John
columnist
, No Need for Speed
, Marathoning for Mortals
and Running for Mortals
.
Term "weight loss" and "fat loss" hold completely different meaning and you must know the difference if you want to lose weight or lose fat effectively and healthily. 
Standard body weight scales provide a measure of total weight, but don't determine the lean-to-fat ratio of that weight. Standing on most scales can tell you only if you weigh more than the average person, but not if that weight is fat or muscle. Based only on scale weight, a 250-pound athlete with 8% body fat may be considered "overweight" by a typical weight chart. Such charts are not a good indication of ideal body weight for general health or for athletic performance.
To keep muscle but slowly lose fat, you have to consume plenty of protein and lower carbohydrate and fat intake. Do not eliminate carbohydrate or fat. They are both still important components to keeping healthy. It should be spread out over 6 meals (about every 3 hours). Try to consume a bigger percentage of your carbohydrate in your earlier meals and immediately after training. Do not drastically cut your calories, but reduce them. Add about 10% more protein while reducing carbohydrate by 10-15% for most of your meals. Also, choose protein sources with a lower percentage of fat, such as egg whites, turkey breast, fish. This will cause your body to start using more fat for energy instead of carbohydrate, and the extra protein will help prevent much muscle breakdown for energy. 
KEEP YOURSELF WELL-HYDRATED. Always keep well-hydrated with water. The only exception to this rule is when peaking for a bodybuilding contest, where reducing water intake for a couple days prior to a contest helps in preventing water retention which blurs muscle definition. Restricting water to lose fat
CYCLE YOUR CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE. Being on a low-carbohydrate diet for prolonged periods of time will deplete your glycogen stores and slow your metabolism. At least once a week, eat a high-carbohydrate meal consisting of mainly complex carbohydrate. This will help restore your glycogen levels with very little likely to be stored as fat. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 300 grams of carbohydrate per 2000 calories (about 60% of total calories). Regardless of the type of carbs you eat, all are treated the same way in your body--they are all broken down into sugars during digestion. But, complex carbohydrate are almost always the best choice because they are naturally low in fat, high in fiber and provide tons of vitamins and minerals.
GET YOUR FIBER. Fiber makes us feel full sooner and stays in our stomach longer than other substances we eat, slowing down our rate of digestion and keeping us feeling full longer. Due to its greater fiber content, a single serving of whole grain bread can be more filling than two servings of white bread. Fiber also moves fat through our digestive system faster so that less of it is absorbed. Fiber (in foods such as vegetables, fruits, oatmeal) is good for you! Be sure to drink plenty of fluids when adding fiber to your diet. While fiber is normally helpful to your digestive system, without adequate fluids it can cause constipation instead of helping to eliminate it.
DO CARDIO ON AN EMPTY STOMACH FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. Just doing a cardiovascular (or aerobic) type of activity, such as riding a bicycle or walking on a treadmill, anytime will make a difference. Your body will burn more fat if you do it on an empty stomach. This is because your body is in more of a glycogen-depleted state, so it does not have many carbohydrate to burn first. And since it is an aerobic type of activity, not much muscle should be broken down in the process. This helps maintain your muscle mass, as long as you are consuming enough protein. 
Did 6 kilometers on my elliptical. Program #4, which is a hill program, Level 3 difficulty. I am adding a kilometer a week, or rather 7 workouts then add 1 kilometer and start the count over again, over and over. How far am I going to take it? I actually have not decided yet. Perhaps the distance it takes me to do 60 minutes or 45 minutes at a time. I would like to work it up to be able to complete a marathon distance. Obviously that will take some time…lol.
By Nancy Clark, MS RD CSSD "I should be pencil-thin for all the exercise I do."
"I don’t keep cookies in the house. If they are there, I eat way too many of them."
"I’m afraid if I start eating, I won’t stop…"
Too many athletes are at war with food and their bodies. In their quest to attain the “perfect body” that is leaner, lighter and presumably faster and better, they have developed atypical eating patterns that are far from peaceful. As one client reported, “I'm trying so hard to lose five pounds but I'm getting nowhere. In fact, I'm even gaining weight. I'm “good” at breakfast and lunch, but after I get home from the gym at night, I end up devouring everything in sight. On weekends, my eating is even crazier.” Sound familiar?
The first three letters of diet are D-I-E. Dieting conjures up feelings of deprivation and denial. Dieting is unsustainable, no fun. Few dieters win the war against hunger. Even 50 percent of people who had gastric bypass surgery regained weight within two years (1).
Why does this happen? Because the body perceives a diet as a famine and strives to protect itself from starving to death by signaling hunger. Hunger leads to the overwhelming urge to binge-eat. Research with healthy, normal-weight men who cut their food intake in half (similar to what many dieting athletes try to do) reports most regained the weight they'd lost—plus 10 percent more—within three months (2). Another study with middle school kids who were followed through high school indicates all efforts to lose weight resulted in disordered eating patterns five years later—but not leaner bodies (3). Dieting tends to create more long-term problems than it solves.
Let's take a look at some ways to transform blown diets into appropriate fueling (while you chip away at losing undesired body fat). A first step is to remember food is fuel, not the fattening enemy. Food not only enhances athletic performance but also prevents hunger and out-of-control food binges.
