Meet Jeremy, this is his story, in his words. He wrote this testimoniel back in December 2015. He is still training with me now (February 2019), 4 days a week and has lost nearly 30kg (fluctuating a little over Christmas)
“I was fat. Now I’m not so fat, and well on my way to being not fat, if 12 kgs in as many weeks is anything to go by. I think it is. Perhaps I’m easily pleased, but I think it’s a fair measure. And I dig the idea of ‘not fat’. ‘Not fat’ sounds great.
But it’s no solo flight. Not for me, at least. I’m not sure about you, but I need motivation, and something to keep me honest.
I’ve tried the cattle class gym thing numerous times, saddling up in the same paddock as all those well-kept, well shorn, finely sculpted folk. You know the type. There when you arrive, there when you leave — do they even sleep? — never swaggering too far from their own reflection, and bellowing like a heifer in heat. The only thing larger than their guns is a phone full of selfies.
So, what to do?
I needed something — or someone — to keep me accountable and comfortable at the same time. And confident. That’s crucial as well.
Cue Lea. She does that for me (and her private gym — yay!). Thanks, Lea. You’re very welcome, Jezza. See? Lea’s good like that. She’s an honest broker.
I confess I struggled at first, putting in the hard yards with little result. It was all a bit of a head scratch. But then I happened upon a radical idea. When Lea said “try this… get your bloods looked at, check your levels, eat less of this, more of that… definitely none of that, what were you thinking?” — I took her advice. And with a wave of a not-so-magical-scientific-wand, I shifted from rotund-puffin-mode to Wicked-Witch-of-the-East-I’m-melting-mode. P.S. Despite what the story might suggest, water’s your friend.
Seems like the ‘P’ in Professional Trainer actually means something. It’s not window dressing, after all. Well, certainly not in Lea’s case.
You obviously have to put the effort in. There’s no secret sauce on offer here, but Lea will definitely help you get your particular recipe right. Sure, she trains well shorn set as well, but happily took on a shlob like me with a smile on her dial. She’s loves a challenge. 😉 Just listen, apply, and the results will come.
So, if you’re like me, and you need someone there to push you, keep you motivated, keep things fresh, and you’re not a fan of cattle class, then I can’t recommend Lea strongly enough; though I suspect she’ll fix that too — the strength bit, that is.”
How did he do it?
Wow impressed with Jeremy’s nice arms while he was doing bent over extensions
Love that shoulder and tricep definition.
Simple, he started fasting. Using the Dr Michael Mosely method of 5:2. Two days a week, he eats only 600 calories. The other days are fairly free, but still healthy. He only consumes alcohol on rare special occasions.
4 Days a week he trains with me. We do a combination of traditional weights, circuit training, super sets, push / pull days. All sorts of exciting things. I mix up the repetition protocols to always shock his body. You need to be uncomfortable to create change.
Jeremy has found a healthy weight loss and fitness regime that suits his lifestyle. This is not a diet, exercise is not a chore. This is his life. He also plays sports twice a week.
I am so very proud of Jeremy and am honored to have been a part of his transformation into a fit and slimmer version of himself.
By William Cole, D.C., IFMCPFunctional Medicine Practitioner
Weight loss is a struggle that many people deal with their whole lives, often with little to no success. The problem is getting more serious by the day.
We can see evidence of this rising epidemic through the ever-increasing amount of fad diets claiming to be the magic solution for all our weight loss troubles. Unfortunately, contrary to what conventional medicine may tell you, weight loss is more than just a matter of “calories in, calories out,” and restricting your food intake is not necessarily the key to losing weight. For the majority of people, sustainable weight loss is anything but a simple formula.
Weight gain is way more complex than we think.
Over the years we’ve thought about weight gain as the cause of health problems, but an inability to lose weight is often a symptom of an underlying health problem that has yet to be addressed. In other words, a person’s inability to lose weight could be a side effect of poor health instead of the cause. To put it simply: We must get healthy to lose weight, not lose weight to get healthy.
