Exercise without Weight Loss

As an addition to yesterday's post, Weight Loss Without Exercise, I wrote about the importance of combining a healthy diet with exercise when loosing weight.  Even more important, in my opinion, is the benefits of exercise, without limiting the focus to weight loss.

Building Muscle
"Bulking" or intentionally gaining weight coupled with an intense, heavy lifting program adds muscle to small, thin frames. 

Muscle protects the bones and organs, prevents injury, and aids in recovery.

Sport
Hard work is rewarding!  Challenge yourself.

Fun
Exercise can be a great way to socialize.

Stress Relief
Try to think about your stressful day when you are lifting 1.5 times your body weight!  You can't!  It's like meditation :)

Enjoy the Outdoors
Hiking, biking, trail running, skiing, snoeshoeing, surfing, water-skiing, rowing, etc, etc, etc . . . It is beautiful and can bring inner peace without even realizing you are exercising.

My favorite . . .

EMPOWERMENT AND SELF-CONFIDENCE!

My fellow active exercisers and I have discussed the shift in focus that happens when you consistently stick to an exercise program.  Most of us started because we wanted to change our body shape and look better superficially.  With all the air-brushed women on magazine covers in checkout lines, it is easy to spot the flaws we all have naturally. 

But, with consistent exercise most of us (if not all) don't care so much about what we look like.  Instead of seeing dimples on the backside, you see strong glutes that can lift impressive weights.  Instead of seeing jiggly thighs, you see legs that can run miles.  Instead of seeing "bat-wings" you see arms that can lift and move and work hard. 

And it feels AMAZING!

Weight Loss WITHOUT Exercise

WEIGHT LOSS DOES NOT MEAN FAT LOSS

Weight loss requires burning more calories than you consume.  This can be done by diet alone.  But should it?

Energy

Loosing weight alone can lead to fatigue, weakness, nausea, and moodiness.  However, it may take awhile to notice these side effects because of the excitement and happiness of reaching the goal of reduced scale weight. 

Loosing fat may mean the number on the scale stays the same.  But, clothes will fit better, muscles will look more supple, and there will be a firmer, younger look to skin.

Bone Health

Calorie restriction without exercise leads to bone loss, particularly in the lower spine, hips, and femur.  This increases the risk of osteoporosis and injury.  Weight loss with exercise alone or with both DO NOT pose the same risks to bones.

Muscle Loss

When your body runs on fewer calories, it takes energy anywhere it can get it, including muscles.  Don't forget your heart is a muscle!

Benefits of Weight Training

• Preventative Health
• Strength
• Balance
• Flexibility
• Joint Stability
• Bone strength and density
• Improvements in cardiovascular functioning, lung strength, mental health, arthritis, fibromyalgia, Diabetes, Cancer, Parkinsons, and HIV/AIDS

5 Meals a Day

Is the 5 meal a day plan the best for weight control?

The 3-Hour Diet and other books claim that this eating pattern will increase your BMR, give you more energy, and decrease appetite. 

Fitness experts agree that irregular patterns of eating lead to overeating and are not helpful to weight control.  But this is not an endorsement for eating every 3 hours.

Reducing caloric intake overall is responsible for weight loss.  Maintaining the reduction is responsible for keeping it off.  Increasing caloric intake is responsible for weight gain.

The only thing consistently proven to increase BMR is exercise.

Some people claim that eating frequent, small meals alleviates their overall hunger.  There is a correlation between going too long with out food, and overeating at the next meal, or feeling extreme hunger and binging.  For some people, eating regularly removes this problem with overeating.

However, other people claim that they are always hungry when eating frequent small meals because the meals are not big enough to reach satiety.  Everytime you sit down to eat there is a chance of overeating and eating more frequently provides more opportunity to consume accidental calories.

Some people say that eating frequently allows for a pattern and it is easier to grab and go small meals than larger meals.

Other people say that preparing 5-6 healthy small meals a day takes too much time and it is incovenient to eat that frequently.

Basically, it comes down to what it will take to get your calorie consumption and hunger under control.

Personally, I like to feel full.  I tried the every three hour meal for about a year and a half.  I was always thinking about food, spent all day Sunday preparing meals to pack and go, never felt full and was always thinking about what my next meal was.  The constant hunger or lack of satiety lead to overeating.  I do much better eating a full meal when I am hungry and stopping when I feel satisfied.  Then waiting until I am hungry to eat again.

This is my typical day.  Although I eat 5x a day, it is only 3 actual meals. 

