Anyone lost TOO MUCH weight? Time to build it back up a bit.

[lechatnoir]

First off, the metabolic equation follows the laws of thermodynamics. Energy HAS to go somewhere, and it terms of energy 100 cal is 100 cal. Secondly, thats exactly why i mentioned the macros. I never said eat your daily allowance all from doughnuts. The food you eat will affect your hormones (insulin as mentioned before, i agree), and that will in turn affect your bmr. So eating like **** will slow your metabolism and your maintenance calories will drop. Noone can argue against cal in vs out, its a law of physics. If an overweight person says they eat almost nothing and dont drop weight, theyre either lying, or their bmr is really low from either genetics, current diet, long term metabolic damage, or a combination of the above. If anyone argues that, its simple - have you ever seen a fat jew in the concentration camps? (not trying to be offensive at all, just using it as an example)

You don't have to track calories i agree, its very tough to maintain. Just eat using common sense, limit sugar as much as possible and stick to healthy fats, low gi slow releasing carbs to avoid insulin spikes, and keep your protein nice and high. And hit the gym.

 

all calories are not equal. 1000 calories of pure glucose will have a very different metabolic effect to 1000 calories protein or fat. so figure out what you're eating. personally, i prefer less carbs to more.

 

in this case, tracking food intake was important for me, but only until i figured out what was in what i was eating.

[Eldron]

I dunno hey. A proper fat-adapted athlete can metabolise 1.5g of fat per minute (or thereabouts). And seeing that fat has 9 calories/g and carbs has 4/g, you're chomping a lot of carbs to keep up, and the ghost of TummyD's dump will haunt you.

 

but each to his own hey. Also check out Shawn Baker who's setting world records in indoor rowing on a carnivore diet (read: no carbs) and that's seriously high intensity

 

Shawn Baker broke the 500m world record - that's a 75 second task. It isn't relevant in ANY fueling discussion. The body has more than enough energy to fuel a 75 second work out without taking any additional energy on board.

 

Here is the low down on fat versus carbs as a sustained high intensity fuel source - fats are good up to 65% effort then the body looks elsewhere for energy (normally muscles if you're not giving it enough carbs).

 

Carbohydrate

• Provides a highly efficient source of fuel—Because the body requires less oxygen to burn carbohydrate as compared to protein or fat, carbohydrate is considered the body's most efficient fuel source. Carbohydrate is increasingly vital during high-intensity exercise when the body cannot process enough oxygen to meet its needs.
• Keeps the brain and nervous system functioning—When blood glucose runs low, you become irritable, disoriented, and lethargic, and you may be incapable of concentrating or performing even simple tasks.
• Aids the metabolism of fat—To burn fat effectively, your body must break down a certain amount of carbohydrate. Because carbohydrate stores are limited compared to the body's fat reserves, consuming a diet inadequate in carbohydrate essentially limits fat metabolism.
• Preserves lean protein (muscle) mass—Consuming adequate carbohydrate spares the body from using protein (from muscles, internal organs, or one's diet) as an energy source. Dietary protein is much better utilized to build, maintain, and repair body tissues, as well as to synthesize hormones, enzymes, and neurotransmitters.

Fat

• Provides a concentrated source of energy—Fat provides more than twice the potential energy that protein and carbohydrate do (9 calories per gram of fat versus 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate or protein).
• Helps fuel low- to moderate-intensity activity—At rest and during exercise performed at or below 65 percent of aerobic capacity, fat contributes 50 percent or more of the fuel that muscles need.
• Aids endurance by sparing glycogen reserves—Generally, as the duration or time spent exercising increases, intensity decreases (and more oxygen is available to cells), and fat is the more important fuel source. Stored carbohydrate (muscle and liver glycogen) are subsequently used at a slower rate, thereby delaying the onset of fatigue and prolonging the activity.

[Eldron]

I dunno hey. A proper fat-adapted athlete can metabolise 1.5g of fat per minute (or thereabouts). And seeing that fat has 9 calories/g and carbs has 4/g, you're chomping a lot of carbs to keep up, and the ghost of TummyD's dump will haunt you.

 

but each to his own hey. Also check out Shawn Baker who's setting world records in indoor rowing on a carnivore diet (read: no carbs) and that's seriously high intensity

 

This article has a nice balanced view:

 

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts94/

 

Should we rely on carbs or fats for fuelling endurance sports?

19:04 - 

• Both! We should train to be excellent at burning or oxidising carbs and fat - they're not mutually exclusive.
• At any given time in an endurance event you are using both, and the ratio of fats and carbs that are used depends on the intensity as well as some other factors, (e.g. training, nutrient availability).
• Basically, the higher the intensity the higher the ratio of carbs to fat.
• Important to note: there are no other energy substrates besides carbohydrates that can be used to provide energy anaerobically.
• As discussed in EP71 of this podcast, once you get to the anaerobic threshold, every additional bit of energy that your body requires is going to be fuelled anaerobically (i.e. carbs only)
• Even in a flat Ironman, where you may think that you're going at a steady, slower pace than your anaerobic threshold, you will have spikes in intensity which start depleting carb resources.
• Carb stores in the body are limited to roughly 2000 calories. So for long events especially, you need to use fat for fuel to not burn through those carbs stores as quickly as you would if you couldn't use fat.
• Also, you need to take in additional carbs during the event to make sure your glycogen stores don't run low - which would lead to a bonk.
• Carb stores running low leads to increased fatigue, reduced performance and impaired skill and concentration as well as increased perception of effort. This is true even if you can still keep moving by using fat as fuel.
• The big advantage of fat as fuel is that fat stores are abundant.
• The big advantage of carbohydrates is that they can provide energy anaerobically, and they provide aerobic energy more efficiently than fat.

