Dietary

Skeletal muscle, even when it is not active, is an important determinant of energy expenditure, making up 15-20% of resting metabolic rate.

But not all muscle is created equal – it is made up of varying amounts of slow Type 1 and faster Type 2 fibres, the former being more dependent on oxygen consumption and capable of endurance exercise, the latter being more capable of non-oxidative activity as in short sprints or lifting weights.

People tend to differ in the make up of their muscle fibres, which explains why some people are better at running marathons while others excel at the 100 meter dash.

But does this difference in muscle composition also affect the response to dietary weight loss?

This question was addressed by Martin Gerrits and colleagues from the University of Ottawa, in a paper just released online in the Journal of Lipid Research.

The researchers studied 26 otherwise healthy obese women who were either in the top (diet-sensitive) or bottom (diet-resistant) quintile of weight loss during the first six weeks of a medically supervised 900 kcal/day low-calorie diet program. All participants were highly compliant with the diet (meaning that they only ate 900 kcal/day) and did not differ in levels of physical activity. Subjects were matched for both age and initial BMI.

While the diet-sensitive group lost 11.4 kg, the diet-resistant group lost only 7.5 kg during the first 6 weeks. This translates into an almost 25% or 350 kcal/day lower caloric deficit in the diet-resistant group.

Following program completion and weight stabilization, skeletal muscle biopsies showed a higher proportion of oxidative Type 1 fibres in the diet-sensitive compared to the diet-resistant women.

Gene expression analysis also showed up regulation of genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, glucose and fatty acid metabolism in the diet-sensitive group.

Thus, these data support the notion that the rate of weight loss in response to dietary caloric restriction may very much depend on your muscle composition.

Clinically, this would mean that people who are better at aerobic (endurance) exercise may find it easier to lose weight than people who are better at anaerobic exercise (sprints or lifting weights).

Perhaps the reason that people who combine diet with endurance exercise tend to lose more weight that people who prefer resistance training has more to do with their muscle composition than with their choice of exercise (or the calories burnt doing it).

About the Author;

Dr Arya M, Sharma is Professor of Medicine & Chair in Obesity Research and Management at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He is also the Scientific Director of the Canadian Obesity Network. He has published widely on the management of obesity and related health problems.

For more information on Obesity visit;

http://www.drsharma.ca/

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Life in the 21st century needs to be lived; the best part of it, to the fullest. To a large extent, our lives revolve around good food, good clothes, and good times. Food, as much as the other aspects, defines life for most who can afford good food. You eat if you are happy, sad or bored, lonely and depressed. In short, both happiness and depression could drive you to eat. Scientific studies and surveys give a clear picture of how our moods, and at times, mood swings are intimately linked to foods habits. The dramatic highs or lows we experience at times are due to imbalanced or extreme dietary habits, which might lead to depletion of certain vital nutrients and the excess of free radicals. Building a good knowledge of how foods can affect mood could qualitatively improve life in general and also help in boosting energy levels. When you begin to eat right, the difference will be yours to feel and experience through increase in your productivity, enhanced memory and alertness.

If you feel indifferent in health, and are not sure about the reason, a change in the diet plan might probably help. Consultation with a dietitian to find what you lack and how to supplement your diet would be a good start. Latest medical research data lays emphasis on the benefits of including the right kind of “amino acid foods” in your daily food, through the natural way or through additional nutritional supplements. Food rich in amino acids is proving to make people more assertive, confident, and self-assured, in short, successful. All you have to do is to zero in on the one that you need, based on your daily intake, and activities, and see that feeling of well-being flower.

Well, not all of us are happy with our body image; worse so, when you are obese and at the butt end of jokes and snickering. Overeating is one sign of depression and depression about bad body shapes can make you eat even more putting you through a never ending vicious cycle, until treatment is sought. Increasingly, obesity and depression are being seen as a lifestyle thing: a combination of a lack of daily or even weekly exercise, sedentary jobs, pollutants in the air, food that poisons us, and the recklessness in the food we eat can all lead to nutrient deficiencies which can only be corrected by regular intake of dietary nutritional supplements. Nutritional supplements can counter the effect of some weight loss drugs that might affect nutrient absorption in the body.

