All posts tagged energy

6-Pack Abs Are Expensive

…unless you’re a teenage boy, or a hard-gainer.

The guy on the cover of Men’s Health Magazine is a professional model. His job is to look good, and he doesn’t look that good by cutting back on carbs and doing crunches.

That guy probably pays money to look that good. A lot of money.

I work in a body building gym in San Francisco. It also just so happens to be San Francisco’s “gay gym.” Sure, straight people are allowed in, but the member base is predominantly male. You’re either a body builder, gay, or both.

It seems to me that body image is as important to this particular member base as it is for women! Everywhere you look, there are tight, hard bodies pumping iron. There’s the core group: the members who arrive every day, without fail, and work out for 2-3 hours. Lift-pause-lift-pause-lift-pause.

…and then some “cardio:” slow, deliberate steps on the stair mill–forever.

I don’t know enough about body building to give an in-depth analysis, but what I can tell you is that these guys have the most expensive bodies of anyone I’ve ever known in a neighborhood gym.

$200 a month for supplements: protein powder, meal replacement, BCAAS, and more.
$100 a month for extra food: shakes, smoothies, and chicken. Lots of chicken. Insane amounts of chicken.
$0-$400 a month for personal training and accountability.
$80-$200 a month for body work, including stretching, massage, hair removal, and tanning.
$$$ = Time. Tons of time exercising and eating. Time planning meals. Time commuting to and from the gym. Time waiting between sets. Having a solid body is one of the most time-intensive exercise goals of them all. It’s like playing a sport, only your “practice” is 2-3x longer every day, and you have to invest 2-3x more time fretting about your food, and 2-3x more time recovering (every workout aims to demolish muscles; every workout aims to leave them twitching, dying, and torn at a microscopic level, in order to repair and grow bigger and stronger). What is an hour of your time worth?

Don’t get me wrong. I have tremendous respect for body builders. It is a sport that requires insane precision and dedication.

But I’m weary on their behalf. I’m weary for the time they spend fretting about whether one shoulder looks bigger than the other, about whether their kidneys are okay, whether they are coping with their body dysmorphia constructively.

Hey! That’s just for body builders! I don’t want to be a big massive guy. I just want that 6-pack!

Take a ticket. You and everyone else who doesn’t want an ounce of fat on them. And there are two ways to get rid of every ounce of fat:

1) Just don’t eat. Ever. Give up food.

2) Don’t eat carbs. Hyper-dose yourself on protein. Stick with natural, unprocessed fats when needed, and lean protein the rest of the time. Oh, and when you’re ready for your photo shoot, dehydrate yourself.

The body is designed to have a healthy layer of fat on it. Your brain is wired to seek out fat and sugar. When it ingests fat, it thinks, “Awesome! Let’s eat more of that!” When it finds sugar, it says, “Whoa! Cheap, delicious energy!” When the two are combined, “Holy shit! The is the most amazing food stuff I’ve ever encountered!” It’s fat and carbs that the body wants.

Fat keeps the body feeling full longer than anything else, and it keeps the body running slowly. Carbs are the body’s preferred energy source, and they allow for fast, rapid movement; they also make you feel happy.

The body does not have the same hard-wiring for protein. Of course, protein is an essential macro-nutrient, but after you eat a sufficient amount, the brain says, “Boy, I don’t want another bite of chicken. I’ll throw up. I’m warning you… No more!”

Eating massive amounts of protein is hard work. And it’s hard work to digest as well. You’re net energy decreases, and your organs work over-time. It also requires a lot of water to digest. If you aren’t getting sufficient fiber and vegetable intake, you run the short-term risk of constipation (uncomfortable) and the long-term risk of colon cancer (life threatening) and other types of cancer (if your protein is predominantly animal-sourced).

On the plus side: you will have very healthy hair and nails, and big muscles.

If you have a good ethic of regular exercise, including a variety of exercise activities, and you are fretting about your abs, know that for most people, 6-pack abs take an extreme level of dedication that may not be lifestyle friendly.

