Keeping Fit is A Daily Battle

As a sports nutritionist, I am concerned about the lack of awareness and confusion people have over the best way to lose weight. In the 1990’s, we were erroneously told that all fat was bad for us. Now, carbs are being blamed for America’s increasing waistline. Even some athletes have fallen into the low-carb trap. I urge you not to make this same mistake. If you want to lose weight, build muscle, have tons of energy, and even improve your skin and sex drive – you need to eat carbs. It’s true – carbs are good for you! You just need to know when and how to eat them.

First, let’s dispel some myths about low carb diets like the Atkins diet. It is estimated that nearly 60 million Americans have tried to avoid carbohydrate-rich foods, such as bread, pasta and cereal. Even Burger King is cashing in on this trend by selling a bunless burger! Still, the average person’s weight in this country continues to increase.

What is going wrong? Low-carb diets do not work long-term because they contain too many calories. They also require you to avoid carbohydrates for the rest of your life, which quickly leaves most people feeling deprived and unsatisfied. Eating should be pleasurable, not stressful. Even worse, low carb diets can wreck your metabolism and damage your health. Traditional low carb diets ban fruits and certain vegetables. It just doesn’t make sense to deny your body these foods, which protect against cancer, hypertension and heart disease. Getting healthy is not just about losing weight, it is about gaining health.

For years I helped members of the Russian National Athletic Team drop fat, build muscle, and improve their performances by alternating between days of eating a normal amount of carbs and days of limited carb consumption. This method produced amazing results because it was based on real science, not marketing hype by the diet industry.

When I moved to America, I started seeing clients who dieted and exercised regularly but still could not lose weight. They didn’t realize that a slowed metabolism was derailing their efforts. That’s when I decided to create a plan that could be as effective as the program I developed for the Russian athletes but simple enough for anyone to use. The Carb Cycling Diet was born.

The key to carb cycling is learning how to exploit the two important bodily processes that determine how you look and feel – anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism is the process by which your body builds muscle. Catabolism is the process by which your body burns fat. Low carb diets focus only on changing your catabolism – they do not help you build muscle. By alternating between low carb and higher carb days, my clients have been able to get the lean, strong bodies they have always wanted. They also enjoy the luxury of eating the foods they love, as long as they eat them at the right time. It takes a little discipline at first, but it is far easier and healthier than restriction diets like Atkins.

During normal carb days, I recommend eating between 350 to 400 grams of carbohydrates. That’s about what you probably are already eating. Keep in mind that you should focus on eating unrefined carbs from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Limited refined carbs from sugar and processed white flour. On limited carb days, do not eat any foods containing sugar or white flour. Try to keep your carbs under 300 grams a day. You should never starve yourself or feel hungry, even on limited carb days. Sound tricky? It’s not! Counting carbs is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Plus, the small extra effort will bring you a huge payoff. If you combine carb cycling with exercise, you will protect yourself from age-related illnesses, such as osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, and even form of cancer. You’ll also look and feel great.

So now you have a new found zest for fitness-or the rediscovered childhood trauma of being made fun of. Either way, you will get the desired results if you want it bad enough. Before we start, it’s a good idea to understand the basic principle on how bodies build bigger muscle. See, progressive overload is increasing the amount of weight your body carries-it reacts by building stronger tissues which we now recognized as bigger muscles.

When you begin your workout program, consult with the in-house trainer about the drills and the amount of weight you will be attempting to take on per exercise. As a rule, opt for weight loads that you can lift until about the 8th or 12th rep. Keep in mind that by maximum tolerance here should mean that you keep the correct form all throughout. Aim to do at least 8 reps per set and around 6-9 sets of different exercises per muscle group.

In lifting heavy weights, your muscles get little rips that gets fixed as you go on. To aid the process of mending your muscle tissue, you will need to have a lot of protein in your diet. You can get the recommended protein intake for your body with a simple computation. First, get your lean mass weight by subtracting fat and your total body weight in kilograms; then multiply this amount by 2.75. Get your protein by eating healthy food like chicken, sea food, eggs, nuts and cheese.

Experts have differing opinions on the amount of fat bodybuilders need in their diet. If you want a really big body, then include fatty food in your meals. This actually helps to increase muscle building hormones in the body. Be sure to closely watch your diet because should you ever decide to take a break from exercise without changing your diet; your weight gain will take on an unattractive appearance. Make it a point to drink at least 10-12 glasses a day especially during workouts to sustain your stamina.