When it comes to stubborn weight loss, one of the biggest complaints I hear about is the extra fat that shows up quickly around the midsection—and then never wants to leave. This type of fat is known as visceral fat. Unlike subcutaneous fat, which is stored just under the skin and can be found in other areas of the body, visceral fat is located around your midsection all the way inside the abdominal cavity.
Due to its location closer to vital organs of your body, this type of fat greatly increases your risk for serious health problems. Since visceral fat cells are released directly into your blood, they end up making their way into your liver, pancreas, heart, and other vital organs—which is a problem considering these fat cells contain excess triglycerides that end up pumping harmful free fatty acids into cells that are not designed to store fat. It’s vitally important to reduce this type of fat as much as possible.
So how do we go about this? As I mentioned before, losing this type of fat takes more than just eating like a rabbit and restricting how much food you consume. There are a few key things that, when out of whack, can greatly affect how well your body burns fat, specifically visceral fat. One of them is your hormone health.
Why your stress hormone is causing belly fat.
Your hormones are the messengers of your body, sending instructions from one area to the next so your organs can properly perform their necessary functions. Needless to say, when one hormone goes awry, it can inhibit your fat-burning ability. After years of studying and clinical experience, I have seen one hormone imbalance correlated time and time again with a person’s amount of visceral fat: cortisol.
Cortisol is your body’s main stress hormone. It’s released by your adrenal glands and starts out high in the morning to help wake you up and slowly tapers off throughout the day. Your “sleepy time” hormone, melatonin, is inversely proportional to cortisol, starting off low in the morning and increasing in the evening to help you get to sleep. Cortisol imbalances are a common hormone problem that throws off this natural daily rhythm, causing cortisol to be high when it should be low, low when it should be high, or always low, or always high.
Studies have looked at this relationship between cortisol and weight extensively and have found a significant link between cortisol levels and increased weight, specifically that stubborn visceral fat in both men and women. In fact, one study looked at the cortisol levels of 41 women and found that those with high levels of visceral fat had significantly greater cortisol spikes during times of stress as well as for a full hour after the stressful event had passed. Yikes.
Firstly, have you noticed a goopy, cobweb-like substance floating near the bottom of the bottle of your Apple Cider Vinegar? This is called “the mother.”
The mother is essentially a ball of acetic acid, cellulose (fiber), enzymes, and bacteria. In other words, it’s where all of the “good stuff” is concentrated. The mother is what gives ACV its murky, cloudy appearance. If you want all the benefits from your Apple Cider Vinegar, than you want the unfiltered type, containing the mother.
1. Powerful Antibacterial Properties Acetic acid is powerful enough to kill off the mycobacteria that can cause tuberculosis. And mycobacteria are one of the most difficult types of bacteria to destroy. They are often referred to as the most disinfectant-resistant bacteria.
Based on these findings, studies suggest that acetic acid is powerful enough to kill other types of bacteria, which makes it useful as a non-toxic disinfectant for produce, as well as a good household cleaning agent to disinfect toilets, countertops, and other surfaces.
2. Promotes Natural Weight Loss One of the biggest “hypes” about drinking apple cider vinegar is that it’s a metabolism-boosting, fat-burning weight loss tonic. And we won’t lie: It’d be nice if ACV alone was enough to melt off those unwanted pounds, especially after the holidays.
Unfortunately, the apple cider vinegar weight loss myth is very much a myth. However, the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar can help balance high blood sugar, which may promote slow, gradual body weight loss.
One study showed that acetic acid could help reduce the body’s insulin response to refined carbohydrates (read: less of a spike and crash), which is a primary mechanism that triggers fat storage. The people who participated in this particular study also said they felt more satisfied after meals when they consumed vinegar with white bread, compared to those who ate the bread alone.
This may also explain why vinegar tea is one of the oldest folk remedies for controlling diabetes, as insulin resistance is considered a precursor to Type 2 diabetes.
3. Reduces Sugar Cravings One of the reasons we get intense sugar cravings is because of blood sugar spikes and crashes. Those crashes are often the result of eating refined carbohydrates, which cause a rapid fluctuation in blood sugar levels. Since the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar is shown to help balance blood sugar levels, if you drink apple cider vinegar with or before meals you may prevent sugar cravings throughout the day.
