet.

That is not the end, however. The weight loss you noticed on the scale was a combination of three things. Water, which provides extremely short-term weight loss at best, a little bit of fat, and quite a bit of muscle. When you deprive your body of the proper nutrients, which is what happens on a low calorie diet, it goes straight to the muscle to strip away the nutrients stored inside. The diet centers and diet book authors know these facts, but it is their dirty little secret. They know that if people notice weight loss on the scale, no matter what kind of weight loss it was, they will be happy. Who cares that they are sabotaging your ability to loose weight in the long term? They are making $$$$$$$. The most alarming aspect of all of this is the fact that diets strip you of your lean muscle. You see, lean muscle is metabolically active tissue. This means that it burns fat. In fact, it is the only thing in the human body that will actually burn away a fat cell. When you diet and cannibalize your lean muscle you are ultimately slowing down your metabolism. This is the exact opposite of what you were trying to do. The end result of any calorie depriving diet is reduced metabolism, a reduction in your body's ability to burn fat, a hormone imbalance that leads to binge eating, and ultimately an increase in the accumulation in fat storage. This is why you gain all of your weight back and THEN SOME when you get off of a diet. Diet several times over a period of 10 to15 years and you become a fat storing machine. Can you relate? Calories must be kept high enough to maintain lean muscle so that your body becomes a fat fighting machine.

I believe that many people know this information already. They know that low-calorie diets are not the best weight loss route to take. However, it is difficult to resist the temptation of instant weight loss results. If you find yourself falling to this temptation please remember what you have just read. You are doing nothing but sabotaging your long-term success. The answer is to avoid any program that includes the word diet. The word diet alone implies calorie deprivation. You need to be on a healthy supportive eating plan accompanied by an effective exercise program. If you are unsure about how to devise an eating plan, seek the help of a professional. Or just read the rest of this article.

Six Nutrients

There are six nutrients that the human body needs to survive and function properly. The definition of a nutrient is a substance that you must ingest to sustain life. They are nutrients that you NEED. It is not an option. The nutrients are:

Proteins

Carbohydrates

Fats

Minerals

Vitamins

Water

Proteins are the buildings blocks of all tissue in the body. Without protein you would not be able to grow hair, grow nails, replace dead cells, or build lean muscle. Proteins are made up of 22 amino acids. Amino acids are assembled by your body. This is called protein synthesis. This is the process that ?builds? lean muscle. Remember, lean muscle is a metabolically active tissue that burns away fats cells. It is essential to weight loss and fitness. It is also what gives you those shapely arms and legs. Your protein intake must be sufficient. It is possible to eat too much protein so be careful. More protein (than your body can process) does no mean more muscle. Excess protein will be stored by your body. Although it varies person to person, a good rule of thumb is one gram of protein per pound of body weight a day. So a 145-pound person would want to ingest 145 grams of protein a day.

Carbohydrates (carbs) are a very controversial nutrient these days. Many people believe that they are the lone culprit behind our nation?s obesity epidemic. The reality is that some carbs are bad and some are absolutely essential. Carbs provide our bodies with the energy it needs to complete day-to-day tasks, especially if you are involved in an exercise program. Simple carbs, the refined carbs (white bread, white rice, white pasta) and almost any food you find in a box (crackers, cookies), are the bad ones. They are converted into sugar once inside the body and are released very quickly into the blood stream. The result is a large release of insulin from the pancreas, which ends in fat storage. Good carbs, however, are your body?s preferred energy source. The include slow releasing carbs such as brown rice, whole wheat bread, oatmeal, tomatoes, corn, beans, and sweet potatoes. If you cut these out of your diet you will have low energy levels all days long. Also, your body still needs the energy so it will go to the muscle, steal the glycogen stores, and burn them off. You are once again burning away muscle.

While carbs may be the most controversial nutrient, Fats remain the most misunderstood. We have been programmed to think that all fats are bad and we should run away as quickly as we can. The fact of the matter is, WE NEED FAT. Fat is a nutrient that is responsible for cushioning and protecting internal organs, and also plays a role in brain function, sexual performance, and cell metabolism. There are good fats and bad fats. The good fats are poly- and mono-unsaturated fats. Some examples are olive oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, fish and flaxseed oil, etc. The bad fats, the saturated fats, include butter, vegetable oil, margarine, animal fat, etc. Good fats should make up 15-20% of your daily caloric intake. Saturated fats should be less than 5%.

