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Weight Loss

“I Eat Well”: Trial by Jury

April 10th, 2010 | Posted in Blog, Uncategorized | No Comments
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One of the most frequent comments we hear from new members is, “I eat pretty well” Truth be told, this is rarely the case. The legacy of the 1980s – ideas about low-fat, low-protein, high-carbohydrate diets – lives on. This means that a lot of people are barking up the wrong tree. Half the time, they’re in the wrong goddamned forest. And since we can’t optimize their fitness until we optimize their nutrition, we obviously care about this a lot.

Sometimes knowledge is the limiting factor. Sometimes the issues run deeper. When I saw that comedian Jeff Garlin, an admitted food addict, wrote a book on trying to lose weight I ordered a copy. I wanted to understand things from the perspective of someone whose struggles with more than just finding the right information. Jeff Garlin is the man for that. Fortunately, he’s also funny as hell, which makes for an easy read.

Early in the book, Garlin decides to turn over a new leaf. He begins a diet and exercise regime in earnest. When I see what he’s doing, though, I shudder a bit. Not in horror, but because I feel bad. Garlin is a likable guy and I’m rooting for him. The thing is that not only is he doing a terrible job, he’s making things way harder than they need to be.

Since Garlin’s diet represents what a whole lot of people would describe as “eating pretty well,” I showed it to nutritionist, Kyle Byron. Before I tell you what he said, I want you to look at it and judge it for yourself.

The meal diary

Breakfast                     goat yogurt, 3 clementines, 1/2 navel orange

Snack                          salt free soup (1 oz meat?), fruit

Lunch                          large salad (1 oz meat? 1 tsp oil?)

Pm                               salt free soup

Dinner                         brown rice, cauliflower

All healthy, right? High marks?

Kyle’s response?

It’s a great example of this concept: healthy foods in the wrong portions = a terrible nutrition plan. I see it often. People will say, “I eat very healthy – same breakfast everyday – oats, berries, and organic yogurt, and that keeps me full for six hours.”

I never know quite what to say.

Of course, I know what I’d say to Jeff Garlin (Jeff, I hope you’re reading this): Although this plan will facilitate initial weight loss, it is unbalanced and unsustainable. You are at a huge risk of rebound weight gain.

Your meal plan:

-          Repeatedly spikes your insulin causing metabolic fat gains

-          Starves you so you can’t build (or even maintain) muscle mass, which you need to boost metabolism. This is integral for losing weight and keeping it off.

-          Puts you in a negative protein balance so you can’t feel full or repair tissue (muscle) damaged from exercise

-          Taxes your entire body due to insufficient essential fats  and vitamins for cellular and neurological health

-          Substantially increases your rebound risks due to unnecessary restriction

It was Kyle’s last point about unnecessary restriction that really got me thinking. Garlin’s meal plan is zero fun. It’s unbelievably strict. But it’s not as if it’s strict with a commensurate payoff. If you wanted to do just as badly, you could do so with cake included! No wonder people fall of the wagon. I’d throw myself off.

What about the exercise?

Garlin’s tried more than a few things, from Richard Simmons to Pilates. When he describes his regimen in the book, it often says something like:

45 minutes of cardio, 30 minute swim

Or

45 minutes of cardio, stretching, ab work

Or

45 minutes on a stationary bike, 60 minutes of Pilates

Once again, this type of exercise structure is fairly in-line with the status quo. In other words, it’s ass-backwards.

Here’s my advice to Jeff Garlin:

Read Alwyn Cosgrove’s Hierarchy of Fat-Loss. From that, you will come to understand that, of all the possible things you can do to lose fat, low-intensity work is last on the list. Don’t get me wrong; it’s on the list, just a lot further down than you might expect.

Your exercise program:

-          Fails to increase lean muscle mass and therefore raise your resting metabolism (what we do for a few hours per week in the gym is small potatoes compared to what happens outside of it)

-          Does not even temporarily increase the body’s use of fat as an energy source.

-          Combined with a low-fat diet may actually increase the body’s drive to store fat

-          Burns a relatively low number of calories per hour. While this may be necessary for a de-conditioned person, it is likely far less efficient than necessary

-          Seems to assume that abdominal fat-loss can be facilitated with abdominal exercises (that’s a whole can of worms)

Obviously, there’s a whole lot going wrong. If you’re anything like Jeff Garlin, though, there’s some good news here: vastly improving your results is not only simple, it’s easy.

Kyle’s fixes:

Here are some simple substitutions. With five changes I can transform what Jeff Garlin’s eating into a pretty decent meal plan.