And to save the best for last, one of the best tips to build bigger muscle-sleep. That’s right, sleep. Resting helps in muscle development because this is the time the previously mentioned muscle tears gets fixed and mended. Sleep also stimulates blood flow to the muscle tissues, preparing it for future sessions of more pain induced workouts. If you want to speed up muscle development, get quality sleep.

There you have it- simple pointers on the fastest way to build muscle. A well-balanced diet, sufficient fluid intake and good sleeping habits; it really doesn’t get easier than that. Verify with your physician that you have no medical conditions that will be aggravated with physical training. Once you get a clean bill of health, you have nothing else to do but enjoy. See great results in your body and general well-being when you begin this journey-another lifestyle will not be an option anymore.

Muscle mass is considered significantly for the bodybuilders.

Muscle mass can be developed by following a perfect combination of balanced diet, workout and supplements. Read further to gain knowledge about the correct strategy for augmenting muscles.

Contract the Muscles – Muscle growth is directly proportional to the degree of contraction of muscles. Perform the negative technique to put excess burden on muscles and gain muscle mass.

Fish for Food – Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which increases the sensitivity of the muscles towards insulin. Insulin sensitive muscles have increased capacity to store glycogen and facilitate easy entry of amino acids in the muscles.

Enhanced Intake of Sodium – Sodium increases the storage of carbohydrate in the muscles and the amino acids are also absorbed at an increased rate in the muscles due to the presence of the optimum amount of sodium in the body.

Increase the Weights – Muscle growth is proportional to the amount of force muscles endures. Increase the weights lifted to build the muscle mass fast.

Balanced Diet – Low calorie does not support in the muscle mass building process. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are required in excess quantity to build muscle mass.

Take a Break – Continuous training puts lots of stress on the muscles. Ample rest is also required to allow muscles to recover from the strain of workout. Ample rest augments the process of anabolism and restores the glycogen.

Protein Intake in Night – Bodybuilders diet includes four to six meals in a day. Supplement the diet with the protein shake in the night to enhance the absorption of the nutrients in the body.

Powerlift – Go for six to twelve rep range as it increases, both the strength and size of the muscles.

Combination of Three – Glutamine plays an important role in muscle building. Low level of glutamine inhibits the muscle growth. Creatine is essential to produce ATP, the energy molecule. Creatine releases energy in the muscles. Branched Chain Amino Acids provides the body with nitrogen required to build muscles.

Got a question from a reader:

Ok, im 14 and can not find anything that sounds convincing or is true on building ab muscle.

I want to get a 6pack (not to big, just a nice mild look on the skin cerface).

I heard that a good diet helps..

can somebody please share any diets that i should take out which would help me to get a 6pack?

also, what exercise is best?

i have been working on crunches etc… and i have burned away some belly fat which is now making my belly flat, so im hoping that anybody has a good diet and exercise tips etc which they know works?

thanks.

ps/ i was thinking of just eating a small potion of pasta at 12(noon) and again at 5pm each day. and drinking 3pints of water from waking up to noon, and another 8pints between 12 and 5. is this good?

thanks.!

Answer from female author:

Is that diet you mentioned ALL you are thinking of eating?! If so, you are not eating enough!!!! You need to eat way more than that to build muscle and to be healthy – at your age if you starve yourself like that then you will end up damaging your bones, heart and probably stunt your growth so you will never grow to your full height. I know you think eating pasta is not starving yourself but because you are a male and aged 14, that diet would mean your body would go into starvation mode and you would do some serious damage to your body.

First of all you need to eat 3 times a day, eating earlier in the day is more important than eating at night because you burn more calories during the day than you do at night. So make time for breakfast every day! If you want to build muscle then you must eat more protein – carbs will not do much for you apart from give you short bursts of energy.

Men are very lucky in that they can eat pretty much whatever they want and as long as you exercise, you will not put on weight and just get great muscle tone. This is because your body does not have as many fat cells as women so it is actually harder for you to gain fat. I reccomend you go on the men’s health website or start buying that magazine, it has lots of great diet and exercise advice.

I have spent a lot of time reading up on diet and exercise and I think I know my stuff so here are my tips for you:

1. Eat More! You need to be eating 2500 calories a day to maintain your current weight, and if you are building muscle then muscle burns more calories therefore you need to ensure you are eating enough. If you are not giving your body the calories it needs then it will eat into your muscle first, therefore on that diet you outlined you will never gain any muscle and the 6 pack will never happen.

