Is Your Fat Loss Stalling? Metabolic Burnout Part 1

Let me start this week’s article with a simple fat loss equation:

CHRONIC LOW CALORIE DIET + LOW FAT DIET + LOW CARB DIET + LOTS OF CARDIO = METABOLIC BURNOUT

Metabolic Burnout - It's not a game!

Are you following or have you ever followed a ‘regime’ that is described by the above equation when looking for fat loss? Have you ever been frustrated at piling back on the weight you have lost, or annoyed at how your results have been cut short? If so, read on.......
After a couple of weeks of seriously low calorie eating and lower quality food choices you will have less hunger suppressing hormones circulating and more hunger promoting hormones circulating. This imbalance in hormones will beat your willpower hands down. How often have you crashed after seriously restricting the amount of food you eat?

Ultimately by following a lifestyle which is shown in the equation above you can expect a catastrophic crash.  And a catastrophic crash will all but end your fat loss efforts for a while.

A crash that is plain to see - it is far more obvious than a crash in your metabolism.

The same effect is seen after a year when following crash diets. You will still feel hungry and not satiated, and possibly more moody too. Again, how many people have you seen who have lost a great deal of weight over a year, to only then put the weight back on and some more?  Sure they may have hit their fat loss goals for a short while, but look at where they are at now!
See, your hormones are more powerful than you can imagine. They can make you look/feel great if you eat right, exercise right and recover/relax well. But they can make you look/feel terrible if they are not in balance through poor nutrition and exercise choices and not enough recovery/relaxation.

She looks about as happy as her hormones are.

Hormones
  Hormones are powerful, as I said above already. Hormones carry out many functions. One function in particular that hormones control is our perception of appetite and hunger as well as our eating habits. Willpower will only take you so far, when you have low blood sugar/when your hormones are out of sync/in an environment where healthy eating isn’t supported i.e. in an office which ‘feeds’ you biscuits and doughnuts.
With regards to weight loss, we are concerned with a few specific hormones:
• CKK – a hormone that is released when fats and proteins are consumed. CCK receptors are found in the gut and the brain. High levels of circulating CCK will depress hunger.
• GLP-1 – this hormone slows down the emptying of you stomach, thus making you feel fuller for longer. High sugar foods increase insulin, and when insulin is high GLP-1 will be suppressed. Have you ever felt hungry after eating sugary junk food?
• Leptin – a hormone which is released from stored fat to make you feel full and prevent overeating. Poor nutrition, all day grazing or constantly overeating can negate the effects of leptin and prevent that feeling of satiety, causing you to overeat.
• Ghrelin – a hormone produced in the stomach which acts on the brain. If Ghrelin levels are high, you can expect to feel hunger.

That's all for this week, check back to read the second part some time next week.

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Eat Natural for Fat Loss and good health

  The need for fat loss in large percentages of the population is getting greater and greater.  Notice I said 'fat loss' and not 'weight loss'.  It is excessive body fat which is causing a variety of health problems for many people.  We need to get in better shape as a nation, and quickly.

  It should be simple to lose fat, and everyone should have the right to know how to lose fat.  We live in the golden age of information.  With all this information we should know what to eat and how to exercise - but in my opinion there is almost too much information, which is causing confusion.  Our minds are saturated with conflicting pieces of information.

 People ask me whether they should eat fruit, whether brown rice is better than white rice, which supplements they should take, which diet regime is best, should I eat carbohydrates at breakfast etc. etc.  The list can go on and on, and on.  And that is where the problem lies.  We concentrate on so many of these small factors with regards to health, fitness and nutrition that we expect one small change to make a large difference.  We forget about the larger picture that is more often than not causing the problem.

  And that problem is the Modern Western Diet.  This is a way of eating comprised of high amounts of low quality and highly processed foods.  We think we are eating foods, where as what we are actually consuming is a food like substance, full of chemicals and highly processed ingredients.  And the more processed a food, the more detrimental it will be on our health (cancers, diabetes, heart problems, depression) and physique (increased fat mass).

Organic biscuits, freshly picked from the ground, just like nature intended.  

