Change Your Metabolism

When talking fat loss, we hear the word metabolism get thrown around. You might hear that certain foods or supplements boost your metabolism or that as you age your metabolism will slow down. There are a lot of claims out there that probably can't be back up very well, but one thing is for sure. Your metabolism play a vital role with weight loss.

I read a great article by Dr. Len Kavitz (no not the singer) that really did a great job summing up metabolism. Here are some pieces from that article.

First we need to look at what is your metabolism. Your metabolism is basically the sum of all the chemical reactions in your body. It requires energy for these reactions to take place. This energy comes from calories. So if you have a higher metabolism you burn more calories. This is why it is so important for weight loss. When we look at how many calories you burn during the day, about 60% comes from you Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). The rest comes from the thermic effect of exercise and spontaneous activity (30%), and the thermic effect of food metabolism (10%). So you can see your metabolic rate plays the biggest role in burning calories. So it is simple... To lose more weight keep your RMR high. Below are some things to consider to keep that metabolism burning:

Diets will slow down your metabolism. By decrease what you eat you are actually slowing down your metabolism. This is very hard for people to understand. If you diet without exercising your can reduce your metabolic rate by 20%. Yes you lose weight initially, but you will not continue to lose weight at the same rate. Exercise has been shown to preserve muscle which will prevent your metabolism from slowing. This is why you SHOULD NOT diet without exercise.

If you are performing cardio and strength training exercise you can see your metabolism increase by about 250-300 calories per day. This will add up quickly if you are trying to lose weight. So again DO NOT diet without exercise. I promise you will not hit your weight goal.

There are certain foods that may help increase metabolism but the increase is slight. The most common ingredients that may assist with fat burning include green tea, caffeine, and capsaicins (found in hot peppers). Research shows that these may increase metabolism up to about 4-5%. This is about 50-100 calories per day, depending on where you RMR is. So yes they can help but these are not huge numbers that will just melt fat away. Most research is really needed to show the effectiveness of these aids but they are generally safe.

So here is the bottom line with your metabolism. Severe diets without exercise will slow down your metabolism, cardio and strength exercise and increase it, and some supplements may help a little bit.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator

It's All Greek To Me

Well I made it back in one piece from Greece. This will probably be my most non fitness related post ever, but I figured most people just wanted to see some pics from my vacation. I figured I have to throw some fitness topics in there as well though. Here are some of the things I learned/observed on my trip, with scattered pics and videos for your viewing pleasure.

1. I love Greek food.

I didn't realize how much I like Greek food, but I am definitely hooked now. You can see me stuff my face below. Despite all of the food I ate I only gained 1 lb on the trip. I guess there might be something to the Mediterranean Diet. Bottom line, fat can be very good for you. I felt like I was sweating olive oil and feta cheese by the end of the trip. I'm sure I smelled delicious.








2. Greece is full of hills.

Probably the real reason I didn't gain any weight was due to all of the walking and hiking. From climbing to the Acropolis, to the cliffs of Santorini we did a ton of climbing. Check out the videos below. Yes that is me breathing extremely heavy. This was my cardio workout:

Island of Delos Climbing to see the Temple of Zeus:


Santorini Climbing to Ancient Thira:





3. We can learn a lot of history.

I heard a very interesting fact from our tour guide at the Acropolis. Every city actually, back then, had an acropolis. The one in Athens is just one of the most famous one's still around today. She said that in each city at the acropolis you would find three things always. These three were a gym, a stadium, and a theater. The gym was used to train young men physically and intellectually and the stadium was used for competition to display strength and athleticism. I found it extremely interesting that in all cities in ancient Greece you would find gyms! Even back then they understood the importance of training your body as well as your mind and made it mandatory, not something just for recreation. Even the word calisthenics is derived from the Greek words kallos meaning beauty and sthenos meaning strength.



4. Greece is gorgeous.

Here are just some random pics for you. Enjoy!








5. They Don't Do Everything Right.
As great as there diets may be over there, they aren't perfect. There were very few gyms that I saw. Maybe that is a sign for me to move out there and open a few up. Here is a pic of one I did see in Crete. Check out the bar right below it:


If you would like to see any more pics just send me an email or comment below.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training

Working Out On An Empty Stomach

Well it is time to put another training myth to bed. This is a very popular myth and I know plenty of people who still practice this method. The myth is you should workout on an empty stomach and you will burn more fat.