• Pre-jog, 5:30:  1/2 grapefruit
• Breakfast, 7 AM:  Coffee, 6 egg whites with veges, 1/2 cup oatmeal, nuts, honey
• Lunch, Noon-1:  Wrap with greens, 6 oz meat, vegetables, cheese or avocado, salad or veges on the side
• Dinner, 5-5:30:  6 oz meat, complex carbs, 2 servings of veges
• Workout about 2-3 hours after dinner
• Snack, 9 PM:  Greek Yogurt, almonds or 1 square of dark chocolate

A very fit woman at my gym follows the every three hour regimine.  I asked her to write down a typical days meals for her.  For her, it helps to curb hunger and overeating.

• 6 AM- 1 cup coffee, dash of half and half, no sugar
• BREAKFAST, 6:45-7:15- 3 egg whites, 1 whole wheat bagel thin with 1/2 tsp butter, 4 oz chocolate soy milk OR 4 oz fruit smoothie
• SNACK, 9:45 AM- 1 small to medium banana, 1 container of plain greek yogurt with 1/4 cup Bare Naked Flax Seed Granola, 1 cup decaf green tea
• LUNCH, 12:30 PM- 4-6 oz lean protein, complex carb (potato or rice or whole grain pasta), 1 vege, 1/2 cup mixed berries
• SNACK, 3:30-3:45- Special K Protein meal bar OR 1 apple and 1/4 cup almonds, 1 cup decaf green tea
• Typical workout around 5
• DINNER, 6:30-7:00- Repeat lunch but omit fruit
• 8-9 PM- 1 Cup Green Tea
• *Exceptions: 
• Friday Morning:  Bacon, egg, cheese on hardroll for Breakfast
• Saturday Dinner out and Dessert!

Although our schedules are different, the content of our daily meals are similar.

Basically, do what works for you.

Espresso crusted steak, Chard

Espresso and Peppercorn Steak

1 small clove garlic, minced

Salt

1 tablespoon strong freshly brewed coffee

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Pepper

1 tablespoon whole espresso beans, (not flavored beans)

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces steak

• Preheat grill to high.
• Smash and peel garlic clove, sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and mash into a paste with the side of a chef’s knife. Transfer to a small bowl and whisk in coffee and vinegar. Season with pepper.
• Place coffee beans and peppercorns on a cutting board; coarsely crush with the bottom of a heavy pan. Mix the crushed coffee beans and peppercorns together.
• Rub steaks with oil, sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and coat with the coffee-peppercorn mixture, pressing it firmly into the meat.
• Grill 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare.
• Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice across the grain. Serve with the vinaigrette.

Swiss Chard with Balsamic Vinegar

• Olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stalks discarded, leaves cut into wide ribbons
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• Heat the olive oil on a large skillet 
• Add garlic and cook until tender and aromatic, about 2 minutes.
• Add the Swiss chard and balsamic vinegar; cook and stir until the chard is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. 

Baked Sweet Potato

Red Wine

Tire Flipping

Maria Smith hitting a tire with a sledgehammer in front of The Fitness Coach in West Sand Lake.

The tire flip is a popular Strongman event and a test of total body strength, flexibility, endurance, and explosiveness. It is one of the most popular exercises at our gym (particularly among the ladies!).  This is a compound movement, working the legs, back, shoulders, arms, and core.

To preform the exercise, crouch down and place arms wide with hands under the tire.  Your back should be arched, hips down, chest up. 

Lift by driving hips up and toward the tire.  Depending on the size of the tire, you should use your chest against the tire to have more power.  If your tire is heavy, be sure not to over use your arms, because bicep injury can result.

One of our favorites is the Tire Flip and Jump with a sledgehammer.  After the tire is flipped, we jump in and out of the tire and beat it with a sledgehammer several times.  This works the core and develops cardiovascular strength.

Give it a shot!





Food Addiction: Implications and Criticisms

How does food addiction impact the obesity epidemic?

There was no correlation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and food addiction scores.  Lean women could also score high on the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YAFS).

Implications for Obesity Treatment?

If food cues effect the motivational and reward centers of the brain similar to drug cues, treatment options need to be re-evaluated. 

Firstly, behavioral treatment similar to drug treatment should be explored.  Addiction is treated by looking at the relationship people have with the addicted subsance and the settings in which they are consumed.  Certain situations may prompt binges in people who typically have high levels of self control.

Secondly, environmental changes may need to be looked at.  Many foods have becomed more refined and less natural.  Fat, sugar, and salt are added to make them tastier and more satisfying.  Natural foods take a long time for the body to absorb, but added sugars hit the brain right away. 

Eventually, a person's food choice becomes less important as the dependence cycle takes over:  you want it because it tastes good, but as dependence takes over, you begin to crave it and liking it doesn't play as much of a role.

The study and YFAS may be valuable for treating those considering surgery.  Long-term, bariatric surgery has a low success rate.  The YAFS could be used to identify those with addictive tendencies and treatment could include a behavioral, addiction treatment.

