You can't outrun a bad diet: constrained model of exercise

[FireDragon76]

Here Dr. Muhammed Alo, a cardiologist and personal trainer, discusses the constrained model of exercise, and why exercise cannot contribute a substantial amount to weight loss. Once you get past a moderate level of activity, the more you exercise, the more your body reduces non-exercise caloric expenditure:

 

[trophy33]

Agreed.

Physical activity does not influence obesity risk: time to clarify the public health message

academic.oup.com

KEY MESSAGES:

* Public health guidelines advocate increased physical activity as a key modality in the prevention and treatment of obesity despite little empirical evidence to support its effectiveness

* Secular trends in activity levels are not consistent with trends in obesity prevalence nor do data from observational or clinical trials support a direct relationship between activity and excess weight gain.

* A complex neuro-humoral system regulates energy balance through satiety and appetite, preferentially matching intake to increased – rather than decreased – activity in free-living individuals.

* Physical activity is crucially important for improving overall health and fitness levels, but there is limited evidence to suggest that it can blunt the surge in obesity.

 

[FireDragon76]

If you're on a modest calorie restriction diet (~ -300 calories), that level of activity he's talking about could be fairly low, perhaps an additional 2,000 steps or twenty minutes of walking per day, before the body starts cutting non-exercise activity and slowing metabolism.

 

[trophy33]

If you're on a modest calorie restriction diet (~ -300 calories), that level of activity he's talking about could be fairly low, perhaps an additional 2,000 steps or twenty minutes of walking per day, before the body starts cutting non-exercise activity and slowing metabolism.

It seems to me that calories-focused models of obesity are being left behind, currently. Calories in, calories out does not work.

What works is the restoration of our own body regulatory systems like proper satiety feelings, eating simple, real food we evolved with, with no fake artificial flavors, sweetening, seasoning, seed oils etc. Only so can body react properly and regulate it properly.

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As the widespread availability of highly calorific food has resulted in a high incidence of obesity, attempts to decrease body weight have concentrated on trying to reduce energy intake. It is suggested that this is not the best approach. Although consuming ...

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Why calorie counting doesn't work

Dr Lucy busts the calories in calories out model wide open and discusses why losing weight is much more complex than just counting calories

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Why Calorie Counting Doesn’t Work

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[FireDragon76]

Calorie counting is still useful, even if it's imperfect and has limitations. Human beings adapted to be very stingy burning calories, for the most part, and have alot of survival mechanisms that must be respected.

A modern, western diet based around processed foods is less thermogenic: less energy is used to digest food. The amount of potential energy used to digest food is far greater than what can be burned through exercise, in fact.

 

[Laodicean60]

Calorie counting is still useful, even if it's imperfect and has limitations.

True, but it is important to know what type of calories to skip. Because of insulin you should reduce carbohydrate intake and Processed foods.Large amounts of glucose in your blood are toxic that's why insulin clears it from the blood and turns it into fat. Peace

 

[FireDragon76]

True, but it is important to know what type of calories to skip. Because of insulin you should reduce carbohydrate intake and Processed foods.Large amounts of glucose in your blood are toxic that's why insulin clears it from the blood and turns it into fat. Peace

Dangerously high blood sugar is only something you see in diabetes. Type II diabetes is highly correlated with excess body fat. There have been plenty of studies that have shown that macronutrient proportions in themselves can vary a great deal without any particular one being superior in terms of fat loss.

 

[timewerx]

Here Dr. Muhammed Alo, a cardiologist and personal trainer, discusses the constrained model of exercise, and why exercise cannot contribute a substantial amount to weight loss.

Exercise cannot if the body's hormones that are critical to metabolism are already impaired from lifelong bad diet and sedentary lifestyle.

Hormones like Insulin and Growth Hormone. These two if impaired would make it very difficult to lose weight/fat even with exercise.

But if what Dr. Muhammad is saying is absolutely true, then that means my diet is already good???

I managed to lose 19% of my body weight in just 6 months just doing cardio exercise. Around 9 hrs of bicycle ride each week at moderate intensity. Upon losing 19% of my body weight, I'm almost underweight. But before I started cycling, I had hypertension and prediabetes. Now, I no longer have hypertension and no longer have symptoms of prediabetes.

What I'm eating since before I lose weight and now:
- White rice (high carb) as main source of calories
- Pork meat fried in vegetable oil
- Green leafy vegetables, beans, and tomatoes
- Refined flour
- Oatmeal porridge
- Full fat, fortified milk
- Milk chocolate beverage

I'm still eating the same foods now but the difference now is doing "time-restricted" feeding or Intermittent Fasting (IF) so that around half of the time everyday, my body is under ketosis from IF.

