Low Caloric Diets- protein at EVERY meal

Today’s Repowering information – This article is by Tom Venuto. . It explains why I also recommend you have a protein at EVERY meal and watch your portion sizes as well as create a small caloric deficit each day. This is a Q&A from Tom’s Newsletter about cutting carbs for weight loss.


QUESTION: Tom, I've been reading your stuff for years and I also read a lot of other sites and message boards including some of the low carb boards. I have finally come to the conclusion, both from all my reading and my personal experience, that the idea that one will lose weight just by cutting carbs is a myth.

And I welcome anyone who thinks they can to go ahead and try to prove me wrong. I'm not looking for a fight of course, just looking for good information and discussion.

Consider the following two situations; each involves an identical male who requires 3,000 calories/day to maintain his current weight.

SITUATION #1: The individual reduces his calories to 2,500/day, which theoretically will result in losing one pound/week. The individual divides his calories so 60% (1500) come from Carbs and the remainder come from Fat and Protein. Will he lose weight even though he's eating a lot of Carbs? I believe the answer is YES because even though the carbs are high (60%), he is in a calorie deficit.

SITUATION #2 The individual adopts a Low Carb Diet by eating only 25 grams of Carbs daily (100 calories). He then eats an additional 2900 calories of Fat and Protein. Will he lose weight?
I believe the answer is NO because even though the carbs are low, he is eating at his maintenance level.

Now, I understand that there are advantages to controlling insulin and reducing Carbs, including some health benefits for some people, but what I often don't see on the low carb benefit list is the impact that fat has on controlling appetite.
I believe that Fat satiates even the largest appetite, causing you to eat less.

Therefore, I believe that the reason a Low Carb Diet works is because people who follow it eat fewer calories.

I would love to get your feedback on this Tom and if you or any of your newsletter or blog readers have any studies or information proving me wrong, please let me know.

Thank you

John in Texas

PS. I realize I'm not the first to question a Low Carb diet, so my apologies if this has been discussed in your newsletters before.


ANSWER:

Thanks for your well-thought out question John. Yes, we've
discussed this before, but it's timely and worth discussing
again, especially with some of the long-term research that
was just published earlier this year.

You are preaching to the choir though, my friend. You are
right, fat loss hinges on calories in versus calories out.

BUT -- and there is a big BUT -- we really need to make some
distinctions about low carb and high protein so we don't
throw out the baby with the bathwater. Low carb has some
advantages. More importantly, so does high protein.

Heres where most of the confusion comes from in this whole
low carb thing:

Are we talking about low carb in a free-living / ad-libitum
(non calorie counting) situation, or are we talking about a
laboratory-controlled study or a strict calorie-counting
situation?

This makes all the difference because in a free-living,
situation, low carb almost always beats high carb for
weight loss, especially in the early weeks and months on
the program.

This can be partly explained by water weight and glycogen
loss in the initial weeks, but also by actual greater fat
loss during the early stages.

However, this is not because of "metabolic advantage" of
low carbs over high carbs, it is because subjects in these
types of studies ate less in the low carb group.

In other words, low carb diets usually control appetite
better, when calories are not counted,... i.e. you get
automatic calorie control.

So you are correct in your conclusion.

Furthermore, it's difficult to eat too much when you remove
an entire group of calorie dense foods (sugars and starches)
which are a food group responsible for providing a huge
portion of the calories in most people's diets.

Sure, you can overeat on dietary fat as well, at least
in a mixed diet, but apparently not easily in the absence
of carbs.

Now, heres the kicker...

As soon as you start controlling calories.. I mean hospital
ward or research facility controlled, where the subjects
cannot pick and choose their own food, and instead, the food
is weighed and measured and almost literally spoon fed to
the subjects, the difference in weight loss between low
carb and high carb shrinks or even vanishes.

In other words, when calories are matched, there is little
or no difference in fat loss between a high carb and low carb
diet, when dietary fats and carbs are the variables manipulated.

In the long term studies, even more valuable data has emerged...

