foods that fight fatigue

foods that fight fatigue

Find out which foods will leave you feeling energized.

If you ever feel lethargic or fatigued after you eat, you're eating the wrong foods. It's that simple. The trick is to choose foods that release energy more slowly and give you a gradual boost of long-lasting energy -- and to stay away from high-glycemic foods that deliver an immediate, short-lived boost but leave you feeling sluggish and tired.

Eating the right foods is especially important if you're already feeling fatigued due to the stress of a hectic lifestyle, whether it stems from physical, mental, or emotional overexertion. After all, fatigue isn't just a nuisance; if ignored, it can become chronic and put you at increased risk for disease.

But here's a tip: You can fight fatigue, and you can do it with every bite you eat. These five foods fit the bill and then some, as they're also easily digested and rich in nutrients that are essential to helping your body convert food into energy.

Oatmeal


Although oatmeal isn't particularly low on the glycemic index, it outranks almost every other breakfast cereal and most whole-grain breakfast products. Oatmeal is also regarded as a super food when it comes to supporting digestive health. For those reasons, many medical practitioners and nutritionists not only allow their diabetic patients to eat oatmeal but actually encourage it, especially since oatmeal helps maintain normal blood sugar levels.

Why it works: Carbohydrates spend the least amount of time in the stomach, which means you get a quick boost of energy. But unlike processed, sugary cereals, whole oats don't result in a sugar crash. The high dietary fiber content in oats helps you feel full longer, preventing overeating throughout the day, which can lead to weight gain, sluggishness, and fatigue. Fiber is also crucial to healthy digestion; the soluble fiber in oats feeds the beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract and prevents energy-draining constipation.

In addition to its high fiber content, oatmeal provides magnesium, protein, and phosphorus, three nutrients that significantly and directly affect energy levels, making it an ideal food for fighting fatigue. It's also a good source of vitamin B1 (thiamin), which is crucial for producing energy. Symptoms of too little B1 include a lack of energy and loss of appetite. Along with other nutrients, vitamin B1 helps support the breakdown and conversion to energy of the food we eat.

When to eat it: Eat oatmeal first thing in the morning for instant energy. Breakfast is especially important because it replenishes energy reserves and sets the tone for your day.

How to enjoy it: Go for old-fashioned, minimally processed organic oats, and avoid the instant and flavored varieties. Hint: Look for oats labeled "Scottish," "Irish," "steel-cut," "thick cut," or "Old-fashioned," and you'll be on the right track.

Extra credit: Sprinkle protein-rich flaxseed or nuts on top of your oatmeal for longer-lasting energy.

Yogurt


Yogurt is so creamy and flavorful, it can seem like a dessert masquerading as a health food. But the truth is, it's really good for you, thanks to a power play of protein and gut-healthy probiotics.

Why it works: Because it's soft, your body processes yogurt more quickly than a solid food, making it a great source of quick energy. But while you get a rapid result, it's also long-lasting, thanks to a good ratio of protein to carbohydrates. Protein stays in the stomach longer than carbohydrates, which translates into a steady source of energy.

Yogurt also contains probiotics, beneficial bacteria that help maintain a healthy gut ecosystem by protecting against pathogens and helping your body eliminate harmful bacteria. Like fiber, probiotics are a powerful digestive aid. Recent research from the University of Toronto suggests that probiotics can help ease symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome; in the study, probiotic supplementation appeared to boost levels of the amino acid tryptophan in the brain. Tryptophan is famously known as the component in turkey that makes you sleepy, but it's also a precursor of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps induce sleep and promote feelings of calm and tranquility, helping to combat both physical and emotional fatigue.

When to eat it: Absolutely any time. Aside from its health benefits, one of the best things about yogurt is its versatility. It's a great afternoon or preworkout snack because it will give you a quick hit of energy. But you can also add healthy toppings like oats, ground flaxseed, nuts, and fruit to make a hearty breakfast. The plain variety works well at the dinner table in place of sour cream or as a salad dressing base, and you can doctor it up with frozen berries for dessert.

How to enjoy it: Go for the Greek. Greek yogurt contains about twice the amount of protein as the regular kind, and it has a richer, creamier consistency, which makes it seems like an indulgence. Choose organic whenever possible.

Extra credit: Make yogurt your go-to breakfast at least three times a week for great digestive results. Bonus points if you choose low-fat, plain yogurt and add your own healthy toppings -- try honey and golden raisins for a sweet snack.

Spinach

Spinach is chock-full of nutrients that are essential for battling fatigue and helping our bodies perform at their peak. Not only is spinach one of the most iron-dense food sources on earth, it's also extremely rich in magnesium and potassium and is an excellent source of energy-supporting B-vitamins.

Why it works: Iron plays a direct and important role in fighting fatigue. It's a known energy booster, helping the body produce energy by delivering oxygen to the cells and enabling them to perform optimally. Without sufficient oxygen, our cells slow down and can even shut down altogether. Low iron levels can cause both physical and mental fatigue, as well as anemia. Symptoms of anemia include tiredness, lack of energy, weakness, trouble concentrating, apathy, insomnia, and loss of appetite. Spinach and other leafy greens offer a high rate of iron for an extremely low caloric intake. Spinach also happens to be an excellent source of vitamin C, which boosts iron absorption. Magnesium is another mineral that plays a vital role in the production of energy. In fact, it's involved in hundreds of enzymatic reactions throughout the body and directly affects our cardiovascular, digestive, and nervous systems; muscles; kidneys; liver; and brain.

Magnesium is necessary for the production of energy, proper digestion, and the regulation of nerve and muscle tone. It's no wonder that a lack of magnesium can cause our brains and bodies to slow. Unfortunately, magnesium deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in the U.S. Even a slight deficiency can result in reduced energy levels, which causes your body to work harder and can lead to exhaustion. Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include imbalanced blood sugar levels, depression, muscle weakness, muscle cramps, muscle spasms, muscle soreness, body tension, low energy, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, confusion, and lack of appetite.

Like magnesium, potassium also helps muscles and nerves function properly. Physical overexertion is a common cause of potassium deficiency, but it can also occur if you become dehydrated due to illness or for any other reason. Symptoms of potassium deficiency include muscle weakness, confusion, and fatigue.

When to eat it: For the amount -- and array -- of nutrients packed into these leafy greens, we'd all be better off if spinach made an appearance at every meal, every day. But let's be practical. Incorporate spinach into your diet as much as you can, as often as possible. Try steamed spinach and organic, farm-fresh eggs for breakfast; tuck spinach into your sandwich at lunch; layer it in your lasagna at dinner. You get the idea.

How to enjoy it: You don't have to resort to a spinach salad or side dish at every meal. Spinach is so mild you can add it to just about anything -- soups, stews, casseroles, dips, smoothies, and stir-fries.

Extra credit: Fold pureed spinach into baked goods. No one but you will be the wiser, and everyone will be a little healthier for it.

Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds are nutrient-dense foods packed with high-quality protein and healthy omega-3 fats. Depending on the type you choose, you'll also get decent amounts of manganese; magnesium; phosphorus; iron; copper; riboflavin; vitamins B1, B2, B5, and B6; and tryptophan -- all of which are involved in the production of energy.

Why they work: Pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts are all good sources of magnesium, which helps fight muscle fatigue. The tryptophan found in sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, walnuts, and almonds battles emotional fatigue and promotes sleep, which can ease physical weariness. And all nuts and seeds are excellent sources of high-quality protein that our bodies can convert into lasting energy.

But what makes nuts and seeds such potent weapons in the war against fatigue is that they're a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are known as essential fats because they're the only fats our bodies actually require. These healthy fats not only lower the glycemic index of foods but are also a superior energy source. Fats stay in the stomach longer than carbohydrates and proteins; the result is a slow-burning fuel that provides long-lasting energy. Omega-3s help maintain healthy cells and are found naturally in almost all nuts and seeds. Flaxseeds and walnuts are particularly rich in these healthy fats. Omega-3s (and frequent consumption of nuts in particular) have been found to reduce the risk of becoming obese and aid in weight loss by slowing digestion, which results in a prolonged feeling of fullness, preventing extra snacking that can lead to weight gain, a common contributor to fatigue. Finally, these essential fatty acids boost mood, helping to win the fight against emotional fatigue.

When to eat them: A daily dose of nuts is the way to go. Regular, moderate consumption is the key to reaping the health benefits of nuts and seeds. Prepack single servings to take with you during the day, and stash servings in the car as well as your desk, purse, or briefcase so you always have a healthy snack on hand. A serving is one ounce (about a small palmful).

How to enjoy them: Nutrition experts agree that combining protein and carbohydrates is one of the basic equations for immediate yet lasting energy. Carbohydrates are converted into energy right away, and protein provides a gradual boost. Some good protein-carbohydrate combinations include almond or peanut butter on whole grain toast, or a piece of fruit and some nuts.

Extra credit: Buy and eat nuts and seeds raw whenever possible for the best nutrition. Raw almonds are so sweet you'll never go back to the roasted variety.

