The 7 Mega Principles of Diet and Exercise for Fat Loss
By Paul RogersYes, I am somewhat proud of the fact that if you do a Google search (at the main google.com site), an article of mine still comes up number 1 for the term fat burning. It’s an article I wrote for About.com Weight Training over 12 months ago. I am surprised at this because Google records about 3.1 million records for the search term ’fat burning’. And when you see all the goony, loony web sites and weight loss schemes and supplements and silly diets and downright ripoffs that plague the internet, it does seem unlikely that a truthful and accurate article still has a chance of getting to the top. Three cheers for Google.
In any case, for Christmas I’ll do the KISS thing and “keep it simple, stupid” by summarising the no-fail approach to weight loss that emphasizes fat loss and muscle maintenance. If it fails for you, then you are either eating too much, moving too little or have a genuine pathology or genetic disorder — and mostly this is rare as a cause of obesity.
7 Rules to Rule Them All
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. The number 1 rule is not to get hung up on the trivia. This is the 90/10 rule or whatever you want to call it. The idea is that you must concentrate on putting most effort into doing the things that bring you most return and success. It’s okay to follow up on the small stuff after you get the big picture correct. Don’t get distracted by “insider secrets” or any of that web marketing hype. There are no insider secrets to achieving and maintaining normal weight. But that doesn’t mean there are not serious challenges.
- It’s the calories stupid! Even though I saw Tom Venuto use this phrase recently, I first used it in 2001 in a book I wrote called The Organic Factor. Even so, I’m sure quite a few people have come up with this independently, it’s so very obvious. This is one of the pieces of “big stuff” that I refer to in the rule above. You need to get into negative energy balance territory (but not too negative) to lose weight and that means eating less and exercising more. And the best way to cut calories? Limit animal fats, added fats, added sugars, alcohol, and reduce excessive portion sizes.
- Adopt a lifestyle. Most diets will work for a short while – low-carb, low-fat, meal replacement shakes, you name it. If you take in less than you expend in energy, you will lose weight. However, you need to find an eating and exercise pattern that suits you, that works, and that you can adopt more or less every day of your life.
- Do Regular Aerobic Exercise. Aerobic exercise is walking, running, treadmill, cycling, swimming, class aerobics and rowing. You need to put some effort in so that you puff and sweat to some extent. Do this at least 5 times a week, for at least 30-40 minutes, even if it’s walking fast around the block.
- Do Regular Weight Training. Get to a gym or buy some dumbbells and a bench for home and do at least 2 sessions of weight training each week. It helps maintain muscle and bone while you lose fat and builds strength, flexibility and mobility for the future.
- Move more at home and work. Under-rated and misunderstood, this is the science of NEAT or “non-exercise activity thermogenesis.” Moving more at home or work builds a feedback system that upregulates your metabolism. Get a pedometer and try to rack up 5,000 steps each day. It can be gardening, housework, playing with kids, lunchtime walks at work, stair walking, anything in addition to programmed exercise. Upper-body movement counts as well.
- Get a brain plan. Tackle weight loss as a personal project. Keep a diary, set goals, review your progress each week, do lots of internal head talk, adjust your approach when necessary, be patient, stick to a lifestyle you can tolerate, and get encouragement from friends or a group.
That’s the nub of it. No secrets, no surprises. Good luck.
What You Don’t Know About Saturated Fat That Could Harm You
By Paul RogersWhat you probably do know is that most dietary recommendations say that you should keep your consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol in food low in order to lower your blood cholesterol and consequently your risk of heart disease.
The usual recommendations are that saturated fat should be no more than 10% of total calories and cholesterol less than 300 milligrams each day – and for people with existing signs of heart disease, less than 7% saturated fat and under 200 milligrams of cholesterol each day.
If you read widely of internet health and nutrition sites, you may also be aware that fringe movements exist that say this is not true; that it’s a government conspiracy and so on, and that saturated fat and cholesterol are as harmless as soft fruit. You can read one of my responses to that. It’s surprising how many otherwise knowledgeable pundits get taken in by this stuff.
What you may not know is that too much saturated fat in the diet has other adverse effects beyond how it raises blood cholesterol. Here is a short summary.
Saturated Fats Cause Dementia
Here is what one research team has to say about saturated (and trans) fat and cognitive function.
