Tag: metabolism

lose fat

Why it’s harder to lose fat as you progress in your diet

Posted JacobPosted in Diet

As you diet you may find it gradually getting tougher to fight your appetite and lose fat. Truth is as we lose weight our bodies respond to the change and try to preserve our energy or fat stores. Changes in hormones and metabolism are the biggest factors in the increasingly difficult task of cutting weight and lose fat. Then once you reach your goal you might find it incredibly easy to put fat back on or put on even more than you started with! There are many natural reasons why these things happen.

First off hormones control many of the body’s responses and are important to understand. As weight decreases different hormones increase and decrease in the body. As for hormones that decrease you will see hormones such as leptin, insulin, thyroid hormones and even testosterone drop. Leptin is important for energy expenditure and satiety (feeling full.) In a study of lean bodybuilders preparing for competition they tested for their leptin changes three times at 11 weeks, 5 weeks, and 3 days before competition. Just at 5 weeks out their leptin levels dropped by 27.7% and dropped more when tested 3 days out. Insulin is helpful in preventing muscle protein breakdown and hunger. Thyroid hormones specifically triiodothyronine (T3) is important in increasing metabolism. Lastly, we have testosterone which help via its muscle building properties. In a study done with 19 male ameture wrestlers they found that very low body fat and or large losses of body fat adversely affected their serum testosterone levels. Now there are two important hormones that increase during cutting, ghrelin and cortisol. Ghrelin affects hunger and appetite and is what makes fighting the urges to eat even harder. In the same study that I mentioned above researchers found at the 5 week mark that ghrelin increase by 20.4% and found another 6% increase by 3 days out. Cortisol affects muscle protein breakdown so an increase in both of these hormones shows how losing weight becomes increasingly difficult.

Metabolism is huge in weight loss and it changes drastically when trying to lose fat. There are several important areas of metabolism REE (resting energy expenditure) which makes up BMR (basal metabolic rate), NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis), TEF (thermic effect of food), and EAT (exercise activity thermogenesis).  In a study of obese men and women on a caloric restricted diet their REE decreased. It was noted that after eight weeks the men seen a 963 KJ/day drop in REE and women seen a 614 KJ/day drop, essentially meaning their metabolism slowed down. This is likely due to the body trying to conserve energy because it perceives the food caloric restriction as starvation. NEAT which includes activities such as walking around or even fidgeting is reduced on a caloric restricted diet further lowering energy you burn during normal daily activities. TEF (accounts for 10% of metabolism) and is reduced as you decrease food intake also essentially burning less as you consume less. Lastly we have EAT also goes down due muscle efficiency and due to loss of weight meaning it’s easier to perform tasks requiring less energy because you are moving less of your body weight. Overall, these aspects of metabolism come together to make your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and as you can see it is reduced especially in cases of lower body fat.

These factors cause us to hold onto weight and make it harder to lose fat, especially the last little bit.

So when we finally finish the diet and eat normally again why is it that we can add fat on and easily pack on the pounds? It’s because your metabolism stays slowed down for some time making it easier to gain weight, because your body is using less energy. During this time your hormones are in a altered state which also predisposes you to weight gain. Going back to your regular diet can make you end up at the same weight as before and in some cases even heavier. The best thing to do after a diet is to reverse diet. Reverse dieting is slowly adding calories back into your diet. This gives time for your body to ramp your metabolism back up. Reverse dieting can prevent you from losing all the hard work you put in. Keep in mind while cutting to make sure to eat enough protein and lose weight at a moderate pace. Doing this will preserve as much LBM (lean body mass) as possible.

At the end of the day your body will fight you more and more as you lose fat. It’s a natural response to prevent the body from starving and completely losing all its energy stores. The biggest thing is focusing on a good diet, staying dedicated in the gym and keeping focus on your goal. Make sure after your diet not to overeat or binge, you don’t want to do all that work for nothing!

Sources for lose fat:

Rossow LM, Fukuda DH, Fahs CA, Loenneke JP, Stout JR: Natural bodybuilding competition preparation and recovery: a 12-month case study. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2013, 8: 582-592.