Vitamins and Minerals are extremely important to your health. They boost your immune system; they play a role in tissue repair, and allow all bodily functions to take place. Vitamins and minerals are best obtained through natural food choices such as fruits and vegetables. Vegetables should be a mainstay in your diet.

That leads us to Water. Our bodies are made up of 75% water. Water plays a vital role in your health. Water is essential to stay properly hydrated so that cells can function properly. There is no substitute for water. Only pure H2O will leave your cells with the proper amount of hydration. Once you introduce a new substance to water, such as tea or juice, you change the molecular structure and it will not be as accepted by your cells. The average person should consume ? an ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. That means a 150-pound person needs to consume at least 75 ounces of water a day. That number increases greatly if you are an exercising adult.

Applying What You Know

Now that you have had a review on the 6 nutrients, I will discuss how to eat supportively on a daily basis. To begin, everyone should be eating a well-balanced meal every 3 to 3 hours everyday. Each meal should consist of a lean protein, a starchy carb, and a fibrous carb. Let's first talk about the importance of eating approximately every 3 hours, or 5 to 6 meals a day. We have all heard of that little thing called your metabolism. When you complete your last meal of the day and go to bed for the night, your body shuts down. Many bodily functions slow as you sleep. This includes your metabolism. In fact, your metabolism slows to approximately 20% of its normal functions. When you awake in the morning, it continues to function at that rate until it is forced to wake up and get back to work. For the sake of this article, picture your metabolism like a fireplace and the food you eat like the wood in a fire. When a fire in the fireplace starts to dwindle, what do you do You simply throw more logs in. When your metabolism starts to dwindle you throw more food into your stomach. This gets your metabolism roaring again.

In the morning, you must give yourself food as soon as possible so that your metabolism can begin to function. If you are one of those who skip breakfast and waits for lunch, you are keeping your metabolism at a slow rate for over 17 hours. At this point your body believes that it is starving. This causes a few things to happen. First, as we discussed above, your body will lead you to slow burning foods, i.e. fat, and a quick source of energy SUGAR (remember the cravings we discussed?). That is why you crave those things when don?t eat often enough. Also, when your body believes it is starving, it will try to hoard the next meal you eat and store it as fat instead of burning it off as energy. Fats are lipids and burn very slowly. This is quite handy in times of famine. It is how you can survive days without food. When you go long stretches without food, your body believes we are in a time of famine so it will do whatever it takes to survive. You essentially make your body a fat storing machine. If you combine this with a low calorie diet, you are in real trouble.

Once you do eat your morning meal, you want to continue eating every 3 to 3 ? hours to avoid the above effect. After doing this for a while you will train your body that it will be fed on a regular basis and that it is okay to release stored fat to be used as energy. By eating every three hours or so you are also ensuring that you are getting the proper amounts of proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins and minerals. It is very difficult to do this when you do not eat enough throughout the day.

Each meal that you eat should consist of a lean protein, a starchy carb, and a fibrous carb. Lean proteins are the building blocks of muscle. Without protein lean muscle cannot be made. It would be like trying to build a house with no wood, and no nails. We have established that lean muscle burns fat and raises your basal metabolic rate (BMR). It is essential to weight loss to have a good amount of lean muscle. Eat your protein!!!

Starchy carbs (whole grain breads, corn, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.) are the energy your body MUST have to take part in an intense exercise regimen. Starchy carbs form chains of sugar molecules inside the stomach. Its counterpart, simple carbs (white breads, pasta, rice, anything that comes in a box, etc.), form a bunch of single sugar molecules. Because the starchy carbs form chains of sugar molecules, it takes a while for the sugar molecules to absorb through the stomach wall. This slow absorption prevents a rush of sugar from entering the bloodstream which in turn prevents a rush of insulin from entering the bloodstream. Eventually the sugar does reach the bloodstream in the form of glucose. It is that glucose that gives you the energy you need to exercise effectively without jeopardizing muscle mass. Without starchy carbs, your body must go elsewhere for energy, namely glycogen from muscle tissue. Simple carbs, on the other hand, absorb VERY quickly through the stomach wall which causes your blood sugar levels to rise quickly. Your body?s defense is a large spike in insulin to bring down the blood sugar levels. As you will learn later, insulin causes most of that sugar to be stored as fat. This is why carbs are okay if they are the right kind. You will find a list of approved carbs at the end of this article.

