Sunday, January 30, 2011

Training while Dieting

First of all, this is not for everyone. It's about context so I'm just gonna address to whom these tips apply.


For:

1. Those going on a diet and I mean a real diet where you actually count calories or read food lables and eliminate at least 500kcal/day or more than your maintenance intake.  expect more than 1lb of fat loss a week.
2. Those who are lean but wants to be leaner (BF%: 10-men, 15-women or lower) but afraid to lose muscle on a strict diet.
3. Anyone who wants to preserve or build muscle but not gain fat mass. (bulking?)
4. Anyone who wants to build muscle/strength but wants to avoid working up an appetite from high volume workload.
5. Those seeking physique and already got their diet handled.

Not For:
1. Athletes looking to improve performance (especially endurance or team sports).
2. Those who enjoy training 5x a week and 2hr/session or addicted to cardio.
3. New trainees w/o supervision or spotters.
4. Those who like trendy routines and silly balancing equipments.
5. People who are not dieting hard enough.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Magnesium Deficiency & Diabetes

A friend of mine asked me why I recommend magnesium supplementation on my diet.  (she's training for a half marathon in March and the diet would benefit her greatly if she could drop 10-15 lbs prior.)

I looked back from my previous research (and some extra) to give her a good explanation.  To my surprise, I discovered that it may be one of the variables that causes Type I Diabetes!  This is the gist of what i wrote her....


1)  A typical multi-vit contains around 100mg of magnesium which is largely under what our body needs (300-400mg) if we don't the rest from our diet.
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/magnesium-000313.htm
http://www.algaecal.com/magnesium/magnesium-rich-foods.html

2) Exercise: Since you're very active (long distance cardio 3x a week around 20miles in total volume), your serum magnesium are lost DRASTICALLY.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3453693?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3558215?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3600291?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9794089?dopt=Abstract

Even when you're eating a well balance modern diet (not being on my program), you're already magnesium deficient due to our agricultural farming methods and food processing.
http://drumlib.com/dp/000014.htm

"For example, white bread contains about 40% less magnesium than whole wheat bread.  In addition, since World War II, the amount of magnesium in our food has steadily declined due to use of fertilizers that only replenish nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium."

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Post Workout Meals and When is appropriate. Whey Protein Shakes

4 Reasons Why You Should NOT Have a Post Workout Shake
1. You don't need any shakes if you're 10lb fatter than your ideal body weight and your focus is on fat loss (while maintaining lean mass). 
Chew your foods later when you're ready to sit down and eat.
2. If you had dinner (w/ protein from meat sources) and you workout the following morning, you don't need an immediate post workout shake, either. If you're planning on eating later that day (assuming a balance meal with protein/meat), skip the shake. 
Chew your foods later when you're ready to sit down and eat.
3. If you had breakfast (w/ protein) and you workout in the afternoon, you don't need an immediate post workout shake, either (assuming you are having a balance meal with some protein/meat later that day). Your body isn't going into "catabolic mode". 
Chew your foods later when you're ready to sit down and eat.
4. If you have carbs post workout, it doesn't really matter what their GI (glycemic index) are. Just eat something. What will really slow down carbs absorption is if you eat tons of fiber and fat in that meal and that's only if you really care about recovery. If you train doubles or 6x a week (some athletes), you may want to minimize the fat/fiber in your post workout meal. 
If you're not an athlete, chew your foods later when you're ready to sit down and eat.
Summary: Your targeted Pro/Carbs/Fat intake over the whole day is more important than what you eat pre/post workout. Endurance athletes may benefit fast acting/liquid carbs during training but that's about it. If you're only training for general health and fat loss (most people), just eat something. Anything, with calories. and remember.
Chew your foods.

Summary
Amino acids stay in your blood stream/muscle cells avaliable for anabolic growth longer than you think.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/what-are-good-sources-of-protein-speed-of-digestion-part-2.html

You only need 0.8g of pro/1 lb of LEAN MUSCLE MASS a day (and that's generous if you're obese trying to lose weight).  1 g/1 lb if you're dieting or training a lot. 1.5-2g/lbs if you're relatively lean but trying to get contest/photoshoot ready and is having hunger issues when doing low calorie dieting.