The big study by the New England Journal of Medicine that got all
that publicity earlier this year confirmed it once again...

Even though low carb diets work better in the short term for
weight loss in free living subjects, the advantage decreases
by month six, and disappears after a year or two.

The moral of the story is (drumroll please)...

Most people don't stick with ANY type of diet very well for very long.

And... the extreme low carb diets in particular have lower long
term adherence rates and poor long term maintenance rates.

Now, this does not mean that low carb diets do not have
benefits. They certainly do, and some of them are health
related (which is beyond the scope of this column).

Others are fat loss related...

If you automatically eat less due to appetite suppression and
removal of calorie dense foods, that is clearly an advantage,
it's just not the advantage that most low carb advocates
suggest.

There is no proof of metabolic advantage purely from
restriction of carbs and insulin does not lead to obesity
in a cause and effect sense, insulin merely plays a role
in the process of partioning surplus carbs into fat stores
or in suppressing fat release.

Insulin is important to manage, but not the deciding factor
in whether you lose fat or not.

One change in macronutrients that DOES help fat loss is an
increase in protein. Protein is highly thermogenic - about 30%.

So 30% of the energy in protein is not available for potential
fat storage, as it is metabolized just in the digestion process.

So in reality, you could say it's the higher protein, NOT
the reduced carbs, that provides the real advantage!

Ironically, a high protein diet is not always low in carbs.
Take the 40-40-20 macro split from BFFM (or BFL) for example.
40% of calories from protein is very high. And yet 40% carbs
is not very low!

The protein-induced thermodynamic advantage is somewhat small,
but it's significant if a large shift in protein intake is made
as is the case with a 30-40% protein program.

For example, the old food pyramid/ traditional dietician-style
diet is 15% protein. Research from the University of Washington
School of Medicine showed that when protein is doubled to 30%
(replacing carbs), there is a small but measureable advantage
even when matched calorie for calorie.

In free living studies, the advantage is even larger because
protein is a great appetite suppressant and is highly satiating.

In fact, protein NOT FAT, is the most satiating nutrient.

It appears that fat is psychologically satiating, but protein
is the hands down winner as the most satiating, appetite
suppressing macronutrient, physiologically speaking.

Thus, a protein with every meal and a 30% (or even higher) ratio of
protein is conducive to better fat loss - which incidentally is
EXACTLY how the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle program is set up



End





Have a peaceful day,

Know your Food Serving Sizes

Serving Sizes



Don’t have a measuring cup, but need to know how many servings are on your plate? Use visual cues to help you. Here’s how:

One serving of meat, poultry, or fish =
a deck of cards or the size of your palm



One serving of cheese (1½ oz.)=
size of six dice or 2 fingers (1 cubic inch = 5 g fat)



One serving of bread, cooked cereal, pasta, or rice = size of a small fist or a hockey puck





End.



Keep these sizes in mind when cooking, filling your plate, or thinking about going back for seconds.

Drinking calories and weight gain

Today’s Re-Powering Information – First off, I love today’s quote. It’s the difference between knowing and doing. 99% of people would agree that exercise is important and good for them, yet less than 14% of our population exercises on a regular enough bases to see any benefit! Can you believe that? They know its good, you don’t need anything fancy to do it and yet so few people engage. You are the elite, in the minority! So I want to congratulate you on making fitness a priority. It will serve you in every area of your life. If I was not physically fit I don’t’ know how I would have gotten through some of the emotionally, financially, spiritually, socially, professionally and physically challenging times of my life. You are always in a better position when you are strong and healthy.



Speaking of knowing and doing, I know many of you enjoy an adult beverage. It’s only Monday but it is Cinco De Mayo tomorrow – another reason to . .. you guessed it – DRINK! Below are some facts on alcohol calories that may just limit or eliminate you drinking your calories. The average American drinks 300 calories a day. If you cut out one 12 oz caloric beverage (soda, juice, coffee, milk, wine, alcohol) you would automatically lost at least 2 pounds in a years time. That may not sound like a lot, but in 10 years it adds up – compared to putting that weight on!