1 Comment

by demogirl06 on June 21, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Fitness & Lifestyle, Nutrition

Tagged 6-pack, abs, body building, body dysmorphia, cancer, carbs, dehydrate, energy, fat, gym, health, image, kidneys, model, muscle, protein, time, water, weights, work, work out

Posted by demogirl06 on June 21, 2012

http://mariamaestevens.com/2012/06/21/6-pack-abs-are-expensive/

“Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” from Robert H. Lustig, MD: A Summary

Dr. Robert H. Lustig begins with the question, “What do the Atkins diet and the Japanese diet have in common?” It’s an odd question, as the two diets seem diametrically opposed. The Atkins diet is all fat, no carb. And the Japanese diet is all carb, no fat. They both work. So, what do they have in common?

They both eliminate the sugar fructose.

Lustig continues into a 90-minute lecture, called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” which can be viewed for free on Youtube. Amazingly, this 90-minute talk on sugar and biochemistry was viewed by over 1.5 million people. 1.5 million people wanted to learn how fructose is basically the common denominator for virtually every aspect of Metabolic Syndrome.

Lustig begins with a basic law: if you eat it, you better burn it, or you’re going to store it. This is the law of thermodynamics, pushed forward by fitness trainers and fad diets. For many, it’s true. Calories in vs. calories out will determine skinny or fat.

But it’s not true. I’ve always said that if you eat 2,000 calories of protein vs. 2,000 calories of sugar, you will achieve a very different body shape.

Energy expenditure equals quality of life, Lustig continues. The more energy you burn, the better you feel. But we are not burning this energy, and America is suffering from an obesity epidemic.

There is a hormone in our body that tells us to stop eating. It’s called leptin. It’s supposed to tell us to stop eating, but Americans are eating more than ever, so clearly leptin isn’t working anymore. There is something we are eating that is distorting our normal biochemical negative feedback system.

Is it the fat in our diet?

Nope, he says dismissively. We’ve actually decreased our fat intake, as a country, from 40 to 30% over the past few decades.

It’s the carbs, Lustig declares. There’s something in the carbohydrate we are eating that has shut down leptin.

Americans consume 65 lbs of high fructose corn syrup a year. HFCS is much sweeter than most sugars. The syrup is comprised of glucose and fructose (fructose will vary from 42-50%). Sucrose (table sugar) is also a fructose and a glucose; table sugar is 50% glucose, 50% fructose.

Lustig declares, HFCS and sugar are the same. They are both poison. Sugar isn’t just about empty calories. Fructose is a poison, and it distorts your body’s chemistry.

Every single year, Americans not only eat more, but they eat more of their calories from sugar.

After summarizing how the Nixon administration would change the face of American food production and culture forever, and the tight correlation between soft drink consumption and obesity, Lustig asks his audience to hang on tight for a whirlwind tour of how glucose, fructose, and ethanol (alcohol) break down in the body.

Fructose is not glucose:

1. Fructose is 7 times more likely to form advanced glycation end products

2. Fructose does not suppress ghrelin (the hunger hormone) because it does not break down until it reaches the liver.

3. Fructose does not stimulate insulin or leptin.

4. Fructose is the only sugar metabolized by the liver.

5. It promotes metabolic syndrome.

Compare 2 slices of white bread (which is roughly 120 calories of glucose), to liquor (roughly 120 calories of ethanol), to a glass of a sugar-sweetened beverage (about 120 calories of sucrose, half of which is fructose).

The Bread (glucose) – 120 calories:

-80% of the glucose will be used by the body.

-About 20% of the glucose will hit the liver and get stored as glycogen (for future physical activity).

-A tiny fraction of the glucose will be made into ATP which, if not burned, will go through a number of biochemical processes, turning into citrate, and may be stored as fat.

-Perhaps 1/2 a calorie will end up as Pattern B Cholesterol (very low density lipoprotein), but it is negligible. This is why you can live off white rice and not die of a heart attack.