Still more info needed

• Study did not measure hunger
• Restricted only to females
• 10% of people who didn't qualify as food addicts also showed some activation in the related brain regions
• Because advertising may play a role in the problem future studies should look at whether food ads trigger the same kind of brain activity:
• Story telling ads that draw one in and make you feel good
• Music and sound effects that add excitement
• Misleading ads:  (should we reconsider the food tax, but make it more like the cigarette tax and use the money for medical treatment for those affected by obesity related illness?)
• "Part of"
• "The taste of real"
• "Natural"
• "New, better tasting"
• "Because we care"
• Etc, etc, etc
• Sample was young, metabolically healthy
• **Author stated she wanted to reduce stigma- shows bias and not the case since BMI and addiction scores were not correlated

If you think you may have food addiction, contact Overeaters Anonymous.

Russian Kale

I love going to the Farmer's Market and getting things I've never had before, like Russian Kale.  I googled it, and found:

". . . most tender and flavorful in cooler months and has much better flavor after a frost. . . . needs thorough cooking . . . will be unpleasantly chewy if only barely cooked . . .  Even when fully cooked, kale will be chewy, but pleasantly so. . . "

MENU:
Maple Cured Ham- I don't eat much ham, and when I do it is in a wrap for lunch.   I covered a 2.25 lb in 2 cans of beer, baked at 325 for about 25 minutes

Kale with Ham

• Olive Oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 thin, small slices of ham
• Crushed Red Pepper
• Russian Kale, rinsed and cut
• Pour small amount of Olive Oil in bottom of a frying pan and heat
• Add minced garlic and ham; cook briefly, until soft
• Add Russian Kale and steam until tender
• Toss in small amount of Crushed Red Pepper

Corn Muffins

***Leftovers!***

- NO leftover Kale!  It was delish.
- Heat leftover HAM in dry frying pan and serve with eggs and corn muffins for breakfast
- Added to Progresso Split soup and had with Sourdough bread from the Farmer's Market
- Mince and mix with eggs for a Western Omlette for breakfast or lunch

Food Addiction: Results

Yesterday, in Food Addiction:  What is addiction? I explained the neurological responses seen in those with drug addiction and food stimuli.  Today I want to look more at Neural Correlates of Food Addiction.

Higher food addiction scores on the Yale Food Addiction Scale were associated with more activity inthe areas of the brain connected with craving, less activity in areas associated with reward, and less activity in self-control areas.  This supports the theory that compulsive food consumption may be driven in party by an enhanced anticipation of the rewarding properties of food.

Some interesting points:

• Anticipation is the best part?
• Women with higher food addiction scores showed more activity in the parts of the brain associated with addiction when shown pictures of the chocolate milkshake
• They showed less activity when actually sampling the food
• Compulsive food consumption may be driven in part by enhanced anticipation of the rewarding properties of the food
• How do ad campaigns including billboards, printed ads, and pictures on TV contribute to obesity?

• Dopamine increase overloads the brain's circuits, then the brain adjusts to the overwhelming amount of dopamine
• Study participants with higher food addiction scores showed more activity in brain areas linked with craving
• Those with higher food addiction scores showed dramatically less activity in the reward centers of the brain when sampling the food than women with lower scores

• Those who scored high on the food addiction scale reported needing to consume more and more food to achieve the same earlier emotional effect
• Women who scored higher on the food addiction scale showed less activity inthe areas responsible for self control
• For some, thinking about anything other than food becomes difficult
• Patterns of craving and tolerance is similar to those seen in drug addiction

Should food addiction be qualified as a real addiction?

Food Addiction: What is addiction?

Addiction is tied to reward centers in the brain.  Yesterday, in Food Addiction:  Introduction, I discussed a new study, Neural Correlates of Food Addiction.  This study used an fMRI while showing subjects pictures of a chocolate milkshake and a tastless clear liquid, then while consuming both.

Addiction is triggered by strong activation in the reward centers of the brain, and suppressed inhibitions.

Seeing the milk shake triggered brain activity in the anterior cingulated cortex (automatic functions such as regualting heart rate, but also rational decision making, reward and motivation)

and the medial orbitofrontal cortex (involved in decision-making).

Both areas have been shown to light up in addicted drug users as well.  Food and drug use both result in dopamine release in the mesolimbic pathways of the brain.  Dopamine is associated with the brain's reward and motivation systems, causing people to proactively seek out certain activities.  Mesolimbic pathways deliver dopamine.  The degree of release correlates with subjective reward from both food and drug use.  Those with addictions have dopamine receptor systems that need much more stimulation to feel pleasure.

