EXERCISE and LOW CARB DIET'S Make Poor Partners for muscle.
Over the last twenty five years the most common questioned asked me by frustrated
exercisers, has been what exercise routine will get me the body I want? My
answer is always the same. They need to start exercising better judgment and
learn that exercise alone will not solve their body composition problem. I
believe the number one reason for starting an exercise program is weight reduction,
even before fitness and health concerns. Exercise itself is a poor weight
manager and it increases the need for better nutritional needs. I would receive
little disagreement that a combination of nutrition and exercise is the answer
to improvement in weight loss (fat loss), fitness and health risk concerns.
With obesity reaching epidemic rates and the drop out rate of most health
clubs remaining high this article intent is to lay the foundation why exercise
and low carbohydrate diet's are poor partners.
Over the last three decades I have seen extreme changes in the macro nutrients
(proteins, carbohydrates and fats) combinations in our searches for the ideal
body. Everything from high carbohydrate, low fat, high protein, to the current
low carbohydrate craze has bombarded us, though the failure rate in managing
our weight continues to rise. The problem lies in our capacity to adapt to
change, especially extreme change. If your goal is to lose fat you must provide
your muscle enough quality fuel without being over fueled. This is especially
true if your goal to lose fat includes exercise. The secret is not found in
elimination of macro nutrients, but in management of them. Understanding how
to fuel your muscles before exercise sessions and replacing fuel after workouts
is critical or your body will break down muscle for fuel.
Understanding how our muscles use the calories we eat as fuel for muscle contraction
is the first step in knowing what to do and not to do. A basic nutritional
knowledge tells us that proteins repair and rebuild cells, carbohydrates energize
cells and fats provide hormonal foundation for cells. When we lack balance
in protein, carbohydrates and fats are bodies adjust and can use all three
as a source of fuel for muscle contraction and cellular energy. Though energy
is needed for all cellular work, the focus of this article is muscle contraction
and body composition. All muscle contraction draws energy from adenosine triphosphate
or ATP. The primary source of ATP comes from glucose, which is stored in the
muscles and liver as glycogen (glucose and water). Muscle contraction during
anaerobic activity (resistance training) can use glycogen directly to form
ATP. The process is called anaerobic glycolysis, meaning it can use the glucose
as energy with little oxygen (90% glucose, 5% oxygen and 5% fatty acid). Our
muscles store enough ATP for short periods of muscle contraction, when ATP
is exhausted it leads to muscle failure. The rest period between weight training
sets allows added ATP to be produced and used for muscle contraction. During
early stages of aerobic exercise, ATP is again created mainly from glucose
until the heart and lungs provide enough oxygen to the muscles to allow fatty
acids to be used to create ATP. So there you have it during resistance training
and the beginning stages aerobic training the primary source of fuel is glucose.
This supports my claim that low carb diets and exercise make poor partners.
To uncover why, we need to quickly look at the concept behind low carb diets
and how they work. Any diet that provides 100 grams or less carbohydrate daily
is considered low carb. This article classifies as low carb diets. This will
quickly deplete the glycogen stores in the muscle and liver. This is testimony
that our muscle's primary source of fuel is glucose. Fatty acids stored in
the adipose tissue (fat cells) are now released into the blood and processed
by the liver and some are turned into glucose (gluconegenesis) and some remain
fatty acids and both provide ATP for muscle contraction. One of the by products
of this process is ketone bodies which can provide energy to brain and nervous
system. The problem gluconegenesis (non glucose turned into glucose) provides
fuel to the muscle less efficiently than glycogenesis (glucose). The end result
is increased muscle fatigue, decreased muscle power, which leads to poor athletic
performance.
A recent study performed at the University of Connecticut showed that exercisers
who switched from a balanced diet (proteins, carbohydrates and fats) to a
low carb diet experience the following drops in athletic performance. There
was a 7 - 9 percent drop in muscle power and 6 percent drop in VO2 max of
cardiovascular performance. Another factor to consider is the recuperation
of muscle between workouts is decreased on low carb diets. So why would someone
go on a low carb diet, especially when exercising? Because the initial weight
loss that comes from the glycogen depletion is believed to be fat loss. We
have become so focused on weight loss, that any weight loss is seen as good.