Beans

Beans have been called a miracle food, and with good reason. Along with the numerous other health benefits they provide, beans are on the frontlines when it comes to fighting fatigue. Beans are a concentrated source of stable, slow-burning energy due to their unique nutritional composition: All types are low in fat, high in fiber, and provide a good balance of carbohydrates and protein. Take your pick of beans; they have a low glycemic rating (to help you avoid blood sugar spikes) and are loaded with a rich array of minerals including potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and iron, all essential to producing energy. Additionally, super-performing beans -- especially soybeans -- are a good source of tryptophan.

Why they work: The protein and high fiber content in beans work together to help balance blood sugar and prevent spikes and dips in energy. The fiber also promotes digestive health, encourages bowel regularity, and helps prevent constipation and weight gain. Thanks to the protein in beans, you get a gradual source of lasting energy.

Beans make a terrific replacement for red meat, another rich source of protein and iron, but beans are lower in calories and are nearly fat-free. In addition, beans place a lesser burden on the digestive system than red meat, requiring less energy to be assimilated into the body. In other words, you're a lot more likely to feel tired and heavy after eating a steak than you are after eating a serving of beans.

The manganese and copper in beans protect the mitochondria in our cells that are responsible for energy production, while magnesium relaxes nerves and muscles and keeps blood circulating smoothly, keeping physical and mental fatigue at bay. Vitamin B1 (thiamin) contributes to energy production, and, along with potassium, supports proper muscle and nerve function. And last -- but not least -- there's iron. Iron not only helps produce energy, it also boosts oxygen distribution throughout body, easing mental fatigue. Iron provides immune system support as well -- and a healthy immune system makes you less susceptible to fatigue in all its forms.

When to eat them: Beans can work at any meal. Try some simple combinations for different times of day.

Beans for breakfast: For a healthy version of huevos rancheros, skip the tortilla and cheese, and top one cup of black beans with two poached eggs, half an avocado, and a side of salsa.

Beans for lunch: Make it easy with simple swaps. Substitute a black bean patty for your beefy burger, or try a cup of vegetarian chili in place of the soup du jour.

Beans for dinner: Try three-bean salad. Mix a half cup each of red kidney beans, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), diced red onion, and diced green bell pepper. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil, two tablespoons of red wine vinegar, and a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Tip: It gets tastier if you let it marinate a few hours before serving.

How to enjoy them: Don't banish beans to the realm of side dishes and salad toppings. Beans make a great snack food, too. Snack on boiled soybeans topped with a sprinkling of sea salt, or make a simple dip by blending one cup of any type of beans, a tablespoon of olive oil, one chopped garlic clove, and spices to taste.

Extra credit: Sneak some spinach into your bean dip for added nutrition. Bonus points if you serve it with crudités.

Top 12 Reasons to Use Carnitine

Top 12 Reasons to Use Carnitine

by Charles Poliquin

 Taking carnitine with omega-3 fish oil is one of the simplest things you can do to lose weight and raise your energy levels. The cool thing about carnitine is that by elevating the amount of carnitine stored in your muscles, you will see improvements in your quality of life. Fat loss and more energy are two of these benefits, but taking carnitine is known to improve all of the following:

buy acetyl-L-carnitine

• High-intensity work capacity
• Increase athletic performance
• Speed your recovery from intense exercise
• Make your brain work better
• Prevent oxidative stress that leads to longer term health problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic inflammation


A recent study in The Journal of Physiology provides groundbreaking evidence that carnitine supplementation can improve athletic performance, something that researchers have had trouble proving for years. Emerging research on the benefits of carnitine for health in conjunction with evidence that clarifies the best ways to take carnitine (insulin must be present in the body for carnitine to be delivered into the muscle), make it time to revisit this amino acid. Let’s look at the top ten health benefits of elevating your carnitine levels with a focus on achieving optimal body composition.

1.) Take Carnitine to Burn Fat: The Basics
Carnitine is an amino acid composite that is made from lysine and methionine. There are a couple of different forms of carnitine, such as acetyl-L-carnitine and L-carnitine tartrate, and we’ll look at which forms you should be taking and when. In this article, unless otherwise stated, “carnitine” will be used to refer to L-carnitine tartrate.

Carnitine is a potent fat burner because it is responsible for the transport of fats into the cells to be used for energy in the body. By raising the level of muscle carnitine, you support the fat burning process, and because your body becomes more efficient at processing fuel, it will increase your energy levels. Elevating carnitine will also improve physical performance by burning more fat, sparing glycogen, clearing muscle lactate, and increasing anabolic hormone response.

Omega-3 Fish Oils

2.) Pair Carnitine and Omega-3 Fish Oils For Fat Loss
For carnitine to be effective, you need to ensure you have adequate levels of omega-3 fish oils in the body. In order for your body to actually “load” carnitine that you take in supplement form into the muscles where you want it, it has to be accompanied by insulin.

Omega-3 fatty acids come into the equation because they will improve the health of every cell in your body if you get enough of them. The cells are made up of two layers of lipids or fats, which will be composed of good fats or bad fats depending on the type you eat. If the cell lipid layers are made up of omega-3s, the cell will be generally healthier, and it will also make them more sensitive to insulin. Having your cells be more sensitive to insulin allows your body to get the most energy production out of supplemental carnitine.

I mention this relationship between omega-3s and carnitine because you won’t optimally benefit from taking carnitine unless you have already attended to your omega-3s. In working with obese clients, I’ve found that using high doses of fish oil with carnitine tartrate will allow the fat to start to come off. ??Omega-3s increase metabolic rate by increasing cell activity and fat burning. Carnitine is the delivery system for long chain fatty acids such that the less carnitine you have in the body, the fewer fatty acids that get into the cell, meaning you don’t burn them for energy. Instead, the fatty acids go into a depository and are stored as fat. By elevating carnitine, fat burning increases and you give the cell the right genetic machinery to raise metabolism. You’ll have more energy, feel more motivated, and any excess fat begins to come off.

3.) No Need For Carbs: Carnitine with Omega-3s for Fat Loss
The new study in The Journal of Physiology, which I will highlight below starting with #5, showed that taking carnitine with carbs is effective for elevating muscle carnitine levels and improving athletic performance. But carbs aren’t necessary as long as you get adequate omega-3s. A study in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism showed that combining carnitine, omega-3s, and polyphenols resulted in lower blood lipid levels and better cellular energy production, which has the implication of fat loss if the study had been of longer duration—it was only 12 weeks.

Researchers found that triglycerides were lowered by 24 percent and free fatty acids decreased by 29 percent compared to a placebo group that had no changes. These changes indicate healthier markers of cholesterol, better energy use, and fat burning that will lead to fat loss. Additionally, genes that increase fat burning in the body were “activated” indicating a better metabolic profile. Take note that the polyphenols were included to raise antioxidant levels and fight oxidative stress that leads to chronic inflammation and poor cardiovascular health, among other things. They are not necessary for the carnitine to work its magic.

4.) Carnitine Fights Visceral Belly Fat
Visceral belly fat is one of the toughest fats to lose once you’ve got it, and it causes numerous health problems. Once you begin to gain visceral fat around the belly, it will lead to fat gain within the organs such as the liver, the heart, or even in muscle. Fat gain in the liver leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, while epicardial fat is a type of visceral fat that is deposited around the heart and is considered a metabolically active organ, altering heart function.??Raising your carnitine levels will fight this visceral fat gain because it increases fat burning, which has the effect of taking triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins out of the system so that they don’t build up causing high cholesterol and atherosclerosis. A new research study in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology illustrates this. Researchers gave a carnitine supplement to mice who were fed a high-fat diet in order to make them gain weight. In comparison to a group of mice fed a placebo, the carnitine group gained substantially less visceral and subcutaneous fat (fat that is right below the surface of the skin that you can pinch with your fingers). The placebo group exhibited the beginning stages of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis, neither of which were evident in the carnitine group.

5.) Take Carnitine To Improve Performance
The study in The Journal of Physiology is the first to show that muscle carnitine content can be increased in humans through diet . Once carnitine is elevated, metabolism in the body is dependent on the intensity of exercise, allowing for better energy use and performance.

Researchers gave a placebo or a supplement of carnitine tartrate and carbs (2 g carnitine with 80 g of carbs twice a day) to experienced athletes who were training for a triathlon three to five times a week. At various points throughout the study subjects performed the following exercise tests: two thirty-minute repeated bouts of exercise (the first at 50 percent of maximal oxygen uptake and the second at 80 percent), followed by an all-out 30-minute performance trial.

After 24 weeks of supplementation, the carnitine group increased performance from baseline by 11 percent in the exercise trials compared to no improvement in the placebo group. Participants who took carnitine also rated the trial and the exercise bout they performed at 80 percent of max to be easier than at baseline, while the placebo had no difference in rating of perceived exertion (RPE).

Two key points from this study are essential for making carnitine supplementation effective at elevating performance. First, it takes a long supplementation period to raise muscle carnitine levels and reap the benefits of improved energy production. In this study after three months there were no changes in performance or RPE from baseline, but after 6 months those improvements were pronounced and statistically significant. Somewhere between 3 and 6 months is the magic number, meaning taking carnitine is a lifestyle supplement just like omega-3s are.