The theory makes sense. If you have no food in your system and you start to workout the energy has to come from somewhere so why not fat. You have a limited supply of energy stores in the muscle, but since you haven't eaten in a while they will be depleted. So we can assume that the energy will come from our fat stores.

Unfortunately you know what assuming does. And things never work out this simple, especially in the fitness world. A recent study in the February 2011 issue of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition, Exercise, and Metabolism looked to answer this question.

The study was simple. They took a group of individuals and had them perform the same workout twice. One day they did it in the morning without consuming any food. Then they performed it a few days later after eating a light breakfast.

The Results? They found that exercising on an empty stomach did not enhance fat burning anymore than when consuming breakfast. They also found, and more importantly, that resting energy expenditures where significantly higher in the 24 hours after the workout when participants consumed breakfast. So, eating breakfast before a workout can actually help you lose more weight.

If you don't believe the science, simply try it. If you can perform a workout on an empty stomach, then I know why you are having trouble losing weight. You just aren't working out hard enough. If you have ever tried working out without eating anything before, you just will not have the energy to get through the workout. You will feel nauseous, light headed, and weak. Not a very good combination for a weight loss workout.

So start your day with a healthy breakfast before you hit the gym.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training

The Truth Behind Organic Foods

I recently saw a facebook post from a friend saying they bought organic and locally grown food for her family and spent $250. This is obviously one of the biggest problems with eating organic foods. But is it necessary to only eat organically grown food?

I think this topic is under much debate currently. Let's look at the science behind organic food first. The truth is, to my knowledge, and what I was able to find there is not much research supporting that organic foods are much better than non organic. I found a few studies that showed some benefit, but not many. And they weren't very solid findings. For example, one study found a correlation between urine pesticides in children and ADHD. This was just a correlation though, not a cause and effect, so this does not mean if you don't eat organic foods as a kid you will develop ADHD. Who knows after more research is done but the study just showed that those who had higher traces of pesticides in there urine were more likely to develop ADHD.

Another study that compared 50 years of research, looked at which was more nutritious. They found that both organic and non organic foods are comparable. So in terms of what nutrients you are getting out of the food they are pretty much the same.

Just like many other issues in the fitness industry, more research is still probably needed to determine a winner here. If cost is an issue for you it is not completely necessary to buy only organic foods, but if you can afford it then you might want to. The body has a harder time dealing with things such as pesticides, hormones, and additives. Many of these items are man made and the body just doesn't know what to do with them. Organic foods will certainly not hurt you.

There is a list of foods called the dirty dozen. If you are really concerned with pesticides these have been shown the to be the worst. Try and buy organic of these. You will probably be ok with consuming non organic of everything else.

The Dirty Dozen:
1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Grapes
10. Spinach
11. Lettuce
12. Potatoes

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler
San Diego Premier Training

Sleep Deprivation and Weight Gain

There are many factors that might lead to gaining weight. Mainly we think of overeating the wrong types of foods and being inactive. Sometimes things in the fitness world don't work the way you think they will. When you strength train you actually are weakening and damaging muscle or if you don't drink water your body may retain it.

Sleep is another. You would think that when you sleep your are not active so your metabolism will slow down. Using this thinking it would seem that if you slept less you would burn more calories throughout the day. Unfortunately, things rarely work this simple.

A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared energy expenditure over a 24 hour period with normal 8 hours of sleep and sleep deprivation. Researchers found that when participants didn't sleep they reduced their resting energy expenditures by 5% and by 20% after eating food. This means their metabolisms slowed down and there was more food being stored as fat since they didn't need as much for energy.

So it wasn't a huge decrease in energy expenditure, but when you are trying to lose weight this can add up fast. However, this study also looked at hormonal levels after sleeping and not sleeping. After sleep deprivation there was a significant increase in grehlin and cortisol. Here is what each of these hormones is responsible for:

Grehlin- This hormone is found in the stomach and pancreas that stimulates the feeling of hunger.

