Posts Tagged ‘carbohydrate’

How to Use The Fat Loss Troubleshoot Package


07 Jan

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Fat Loss | 2 Comments »

I am one of those people that sometimes assumes people know exactly what I am thinking. I have recently released the new version of the Fat Loss Troubleshoot with all kinds of extras and goodies. The problem is you don’t know how to use them! That is my fault so I am going to rectify this right now. Before I give you the order, you first have to answer some important questions.

Why did you buy the package?

There are three main camps of people who bought the package. Which camp you belong in will depend on how you move through the system of manuals. While there is a wider selection then just this, I think you can find one group that you relate to on some level.

Group A
-Is new to nutrition and training
-Has been dieting for a while but doesn’t understand fat loss
-Is stuck in a plateau or rut
-Is having a hard time losing fat, doesn’t understand why
-Is looking to achieve lean body and healthy strength increase
-Is looking to understand basic levels of nutrition and training concepts

Group B
-Has been dieting a very long time
-Is recovering from an eating disorder or hoping too
-Has been training very hard and has hit a wall
-Has been dieting very hard and has hit a wall
-Has a problem with Thyroid, Diabetes, Celiac, etc

Group C
-Is a professional athlete
-Is a professional bodybuilder or fitness competitor
-Is looking to hit very lean and low levels of body fat
-Is looking for information on how to dry out for stage
-Is looking for information on how to make weight for class

Whichever group you fit with will determine what you would need to read and when. Please look at the outline below to determine that for yourself. I am numbering the books in order of importance for each group.

Group A

1-The Fat Loss Troubleshoot/Fat Loss Troubleshoot Audios

2-At this point you can either do the OPT for Fat Loss Program or
use a program of your choosing with the nutritional principles of the Fat Loss Troubleshoot and can utilize the pre-made meal plans for your caloric choices to pair with your training program. For example, let’s say you want to do New Rules of Lifting, but still want to apply the Fat Loss Troubleshoot principles. No problem, simply figure out your nutrition needs based on the books (FLTS) “Activity Quiz” and then pick the meal plan to correspond with your daily needs.

or

2-If you choose to do the OPT for Fat Loss Program then you simply follow the guidelines of that program (both in training and nutrition) and go from there. The meal plans are NOT for the OPT programs. They are for the FLTS to help guide by moderate principles.

At this point the choice is yours where to go, but here is an idea from my end.

3-The Metabolic Repair Manual-This will be good for you because you will learn how not to diet down and to keep at bay any problems. You may be free of problems now, but it can be very easy to get your metabolism in trouble with bad dietary and training habits. This is a great read to show you what not to do and prepare ahead.

4-The Water Manual-A good follow up to MRM and fun to learn how to drop water weight if need in the future.

5-The Maintenance Manual-While it may seem like it is a distance away for you, it is important to be reminded of the fact that finishing a diet can be a real thing.

6-OPT Remix-You may never need or want a training program like this, but if you are starting out and this is your future then its good to know how to handle it when it comes.

Group B

1-The Fat Loss Troubleshoot/Fat Loss Troubleshoot Audios

2-The Metabolic Repair Manual-While this is likely why you bought the package, you should still start out with the FLTS first. The Metabolic Repair assumes that you have read it or understand the information in on a large level. When you start on repair trust me, you don’t want to wonder what a carb is.

After reading those two, if the Metabolic Repair Manual fits for you then you may be on a different journey for a while and following REPAIR or Metaburn (the two programs within the Metabolic Repair Manual). If this is the case then the rest of the books will become important at a later date.

Group C

1-The Fat Loss Troubleshoot/Fat Loss Troubleshoot Audios-While you may think you know it all or have nothing to learn, I assure you as simple as the book is, it isn’t that simple. Sometimes things click better when we re-open the gateway of knowledge through different words.

2-OPT Remix-Once you get where your downfalls or slip ups can be, it’s time to start your program. OPT Remix lays out training and nutrition, so no need to utilize the meal plans for FLTS while doing the program.

3-The Water Manual-If a competition or photo shoot is coming up you will need to learn the best ways to manipulate water and carbohydrates.

4-The Metabolic Repair Manual-Just so you don’t get in trouble with your shredded body, and so you can keep it that way, you need to make sure to read the MRM. Its good to learn how dieting down to lean levels can affect you.

After that the rest is for either education/fun to add to your knowledge base.