“Diets high in fat, especially trans and saturated fats, adversely affect cognition, while those high in fruits, vegetables, cereals, and fish are associated with better cognitive function and lower risk of dementia. While the precise physiologic mechanisms underlying these dietary influences are not completely understood, modulation of brain insulin activity and neuroinflammation likely contribute.” (Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007 Oct;1114:389-97.)
And another:
“Moderate intake of unsaturated fats at midlife is protective, whereas a moderate intake of saturated fats may increase the risk of dementia and AD, especially among ApoE epsilon4 carriers. “ (Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2006;22(1):99-107. )
Saturated Fats Cause Insulin Resistance
This conclusion provides a pointer to findings from several similar studies:
“A change of the proportions of dietary fatty acids, decreasing saturated fatty acid and increasing monounsaturated fatty acid, improves insulin sensitivity . . . ” (Diabetologia. 2001 Mar;44(3):312-9.)
And:
“Therefore, prevention of the metabolic syndrome has to be targeted . . . and . . . to improve insulin sensitivity and associated metabolic abnormalities through a reduction of dietary saturated fat, partially replaced, when appropriate, by monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.” (Clin Nutr. 2004 Aug;23(4):447-56.)
Saturated Fat Slows Blood Flow in the Arteries
Here is what recent studies found about how saturated fat essentially clogs the arteries. (The endothelium is the layer of cells lining the inside of blood vessels and arteries. It is important in regulating blood flow.)
“High SFA (saturated fat) caused deterioration in FMD (flow-mediated dilation) compared with high PUFA, MUFA, or CARB diets. Inflammatory responses may also be increased on this diet.” (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2005 Jun;25(6):1274-9.)
And:
”Consumption of saturated fat reduces the anti-inflammatory potential of HDL and impairs arterial endothelial function. In contrast, the anti-inflammatory activity of HDL improves after consumption of polyunsaturated fat.” (J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006 Aug 15;48(4):715-20.)
And:
“Consumption of an SAFA-rich meal is harmful for the endothelium, while a MUFA-rich meal does not impair endothelial function in subjects with type 2 diabetes.” (Diabetes Care. 2008 Dec;31(12):2276-8.)
Overall, you should be able to see that the case against too much saturated fat in the diet is convincing – one way or another — and it’s not just about cholesterol. Bear in mind that vegetable sources of saturated fat are not inconsequential. Olive and soy oil are about 15%, corn and sunflower about 12% and peanut oil around 20%. However, consuming saturated fat and cholesterol together in animal foods may present the greatest combined risk, and whole nuts or seeds, even with some saturated fat, the least risk.
- Parrott MD, Greenwood CE. Dietary influences on cognitive function with aging: from high-fat diets to
healthful eating. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007 Oct;1114:389-97. Review.
- Laitinen MH, Ngandu T, Rovio S, et al. Fat intake at midlife and risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: a
population-based study. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2006;22(1):99-107.
- Morris MC, Evans DA, Bienias JL, et al. Dietary fats and the risk of incident Alzheimer disease. Arch Neurol. 2003 Feb;60(2):194-200. Erratum in: Arch Neurol. 2003
- Vessby B, Unsitupa M, Hermansen K, et al. Substituting dietary saturated for monounsaturated fat impairs insulin sensitivity in healthy men and women: The KANWU Study. Diabetologia. 2001 Mar;44(3):312-9.
- Riccardi G, Giacco R, Rivellese AA. Dietary fat, insulin sensitivity and the metabolic syndrome. Clin Nutr. 2004 Aug;23(4):447-56. Review.
- Keogh JB, Grieger JA, Noakes M, Clifton PM. Flow-mediated dilatation is impaired by a high-saturated fat diet but not by a high-carbohydrate diet. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2005 Jun;25(6):1274-9.
- Tentolouris N, Arapostathi C, Perrea D, et al. Differential effects of two isoenergetic meals rich in saturated or monounsaturated fat on endothelial function in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2008 Dec;31(12):2276-8.
- Nicholls SJ, Lundman P, Harmer JA, et al. Consumption of saturated fat impairs the anti-inflammatory properties of high-density lipoproteins and endothelial function.J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006 Aug 15;48(4):715-20.
Dioxins in Food and Water Could Cause Diabetes
By Paul Rogers
Agent Orange - from imjoshdotcom
I’ve been aware of an increasing number of recent studies that seem to show that the chemical pollutants called POPs – dioxins and similar compounds – could be at least partly responsible for the current epidemic of type 2 diabetes. Now it’s not conclusive, but some aspects of these investigations are certainly interesting. Like the fact that when controlled for dioxin content of tissue, even obese people were at no higher risk of type 2 diabetes if their dioxin levels were low. This could be a chance occurrence, or other factors could cause this to occur, but overall there are some compelling aspects to this research.