4. Helps With Nutrient Absorption Tossing your greens in apple cider vinegar, or drizzling it over your veggies may help you absorb their essential vitamins and minerals in those foods easier. It’s said that acetic acid can help improve nutrient uptake, especially iron . This is a major health benefit for those who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, as plant iron (non-heme iron) is more difficult for the body to absorb than heme iron, which comes from animal products.
5. Boosts Immunity Some research shows that apple cider vinegar has antiviral, anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it a good natural remedy to have around during cold and flu season — both as a preventative measure and as a food to eat when you’re sick or have a sore throat .
6. Acts as a Natural Food Preservative If you’re looking for an effective way to make your food last longer, adding apple cider vinegar may do the trick. One study found that acetic acid was effective for preventing the growth of food-borne pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella .
7. Makes Bone Broth More Nutritious While apple cider vinegar is considered a superfood itself, it can also help make other superfoods more nutritious — especially bone broth. This is because the acid in apple cider vinegar has the ability to draw out minerals from the bones, such as calcium and magnesium .
If you’ve ever made bone broth before, you know that the 10 or more hours of simmering time for the bones and connective tissue is essential for extracting nutrients, such as collagen.
It’s these essential minerals that make bone broth one of the best foods to eat for energy, which is why we use apple cider vinegar as a key ingredient in our Kettle & Fire Bone Broth.
By adding apple cider vinegar to our broth as we simmer organic chicken or grass-fed cattle bones, we can provide you with a bone broth that’s bursting with nutrition.
ACV for Digestion: a Popular (But Unsupported) Claim There are many acclaimed health benefits of apple cider vinegar consumption you’ll find online, but unfortunately, there’s limited research to back some of them up. One of the most discussed health benefits of ACV is that it improves digestion, especially when it comes to bloating, acid reflux, and chronic digestive conditions like candida .
What we do know, is that apple cider vinegar does contain pectin, which is a type of fiber that acts as a prebiotic and helps keep your digestive system healthy. Some people also swear by using apple cider vinegar to help soothe acid reflux and to aid with protein digestion before heavy meals.
If you’re looking to use apple cider vinegar to improve your digestion, the best way to find out if it works is to give it a try yourself. After all, apple cider vinegar is a nutritious food that’s considered safe in small amounts (up to 1 to 2 tablespoons per day) with little side effects, so you don’t have anything to lose by giving it a try.
Cautions With Apple Cider Vinegar We have one word of advice when it comes to apple cider vinegar: Don’t drink it straight. Add it to some water. The acid in undiluted apple cider vinegar is extremely strong and can weaken your tooth enamel, leaving you more prone to cavities.
What’s not to love about a Tuna Bake? Well, tuna some people may answer. If that is the case you can swap it out for Chicken or maybe Salmon.
But for all you lovers of the canned fish, this recipe is for you. Why is tuna so good – it is inexpensive and packed with protein. The fish is mild in flavor and versatile enough to include in a variety of nutritious recipes. Opt for tuna canned in water, and a serving contains less than 1 gram of fat and only about 100 calories. You’ll also get a good dose iron and potassium as well.
And a word of warning, my first attempt making this tuna bake, I used a springform baking tin. This was a disaster! The egg mixture leaked out the bottom. So I had to very undelicately tip it all into the other 2 tins you can see in the photo. Also, in the photo you will see I had already had a slice. It smelt so delicious, and I was so hungry I ate some before I remembered I needed to take some photos. Oooops.
This recipe is quick and simple to make. It is perfect for feed a whole family, or it do as your meal prep for the week.
Filled with protein, healthy fats, low carbohydrates, and resistant starch.
Serve with a crisp green salad or coleslaw.
Course Main Course
Keyword dinner, main meal, Tuna & Rice Bake, tuna bake
Prep Time12minutes
Cook Time50minutes
Total Time1hour2minutes
Servings8
Ingredients
3/4 cup Brown Rice Cook & then cool so it becomes a resistant starch
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Brown onion, medium & finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
2 stalks Celery, finely chopped
1 Red capsicum, medium, finely chopped
425 g Tuna can, in springwater, drained & flaked
1/4 cup Basil, fresh, chopped
8 Eggs
1/3 cup Cream
2/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated Or you can use low fat grated cheese
1 – 2 whole Tomato, sliced
Instructions
* Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced.