  I could go into many different tangents now, but I want to keep this article short and sweet.  Deep down you know what you should be eating.  You overestimate the good foods you are eating, and underestimate the amounts of bad food (Modern Western Diet foods) you are eating.  You lie to yourself that you are eating well.  Remember, you can lie all you want to cover up the poor choices you are making, but ultimately it is only you and your health that will pay in the long run.  And poor health = poor happiness.

  Getting fat and eating poor food choices is an easy option in life.  And it is not a fulfilling option.  Take control of your life again and feel the full host of benefits.  


My tips for fat loss:


1) Eat the highest quality food you can afford.  
2) Avoid meats which have been pumped full of antibiotics, or which were farmed in stressful environments to the animal.
3) Avoid high carbohydrate meals (more than 50% carbohydrates) - make sure meals are made up of a good mix of quality carbohydrates, fats and proteins.  
4) Enjoy and appreciate your food.  
5) Prepare as much of your food with your own hands as you can.  That way you know what you are eating.

For your chance to win a copy of my 52 tips to a better and more simple way of eating, email matt@personaltrainersutton.co.uk making sure to include your name.

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Minimising Fat Gains and Muscle Loss over the festive period.

It's that joyous time of year again.  Celebrations galore - which (in the UK, especially). generally means copious amounts of alcohol and rich food.  It's a time to enjoy yourself, spend time with friends and family 


I will be fully enjoying myself over the festive period, and do expect to put on some fat weight over the festive week (or two).  However, I will be aiming to follow a few protocol to limit the damage, whilst still having a good time.  If you are worried about ruining your previous years hard work, in two weeks, these tips will also help you minimise the damage.  The amount and type of weight you put on (fat vs muscle vs water retention) will depend on your training history, body type, activity over the festive period among other factors.

How to stop looking like this come January 2nd

Intermittent Fasting


  This is a way of eating whereby you following a 16hr no eating period followed by an 8hrs period of eating. For example, I may have my last meal of the day at 10pm. I then do not eat for 16 hours. So at 2pm the next day my 8 hour eating period is open. 
  A study by Anson et al, 2003 states that intermittent fasting 'has been shown to have several health benefits including increased insulin sensitivity, stress resistance, reduced morbidity, and increased life span.' The part we are interested in there especially is 'insulin sensitivity'. 
  If you read my previous article on insulin sensitivity you will know that when insulin is present in the blood, your body cannot burn fat. Your pancreas will release insulin in response to the intake of protein and/or carbohydrates. The meals which exhibit the highest insulin secretion in the body are those high in carbohydrates. And the more simple/sugary the carbohydrates, the more quickly the insulin is released. Insulin is needed to shuttle energy into your muscle cells, and also as a preservation method of rebuilding and maintaining the integrity of internal systems (cells, muscles, organs etc.) as well as keep energy at safe and optimum levels.  It is an essential hormone, but we must control it's use to get maximum health benefits.
  So this leads me onto those of you who are either more insulin sensitive or more insulin resistant.
  Essentially if you are insulin sensitive, you are able to eat and  utilise more carbohydrates  without gaining too much fat.  
  Lucky ay? 
  Well, yes!
But as I said earlier, there are ways of making yourself more insulin sensitive.  And intermittent fasting helps make you more insulin sensitive...which is a good thing.  Also, the hours following an intense workout (heavy lifting, kettlebells, metabolic conditioning etc) you are a lot more insulin sensitive.  Great!
  On the flip side, the vast majority of people are insulin resistant, generally caused by years of eating a diet high in refined sugars, a lack of decent exercise and also diabetes.  Insulin resistant types cannot eat too many carbohydrates without putting on fat.  


THE FIX: A good diet and exercise can make you more insulin sensitive and less insulin resistant, which equals less fat gain.


For ultimate improvements/minimal fat gains (and this may work for you all year round in fact, not just a short term use during the festive period) you may want to follow this template.


Wake - 8am - cup of coffee
Workout - 1 pm
2pm - 10 pm - eat, eat, eat (the amount and type will depend on your goals/body type)
12pm-8am - sleep


Repeat.  


Please note, this sort of diet is generally better for those of you who are active types.  It is not really best advisable for couch potatos (see ketogenic diet for that).  Also, a quick 5-10 minutes of serious high intensity work (check out tabata) before a calorific meal may help to minimise fat gains.

All you fitness buffs, can enjoy your Xmas meal a lot more if you eat IF style.