Like people with substance dependence, participants who scored higher on the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) showed reduced activity in brain regions involved with self control when actually ingesting the milkshake.

Unlike those with substance dependence, participants with higher YAFS scores did not show a decreased activity in pleasure related regions of the brain when eating the milkshake.  People with drug addictions derive less and less pleasure from drug use over time, causing them to take more to achieve the same high.

In this study, women with higher food addiction scores also had more activation in other regions associated with the anticipation of reward.  At the same time, those women had less activation in the regions associated with inhibition control when actually ingesting the shake,

The reduced activation makes it harder to suppress a previously rewarded respnose.  It may be related either to less inhibitory control during intake of palatable food or a reduced satiety response during intake of palatable food.

Does tastey food live up to your expectation? 

Are there certain foods you can't stop eating once you start?

Food Addiction: Introduction

Last week, a study was released comparing the brain's response to food and drugs.  I found this very interesting and have been digging away at the research for the past week.  One-third of Americans are obese.  Obesity-related disease is the second leading cause of preventable death.  Americans spend millions of dollars in weight loss tools every year.  Yet, obesity rates and related disease, death, and expense continue to rise. 

Our current weight loss techniques are not working.  What if we treat food addiction like drug addiction to change behavioral patterns?  But is there justification to do so?

Summary
The study, Neural Correlates of Food Addiction was published on April 4, 2011 in the Archives of General Pshcyiatry.  The hypothesis was that higher scores on the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) would be associated with neural patterns similar to substance dependence. 

Some indicators include

• Do you need to eat more food than initially planned?
• Do you feel more sluggish after eating?
• Do you need to eat more food to feel better?
• Do you need to go out of your way to fulfill this quest?

The YFAS attempts to define precisely when eating habits become addictive and needing treatment.  Thinness is NOT a guarantor against food addiction!

Method
Researcheres looked at 48 women, average age 20, with Body Mass Index ranging from lean to obese.  Candidates with eating disorders were eliminated from the study.

Subjects were given functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) under 2 conditions:  anticipation of a rich chocolate milkshake versus a tasteless control, then consumption of both.  Plain water was not used, because it would have activated parts of the brain related to taste.

What do you think?
If you find yourself relating to any of the questions above, what are you triggers?

Scheduling

Yesterday, a new client, also new to working out, told me how happy she was since starting the gym.  She looks forward to working out and has seen results already. 

This is a working mother of 2.

"I look at my calendar to see what everyone is doing each week, then I see where I have space to workout so I don't miss a workout."

Flexibility

The most common excuse for not exercising is lack of time.  I like the way my client was taking a real look at her calendar, and putting exercise in where she could.  Many people stick to a strict schedule, exercising at the same time every day.  But it doesn't have to be that way.  Work it into your life.

While picking up his daughter from tennis lessons, one working father runs around the parking lot. 

Families go to they gym together.

Friends jog then go for coffee every Saturday morning.  Some take exercise classes together.

Childhood obesity is at record levels.  Play active games with your kids.

Sticking to the Schedule

Taken during my jog this morning.

My schedule allowed for a 3 mile jog this morning.  But, I didn't want to and I had excuses not to go.  It is cold, gray, and rainy.  I was just on vacation, eating and drinking too much and my body does not want to push itself while improperly nourished.  It is cold and rainy.  (That is the one that I was willing to let myself off the hook with.)

So, I broke it down:  I CAN eat an orange.  I CAN get my workout clothes on.  I CAN tie my shoes.  I didn't think about anything beyond the single task.  Then, I couldn't find my iPod!!!  Was ready to sit back on the couch, but since I had worked so hard to get through the last 10 minutes, I kept going.  I CAN run the 1/2 mile to the end of the block.  In the end I did my whole 3 miles, and I am glad that I did.

Spring Training Part IV: Focus

Last week, there were many articles about renewing your resolutions on April 1.  Interesting idea . . . It's been 3 full months, we are still covered up in bulky clothes here in the Northeast.  It's easy to choose comfort foods  and wrap up in a cozy blanket than focus on eating well and exercise, especially if it is a new behavior. 

I am going to re-focus on incorporating healthier behaviors into my daily routine.  Here are some areas in my life that I need to re-focus.

Nutrition:

• PLAN!  MORE!!
• More Protein
• Eggs, Salmon, Chicken, or leftover dinner for breakfast
• Focus on deli meats in sandwhichs, wraps, and salads
• Vegetables
• Omlettes with veges for breakfast
• Salad or fresh vegetables with lunch
• Chopped vegetables with hummus or greek yogurt dip ready for munching while dinner is being prepared
• Fruit
• Eat a piece of fruit pre-workout

Exercise:

• Get out and exercise
• Try a new activity
• Plan and schedule
• Consistency