* Grease a 6cm deep, 22cm (base) round cake pan. Line base and side with baking paper.
* Cook rice following packet directions.
* Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat.
* Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until onion has softened.
* Add celery and capsicum. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are just tender.
* Remove from heat.
* Stir in tuna, basil and rice.
* Spoon the mixture into prepared pan.
* Whisk eggs, cream and parmesan in a bowl.
* Season with salt and pepper.
* Pour over rice mixture.
* Place sliced tomatoes on top of mixture.
* Tap the pan on the bench to remove air bubbles.
* Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until browned and cooked through.
* Stand in pan for 5 minutes.
If you still aren’t convinced about the benefits of eating Tuna, then here are some of it’s nutritional qualities:
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
The small amount of fat present in canned light tuna is mostly the healthy unsaturated kind, including omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids support a healthy brain and promote proper growth and development. These essential fatty acids reduce inflammation in your body, which can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer and arthritis. Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to lowering high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and they aid in the treatment of certain mental disorders such as depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Niacin
A 3-ounce serving of canned light tuna contains 11.3 milligrams of niacin toward the 14 milligrams women need each day and the 16 milligrams that men need. Niacin is a B-vitamin that helps keep your digestive system, skin and nerves healthy. Niacin supplements might help reduce harmful cholesterol levels and increase beneficial cholesterol as well, according to the website MedlinePlus. A niacin deficiency can cause skin disorders and mental problems.
Vitamin B12
You need 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 each day, and a 3-ounce serving of canned light tuna supplies 2.5 micrograms. Vitamin B12 supports the normal function of your brain and also aids in the formation of red blood cells. You also need vitamin B12 for DNA production and to help your body to turn the food you eat into usable energy.
Last reviewed Tue 7 August 2018 By Lana Barhum Reviewed by Katherine Marengo LDN, RD
The importance of the post-workout snack Eating a snack post-workout will help the body replenish lost energy. During exercise, the muscles use up stored glucose, called glycogen, and levels become depleted.
Endurance sports, such as running, use up more glycogen than resistance activities, such as weightlifting. Another effect of exercise is that the muscles develop small tears. Getting the right nutritional balance after exercise restores energy levels and reduces fatigue, helping the body to build strength for future workouts.
Proteins, carbohydrates, and healthful fats are all essential for the body’s recovery.
Protein Exercise supports muscle growth, but the body can only build upon existing muscles if they recover after each workout.
Consuming protein after exercise helps the muscles to heal and prevents the loss of lean mass. Lean mass contributes to a muscular and toned appearance.
Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are micronutrients that help the body to recharge and restore its fuel supply.
Anyone who exercises more than seven times a week should consume plenty of carbohydrates, as they quickly replenish glycogen levels.
What about fat? Many people believe that consuming fat after exercising slows digestion and the absorption of nutrients. For some types of fat, this may be true.
However, there is little information about the post-workout effects of fat calories. It may be a good idea to limit fat intake after exercise, but low levels of fat are unlikely to inhibit recovery.
The following are examples of foods and compounds that help the body to absorb nutrients quickly and speed recovery.
Dairy protein According to research published in 2017, as few as 9 grams (g) of milk protein may be enough to stimulate protein synthesis in the muscles, aiding in recovery after exercise.
Other than milk, dairy products rich in protein include: Greek yogurt, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese
kefir In fact, a single cup of low-fat kefir contains 9.2 g of complete protein. Complete proteins can repair new cells, especially those in the muscles. Complete proteins also contain all the essential amino acids, which are only available through the diet.
In 2007, some researchers found that milk-based proteins are more effective than soy-based proteins at promoting the growth of muscle proteins after resistance exercise.
The researchers concluded that while both milk and soy proteins help a person to maintain and build muscle mass, milk proteins were more effective at supporting the quick growth of lean muscle mass.