The Alcohol (ethanol) – 120 calories:

- 24 calories will hit the kidneys, muscle, and brain.

-96 calories hit the liver. This is four times the amount, compared to white bread (glucose).

-What hits the liver metabolizes into acetaldehyde (like formaldehyde), which is toxic.

- Like glucose, it breaks down into lots of citrate, and will be stored as fat (four times the amount!).

-The other by-product of this metabolic process is the production of Pattern B Cholesterol (VLDL), again, four times the amount.

The Sugary Beverage (sucrose) – 120 calories:

-60 calories from glucose will break down similarly to the white bread (48 calories to the body, 12 calories to the liver to be stored as glycogen).

-60 calories from fructose will all go to the liver.

-In total, 72 calories reaching the liver will need to be phosphoralated (turned into energy–ATP–adenosine tri phosphate). That is a lot–three times the amount, when compared to white bread.

-You lose a lot of phosphate in this process, and so the body provides a rescue molecule, and the end waste product from the metabolism of these calories is uric acid (which causes gout and hypertension, among other things).

-Uric acid blocks the your body’s chemical–endothelial nitric oxide synthase–for maintaining low blood pressure.

-Citrate, again, arises from the metabolism of all these calories, which promotes fat retention, dyslipidemia, VLDL, and high blood triglycerides.

-In short, from any fructose load, 30% of it will end up as fat.

-An excess of body fat changes the way your body responds to leptin. Leptin is a hormone produced by adipocytes (fat cells). The more fat you have, the more leptin is produced to act on your brain’s hypothalamus. But when there is too much, you develop leptin insensitivity; your brain can no longer recognize it and thinks you’re starving. So you eat more.

A final comparison between soda and beer:

	COKE	BEER
Calories	150	150
Calories from fructose	75 (4.1 kcal/g)	0
Calories from other carbs	75 (glucose)	60 (maltose)
Calories from alcohol	0	90 (7kcal/g)
1^st pass G.I. metabolism	0%	0%
Calories reaching the liver	90	92

Lustig says fructose is ethanol without the buzz.

Fructose is like drinking fat. 30% goes to fat storage. It is metabolized like fat.

A high sugar diet is essentially a high fat diet.

2 Comments

by demogirl06 on January 2, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Biochemistry, Nutrition, Weight Management: Chemistry

Tagged adenosine tri phosphate, alcohol, america, ATP, bitter truth, blood, blood pressure, brain, carbs, cholesterol, citrate, energy, ethanol, fat, fructose, ghrelin, glucose, glycogen, insulin, kidney, leptin, muscle, obese, pattern b, robert h. lustig, storage, sugar, uric acid, very low density lipoprotein, VLDL

Posted by demogirl06 on January 2, 2012

http://mariamaestevens.com/2012/01/02/sugar-the-bitter-truth-from-robert-h-lustig-md-a-summary/

Macronutrients In Every Meal

I always say that the term “healthy diet” is a political term. After all, the USDA Food Pyramid is nothing but politics. Whoever lobbies the hardest, or pumps the most research into biased “scientific” studies gets their desired place on the pyramid. Of course, things are getting better (in my opinion), in regard to the pyramid, but we still have a long way to go when it comes to promoting quality and strategy.

Without going into another rant about denatured “bastardized” foods available on the market, I’d like to write about the roles of macronutrients in the diet, and how they should be a part of every meal.

A macronutrient is an essential substance required in relatively large amounts by a living organism. A micronutrient, on the other hand, is a substance required in relatively small amounts–like vitamins and minerals.

What qualifies as a human macronutrient varies according to who’s talking about it, but the list looks something like this: fat, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, and water. In this article, I will focus mostly on the first three. By focusing your attention on the first four, and eating them from quality sources, as few people need a better understanding of water.

Fat (Lipids)

Fats/lipids are a group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. The include triglycerides, phospholipids, and sterols. In the diet, 95% of lipids are fats and oils (in the body, 99% of stored lipids are triglycerides, that is, three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone.