If you think you're fat, don't worry about PWO meals. You will eat sometime during the day and that will take care of your muscle. When it comes to fat loss, drinking down calories does nothing for satiety.

Focus on increasing daily activities (aside from formal exercise) and reduce caloric intake (by controlling hunger and upregulate fat metabolism).  Reduce carbs/some fat most of the time in order to create an energy deficit for fat loss.  Reduce interval/circuit/bootcamp type training so you don't get hungry and overeat your diet (focus on walking or resistance training instead, lift heavy or walk far). 

Your own bodyfat and some EAA's are the best PWO ingredients for most (chunky) people reading this.

PWO shakes are not that important unless you're a performance athlete or having trouble putting on mass (hardgainers), or just simply hates cooking.  pic to the right... this is when you actually need a protein shake between meals and around workout.

For beginner and weight loss trainees, you should be thinking more about how to squat heavy and correctly rather than which brand of brotein shakes to buy.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Ephedrine / Caffeine: Evidence and Application

I'm tire of convincing my clients the benefit of ephedrine with caffeine for fat loss so I'm writing this to never have the same conversation again.

for those who don't need to read the science behind the benefit of EC stack, go straight to the end of this post under "speed up your fat loss" for application.

"I've been watching the supplement industry try to reinvent/replace EC (ephedrine/caffeine)  for probably a decade now nothing they've dug out of their collective asses has ever come close to being remotely effective" - Lyle McDonald on 1,3 Dimethylamamine

Doctors are amazingly ignorant about anything that is not approved by the FDA. So, unless you read the medical research, it's almost impossible to separate the facts from the spin, hype, and political BS."  http://drumlib.com/

Objective Scientific Studies
Below are the positive effects of EC ingestion for increase metabolism, fat utilization, hunger reduction & lean muscle mass preservation wbile dieting.  Click on the treatment to view the studies.


Boost Fat Metabolism
Contribution of beta 3-adrenoceptor activation to ephedrine-induced thermogenesis in
Ephedrine produced significant increases in energy expenditure (thermogenesis) with 2.5mg. 
Double blind  study on 103 overweight patients Comparison of an ephedrine/caffeine combination and dexfenfluramine in the treatment of obesity. A double-blind multi-centre trial in general practice 103 of 20-80% overweight patients lost 15-20lbs while reduced their blood pressure.

Keep Muscle Mass while dieting.
During dietary energy restriction E+C promotes fat loss and preserves fat-free mass.

EC is safe and effective in long-term treatment  in improving and maintaining weight loss.  No clinically relevant withdrawal symptoms have been observed.  The acute and chronic effects of ephedrine/caffeine mixtures on energy expenditure and glucose metabolism in humans.  24-week open follow-up trial with reduced obese patients all receiving an ephedrine/caffeine combination (20 mg/200 mg) three times a day.

Enhanced thermogenic responsiveness during chronic ephedrine treatment in EC stack does not require cycling, it's positive affect on metabolism actually increases with chronic dosage.
For More info here

Hopefully you read the studies.  If you can tolerate the constant hunger while on a diet for fat loss, you don't need it.  If you're happy dieting for 8 month just to drop 10-15lb with conventional-moderation methods, you don't need it. If you enjoy spending more than 800$ a year on suboptimal supplies of supplements/stims from GNC just to shed a few pounds of fat, you don't need it. If you're fine with losing muscle while trying to lose weight, you don't need it. 
Speed up Your Fat Loss


If you don't have your diet dialed in, EC stack won't help you much.  Only use EC stack if you're already doing relatively low carbs (under 100g) and actually eating a hypocaloric diet. 


You will find ephedrine in most pharm stores around town, cvs, walmart, walgreen.  lab tested ephedrine is 20mg, which is ephedrine HCI 25mg found in most drug stores.