Eggs Results of a study from 2017 suggested that consuming whole eggs after resistance exercise resulted in more protein synthesis than consuming egg whites with the same protein content.
The researchers concluded that the nutrients in the yolk helped to stimulate the muscles more effectively.
Omega-3 fatty acids Research from the Washington University School of Medicine suggests that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids helps to boost the synthesis of muscle proteins and increase the size of muscle cells in healthy young and middle-aged adults.
Fatty fish, including salmon, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Tuna also contains high levels of the fatty acids, and about 6 ounces (oz) of tuna packed in water contains 41.6 g of protein and 5.4 g of fat.
Other evidence shows that oil drawn from fatty fish may help to reduce muscle soreness after resistance training. A study from 2016 found that consuming 6 g of fish oil every day for 1 week before beginning resistance exercise resulted in reduced muscle soreness.
Carbohydrates young woman drinking water whilst out running Staying hydrated is essential when exercising. Consuming carbohydrate-rich foods may be the best way to reduce the decreases in immunity that can occur after exercise.
Consuming carbohydrates as part of a post-workout snack also helps to promote glycogen storage.
Sweet potatoes, grains, and fruits can contain high levels of healthful carbohydrates, as can quinoa.
Quinoa is gluten-free, classified as a pseudocereal, and usually consumed as a grain. It is high in fiber and rich in protein, with 1 cup providing 8.14 g.
Also, quinoa has a low glycemic index, making it an excellent choice for people who regulate their blood sugar.
Herbal tea The nutrients and chemical compounds in herbal teas, especially yerba mate, may help the body process carbohydrates and protein effectively.
Authors of a study from 2016 compared the effects of yerba mate to water after exercise. The participants who drank yerba mate recovered strength faster in the 24 hours that followed a workout.
In 2012, researchers found that mice administered yerba mate extract were able to metabolize more quickly and expend more energy than those who did not.
Water It is essential to drink plenty of water before, during, and after a workout. Staying hydrated ensures that the body gets the most benefit from exercise.
The body loses water and electrolytes while sweating, so drinking water during and after a workout promotes performance and recovery.
Everybody varies in the amount of water they need, depending on the type of exercise, how much they sweat, how thirsty they are, as well as other factors.
In summary Consuming carbohydrates, proteins, and some fats post-workout helps to encourage muscle protein production, and promote recovery with the best results. Arrange to eat a snack as soon as possible after a workout. Also, remember to replace fluids and electrolytes by drinking water before, during, and after exercise.
Do you want to find out more? Or start training with me? Contact me now
1 Serve of Vanilla or Chocolate Protein Powder (30 – 40g)
1/2 Teaspoon bicarb soda
1 Tablespoon natural pure peanut butter (I used Mayvers Protein Peanut Butter)
1 Tablespoon milk (any you prefer)
1 Teaspoon unsweetened Cacao or Coco
Coconut or Olive oil spray for mug
Instructions
Spray your mug with the oil.
Add all the ingredients into the mug.
Mix with a fork until all ingredients completely combined.
If necessary, you may need to add a little more milk to ensure mixture is a little thicker than pancake batter.
Cook in the microwave on high for 1 minute. (may vary depending on power of unit)
Notes
I like to under cook mine a little. The top will be like a cake, and the bottom is like a sauce the scoop back onto the cake to make it a little moister.
The recipe I used has the following nutritional breakdown
What a treat in under 3 minutes that won’t bust your carb allowance for the day! And contains no refined sugars.
This delicious, macro-friendly protein cake recipe will quickly become your go-to recipe for when the cravings set in. Have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner perhaps.
The chocolate protein cake recipe I have made has the following nutritional breakdown:
Calories 337
Protein 43.8g
Carbs 6.2g
Fat 11.6g
Yours will vary slightly depending upon the brand and type of protein powder, peanut butter etc you use.
You can vary your recipe by perhaps sticking to the vanilla protein powder, omit the cacoa and replace it with the juice and rind of 1 small lemon. MMM I think I will try that today and keep you posted.
These butt pictures for sure show the extreme of different categories. Also, you could be lucky and have great glute genetics, then yeah for you! All you need to do then is stay lean and your butt will look amazing.