Fatty acids come in three forms: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. These levels of “saturation” are determined by how many hydrogen atoms are attached to the chain of a particular fat–and chains vary in length as well.

No need to concern yourself with the chemistry. Think of it this way: saturated fats are solid at room temperature, unsaturated fats are liquid. Keep it simple.

Lipids are the most concentrated source of energy, packing 9 calories per gram (because of this, many people try to avoid fat in order to lose weight, since it is easy to overeat on certain types of fat). Fats are involved in the following:

Cellular membrane structure and function
Precursors to hormones
Surrounding, holding, and protecting organs
Regulation and secretion of nutrients in cells
Insulating the body from environmental temperatures and preserving body heat
Initiating the release of the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK), which contributes to feelings of satiety*
Prolonging the digestive process by slowing the stomach’s secretion of hydrochloric acid*

*Fat is digested and absorbed quite slowly (by without great digestive effort), and therefore remains in the stomach longer than carbohydrates or proteins. For this reason, it leaves you feeling fuller, longer. When you eat fat, it’s like throwing a big log on the fire–it is slow to burn, and gives you hours of lasting, consistent heat (energy).

Protein

Proteins are polymer chains of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. They must be broken down into their separate amino acids before the body can make use of them. Of the 20 essential and nonessential amino acids, only 8 essential amino acids (ones the body cannot make on its own) are necessarily derived from the diet.

A “complete” protein is any protein source that contains all 8 essential amino acids. Animal sources of protein are complete–plant sources are often incomplete (or low) in some amino acids.

Amino acids from protein are needed for the following:

Synthesizing body-tissue protein
Providing glucose for energy (if needed)
Contributing to fat stores (not always)

Amino acids will not be used to build protein if:

There is not enough available energy from carbohydrate or fat
If essential amino acids are lacking or consistently too low
There is an excess of too much necessary protein (and they will be excreted from the body instead)

Chronic high protein intake diets can lead to:

Calcium depletion
Fluid imbalance
Hunger
Slower metabolism (due to insufficient fat and carbohydrates)
Energy loss

Protein is found in the majority of foods. While animal sources are “complete,” plant sources are cleaner sources of protein, promote better health, and should never be discounted. In any diet, it is important to consume a variety of foods, in order to consume a variety of vitamins and minerals. Under the same concept, it is important to consume a variety of plant foods, to ensure a variety of essential amino acids–if one chooses a meatless or vegan diet.

With each meal, be sure to have a variety of foods, to ensure sufficient amino acid consumption.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the chief source of energy for the body and all of its functions. They are compounds consisting of a carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They fall under three classifications: sugar, starch, and fiber.

Sugars are carbohydrates, and they come in two forms: monosaccharides (single units–glucose, fructose, galactose) or disaccharides (double units–sucrose, lactose, maltose, etc.). Sugars digest quickly and are typically burned up rapidly in the blood stream and by the brain, unless consumed in excess .

Multiple sugars can connect together to make starches–longer chains of carbohydrates. These typically take longer to digest (unless “pre-digested” through processing), and provide longer, steadier burning energy. Starches, particularly refined ones, are easy to over-consume and as result, contribute to fat storage.

Because they are the chief source of energy for the body, rapid depletion (burning) of carbohydrates, or carbohydrate restriction, will lead to continual cravings for this macronutrient.

Fiber is a non-digestible form of carbohydrate and is essential for optimal health:

It provides bulk in the diet, thus increasing satiety (some fibers delay the emptying of the stomach, subduing a potent hunger hormone, ghrelin)
Prevents constipation
Maintains good intestinal mobility
Aids in prevention of bacterial infections
Reduces risk for heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol (certain fibers bind with cholesterol compounds and sweep them out of the body; may also inhibit production of bad cholesterol)
Regulates body’s absorption of glucose (sugar)

With every meal, it is important to include a carbohydrate that has not been stripped of its fiber. White flours, added sugars, and peeled starchy root vegetables should be avoided, as the removal of fiber adulterates normal digestive breakdown of these foods, leading to numerous metabolic externalities within the body. Never remove the fiber from food.