Fibrous carbs (Vegetables) provide the body with essential vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants that aid in tissue repair and bolstering the immune system. You need these to stay healthy and stay in the game.

Below you will find an example of a day of eating that applies all the above principles:

Meal One:
Protein: Eggs
Starch: Oatmeal (no sugar)
Fibrous: Spinach (Cook Spinach with the eggs)

Meal Two:
Protein: Cottage Cheese
Fibrous: Blueberries

Meal Three:
Protein: Grilled Chicken
Starch: Brown Rice
Fibrous: Green Leafy Salad

Meal Four:
Protein Bar or Meal Replacement Shake

Meal Five:
Protein: Orange Roughy
Starchy: Baked Potato
Fibrous: Broccoli

But I'm Not Hungry!

If you read this and say to yourself, I just cannot eat that much food, or, I try to eat five times a day but I am too full, please trust that this will change. At the beginning of your new nutrition program, your metabolism is still used to your old way of eating. It is still bogged down and not functioning at its optimal level. It still wants to burn food slowly and store it as fat. Now you?re giving it more food to process slowly. You will feel full for a while. It takes time to re-train your metabolism that it is okay to burn and process food quickly and not store it as fat. This usually takes anywhere from 1 to 5 weeks depending on the individual. Remember this when you want to give up and go back to eating 1 to 3 times a day. Now you are right back at CALORIE DEPRIVATION.

Sweet, Sweet Sugar!

This leads us to what I consider the number one reason Americans are so obese?SUGAR!!!!!!!!! I have yet to meet a client who did not love sugar. It?s tasty, comforting, and addictive. But it will absolutely, positively make you FAT!! Let?s look at how that happens. The following information can be applied to simple carbs, which are converted to simple sugar (table sugar) once in the belly, as well. When you ingest sugar it goes directly into the stomach. Since it is simple sugar it forms individual sugar molecules as opposed to long chains of sugar molecules like in complex carbs (starchy carbs). Single molecules absorb VERY quickly through the stomach wall and into the blood stream. Once in the bloodstream it is referred to as glucose. This sudden rush of sugar into the bloodstream causes the pancreas to put out a rush of insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that controls blood sugar. You can think of insulin as your body?s fuel storage mechanism. When insulin is released into the bloodstream it helps transport the sugar to the parts of the body that need it. This is usually the brain, the muscles, the liver, etc. The problem is that there is typically sugar left over that needs to be stored. The only thing your body can do now is store that excess converted sugar as fat.

Insulin is not perfect either. Although it wants to bring your blood sugar down to a normal level, it usually reduces your blood sugar level too low. Now you have low blood sugar. What happens when you have low blood sugar? You begin to crave sugar. Ever had a sugar craving? Now you know why. When you crave sugar, you tend to eat sugar and you start this whole process over again. It becomes a vicious fat storing cycle.

This is not the end of the story either. Your pancreas also produces another hormone, glucagon. Glucagon is responsible for fat release. It is secreted so that your body will liberate fat and burn it as energy. Glucagon is our friend. You want glucagon turned on all the time. The problem is that insulin and glucagon have an inverse relationship. When the pancreas is producing insulin, it cannot produce glucagon. When you inundate your body with sugar your insulin levels are always high and your glucagon is shut off. You are constantly storing fat and handicapping your body?s ability to burn fat. Not good!!!

The answer here is obvious. Stay away from the sugar. It will only make you fat. This also applies to fruit. Table sugar and the sugar found in sweets are called sucrose. The sugar found in fruit is called fructose. At the end of the day sugar is sugar is sugar. It will all trigger an insulin response. I am not telling you to do away with fruit all together. Fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants. However, if fat loss is your goal, you need to limit fruit intake to once a day. As for sucrose, save it for your cheat day.