But for the rest of us mear mortals, with some hard work, intelligent training, and consistency, everyone can dramatically improve the size and shape of their butts. I’ve done it for myself and hundreds of clients.
I am not going to get into diet too much in this post (eliminate refined sugars & bread, increase your water intake, eat heaps of low carb veggies, lean protein etc, etc) More so, I want to list off various exercises you can do at home with bodyweight or if you have access to weights, add them. Resistance will increase the intensity of the exercise and induce more muscular tissue damage, thereby producing more hypertrophy (increase in size of skeletal muscle).
There are literally hundreds of exercises and their variations for your butt. But here are 20, but I could go on and on.
Hip Thrusts
Glute Bridges
Donkey Kicks
Pistol Squats
Prisoner Squats
Plie Squat
Goblet Squats
Bulgarian Split Squats
Jumping Squats
Reverse Lunges
Forward Lunges
Side Lunges
Frog Pumps
45 Degree Back Extensions
Glute Ham Raise
Romanian Deadlift
Stiff Legged Deadlift
Back Squats
Front Squats
Box Squats
You don’t need to all of these exercises every day. Just choose 3 or 4. Every second day perform repetition ranges from 10 – 50, depending upon whether you are doing a bodyweight exercise or really pushing yourself with a loaded barbell.
Always use good form. Concentrate on initiating the movement from your glutes when necessary. Keep your core tight, bring your belly button into your spine. If you are unsure of the exercise, don’t do it. You could quite easily injure yourself.
Perhaps consider a few Personal Training sessions, from a reputable trainer, to ensure you are getting the best bang for your buck. The right exercises, for the right body part, executed in the right way. No injury and maximum growth.
Time is precious, don’t waste yours with bad form, and the wrong exercise.
Alcohol not only contains a lot of calories but it changes the way your whole body processes food.
By Yasmin Noone It doesn’t matter what alcohol you drink, whether it’s a light vodka and tonic with a squeeze of lime or a hearty glass of red wine, alcohol is the sworn enemy of weight loss regimes.
“Most weight loss programs shun the demon drink but what makes it so damaging to our waistlines?”
– asks Dr Xand van Tulleken in episode five of The Diet Testers, airing on SBS on Thursday 29 March at 8.35pm.
Apparently, the real issue with alcohol is that it alters the way our body processes food.
In a bid to understand what the real issue with alcohol is, Dr Xand joins Dr Vinood Patel, biochemist at University of Westminster, to investigate the underlying mechanisms that determine weight gain from alcohol consumption.
Apparently, the real issue with alcohol is that it alters the way our body processes food.
“Alcohol is absorbed by the stomach and goes to the liver,” says Dr Patel on The Diet Testers.
“The liver is central to metabolism: carbohydrates, protein and fat metabolism all occurs in the liver. But we don’t have a mechanism for storing alcohol. It’s like a toxin [in our bodies] and it has to be cleared. So then the metabolism of fat and sugars has to wait until we can clear all the alcohol [from our liver] first.”
“Alcohol is absorbed by the stomach and goes to the liver.”
To demonstrate how alcohol actively gets in the way of our body burning calories, Dr Patel conducts a flaming experiment. He burns cubes of paraffin to represent the body’s metabolism processes. Then he looks at how it behaves when tasked with metabolising (or in this case, burning) sugar and fat.
“Because fat is so slow to break down, when sugar is added to [the mix to represent carbohydrates], it jumps the metabolism queue and burns first, ahead of the fat,” Dr Xand says.
“The sugar [in this experiment] burns much more quickly, which is what happens in your body. If you eat a donut you will burn the sugar before you burn the fat.”
New evidence from France shows that your chronic drinking habits might be putting you at risk of dementia.
Think before you drink alcohol to excess. New evidence from France shows that your chronic drinking habits might be putting you at risk of dementia. Next, Dr Patel adds alcohol to the mix in the form of an expensive brandy.
“If we add the alcohol to this, the alcohol burns first of all,” Dr Patel says. “So whenever we have a drink with a meal, the alcohol will be metabolised first. Whereas the fat and sugar has to wait until we clear the alcohol from our system.”