As identified earlier in this article glycogen is a mixture of glucose and
water and the majority is stored where? You guessed it, the muscle. A large
percentage of the initial weight loss is coming from muscle loss. I don't
think any exerciser's desire is to have smaller muscles as a result of their
exercising. The goal of exercise should be to improve body composition, the
percentage or ratio of muscle to body fat. This can only be accomplished by
losing fat without the loss of muscle tissue. Maintaining muscle mass is vital
to sustainable weight control. The following steps will protect your muscles
as your losing fat, while reaching your ideal weight and ideal body composition.
FAT LOSS COACH Keys to losing FAT without losing MUSCLE
1. Cycle fat burning days with recovery days.
The secret to losing fat without losing muscle starts with not being too aggressive
or extreme with your reduction of carbohydrates. You need carbohydrate management,
not carbohydrate elimination. Over the last 12 years, working with more than
10,000 clients I've found by reducing carbohydrates by 20% of daily needs
and within 48 hours replenishing the glycogen in the muscle by eating 100%
of daily carbohydrate requirements, allows for fat loss, without muscle loss.
In essence you have two fat burning days, then a recovery day. By doing this
you'll have the best of both worlds. You will experience fat loss that averages
between 1-2 pounds weekly, while muscles are being well fed. You never drastically
deplete the glycogen stores in the muscle so athletic performance is not affected
like on a low carb diet.
2. Exercise on days where you are receiving more carbohydrates.
Exercising on days where muscles are getting more carbohydrates for fuel and
taking days off from exercise when you are being aggressive about fat loss.
One of the most difficult thoughts for exercisers to accept is that most of
the results from exercise come when we are not exercising. They come after
we exercise and in direct response to how the muscles receive nutrition after
exercise.
3. Exercise 1.5 - 2 hours after eating when blood sugar levels and insulin
levels are slowly declining.
As insulin levels increase in response to a rise in blood sugar after a meal,
the cells are in an anabolic state (receiving nutrients). Insulin is the hormone
that feeds our cells. As blood sugar levels drop, insulin levels drop and
the pancreas produces the hormone glucagon and nutrients stored in the fat
cells are released to the blood and used for energy. The management of this
blood sugar rise and drop is important. If blood sugar levels go to high insulin
feeds the muscle cells and deposits excess into fat cells. If insulin levels
go too low, the muscle cells are being under fed. A slow rise in blood sugar
provides good nutrition to the muscles and a slow drop allows glucagon to
take from the fat cells. Timing your exercise to this blood sugar decline
allows the muscles to receive from the fat cells more effectively. It is important
to never exercise without having at least one meal left in your day so that
muscles can recuperate from exercise.
Final Thoughts On Low Carb Diets
Long term success managing weight starts with the right approach. If you are
overweight, the real problem is that you have too much body fat for how much
muscle you possess. A body composition solution is needed, not just a weight
loss diet. Your goal should be to lose fat without losing muscle or sacrificing
your health in the process. To maintain results your eating habits must develop
life long character. Low carbohydrate diets provide initial weight loss, but
at the high cost of losing muscle and reducing metabolism. They are inadequate
sources of fuel to support exercise activity, which is vital in maintaining
good health. The risks to your health long term make low carbohydrate diet's
poor solutions for life long weight management.
By Charles Remington
Nutritionist
2 Time Mr. Connecticut
Founder of THE FAT LOSS COACH
Customized Fat Loss System
1303 Highland Ave
Cheshire, Ct. 06410
203-272-0014
charlie@thefatlosscoach.com
www.thefatlosscoach
Charlie is the author of a nutritional software program that has sold over 100,000 units since 1995. He stared in a nationally broadcast television infomercial that in 1997 was recognized by the Jordan Whitney report as one of the twenty five popular infomerical's in the U.S.A. Mr. Remington's expertise and passion has been well demonstrated on several National Television talk shows, as well as regional news broadcasts. He has been the featured guest delivering his message that foods not the problem, it's the solution over national and regional radio talk shows. He has been recognized in publications, radio and television as an expert in nutrition.