Portion Control

One of the biggest problems I see at Fitness Together is controlling portion sizes. In American society we are used to eating meals in huge portions. Go to any restaurant and you will see what I mean. This is one of the reasons we tend to only eat 2 to 3 meals a day on average. It takes the body a long time to digest a very large, fatty meal. In fact, if you are reading this and saying, ?I can?t eat 5 times a day; I?m just not hungry that often?, this is one of the reasons why. In order for this method of eating to work, portions must be limited to the size of your fist. If you are eating a meal of lean protein, starchy carb, and fibrous carb, each portion must be the size of your fist. If you control your portions this way, and limit your fat intake, you WILL be hungry every 3 hours.

Supplementation

Many people find it difficult to both eat 5 to 6 times a day, and keep the protein intake and caloric intake up to optimal levels. That is where supplementation, the second secret to enhance your fat loss efforts, can be very beneficial. There are numerous high-quality protein and meal replacement supplements on the market. If you are finding it difficult to squeeze in the 5 meals or get the proper amount of protein and calories, consider supplementation. There are very few supplements that I would recommend; however, a quality protein supplement is one I highly endorse. Remember, lean protein builds lean muscle, which in turn burns fat. If you are going to utilize a protein supplement, I would advise using a meal replacement shake or bar. Eat a bar or have a shake either between breakfast and lunch, or between lunch and dinner. Although I do believe that protein from natural sources, such as lean meats, is superior to supplements, lean meat is not always realistic 5 times a day. This is where supplements can save the day. If you need help choosing a good protein/meal replacement supplement, ask your trainer or your local vitamin store owner.

Another supplement essential is flaxseed oil. Flaxseed oil contains both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids contribute to muscle increase and fat mobilization, and contribute to cell repair. These fatty acids are not produced naturally in the body so they have to be introduced. This does not mean that supplementation is absolutely necessary. You can get your daily intake of fatty acids form foods such as fish, fresh produce, and nuts. Flaxseed oil, however, provides assurance that you are getting ample amounts considering how important it is. Be sure to purchase flaxseed oil in liquid form, in a dark light-resistance bottle, stored in a refrigerator. This ensures that it is fresh. Take 1 tablespoon in the morning and 1 tablespoon with your mid-afternoon meal.

Cheat Days!!!!

This is my favorite part of the nutrition plan. Not only is it extremely enjoyable, but it is essential as well. The cheat day refers to one day per week in which you can eat anything you want. That?s right - ANYTHING! If this sounds crazy for someone who wished to reduce fat and get in shape, just keep reading. We all have favorite foods that are less than nutritious. My favorites are pizza and ice cream!!! Now, think of your favorite ?bad? food. Now imagine if I told you that you cannot eat that food for 6 to 12 months. Two things would happen. First, you would hate me. Second, that little voice in your head would repeat the name of that food over and over until you give in and go nuts. You are in essence playing a psychological game with yourself. If it is Wednesday and you are craving pizza, and you know that you cannot have it for six months, you will give in every single time. If it is Wednesday and you are craving pizza and you know you can have it in two days, you are a lot more likely to wait it out. Besides, if you are eating perfectly six days a week, you are exercising hard six days a week; you can afford one bad day. And it keeps you from giving in and binging. While CHEAT DAYS are acceptable, make it a goal to reduce it to a ?cheat meal?. Every Saturday I eat pizza for dinner and follow it with Bruster?s ice cream. That is my weekly indulgence. Please keep in mind that it is only one day. It is best if you make it a set day every week. Things do come up, however. If Saturday is your normal cheat day, and you know you have a big party on Friday, move your cheat day to Friday. DO NOT have two cheat days.

Carbs vs. Protein vs. Fat

I wanted to throw in a quick note on why you can eat twice the food once you cut down your fat intake. One gram of fat contains 9 calories. That is a lot. If you eat a meal with 20 grams of fat, you are consuming 180 calories from the fat alone. That is not to mention the protein and carbs. On the other hand, 1 gram of protein contains 4 calories and 1 gram of carbs contains 4 calories. If you have 20 grams of protein you will consume 80 calories. You can now have 20 grams of carbs as well and still not have the 180 calories that the fat gave you (160 grams vs. 180 grams). You have consumed twice the food without the huge calorie hit. Not only that but fat is nothing but empty calories. Aside from the essential unsaturated fats that you need, fats (saturated) contain no nutritional value. Proteins and carbs, however, are extremely beneficial. This is why you can eat twice the food you may be eating now, without the fat gain.