2. Eat more protein! That diet you mentioned only included carbs, you have to be eating a balanced diet to gain muscle and protein is very important in building muscle. Muscle is made out of protein fibres, therefore the more protein you eat the more chance you have of getting a 6-pack! Foods high in protein – Eggs, meat (chicken and fish is best seen as it is a lean meat and has little fat in it)and most diary products (milk, cheese etc), nuts and seeds.

3. Cut out White Carbs! So no white pasta, white bread or white rice. These foods have no nutritional benefit because they are processed, and they will leave you feeling and looking bloated (bye bye 6 pack!). Instead only eat the brown versions – so wholewheat pasta, brown bread and brown rice. These are brown because they have all the vitamins and nutrients left in them, and they are slow release carbs – this means they will release energy slowly giving you more energy throughout the day!

I think if you follow those 3 rules for your diet then you will get the results you want – you dont need to be too strict on what you eat at your age because you need all the energy to grow! And that water consumption you mention in your question, that seems too excessive. You can actually die from drinking too much water, it drowns your body from within! So just drink when you are thirsty, there is no need to go mad with the water! Most of your recommended intake of water should actually be coming from your food, as a lot of foods are 50-90% water. So make sure you eat lots of fruit and veg because these have a high water content and they have lots of vitamins and minerals that you need.

So an ideal diet for you would be this:

Breakfast:

Poached/boiled eggs with brown toast

Or cereal and brown toast if you dont have time for eggs

Lunch:

Anything you like! Make sure it includes carbs for energy, so wholewheat pasta is good, jacket potatoes, sandwiches with brown bread, soup etc

Dinner:

Chicken or fish with vegetables

Or any meat you like with veg

Snacks:

Nuts, fruit

Drinks:

Low sugar cordial, water, fruit juice

Exercise wise – sit-ups, crunches, press-ups…those sorts of things are all you can do to get a 6 pack. You just have to do high repitions of them, so maybe try doing 4 sets of 50 (with about a minutes break in between each set). You should try getting a little cardio in your exercise routine too, as this will help give you definition around your abs. Swimming is brilliant for all over muscle tone as it uses every muscle in the body – but remember that swimming uses lots of calories so again you will have to eat more! Or maybe try jogging once or twice a week, this is another great exercise that will help you tone up.

The main thing for you to achieve what you want is to eat more and stop worrying so much about gaining this 6 pack! I understand all men want the perfect 6-pack abs but often some men just cannot achieve this as their bodies were not made to have 6-packs. Some guys can only achieve a flat stomach with a bit of tone and definition. And most girls dont really like 6-packs anyway, it is a sign that the guy is obsessed with his body and spends way too much time working out! So definition is always better than a 6-pack. I would always go for a guy with a flat stomach over a 6-pack, I think 6 packs look unnatural and ugly!

Just enjoy being a teenager, start eating more of what you want and just be healthy, dont let yourself become obsessed with diet and exercise. You need to find a healthy balance between the two – take my boyfriend for example. He works out 3 times a week with weights and goes running a couple of times a week. He has an amazing body but no 6-pack! But he has such great muscle definition and he is really toned, and he gets so much attention from the girls! But guess what – he eats like a pig and drinks beer all the time! He loves pizza, and eating all sorts of food that you wouldnt normally associate with a healthy body. But the way he sees it is that he can eat what he wants as long as he works out and doesnt eat rubbish all the time.

I hope this helps and good luck!

YOU PROBABLY HEAR it a lot, casually thrown around in your gym, the fact that, “Weight loss is all about revving up the metabolism”. Your body’s physical shape is very closely connected to its rate of metabolism, which simply refers to all of the body’s physical and chemical processes that use energy.

“It’s calculated as a basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the number of calories your body burns per day at rest,” says clinical nutritionist, Dr Nupur J Krishnan. Metabolism varies vastly from person to person, depending on factors like age, sex and weight.

If you starve yourself in the morning, the signal that your body gets is that food supplies are low and whatever meal comes in next has to be stored as fat. Fruits contain fibre that is essential for the metabolic process.

”The normal BMR range is 1,200-1,300 for women and 1,400-1,600 for men. People with a sluggish metabolism may find it difficult to lose weight,” adds Dr Krishnan.

If your doctor finds your metabolism slower than normal and you’re having a hard time losing weight, here are 10 tips from the pros on how to speed up the burner.