As a human, you are supposed to eat, even if you are overweight. If you restrict your food intake, you also restrict protein, carbs, fats, vitamins, minerals and other bio-active food compounds that contribute to good health and high energy. Your body needs those nutrients.
Calories
Current research suggests a sustainable way to lose undesired body fat is to knock off about 200 calories a day (4), such as 10 ounces of wine, 20 tortilla chips or one roll with butter. By knocking off the calories at the end of the day, you can lose weight when you are sleeping (as opposed to when you are trying to train and function during the day).
Carbs
Bread, bagel, pasta, rice, crackers—all those dreaded carbs—are not fattening. Your body does not readily convert carbs into body fat. Rather, your body preferentially burns carbs to fuel your workouts. If your muscles become carb (glycogen) depleted, you will feel an incessant, niggling hunger that can lead to non-stop snacking. You may believe you are eating because you are just bored, but your muscles are telling you they want carbs to recover and refuel.
Do not try to “stay away from carbs.” Egg whites for breakfast, salad for lunch, and fish with broccoli for dinner leave muscles unfueled and your body unable to train and compete at its best. Oatmeal, whole grain breads, brown rice and sweet potatoes are just a few wholesome suggestions. Enjoy them as the foundation of each sports meal.
Protein
Dieters need to consume a strong protein intake to help protect their muscles. That is, when you restrict calories, you burn not just body fat but also muscle tissue. Enjoy a protein-rich food (in combination with carbs) at each meal and snack.
Protein is satiating; it helps keep you feeling fed and can curb your appetite. Dieters who eat protein (eggs) at breakfast stay full longer than those who eat just carbs (bagel, fruit, granola bar). By eating a enjoying a satiating breakfast, you’ll be less likely to crave sweets and succumb to donuts or candy bars.
Fat
Fat (preferably healthful fat such as in nuts, olive oil, salmon, peanut butter) is an essential part of a sports diet. It's required to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. A little fat gets stored right within the muscle cells and gets used during long workouts. It enhances endurance. Runners who switched from a low (16 percernt) fat diet to a moderate (30 percent) fat diet improved their performance by 14 percent (5). That's a lot! And, they did not gain body fat.
The mantra “Eat fat, get fat” is false. Overeat calories and you will get fat, particularly if you overeat calories from fatty foods. Excess dietary fat easily converts into body fat.
Vitamins: The less fuel you ingest, the fewer vitamins you consume. Taking a vitamin pill might replace some of those losses, but a pill does not provide other bio-active compounds in foods that protect your good health. Strive to enjoy colorful vegetables and/or fruits at each meal.
By satisfying your hunger with wholesome sports foods at daytime meals, you will ruin your appetite for the evening “junk food” that contributes to fat-gain. You feel better during the day, have better workouts, be in a better mood—and be able to knock off 200+ calories of evening snacks so you can lose weight easily when you are sleeping. Experiment for just one day with front-loading your calories; the benefits will be obvious!
While food-binges can simply be the backlash from unrealistic efforts to lose a few pounds, they sometimes also serve the important job of distracting people from thinking about painful relationships and feelings of inadequacy. That is, if you incessantly think about food, you are not thinking about how sad, depressed or lonely you might be feeling. You’d rather focus on losing five pounds, believing weight loss will make you happy. Doubtful.
Instead of trying to find happiness from a number on the scale, the better bet is to appreciate your body for all the good it does. Do not compare your body to others. To compare is to despair. Practice eating mindfully and ask yourself before you eat “Does my body need this fuel?” Eat mechanically, on a time schedule, with even-sized meals that truly satisfy you, so you don't just stop eating because you think you should.
Rather than struggle with food and weight issues on your own, consult with a sports dietitian who can help you create a positive food plan. Use the referral network at SCANdpg.org to find your local RD CSSD (Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics). Life is too short to spend it fighting with food.
Nancy Clark MS, RD counsels casual exercisers and competitive athletes at Healthworks, the premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill, MA (617-383-6100). Her NEW 2008 Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook 4th Edition, and her Food Guide for Marathoners and Cyclist’s Food Guide are available via www.nancyclarkrd.com.
References
1. Magro D, Geloneze B, Delfini R, Pareja B, Callejas F, Pareja J. Long-term weight regain after gastric bypass: a 5-year prospective study. Obes Surg. 2008 Jun;18(6):648-51.
2. Keys A, Brozek J, Henschel A. et al. The Biology of Human Starvation. Vols 1 and 2. Minneapolis:University of Minnesota Press, 1950
3. Neumark-Sztainer D, Wall M, Guo J, Story M, Haines J, Eisenberg M.Obesity, disordered eating, and eating disorders in a longitudinal study of adolescents: how do dieters fare 5 years later? J Am Diet Assoc. 2006 Apr;106(4):559-68.
4. Stroebele N, de Castro J, Stuht J, Catenacci V, Wyatt H, Hill J. A small-changes approach reduces energy intake in free-living humans. J Am Coll Nutr. 2009 Feb;28(1):63-8.
5. Horvath PJ, Eagen CK, Fisher NM, Leddy JJ, Pendergast DR.
The effects of varying dietary fat on performance and metabolism in trained male and female runners. J Am Coll Nutr. 2000 Feb;19(1):52-60.
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