While alcohol is being metabolised, sugar and fat is sitting in your body not being used or stored appropriately, so it’s swirling around in your blood stream. The interrupted metabolisation of sugar and fats – caused by alcohol consumption – can result in weight gain.
“So whenever we have a drink with a meal, the alcohol will be metabolised first. Whereas the fat and sugar has to wait until we clear the alcohol from our system.”
On top of that, Dr Patel adds, “because alcohol is highly calorific, ultimately you are storing more and more calories as fats in the body”.
Alcohol contains no nutrients and is typically high in calories. Drinking alcohol can also interfere with your blood sugar levels and excessive alcohol consumption can influence insulin levels.
Although alcoholic consumption impacts on your metabolism, the evidence on the exact effect of alcohol on weight gain (note: not weight loss or dieting attempts) is mixed. The impact depends on how much alcohol is drunk, the regularity of consumption, genetics, lifestyle and your overall state of health.
Would you buy a wearable device to give yourself painful electrical shocks if it stopped you from overeating? One piece of evaluative research says that moderate intake of alcohol with food may not lead to weight gain in the short-term, if an individual does not drink excessive amounts and enjoys a healthy lifestyle.
However, the study concludes that alcohol consumption “has probably contributed to the excess energy intake associated with weight gain in some individuals over the past years”.
“…Moderation in drinking is still an important recommendation, together with a healthy lifestyle not conducive to weight gain.”
According to NHMRC guidelines on drinking alcohol, the lifetime risk of harm from drinking alcohol increases with the amount consumed. It’s recommended that ‘healthy’ men and women drink no more than two standard drinks on any day to reduce the risk of disease or alcohol-related injury.
Episodes will be available to watch after broadcast on SBS On Demand.
Don’t feed your loved ones this Easter with Chocolate Eggs full of fructose and vegetable oil!
Why not try this delicious recipe from Pure Harvest? Coconut Rough Easter Eggs. Very simple ingredients and incredibly quick to make. All you need is coconut oil, desiccated coconut, cacao (or cocoa) vanilla extract, rice malt syrup and a pinch of salt.
How can you go wrong with coconut and chocolate?
This recipe is extremely versatile, you can literally mould it into any shape you like. Pop them into the freezer and you are good to go.
Also, get the children involved in this Easter break making some healthy, nourishing and incredibly tasty Easter treats.
Pure Harvest are the makers of Organic Rice Malt Syrup. It is free of added cane sugars, fructose, artificial colours and preservatives. 100% Glucose. And glucose benefits the body in so many ways: energy source, body endurance, cognitive booster, energy recovery, temperature regulator.
But like everything, do not eat it in excess.
Chocolate Coconut Rough Easter Eggs
2018-03-28 16:39:29
You can’t go wrong with coconut and chocolate. This recipe is extremely versatile, you can literally mould it into any shape you want.
This is also a great one to the kids involved over the holidays and make some healthy, nourishing and incredibly tasty Easter treats
Can You Gain Muscle While Losing Weight? You can, but you’ll have to follow these six science-backed strategies.