Cortisol- This hormone is produced by the adrenal gland and released in response to stress and low levels of blood sugar. This hormone is released to increase blood sugar by generating glucose from non carbohydrate sources like lactate, glycerol, and amino acids. Cortisol is also known to suppress the immune system, decrease bone formation, and store fat in the abdominal area.

So we already know that lack of sleep can decrease your energy expenditure during the next day. Now we see these hormones increase meaning you are going to feel hungry so you will likely eat more than normal. Then you will be stressed so your cortisol will make it more likely you get sick, break down muscle tissue for energy, and store those extra calories you just had in your stomach.

Not a great situation to be in. Luckily though it is something you can fix. Make sure you are getting enough sleep each night. General recommendations are for 6-8 hours of sleep but this can be highly individual. If you are noticing your are hungrier than normal, increasing your weight, and getting sick more often maybe try and increase how much you are sleeping.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training

How Are Your Cholesterol Levels?

So I recently went to the doctor for the first time in probably 8 years or so. I have been relatively healthy for most of my life and never had the need to make the trip to see one. Since I turned 30 I figured I should be seeing a doctor on a regular basis. It made sense to be proactive. Why wait until I'm sick to go to the doctor? If I see him when I am healthy I am more likely to stay healthy. The same goes for fitness. Why wait until you are overweight to start working out? Do it when you are healthy so you stay that way.

My main reason for going was to receive blood work. I don't know how many times I've heard the story from someone that a friend or relatively died unexpectedly from a heart conditioning that they didn't know about. They were healthy and exercised everyday but still died of a heart attack. We may look healthy on the outside but that is not always the case inside.

I always assume I'm in good shape, but just wanted the assurance. To my delight my doctor basically told me I'm superhuman. Not really but he and I were both extremely impressed with the results. I received a great review of cholesterol and triglycerides so I thought I would share them with you.

The first thing we can look at is cholesterol or our levels of certain lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are characterized by there size. We have Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL), Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL), and High Density Lipoproteins (HDL). There are others but these are the most well known and discussed. Lipoproteins responsibility is to carry cholesterol through the blood stream. The problem with VLDL and LDL is they tend to get stuck against arterial walls and narrow the passageway for blood. It is our goal to keep these lipoproteins low through diet and exercise while keeping our HDL up. HDL will gobble up cholesterol and carry it to the liver to be broken down. HDL can even help get rid of LDL.

In the past total cholesterol was used to determine your health risk for heart disease. They are finding that this number is not as reliable as once thought. Instead they are using patterns. What is more important is what is the main characteristic or pattern of cholesterol seen in your blood. If you have primarily small dense LDL you would be a Pattern B and if you have more large buoyant LDL you would be a Pattern A. If you are somewhere in between you would be a Pattern A/B.

So how am I superhuman? I am actually at a negative risk for heart disease. This means that I could actually pick up a nasty habit like smoking and would still only be at a normal risk for heart disease. Here were my numbers:

LDL = 96 Normal is <130
HDL = 54 Normal is >40
VLDL = 18 Normal is <30
Pattern A

I'm not telling you all of this to impress you (well maybe just a little). The main reason I am sharing this is because you don't have to be perfect to get these numbers. Yes genetics have a roll and some people may not be able to get as low as this without medication. But, if you just eat well most of the time and cheat in moderation, you will be fine.

I have these great number but yes I drink beer in moderation, yes I eat hamburgers and red meat in moderation, yes I eat ice cream in moderation, and any other "bad" food you think of I probably eat. People think that I eat perfectly and only have fruits, vegetables, and chicken/fish. I eat very well 80-90% of the time, but I am human. When I go out to eat I'm not going to be perfect. It is nice to see with my blood tests that you can still drink beer, eat red meat and still have good cholesterol.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training

5 Quick And Easy Lunches

This weeks blog post is courtesy of Brian St. Pierre, CSCS, CISSN and Prograde Nutrition. Check out these 5 very quick and very healthy lunch ideas.



1. Chicken, Pesto & Guacamole Wrap: This is a quick and delicious wrap that is loaded with healthy monounsaturated fats, vegetables, protein, and quality carbs. You can make this in less than 5 minutes!