Maestu J, Eliakim A, Jurimae J, Valter I, Jurimae T: Anabolic and catabolic hormones and energy balance of the male bodybuilders during the preparation for the competition. J Strength Cond Res. 2010, 24: 1074-1081. 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181cb6fd3.

Maclean PS, Bergouignan A, Cornier MA, Jackman MR: Biology’s response to dieting: the impetus for weight regain. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2011, 301: R581-R600. 10.1152/ajpregu.00755.2010.

Maestu J, Jurimae J, Valter I, Jurimae T: Increases in ghrelin and decreases in leptin without altering adiponectin during extreme weight loss in male competitive bodybuilders. Metabolism. 2008, 57: 221-225. 10.1016/j.metabol.2007.09.004.

Rosenbaum M, Hirsch J, Gallagher DA, Leibel RL: Long-term persistence of adaptive thermogenesis in subjects who have maintained a reduced body weight. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008, 88: 906-912.

Kim B: Thyroid hormone as a determinant of energy expenditure and the basal metabolic rate. Thyroid. 2008, 18: 141-144. 10.1089/thy.2007.0266.

Margetic S, Gazzola C, Pegg GG, Hill RA: Leptin: a review of its peripheral actions and interactions. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2002, 26: 1407-1433. 10.1038/sj.ijo.0802142.

Rooyackers OE, Nair KS: Hormonal regulation of human muscle protein metabolism. Annu Rev Nutr. 1997, 17: 457-485. 10.1146/annurev.nutr.17.1.457.

Hagmar M, Berglund B, Brismar K, Hirschberg AL: Body composition and endocrine profile of male Olympic athletes striving for leanness. Clin J Sport Med. 2013, 23: 197-201. 10.1097/JSM.0b013e31827a8809.

Weyer C, Walford RL, Harper IT, Milner M, MacCallum T, Tataranni PA, Ravussin E: Energy metabolism after 2 y of energy restriction: the biosphere 2 experiment. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000, 72: 946-953.

Witbracht MG, Laugero KD, Van Loan MD, Adams SH, Keim NL: Performance on the Iowa gambling task is related to magnitude of weight loss and salivary cortisol in a diet-induced weight loss intervention in overweight women. Physiol Behav. 2012, 106: 291-297. 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.04.035.

Tomiyama AJ, Mann T, Vinas D, Hunger JM, Dejager J, Taylor SE: Low calorie dieting increases cortisol. Psychosom Med. 2010, 72: 357-364. 10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181d9523c.

Sumithran P, Prendergast LA, Delbridge E, Purcell K, Shulkes A, Kriketos A, Proietto J: Long-term persistence of hormonal adaptations to weight loss. N Engl J Med. 2011, 365: 1597-1604. 10.1056/NEJMoa1105816.

Rosenbaum M, Goldsmith R, Bloomfield D, Magnano A, Weimer L, Heymsfield S, Gallagher D, Mayer L, Murphy E, Leibel RL: Low-dose leptin reverses skeletal muscle, autonomic, and neuroendocrine adaptations to maintenance of reduced weight. J Clin Invest. 2005, 115: 3579-3586. 10.1172/JCI25977. 

Mettler S, Mitchell N, Tipton KD: Increased protein intake reduces lean body mass loss during weight loss in athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010, 42: 326-337.

Layman DK, Boileau RA, Erickson DJ, Painter JE, Shiue H, Sather C, Christou DD: A reduced ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein improves body composition and blood lipid profiles during weight loss in adult women. J Nutr. 2003, 133: 411-417.

Bopp MJ, Houston DK, Lenchik L, Easter L, Kritchevsky SB, Nicklas BJ: Lean mass loss is associated with low protein intake during dietary-induced weight loss in postmenopausal women. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008, 108: 1216-1220. 10.1016/j.jada.2008.04.017.

Ravussin E, Burnand B, Schutz Y, Jequier E: Energy expenditure before and during energy restriction in obese patients. Am J Clin Nutr. 1985, 41: 753-759.

Leibel RL, Rosenbaum M, Hirsch J: Changes in energy expenditure resulting from altered body weight. N Engl J Med. 1995, 332: 621-628. 10.1056/NEJM199503093321001.