Second, carnitine doesn’t accumulate or “load” in muscle unless accompanied by high insulin concentrations. This explains why many previous studies have NOT shown increases in muscle carnitine after taking it in multi-gram doses. In this study the carnitine was taken with carbs because the carbs triggered insulin release, which allowed the carnitine to load into the muscle. Take note that there is a big focus in the health world on minimizing insulin secretion from carbs for optimal body composition. This is critical, but be aware that insulin is actually a potent anabolic hormone if the cells are sensitive to it and if appropriate levels are present.

Pairing carnitine with carbs is one option, but as shown in #3, carnitine can also be paired with omega-3s, which may be more appropriate for individuals whose primary goal is to lose fat. In my experience, best fat loss results come from a 5 to 1 ratio of omega-3s to carnitine. If you’re taking 20 grams of omega-3s, you’d pair it with 4 grams of carnitine. But, if you’re more conservative with your omega-3 supplementation (remember, I like a high dose and typically recommend 1 to 1.5 grams of omega-3s per percent of body fat) you can start with 1 to 2 grams of carnitine and work up to 4 grams, which was the dose used in this study.

6.) Increase Work Capacity With Carnitine
Another benefit of raising carnitine levels is that you’ll have a greater work capacity, but it will not feel as physically difficult. You’ll be able to lift more weight, complete more reps, or run faster and longer, but with more ease. This is because higher muscle carnitine levels help decreases pain, muscle damage, and markers of metabolic stress from high-intensity exercise by decreasing lactic acid production.

A higher level of carnitine increases energy production, but it also has the effect of accelerating muscle buffering by maintaining the pH of the muscle and minimizing the accumulation of hydrogen ions. Basically, carnitine helps eliminate the byproducts of intense exercise that cause pain and muscle damage (the burning you may feel when training hard), allowing you to work harder.

In the Journal of Physiology study, results show how higher muscle carnitine levels increase work capacity by reducing lactate accumulation in the muscles. Following the exercise bout at 80 percent of maximal, muscle lactate buildup was 44 percent lower in participants that supplemented with carnitine compared to the control group. Following the exercise bout at 50 percent of maximal, the carnitine group used 55 percent less muscle glycogen than the control group indicating that they burned more fat for fuel and had improved energy production. ??

The combination of less lactate buildup and greater fat burning in the two exercise bouts allowed the carnitine group to increase work output by 35 percent, while having a lower RPE. In simple terms, taking carnitine is a no-brainer if you want to improve body composition by burning more fat and be able to train at a higher level!

7.) Enhance Recovery with Carnitine
Take carnitine to speed both short- and long-term recovery from intense training and you’ll have less pain, soreness, and feel more energized. Muscle lactate buildup is a limiting factor that inhibits performance and causes muscle pain, meaning that if you produce less of it and are able to clear it faster, you will have a faster recovery.

Taking carnitine will also support an anabolic response to exercise by up-regulating the androgen receptors, which will “help to mediate quicker recovery,” according to one research group. Two studies led by William J. Kraemer tested the hormonal response to taking carnitine tartrate. In one of these studies, supplementing with carnitine for 21 days produced an increase in the resting content of the androgen receptors that bind with testosterone, indicating a better anabolic environment. Following resistance exercise, participants also had increased androgen receptor content that indicated greater cellular uptake of testosterone and increased protein synthesis. Enhanced protein synthesis allows tissue that was damaged during training to regenerate faster and speed recovery.

The second study also had participants take carnitine or a placebo for 21 days and found that after intense resistance training, the carnitine group had reduced muscle tissue damage (assessed by MRI) and increased IGFBP-3 levels (a binding protein that promotes tissue synthesis). Researchers suggest carnitine supplementation helps promote recovery by producing “more undamaged tissue, (and a) greater number of intact receptors that would be available for hormonal interactions.”

8.) Improve Cognitive Performance with Acetyl-L-Carnitine and Increase Motivation
A form of carnitine called acetyl-l-carnitine will give you superior brain function and increase motivation, meaning it’s a great supplement for people who want to lose weight but feel unmotivated to exercise. Acetyl-l-carnitine helps DHA omega-3 fish oils work their magic on the brain—just like carnitine tartrate, this form needs to be taken with omega-3s in order to facilitate fat burning for energy in the brain.

Acetyl-l-carnitine is a powerful antioxidant and can detoxify the brain of heavy metals. I suggest pairing it with Alpha Lipoic Acid along with DHA because all together they support dopamine levels, while increasing attention span and motivation. For depressed people or those who need to lose weight, it works wonders on motivation and self-initiative, both with training and work-related tasks. And by taking acetyl-l-carnitine, you’ll still benefit from improved energy, physical performance, work capacity, and a speedy recovery, all benefits to help you achieve a lean physique.

A number of research studies support the use of acetyl-l-carnitine for a better brain. For example, a new study in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology found that giving patients with liver dysfunction acetyl-l-carnitine significantly improved their physical function, general health, overall mood, and well-being. They also reported less depression and anxiety.

9.) Prevent Diabetes and Improve Insulin Health With Carnitine
Carnitine is emerging as a supplement that can prevent diabetes because of how it improves fat metabolism. It can counter the diseases of metabolic syndrome by preventing atherosclerosis, and supporting cardiovascular health, while inducing fat loss.

Plus, raising carnitine levels will fight related diabetes factors because it has antioxidant properties, meaning it abolishes free radicals and reduces oxidative stress. The key to improving your insulin health and losing fat with carnitine is to understand that the following interrelated factors must be present for this method to be effective:

A.) Take carnitine with omega-3 fish oils. Remember, a 1 to 5 ratio is suggested.
B.) Adopt this supplementation protocol as a lifestyle habit, not a one time thing. Research shows androgen receptors are up-regulated after three weeks, triglycerides are improved after three months, but muscle carnitine level isn’t elevated for close to six months.
C.) A high-protein diet and exercise will make it much more effective

10.) Carnitine Supplementation Counters Cachexia or Wasting Disease
Raising carnitine levels can counter cachexia or wasting syndrome that is associated with diseases including cancer, AIDS, heart disease, and lung disease. Although this is not a common problem among the Poliquin readership, it should be mentioned here because carnitine supplementation is able to restore metabolic parameters in individuals with cachexia and thereby help fight the progression of life-threatening diseases.

Cachexia is characterized by progressive weight loss, muscle loss, cognitive decline, poor insulin health, inflammation, and poor organ function, among other things. Emerging evidence shows that in patients with cancer cachexia, carnitine is depleted and metabolism is impaired. A new study in Nutrition Journal found that giving carnitine to men with pancreatic cancer who were suffering from cachexia improved their lean mass, increased energy metabolism, and improved their quality of life. Using carnitine produced a trend to increased survival over the course of the study and towards reduced hospital stays.

11.) Take Carnitine to Improve Male Fertility
Having adequate carnitine levels has been shown to be necessary for male fertility. One study found that fertile males had higher levels of carnitine and this was associated with healthier sperm. The men who were classified as infertile had lower carnitine and compromised sperm health. This study suggests that ensuring you have get adequate carnitine in conjunction with healthy lifestyle practices can support fertility.

12.) Use Carnitine for Better Skin
A topical carnitine cream can improve the health of your skin by decreasing the amount of oil released by the pores. A new study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found that a carnitine cream increased the amount of fat that entered the cell, which decreased the oil secreted by the skin. This led to less oily skin and a smoother overall appearance. It also indicates the value of using carnitine to improve the transport of carnitine across the cellular wall to be burned for fat because Beta fat oxidation, or burning, was enhanced.

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References:


Wall, B., Stephens, F., Constantin-Teodosiu, D., Marmuthu, K., Macdonald, I., Greenhaff, P. Chronic Oral Ingestion of L-Carnitine and Carbohydrate Increases Muscle Carnitine Content and Alters Muscle Fuel Metabolism During Exercise in Humans. The Journal of Physiology. 2011. 589, 963-973.

Pekala, J., Patkowska-Sokola, B., et al. L-Carnitine—Metabolic Functions and Meaning in Humans Life. Current Drug Metabolism. May 2011. Published Ahead of Print.

Sahlin, Kent. Boosting Fat Burning with Carnitine: An Old Friend Comes Out From the Shadow. The Journal of Physiology. 2011. 589(7), 1509-1510.

Malaguernera, M., Bella, R., et al. Acetyl-L-Carnitine Reduces Depression and Improves Quality of Life in Patients with Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. June 2011. 46(6), 750-759.

Radler, U., Stangle, H., et al. A Combination of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Polyphenols, and L-Carnitine Reduces the Plasma Lipid Levels and Increases the Expression of Genes Involved in Fatty Acid Oxidation in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and HepG2 Cells. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 2011. 58, 133-140.

Kang, J., Lee, W., et al. Improvement of High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity by a Mixture of Red Grape Extract, Soy Isoflavone, and L-Carnitine: Implications in Cardiovascular and Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease. Food and Chemical Toxicology. September 2011. 49(9), 2453-2458.

Silverio, R., Laviano, A., et al. L-Carnitine Induces Recovery of Liver Lipid Metabolism in Cancer Cachexia. Amino Acids. April 2011. Published ahead of Print.