Post festive period ketogenic diet


If I get to the start of January (post NYE/NYD recovery) and look in the mirror and think 'Good God Matt, you've put on a bit of fat over Christmas...you definitely are not the fairest of them all', I will follow a ketogenic style of eating for the next week or two.  Essentially, this means limiting my carbohydrates to under 30g a day, and eating higher fat and moderate protein.  This is a sure fire way to help strip off excess fat and maintain muscle.  I have written on this before.  


You are looking to eat high quality proteins (fresh meat and fish, eggs) and fats (fresh meat fat, olive oils, nuts, butter, coconut oil, oily fish etc).  


When I feel that I have reached a decent level of body fat again, I will slowly introduce carbohydrates back into my diet at the appropriate times of the day and the right amounts.   All of this will be done whilst following my exercise program.


So that's a couple of ways to limit the damage, if you feel you need to.


Have a great festive period!






www.revolutionfunctionalfitness.co.uk

Matt is a personal trainer in Sutton in London.  He offers personal training in Sutton and surrounding areas, as well as group exercise classes.

Food choices: The good, the okay, and the ugly.

With the festive period now in full swing, and the best yet to come, many people will be thinking about losing the festive pounds in approximately 16 days.  Many will start trying to lose weight in about 30 days (once all the Christmas back stock of food has been cleared), and many will give up in about 31 days.  The aim of this article is to give you clear information on good food choices which will help you get back into great shape in no time at all.

A common question I get from people in all walks of life, is; 'can you tell me exactly what good foods are, and what bad foods are?' or 'should I eat this instead of this?'.  The answer is, yes, yes I can.

Nutritional quality

The quality of foods taken in by humans has deteriorated rapidly in the last century.  Humans like to save time and energy, and no better way than buying pre-made food.  And I'm not talking about food that Mum has given you to take to work.  I am talking about 90% of the crappy processed, pre-prepared foods that is on sale in supermarkets and corner stores nation and world wide.  Processed food is generally full of lower quality ingredients, that have been stripped of their nutritional quality during processing, and are then poisoned with processed fats, salt and sugar in vast quantities....for that oh so lovely processed taste.

Major Point: avoid all processed foods in the shop (most D and F grade foods....see below)

Mmmm, processed foods aka health problems in a box.

Another point, is that even the quality of the whole foods that we eat (fruits, veg and meat) has seriously deteriorated with the advent of modern intensive farming methods.  Soil isn't what it used to be.  It is lacking a lot of vital nutrients.  And a lot of food is sprayed with harmful preservatives.  Although whole foods are great for you, we need to be aware that we still may lack in some vitamins and minerals, which are vital to good health.

Modern farming has changed the make up of the food we eat.

With so much information, and misinformation available through the media, I feel it is my duty to set the record straight.  The following grading system of foods is easy to follow.  Eat high grade foods and have high grade health and physique, eat low grade foods and have low grade health and physique.  The amounts of each grade you eat, and the amounts of fat/carb/protein that you eat will be highly dependant on your current goals i.e. fat loss or muscle gain will be compeletely different ratios.

Simples?

Yes it is simples!

A Grade foods!

A grade foods are 100% natural, and have received no sort of processing at all.  They are highly nutritious and seriously good for you.  

The A grade carbs are starchy, and do not have a negative impact on your health and fitness.  Sure you can get back with no carbs, but these starchy carbs will give you energy, and if eaten in correct amounts to meet your goals, at the right times in the day, they will enhance performance and physique.  

The proteins are natural unprocessed meats, which contain all the vital amino acids and omega fats.  These are the foods that want to make up the bulk of your shopping basket/dinner plate.

