Ground Up Strength

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 - Repost from GUStrength's Blog

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.

Continue Reading » Get over the Time Magazine Article, Seriously - Repost from GUStrength's Blog

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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Sleep, Appetite, and Obesity: What Is the Link?

There is a well-documented relationship between short sleep duration and high body mass index (BMI). In the largest study, a survey on sleep duration and frequency of insomnia in more than 1.1 million participants, increasing BMI occurred for habitual sleep amounts below 7–8 hours [1]. A recent prospective study found an association between sleep curtailment and future weight gain [2]. The mechanism linking short sleep with weight gain is unknown, but Mignot and colleagues' study in this month's PLoS Medicine [3] adds to the growing evidence implicating leptin and ghrelin, the two key opposing hormones involved in appetite regulation.

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Evidence for Resistance Training as an Obesity Treatment

Over the last decade, investigators have paid increasing attention to the effects of resistance training (RT) on several metabolic syndrome variables. Evidence suggests that skeletal muscle is responsible for up to 40% of individuals' total body weight and may be influential in modifying metabolic risk factors via muscle mass development. Due to the metabolic consequences of reduced muscle mass, it is understood that normal aging and/or decreased physical activity may lead to a higher prevalence of metabolic disorders. The purpose of this review is to (1) evaluate the potential clinical effectiveness and biological mechanisms of RT in the treatment of obesity and (2) provide up-to-date evidence relating to the impact of RT in reducing major cardiovascular disease risk factors (including dyslipidaemia and type 2 diabetes). A further aim of this paper is to provide clinicians with recommendations for facilitating the use of RT as therapy in obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders.

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Pathways Linking Chronic Sleep Restriction to Obesity

A growing number of studies have identified chronic sleep restriction as a potential risk factor for obesity. This could have important implications for how obesity is prevented and managed, but current understanding of the processes linking chronic sleep restriction to obesity is incomplete. In this paper, we examined some of the pathways that could underlie the relationship between chronic sleep restriction and obesity. This involved exploring some of the potential environmental, health, behavioral, and sociodemographic determinants of chronic sleep restriction, which require further investigation in this context. Three pathways that could potentially link chronic sleep restriction to obesity were then examined: (1) altered neuroendocrine and metabolic function, (2) impaired glucose regulation, and (3) waking behavior. The selected pathways linking chronic sleep restriction to obesity reviewed in this paper are presented in a schematic representation; this may be used to guide future research in this area. This area of research is important because it may lead to more effective interventions and strategies to combat the present obesity epidemic.

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The Effect of Ingested Macronutrients on Post-Meal (Postprandial) Ghrelin Response: A Critical Review

Ghrelin is a powerful orexigenic gut hormone with growth hormone releasing activity. It plays a pivotal role for long-term energy balance and short-term food intake. It is also recognized as a potent signal for meal initiation. Ghrelin levels rise sharply before feeding onset, and are strongly suppressed by food ingestion. Postprandial ghrelin response is totally macronutrient specific in normal weight subjects, but is rather independent of macronutrient composition in obese. In rodents and lean individuals, isoenergetic meals of different macronutrient content suppress ghrelin to a variable extent. Carbohydrate appears to be the most effective macronutrient for ghrelin suppression, because of its rapid absorption and insulin-secreting effect. Protein induces prolonged ghrelin suppression and is considered to be the most satiating macronutrient. Fat, on the other hand, exhibits rather weak and insufficient ghrelin-suppressing capacity. The principal mediators involved in meal-induced ghrelin regulation are glucose, insulin, gastrointestinal hormones released in the postabsorptive phase, vagal activity, gastric emptying rate, and postprandial alterations in intestinal osmolarity.

Continue Reading » The Effect of Ingested Macronutrients on Post-Meal (Postprandial) Ghrelin Response: A Critical Review

An Evidence-Based Review of Fat Modifying Dietary Supplement Weight Loss Products

The prevalence of obesity has continued to increase over the last several years in the United States. Per the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for the 2007-2008 year, the prevalence of obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) = 30?kg/m2, among adults was greater than 30% and those who were overweight or obese (BMI = 25?kg/m2) was almost 70% for both men and women. The trend over the past 20 years has shown an increase in the prevalence of obesity of six to seven percent every 10 years [1]. In addition, health care costs are approximately 42% higher for obese patients when compared to normal-weight patients [2].

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Dietary supplements for weight loss are marketed to offer patients improved success that is faster and easier than calorie reduction and increased exercise. Despite concerns with efficacy and safety, these products continue to be an appealing alternative or adjunct to weight management [3, 4]. A national survey published in 2008 found that 33.9% of adults who have made a weight loss attempt had used a dietary supplement to do so. It was also found that the use was more common among women, younger adults, minorities, and those with less education and lower incomes [5]. Reasons why patients may opt for dietary supplements include the perception that they are “natural” and perhaps safer than prescription medications. In addition, patients often do not perceive a need to seek the assistance of a healthcare professional with these alternative therapies, and they also may be an alternative to previously failed attempts with conventional approaches [6].

Continue Reading » An Evidence-Based Review of Fat Modifying Dietary Supplement Weight Loss Products