 

[FireDragon76]

Exercise cannot if the body's hormones that are critical to metabolism are already impaired from lifelong bad diet and sedentary lifestyle.

Hormones like Insulin and Growth Hormone. These two if impaired would make it very difficult to lose weight/fat even with exercise.

But if what Dr. Muhammad is saying is absolutely true, then that means my diet is already good???

I managed to lose 19% of my body weight in just 6 months just doing cardio exercise. Around 9 hrs of bicycle ride each week at moderate intensity. Upon losing 19% of my body weight, I'm almost underweight. But before I started cycling, I had hypertension and prediabetes. Now, I no longer have hypertension and no longer have symptoms of prediabetes.

What I'm eating since before I lose weight and now:
- White rice (high carb) as main source of calories
- Pork meat fried in vegetable oil
- Green leafy vegetables, beans, and tomatoes
- Refined flour
- Oatmeal porridge
- Full fat, fortified milk
- Milk chocolate beverage

I'm still eating the same foods now but the difference now is doing "time-restricted" feeding or Intermittent Fasting (IF) so that around half of the time everyday, my body is under ketosis from IF.

What Dr. Alo describes appears true as a generality. Exercise has a limited role in general in weight loss, beyond a certain point.

You've got an exceptional case. You basically exercising as an amateur athlete. That's different from what most people in a country like the US have available, where they have to balance the demands of a career or job and family life, often in a highly obesogenic environment (everything is conspiring against you, to make you fat, basically). Sometimes they already have underlying poor health, as well. It's a question of how one best uses their time and energy in those circumstances. Becoming an amateur athlete isn't an option for many Americans.

 

[Laodicean60]

Dangerously high blood sugar is only something you see in diabetes.

No, high intake of carbohydrates ends up as insulin resistance which in turn causes diabetes. I have had Type 2 diabetes for over twenty years and currently reversing it. Exercise is key to longevity, even walking after a meal is beneficial because you burn calories. A low-carb diet with exercise will burn fat.

 

[FireDragon76]

No, high intake of carbohydrates ends up as insulin resistance which in turn causes diabetes.

The insulin-carbohydrate hypothesis is hardly the dominant explanation right now for diabetes. The Personal Fat Threshold hypothesis seems to have better support. Losing visceral fat seems to be key to halting or reversing diabetes.

There are plenty of people that eat a high carbohydrate diet that don't have insulin resistance. The pancreas doesn't "burn out" by secreting insulin. Nor are carbohydrates the only macronutrient that elevates insulin: excessive intake of certain amino acids like leucine can also elevate the hormone.

 

[Laodicean60]

insulin-carbohydrate hypothesis is hardly the dominant explanation right now for diabetes.

I'm sorry but you are wrong. I posted a video on the forum that explains insulin resistance. The insulin doesn't burn but has to store excess glucose as fat. I agree protein elevates insulin but not to the same extent as carbs. Is there a particular diet you are fond of?

certain amino acids like leucine can also elevate the hormone.

Yes, when the body detects leucine it starts the body muscle synthesis pathways. which burns energy.

 

[FireDragon76]

I'm sorry but you are wrong. I posted a video on the forum that explains insulin resistance. The insulin doesn't burn but has to store excess glucose as fat. I agree protein elevates insulin but not to the same extent as carbs. Is there a particular diet you are fond of?

It actually takes energy to store glucose as fat. In fact it takes far less energy to simply store the fat you eat as body fat. This is why carbohydrates have about 25 percent more thermogenic effect than fat.

Yes, when the body detects leucine it starts the body muscle synthesis pathways. which burns energy.

Leucine also raises insulin, and does so far longer than carbohydrates. If you eat a large steak, insulin levels will be higher by the end of the day, than if you just ate a cup of rice.

 

[timewerx]

What Dr. Alo describes appears true as a generality. Exercise has a limited role in general in weight loss, beyond a certain point.

You've got an exceptional case. You basically exercising as an amateur athlete. That's different from what most people in a country like the US have available, where they have to balance the demands of a career or job and family life, often in a highly obesogenic environment (everything is conspiring against you, to make you fat, basically). Sometimes they already have underlying poor health, as well. It's a question of how one best uses their time and energy in those circumstances. Becoming an amateur athlete isn't an option for many Americans.

I was able to make time for the workouts by waking up 5am in the morning everyday. I still work regular job all week.

I am still able to get 8 to 10 hrs of sleep a day by sleeping early and sometimes taking a short nap in the afternoon. My only social media is CF. I don't waste any time on facebook, viral videos, etc. My only 1 phone is used 99.9% for work, never on social media.