A-grade fibrous carbs

Spinach

Kale

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Brussel sprouts

Green Beans

Asparagus

Collard greens

Green and red peppers

Mushrooms

Tomatoes

Onions

Cucumbers

All other fibrous carbs, green vegetables or salad vegetables

A-grade starchy carbs

Yams

Sweet potatoes

Barley

Oatmeal (Old fashioned unsweetened)

Beans, all types

Black eye peas

Slow cooked brown rice (long grain/basmati)

Lentils

White potatoes Red potatoes

Carrots

A-grade simple carbs

All fresh fruits (not including canned, sweetened, or juice)

A-grade fats

Flaxseed oil

Udo’s Choice essential oil blend

Fish Oil

Fatty fish (salmon, trout, herring, sardines)

A-grade proteins

Chicken breast

Turkey breast

Extra lean ground turkey

Ostrich

Buffalo/Bison/lean game meats

Fish, all types

Shellfish

Egg whites

Non fat cottage cheese

Top round steak (leanest cut of red meat)

Protein powder supplements (whey, casein, or combination)

B-Grade Foods

B grade foods are fine to eat.  They are not as good as A grade, but they are still good.  If you seriously wanted to drop fat, to look beach body hot, you may choose to drop these out at the times you want to look truly spectacular.  But B grades are fine to eat, and make adherence to your nutritional plan a lot easier.  The amounts of carb, fat and protein will obviously be determined by your current goals.

B-grade Carbohydrates

100% whole grain, unsweetened boxed cereals 100% whole grain cooked cereals 100% whole grain pastas (amaranth, quinoa, wheat, etc) 100% whole grain breads (100% whole wheat, rye, spelt, etc) 100% Whole wheat pitas

100% Whole grain, unsweetened muffins

Quick brown rice

Quick oatmeal (unsweetened)

B-grade Proteins & dairy products

Flank steak

Extra Lean top sirloin

Extra lean ground beef

Extra lean red meats, other

Lowfat ground turkey

Non fat or 1% low fat sour cream

Non fat or 1% low fat cheese

Non fat or 1% low fat cream cheese

Nonfat or 1% low fat, sugar free yogurt

1% low fat cottage cheese

Whole eggs (1 whole egg per 5-6 whites is a good ratio)

B-grade Fats

Extra virgin olive oil & olive oil salad dressings

Natural peanut butter

Olives

Avocado

Nuts & seeds

Reduced fat, reduced calorie salad dressings

C-Grade Foods

C-graded foods are kind of neutral.  Not good, not bad, but not a 'pass' grade.  Results from these foods will be average if they make up your staple diet.  The foods may be whole foods, but with added sugars etc.  Also, some foods are very calorie dense, meaning a large amount of calories may be consumed, if you over eat.  Some of these foods are okay to eat, but if you want great results, try to limit these in your basket.

C-grade carbohydrates

Grits
Cream of rice
Cream of wheat
White rice Pasta made from enriched flour (durum semolina)
Whole grain, low fat snack foods (pretzels, crackers, etc)
Bagels
Cheerios
Sweetened and /or flavored oatmeal
Raisin Bran cereal (wheat flakes, sweetened)
Enriched wheat bread
Unsweetened fruit juice

C-grade proteins

Turkey thighs or dark meat
Chicken thighs
Ground turkey
Lean Sirloin steak
Lean ground beef
Lean red meats, other
Very low fat sliced chicken breast (lunch meat)
Very low fat sliced turkey breast (lunch meat)
Very low fat sliced ham (lunch meat)
Low fat ham or pork
Low fat (2%) cheeses
Low fat (2%) cream cheese
Low fat (2%) cottage cheese
Low fat (2%) sour cream
Low fat (2%) unsweetened yogurt

D-grade Foods

Were you ever truly happy with a D grade at school?  I hope not.  D-grade foods are not good.  And if you are eating these regularly, your health is not going to be what it should be.  And nor is your physique.  They are high in refined carbs (the white kind) and have generally been processed.  Nutritional quality is lower.  These should be seriously limited.

D-grade carbohydrates

Sweetened boxed breakfast cereals with no whole grains
Snack foods made from white flour (pretzels, crackers, etc.)
Bleached, enriched white bread (i.e., “wonder bread”) or white bread products
Muffins and baked goods made with white flour, sugar and or hydrogenated oils

D-grade proteins & dairy products

Low fat sliced chicken breast (lunch meat)
Low fat sliced turkey breast (lunch meat)
Low fat sausage
Low fat ground beef
Reduced fat beef jerky
Reduced fat Hot dogs
Reduced fat Sausage
Reduced fat Bacon

F-Grade Foods

F graded foods are foods that you should be eating very, very rarely.  These are real treats.  They equal horrible effects on your health and physique.  They are high in processed saturated fats, trans fats, sugars, sweeteners and highly processed.  Avoid these at all costs!