Build muscle
The body burns more calories in maintaining muscle tissue than it does with fat. Regular cardiovascular exercise that trims fat, and weight training that helps build muscle mass will definitely rev up your metabolism.

“Weight training is the best way to raise your metabolic rate and burn more calories. It adds to your overall weight loss – the more lean muscle tissue there is, the more calories the body burns at rest,” says fitness expert Leena Mogre.

“Weight training causes muscles to breakdown and then rebuild themselves better when you’re resting, which increases muscle mass, which in turn increases metabolic rate,” says Ritesh Patil, fitness consultant and operations manager, Sykz Gym.

Aerobic exercise
Any form of cardiovascular exercise raises the body’s BMR for over an hour or so after the workout. “People with very sluggish metabolism are often advised more cardiovascular workouts to increase their rate of burn,” says Mogre.

Small, frequent meals
You stimulate your metabolism every time you eat. So six small meals a day will actually help you burn more calories than three large ones. The body utilises multiple packets of nutrients in smaller meals much better than it does a single load of nutrients from one large meal.

“Keeping up this eating pattern will boost your BMR in the long run,” says Mogre.

Never skip breakfast
It’s the first meal of the day when you literally break your fast after eight to 10 hours of sleep, so a good breakfast provides a critical energy surge as you begin your day.

“A proper breakfast also keeps your energy levels high throughout the day,” says Anjum Shaikh, chief nutritionist, Sykz Gym.

Skipping breakfast could actually leave you piled with extra kilos of fat. “If you starve yourself in the morning, the signal that your body gets is that food supplies are low and whatever meal comes in next has to be stored as fat. Starving yourself for too long also leads to muscle breakdown,” says Mogre.

Don’t cut off carbohydrates
The first thing most of us do to lose weight is cut down on carbohydrate or starchy food.

Bread, pastries, pastas become off limits. “But drastically reducing carbohydrate intake can reduce the body’s metabolic rate. You have to eat enough carbohydrates to keep your metabolism high. And cutting carbohydrates totally is never a good idea,” says Shaikh.

Pack in the proteins Protein-rich foods like egg whites, chicken, fish, dal, and sprouts don’t directly cause your metabolism to shoot up. “But protein and calcium absorbed by the body through milk and milk products will help strengthen your bones, increase your lean body mass, and thus your BMR,” says Shaikh.

Managing thyroid trouble
Improper functioning of the thyroid gland, which manages your body’s metabolism, can slow down weight loss. “People with hypothyroidism don’t produce enough thyroid hormone, which leaves them with a slow metabolism. But it’s not impossible for them to increase their metabolism,” says Dr Krishnan.

Eating right is critical. “Avoid foods like cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, turnip, broccoli, soyabeans and tofu. These are rich in goitrogens, a substance that interferes with the functioning of the thyroid gland. Those suffering from hypothyroidism should especially avoid these foods,” says Shaikh.

Drink lots of water
Water is directly involved in the metabolism process and the more you have of it, the higher your BMR. But that doesn’t mean indiscriminately gulping down 10-12 glasses per day. “It’s no longer a blanket rule applied to everyone. If you sit at a desk in an air-conditioned space, you don’t need 12 glasses of water a day, simply because there’s hardly any loss of water due to sweating.

Up to eight glasses a day is good enough to keep your metabolism running,” says Dr Krishnan.

Trim the trans fat
The reason is simple. Too much fat or oil intake increases the body’s fat percentage, which slows down metabolism. “Avoid junk food and oily snacks – they only make your system sluggish and lower your metabolism,” says Shaikh.

Metabolism boosters Complex carbohydrates and high-fibre vegetables and cereals burn more calories than simple carbohydrates and are more likely to get your metabolism going than a large serving of French fries.

“Eat lots of colored vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, red and yellow capsicum. These are rich in anti-oxidants and phytochemicals that help the fat burning process,” says Dr Krishnan.

Your metabolic rate determines how much calories your body can use up in a particular daily. A very metabolic rate amounts to high calories burnt or being used up. If you have a metabolic rate, then you won’t won’t be burning calories at a faster rate.

Any one who is trying to lose weight must maintain a fairly high metabolic rate but unfortunately, many people who want to lose weight have bad diet plan. Please hardly exercise, many still skip meals or at worst go about starving themselves all in the name of losing weight. For many, it takes a drastic change in their daily eating and exercise habits for them to finally lose weight. It might seem hard, but it can be done!

Though it usually seem hard to increase your metabolism but you can increase your metabolism by following the under listed tips.