[Chris_]

Just thinking out loud here... 

 

Do we choose a diet based on life, or do we choose diet based on our sporting aspirations?

 

I know lifestyle incorporates sport, but I'm just thinking on why we choose the diets we have. There is probably literature to support any kind of diet right now if we're honest. Whether they're fly-by-night or a fad or legit 'facts', each to their own, but we often come to blows here with all sides butting heads and similarly all being correct.

 

Or asked another way, does any of this literature matter if we choose diets on more personal levels, and then just find stuff to conveniently support our decision?

 

Personally, I ate for sport for most of my life - gym gainzzz, triathlon, and most recently ultra running, and experimented with diets to achieve certain outputs.

 

Last year though, I based my diet on more personal issues, so now I'm finding a way to alter that single diet to fit in better with my sporting pursuits.

 

Maybe this makes sense, maybe I'm just rambling...

[Grease_Monkey]

Just thinking out loud here...

 

Do we choose a diet based on life, or do we choose diet based on our sporting aspirations?

 

I know lifestyle incorporates sport, but I'm just thinking on why we choose the diets we have. There is probably literature to support any kind of diet right now if we're honest. Whether they're fly-by-night or a fad or legit 'facts', each to their own, but we often come to blows here with all sides butting heads and similarly all being correct.

 

Or asked another way, does any of this literature matter if we choose diets on more personal levels, and then just find stuff to conveniently support our decision?

 

Personally, I ate for sport for most of my life - gym gainzzz, triathlon, and most recently ultra running, and experimented with diets to achieve certain outputs.

 

Last year though, I based my diet on more personal issues, so now I'm finding a way to alter that single diet to fit in better with my sporting pursuits.

 

Maybe this makes sense, maybe I'm just rambling...

I think what you're saying makes sense.

 

I used to choose diet for my sport - cycling/swimming/triathlon at school, gym at uni, and then sofa/tv life the last few years. I guess it depends on how important your sport is to you.

 

I think however, that those that are smart will choose a diet that is healthy - ie: you are going to grow old well without you liver failing and your heart exploding. Many theories out there as to what that diet is. Personally I am trying (and I say trying because my default is sugary and fatty foods) to give the mediteranian diet a good go - I think it's balanced, does not cut out any specific food source, and promotes a healthy heart. I think it will also allow one to do well at most sports (exceptions to this is obviously fringe sports like bodybuilding that require very specific albeit unhealthy diets). But like you said - there is lots of litterature to support pretty much amy diet these days.

 

The fact remains, not everyone is the same. I pack on weight easily, I do not slim down well (not talking about fat - rather bulk). My aim is to keep weight off, other to pack it on - therefore the same diet cannot possibly work for everyone.

 

My general feeling is that any diet that forces one to cut out a food group completely probably isn't the best diet to be on, and probably isn't sustainable for a lifetime - just my completely anecdotal opinion though.

[Jacoo]

all calories are not equal. 1000 calories of pure glucose will have a very different metabolic effect to 1000 calories protein or fat. so figure out what you're eating. personally, i prefer less carbs to more.

 

in this case, tracking food intake was important for me, but only until i figured out what was in what i was eating.

Did you even read beyond the second sentence?

[porqui]

So I'm not on my own when it comes to struggling to put ON weight.

 

6'1" or 186cm and I cannot get above 70kg - norm is 67kg.

Would love to be 78kg with a bit more muscle.

[Tristand]

Clearly you are not a physiologist - unless you are a diabetic, you won't easily suffer from hypoglycemia to the extent that you will come close to collapse - let alone death - unless you are SIGNIFICANTLY starved.

 

And your body can produce what the brain needs from other metabolic process than just ingestion of carbohydrate.

 

You may want to read the original post I made.

Namely you want to ingest sufficient carbohydrate SPECIFICALLY to prevent the other metabolic processes from producing carbohydrate as they will induce catabolism.

[V12man]

You may want to read the original post I made.

Namely you want to ingest sufficient carbohydrate SPECIFICALLY to prevent the other metabolic processes from producing carbohydrate as they will induce catabolism.

Let me see if I understand what you are saying:

 

You must eat carbobydrates so that your body does not produce carbohydrates because the carbohydrates your body produces induce catabolism?

 

Have I captured your meaning correctly?

[Grogs]

I think you two are actually arguing the same side of the point.

 

We all have a basal metabolic rate. Add life to that. Add exercise to that. Thats your calorie output. If you eat less than that you're going to lose weight and depending on the activity and/or diet, the deficit will show. If you eat more than that.. its going to accumulate somewhere.

 

Its up to you to decide how you want to add those calories in. Thats where diet comes in and also the balancing of macros. Its all up to you, how will you feel today, next year, in ten years, is the diet sustainable, is it feasible, does it promote overall health, goals, etc etc.

Calories in v Calories out is a useless and dangerous oversimplification. That’s all I’m saying.

 

https://lat.ms/2zQfPRH

[Bonus]

Currently on holiday in NYC and putting some of my lost weight back on!

 

Pavement hotdogs and pizza slices, hot wings and beer . . . .

[CAAD4]

Try and go to Eatily near the Flatiron building, or the Chelsea market in the meat packing district.

[Chris_]

Currently on holiday in NYC and putting some of my lost weight back on!

 

Pavement hotdogs and pizza slices, hot wings and beer . . . .

 

If you want the best Udon, possibly in the world, no jokes, go to Raku, East Village

[Bonus]

Replacing Summer Salads with Winter Soups now . . . Let's see where that goes.