Weigle DS: Contribution of decreased body mass to diminished thermic effect of exercise in reduced-obese men. Int J Obes. 1988, 12: 567-578.

Weigle DS, Brunzell JD: Assessment of energy expenditure in ambulatory reduced-obese subjects by the techniques of weight stabilization and exogenous weight replacement. Int J Obes. 1990, 14 (Suppl 1): 69-77. discussion 77–81

Doucet E, Imbeault P, St-Pierre S, Almeras N, Mauriege P, Despres JP, Bouchard C, Tremblay A: Greater than predicted decrease in energy expenditure during exercise after body weight loss in obese men. Clin Sci. 2003, 105: 89-95. 10.1042/CS20020252.

Rosenbaum M, Vandenborne K, Goldsmith R, Simoneau JA, Heymsfield S, Joanisse DR, Hirsch J, Murphy E, Matthews D, Segal KR, Leibel RL: Effects of experimental weight perturbation on skeletal muscle work efficiency in human subjects. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2003, 285: R183-192.

Tappy L: Thermic effect of food and sympathetic nervous system activity in humans. Reprod Nutr Dev. 1996, 36: 391-397. 10.1051/rnd:19960405.

Ravussin E, Lillioja S, Anderson TE, Christin L, Bogardus C: Determinants of 24-hour energy expenditure in man. Methods and results using a respiratory chamber. J Clin Invest. 1986, 78: 1568-1578. 10.1172/JCI112749.

Miles CW, Wong NP, Rumpler WV, Conway J: Effect of circadian variation in energy expenditure, within-subject variation and weight reduction on thermic effect of food. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1993, 47: 274-284.

Chaston TB, Dixon JB, O’Brien PE: Changes in fat-free mass during significant weight loss: a systematic review. Int J Obes. 2007, 31: 743-750.

Garthe I, Raastad T, Refsnes PE, Koivisto A, Sundgot-Borgen J: Effect of two different weight-loss rates on body composition and strength and power-related performance in elite athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2011, 21: 97-104.

https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-11-7

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715917

http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/402153

 

Regulating body weight hypothalamus

Regulating body weight is it as simple as calories in calories out?

Posted dgreenisfit1 CommentPosted in Diet

Regulating body weight is a complex and difficult task that we all face. From the overweight individual who wants to lose some weight to the skinny guy like myself who wanted to put on some mass you quickly realize that making that change isn’t all that easy.

There are of course the psychological factors and social factors surrounding food. We hang out with our friends and family over meals and desserts and you sometimes can’t help but feel like a downer when you said I can’t eat that piece of cake. Denying the delicious treat is followed by judgement and guilting… “one piece wont hurt you.”

The opposite stands true I have always had trouble gaining weight because while I enjoy delicious food I simply don’t have the drive to eat 3000 or more calories a day. To me it feels like torture. Many people would say I wish I had that problem, but it is a real problem for me especially if I want to be successful in my physique competitions. Of course if I can will myself to eat the calories I gain the weight but it does take a very persistent conscious effort to overcome my natural drive to consume food.

We think of the consumption of food largely as a decision, but that decision is driven is driven by our body’s physiology. Some of the main players include the pituitary, hypothalamus and their control of the thyroid gland. The hypothalamus is famously known for the running the four Fs of your body feeding, fleeing, fighting and well we will say mating. The hypothalamus controls the thyroid gland which ultimately releases hormones that control your metabolism (the rate that your body uses calories) which clearly can have a huge regulating body weight.

I want to introduce you to two other signaling molecules in your body leptin and ghrelin. Leptin was a recently discovered in 1994 by Jeffery Friedman. Leptin is know now to be a long term regulator of body energy stores because it acts in a negative feedback loop to your brain. When you eat food or if you have increased body fat you produce leptin from your fat cells inhibiting your drive for more calories. Obese individuals have very high levels of leptin circulating and you would think this would contribute to their weight loss however their receptors become insensitive to leptin and the signaling doesn’t work properly leading to further drive to eat.