Read on for more facts.

Many unaware of alcohol calories

Red wine in an off licence

The campaign is focusing on the calorie content of alcohol

Many people are unaware of the calorie content of alcohol, a survey shows.

Four in 10 did not know a glass of wine has the same calories (120) as a slice of cake, or that a pint of lager and a small sausage roll have 170 each.

The poll of 2,000 adults in England was carried out as part of the government's drive to curb people's drinking habits.

The campaign also stresses that a heavy drinking session is often followed by an unhealthy breakfast, which again helps to pile on the pounds.

The Know Your Limits campaign has in the past focused on other consequences of drinking, such as disease risk.

Alcohol and food calories compared

But to coincide with the focus on weight, the Department of Health carried out research showing a regular beer drinker, who downed five pints a week or 250 over the course of a year, packed away the same number of calories as someone eating 221 doughnuts over the space of 12 months.

It also revealed the average wine drinker consumed 2,000 calories each month. Over the course of a year, that is the equivalent of eating an extra 38 roast beef dinners.

Health minister Phil Hope said: "Regularly drinking more than our recommended daily limits can have a knock-on effect on our health, including an expanding waistline.

"It's not only the calories in the drinks themselves that can help to pile on the pounds, we're also more likely to eat fatty foods when we've had one too many."

Heather Caswell, of the British Nutrition Foundation, added: "Most people would baulk at consuming a full glass of single cream, but wouldn't think twice about a couple of pints.

"But the calorie content is similar and, over time, excess alcohol intake is likely to lead to weight gain."

And a spokesman for the Drinkaware Trust added: It's imperative we are in the know when it comes to what we are drinking. "






End



You are equipped to reach your desired outcomes. Follow through in a massive way!

Today’s Re-Powering Information: - Today’s information is about carbs in the diet. Dr. Atkins did a great thing when he brout to the attention of Americans that we were over consuming carbs. The mistake he made is that all carbs were lumped together and the truth is that all carbs are not created equal. You want to have some of the whole grain lower glycemic carbs such as steel cut oats, quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes, etc. We want to avoid the processed carbs found in baked goods, white breads, white pasta, cereal, etc. Below is some new research on the effects of fructose on putting fat onto our body as well as Dr. Mercola’s take on the article. Remember these are Dr. Mercola’s opinions. I happen to agree with most of what he says and he goes against most conventional medicine.

Some Carbs Turn to Fat Fast in Your Body

According to new research, people on low-carb diets lose weight in part because they get less fructose, a type of sugar that can be made into body fat quickly.

The study shows that the type of carbs someone eats can be as important as the amount. Although fructose is naturally found in high levels in fruit, it is also added to many processed foods, especially in the form of high-fructose corn syrup.

For the study, six healthy people performed three different tests involving drinking various mixes of glucose and fructose. Researchers found that fructose turned into body fat much more quickly, and that having it for breakfast changed how the body handled fats at lunch.
Sources:
• NBC5 July 25, 2008
• Journal of Nutrition June 2008, 138:1039-1046

How Women Can Use This Simple Fat Tweak to Improve Their Health

Find Out More



Dr. Mercola's Comments:
It’s great to find this study is bringing some attention to the dangers of fructose. So often it’s mistakenly labeled as a “healthy” form of sugar, when in reality too much fructose will pack on the pounds faster than a buffet of French fries and Krispy Cremes.

If you need to lose weight, fructose is one type of sugar you’ll want to avoid, particularly in the form of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Actually, even if you don’t need to lose weight, you should still avoid excess fructose if you want to stay healthy.

Eating + Fructose = Fat

Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar.

"Our study shows for the first time the surprising speed with which humans make body fat from fructose," said Dr. Elizabeth Parks, associate professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center and lead author of the study in Science Daily.

“Once you start the process of fat synthesis from fructose, it's hard to slow it down," she said. “ … The bottom line of this study is that fructose very quickly gets made into fat in the body."