Liu, S., Wu, H., et la. L-Carnitine Ameliorates Cancer Cachexia in Mice by Regulating the Expression and Activity of Carnitine Palmityltransferase. Cancer Biology and Therapy. July 2011. 12(2), 125-130.

Jeukendrup, A., Randall, R. Fat Burners: Nutrition Supplements that Increase Fat Metabolism. Obesity Reviews. October 2011. 12(10), 841-850.

Kraemer, W., Volek, J., et al. The Effects of L-Carnitine Tartrate Supplementation on Hormonal Responses to Resistance Exercise and Recovery. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2011. 17(3), 455-462.
Kraemer, W., Spiering, B., et al. Androgenic Responses to Resistance Exercise: Effects of Feeding and L-Carnitine. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2006. 6, 1288-1300.  ____________________________________________________________________________

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Few Days to Ultimate Leanness

Few  Days to Ultimate Leanness

Will This Work For Me? The "tricks" contained here were learned in helping competitive bodybuilders prepare for their shows, but any person who's in relatively lean shape (can see abs when flexed) can benefit from this seven day course of preparation.
This progression of physique-tightening days works well for those prepping for the lake, a big weekend BBQ, vacations, reunions, first date impressions, strip show performances, or for whatever occasion you want to look your best.

If you're slightly bigger and can't see abs, the effects and final result won't be as noticeable as someone who's already relatively lean. Remember, this is a "fine tuning" program, not an overhaul!

Okay, so you have one week to prepare. What can you do to look your best seven days from now? Well, let me go over several key techniques we'll employ and what they aim to accomplish. Hopefully, since you're lean already, you have some kind of base tan. Nothing shows off a lean, hard physique like a nice bronze color. Seriously, the difference is night and day! If you don’t have a tan and you hang with Casper, you can always use an over-the-counter self-tanning application. Just make sure to try it out first so you don’t wind up looking like a Sunkist orange or Freddy Krueger. You want attention at this event, yes, but not because you're a laughing stock!

Techniques Used

Carb Depletion and Loading — Here we’ll take advantage of our muscles' ability to absorb up to one and half times more muscle glycogen after being in a depleted state. Along with our water restriction and skin tightening techniques to follow, this will create very large, full muscle bellies with cuts and striations. We'll carb load with very little sodium, thus ensuring full muscle bellies and literally no subcutaneous water (water between the skin and muscle) to blur definition

Water Loading and Depletion — Here we'll trick our bodies into expelling excess water to get that paper-thin skin look, thus letting those exploding muscles almost burst through! For the first three days we’ll water load. The last three days we’ll slowly reduce our water while we continue to carb-load in a sodium-free environment. We'll be carb depleting during the sodium loading phase and carb loading during the sodium depletion phase. You’ll understand why as we move along.


Sodium Loading and Depletion — This goes hand in hand with the water loading and depletion. You'll load up on sodium to get the body used to very high amounts for a few days. The last few days when you cut down your water, you'll cut out all sodium. It’s literally impossible to eat zero sodium, so that's the purpose of the sodium load. You'll make a little bit of sodium in the diet seem like absolutely nothing due to the three days of extremely high sodium intake. The result is your body letting go of every bit of subcutaneous water, leaving you dry, paper thin, and ripped to Satan! You're also cutting out water as the days progress, but are still expelling it at the rate you were while water loading. This is key!

There are a few supplements you'll need as well and they can all be obtained legally over-the-counter. Many may use other prescription diuretic drugs during this time, but that's not needed, nor is it encouraged. You can use just about any "water shed" type of over-the-counter diuretic. The info contained here will help you achieve your desired results, so dangerous drugs just aren't needed.

The Countdown Begins!
Our hypothetical event is Saturday, so we’ll begin eight days earlier, as there are some pre-seven day techniques we must utilize to make the final days very effective. So, for our Saturday event, we begin the second Friday before.

All supplements will be taken in the same manner daily, with the exception of the carb loading phase. Protein shakes and bouillon cubes (used for the sodium load) are to be taken with the water you're allotted each day. You may also salt your meals if desired. The amount of water, carbs, protein, etc. you're to ingest will differ based on weight. The amounts below are indicative of a subject weighing about 220 pounds. You'll want to adjust up or down based on your weight. Remember, you should be in relatively good shape for this process to be productive.

Let's say you're 10% bodyfat or less. Here's how you'd adjust the program, up or down, based on weight. These are general guidelines from instruction and experience; your individual needs may vary, so just use this as a starting point.

Water: You'll want to adjust the amount of water by about 2-3 cups per every 10 pounds you deviate from our hypothetical example. Below I recommend two gallons per day because I'm using a 220 pound guy as an example. A 230 pound person would consume two gallons, plus those 2-3 cups. If one weighed 210, he'd drink 2-3 cups less than two complete gallons.

Carbs: The depletion days would be the same as far as timing of meals. To figure out your amount, you should be eating an amount in grams that's about three times your bodyweight in clean carbs during the carb-up phase. In other words, if you weigh 200 pounds, you'll need to eat 600 grams of carbs. This will differ based on bodyweight, but it's pretty accurate.

Protein: During the depletion phase, you want to get about 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per pound of lean bodyweight. During the carb load phase, you can concentrate on carbs as the main focus and get as close to your bodyweight in protein as you can. For these three days, you can consume just your bodyweight (or a little less) as the focus is the carb up. You need only enough protein for maintenance; we aren't building or rebuilding anything
right now.

Sodium/Salt: During the salt loading phase, all sizes of bodybuilders will benefit by salting all food and by using a bouillon cube in water, morning and evening. I've never seen this to be size dependent so there are no recommendations on how much salt you should have. The key here is making the body think it's taking in a ton of sodium, which it is. After this loading phase, you'll want to get as close to zero sodium as you can for those three or four days. It's impossible to consume no sodium, so the sodium load makes the body "think" it's receiving none at all, as it's used to extremely high levels.
A little confusing right now, I know, but everything will click as we break it down day by day. Let's get started!

Friday — Perform a quick two-set-per-body part workout utilizing high reps (12-15) followed by a posing session to "squeeze out" all that subcutaneous water. Post-workout have some kind of MRP (meal replacement powder) with about 25 grams of carbs and 50 grams of protein. (Remember to adjust these numbers if you weigh more or less than 220 pounds.)
For the second post-workout meal, have half a cup of oats and two chicken breasts. Take 300 mgs R-ALA and 50 mgs Vanadyl Sulfate (VS) with your MRP and second post-workout meal. (The ratio of carbs to protein is different than normal post-workout percentages, as usually it’s two parts carbs to one part protein.)

Saturday — Perform 40 minutes of morning cardio, just enough to get a sweat going. You should not be stimulating the quads doing this cardio. The only carbs you should take in today are half a cup of oats at meal one and an MRP after posing practice at 5:00 p.m.
Again, 300mgs R-ALA and 50mgs VS apply to both carb meals and all similar carb meals for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. You should shop for your water, bouillon cubes, ALA, VS, diuretics, rice cakes, honey, Raisinettes (yes, the candy) and other accessories today.

Sunday — This is the first stage of the carb depletion phase. Perform 40 minutes of morning cardio. After cardio, take one bouillon cube: drop it in hot water and drink. There's usually about 2000mgs of sodium in each cube, so it’s pretty strong! Our sample 220 pound guy gets two gallons of water today. He'll use water from this two gallons to make his bouillon drink.

Have half a cup of oats at meal one with three scoops of low or no-carb whey protein. Meal two will be flax oil and protein, meal three beef only, and meal four flax and protein powder again. Perform a workout doing arms (3-4 sets, high reps) at 4:30 or so, and have an MRP as post-workout meal number one and half a cup of oats and chicken for post-workout meal number two. The beef should be 8-10 ounces and relatively lean. At this stage, trim excess fat away.

As far as your shakes, have three scoops of protein in each one, or about 60 grams of protein (again, for our 220 pound example). Use water from the two gallons in the shakes. Have another bouillon cube at night, also using water from the two gallons. Drink all of the water. This is very important! You want to totally flood the body with salt and water today.

Monday — This is the second stage of the carb depletion phase. Perform 40 minutes of morning cardio. Today you won't eat oats at meal one, just have lean beef. Have a bouillon cube with meal one using water from the two gallons again. Meal two will be flax oil and protein; meal three will be beef only; and for meal four you'll have flax and protein powder again.

Your workout today is chest and shoulders (3-4 sets of each, high reps) at 4:30 or so with posing to follow. Have an MRP for your post-workout meal, and one and a half cups of oats and chicken for post-workout meal number two. Again, have the bouillon cube at night.

Tuesday — This is the third stage of the carb depletion phase. Perform 40 minutes of morning cardio. No oats at meal one, just lean beef again. Have a bouillon cube with meal one using water from the allotted two gallons. Again, meal two will be flax oil and protein, meal three will be beef, and meal four will be flax and protein powder.

Your workout today is for back, traps, and calves (3-4 sets of each, high reps). Consume no post-workout carbs, just a regular low or no-carb protein shake (with no flax oil) for post-workout meal one. For post-workout meal two, have beef only. Take a bouillon cube and drink it down using water from the two gallons.