I mentioned ghrelin above. Ghrelin is a counter part to leptin that is released from the stomach the only difference is it is produced more quickly and acts rapidly where leptin is a slower and more long term regulator for drive to consume calories. Ghrelin is a type of signaling molecule in our body that signals us to initiate a meal meaning it makes us feel hungry. After a meal our ghrelin levels fall.

This sheds some light on why dieting can be so hard, most of the time regardless of if we want to lose some weight or gain some weight we have to make the conscious decision to go against our bodies physiologic drive and signaling telling us to do exactly the opposite. So if left to our own devices we will likely never reach our goals. This is why its so important to set a strict diet and exercise routine which has been supported time and time again as the most effective way to reach weight goals. If you are interested in getting started in your weight loss journey check our our article.

If you are looking for a formal diet or workout routine get in contact with us here.

One way to be more compliant with a strict diet is to prepare your meals ahead of time so you always have them on hand. You never have to worry about getting hungry and splurging on food that is off your diet. During prep and offseason I use the Isolator Fitness 3 meal lunchbox. It is made in the USA unlike other fitness lunchbox brands and it keeps your food cold for around 12 hours. You can check them out here. If you use the code “IRONSNACK” you will get 10% off your order.

Sources for regulating body weight:

The role of leptin and ghrelin in the regulation of food intake and body weight in humans: a review

Leptin and Beyond: An Odyssey to the Central Control of Body Weight

Role of set-point theory in regulation of body weight.

Set points, settling points, and the control of body weight

Nighttime eating ironsnack logo

Nighttime eating alters your metabolism but how?

Posted DylanPosted in Diet

Nighttime eating is very tempting and many people avoid it but is that the right move? Well some studies have shown that eating before bed can actually increase your resting energy expenditure into the next morning. This means you are burning more calories when you wake up the next morning. Whey protein seemed to have the greatest effect on ramping up your resting energy expenditure when compared to casein protein or consumption of carbohydrates. Another study of 44 men showed an increase in muscle strength when protein consumption before bed was combined with resistance exercised compared to those who didn’t take protein supplementation before bed. In this same study men had greater gains in muscle mass as well. If these three positive effects weren’t enough to encourage you to have some delicious protein before bed a study published in 2012 showed that consuming casein protein just before sleep increased amino acid levels in the blood throughout the night and also increased protein synthesis. A study published just last year noted the benefits of increased muscle protein synthesis and cardiometabolic health in those that consumed small 150 calorie meals at bedtime (pretty close to a protein shake). Looking at the results of these studies it’s a no brainer to schedule a portion of your protein intake for the end of your day just before you lay your head on the pillow. This strategy of nighttime eating will keep your muscles growing and boost your metabolic rate for the coming day.

Sources related to nighttime eating:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425165/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22330017?dopt=Abstract http://jn.nutrition.org/content/145/6/1178
https://doi.org/10.1017/S000711451300192X

Ironsnack shark eating before bed nighttime eating

Nighttime eating. Should you eat before bed?

Posted DylanPosted in Diet

Some people avoid nighttime eating but is this the right move? Well some studies have shown that nighttime eating can actually increase your resting energy expenditure into the next morning. This means you are burning more calories when you wake up the next morning. Whey protein seemed to have the greatest effect on ramping up your resting energy expenditure when compared to casein protein or consumption of carbohydrates. Another study of 44 men showed an increase in muscle strength when protein consumption before bed was combined with resistance exercised compared to those who didn’t take protein supplementation before bed. In this same study men had greater gains in muscle mass as well. If these three positive effects weren’t enough to encourage you to have some delicious protein before bed a study published in 2012 showed that consuming casein protein just before sleep increased amino acid levels in the blood throughout the night and also increased protein synthesis. A study published just last year noted the benefits of increased muscle protein synthesis and cardiometabolic health in those that consumed small 150 calorie meals at bedtime (pretty close to a protein shake). Looking at the results of these studies it’s a no brainer to schedule a portion of your protein intake for the end of your day just before you lay your head on the pillow. This strategy will keep your muscles growing and boost your metabolic rate for the coming day.

Sources include:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425165/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22330017?dopt=Abstract http://jn.nutrition.org/content/145/6/1178

https://doi.org/10.1017/S000711451300192X