Three Components to Weight Management

All the diet fads, all the lose weight quick workout routines, all the magic pills, are simple…but unhelpful to most people in losing weight.

The real truth is also simple: If you take in more calories than you expend, your body will store it as fat and you will gain weight. If you expend more calories than you take in, your body will burn fat, and you will lose weight. This is so simple and true that it is a fundamental law of physics: the First Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy.

Energy can never be created or destroyed—it just changes forms. Incidentally, a “calorie” on a food label is nothing more than a metric unit of energy.

It’s the amount of energy it takes to raise one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. Because it’s a measure of energy, therefore, calories don’t go away. They get converted to energy when you move, or get stored in fat to be used later. (This is why fat has 9 calories per gram, as opposed to proteins and carbohydrates which have 4 calories per gram.

Fats are much more efficient energy stores. That’s why the body creates fat to store its extra calories).

So why does it seem so complicated?  Well, for a number of reasons.  We all manage our caloric intake differently, and we all have different activity levels. So let’s look at some basics.

You might have heard that someone has a “fast” metabolism, or that your metabolism “slows down” as you age. Metabolism refers to the efficiency with which your body uses energy. Someone with a “fast” metabolism burns more energy (or uses up more calories) than someone with a slower metabolism.

Their body runs “fast” (think of it like an engine on a car that’s always idling). Those people continue to burn calories even in their resting state. Because they are burning more calories, they don’t gain weight as quickly, even with the same caloric intake as someone whose metabolism runs more slowly.

So, obviously, if you can burn calories—even when you aren’t “doing” anything—you’re going to drastically improve your weight management.

There are a few proven ways to do it. First, exercise increases your metabolic rate. Here’s something you probably didn’t realize though—exercise increases your metabolism for a period even AFTER you finish exercising. And more, weight training to the hard, burning limit you can tolerate (also known as the “lactate threshold,” a topic I’ve written on before), will extend that ramped up metabolism for DAYS after your session! Even long cardio work will only keep your metabolism ramped up for a few hours.

I have worked with diabetics who have to monitor their blood glucose levels for days after a session to avoid having their blood glucose levels drop too low—their metabolism is still working overtime long after our session has ended. (If you are a diabetic working with a trainer who doesn’t know the metabolic effects of weight training versus other types of exercise, you might be putting yourself at risk).

Weight training to build muscle also increases your metabolism in permanent ways because muscle is a heavy tissue (heavier than fat), and it takes your body more energy to sustain muscle than to sustain fat.

Just building muscle will increase your metabolism (although, it’s important to note, it may not cause you to lose weight because, as noted above, muscle weighs more than fat).

Beyond the right exercise, eating properly kick-starts your metabolism. It’s a topic for another article, but just know that starving yourself to lose weight is not a long term, or healthy, solution. The less you eat, the slower your metabolism acts. It goes into survival mode and burns fewer calories so as not to use up the nourishment that you are depriving your body of.

Steady small meals, not skipped meals, help boost your metabolism. Eating a smarter, balanced diet, without added calories and without starving yourself, is history’s most reliable diet “fad.”

Finally, working out creates a rush of hormones and chemicals (such as insulin and HGH) that cause fat to break down or that cause muscle to build up. These hormones are part of the complicated equilibrium that makes up your metabolism.

So remember, weight management has three components:

1)  Calories (energy) in – this is the diet component

2)  Calories (energy) used – this is the exercise component

3)  How efficiently the calories in are used – this is the metabolism component

The good thing is, you can affect all three. 

I bring awareness of all three components to my clients.

To learn more about making positive changes in your life with a personal trainer who will boost your metabolism, boost your activity levels, and work with you on proper nutrition, contact Hadley Allen:

A Daily Diet Plan

A Daily Diet Plan

WAKE UP

Drink 16 oz of water

**Drink 1-2 gallons of water daily**

Take regular vitamins and minerals first thing, such as:

  • 3 capsules of L-GLUTAMIN
  • 2 african mango
  • 1000mg of L-CARNITINE

Upon Waking Up

Eat 1 serving of cream of rice with 20 grams of low carb, low fat protein added to them.

Then, Eat 6 Additional Meals Throughout the Day

MEAL ONE

Eat 3 oz of tuna flavored with 1/2 cup of roasted red peppers or green peppers.

SNACK

Eat 2 plain rice cakes and 15 cashews

MEAL TWO

Eat 4 oz of red meat with 1/2 cup of brown rice with Mrs Dash for flavor.

MEAL THREE

post workout: Drink a 20 gram low carb protein shake

MEAL FOUR

Eat o 6 oz of orange roughly four days and tuna three days a week with 20 asparagus spears 1 sweet potato, or quinoa with 1pad of butter.

MEAL FIVE

Eat 5 to 7 oz of a white fish of your choice with 12 asparagus spears and a 4 oz yam or baked potato. 1000 mg Vitamin C

MEAL SIX

Eat a set of protein pancakes made from 4 egg whites, 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce and 1 scoop of vanilla protein two days.