Prepare chicken and sweet potatoes for the next day. You'll use fresh chicken breasts, not the frozen variety which have been drowned in sodium broth. This is one time it must be fresh!

Wednesday — Now we enter the first stage of the no-sodium carb loading phase. Perform 40 minutes of morning cardio (last session of the program!). Water allotment today is one gallon. Meals should be eaten every two hours. Drink water after, not during, each meal to avoid bloat.

Boil chicken in distilled water or bake plain and shred it up. Mix it in mashed sweet potatoes and make meals. Alternate chicken with potato, just potato, chicken with potato, etc. for your meals. Begin at 8:00 a.m. Your meal schedule looks like this: 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00. Take 300 mgs R-ALA and 100mgs VS with every meal. Take dandelion root and B-6 (or whatever diuretic supplement you chose) with meals one, three, and five.

Thursday — This is the second stage of the no-sodium carb loading phase. No cardio today. Meals are every two and half hours. Water allotment today is half to three-fourths of a gallon. Drink water after meals to avoid bloat. Chicken and sweet potato are prepared in the same manner. Meal times are 8:00, 10:30, 1:00, 3:30, 6:00, 8:30. (6:00 and 8:30 both have chicken.)

Take diuretics at meals one, three, and five again. If you look really bloated for some reason, double them in the late afternoon and take another double dose at night before bed. Don’t panic though, the next day is when you really tighten up and dry out, provided you’ve been following the above instructions to the letter.

Friday — We now enter the third stage of the no-sodium carb loading phase. Again, no cardio. Meals are every three hours. Water allotment today is one-fourth of a gallon. (Yes, this will suck!) Again, drink water after meals to avoid bloat. Prepare food the same way. Meal times are 8:00, 11:00, 2:00, 5:00, 8:00. Chicken is eaten at every meal.

Use discretion as to how much diuretic aid you use, and how much coffee to use in place of water to act as a diuretic. (Protein in every meal adds a diuretic effect as well.) A glass of red wine in the evening can also aid in expelling out some excess water the night before your "event," but you're not trying to get a buzz here!

Saturday — Today is your day! Time to show off! Now, look at yourself and ask, "What can I get away with?" Some kind of solid, starchy carb once or twice, preferably two smaller servings. Have chicken with the first meal. Bring in faster acting sugars prior to your event in the car on the way or upon arriving at the event. This will bring vascularity into play and help absorb the starchy carbs into the muscles. Take sips of water only to keep your mouth wet. Chew gum to avoid dry cottonmouth. Raisinettes and/or red wine seem to bring out vascularity quite nicely, so try one or both of these. Don’t go overboard with the Raisinettes and prepare to stun all onlookers!

Wrap Up
The seven day prep period doesn't sound like fun, but I guarantee you'll look your absolute best. It’s these final seven days that can really show off the hard work you put into lifting and dieting correctly. The average weight loss this last week is five to eight pounds. Those of you who hold more water and are "thick skinned" will tend to lose far more. Some just hold more water than others!

I recommend that you practice this once or twice before your event so that you can find out exactly what works for you by tinkering with the amounts.
When your event is over, make the transition back to water/salt/food a slow one, as you don’t want to shock your body too much. Your body will absorb all of these nutrients at an accelerated rate and you'll want to watch out for edema (very bad bloating of the extremities). So, take it slow and you should be just fine.

Remember, take pictures of yourself on your special day so that you have memories that will last a lifetime! Now go knock 'em dead!

Glucomannan for Fat loss

Glucomannan is a water-soluble polysaccharide that is considered a dietary fiber. It is a hemicellulose component in the cell walls of some plant species. Glucomannan is a food additive used as an emulsifier and thickener. Products containing glucomannan, marketed under a variety of brand names, are also sold as nutritional supplements for constipation, obesity, high cholesterol, acne vulgaris and type 2 diabetes. Although there is some clinical support for potential health benefits, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any product containing glucomannan for the treatment of these medical conditions. Health Canada has authorized some products containing glucomannan for the purposes of appetite reduction, weight management, treatment of constipation and management of high cholesterol levels.


Nature's Way Glucomannan Root, 665 mg, 180 VCaps

Weight loss

In one three-armed study lasting 16 weeks, 200 overweight and obese subjects were given a mixture of psyllium seed husks (3g) and glucomannan (1g) twice daily, the same mixture 3 times daily, or a placebo. The psyllium and glucomannan groups lost, on average, 9.96 lbs and 10.14 lbs respectively compared to 1.75 lbs by the control group. The difference between the twice-daily and thrice-daily groups, was not statistically significant. The glucomannan group had increased satiety compared to the control group and LDL cholesterol was significantly reduced during the study period. The treatments were well tolerated in all groups.

An eight-week double blind trial involved 20 obese patients. A placebo or a glucomannan fiber supplement of 1 gram was given to the subjects one hour before each meal. No changes were made to the diet or exercise habits of the patients. The study found that during the eight-week period, cholesterol levels were significantly reduced, and the Glucomannan group had an average weight loss of 2.5 kg.


Because it is a fiber, glucomannan can assist with weight loss and healthy weight maintenance by expanding in the stomach and absorbing fats. Absorbed fats are eliminated from the body and do not undergo digestion, thus nullifying their caloric effect. Also, glucomannan occupies space in the stomach and provides feelings of fullness. You'll eat less when this happens, and this will direct your body to tap into body fat stores for energy. Simply, you'll have a better chance of burning fat and losing weight when you use glucomannan. Research has shown that you can lose up to 5.5lbs in eight weeks without exercise by taking 1 gram of glucomannan with 250ml of water one-hour before each meal!

Using glucomannan may result in a lowering of your blood cholesterol.3 Numerous studies have confirmed that a lowering of LDL cholesterol (low density lipoproteins - the so-called "bad" cholesterol) and an increase in HDL cholesterol (high density lipoproteins - the so-called "good" cholesterol) is correlated strongly with glucomannan supplementation.4 This is welcome news if you suffer from, or are at risk for, hypertension or cardiovascular abnormalities.

Glucomannan can also help normalize blood sugar levels by delaying food digestion.5 Research has shown that this can help diabetics better control their response to food, easing the burden of dietary restrictions and making their diabetes more manageable.6

Glucomannan is a popular ingredient in nutritional weight-loss supplements because of its weight loss and insulin controlling abilities.   ____________________________________________________________________________

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Nutrition Myths You Need to Stop Believing

Nutrition Myths You Need to Stop Believing

good nutrition pays

Myth #1: Eating foods that contain cholesterol, such as eggs, increases your blood cholesterol levels. Not true. Cholesterol is auto-regulated, so if you eat more cholesterol one day, then your body produces less, and vice versa.

Myth #2: High cholesterol (LDL) puts you at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. Actually, elevated levels of fasting blood sugar and triglycerides are greater predictors of cardiovascular disease.

Myth #3: You need to restrict your salt intake. The evidence to support this advice is very weak. You need to replenish salt especially if you sweat a lot and if you follow a Paleo diet.

Myth #4: Eat carbs in the morning so you can burn them off throughout the day. Carbohydrates boost the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which aids with sleep. Therefore, if you consume carbs, do so at night.

Myth #5: Eating lots of fruit is good for you. Sounds convincing, but no. You should limit your fructose consumption to less than 25 grams per day. This includes fruit. If you are on a low-carb diet, no fruit for you!

Myth #6: Butter is bad for you. On the contrary, organic butter from pasture-raised cows is very healthy. It contains CLA (conjugated linoleic acid, a healthy fat) and vitamin K2, and it has a 1:1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3.

Myths such as these make it difficult to be certain you’re making the healthiest nutrition choices. One thing is for sure: You can’t rely on news headlines for guidance. Dig a little deeper, inform yourself. Buying into a myth never made anyone healthy.

Adipose Reduction and Bodyfat Set point

Adipose Reduction and Bodyfat Set point

 by: J.D. Haltigan

Efforts to maximize adipose tissue reduction will continue to remain a central concern for both the medical communities (e.g., obesity) as well as—and more central to this article—the elite fitness and athletic communities. A common objective purpose of the elite fitness and athletic communities is, it can be argued, to attain a level of aesthetic definition and sport-specific functional ability which very often includes achieving a minimal level of body adipose reserves with varying degrees of lean body mass (i.e., muscle tissue). The purposive quest to achieve this state, which as a rule creates a voluntarily induced unbalanced metabolic milieu—oftentimes one of a severe and protracted nature—is often fraught with physical and mental discomfort, difficulty, and misunderstanding. This is due in large part to unitary considerations of specific aspects of adipose reduction (e.g., fat loss at the cellular level, anorectic pharmacological aids at the central level) rather than a coherent systems understanding of the dynamics of fat loss and dramatic body recomposition efforts.

In this brief communication, I will present a developmental regulatory-systems view of fat loss and human energetics which has its roots in a multi-disciplinary framework including cell physiology, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and developmental affective neuroscience (Schore, 2002a, b). It is important to note that this article is not a ‘guidebook’ but rather an overarching framework from which to consider relevant aspects of fat loss efforts (e.g., symptomatology) and to promote further understanding into individual differences in body recomposition efforts. I have intentionally eschewed discussions of detail-specific hypothalamic and brainstem microenvironments involved in metabolic energy regulation in order to first present a novel framework from which to reconsider prior discussions of such systems (on the forums).
What is a Developmental Regulatory Perspective?

