Diet Wars
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There have been some very interesting studies published in 2008 about dieting and what diet is most effective. What has been proven are these “facts”.
- fasting insulin levels are lower on diets lower in carbohydates
- cutting calories caused participants to lose weight but no mention of body fat percentage is made
- more people seemed to be able to stay on diets that cut calories from carbohydrate than from fat
It would appear that this is a major change in the way nutrition has been preached for the last 30 years. We know that too many of us are fat but what is more important is that too many of us are unfit. Overfat and fit is better than thin an unfit. many thin people are over fat – the percentage of their body that is fat is too high because they have too little muscle.
One article I read recently advocated exercise as a means to “burn more calories”. This is probably a bad reason to exercise. Especially because slow, low intensity exercise is emphasized. It is better to do more intense exercise while reducing calories from food that stimulate too much insulin. What type of exercise do I mean? Why? Because it is the BMR – basal metabolic rate you want to influence and this is done by building more muscle. BMR = the calories you would burn if you lay in bed all day. It is the largest expenditure of calories – 10 calories per pound per day. That by-the-way is the least amount of calories you can eat per day an remain healthy. Just watch the blend of Protein, Fat and Carbohydrate. If you aren’t sure what to do, just remember there are no carbohydrate deficiency diseases.
Well, you need to know how intense is intense. There are a number of ways to do this – heart rate monitors, oxygen utilization calculator or just plain old common sense. Here is an article on About.com on Perceived Exercise Intensity. The autor is funny in making the point that you know how hard something is for you to do. For someone who is 68 inches tall and weighs 300lb and does not lift heavy weight regularly, just walking a 3-4 miles per hour will constitute intense exercise. It can take 2-3 days to recover from 30 minutes of exercise perceived as a level 7 for 30 minutes. I do not suggest you start there.
Start with a PAR-Q. This form, a physical activity readiness questionnaire, will tell you if you need to see a doctor before beginning exercise. Do a google search, it is easy to find one. Or, download the one I attached at the end of this article. You should definitely get some advice from someone with experience in helping de-conditioned people start and exercise program. There is a huge difference in training someone over-weight and someone who has been exercising and wants to move up to the next level. The idea is to get moving and to make it count by keeping it intense and emphasizing muscle strength and endurance, not calories burned.
Let me know how I can help you. Make a comment about exercise routines that have worked for you or ask me a question. Remember this is something you and 5 friends could discuss with me in a live audio seminar – just ask me to set one up, I have 4 opportunities left in 2009 for you to do this with 4 friends. OK, get busy getting those muscles stronger and your body fat lower.
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