Unfortunately, a lot of the time, when people lose weight, they wind up with a lot less muscle than they started out with. Some even find their body fat percentages increasing. Why? Because when you consume fewer calories than you burn every day – a prerequisite for losing weight – you tell your body to put your muscle health on the back burner. “Lower calorie diets decrease the intracellular signaling necessary for your body to synthesize new muscle proteins,” explains Atlanta-based board-certified sports dietitian and certified strength and conditioning specialist Marie Spano. She also notes that, when dieting, muscle tissue may be less sensitive to the protein you eat. As a result, muscle is less likely to use any amino acids (from protein) floating through your bloodstream to strengthen your muscles. Unfortunately, muscles cells naturally shed proteins every day, ready for your body to replace them with new healthy ones. So when the new ones don’t show up, you lose muscle – sometimes drastically. Since muscle is the single greatest determiner of your metabolic rate – how many calories you burn each and every day – this muscle loss largely explains why so many people struggle to keep weight off once they lose it. Their metabolism drops. For instance, that’s why research found that people who had lost weight on The Biggest Loser had to eat as many as 800 fewer calories a day to maintain their weight loss compared to people of similar weights. Their metabolisms had slowed that much. On the flip side, though, building muscle while you lose weight does the exact opposite – stoking your metabolism and making it easier to hit your fat-loss goals and maintain them. Plus, muscle increases your strength, reduces the risk of injury and can improve your overall health. So, how can you build muscle while still losing fat – when biology is working completely against you? By following these six expert-approved strategies. 1. Eat More Protein at Every Meal In one 2016 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, of men following a program that consisted of both diet and exercise, men who followed a low-calorie diet that was high in protein for four weeks lost 10.56 pounds of fat while gaining 2.64 pounds of lean muscle. Those who followed a diet with the same amount of calories, but less protein, only lost 7.7 pounds of fat and gained less than a quarter pound of muscle. To gain muscle while losing fat, a review published in Sports Medicine recommends consuming between 2.3 to 3.1 grams of protein per kilogram of your bodyweight. “In addition, this protein intake should be spaced out evenly throughout the day,” Spano says. As a general rule, aim to include at least 25 to 30 grams of protein in every meal – and even slightly more if you are vegetarian or vegan. 2. Lose Weight Slowly While it can be tempting to try to lose as much weight as quickly as possible, drastic drops in weight tend to be the result of losing not just fat, but also muscle, says registered dietitian Jim White, spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios in Virginia. For instance, in one Obesity study, when people followed an extremely low-calorie diet, 18 percent of their weight lost was from muscle. When people stuck to a more moderate approach, that percentage dropped to 7.7. Your goal? Lose no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week, according to White. While every person will need to cut calories and/or increase their activity levels slightly differently to lose weight at this rate, reducing caloric intake by 500 calories per day is a good place to start. 3. Strength Train at Least Three Times Per Week “A lot of people who try to lose weight ramp up their cardiovascular activity. This can be beneficial but not if it replaces weight training,” White says. Case in point: In one 2015 Harvard School of Public Health study of 10,500 adults, those who performed strength training gained less abdominal fat (while building more muscle) over a period of 12 years compared to those who spent the same amount of time dedicated to cardio. “We need to include at least two days of weight training a week to maintain existing muscle mass and three or more times a week to build muscle,” White says. Focus on fitting in these workouts first and then you can start to think about adding the right cardio workouts to your routine. 4. Keep Your Cardio Workouts Short and Sweet When it comes to getting the most fat loss and muscle gain out of your cardiovascular workouts, it’s best to focus on high-intensity interval exercises such as repeated sprints on the treadmill, elliptical or bike. These workouts will burn fat while building muscle, whereas low- to moderate-intensity steady-state cardio burns both muscle and fat, White says. 5. Give Your Muscles a Break “Most people think more is better. When it comes to building muscle this is not necessarily true,” White says. “Muscles need rest to grow.” How much time? Although the exact time will differ slightly from person to person and workout to workout (which is why you need to listen to your body!), one Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise meta-analysis determined that for optimal strength development, it’s best to rest a given muscle group for one to two days before working it again through strength training. So, if you perform an intense lower-body strength routine on Monday, wait until at least Wednesday to target your lower body again. You can always perform upper-body lifts on Tuesday. Then, every week, schedule at least one to two days of full rest from structured exercise. 5. Be Patient This might be the hardest tip of all, but it’s important to keep in mind, especially as you progress through your “burn fat and build muscle” plan. That’s because, while you may notice yourself making great gains to start with, they will naturally slow over time. “It becomes progressively more difficult to increase muscle while losing fat as you become more trained and get leaner,” says certified strength and conditioning specialist Brad Schoenfeld, a board member for the National Strength and Conditioning Association. It’s just how the human body works: The more excess fat we have to lose, the easier it is to lose 5 pounds of fat. The more muscle we need to gain, the easier it is to gain 5 pounds of muscle. As you get closer to your goal, expect to see more subtle changes in your fat and muscle levels, and don’t get discouraged.
