The mechanics of gaining and losing fat, part 3
In the first part I talked about the shortcomings of conventional wisdom in what causes overweight and obesity. The second part was more focused on biochemistry and the reasons why carbohydrates and sugars are the most likely culprit. Now it’s time to put it all together and discuss what you can do to lose weight, gain better body composition, better health, and feel more energetic.
I strongly recommend reading at least the previous part before proceeding with this one.
Diet
In the second part I made it pretty clear why sugars and dietary carbohydrates cause people to gain weight, so the solution for the diet part is rather simple:
Avoid dietary sugars and carbohydrates, as well as sugared drinks.
This act alone will greatly lower the amount of insulin in your bloodstream, and also cut down the triglyceride production - meaning that your body will have hard time storing fat. When glucose is not available for use as energy, your body will start releasing fatty acids from the adipose tissue into bloodstream, and starts using those as a preferred energy source.
We don't need dietary carbohydrates at all. Even the tissues and organs such as the brain which is said to require glucose can get its energy from ketone bodies. Those are produced in the liver from acetyl-CoA, which forms during the breakdown of fatty acids. Our bodies are also able to synthesize glucose from protein for the minuscule energy needs that might not be covered by ketone bodies.
In practice this means that your diet should consist mainly of fat and protein. Add in a mixture of fresh green vegetables and berries, as those are low in carbohydrates and sugars, and you can come up with tons of different kinds of meal plans: how about having an omelette for breakfast, a large bowl of salad and fish for lunch, a smoothie as an afternoon snack and a steak for dinner?
I've been following this kind of diet for over a year now without any issues. Quite the opposite, I've reduced my body fat from 22% to somewhere around 14%, reaching the point where my abs are clearly visible. I also feel a lot more energetic and focused than when I ate the normal "recommended" low-fat high-carbohydrate diet.
Exercise
As mentioned in the earlier parts of this series, eating less and exercising more does not work. Mainly because the more you exercise, the hungrier you get as your body compensates for the increased energy expenditure.
Every time I go to gym there are overweight people desperately trying to get leaner by spending an hour on an exercise bike or crosstrainer and watching the heart rate monitor like hawks to ensure they stay on the "fat-burning zone". The problem with this approach is that it does nothing to change the underlying conditions which actually cause the body to accumulate fat.
As you know from the dietary part, the key is to avoid foods that raise insulin levels since insulin causes the body to store fat. When it comes to exercise, the focus should logically be on activities that mobilize those fat stores and increase your body's sensitivity to insulin. Remember, chronically elevated insulin levels are a result of insulin resistance, and whatever increases insulin sensitivity will help to cure that.
There is one hormone in particular that deserves special attention, and that is Human Growth Hormone (HGH):
It causes muscle growth, mobilizes fat stores and shifts metabolism to burn fat, which results to an increase in lean body mass and decrease in body fat.
It increases insulin sensitivity.
It repairs tissue damage, which among other benefits helps your skin look better and more youthful.
It strengthens the immune system.
It strengthens joints.
It increases bone density, which significantly decreases the risk of osteoporosis.
The first two benefits are the most important ones when it comes to staying fit. When your body releases growth hormone, it causes the adipose tissue to release fatty acids for fuel, and also increases your cells' sensitivity to insulin, fighting against insulin resistance.
We have plenty of growth hormone available as we grow in our early years, but upon reaching adulthood the growth hormone secretion diminishes. Luckily things can be done to better the situation. I have found two effective ways to cause the body to produce growth hormone in significant amounts. There may be more, but these are the ones I know to be working.
Lift heavy things
In order for the body to secrete growth hormone, it must be stressed to its limits. This is best done by stressing the big muscle groups as it causes more growth hormone to be released than if you stress only specific smaller muscles such as the biceps.
The key here is to reach muscle failure. When you push your muscles to their limits, they actually develop microscopic tears. Your body will then release growth hormone to repair the inflicted tissue damage, and also to augment the damaged muscle, resulting in an increase in lean mass.
Now there are many different ways to approach this. In my current regime I do strength training once every 4-5 days, with a little bit different routine every other time.
Routine 1:
Deadlifts (4 sets, aiming at 4-6 reps / set)
Bench presses (4 sets, aiming at 4-6 reps / set)
Leg presses (1 set for both legs separately, aiming at 10-15 reps / set)
Squats (3 sets, aiming at 8-12 reps / set)
Routine 2:
Shoulder presses (4 sets, aiming at 4-6 reps / set)
Pull-ups (1 set, as many as I can)
Bicep curls (2 sets, aiming at 4-6 reps / set )
Dips (1 set, as many as I can)
Leg presses (1 set for both legs separately, aiming at 10-15 reps / set)
Squats (3 sets, aiming at 8-12 reps / set)
I aim to do all movements slowly and with good form. I normally have about 60-90 second break between sets, and a longer 3 minute break between different exercises - except in the Routine 2 where I do pull-ups, bicep curls, and dips with only 60-90 seconds in between.
Of the exercises mentioned above, I'd say that deadlifts, shoulder presses, and squats are the most important ones: Deadlift is probably the best overall body developer exercise, working all the major muscle groups. Shoulder presses strain not only your arms and shoulders, but also your back and torso. In squats the whole body is working as your legs do the actual movement, but at the same time your core muscles need to maintain proper upper body form.
I always start with the heaviest weight up front, lowering the amount of weight for each set as the muscles get more fatigued, and I always do as many repetitions as I possibly can. This ensures that I get to squeeze the last bits of strength I have and cause enough stress to send the signals for my body to start releasing growth hormone. Whenever I manage more than 6 reps with a specific weight, I increase the amount of weight the next time I go to the gym.
To summarize:
Use enough weight to reach muscle failure (meaning you can't do any more reps)
Focus on large muscle groups and compound movements
Use full range of motion
Good form and relaxed pace is better than speed
Take adequate breaks between exercises - the point is not to do cardio, but to stress your muscles
Sprint
Another key exercise is sprints - meaning running as fast as you can! I have had knee problems for over 7 years now and I cannot run long distances without experiencing serious pain, but for some reason sprinting works for me. The added benefits are that sprinting is hell of a lot better from growth hormone point of view, and it's extremely efficient;it takes usually only about 30-40 minutes to finish this exercise, and that includes warming up and cooling down.
As with strength training, there are also variations in doing sprints. I used to do sprints in such a manner that I jogged for 30 seconds, ran for 30 seconds, jogged again for 30 seconds etc., repeating that for 15 times.
However, now I simply go to the beach or a park, jogging for about 10 minutes to warm up the muscles, and then running for 20-25 seconds like there's no tomorrow! I tend to have about one minute break between each sprint, repeating the whole thing 10-12 times and then jogging back home. I might also take couple minutes longer breaks after I've done 6 and 10 sprints.
Rest
Taking a break is equally important to stressing your muscles: Too much stress and your body will start breaking down muscle tissue, whereas too little stress and you won't get into better shape. The key is to balance the two. This is the reason why I only go to gym once every 4-5 days, and won't do sprints more than once a week. The remainder of the days I either rest and recover, or do lighter exercise such as yoga or play squash.
Getting a good amount of sleep is vital. It's actually during the wee hours when you're asleep (or should be!) that your body secretes additional growth hormone and repairs those damaged muscles and other tissues.
This is it folks! I hope you've enjoyed the series and if I haven't convinced you to try out a different way of eating and exercising, then hopefully I've at least gotten you to question some of the conventional assumptions of what is healthy and what is not.