Website design By BotEap.comOver the past twenty-five years, the most common question I’ve been asked by frustrated athletes has been what exercise routine will give 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 to start an exercise program is weight loss, even before fitness and health concerns. Exercise alone is poor weight control and increases the need for better nutritional requirements. I think you would receive very little disagreement that a combination of nutrition and exercise is the answer to improving weight loss (fat loss), fitness, and health risks. With obesity reaching epidemic rates and the dropout rate from most gyms still high, this article aims to lay the groundwork for why exercise and low-carb diets are not good partners.

Website design By BotEap.comOver the past three decades I have seen extreme shifts in macronutrient combinations (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) in our quest for the ideal body. Everything from high carb, low fat, high protein, to the current low carb fad has bombarded us, yet our failure rates in managing our weight continue to rise. The problem lies in our bodies’ ability to adapt to change, especially extreme change. If your goal is to lose fat, you need to provide your muscle with enough quality fuel without overloading it. This is especially true if your fat loss goal includes exercise. The secret is not found in the elimination of macronutrients, but in their management. Understanding how to fuel your muscles before exercise sessions and replace fuel after workouts is critical or your body will break down muscle for fuel.

Website design By BotEap.comUnderstanding how our muscles use the calories we eat as fuel for muscle contraction is the first step in knowing what to do and what not to do. Basic nutritional knowledge tells us that proteins repair and rebuild cells, carbohydrates energize cells, and fats provide the hormonal foundation for cells.

Website design By BotEap.comWhen we lack balance in protein, carbohydrate, and fat, bodies adjust and can use all three as a fuel source for muscle contraction and cellular energy. Although energy is needed for all cellular functions, the focus of this article is muscle contraction and body composition. Every muscle contraction gets energy from adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. The main 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 anaerobic glycolysis, which means you can use glucose for energy with very little oxygen (90% glucose, 5% oxygen, and 5% fatty acids).

Website design By BotEap.comOur muscles only store enough ATP for short periods of muscle contraction, when exhaustion leads to muscle failure. The rest period between bouts of weight training allows additional ATP to be produced. During the early stages of aerobic exercise, ATP is again created primarily 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 initial stages of aerobic training, the main fuel source is glucose.

Website design By BotEap.comThis supports my contention that low-carb diets and exercise are bad partners. To find out why, we need to take a quick look at the concept behind low carb diets and how they work. Any diet that provides 100 grams or less of carbohydrates per day. This article classifies as low carb diets. This will rapidly deplete glycogen stores in the muscle and liver. This by itself is testimony that the main source of fuel for our muscle is glucose. Fatty acids stored in adipose tissue (fat cells) are now released into the blood and processed by the liver with some being converted to glucose (gluconegenesis) and some remaining as fatty acids and both providing ATP for muscle contraction. One of the byproducts of this process is ketone bodies that can provide energy to the brain and nervous system. The problem is that gluconegenesis (not glucose converted to glucose) provides fuel to the muscle less efficiently than glycogenesis (glucose). The end result is increased muscle fatigue and decreased muscle power, leading to poor athletic performance.

Website design By BotEap.comA recent study conducted at the University of Connecticut showed that athletes who switched from a balanced diet (protein, carbohydrate, and fat) to a low-carb diet experienced the following drop in athletic performance. There was a 7 to 9 percent drop in muscle power and a 6 percent drop in VO2 max from cardiovascular performance. Another factor to consider is that muscle recovery between workouts is decreased on low-carb diets. So why would anyone go on a low carb diet, especially when exercising? Because the initial weight loss that comes from glycogen depletion is believed to be fat loss. We have become so focused on weight loss that any weight loss is considered good. As identified earlier in this article, glycogen is a mixture of glucose and water and most of it is stored where? You guessed it, the muscle. A large percentage of the initial weight loss comes from loss of muscle mass.

Website design By BotEap.comI don’t think any athlete’s desire is to have smaller muscles as a result of their exercise. The goal of exercise should be to improve body composition, the percentage or ratio of muscle to body fat. This can only be achieved by losing fat without losing muscle tissue. Maintaining muscle mass is vital for sustainable weight control. The following steps will protect your muscles while you lose fat, while reaching your goal weight and ideal body composition.

Website design By BotEap.comFAT LOSS TRAINER Keys to lose FAT without losing MUSCLE

Website design By BotEap.com1. Cycle fat burning days with recovery days.

Website design By BotEap.comThe secret to losing fat without losing muscle starts with not being too aggressive or extreme with carb reduction. You need to control carbs, not eliminate them. Over the past 12 years, with over 10,000 clients, I have found that by reducing carbohydrates by 20% of daily requirements and in 48 hours replenishing muscle glycogen by eating 100% of daily carbohydrate requirements, allows fat loss, no muscle. loss. In essence, you have two fat burning days and then one recovery day. By doing this, you will have the best of both worlds. You’ll experience fat loss that averages 1-2 pounds per week, while your muscles are well fueled. You never drastically deplete muscle glycogen stores, so athletic performance isn’t affected like on a low-carb diet.

Website design By BotEap.com2. Exercise on days when you are getting more carbs.

Website design By BotEap.comExercise on days when your muscles get more carbohydrates for fuel, and take exercise days off when you’re being aggressive with fat loss. One of the most difficult thoughts for athletes to accept is that most exercise results occur when we are not exercising. They come after we exercise and in direct response to how the muscles receive nutrition after exercise.

Website design By BotEap.com3. Exercise 1.5 to 2 hours after eating when blood sugar levels and insulin levels are slowly falling.

Website design By BotEap.comAs insulin levels rise in response to a rise in blood sugar after a meal, cells are in an anabolic (receiving nutrients) state. Insulin is the hormone that feeds cells. As blood sugar levels drop, insulin levels also drop and the pancreas produces the hormone glucagon, and nutrients stored in fat cells are released into the blood and used for energy. Managing this rise and fall in blood sugar is important. If blood sugar levels rise, insulin feeds muscle cells and deposits the excess in fat cells. If insulin levels drop too low, muscle cells are being starved. A slow rise in blood sugar provides good nutrition to muscles and a slow fall allows glucagon to take over from fat cells. Timing your exercise for this drop in blood sugar allows your muscles to receive from fat cells more effectively. It is important to never exercise without having at least one meal left in the day so that the muscles can recover from exercise.

Website design By BotEap.comfinal thoughts

Website design By BotEap.comLong-term success in weight management starts with the right approach. If you’re overweight, the real problem is that you have too much body fat for the amount of muscle you have. 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 your results, your eating habits must develop a lifelong character. Low-carb diets provide initial weight loss, but at the high cost of losing muscle and lower metabolism. They are inadequate sources of fuel to support physical activity, which is vital to maintaining good health. The risks to your long-term health make the low-carb diet a poor solution for lifelong weight management.