How does this happen?

Well, most fats are formed in your liver, and when sugar enters your liver, it decides whether to store it, burn it or turn it into fat. Fructose, however, bypasses this process and turns full speed ahead into fat.

"It's basically sneaking into the rock concert through the fence," Dr. Parks told Science Daily. "It's a less-controlled movement of fructose through these pathways that causes it to contribute to greater triglyceride [i.e. fat] synthesis.”

Ironically, the very products that most people rely on to lose weight -- low-fat diet foods -- are often those that contain the most fructose! Even “natural” diet foods often contain fructose as a sweetener.

Fat is Not the Only Downside to Fructose

Aside from the weight gain, eating too much fructose is linked to increases in triglyceride levels. In one study, eating fructose raised triglyceride levels by 32 percent in men!

Triglycerides, the chemical form of fat found in foods and in your body, are not something you want in excess amounts. Intense research over the past 40 years has confirmed that elevated blood levels of triglycerides, known as hypertriglyceridemia, puts you at an increased risk of heart disease.

Meanwhile, one of the most thorough scientific analyses published to date on this topic found that fructose consumption leads to “decreased signaling to the central nervous system from 2 hormones (leptin and insulin).”

Leptin is responsible for controlling your appetite and fat storage, as well as telling your liver what to do with its stored glucose. When your body can no longer “hear” leptin’s signals, weight gain, diabetes and a host of related conditions may occur.

“The long-term consumption of diets high in … fructose is likely to lead to increased energy intake, weight gain, and obesity,” the analysis concluded. “The potential for weight gain from increased fructose consumption may only represent one aspect of its metabolic consequences.”

Are You Eating More Fructose Than You Realize?

Since the 1970s the consumption of HFCS in the United States has skyrocketed. The largest contributor is easily soda (The number one source of calories in America!), for which HFCS is the primary sweetener. But HFCS is not only in sugary drinks. It’s in the vast majority of processed foods, even those you wouldn’t think of as sweet, such as ketchup, soup, salad dressing, bread and crackers.

So even if you don’t drink soda, if you eat processed foods you’re likely consuming fructose -- and a lot of it.

Beware of HFCS Propaganda

To further complicate matters, the Corn Refiners Association recently launched a major advertising and PR campaign designed to rehabilitate HFCS’ reputation. The group is spending $20 million to $30 million on the campaign, including running full-page ads in more than a dozen major newspapers, claiming that the product is no worse for you than sugar.

This, of course, is not true.

The Corn Growers Association wants you to believe that HFCS has the "same natural sweeteners as table sugar and honey." But don’t fall for it. HFCS is highly processed and does not exist anywhere in nature.

The Safest Sweeteners Around?

Ideally I recommend that you avoid sugar, in all forms. This is especially important for people who are overweight or have diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

But if you’re looking for the occasional sweet treat, I recommend, in this order:
1. The herb stevia (this is the best and safest sweetener, although illegal to use according to the FDA)
2. Raw, organic honey
3. Organic cane sugar

I recommend avoiding all other types of sugar, including fructose, HFCS, and any type of artificial sweeteners. The easiest way to do this is to stop drinking soda and stop eating processed foods.

Small amounts of whole fruit, which do contain fructose, are not a problem. If you’re healthy, you can enjoy fruit in moderation according to your nutritional type.


End
Again I agree with Dr. Mercola’s comments regarding sugar. Alcohol is a sugar and like alcohol, sugar must be weaned off. Like alcohol, the more you have the more you want. When giving up sugar or alcohol you may have headaches, cravings and be grumpy initially, but then something incredible happens when you are without sugar . . . you feel great, your energy soars, you crave healthy things! Than if you have sugar when you are not used to it you feel like you are drugged b/c of the effects. – brain fog, lethargic, no energy, headache, etc.

Your friend in fitness,

Kelli Calabrese
www.KelliCalabrese.com
www.ArgyleBootCamp.com
Kelli@KelliCalabrese.com