Currently available weight-loss drugs work mainly by raising levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. These weight-loss drugs are programmed to increase metabolism and suppress appetite and to block the absorption of fat in the digestive tract. But some of these medications have potentially side effects, which might result in the depletion of vital nutrients in the body. Depending on affordability, one can opt for marketed dietary nutritional supplements while also trying to ensure enough natural sources in diet. Unlike drugs, there is minimal risk of side effects with natural nutritional supplements. Try supplementing your diet with these simple and natural nutritional supplements. Use nutritional supplements intelligently as a source of health to make you feel good through the day.

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It’s been a popular misconception for a long time now that ingesting fat will MAKE you fat. Unfortunately, this is not true and anyone subscribing to this theory is doing themselves a huge disservice.

Did you know that if you starve your body of fats, it will start to hang on to fat even harder, which makes it even harder for you to lose the fat on your body. Don’t kid yourself. Dietary fat is not the same as body fat. Nowhere even close.

That being said there is a huge difference between the types of dietary fat you can choose to consume. Some are very harmful while others are highly beneficial. The trick here is to avoid hydrogenated oils and trans fats at all costs. As a matter of fact, the main rule of thumb is to avoid anything that’s ‘processed’ and try to stick with oils and fats that are as close to their natural state as possible.

So, stop being freaked out about eating foods that contain fat, and start eating in a way that will not only help you in your fat loss goals but will make you a healthier person overall.

Here’s some great foods that contain ‘healthy fats’ that you can incorporate into your diet.

Avocados

Avocados are full of oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat) which can help lower cholesterol. They are also high in potassium and countless other vitamins and minerals. They should be on the top of your eating list. Add them to salads or smear the pulp on toast for a tasty treat.

Nuts

Raw nuts are also a great source of healthy fats, as well as many vitamins and minerals. Don’t make the mistake of buying the salted and roasted kind. Usually they’ve been roasted in some kind of unhealthy oil, but just the act of cooking the nuts destroys some of the healthy properties otherwise found in raw nuts. Keep them raw for full health benefits and to keep the healthy fats intact. Some great ones are Almonds and Walnuts. Use them in salads or snack on them alone or with fruit and vegetables.

Seeds

Similar to nuts, these are also chock full of healthy fats. Again, don’t get the roasted and salted kind. Eat them raw. They’re great on salads, or even mixed in with your favorite yogurt to give it a little extra crunch. Some fantastic seeds to incorporate into your diet are Sunflower, Pumpkin and Sesame seeds.

Flax Seed is also a great source of healthy oils. You can buy Flax Seed Oil at almost any store these days, but one word of caution: it is very unstable and can go rancid fast unless refrigerated. ONLY buy it from a store that keeps it in a refrigeration unit and get it home and into your own refrigerator immediately to avoid spoilage.

Salmon

Salmon is absolutely full of omega 3 fish oil, which has been proven wildly beneficial to health as well as fat loss diet programs. Make sure you’re getting enough salmon. Do yourself an even bigger favor and try to eat wild salmon as opposed to the farmed stuff whenever possible. The wild salmon tend to have higher levels of omega 3 and other excellent nutrients. If you aren’t a fan of seafood, pick up some Krill Oil capsules in your local health food store. You’ll get the same great benefits from consuming your fish oil this way.

Other Seafood

Tuna is also a great source of healthy fats, but beware to eat only in moderation due to mercury counts. Once a week is plenty. Shrimp, prawns and other shellfish are also full of healthy fats but tend to be higher in cholesterol. However, there is good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) and unless you’ve been diagnosed with high cholesterol, I wouldn’t worry too much about the cholesterol in shellfish.

Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil has long been given a bad rap as being high in trans fat. However, this is one of the most healthy good fats you can ingest and happens to also be a very stable oil, which makes it ideal for cooking with. So, don’t be afraid of coconut oil anymore. Turns out it’s good for you.

Keep in mind as you incorporate these foods into your diet, that fat is more calorie dense than carbohydrates and protein so while you SHOULD be eating them, moderation is key so you don’t accidentally sabotage your weight loss efforts. Keep an eye on that caloric intake and keep it in check while adding these foods into your dietary mix.

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