Here is what one author had to say:
“The strong associations seen in quite different studies suggest the possibility that exposure to POPs could cause diabetes. One striking observation is that obese persons that do not have elevated POPs are not at elevated risk of diabetes, suggesting that the POPs rather than the obesity per se is responsible for the association. ” [Rev Environ Health. 2008 Jan-Mar;23(1):59-74. Review.]
POPs are “persistent organic pollutants.” This class of pollutants includes dioxins, PCBs, DDT, DDE and many chlorinated organic pesticides. They accumulate in your body and in the fat of the animals we eat.
History of Dioxins and Diabetes
Some years ago I worked in occupational and environmental health and safety, advising on toxic chemicals and health. As well as working to establish the first chemical list for Australia’s National Pollutant Inventory, I also helped out the local Vietnam vets with their Agent Orange herbicide case. Much of the finer detail of the toxic risk assessments involved dioxins — exotic chemical contaminants that result from chemical manufacture and combustion. Levels of dioxin were very high in Agent Orange. There are over 200 varieties of dioxins, furans and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) – chemicals with somewhat similar structure and varying toxicities to humans. Sometimes the toxicity of these dioxin-like chemicals are referred to collectively with ‘toxic equivalents’ or TEQ.
Studies of manufacturing workers exposed to dioxins and similar compounds had already revealed a higher incidence of diabetes, and animal tests had confirmed this possibility to some degree.
The early emphasis of dioxin toxicity research was on birth defects and cancer. However, it took some time for the US Veterans Affairs Department to acknowledge limited evidence in support of a connection of Agent Orange exposure with type 2 diabetes, to the extent that disability pensions are now paid on this basis.
Other pieces of research seem to fit the puzzle. It seems that endocrine disrupting chemicals in general, especially ones that persist in the environment, are associated with diabetes. And a most recent research study suggests that the much-publicized plastics residue bisphenol-A is also possibly involved.
POPs and Diabetes: What You Can Do
While these contaminants are everywhere – from the Antarctic to the purest looking lake water – they also contaminate food by accumulating in animal fats – and which we consume in meat, chicken, dairy and fish products and fats.
If you want to reduce your intake, you really need to either find wild or organic and lean products from pristine places, or reduce your intake of animal foods, especially fat, or perhaps do a combination of both. This issue is also another reason why high-meat and fat diets like Atkins low-carb can be a recipe for disaster. And as for those so-called diet gurus who say we should eat more saturated fat . . . here’s a very good reason not to.
- Rignell-Hydbom A, Rylander L, Hagmar L. Exposure to persistent organochlorine pollutants and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Hum Exp Toxicol. 2007 May;26(5):447-52.
- Rylander L, Rignell-Hydbom A, Hagmar L. A cross-sectional study of the association between persistent organochlorine pollutants and diabetes. Environ Health. 2005 Nov 29;4:28.
- Ropero AB, Alonso-Magdalena P, García-García E, Ripoll C, Fuentes E, Nadal A. Bisphenol-A disruption of the endocrine pancreas and blood glucose homeostasis. Int J Androl. 2008 Apr;31(2):194-200. Epub 2007 Oct 31. Review.
- Wang SL, Tsai PC, Yang CY, Leon Guo Y. Increased risk of diabetes and polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins: a 24-year follow-up study of the Yucheng cohort. Diabetes Care. 2008 Aug;31(8):1574-9. 2008 May 16.
- Michalek JE, Pavuk M. Diabetes and cancer in veterans of Operation Ranch Hand after adjustment for calendar period, days of spraying, and time spent in Southeast Asia. J Occup Environ Med. 2008 Mar;50(3):330-40.
The Diet Wars Really Are Over
John Tierney over at TierneyLab recently had a bit to say about the New England Journal of Medicine study that compared an American Heart Association low-fat diet with Atkins and Mediterranean diets.
I’ve discussed the details and the implications in a longer page post called Diet Wars, but the upshot of this and many other bits and pieces of nutrition research from recent times pretty much suggests that we stop wasting time debating low-fat or low-carb or in between and get on with recommending a healthy eating pattern that spans a wider macronutrient range for fat, protein and carbohydrate.
Let’s get the faddists, fanatics and false prophets on the run.
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