I hope that this helps you better understand how to best utilize the Fat Loss Troubleshoot Package for your needs. If you have an questions as always feel free to contact me or head over to the JP Fitness Forums to the Fat Loss Troubleshoot Section.

Lastly, if you don’t have the package yet, you can find out more information here.

Don’t be boring or get fat this Turkey Day


21 Nov

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in thanksgiving, weight loss holiday | 13 Comments »

Thanksgiving has arrived and so has the decision you have to make every year.

You are trying to either A) lose fat over the holidays or B) at least not gain it.

It’s funny because Thanksgiving and Christmas are just two days. Their destruction of eats however haunts and temps us for weeks! What do we do? How do we best navigate through this sea of gravy temptation? I am going to cover all these things and more for you right now but broken down into two categories.

The visitors and the home team!

The Visitors Team

Every year you will find yourself either being the visitor or the host. This is what to do if you visit.

Bring your food with you.

My mama always said “bring a gift.” No, I am not talking about being preachy and handing over the low carb/low fat/ dry organic free range stuffing. I said bring a gift! There are some foods that on their own are healthy and taste quite good. Bring safe items with you that you can fill up own so that you won’t have as much room for the bad and that also goes nicely with the spread. If you can’t cook or don’t care too then these ideas work for that as well.

• Veggie or Fruit Plates-Fill up on fruit and veg, lower calories.
• Hummus for dipping-Most is only 30-50 calories a serving. Goes great with those veggies too.
• Tea Biscuits and Coffee (you can find these in most grocery store in the kosher/specialty section. 2 yummy biscuits for 32 calories!)

Don’t be a boring lump.

The majority of thanksgiving visitors sit like a lump waiting for instructions on how to best stuff their face. CHANGE IT UP! Since you don’t have to prepare the food do a favor by helping entertain. Spend time with your family, it is why you are there.

Have another plate.

I know right, I am nuts! Here are the rules though, the first plate I want to be all the good stuff, (lean meat, veggies, fruit,) basically low calories. Next grab another plate, but this time load up on the items you have been salivating over since you have arrived. The catch is because you already filled up on the good stuff you will be more moderate with the bad. This will limit the actual amount of the bad you can take in and save you some calories right there alone, PLUS you don’t look the “dieter.” Dieters don’t have another plate.

Help clean up.

Not only does it help out the stressed out mom/dad, you burn a few extra calories. Remember the majority of your daily calories are burned in small activities, not large training.

The Home Team

Cook!

Look you have the home field advantage; you get to do the cooking!! That doesn’t mean to serve tasteless guck either, just make smart choices. Get a bigger turkey and serve the white meat only. Where you find the space try and substitute some items with lower calories. For example, you can use skim milk and light butter in your potatoes. This makes very little difference in taste but saves loads on calories.

Pick Your Battles.

Look you can’t make a low calorie pecan pie, it is what it is. You can however make a healthy and low calorie pumpkin pie or better yet, a pumpkin cheesecake that is to die for.

If you have to go to town on the calories then at least make them more nutritious calories. For example, instead of a “canned cranberry sauce” you could whip up cranberry nut bread.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the cranberries and walnuts, and stir to coat with flour. Mix together the egg, oil, orange juice, and orange zest. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, and stir until just blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack, and cool completely.

Nutrition Facts  Calories 163  Fat 3g   Carbohydrate 31g  Protein 3g

Want deviled eggs? Great but stuff them with something different like some roasted garlic hummus and turkey meat. Have all the flavor you want, just choose good things to make your flavor form. Remember healthy items are apart of some of the best tasting foods.

Have activities.

Don’t just make the visit to your house all about the food, be a good example. Have sack races for the kids, or spoon races. Play sports, or even have a Turkey Bootcamp (see below). I assure you the less awkward the visit, the more fun that is being had just hanging out, the less food becomes the star! Don’t let the TV rule the house anymore of Turkey Day.

Cook for only those you need to.

Don’t get carried away. This isn’t the last meal and this isn’t the send off to fight the British War. You don’t need 2 turkeys, 1 chicken, 3 pies, and 10 sides. Less is more. Pick solid dishes and let their flavors be the star. This will also lower the stress and you will be less likely to eat more because of being upset.

Now that you have those few tips down it is time to take your holiday to the next level with…

Turkey BootCamp!

Want a fun fitness game to play with the young ones? Welcome to the Ultimate Turkey BootCamp.