A developmental regulatory perspective to adipose tissue reduction and body fat setpoint is a life-span perspective on the regulatory mechanisms behind adipose tissue growth, maintenance, and degradation. The term “regulatory” is critical because, as Schore (1994) points out, regulation is used as a focal construct in every field of science. Importantly for our discussion, he notes that
the current focus on adaptive regulatory phenomena, from the molecular to the social levels, represents a powerful central linking concept that could potentially elucidate the ‘hidden’ processes in development and thereby organize what appear to be separate bodies of developmental knowledge (1994, pp. 7-8; italics added).

In terms of bodyfat reduction and setpoint, readers are most likely well aware of the lengthy discussions concerning the regulatory mechanisms and structures in both the central and peripheral nervous systems that are involved in the homeostatic maintenance of a given bodyfat setpoint (i.e., hypothalamic microenvironment and structure; cellular physiology of lipids; leptin, etc.). However, current discussions on the matter continue to fall short of a full integration of peripheral and central regulatory structures,and have failed notably in considering the role of socioemotional regulation in providing the necessary mental flexibility and balance needed to engage the process of dramatic bodyfat reduction and recomposition. In short, what is needed is a move to the level of multidisciplinary regulatory thinking regarding energetics and body fat and its functional significance. This thinking needs to include the socioemotional domain, as it too is governed by regulatory principles. If we leave this domain out of consideration, as has been previously done, we are committing what Damasio (1994) considered “Descartes Error” or separating the brain/mind from the body.
The Nexus between Energetic Regulation and Emotional Regulation

The idea of a developmental regulatory stance towards bodyfat setpoint and adipose tissue reduction is appealing because it allows for a mind-body connection in that both physiological systems and emotional systems are regulatory. For example, the delicate circuitry that is the leptin-ARC-PVN and leptin-ARC-LH pathways in the periphery and hypothalamus are indeed regulatory1. That is they, along with other peripheral and central subsystems, act to control the regulation of adipose reserves. However, consider also that one’s ability to emotionally regulate, particularly in states of stress and perturbation (e.g., severe hypoenergetic feeding, chronic training), are also governed by similar systems in the forebrain-midbrain-limbic circuit (Schore, 1994) with critical wiring in cites such as the orbitofrontal cortex, hypothalamus, amygdalar nuclei, and medullary nuclei.

As the reader may already be aware, a number of the same midbrain-limbic areas that are integral in controlling adipose regulation are also integral in emotional regulation (e.g., amygdalar-hypothalamic pathway; ventral amygdalofugal pathway; stria terminalis). However, a key cortical brain area for emotional regulation is specifically the right orbitofrontal cortex, which along with other paralimbic neocortical structures, is involved in executing inhibitory control over lower order brain structures which are phylogenetically preserved and primitive in nature. Such primitive structures (e.g., amygdala, hypothalamus) would ensure survival of the organism in times of life-threatening circumstances, such as chronic energy deficit. In dieting and attempting to what may here be referred to as “thriving below setpoint” the individual voluntarily effects a higher order control of primitive brain structures. That is, planning, executive, and inhibitory functions of frontal cortex are used to inhibit lower order putative metabolic centers (e.g., ARC-NPY system; LH-Orexin system) that are activated by their respective chemoreceptors to maintain homeostatic and life-adaptive states. In laymen’s terms, the dieter restricts eating. This hierarchical view of central energetic control is viewed from the Jacksonian (1931) principle of hierarchical, self-organizing brain development.

However, the inhibition of the primitive energetic systems is maladaptive when maintained over time (i.e., anorexia, training-related pathologies, body dysmorphic disorder, HPA irregularities, and immunosuppression). After a period of time, a process of “decompensation” (Wang, Wilson, and Mason, 1996, as cited in Schore, 2003) occurs in which the central system begins to rapidly disorganize. This idea of decompensation of the system applies to regulatory functions of the human both in terms of emotion-related phenomena as well as other regulatory-governed behaviors and systems such as the energetics system. In terms of Jacksonian (1931) principles, the resultant pathology (i.e., emotional and physiological disturbance) involves a “dissolution”—a loss of inhibitory capacities of the most recently evolved layers of the nervous system that support higher functions (negative symptoms; i.e., absence of eating/bingeing), in addition to the release of lower, more automatic and primitive functions (positive symptoms; i.e., hyperphagia, emotional dysregulation, physical symptomatology) (Schore, 2002a, b). In reverse developmental order, post-dieting sequalae may be understood, in part, by losses in orbitofrontal control, anterior cingulate function deterioration, and finally by the emergence of primitive drives which are no longer inhibited by higher-order structures (e.g., primitive neuroendocrine functions).

Because we are conceptualizing both the energetics and stress-regulatory (HPA) systems as well as the emotional-psychological system as regulatory systems in this framework it is not surprising that we see individual differences in the commorbidity of both dieting ‘chaos’ (cf. Herman & Polivy, 1987; see also ‘boundary model of regulated eating’, same article) and eating dysregulation as well as emotional (psychological) dysregulation and concomitant maladaptation (endocrine and psychological; e.g., the neurotic triad noted in starvation: depression, hypochondriasis, and hysteria; Keys et al., 1950).

The conceptualization outlined here also is in agreement with the notion of ‘processive’ and ‘systemic’ stress pathways (Herman and Cullinan, 1997). In short, the systemic stress pathway is activated in immediate, life-threatening physiologic events, such as hypoxia, and directly activates PVN neurons by way of efferent projections from the locus coeruleus, A1, A2, A5 & A7 cell groups, and serotonergic projections from the reticular formation. In contrast, processive stress pathways do not project directly to the PVN because they do not require life sustaining immediate responses. They require assembly and processing of signals from multiple sensory modalities prior to initiation of a stress response. Such stressors would include emotional stressors. These stressors activate the PVN through the pathways outlined earlier via the amygdalar and related pathways (i.e., the stria terminals and ventral amygdalofugal pathways). Processive pathways are ‘limbic sensitive’ and systemic pathways are ‘limbic insensitive’ (Herman and Cullinan, 1997). Under the constant amplificatory stress of protracted dieting, training, and/or general hypoenergetic climates, processive stress activation has the potential to facilitate dieting chaos and the inability to maintain altered lower bodyfat setpoints. Herman and Cullinan (1997) note the potential for hypothalamic modulation of processive (e.g., emotional; interpersonal) stressors,
…the intersection of limbic circuitry with hypothalamic regions capable of communicating homeostatic information to the PVN allows limbic information to be processed with respect to ongoing physiological status. Through such pathways, the salience of stressful stimuli stands to be corrected for caloric requirements, fluid balance, thermoregulatory status and endogenous rhythmicity prior to interacting with PVN-neurons [and PVN projecting hypothalamic cell groups in the LH and VMN] (p. 83; italics added).
Summary

In this introductory piece, I have applied a developmental regulatory perspective to bodyfat setpoint and adipose tissue regulation which links both psychology and physiology in the context of developmental affective neuroscience (Schore, 2002a, b). Furthermore, I have argued that in dieting or trying to alter the setpoint of a given adipose system, one can not separate the mind or emotion from the body. Since the systems are integrated at the neurobiological level, it becomes necessary to adopt an interdisciplinary stance to understanding the dynamics of adipose regulation and associated metabolic conditions. In subsequent offerings, I will provide more specific descriptions of the integration of the mind-body systems and microenvironments and explain using a developmental pathways approach: (a) why some individuals are able to maintain functional adaptation at reduced adipose states with greater ease than others; and (b) how to incorporate this regulatory model into either a short or long-term plan (including nutrition and specific behavioral strategies) to remain at reduced adipostatic states for greater periods of time while minimizing both physical pathophysiology and socioemotional maladaptation.
References

Damasio, A. R. (1994). Descartes’ error. New York: Grosset/Putnam.

Herman , J. P. & Cullinan, W. E. (1997). Neurociruitry of stress: Central control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis. Trends in Neuroscience, 20, 78-84.

Herman & Polivy (1987). Diagnosis and treatment of normal eating. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 635-644.

Jackson, J. H. (1931). Selected writings of J. H. Jackson: Vol I. London: Hodder and Soughton.

Keys, A., Brozek, J., Henschel, A, Mickelson, O., & Taylor, H. L. (1950). The biology of human starvation: 2 volumes. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Schore, A. N. (1994). Affect regulation and the origin of the self: The neurobiology of emotional development. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.

Schore, A. N. (2003a). Affect dysregulation and disorders of the self. New York: W. W. Norton and Company.

Schore, A. N. (2003b). Affect regulation and the repair of the self. New York: W. W. Norton and Company

Wang, S., Wilson, J. P., & Mason, J. W. (1996). Stages of decomposition in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder: A new conceptual model. Integrative Physiological and Behavioral Science, 31, 237-253.