1. First before the start – make sure you are ready for this

Ask yourself the following questions:

a)Do you really want to lose weight? b) Is dieting right for you? c) do you have enough motivation ? d) Are you able to devote 20-30% of your time to your body? e) Would you accept the things you can not change? f) would you be ready to have a change in your lifestyle? g) Do your family and friends support you?

If your can answer yes to all or majority of the above questions, then you are ready and on your weight to increase your metabolism and lose weight.

2. Workout smartly

You can increase your metabolism and lose weight by engaging in 3-to-4 short 10 minute work outs instead of the usually tedious 30-40 minute work out.

Medical researches at the University of Pittsburg shows that women who divide their 30 to 40 minute work outs into 4 10 minutes work out sessions lost 20 or more pounds while another group of women who did 1 big 40 minute work out only lost 14 pounds.

The reason for this is, when you engage in short 3-4 10 minutes work out sessions, you are not giving your metabolism any time to rest or slow down.

3. Eat little and often – There is no point in over eating and eating less or starving yourself is also dangerous to your weight loss progress – moderation is the name of the game. There’s evidence that eating small, regular meals throughout the day, instead of the normal one or two big meals or starving yourself, may help to keep your metabolism ticking over. You need to know that around 10 % of your daily calorie intake goes on digesting and absorbing food – this means the more times you eat, the more the effect on your metabolism.

4.Drink More Water

One of the best weight loss secrets is to ditch the sodas and stick to water! Experts say you should drink approximately eight glasses of water a day to stay hydrated and healthy. Instead of turning to calorie-laden or sugar-rich drinks, grab a refreshing glass of water. In addition to flushing toxins out of your system, drinking water encourages you to build muscle.

5. Work Out with Weights

One great way to maximize the amount of fat you are burning is to add a weight program to your work out routine. Weight training will not only tone your physique, but will strengthen your body and improve your general health. Lifting weights will also burn calories and fat more quickly than traditional exercising, and it will also boost your metabolism.

6. Aerobic/cardio Work out : Aerobic/cardio workout helps in the reduction of fat and an increase in metabolic rate. Ensure to do serious aerobic/cardio workout for at least 3-4 times per week. Doing this will not only help you lose weight but also help spike up your body metabolism. Many weight loss experts believe more calories are being burnt doing aerobic/cardio training but the truth is that you are not only burning calories during aerobic/cardio workouts but also preparing your body to burn more calories even after the workout sessions. Short cardio sessions ( 10 – 20 minutes ) for at least four times per week will help increase body metabolic rate so as to burn off more calories even when sleeping or resting.

7. Do not Skip Meals : Eat regular small meals instead of infrequent big ones -you won’t feel as hungry and your body will use more energy in digestion and also keeps your blood sugar level balanced. Instead of eating 3 big meals, try to eat 5 – 6 smaller meals throughout the day.

8. Passionately kiss your partner 10 times a day. According to a medical by kinsey Institute report on sex, passionately kiss your partner helps your burn as much as 6.4 calories per minute which Ten minutes a day of kissing equates to about 23,000 calories — or eight pounds — a year!

This is a scary study – a major European study has found that a thick waist almost doubles the risk of premature death, showing there’s nothing lovely about love handles.

Importantly, the risk is similar even when body mass index (BMI) fell within normal range, according to the authors of the study of 359,000 people aged 51.9 on average, including 65.4 percent women, appearing in Thursday’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The research found that excess fat stored around the middle of the body was a major health risk even when people are not considered obese or even overweight by statistical BMI standards.

In fact, each five centimetre increase in waist size increased the risk of death by 17 percent in men and 13 percent in women.

“The most important result of our study is the finding that not just being overweight, but also the distribution of body fat, affects the risk of premature death of each individual,” said Tobias Pischon, the lead author of the paper from the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam-Rehbr�cke.

The data should encourage physicians to routinely measure patients’ waists as well as their BMI on routine office visits, according to the study carried out by the Imperial College London (GB), German Institute for Human Nutrition and other European participants.

“The good news is that you don’t need to take an expensive test and wait ages for the result to assess this aspect of your health – it costs virtually nothing to measure your waist and hip size,” said Elio Riboli, the European coordinator of the EPIC study from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Imperial College London.

“If you have a large waist, you probably need to increase the amount of exercise you do every day, avoid excessive alcohol consumption and improve your diet. This could make a huge difference in reducing your risk of an early death.”