**On your other training days (and off days) eat 2 eggs and 1 cup of mixed veggies of your choice**

Eggs are Good For You

Eggs are Good For You

Eggs got beat up a while back when the media went cholesterol crazy. Eggs were cast with full-fat cheeses and rich meats as heart-unhealthy villains in our diets (the latter two are still on the B list). Today, eggs are on the culinary – and nutritional – red carpet. In fact, many urban dwellers are now raising their own backyard hens. Why the change of heart? Here, from Egg Nutrition Center in Park Ridge, Illinois, are a handful of reasons why eggs are making a comeback:

Facts. Eggs are nutrient-dense and a good source of all natural, high-quality protein. They provide 13 vitamins and minerals in varying amounts at 70 calories per large egg. They are a strong example of a nutrient-dense food.

Protein. Both egg yolks and egg whites are good sources of high-quality protein; almost half the protein and the majority of the other nutrients are in the egg yolks.

Fat. Most of the fat in eggs is unsaturated. While egg yolks are a concentrated source of dietary cholesterol, they can still be included in a heart healthy diet.

Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about eggs:

How many eggs can I eat in a day? Evidence shows that one egg per day is fine for most healthy people and does not result in significant changes in serum lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels. If you have cholesterol issues, consult a dietician of your physician about this.

How much cholesterol does one egg have? Recent studies show that eggs have less cholesterol than ever before. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently reviewed egg nutrient data. Results showed that the average amount of cholesterol in a grade A large egg is 185 milligrams (mg), 14% lower than the amount previously recorded. One possible cause for the decrease in cholesterol level is improvement in the feed given to hens.

What is the difference between AA and A grade eggs? According to the North Carolina Egg Association, in the grading process eggs are examined for both interior and exterior quality and are sorted according to weight (size). Grade quality and size are not related to one another. In descending order of quality, grades are AA, A and B. There is no difference in nutritive value between the different grades.

When I’m making a recipe or baked goods, what is the default-sized egg I should use? Most recipes are written for a standard large egg.

Is there any difference between eggs with different shell colors? The breed of hen determines the color of the eggshell. Breeds with white feathers and earlobes lay white-shelled eggs, and breeds with reddish-brown feathers and earlobes lay brown-shelled eggs. The difference between brown- and white-shelled eggs is barely skin deep; the pigment layer of the shell is so thin, it can easily be removed by rubbing with sandpaper or abrasives. There is no nutritional difference between eggs due to their color.

What is the difference between certified organic and regularly produced eggs? “In October 2002 the National Organic Standard Board set national guidelines that must be met by producers wishing to market organic eggs,” explains Marcia D. Greenblum, MS, RD, senior director of nutrition education at Egg Nutrition Center. “organic eggs are produced by hens given feed grown without most conventional pesticides, fungicides, herbicides or commercial fertilizers. The use of growth hormones is also prohibited; all eggs are hormone free, whether or not they are labeled as such.” 

Excerpt taken from the May 2011 edition of IDEA Fitness Journal

No Yo Yo Diets

No Yo Yo Diets

Generally, the concept of a trainer gaining 70 lbs is unheard of. Not only are trainers obligated to help their clients through their weight loss journey, but they also act as role models and inspiration for those looking to adopt a fit lifestyle.  Trainer Drew Manning, however, broke this stereotype. In a year’s time, he managed to gain, and then lose, 70 lbs in order to better relate to his clients.

Drew isn’t the only one to have tried such a weight feat; many actors and actresses endure the same rapid size fluctuation to better portray their assigned role in movies and television shows. However, this isn’t something to try at home. Drew is a professional educated in how to appropriately lose weight and celebrities are armed with teams of health experts. In fact, such “yo-yo dieting” can often result in negative consequences.

To begin with, not only does rapid weight gain result in external changes like an enlarged figure laden with stretch marks but it more critically takes a toll on the internal system. High blood pressure and a strain on the organs can result from the increased weight. If done incorrectly, hasty weight loss can have an equally concerning result.

Shocking to many, fad diets often produce moodiness, fatigue, gallstones, and sagging skin. Even more astounding is that once completing the ‘miracle diet’, many people often quickly regain the weight they lost and more. Studies have proven that healthy eating and regular exercise are the two key components of a long-lasting fit lifestyle and physique.

Limit Soy in Your Diet

Limit Soy in Your Diet

Consider these problems soy presents to your diet and why it’s a good idea to limit your intake.

Reason 1 – Toxicity

  • Soy increases your toxic load; it is one of the most sprayed crops. Their high content of pesticides increases your ever-increasing toxic load. In addition, aluminum content skyrockets while processing.

Reason 2 – Potential Hypothyroidism

  • Soy contains goitragens, which are compounds that facilitate hypothyroidism. To learn more about fighting hypothyroidism, attend one of y Biosignature Modulation seminars.

Reason 3 – Blocking Mineral Absorption

  • Soy has a high content of phytates, which are known to inhibit the absorption of both macro-minerals (i.e. calcium) and trace minerals (i.e. zinc). The good news is that the meat consumption blocks phytates. If you are going to eat tofu, make sure to eat some meat during the same meal.

Reason 4 – Link to Attention Deficit Disorder

  • Soy-based infant formulas are linked to ADD. They contain 80 times more manganese than breast milk. Too much manganese content is linked to neurotoxicity.

Reason 5 – Increased Cardiovascular Load

  • Hemaglutinin is found in soybeans. This compound is known to make red blood cells aggregate, therefore increasing your cardiovascular load.

If you are not convinced, read Dr. Kaayla Daniel’s book, The Whole Soy Story.