1 For purposes of brevity, pathways mentioned have been done so in a simplistic broad fashion ignoring intrapathway signaling systems and additional microanatomical features.

Ketogenic Diet

The Cyclical Ketogenic Diet: True Fat Loss
In recent media, low carbohydrate diets have been THE fad for almost everybody in America wanting to lose weight. From your secretaries, elementary school teachers, and desk clerks, to bodybuilders, models, actresses, and athletes.

However, there is a huge difference between those who follow an Atkins plan and those who follow a cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD). Atkins is a low carb plan for those who are quite sedentary, walk maybe 3 times a week at the most, and just follow normal everyday activities. So forget Atkins here. The CKD is for those who?s main concern is true fat loss and muscle preservation?muscle for sports and high intensity activities.

My opinion for those who practice Atkins is that while they do lose fat, there is much water loss and most importantly muscle loss. Something we athletes do not want. A cyclical ketogenic diet is a true fat loss diet that works undeniably, if followed properly and strictly. Yes, low carb diets can be hell at first, but after two to three weeks, there have been anecdotal reports from many dieters that the cravings for carbohydrates decrease. This route to fat burning is unlike any traditional diet all the low-fat diet authors and FDA people have been advocating in history.

I got turned onto this diet a few years back when I got tired of cutting fat and still not being able to lose those last percentage points of bodyfat without losing hard earned muscle. I would start a low-fat diet, and be a either a social misfit (not going out with my friends to party or not going out to eat). Or in the worse case, feel so deprived of delicious junk foods I missed and bail out on the diet all together. One advantage to this diet is that there is no true restrictions on food. One may eat anything labeled a "food"! Well, almost. I?ll explain later.

How the cyclical ketogenic diet works

The science behind the CKD is simple. Carbohydrates in the diet cause an insulin (a "storage" hormone) output in the pancreas. It is used to store glycogen, amino acids into muscles, while causing excess calories to be stored as fat. So common sense asks me, "How can one try to break down fat, when your body is in a storage-type mode?" Difficult to do, indeed. That is why it makes perfect sense for step one to be cutting carbs.

The next thing that happens in your body is the rise in catecholamines (a "fat mobilizing" hormone), cortisol (a "breakdown" hormone), and growth hormone. Now your body realizes there?s no more carbs to burn for energy, so it must find another energy source: fat.

This usually happens during a metabolic condition called "ketosis." This is when your liver is out of glycogen and starts to produce ketones (by-products of fatty acids). You can check your status of whether or not you are in ketosis with urinalysis strips you can pick up at any local drug store called "Ketostix." Just urinate and see if it turns color. If so, you have ketones in the urine.

When the body is fed fat and protein, it will use dietary fat along with bodyfat for energy with protein going towards repair.

As a side note, there is another reason why this diet makes the most sense to use while keeping muscle. When one follows a high carbohydrate, low-fat, reduced-calorie diet, there?s a point when some bodyfat is burned, but when the body is still in a carbohydrate burning metabolism while trying to lose "weight," it will strip down precious body protein to convert to glucose for energy.

On the other hand, during fat metabolism, protein cannot be converted into free-fatty acids for energy. Although there is no scientific research done on this, there have been reports from followers that there truly is a "protein-sparing" effect. It makes sense doesn?t it? Where else would the body look for fat energy when all dietary fat is burned? Bodyfat.

Diet Requirements Mon. to Fri.

The phrase "working smarter, not harder" applies here more than any diet one has tried. One must fully understand what they must do in order to optimize their goal. To set a cyclical ketogenic diet up, one cannot just expect to cut all carbs in the diet, train hard, and lose fat! Although some have come up with variations to this plan, the one stated in this article, I have found, has worked for myself (it got me to 6% BF), and other clients I?ve trained to the leanest, hardest they?ve ever been.

First, to set up the diet, write down your lean mass weight. Not your total weight, dough boy. If you weigh 200, but have 20% bodyfat, your lean mass weight would be around 160 pounds. Multiply this by one, getting your grams of protein requirements for a day. Make sure you eat at least one gram of protein/pound of lean mass! This is important in recovery from workouts and enough nitrogen retention to keep muscle. Next, multiply by four, to get your protein calories. Here, it is 640.

The rest of your caloric requirements for the day should be fat. Here is the catch: you must eat fat to burn fat. There?s no way around it. There are many advantages to dietary fat on this diet: Feeling of fullness since fat digestion is slow (less hunger), tastes great, and lowers blood glucose levels (lowering insulin and allow all the fat burning hormones to do their job).

So how much fat? I always recommend starting out with a 500 calorie deficit from your maintenance calories. If you don?t know, it is usually 15 times body weight (full body weight here) depending on an individuals metabolic rate. So here, the example would need 3000 calories a day to maintain weight, and 2500 calories to begin fat loss.

2500 minus 640 (protein calories) is 1860 which works out to be around 206 fat grams a day. Now as you go deeper into the diet, and find the need to restrict calories more, you must cut fat calories, not protein.

The Weekend Carb Load

Since muscle glycogen is the main source of energy for anaerobic exercise such as weight training, we cannot simply deplete all stores while working out and not fill them back up. If that does happen, be rest-assured that the body WILL use protein for fuel then. But this won?t happen on the CKD.

Your one and a half days of "freedom" allow you to do two things: First, reward your carb cravings from the previous days, allowing you to enjoy pleasures like pizza, pasta, breads, etc. Second, eating these things are physiologically rewarding as insulin levels run high, storing amino acids and carbs, as glycogen, into the depleted muscle allowing you to be able to workout again the following week.

Your "carb-up" should begin Friday night and last until around midnight Saturday. Now the next important issue to address is how many carbs. Some lucky individuals find that they eat whatever they want for the 24-30 hour time interval and receive perfect glycogen compensation, while others rely on a better statistical number.

What has been recommended by other authors of the cyclical ketogenic diet is 10-12 grams of carbs per kilogram of lean mass. Again, time to do math. Our example had 160 pounds of lean mass, so divide that by the conversion factor of 2.2, and we get roughly 73 kg.

100 Grams of easily digested liquid carbs along with around half as many grams of carbs in protein (here 50) as a whey shake or something of that nature should be taken right after the last workout (which I will address in the workout section of the article) when insulin sensitivity will be at its greatest.

A few hours later this individual will start to spread the remaining 630 grams of carbs, along with the important number of 160 grams of protein (remember, keep this constant) during the remainder of the compensation period.

So what about dietary fat? I know you?re reminding yourself, "Didn?t this guy mention pizza?" Yes, I did. And here?s why. During the first 24-30 hours of carbing up, the body will use all dietary carbohydrates to refill glycogen, protein for rebuilding, and get this: fat for energy. Still?

Just like the previous five and a half days. Makes sense. When all the carbohydrates are being used for more important functions (muscle), what else is there to be used? However, you can?t just eat all the fat you want. Keep grams of fat intake below your body weight in kilograms. Again, here our example will keep is fat below 73 during the carb-fest.

By anecdotal reports, this should keep fat regain minimal to nil. Keeping fat intake extremely low has even caused some extra fat burning during the carb up!

As stated before, some dietary fat should be eaten to slow digestion and keep sugar levels stable. Whether it be saturated, unsaturated, or essential fats, is the dieter?s decision. All have nine calories per gram. (Note: there is a claim that essential fatty acids such as flax seed oil increase insulin sensitivity within the muscle cells, in turn, increasing glycogen intake.)

In Case You Missed It

So here?s how it breaks down during the week: Sunday through Friday afternoon , you will follow the low carb diet outlined above. Eat fat and protein all day everyday except on workout days because after workouts, you will need to consume strictly just protein?no fat or carbs.

Some have found to enjoy a protein shake afterwards because they are easily digested. Do whatever works for you. But fat is not logical since you want the protein to fuel the healing process as quickly as possible and fat will only slow it down.

Friday afternoon, around two hours before your last workout of the week, eat two to three pieces of fruit. This will get your body/liver ready to start the carb loading and give you some energy for that final, dreadful workout (trust me, during the first few weeks, you will not want to do that final workout, but you must). Then from Friday night until Saturday at midnight or until bed, eat those carbs! Thats the cyclical ketogenic diet.

Cardio Timing: The Secret to Burning Fat Up To 300% Faster

Cardio Timing: The Secret to Burning Fat Up To 300% Faster

When is the best time of day to do your aerobic exercise? The answer is any time!
The most important thing is that you just do it. Continuous cardiovascular exercise, such as walking, jogging, stairclimbing, or cycling, sustained for at least 30 minutes, will burn body fat no matter when you do it. However, if you want to get the maximum benefits possible from every minute you invest in your workouts, then you should consider getting up early and doing cardio before you eat your first meal - even if you're not a "morning person." 

Early morning aerobic exercise on an empty stomach has three major advantages over exercising later in the day:
Early in the morning before you eat, your levels of muscle and liver glycogen (stored carbohydrate) are low. If you eat dinner at 7 p.m and you eat breakfast at 7 a.m., that's 12 hours without food. During this 12-hour overnight fast, your levels of glycogen slowly decline to provide glucose for various bodily functions that go on even while you sleep. As a result, you wake up in the morning with depleted glycogen and lower blood sugar - the optimum environment for burning fat instead of carbohydrate. How much more fat you'll burn is uncertain, but some studies have suggested that up to 300% more fat is burned when cardio is done in a fasted, glycogen-depleted state.

