Stuart Seymour January 2nd 2018 A lot of people are starting the new year with trying to lose weight and go down the route of a low calorie diet which could risk your health So Did you know that severe calorie restriction alters hormonal responses within the body? Restricting calories to lose fat over the long term is more detrimental to your metabolism because it will turn your body into a hormone-induced hunger machine. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that after putting overweight individuals on a ten-week calorie-restricted diet of 550 calories a day, they experienced elevated levels of the hormones ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, and gastric inhibitory polypeptide, which promotes fat storage. Leptin, a hormone that suppresses hunger and boosts fat burning, was profoundly reduced after the ten-week diet and stayed that way for the duration of the one-year study (SEVERE LOW CALORIE DIETS ARE STUPID!!) After the ten-week diet, participants lost 30 pounds, but due to the way they had severely altered their metabolic hormone responses to food by restricting calories, they regained an average of 15 pounds in the next year which shows it's not sustainable I've refused to train many women who tell me they refuse to budge on their 800 calorie diets and below and still trying to train hard. The reality is that the only thing these ladies will lose is muscle mass and my reputation as a sh*t hot trainer. Of course they'll lose fat too - they'll probably lose lots of fat and lots of muscle in the process - but I'd rather turn down the business because deep down I know they;ll put all that weight on and more. Only this time it will be even harder to lose, as they'f have screwed up their metabolism even more in the severe dieting process. These ladies need to learn that it's not all about calories! YES - calories are very important, but there is far more too it that just calories. Macronutrients are KEY The first part of the faulty calorie system of fat loss is that the macronutrient ratios of your diet dictate hormone response Carbs, particularly those with a higher glycemic index (more sugar) immediately increase the level of the hormone insulin When you eat a lot of carbs—as is common in calorie-counting diets in which a person eats low-fat, high carb-foods—you will be consistently driving up insulin This is bad news... Chronically elevated insulin makes the cells resistant to the insulin, which drives up levels of the stress hormone cortisol, causing cellular ageing... The combination produces fat gain and can onset diabetes.... If you were substituting protein and “smart” fats for a portion of those carbs, the protein would be used to restore tissue and build lean mass, while the fats would be used to strengthen cellular lipid layers to improve insulin sensitivity, restore brain health, and build hormones like testosterone... Here are some take away points fom Stuart of Motiv8 Personal Training; For optimal body composition, the solution to any remaining confusion about how to adopt a diet for fat loss is to understand the following... • A protein calorie is NOT the same as a carbohydrate calorie. So eat less calories from carbs and more from protein. • The thermic effect of different macronutrients varies just as the thermic effect of processed foods is much less than of whole foods. • Macronutrient ratios will determine hormone response. lots of carbs spike insulin which makes cell age at a faster rate, so cut back on foods that spike insulin. • The total amount of calories you eat in a day DOES matter for body composition—if you are overeating as in the study that had participants eating an extra 954 calories a day, you will gain weight, but whether that weight results in fat or muscle gain depends on macronutrient ratios and exercise regime • If you aren’t overeating, simply altering the macronutrient ratios to manage insulin and the hormone response of food can lead to fat loss and significantly improve body composition. • Stay away from diets that involve you not eating. It is absolutely rubbish that you need to stop eating on a cleanse... I'm seeing more and more posts on facebook about companies promoting cleanses through just juices and gels and this is very dangerous. Listen I'm a huge fan of using good quality supplements. But companies promoting fast and effective weightloss on 3 x shakes a day and no food is dangerous and not sustainable - Eat real food for :-) We are designed to eat after all. I could go on and on and on about the dangerous diets on the market But today we will look at the Fruitarian diet... On the fruitarian diet all you can eat is fruit Some fruitarian dieters eat nuts and seeds, but all other foods are banned. You can’t even eat vegetables Now I'm a huge admirer of fruit, but this is extreme Why it can be bad for you: Eating food from one food group is bad news for you and your body. By only eating fruit, as the fruitarian diet suggests, you are not giving your body the fatty acids and nutrients it needs. Not eating enough nutrients, such as vitamin B12, can cause you to develop anaemia. According to Colombia University the fruitarian diet also does not provide you with enough protein, iron, zinc, vitamin D or calcium. As a result, you may feel tired, pick up illnesses because your immune system is low and are more prone to osteoporosis Who has tried the diet: Ashton Kutcher tried the diet when he was playing Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, who was a part-time fruitarian. Ashton ended up in hospital with stomach pain after trying the fruitarian diet. I hope this information allows you to make better food choices... Have an amazing week and don't be a dick when it comes to dieting!
