Ground Up Strength

Acarbose Improperly Used for Weight Loss

Acarbose is one of a group of oligosaccharides (complex carbohydrates) which inhibit enzymes of starch and disaccharide digestion. It was introduced in 1990 by Bayer AG, Germany under the trade name Glucobay. In the U.S. it is marketed under the name Precose. Other trade names are Glumida and Prandose. It is also available in generic.

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Calories from Lipids (Fats), Carbohydrate, and Protein

The term we use to describe the energy derived from foods is Calorie. In other words, the terms energy and Calorie, when applied to foods, are synonymous. One calorie is defined as the quantity of heat necessary to raise one kg (1 liter) of water 1°C. What we call a calorie, therefore, is actually a kilogram calorie or kilocalorie, which is abbreviated kcal. If a food contained 100 kcal, then the energy the food contained would increase the temperature of 100 liters of water by 1°C. A capital C is used here, in the word Calorie, to indicate the kilocalorie, since one calorie would actually be the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C. For more on the calorie, and its problems, see Calorie Confusion.

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The Magical Farce of Negative Calories, The Thermic Effect, and Resting Energy Expenditure

Turning over a new leaf, just for this post, at least, I decided to actually write about fat loss. People who read my articles regularly know that I do not hand out weight loss advice. But a fun subject, and one a knowledgeable feller like myself can tackle, is the "negative calorie" claim that has surfaced through the years. The thing about this claim is that it can seem logical at first glance, to someone with no in-depth knowledge of nutrition, and at the heart of it, there is a kernel of truth. For those without knowledge and those who wish to cash in on that market, a kernel of truth is all that is needed.

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Anorexia Nervosa: Explanation, Signs, and Symptoms

The term anorexia nervosa comes from the Greek word for "lack of appetite" and a Latin word implying a nervous origin. It is a major emotional eating disorder and is characterized by three main criteria:

• Significant self-induced starvation, or near-starvation
• An extreme desire for thinness or being extremely afraid of becoming fat
• The presence of medical signs and symptoms resulting from starvation

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Comic Relief from Stronglifts: Strength Training the Key to Fatloss

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From Portion Distortion to Mindful Eating

Portion sizes have increased dramatically over the last few decades, requiring us to be proactive in our effort to eat moderately. Traditional approaches to “portion control” such as weighing and measuring food are often ineffective for the long term because they are require too much time and energy and they are disconnected from our body’s needs.

A simpler and more practical approach to eating moderate portions is to use your innate hunger and fullness signals as your guide. Despite the super-sized servings we often encounter, we can create a habit of eating to the point of “just right” rather than “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!” When the focus is on feeling good rather than being good, common sense will prevail.

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Inventing the Couch Potato: An Exercise Myth That Needs to Go Away

I've talked about the athlete fallacy many times. This fallacy is related to exercise guilt and the feeling that if you are not "going all the way" you are doing something wrong, wasting your time, may as well not bother, etc. and so on.

Also related to this idea, intrinsic to it really, is the idea that you must regularly go to the gym and engage in an exercise program or training plan in order to derive any health benefits from exercise. So, in other words, it takes a few weeks to a month to see any true benefit because that benefit is always from the cumulative results of regular exercise.

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Food Compensation: Do Exercise Ads Change Food Intake?

Past research has shown that promotional messages such as food advertising influence food consumption. However, what has gone largely unexplored is the effect of exercise advertising on food intake. This study experimentally tested the effects of exposure to exercise commercials on food intake at a lunch meal as compared to the effects of control commercials.

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Get over the Time Magazine Article, Seriously

This is an old post of my reaction to the infamous 2009 Time Magazine Article, "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin". Even though this has been blogged on by so many others and it is old news I wanted to re-post with a little rewrite because 1) my reaction was quite different than the reaction of the "fitness industry" at large, 2) I think the general reaction says more about the fitness industry than it does about fat loss and 3) it is a good example of the type of disordered priorities that is prevalent in the fat loss world.

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Physical Activity Plays an Important Role in Body Weight Regulation

Emerging literature highlights the need to incorporate physical activity into every strategy intended to prevent weight gain as well as to maintain weight loss over time. Furthermore, physical activity should be part of any plan to lose weight. The stimulus of exercise provides valuable metabolic adaptations that improve energy and macronutrient balance regulation. A tight coupling between energy intake and energy expenditure has been documented at high levels of physical exercise, suggesting that exercise may improve appetite control. The regular practice of physical activity has also been reported to reduce the risk of stress-induced weight gain. A more personalized approach is recommended when planning exercise programs in a clinical weight loss setting in order to limit the compensatory changes associated to exercise-induced weight loss. With modern environment promoting overeating and sedentary behavior, there is an urgent need for a concerted action including legislative measures to promote healthy active living in order to curb the current epidemic of chronic diseases.

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