Breakfast

goat yogurt, 3 clementines, 1/2 navel orange

- change goat yogurt to pressed cottage cheese

- add 1 tbsp of essential oil


Snack

salt free soup (1 oz meat?), fruit

- add 1-3 cups veggies

Lunch

large salad (1 oz meat? 1 tsp oil?)

- add 2/3 cup lentils if that’s not already in there.

Pm

salt free soup

- the change at am snack goes here too. Same pot, same change.

Dinner

brown rice, cauliflower

- add 8 oz salmon

Kyle makes it clear that he can’t take a terrible diet and fix it one session. It overwhelms people and is simply not his practice. He points to the Precision Nutrition Lean Eating program as a testament to the success of small consistent changes and working with a coach.

My fixes:

Adding three to four resistance training sessions per week would be the first step. Priority should be given to free weight exercises that require compound movements. These should be put back to back in order to maximize efficiency. Changing the cardio work to high intensity interval training (HIIT) will also have a profound effect on the effectiveness of this program. However, it should be placed after his resistance training. If all of that gets done and there’s still time and desire to perform low-intensity cardio work . . . Well, go crazy!

Summary

If there’s one thing you should take away from the process of Kyle and I busting Jeff Garlin’s fitness chops (we do it because we like you, big guy!) it’s this: improving your body composition can be faster than you might expect. Even better, it can be a whole lot easier. You can get fit without feeling like you’ve been handed down a prison sentence. The right expertise means that you’ll be able to reach your fitness goals and still enjoy life. Our clients do this every day. So can you.

Geoff Girvitz and Kyle Byron

First Get Fit, Then Run

March 1st, 2010 | Posted in Blog | 8 Comments
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The adage is that people run to get fit when they really need to get fit before they should run. The sheer number of injuries that distance runners accumulate every year attests to this.  A recent runnersworld.com poll showed that 66% percent of respondents had suffered an injury in 2009. When consistency is the name of the game, this leaves the majority of runners out  – and failing to make progress.

articleInline First Get Fit, Then Run

About 55% of runners say that losing weight is their primary goal. However, a much smaller percentage of them aware that running fairly inefficient when it comes to fat-loss strategies. According to Alwyn Cosgrove’s hierarchy of fat-loss, low-intensity, steady-state exercises, such as running rank behind proper nutrition, activities that increase muscle mass (such as strength-training) and activities that temporarily elevate metabolism (such as high intensity interval training).  From a practical perspective, they rank somewhere between wind sprints and eating cookies.

One of the missing pieces in understanding running’s value comes from the difference between the terms weight-loss and fat-loss. Fat-loss describes a concise goal; one that most people desire whether or not they phrase it as such. Weight-loss, however, is in far heavier rotation. It’s used in mainstream fitness magazines and programs such as The Biggest Loser. However, weight-loss is a flawed concept because it offers unclear insight into just what has been lost. Reduction of water, muscle or bone mass all represent absolute weight loss. However none of these things will positively impact fat-loss. As a matter of fact, a decrease in any of them will generally decrease one’s ability to burn fat.

A low-protein diet combined with regular endurance-oriented activities can significantly diminish an individual’s lean muscle mass. That is why many endurance athletes will experience an initial period of weight-loss followed by a long plateau. Put into the context of fat-loss and you’ll see that they’re not successful – regardless of the initial changes they may see in their absolute weight.

Those who truly enjoy running should do their best to learn proper technique and remain injury-free. However, those who prioritize fat-loss should prioritize nutrition and work to maximize lean muscle mass. There will always be a place for running, however – as Tour De’France cyclist Lance Armstrong discovered during his 2008 Boston Marathon – it’s seldom first.

GG

Alcohol and Fitness

May 26th, 2009 | Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments
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Good news! There is a lot of research that says if you have no health problems, one or two drinks a day is good for you. Especially red wine. It’s true. The stumbling block for most is the “no health problems” part. This means you do not have diabetes, your cholesterol is normal, your waistline is less than 100 cm, you are free of colds, infection and so forth. However, if you’re riding the bench on your varsity team, or having trouble bouncing back to your optimal physique, do yourself a huge favor and nix the drinks.

It’s problematic that alcohol is so socially prevalent. Please know this: consuming alcohol is probably the worst thing we can do during training. Here’s why: Alcohol has calories. Plenty. One bottle of beer has about 150. One shot of vodka, run, rye, gin or scotch has about 100. That’s like a slice of bread per shot. Only without vitamins, minerals or fibre. Drinks that contain alcohol typically are made with Calorie-rich mixes: one beer = 150 Calories one shot of 40% liquor = 100 Calories 4 oz of juice or pop = 60 Calories one Cooler i.e. Smirnoff Ice = 170 to 215 Calories 4 oz Glass of wine = 80 to 110 Calories three glasses of wine a day 2100 Calories a week. That’s ½ a pound of fat per week!