Objective: Complete all challenges in teams of two. Whoever wins gets the ultimate prize of “Turkey Bootcamp Champion” and prize of your choice (trophy, jersey, make it fun, even for friends).

Items Need: Good Attitude, stuff to use as course markers, lemons, bean bag/ball (something small you can toss) and stopwatch or clock.

Rules: Best of 5-No cheating-Keep it fun, and keep it clean.

Challenge 1- Wheel Barrow Race

Challenge 2-Plank Wars

The two of you try to hold a plank for as long as you can. Whichever team has the longest time wins!

Challenge 3-Wall Sits

The two of you try to hold wall sits for as long as you can. Whichever team has the longest time wins!

Challenge 4-Lemon Roll Relay

Each team has to relay from one marker to the other pushing the lemon only using their nose. First team done wins!

Challenge 5-Bulls Eye

Setup a target with points, stand 2-3 yards away depending on the challenge you want and toss into the target area. Best team points win!

Last but not least let me leave you with one of my favorite Thanksgiving leftover recipes.

INGREDIENTS

1 Pound turkey breast, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 Medium red bell pepper, seeded & cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 Medium yellow bell pepper, seeded & cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 Pound Swiss chard, stalks removed & coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium bowl, toss turkey strips with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 2-teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Sauté turkey in hot oil for 4 to 5 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink in the center. Do not over cook. Remove turkey from the pan and set aside.
3. Add remaining 1-teaspoon oil to pan and sauté peppers for 2 minutes. Gently fold in Swiss chard.
4. In a small bowl, combine vinegar and sugar; stir into vegetable mixture. Reduce heat to medium and stir-fry mixture 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
5. Return turkey to pan and heat well. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts  Calories 220  Fat 4g  Total Carbohydrate 15g  Protein 31g

Good luck this holiday! No matter what the goal is remember that this is a time to celebrate love and give thanks no matter who and how many you are with.

Jamie Hale-The Carbohydrate Files-Is It Gut Worthy?


03 Nov

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Gut Awards, Jamie Hale, carbohydrate files | 6 Comments »

Some of you just can’t wait for me to knock some products. I assure you, it is coming. However, while I have such good attention right now I would like to point you to GOOD material. Please note tomorrow comes some bad MWAHAHAHA.

There is no “affiliate” sale on this. I don’t even think Jamie has a set up for that. Bless the man but he is likely the worst marketer in the fitness industry today, which is probably part of why his material is so good. I always had a thing for “secret” finds in music, movies, and books. Jamie Hale is someone I highly respect and was pretty excited about diving into his material.

Basic outline:

The Carbohydrate Files is basically what it says. It is a book that talks about carbs and not much more than carbs. If you have been wanting to understand the in depth look at carbohydrates and what they do in the body then this book is for you. It may at first not seem like this is not for everyone but since the majority of people don’t even know what they are talking about when it comes to carbs, particularly health and fitness experts, it should be at the top of everyones “new release” reading list.

Who is Jamie Hale?:

Bio speak: Jamie Hale is Sports Conditioning Coach, author, gym owner, fitness and nutrition consultant. He has contributed to numerous exercise and sports publications (nationally and internationally). He has authored six books. Jamie is a member of the World Marital Arts Hall of Fame in recognition of his conditioning work with Martial Artists. He is considered by most in the fitness industry as a specialist in agility and comprehensive fitness training. He is also known for his ability to get bodybuilders lean and dry as bone for competition. To learn more abut Jamie visit his website at www.maxcondition.com.

Non-Bio speak: Jamie is a really cut to the chase kind of guy. It is no secret that I have an affection for the type.  I remember at first not really knowing how to take Jamie. He has a habit of randomly spouting out really knowledgeable study or research information, but in a hit and run fashion. There is almost an innocence of “open source” knowledge about it. I dig it.

What was “Gut” worthy?:

I think my favorite aspect of the book was that he took it that step further. For example, if any of you have ever read about digestion in a school science class, you most likely will read the phrase “digestion starts in the mouth” and then from there it will move on to gut and out the bum in the matter of a few sentences.  Jamie, he takes it a lot further than this. It is more along the lines of… “digestion of dietary carbohydrates starts in the mouth where salivary amylase begins the breakdown of starch.” From there, I assure you, that is only the beginning. One of my favorite things about the book is it didn’t expect you to just believe it, it taught you to know it.