If trying to lose weight, it would be better to spend idle time on sleeping/napping than sitting down in front of the computer or laying on the couch, looking at your phone.

Good sleep, early to bed, early to rise, napping instead of social media. It all helps to lose weight than simply burning calories with exercise and helps cope with stress way better.

If you really have to sit down in front of the computer for social media, at least replace your chairs with gym balls (NOT bean bags) to sit on. Trying to sit upright and maintaining posture on the ball will at least help you burn additional calories per day. It can also give you stronger core which is essential for workouts like running, walking, and lifting weights.

I think staying healthy is a way of life than just finding a diet that will work with a wasteful culture.

 

[timewerx]

I'm sorry but you are wrong. I posted a video on the forum that explains insulin resistance. The insulin doesn't burn but has to store excess glucose as fat. I agree protein elevates insulin but not to the same extent as carbs. Is there a particular diet you are fond of?

Yes, when the body detects leucine it starts the body muscle synthesis pathways. which burns energy.

Carbs are only bad if taken at the wrong time and if you don't exercise.

You have to pay attention to the glycemic index (GI) of the carbs your eating.

Low GI carbs (slow digesting like oats or black rice and green vegetables) won't raise insulin as much as high GI carbs. Low GI carbs are also quite filling and won't make you feel hungry too soon and may even result to reduced daily calorie intake.

Hi GI carbs on the other hand like sugar may be good to consume right after an intense workout like weight lifting to facilitate muscle repair and recovery.

It's not advisable to consume carbs during workout (better results if your workout drink only contained water + electrolytes but 0 calories) unless your workouts are long with moderate intensity like running or cycling for a few hours up a mountain.

 

[Laodicean60]

Carbs are only bad if taken at the wrong time and if you don't exercise.

I was talking about a high intake of carbs which is in the standard American diet. and a lot don't exercise. We are an unhealthy nation due to our fuel intake and the type of fuel is a major contributing factor. Like I said before I am reversing my type 2 diabetes as some of my family members by reducing carbohydrates. When you think it's almost common sense, if you have too much sugar in your blood reduce the amount you eat. I agree with Dr. Muhammed Al about exercise and bad diets.

Carbs are addictive also when I first started fasting it was terrible but once my body learned to metabolically switch to fat, I had fewer cravings. Fasting is important too. Keto helped me lose a lot of weight but once I reached my target weight I ate more carbs to maintain body weight. I still enjoy my cake and even hamburger help every once in a while.

You can also eat white rice and potatoes after refrigerating them, they become resistant starches.

For geriatrics, muscle is extremely important for glucose storage that why so many end up with Type 2 as they age due to muscle loss. The science is out you just don't hear it on the MS media a whole lot.

 

[FireDragon76]

I was able to make time for the workouts by waking up 5am in the morning everyday. I still work regular job all week.

I am still able to get 8 to 10 hrs of sleep a day by sleeping early and sometimes taking a short nap in the afternoon. My only social media is CF. I don't waste any time on facebook, viral videos, etc. My only 1 phone is used 99.9% for work, never on social media.

If trying to lose weight, it would be better to spend idle time on sleeping/napping than sitting down in front of the computer or laying on the couch, looking at your phone.

Good sleep, early to bed, early to rise, napping instead of social media. It all helps to lose weight than simply burning calories with exercise and helps cope with stress way better.

If you really have to sit down in front of the computer for social media, at least replace your chairs with gym balls (NOT bean bags) to sit on. Trying to sit upright and maintaining posture on the ball will at least help you burn additional calories per day. It can also give you stronger core which is essential for workouts like running, walking, and lifting weights.

I think staying healthy is a way of life than just finding a diet that will work with a wasteful culture.

Keep in mind I said that exercise has a limited role in weight loss, but that's not the same as saying it has no role. If somebody is almost completely inactive, they are going to be more likely to gain weight, but you add in even a minimum amount of physical activity, and that person is going to be less prone to weight gain. The greatest gains in benefit from exercise actually occur with only a modest stimulus. In fact, at some point the benefits of exercise may actually decrease (as Dr. Alo points out in another interview with Simon Hill, Marathon runners are prone to more deaths from cardiac events).

You credit exercise alot, but I looked over what you describe eating and you could have lost much of that weight simply by watching what you eat. It's easy to credit exercise for something that could be just down to even a minimal awareness of healthier food choices.

 

[FireDragon76]

I was talking about a high intake of carbs which is in the standard American diet. and a lot don't exercise.