Normally, we burn fat constantly. However, with alcohol in our system, we burn little or no fat. Instead, we burn the alcohol. Our fuel mixture changes with even one drink. So not only are we adding calories with the drink, our system is letting fat accumulate. Our liver is in charge of how much fat we make. With alcohol in our system, our liver produces more fat than usual. Yes, we burn less fat and make more fat. Depressing but true.

Kyle Byron

www.kylebyronnutrition.com

416.459.9956

Fitness Misconceptions for Women

May 24th, 2009 | Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments
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We were recently featured on canoe.ca. And while we love the coverage, it’s sometimes hard to get the details out in the same proportion that I would like to see. With that in mind, I have added a few details that I think the article may not have emphasized in the way that I would have. You can view the original at the link above and my revised version below. Let us know if you have any questions.

Misconception #1:

“Too much protein, especially when ingested in powder form, bulks up women.”

The number of things working against women ever getting big muscles  is pretty significant. From a purely dietary perspective, less than a gram of protein per lb. of bodyweight per day may not even be enough to maintain existing lean muscle mass — never mind add any. For most women, this is a non-issue. The fact that a fear of getting big may interfere with proper nutrition or strength development is a crime.

Misconception #2:

“You are supposed to do weights after cardio.”
This is not a huge deal. However, if you’re trying to develop strength, doing so when you’re already fatigued is going to yield sub-optimal results. Even when weight-loss is a priority, strength development should come first, since it plays such a significant role in intensity, work capacity and injury prevention. There is no magic time period — say, 15 minutes — after which fat burning is miraculously turned on. We use fuel from all energy systems at all times — it’s only a question of proportion.

Misconception #3:

“Biking through the city is enough cardio if you are trying to trim up.”
Don’t take advice on weight loss from fat people (they can’t print stuff like that). Alwyn Cosgrove has  great article on the hierarchy of fat loss that places steady-state/low-intensity cardio at the bottom of the list. It’s not a waste, but is really only valuable for those who are not yet fit enough to do interval work, those who need recovery from more intense exercise or those who still have time on their hands after they’ve already done all the more effective stuff.

Misconception #4:

“Cereal bars, rice cakes and other low calorie, processed snacks are good to snack on throughout the day, as you won’t eat as much at meal times.”

Of all the things I will tell clients, “Try to get more processed carbohydrates in,” isn’t one of them. Protein is usually the biggest issue, followed by healthy fats and adequate vitamins and minerals. Once all these needs are taken care of, it’s a relatively small portion of the sedentary population that actually has the luxury of eating much else. Of course they do, but we know how that goes.

Misconception #5:

“As you get older, muscle mass diminishes and fat is gained no matter
what you do.”

Hormonal changes have an impact on all these things. However, people regard statements like this as foregone conclusions, especially in the  sedentary population that we live in. Dramatic loss of muscle mass and fat gain are not inevitable by any means.

Misconception #6:
“Vegetarians are not as healthy in general as meat eaters.”
“For a lot of vegetarians, protein is a big issue. With that aside, it is hard to go wrong when you are eating more fruits and vegetables. Don’t forget that Cheeze-its (yes, I made that up) are vegetarian too. Yes, there are plenty of nutritional offenders on both sides of the fence.

Misconception #7:

“It is most ideal to work out in the morning, as it jumps starts your
metabolism and your day.”

There are some decent arguments for carbohydrate-fasted cardio first thing in the morning. However, given the tendency many have to take things too far, let it be said that your first priority is to find a workout time/schedule that you can stick with. Consistency is king. It’s also worth noting that due to hydration of your vertebrae first thing in the morning, spinal loading within 45 minutes of waking up is not advisable.

Misconception #8:

“Stretching isn’t necessary and is altogether a waste of time.”

The best thing you can do for training consistency is not get injured in the first place. Nobody said you had to do the splits. However, if limited mobility is having an impact on your ability to maintain good posture and move properly, then you’re headed for trouble. We begin all of our sessions with soft-tissue and mobility work to help ensure that clients can maintain proper movement patterning with a minimum of fuss.

Misconception #9:

“Heavy weights = muscle gain; light weights = toning.”

Oh the over-generalizations we encounter. The quick version is that heavy weights with longer rest periods are optimal for strength development. Very light weights for long-ish sets are good for very little (bad cardio, maybe) and weights in the middle of the spectrum (something you can do for somewhere between 8 and 20 reps with) tend to be good for muscular development and strength endurance. Especially when coupled with short rest periods.
When people say they want to “tone,” it’s often a way of saying that they want to increase muscle mass without increasing muscle mass. Yes, it is confusing.