What wasn’t “Gut” worthy?:

I have had easier reads. Now, in Jamie’s defense I got a doc. version of the book with edits still going on so I am going to give benefit of editing doubt there. Also talking about proper reads is about as funny as it gets. It is very technical, which I love, but some may not as much. Still I encourage to put forth the effort to learn and also not to skim. If you skim it seems far more intimidating than if you just dive in and read it front to end.

What is Quote Worthy?

“The glycemic index measures blood glucose response. A food low on the glycemic index is not necessarily a healthy food. On the other hand, some foods rated high on the scale are very nutritious. The glycemic index has been widely misused in the last few years because many people base their entire eating plan around it. Numerous books, websites, and magazine articles have promoted the glycemic index diet as the magic formula. Below, I’ve provided some research abstracts looking at the different effects of low GI diets compared to high GI diets.”

Who is this for?

Bodybuilders, Figure Competitors, enthusiasts, trainers, and athletes.

Who is it not?

Those who don’t really care to know about what food does in the body to them or how to alter it for training. Basically those who don’t care that much about the “why” and just want to be told the “do” of things.

Cost?

The
Carbohydrate Files
 $24.95
Gut Rating? Jamie Hale’s-The Carbohydrate Files

This Book Gets 4 Guts!?

Leigh, the real question is, should I buy it, really?

Yes, I think people should get it. It’s 25 bucks, hard copy, and a solid resource of information.

What do Broccoli, Jamie Hale, and Teleseminars have in common?


22 Oct

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Fat Loss, big meal challenge, body fat percentage, recipes for fat loss | 43 Comments »

They are all going to be apart of this blog post, sheesh.

Jamie Hale-For all my science geeks I am going to have a big treat for you coming up with a review on Coach Hales “The Carbohydrate Files” and maybe we can even get Jamie in here for a little Q & A. I have to say this is one heck of a read for those who want to go way beyond, pun intended, simple carbs.

My god I am funny.

Teleseminars-This is super quick that I have sprung this on you but we just go so excited about it we thought why not tomorrow! Me and Scott Tousignant are going to do a quick Q & A talk. It will literally be a few mins where we are going to try to as quickly and directly answer your fat loss questions. Hence the title…

Fat Loss Rapidfire Requests!

It is going to be live tomorrow, you can post your questions at the address below. Don’t worry if you can’t make it this time around because there might just be some more.

DATE & TIME: Wednesday, October 22nd at 2:00pm Eastern
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it’s your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW…
http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=4757916

Last, and certainly not least, I have two new recipes for my big meal folks and hopefully some more to come in the next few days. The beauty of these recipes is that you can easily make them higher calorie if need. Just a lil bit of everything as need to move up the calories. Gram it up!

Chicken and Sausage Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• Unbleached All Purpose Flour – 16 grams
• Walnut Oil – 14 grams
• Chopped Onion – 160 grams
• Chopped Red/Green Peppers – 175 grams
• Minced Garlic – 5 grams
• Chopped Celery – 150 grams
• ½ tsp Basil
• ½ tsp Thyme
• ¼ tsp Ground Red Pepper
• Chopped Tomato – 400 grams
• Chick Peas – 300 grams
• Turkey Sausage cut into 1-inch pieces – 112 grams (I used Jenni O)
• Lean Chicken – 14 ounces
• Fat Free Low Sodium Chicken Broth – 14 ½ ounces
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

• Combine flour and oil in a Dutch oven; saute over medium-high heat 3 minutes.

• Add onion and next 6 ingredients (onion through red pepper); cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.

• Stir in chicken, sausage, tomatoes, and peas, and broth; cook 6 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Stats for total meal:

Calories: 1311.92
Protein: 137.84 grams
Fat: 32.9 grams
Carbs: 127.48 grams
Fiber: 25.66 grams


Baked Broccoli and Cheese Beef Quesadillias

Ingredients:

•    Low Carb Tortillas – 4 or 156 grams (I used the Multi Grain Low in Carbs Tumaro’s Goumet Tortillas)
Here are the stats of the tortillas so you can find something similar if needed:
Stats: 39 g   Calories: 100  Fat: 2.5g  Protein: 7g  Carbs: 13g   Fiber: 8g
•    4% Lean Ground Beef – 16 Ounces
•    Broccoli – 300 grams
•    Onion – 200 grams
•    2% Mexican Cheese Blend – 50 grams
•    2 tsp Ground Cumin Powder
•    1 tsp Light Salt
•    ½ tsp Black Pepper
•    1 pinch of Ground Turmeric

Directions:

