A Common Mistake of Many Dieters

Have you ever heard someone say they were going on a diet and planned on cutting back on calories to lose weight? You may have said it yourself at one time. Cutting back on calories, especially empty calories is not a bad idea, however it can be harmful if done to the extreme. Our bodies have a control system that assures that we have enough calories coming in to fuel the fire while making sure that we don't take on too much fuel. Taking in too much fuel would cause the body to a store any excess fuel as either fat or glycogen. The two hormones that help make this happen are Ghrelin and Leptin. They are the control system for our caloric intake. When your body senses that there is enough fuel on board Leptin levels are increased in the body which sends a signal to the brain saying you are not hungry. When your body senses that there is not enough fuel on board it decreases Leptin levels and increases ghrelin levels sending a message to your brain that you are hungry, that's the empty feeling you get when you get hungry.
Here's the problem.
Many dieters restrict there calorie intake and eliminate carbs from their diet to the extreme. This can result in something called Gluconeogenesis.

gluconeogenesis

(gloo´kōnē´ōjen´sis),
n the formation of glycogen or glucose from noncarbohydrate sources (e.g., the glycogenic amino acids, glycerol, lactate, and pyruvate) by pathways mainly involving the citric acid cycle and glycolysis.

Here it is in simple terms:

Your body senses that it does not have enough fuel ( Carbs, Glucose, Glycogen)  available in storage provide energy for your bodies needs.  At this point your body releases a hormone called cortisol ( cortisol is also released in times of stress) which breaks down muscle tissue to create sugar for energy. In addition the body will store any available carbs as fat. The bottom line is that you need to have the proper balance of available carbs, fat and protein for your body to function properly.   

Do You Need Help?

Do you want some help with your workout? Maybe som diet questions? Let me know and I will try to help you. email me at rweick3937@gmail.com

Great Article From Adam Bornstein at Livestrong

When I purchased our treadmill last year I really had no expectation that I would get motivational assistance included in the deal. After we set up the treadmill I enrolled on the Livestrong website. Shortly thereafter I started to receive emails from Adam Bornstein at Livestrong. The content has been very motivational.
Follow the link below to read Adams view on abs.


http://www.livestrong.com/blog/blog/are-you-doomed-be-fat/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1.24.12

The McRib and Dick Weeds Emersion

My wife and friends have suggested to me in the past that sometimes I get too into things. I get so emersed that I constantly think about things that interest me. Maybe it's obsessive or maybe it's just the way that I stay on top of things, keep the data bank refreshed and try to be aware. Since I began my healthy lifestyle I've signed up for e-news from multple blogs and websites.  I recently experienced a benefit of this behavior when I received the Jillian Michaels newsletter. It discussed the recent uproar over McDonalds bringing back the McRib sandwich.
How McDonalds gets away with selling this crap to the public amazes me. The article claims that the buns used for the sandwich contain a chemical called azodicarbonamide. It is a bleaching agent that is often used in making foam plastics, like the kind used in the manufacture of some shoe soles and in yoga mats.
But I will refer you to the origin of this information, the Huffington Post. Click the link below to see the whole article.
http://www.newsytype.com/13370-mcrib-faces-heat/

Richard Weick commented on LIVESTRONG.COM.

Richard Weick commented on LIVESTRONG.COM.

I wonder about the meals after 7:00pm. Here's an interesting view and explanation from Angela Epstein. This is a small part of a very thorough article she wrote on "Mail Online - Health".

Digestive system.
The body requires a regular supply of energy and its key source is glucose. This is constantly burned up to release energy for muscle contraction, nerve impulses and regulating body temperatu...re.
When we sleep, our need for these energy reserves is marginal so the digestive system slows down to a sluggish pace. The immobility of our bodies promotes this.
For this reason, eating late at night is not recommended as our inactive state will prevent enzymes and stomach acids from converting it to energy. This causes that telltale bloated feeling.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-90598/What-happens-body-youre-asleep.html#ixzz1Zu8Q9fjM.

Maximum Heart Rate

Since we have started using the EA Sports Active2 at our home there has been a lot of discussion on the topic of Maximum Heart Rate. We did the subtraction, 220 - age to calculate my MHR and 226 - age for my wife (it's different for females). So my MHR calculates to 156. The recommended workout range is 50%-90% depending on what your goals are. The problem is that I when I am at the peak of my workout I have short bursts as high as 170 or more. My wife was concerned that I was going to have a heart attack by working out too hard. Well, I did the research and I found that it is a fact that you can't hurt a healthy fit heart with exercise. You can only make it stronger. I also found that everyone has a different MHR depending on their level of fitness. I've been exercising for 2 years now so my MHR is going to be different. I also found that really fit athletes will more than likely have a lower MHR as their hearts are much healthier and more efficient. They get the job done with less effort.
BTW I found most of this information on the Cleveland Clinic Webstite. It's a great place to research health questions.

Maximum Heart Rate

I have been struggling with this all month. It started with the purchase of the EA Sports Active2 with the heart rate monitor. Now I know what my heart rate is during my workouts. So what do I do with this information?
I did the calculations to see what my max rate should be, i.e. 220-64=156.
I checked my numbers during my workout and for short periods I was way over that number. I noticed that as I increased my heart rate with each exercise my HR stayed at a higher level. When I was in the middle of my routine I hit 170 and higher for short bursts. Is this too much?
When I googled this I found that if you are healthy enough to hit that range that's OK for brief periods.
It wasn't a struggle to complete the workout and I'm still breathing!
I guess it's OK!