Hydrogenated tropical oils (Palm oil, Palm kernel oil, Coconut oil)
Hydrogenated vegetable oils
Anything deep-fried
Margarine
Very high calorie and high fat cuts of pork
Very high calorie and high fat cuts of red meat such as porterhouse and prime rib
Foods made mostly of white sugar or other refined carbohydrates (corn syrup, etc)
Candy
Sweets
Chocolate
Cookies
Soda (Coke, Pepsi, etc)
Sugar Sweetened beverages
Pastries and Baked goods high in both fats and sugars
Pies
Doughnuts
Croissants
Éclairs
Cinnabons
Cakes

Foods high in both refined carbohydrates and saturated fat

Fettuccine Alfredo
Potato chips
Hot Dogs on white bun
Fast food hamburgers on white buns (even worse with cheese, bacon)
Sweetened peanut butter
Chocolate milk (full fat, whole milk)
Meats that are processed and high in fat
Sliced full fat ham (lunch meat)
Sliced full fat turkey breast (lunch meat)
Sliced full fat chicken breast (lunch meat)
All other full fat luncheon meats and cold cuts
Bologna
Hot dogs
Salami
Beef sticks (“Slim Jim”)
Sausage

So, in short, aim to eat mostly A and B grade foods.  C's, D's and F's should be irregular treats i.e. cheat days, or rewards.  Ratios of each will depend on goals, as will fat/carb/protein ratios and timings.

HKC UK, Bodyology Bracknell - A Review

After missing out on the RKC in Ireland in October (not enough time to prepare, should I say), I decided to take up the next best thing....the HKC.  As it turns out, what a great opportunity I had taken.  The stats can tell you why:

4 RKC's (Peter Lakatos, Claire Booth, Roger and James Breese) to only 6 students.  Where else would you get a teacher:student ratio like that??  And the 4 RKC's knowledge surpassed anything that I expected.  There is no other course like it.

The day consisted of learning the two handed swing, the single hand swing, goblet squat and the Turkish Get Up.  They were taught as if they had never been attempted by anyone in the class.  This would allow us to confidently teach any kettlebell newbie in the future the solid foundations of kettlebell training.  If you have never attended an RKC/HKC seminar/course, then you will not know what work it is.  If you thought you knew kettlebells, you do not know as much as you think you did.  Trust me.

We started the day at around 9am.  A briefing and light chat with the instructors started the day.  And then onto the serious business.  Peter (the book of knowledge) taught the technique for each of the 'lifts'.  The amount of knowledge that would ensue was amazing!

The swing took roughly 3 hours to go through.  I can now teach anyone the swing, and confidently talk them through the how's, the why's and the corrections.  All my clients have had an in depth swing technique session or three now.

The goblet squat has helped me improve my squat, my clients squats and training partners squat.  What a drill it is!  Do these....now!

The TGU, even unloaded was a great workout.  I learned a lot about my body during this portion of the day.

All in all, I have learnt so many intricacies about each of the 'lifts' that my own training has accelerated, and I would place this as the best/most important course I have been on.  REPS should hang their head in shame that they do not recognise/even know about the RKC!  I am reluctant to go on many generic courses out there, but I knew what the RKC movement is about.....quality!

Almost everyone that I have told about the course (and that's a lot of people!) cannot believe that I spent a whole day learning 'only' four kettlebell moves.  They see this as a negative.  I see this as a massive positive!  All I need to do is look at any of the many trainers who have learnt 'everything' in a day (snatches, clean and presses etc) and realise that they actually have no right teaching kettlebells.  Technique is poor, safety is poor, programming is poor and that's just the start of my critique!  Funnily enough they had never heard of the RKC, HKC, Pavel etc.  Well they do now!  I feel a duty to improve trainers and clients alike in the world of kettlebells now.

Thankyou DragonDoor and James for bringing the HKC to the UK.  If you get the chance to go to an RKC cert, HKC cert, or any other seminar/cert, I would recommend you go 100%.

My clientelle has increased, and I am even getting emails from people through the DD site asking me to teach them safe kettlebell technique.

www.revolutionfunctionalfitness.co.uk
Matt is a personal trainer in Sutton in London.  He offers 1-2-1 personal training in Sutton in London and surrounding areas, as well as small group training and group exercise classes.