Carbohydrate rich foods per se don't cause obesity or diabetes. It has more to do with eating highly processed foods that are often also relatively high in fat, sugar, and salt, foods that are perceived as very palatable but not very satiating.

People have actually lost weight eating relatively high glycemic foods like potatoes. There was a well publicized case of a potato farmer in Idaho who ate nothing but potatoes for a month, and he actually lost weight. A medium potato might have half the calories of a donut, for instance, and be very low in fat. The potato is also mostly water and fiber, whereas the donut is a relatively dry food with half of its calories from fat, and almost completely devoid of fiber. Donuts are consistently ranked as one of the least satiating foods, and it's even worse when it's understood they are also relatively calorie-dense.

We are an unhealthy nation due to our fuel intake and the type of fuel is a major contributing factor. Like I said before I am reversing my type 2 diabetes as some of my family members by reducing carbohydrates.

Any restrictive diet will tend to result in short-term weight loss, simply because it removes large categories of food from a diet. That's why better scientific studies account for weight loss when assessing health outcomes of dietary changes.

You can also eat white rice and potatoes after refrigerating them, they become resistant starches.

For geriatrics, muscle is extremely important for glucose storage that why so many end up with Type 2 as they age due to muscle loss. The science is out you just don't hear it on the MS media a whole lot.

Sarcopenia, actual frailty due to muscle loss, is almost exclusively due to people with poor health in general, it isn't due to any specific diet per se, and affects only a percentage of the elderly. According to Dr. David Sinclair at Harvard, age-related muscle loss is primarily caused by aging of blood vessels, which can no longer communicate well with muscle tissue to carry nutrients into muscle cells.

The best way to prevent age-related muscle loss is physical exercise, this is the only proven method that works. Other interventions have not stood up to rigorous meta-analyses.

 

[timewerx]

Keep in mind I said that exercise has a limited role in weight loss, but that's not the same as saying it has no role. If somebody is almost completely inactive, they are going to be more likely to gain weight, but you add in even a minimum amount of physical activity, and that person is going to be less prone to weight gain. The greatest gains in benefit from exercise actually occur with only a modest stimulus. In fact, at some point the benefits of exercise may actually decrease (as Dr. Alo points out in another interview with Simon Hill, Marathon runners are prone to more deaths from cardiac events).

I've known about it for a long time but studies still favors routine vigorous exercise. When it occurs during marathon events, the cases gets sensationalized due media to coverage but not everyone running long distances are in a marathon event and overall cases are still very low.

"With these compelling data in mind and given the low overall incidence of exercise-induced SCD, the risk:benefit ratio is generally in favor of routine vigorous exercise, particularly in older individuals, for whom coronary heart disease is the most common cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality."

Cardiac Risks Associated With Marathon Running

A recent cluster of sudden cardiac deaths in marathon runners has attracted considerable media attention and evoked concern over the safety of long-distance running and competition. This review discusses the acute and potential long-term risks associated ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I looked over what you describe eating and you could have lost much of that weight simply by watching what you eat. It's easy to credit exercise for something that could be just down to even a minimal awareness of healthier food choices.

They were the cheapest foods available. When I'm including chocolate, I'm sourcing it from cheap baking cocoa powder, with my own blend of ingredients. It's even less sweet than the most bitter "dark chocolate" bars available. Less palatable but healthier.

My diet is probably not healthy enough because I developed hypertension and prediabetes before engaging in long cardio workouts.

But exercise and time-restricted feeding fixed it for me. 9 hrs of cardio got my weight down but it was intermittent fasting that fixed my prediabetes. Combining both exercise and intermittent fasting, I was able to get my exercise hours down to 5 hrs per week and not gain any more weight.

 

[timewerx]

Carbs are addictive also when I first started fasting it was terrible but once my body learned to metabolically switch to fat, I had fewer cravings. Fasting is important too. Keto helped me lose a lot of weight but once I reached my target weight I ate more carbs to maintain body weight. I still enjoy my cake and even hamburger help every once in a while.

You can also eat white rice and potatoes after refrigerating them, they become resistant starches.

Most of the white rice I eat has been refrigerated. We cook just enough rice to last up to 3 days. 1 or 2 meals freshly cooked white rice, and the rest will be reheated rice from the fridge.

I do "time-restricted" feeding schedule or intermittent fasting (IF) with "feeding window" of only 9 hrs each day within only two meals (no eating in between meals). As well as exercising during the "fasting window". This can get me into ketosis half the time. This practice will result to improved insulin sensitivity, improved fat metabolism, and increased secretion of Growth Hormones (GH).