•    Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
•    Steam the Broccoli and Blanch the Onions (cook them in water)
•    Once the veggies are done cook the meat make sure it is broken up into bite size or smaller pieces.
•    Chop up the Broccoli and Onion together into half inch or smaller pieces. Not quite a mince but a chop, smaller than a dice.
•    Mix Broccoli, Onion, Meat, and seasonings together
•    Fill the tortillas with the mixture and place in glass dish (at least 9 X 12) put any excess mixture around the sides and on top
•    Add Cheese to the top
•    Cook in oven for 12 minutes or until cheese starts to slightly brown

Stats for total meal:

Calories:   1271.02
Protein:     140.69 grams
Fat:           37.18 grams
Carbs:       92.02 grams
Fiber:        42.59 grams
So how are you guys surving? 5 days are down already for my crew. 25 days left to go now, isn’t that crazy!?

Are You a Fat Writer?


09 Oct

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Fat Loss | 16 Comments »

When I was writing my books one of the biggest problems I faced when trying to control my weight and maintain the body I wanted was dealing with the harsh change of my activity level. I went from training people in person all day long to spending a large chunk of time stuck at a computer. Sure I was producing a masterpiece, but I was also producing an ass.

In a day we burn X amount of calories. Everyday it changes. If you have a day you lay in bed and do nothing, you burn very few calories. If you have a day where you shovel snow so that you can go to the store and shop for two hours and then return home to make food for another hour and then you try to get in that HIIT workout before bed, then you burn a lot of calories.

To put it simply, you move more, you burn more.

The drag is that if you move less, you burn less.

During that period of time as I was finishing up my books I went from a daily caloric burn of 2500-2800 calories on average to 1600-1900 on average (the days I was really caught up in writing).

That is a decrease of roughly 1000 calories. That is a huge difference, HUGE.

What if I would have been trying to lose fat?

Some days, even eating 1200 calories, I wouldn’t even land in a 500 deficit. That is a harsh truth to face. Recently I have had a lot of arguments come my way about the fact that the calories you take in don’t matter. Just don’t eat “x” amount of “these kinds” of foods and you will be fine. However, the majority of my clients that come to me come because even with doing those “things” right, even with restricting carbs, even with avoiding those “bad” foods like a plague, they still couldn’t budge the fat. They still could not obtain the bodies they wanted.

You can blame carbs or fats all you want but at the end of the day, a fat free salad can still cause you to be stuck in your fat loss efforts.

Quick Fact: If you weigh roughly 130-160 pounds, are a generally healthy person, then every hour you sit and write you burn the amount of 1 egg or less.

Try and wrap your head around that. The average large egg is roughly 70 calories. At that weight, you hardly burn an egg. The average writer/blogger/forum poster can spend hours at a time writing, ranting, and working up one heck of a cortisol filled appetite.

Have you ever noticed how when in the middle of a back and forth conflict you turn to food? Have you ever noticed that while in the midst of what should be your Pulitzer Prize winning smack down, that all you want to do is grab a ciggy or glazed doughnut? That is writers stress at its peak! The intensity and passion of your emotions in that given situation need to be fueled! But guess what, on average you barely deserve a hard boiled egg. Is what your grabbing even close to what you are burning?

Why do you lunge for the carbs?

The only thing that suppress that stress and feeds the angry rage or blissful muse is insulin spiking, sugar bearing, sweet carbohydrates. Your body is smart, it will grave what it needs, and if it is around, you are going to go for it. You either fix or you feed the stress, which will it be?

How do you fix the stress?

Getting up and moving in interval sets of time is a big help towards…

  • Keep caloric burn up so that you can eat more
  • Lower stress levels by reducing cortisol
  • Upping serotonin levels so that you aren’t in such a bad mood and wont fight on the interwbz

Beyond that knowing that your nutrient intake is on point and that your calories are under control is the next. If you don’t know how to do those things then I suggest reading those books I gained an ass for.

>>Click Here<<

If you can’t do that I am not going to leave you hanging. Here is the best tips to up your calories while still writing your master pieces and being able to stuff your face with hot pockets.

Tip #1-Timer Training

I did a study on 3 people just this past month who sit all day. The difference in caloric burn in timing training was an average of 340 calories a day per person. That is huge and with little effort. Timer training is very simple, all you do is set out specific intervals of time where you can fit in as much aggressive movement as possible in the shortest amount of time. I recommend every hour doing 5 min rounds of the following…

1 Min Jumping Jacks
1 Min Speed Crunches
1 Min Burpees
1 Min Fast Body Weight  Squats (Advance to Pistols if need)
1 Min Planks

If you hit at that every hour for 8 hours that is a 30 mins workout that will lead you to getting ripped in no time.