Accountability Journal/Food Log

Let's all let out a collective sigh. We all hate food logs. They are hard to keep up with and they can be a constant reminder of just how bad we eat. They are, however, the number one key to nutritional success. If you are honest, they provide the accountability you need to keep your diet in line. If you are a Fitness Together client, you have an accountability journal and hopefully you use it. Not everybody is as diligent as they need to be. I have noticed an interesting trend in my studio. The clients who keep up with their journal, and are honest with themselves, have the most success. It cannot be a coincidence. Food logs let you know just how many times you cheated throughout the day. We are all guilty of grabbing a handful of M&M's, or a couple bites of ice cream, or a few wheat thins and then forgetting we had them. The fact is that those handfuls add considerable empty calories and sugar to our diet. Over a day, week, month, and year, those calories add up. If you add only 200 calories a day by this seemingly innocent cheating, that equates to 73,000 additional calories a year, or 20 pounds. That is significant. The worst part is, you forgot you even did it. The journal will catch this before that 20 pounds hits your belly, hips, and thighs.

The journal also helps your trainer stay on top of your diet. He or she can review it weekly to make any adjustments that need to be made. Many people think they are doing great when in reality they can do a lot better. An educated trainer will spot this and correct it before it is too late.

Lastly, while journals are a key to success, I am not a big fan of calorie counting. I find it too difficult to track, especially if you eat out a lot. Calorie counting usually leads to frustration, which leads to giving up the journal all together. If you eat like you?re supposed to and control your portions, that should be sufficient.

Resting Metabolic Rate

Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the rate at which you burn energy or calories at rest. At rest means that amount of calories you would burn if you lay in bed all day and did not move. It takes energy (calories) for your body to maintain all its normal daily functions (i.e. heart beating, breathing, digestion, etc.). By figuring out your RMR, you are determining the number of calories your body needs to just function. I know very few healthy people who lay in bed all day, however. If you get out of bed and do anything, you need to up your caloric intake. This is especially true if you are an active, exercising adult. Below you will find the equation used to determine your RMR.

RMR

Males: 66 + [6.22 x weight (lbs)] + [12.7 x height (inches)] = (6.8 x age)

Females: 655 + [4.36 x weight (lbs)] + [4.32 x height (inches)] = (4.7 x age)

What affects your Resting Metabolic Rate?

Muscle - More muscle increases your RMR

Age - Your RMR decreases with Age

A decrease in your RMR can be due to genetics

The weather - Living in a cold environment can increase your RMR. I know this sounds strange but you expend more energy while moving around in cold weather. It's a lot easier to move around in summer but more of an effort to "get going" in winter.

Small Regular meals will increase your RMR

Pregnancy can increase your RMR

Crash dieting will decrease your RMR

Source: (virtualfitnesstrainer.com)

Summary

I truly hope that you have learned something form this article. Eating properly and supportively is easily the most challenging part of a fitness program for MOST clients. BAD food is just too GOOD. Food is also a social staple in our society. When is the last time you were at a gathering of any kind and food was not involved? Food is everywhere! Our food obsession is also why this nation is so obese. If I had to point to the four reasons why Americans are so overweight they would be the following:

1. Calorie deprivation

2. Eating too few times a day

3. WAY TOO MUCH sugar

4. Lack of exercise

This is not rocket science! The above strategies are time-tested and proven techniques to a leaner, healthier, more attractive you. You now have the answers to the frustration that has been eating you alive for years. It is up to you to apply them. As a personal trainer I can control how you exercise, but once you leave my studio, I have no control. All I can do is ensure that you are armed with all the information you need to succeed. Take my advice and watch the inches melt away.

About the Author:

Jason Goggans is a certified personal trainer located in Alpharetta, GA. He ownes a Fitness Together personal training studio in Alpharetta, GA. His website is http://www.FTalpharetta.com