So how exactly does this work? It's quite simple, really. Carbohydrate (glycogen) is your body's primary and preferred energy source. When your primary fuel source is in short supply, this forces your body to tap into its secondary or reserve energy source; body fat. If you do cardio immediately after eating a meal, you'll still burn fat, but you'll burn less of it because you'll be burning off the carbohydrates you ate first. You always burn a combination of fat and carbohydrate for fuel, but depending on when you exercise, you can burn a greater proportion of fat relative to carbohydrate. If doing cardio first thing in the morning is not an option for you, then the second best time to do it would be immediately after weight training. Lifting weights is anaerobic (carbohydrate-burning) by nature, and therefore depletes muscle glycogen. That's why a post lifting cardio session has a similar effect as morning cardio on an empty stomach.

The second benefit you'll get from early morning cardio sessions is what I call the "afterburn" effect. When you do a cardio session in the morning, you not only burn fat during the session, but you also continue to burn fat at an accelerated rate after the workout. Why? Because an intense session of cardiovascular exercise can keep your metabolism elevated for hours after the session is over. If you do cardio at night, you will still burn fat during the session, so you definitely benefit from it. However, nighttime cardio fails to take advantage of the "afterburn" effect because your metabolism drops like a ton of bricks as soon as you go to sleep. While you sleep, your metabolic rate is slower than any other time of the day.
Burning more fat isn't the only reason you should do your cardio early. The third benefit of morning workouts is the "rush" and feeling of accomplishment that stays with you all day long after an invigorating workout. Exercise can become a pleasant and enjoyable experience, but the more difficult or challenging it is for you, the more important it is to get it out of the way early. When you put off any task you consider unpleasant, it hangs over you all day long, leaving you with a feeling of guilt, stress and incompleteness (not to mention that you are more likely to "blow off" an evening workout if you are tired from a long day at work or if your pals try to persuade you to join them at the pub for happy hour.)

You might find it hard to wake up early in the morning and get motivated to workout. But think back for a moment to a time in your life when you tackled a difficult task and you finished it. Didn't you feel great afterwards? Completing any task, especially a physically challenging one, gives you a "buzz." When the task is exercise, the buzz is physiological and psychological. Physiologically, exercise releases endorphins in your body. Endorphins are opiate-like hormones hundreds of times more powerful than the strongest morphine. Endorphins create a natural "high" that makes you feel positively euphoric! Endorphins reduce stress, improve your mood, increase circulation and relieve pain. The "high" is partly psychological too. Getting up early and successfully achieving a small goal kick starts your day and gives you feelings of completion, satisfaction and accomplishment. For the rest of the day you feel happy and you feel less stress knowing that the most difficult part of the day is behind you.

So, you say you're not a morning person? Take heart; neither am I. I can sleep in like you wouldn't believe! But I get up anyway because I know the effort is worth the results. When I have a bodybuilding goal that I am clearly focused on, such as reaching 4% or 5% body fat for a competition, I'm on my Stairmaster for 45 minutes every morning at the crack of dawn without fail. Sure it's a challenge at first, but you know what? After a few short weeks, It's no longer a chore and I'm "in the groove" - and you will be too. Just try it. Make a commitment to yourself to do it for just 21 days. Once those 21 days have gone by, you'll already be leaner and you'll be on your way to making morning workouts a habit that's as natural as brushing your teeth or taking a shower. Once you start getting used to feeling that buzz, you'll become "positively addicted" to it. The more you do it, the more you'll want to do it. Before you know it, early morning cardio will your new habit; you'll be leaner, your metabolism will be faster and you'll feel fantastic all day long!

7 foods that fight fat

Want to get more bang for your bite? These foods do double duty—they help you blast fat and make you feel full longer, so you'll eat fewer calories.

Eggs
78 calories each
An egg's not only a nutritional powerhouse, it's also loaded with protein that satisfies. Eat eggs for breakfast; they'll curb your appetite enough that you'll have about 330 calories less than usual throughout the rest of the day.

Bonus tip: For a healthy fried egg, brush a nonstick skillet with a smidge of oil or cooking spray. You'll get crispy edges without much fat.

Dark chocolate
170 calories for 1 ounce

Just one more reason to indulge: nosh on dark chocolate and you'll eat less at your next meal, according to research from the University of Copenhagen.

Why? Compounds in chocolate slow down digestion and make you feel full longer. A small piece of chocolate (aim for the size of a business card) can also curb your cravings for salty, sweet, and fatty foods.

Pine nuts
95 calories for 1/2 ounce (about 84 nuts)

Move over almonds! The heart-healthy fatty acids in pine nuts boost satiety hormones that make you feel full, according to Korean researchers. The same fatty acids also keep belly fat at bay.

Cheese
76 calories for 1 ounce

Go for fresh goat cheese or feta for a dose of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)—it helps you feel full and burn more fat. Cheeses from grass-fed animals have the most CLA, so buy ones labeled "grass-fed."

Skim milk
86 calories for 1 cup

Most of us think of milk as kids' stuff, but it boasts grown-up benefits. Milk's proteins (whey and casein) can make you feel more satisfied than sugary drinks. CLA in milk fights fat, too.

Oranges
59 calories each

An orange is one of the most satisfying grabs from the fruit bowl—thanks to all that fiber. Oranges were the highest-ranked fruit on the "satiety index," a list of 38 filling foods put together by Australian researchers. And fiber fights fat: people who eat more fiber have less flab.

Potatoes
161 calories each

High-carb spuds often get a bad rap, but they deserve to be a dieter's BFF. Three times as filling as a slice of white bread, potatoes top all of the foods on the satiety index. Plus, the resistant starch in potatoes help your body burn fat, too.

Does Fasting Build Muscle?

Does Fasting Build Muscle?
Could it be time to go on a hunger strike—against heart disease and diabetes? Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center in Utah reported in two new studies that fasting—not eating or drinking anything but water—for 24 hours once a week may be linked to a lower risk of these diseases.

In the first study, researchers asked 200 people if they fasted regularly. The findings: Those who said they fasted were 12 percent less likely to have both diabetes and heart disease than those who didn’t ever go without grub.

In the second study, a separate group of 30 people—none of whom had fasted before—were asked to put down their forks for 24 hours. Researchers then compared the subjects’ post-fasting blood samples to those taken after a day of normal eating. The results? The scientists observed that the male participants’ levels of human growth hormone (HGH) were 20 times higher on the days the men fasted than when they followed a regular day of eating.

What’s so great about HGH?

When your body senses you’ve run out of food, it triggers your pituitary gland to release the HGH. This hormonal surge causes your body to use more fat for energy, instead of breaking down muscle, explains lead author Benjamin D. Horne, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Horne thinks that this explains why those who fasted regularly were less likely to have heart disease or diabetes. His contention: HGH reduced their body fat, which in effect lowers the risk of these diseases, he explains. When researchers pooled this study data with the results of a previous study on a different group, the fasters had slightly lower BMIs than non-fasters. (The researchers didn’t specifically record body fat measurements in this study.)

A drawback: Twenty-four hours—the length of the current study—is nowhere near enough time to judge fasting’s long-term benefits, and the surges of HGH might only last a day or two, says Horne.

Fasting for Health: What the Believers Say

Health experts don’t usually recommend fasting because it’s believed that your body will break down your muscle tissue for energy. But contrary to popular belief, there’s no evidence that fasting for as long as 72 hours reduces your muscle mass, says Brad Pilon, author of Eat Stop Eat, a weight-loss plan combining fasting with weight training.

These studies looked at long-term and short-term fasters. But how does it work for regular guys who want to be lean? While Pilon acknowledges that there’s a lack of experimental studies to support fasting, he claims that his clients have effectively used the strategy to lose fat, improve their cholesterol, and lower their blood pressure levels.

The bonus, Pilon says, is that fasters walk away with an entirely different relationship with food. “You no longer have to continuously plan your day around the timing of your next meal, and you may be resetting your body’s expectation of when and how much you are going to eat,” Pilon points out. Further, he says, when you do start eating again, you’ll replenish what your body needs, instead of fueling a continuous cycle of digesting, absorbing, and storing extra nutrients. “Think of it like filling a hole as opposed to creating a mountain,” says Pilon.

Pilon recommends one to two 24-hour fasts per week, during which you can drink water, black coffee or tea, diet soda, and herbal tea—but nothing with calories.

Research is Limited

But still, there’s no definitive proof fasting has any special perks, explains Alan Aragon, M.S., Men’s Health advisory board member.

“Researchers have yet to do a prospective randomized controlled trial, where they assign some people to fast and others to eat the same amount of food in a more typical pattern, then follow them both see what happens,” he says.

Though Aragon doesn’t recommend fasting until there are more studies, Horne says that the occasional bout of 24-hour food abstinence is safe for most healthy adults. After all, if you consider the eating habits of earlier humans, it wasn’t uncommon to feast without knowing how long it would be until the next meal
by Cindy Kuzma


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