Misconception #10:
“It’s okay to eat one giant portion of protein to sustain yourself through the day.”
It’s apparently good to drink one glass of red wine a day. Does that mean drinking your week’s worth in one sitting is a good idea? Not so much.

Sponsored Athlete Profile: Alaina Hardie

March 4th, 2009 | Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment
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I’m going to jump the gun on giving you the background on one of our sponsored athletes (you can check out her bio here or her blog here). Instead I’m going to skip right ahead to what we’re doing with her. I think this is going to be of interest to both grapplers and those curious about intensive weight loss.

Here are the details:

The player: Alaina Hardie

The sport: Brazilian jiu jitsu/submission grappling

The (quick and dirty) background: In a little over a year and a half, Alaina has made a dramatic about-face in terms of lifestyle. Grappling has helped take her from being a sedentary, gym-shy 200+ pounder to a succesful athlete who now competes at an international level. Ever driven, Alaina has a lot more to accomplish.

The situation: Now an athletic 158.2 lbs. (as of March 3, 2009), Alaina has her sites set on the world’s most prestigious grappling competition: the ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club).

The challenge: When you’re at the forefront of a movement, in this case, women’s grappling, there are always obstacles. This year’s ADCC offers only two weight classes for women: above 60 kilos and below (that’s under 132 lbs. for you imperialists.) That means that if Alaina doesn’t want to fight women with a potentially huge weight advantage, she needs to come in under that limit. What’s the date for the qualifiers again? May 24th.

We’re looking at 26.2 lbs. of weight loss in under 12 weeks. The real trick is that we actually want to increase lean muscle mass and maintain a demanding training schedule while doing this. This leaves us with a tiny margin of error; we need to ensure that nothing goes wrong, but – at the same time — a whole lot of things go right.

The process: With the help of (the always delightful) John Berardi at Precision Nutrition, we’ve embarked on an intensive program to help Alaina meet her weight goals while still prioritizing her technical training (thanks to MECCA MMA) and helping her evolve as a grappler. She’s training like a professional athlete and holding down a full-time job at the same time. I don’t think I would be harsh in saying that most people simply couldn’t handle this kind of load. Alaina is, for the record, a bad-ass.

The question (that lots of people ask me): Isn’t two lbs. per week supposed to be the upper limit for “healthy weight loss?”

The answer (that gets slightly complicated): The 2 lb. standard is mostly based on setting realistic expectations for fat loss. For many people, a 500 calorie deficit (between consumption and expenditure) per day is as much as is practically achievable. It’s not a question of possibility, it’s a question with picking goals that are modest enough to maintain for a while.

Part of that pragmatic approach to weight loss is that it’s fat loss only. Not water (you actually need that, as it turns out) and not muscle (losing lean muscle mass actually hinders fat loss, as well as function).

Alaina points out: “In weight class sports, fat isn’t really doing its share of the work. In general terms, if two athletes are the same weight but Athlete A has a lower bodyfat percentage, then they have an advantage.” As someone preparing to compete against women who will have typically been training four or five times as long as Alaina, she’s going to need every advantage she can get. “What I lack in skill,” she says, “I hope to make up for in conditioning and determination.”

A secret: This isn’t the secret, but it’s a good one. It has to do with habits.

When are people most likely lose ground nutritionally? When they’re stressed or fatigued. That’s why change is so hard for many of us . . . When challenged or beat down, we revert to the familiar (and the convenient). The familiar is, of course, what often gets us into trouble in the first place.

There’s a reason the standard advice is not to go shopping on an empty stomach. We want to be thinking clearly when we plan what to eat. In the same way, we need to recognize that change is . . . well, it’s bloody hard. To expect to make changes in our worst moments is too much to ask of anyone.

So how do we deal with that? How is Alaina dealing with that? I’ll tell you.

Alaina didn’t wait until the start of this process to begin eating right. She’s been practicing and improving her nutritional habits for several months now. Specifically, she’s planned things out from a clear head-space. Formerly new habits are now familiar. In particular, she’s well-practiced at planning out what her upcoming needs will be.

Alaina’s training schedule, hectic as it is, is predictable. She knows where and when she’ll be away from home (and healthy food). These occasions are not surprises for her. They’re probably not surprises for you either. What happens is that Alaina is ready. She’s got food prepared alongside contingency snacks. In emergencies she knows exactly what food will take her to her goals and what food will take her away from them. And she’s got too much godammned focus to faff around with the latter.

We’ll keep you posted on Alaina’s progress over the upcoming weeks, including some details from her strength and conditioning program.

Geoff