EDIT: For the Skirt Ladies (or men cause you know, equal fat loss rights here). Kick off heels though okay ladies/gents.

1 min Jog in Place
1 min Push Ups (if bent knee throw a proposal under there;) )
2 Min Plank Variations (Standard, One Arm Switch, One Leg Switch, Side)
1 Static Lunges

Enjoy!

Tip #2- Pace Yourself

Every time you take a call you stand up and start pacing. Pacing during a phone call can increase your caloric burn 200% over sitting. Meaning in 20 mins instead of burning 20 calories you can burn 60.

Tip #3- The Unstable Air Chair

I did another study around 5-6 months ago know with 4 people and monitored their burn while sitting on a Swiss exercise ball while working. Posture and caloric burn improved on average of a little over 100 calories. Please note that some did experience hemorrhoid increase, so get the H if need.

Overall if you combine just these three things you can increase your daily burn, without going to the gym, and without losing writing time on large levels, by upwards to 500-600 calories a day. You can still write your award winning piece, and looking hot doing it.

How many hours a day do you normally sit? Should you just be eating eggs every hour on the hour?

Sleep, eat, and screw…yourself over?


25 Aug

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in rest and diet, sleep and hunger, sleep for weight loss | 8 Comments »

In 2004 a study was done (1)  that showed that lack of sleep for a short period of time saw an 18 percent decrease in leptin, a hormone that helps regulate the brains signaling for need of food, and a 28 percent increase in ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger. What this means is that in a very brief amount of time lack of sleep can do a big damage on fat loss efforts. Sleep loss seems to alter the ability of leptin and ghrelin to accurately signal caloric need and could lead to excessive calorie intake when food is all around. Add the chance of being hungry already due to a deficit and we get a final result that is not exactly optimal.

For the record, if you think just one night of no sleep is okay, think again. This recent 2008 study shows just one night of sleep affects hunger levels. (2)

To throw a different kind of log on the fire you have to look at the average decline of sleep in general over the past century. On average now adults are getting roughly 6 hours of sleep a night. We are seeing a decline in sleep and an increase in belt lines. While it is important to put so much of a focus on food this isn’t always the main issue at hand. Yes, overall calories do matter when it comes to fat loss. Sleep or no sleep, if you are eating in an excess little will matter. That being said, if you are set up to fail from get go, it is going to make this process that much harder.

One might want to argue that, again, the reason that the obesity problems are so out of control is due to the increase of carbohydrate intake over that same period of time.  To this I want to point back to the original study (2004) in which that the 4 hr sleep folks wanted more candy and cookies and less dairy and meats. Why? When we lose sleep we increase hunger and decrease feeling of fullness and feed. However, we also increase cortisol and stress stimulation in the body. The main thing that blunts this in the body is carbohydrates. Since your body is pretty good, on average, of craving what it wants then it is going to lead you more to doughnuts and less towards the egg whites.  The worst part is that lack of sleep decreases carbohydrate metabolism so you, again, are set up to fail. To point to a interesting side note it makes you wonder and think why Asia is starting to hop on board so fast with the obesity issues, being that a recent study showed there sleep has decreased by 2 hours a night on average. A country with already a very high carbohydrate diet is now suffering a worse fate. Could it be all that stress and lack of sleep isn’t helping?

I still blame Starbucks and McDonald’s myself.

My assignment to you:

1 week of sleep charting and accounting of your sleep habits.

I see so often people worrying about how many grams of starch carbs they are getting in a day, but neglect sleep. The goal is to try and get at least 7 hours of sleep at night (more is better) for 1 week. By the end of this I want you to share how you did putting an extra focus on how it affected your fat loss.  Next Monday I am going to re-visit with you to see how it unfolds.

I am providing you with a PDF download I totally stole from some site off of goggle. I have no idea what they are selling or if they are. This is not a promotion for their product. I googled “sleep journal”, looked at a few, and thought this one was simple enough. I urge you to log even more than what this asks but I figured worst case you can print this off right now, and get going this evening.

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/sleepjj.pdf

Nite, nite.

1-http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/141/11/846.pdf
2-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18564298

The Fat Loss Troubleshooter – Leigh Peele

Common Sense Meets Advanced Knowledge