Popular brands containing ephedrine HCI are "primatene", "bronkaid" 2, and other store brands ephedrine containing products. ask the pharmacist for it .

If you have pre-existing heart problems and high blood pressure, you can't use it.

Start off with half dose, 12.5mg/100mg-eph HCI/caffeine on the first day. Work up to full dose the second day 25mg/200mg. Then 2 doses the third, and 3 doses the following day.  3dose/day is max.
They should be 4 hours apart and I recommend giving yourself a 6hr window from your last dose til your bed time. trust me, sleep is way more important than thermalgenesis when it comes to fat loss.
So for example, if you wake up at 8am, drink your coffee or take your caffeine pill (200mg) and your ephedrine HCI (25mg).  then again at noon, and again at 4pm.  Assuming you go to bed at 10pm.
I had no problem using during workout.  Actually burn a few more calories doing cardio but that's only advantageous if you're having a hard time with your last bit of stubborn fat areas.
If you have any more problems regarding how to implement EC stack, read this.
ttp://drumlib.com/

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Saturday, January 1, 2011

Homeopathy Vs. Scientific Research - Placebo

 
Can we (and should we) Apply Scientific  Principles to Find the Efficacy of "Homeopathic" Practices? 

Two weeks ago I was playing pickup soccer at the Buda Sportsplex with YMCA folks.  I had a little run-in with a fella and I suspect my leg was kicked (or perhaps planted my foot wrong while changing direction) and injured my right calf.


I didn't think much of it at first but as the game went on, it got worse.  Shortly after, I volunteered to play goalie so I can rest and stretch a bit but finally gave into the pain.  When I got home, I felt better and didn't bother icing it (or using the R.I.C.E procedure).

After cruising with my girl around the neighborhood, enjoying Christmas light decors, I came home to a swollen calf the size of a melon!  Those who know me or seen me in shorts know that I have grapefruit/3rd stage tumor looking calves @ 18inches circumference).   When I got home and did my webMD, I called up an old friend studies PT.   I was informed that it was a 2nd degree strain and could take 2-3weeks to fully recover.  It was about 19.5 inches around that night.
http://www.nativeremedies.com/ailment/natural-treatments-for-muscle-strains.html



Long story short, I found tons of articles on muscle strains and ways to relieve the pain, inflammation, and blood clot and found a herbal substance call "Arnica".   Since I wasn't going to spent my last 2 paycheck to see a sports doctor, I'm willing to give homeopathy a try.   Arnica is known for its legendary muscle and joint soothing qualities and is used clinically for post-surgery/injury recovery and pain relieve. 
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/arnica-000222.htm
http://www.answers.com/topic/arnica
http://www.arnica.com/ 

Before I went out and spent $25 on a bottle, I wanted to know if it really does the trick, so I googled "arnica side effects", "arnica remedy", and "arnica research".

What I end up finding is that in 2003, a research journal published in the Journal of The Royal Society of Medicine suggest that in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial (which is pretty much the most unbiased, scientific rigorous testing protocol there is to find how significant the treatment [arnica] affects the outcome [healing] with all other possible variables being constant.)  suggest that the  "healing power" was actually in fact, a "Placebo Effect" and not so much the biochemical property of the substance.    See the study and the Summary.   Also discussed here.

"Why does arnica have such a reputation for healing?   

'Professor Ernst's answer is "positive selection bias". Some patients recover quickly from surgery, and if they have been taking arnica, they tell their friends that the remedy helped. If they recover well without arnica, or they took it but recovered slowly, they are much less likely to tell everyone their experiences and "the myth becomes reinforced".

This made me question the whole homeopathic industry, are there any truth or justifiable evidence to hundred or thousands of ancient/alternative medicine anymore?  if so, how do we quantify the treatment or the results? Should we even question them in the first place if it had worked for so long?'

Disclaimer:

Reading any posts or information on/linking from this site means you automatically agree to this disclaimer. I am not a dietitian or doctor, nor claim any cure, treatment, or solution to health or illness problems.