Ingredients:
• 1 cooked chicken breast, chopped and seasoned to taste
• 1 sprouted-grain or whole-grain wrap
• 1-2 large handfuls baby spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped cucumbers
• 2 tbsp basil evoo pesto
• 2 tbsp guacamole
• 1 plum or other small piece of fruit

Directions: Evenly spread pesto onto wrap. Lay spinach on top in an even layer. Then lay down chicken breast on top of spinach. Spread guacamole on top of chicken breast and toss in diced cucumbers.


Enjoy with carrots and hummus or other produce of choice. Makes 1 serving for men, and 2 for women.


2. Spinach, Chicken & Feta Salad: This is a quick and delicious salad that is loaded with protein, vegetables, monounsaturated fats, and blood sugar-controlling vinegar.

Ingredients
• 1 chicken breast, chopped and seasoned to taste
• 2 cups baby spinach
• ½ cup red onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp feta cheese
• 4 large kalamata olives (optional)
• ¼ cup black beans (optional)

Directions: Mix all ingredients together to make this delicious salad!


For some people, salads don’t seem to hold them over as long as other meals, so adding ¼ cup of black beans can add a small amount of starchy carbs and fiber to keep you fuller, longer. Makes 1 serving.


3. Tuna Salad Sandwich: Tuna salad is usually made from regular mayonnaise (which is made with low-quality vegetable oils) and higher-mercury tuna. Making it yourself allows you to use a mayonnaise made from healthier oils and wild-caught tuna that is lower in mercury. This meal can also be made into a wrap if preferred.


Ingredients:
• 1 can wild-caught tuna
• 1 tbsp expeller pressed canola oil mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1/4 cup chopped cucumbers
• 1/4 mashed avocado (or 2 tbsp guacamole)
• 1 handful baby spinach
• 2 slices sprouted-grain or whole-grain bread, toasted
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Toast bread. In a large bowl mix tuna, expeller pressed canola oil mayonnaise, onions, cucumbers, and avocado (or guacamole). Set aside. Lay spinach on top of toasted bread. Spoon tuna salad onto bed of spinach. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.


Enjoy with sliced peppers or other produce of choice. Makes 1 serving for men, and 2 for women.


4. Vanilla, Fruit & Yogurt Parfait: While most people think of yogurt as a simple snack food or addition to your lunch, in a pinch it can make a delicious and nutritious lunch by itself. Do be aware that fruit flavored yogurts are either loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners, and you want no part of either one.

This recipe provides plenty of high quality protein, probiotics, healthy fats, fiber, and berries to keep you full until dinner!

Ingredients:
• 6-8oz 2% plain Greek yogurt or whole-fat regular yogurt
• ½ to 1 scoop Vanilla Prograde Protein
• ½ to 1 tbsp milled flax or chia seeds
• 1 to 2 tbsp chopped walnuts
• ½ to 1 cup fresh or frozen berries of choice

Directions: Mix the protein powder and seeds in with the yogurt until evenly distributed. Add in fruit and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top. For women use the smaller portion sizes, for men the larger. Makes 1 serving.


5. Lunch Portion of Dinner Leftovers or Large Batch of Chili, Stew, etc.: A simple way to have a healthy lunch is to make an extra large dinner the night before. Purposefully make your dinner with an extra serving that you simply refrigerate. Come the next morning, you have a healthy lunch already made and packed!


Another option is to make a large batch of chili or beef stew, which can provide you with several lunch servings throughout the week. This is a perfect meal to make on Sunday, providing you lunch for most of the work week!
Here is a delicious chili recipe that fits the bill nicely.

Ingredients:
• ~1.5 lbs of lean ground beef, grass-fed if possible
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 2 cans stewed tomatoes, 14oz each
• 1 can tomato sauce, 16oz
• 1 can light red kidney beans
• 1 can dark red kidney beans
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 small can of corn
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions: Cook the beef, onion, and green pepper in a large skillet over medium heat with 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. In a large pot combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, corn, and chili powder and cook over medium heat. Do not drain canned goods. Once the beef, onion, and green pepper mixture is thoroughly cooked, add to the large pot. Stir and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Makes 5 servings for men, and up to 10 servings for women.

You Stay Healthy San Diego!