In Sum:

Every meal should be eaten in balance. Carbohydrates, fat, and protein should be eaten with every meal. This ensures slow, consistent digestion and energy throughout the day. Carbohydrates should not be avoided, as they are the body’s primary fuel source. Avoid carbohydrates that have been stripped of their fiber. Fat should accompany the meal, to slow the digestive process and increase levels of satiety. Protein is present in most foods, but it is important to eat a variety of foods, so that all essential amino acids can be obtained (as well as vitamins and minerals).

Think About It

In light of the response I received to yesterday’s post, I would like to share the following quote:

“Organic isn’t just about food. Its a much more expansive way of thinking that embraces cyclical, nonlinear resource use, where waste from one activity becomes food for another… All of humanity ate organic food under the early part of the twentieth century, yet we’ve been on a chemical binge diet for about eighty years…and what do we have to show for it? We’ve lost one-third of America’s original topsoil; buried toxic waste everywhere; and polluted and depleted water systems, worsened global warming, and exacerbated ailments ranging from cancer to diabetes to obesity.” - Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield, the world’s leading organic yogurt producer.

You Are What You Eat: Karma

(This post is a continuation of yesterday’s post, “You Are What You Eat: Duh.”)

Energy is not always quantifiable. Nor are all types of energy measurable. Take karma, for example; most people I’ve talked to espouse some sort of belief in karma, or the power to precipitate one’s own ends. The Golden Rule is based in it, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

There are a lot of reasons not to eat meat, or to avoid factory-farmed food, or irresponsibly or unethically produced food. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll focus on one food: eggs.

Eggs, to most people, are a more benign animal-derived food. Laying hens don’t invoke images of chickens’ legs breaking under the weight of fat bodies, or chickens being caught by the legs and tossed/crammed into boxes en route to the slaughter house. Nope. We think that laying hens get to flap and scratch and move around (albeit, in a crowded house), and pop out eggs once or twice a day when their ready.

Far from it.

Laying hens have the most confined, miserable lives of any factory-farm species. Exposed to artificial light, crammed into small cages, roosting in their own feces, and often roosting under the feces of other hens, these animals know nothing but stress and idleness. It is not uncommon for farm workers to miss the carcass of a a dead bird due to the crowding and chaos.

I hate to use the Holocaust as an example, but anyone who has seen Schindler’s List or any other type of media on the subject can easily conjure up an image of human beings stuffed into boxcars and left in them for days or weeks under the most inhuman conditions. It’s about the same for laying hens–for their entire lives.

The hen will be a product of its environment: environmental, nutritional, and emotional.

The egg is a product of that hen.

You eat that egg, and it becomes part of your nutritional makeup.

You are what you eat; and you are everything that went into that egg. Every negatively charged emotion, every irresponsible practice, every unethical step of its production.

Some people are too “good” to buy stolen goods–but not if they don’t know those goods were stolen. Wake up and realize what you’re eating. I’ll call it a food’s “karmic load.”

It doesn’t stop there, and there’s no easy answer. Foods you think are responsible, organic, or sustainable often are not. Big Food works very hard to keep its consumers in the dark. Start asking questions about how your food was produced, whether anyone was exploited in the process, and if the environment suffered in the process. I’m not recommending that you do this from the viewpoint of some touchy-feeling tree-hugging animal-rights enthusiast; I recommend it from a practical standpoint…

You are what you eat. See my related post “What you’re REALLY eating (part 2): What Consumer’s Should Know About Conventional Food.”

Maria Mae Stevens

All posts tagged energy

6-Pack Abs Are Expensive

“Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” from Robert H. Lustig, MD: A Summary

Macronutrients In Every Meal

Think About It

You Are What You Eat: Karma

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