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ChatteParfaitt -> RE: Keeping your slave fit and skinny. (7/25/2015 7:51:57 AM)
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Using FR:
I have medical/pain issues, and recent been diagnosed as diabetic (I've bee pre-diabetic for over 30 years) also, though I have not gained a lot of weight I have lost muscle tone.
At my age, loss of muscle tone is bad news, it's so much harder to get it back.
Anyway, I've done some serious research in the past few months about both diet and exercise. (Because of my diabetic issues, everything I recommend about diet is also helpful for controlling blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.)
Diet first.
Several hormones regulate body weight: thyroxin (from the thyroid), ghrelin (from the stomach when it is empty), peptide YY (from the intestines to curb appetite) and lastly leptin which is secreted by your fat cells to reduce your appetite when they have been replenished. Please note, much of what is stated below is a straight copy and paste from a great website I found: http://www.yourhormones.info/default.aspx
A lack of thyroxin results in hypothyroidism (sluggish thyroid). This results in Hypothyroidism in adults causes a decreased metabolic rate, fatigue, intolerance of cold temperatures, low heart rate, weight gain, reduced appetite, poor memory, depression, stiffness of the muscles and infertility.
To jumpstart your thyroid, your need food high in selenium, such as mushrooms and nuts, especially Brazil nuts. (Here's a site to help you calculate what foods contain what, you're going to need it: http://www.therighttrak.com/ )
Ghrelin: Called the 'hunger hormone' it's produced to let your body know it's time to take on food. HOWEVER there are links to increased ghrelin levels and obesity.
From wiki:
Studies suggest that ghrelin functions as an adiposity signal, a messenger between the body's energy stores and the brain.[5] When a person loses weight their ghrelin levels increase, which causes increased food consumption and weight gain. On the other hand, when a person gains weight, ghrelin levels drop, leading to a decrease in food consumption and weight loss. This suggests that ghrelin acts as a body weight regulator, continuously keeping one's body weight and energy stores in check.
Tips to keep ghrelin at bay and increase leptin:
Avoid MSG. MSG (monosodium glutamate) makes your appetite spiral out of control. Your body loses its ability to tell that it’s full because MSG suppresses leptin. You end up eating more than you normally would and get hungrier sooner. MSG is in ALL fast food and most processed food, even the healthy ones at Whole Foods. For more information, see my blog post Hidden MSG.
Avoid Fructose. Fructose prevents leptin and insulin from elevating to normal levels after a meal, while increasing ghrelin and triglycerides. This can lead to a dramatic increase in calorie consumption. While high-fructose sweeteners in soft drinks and snack foods are the biggest concern, it’s also important to note that fruit, and especially fruit juice, consumption can lead to these shifts as well. Some authors suggest keeping fructose intake under 25 grams per day (about one piece of fruit).
Avoid Very-Low-Calorie Diets (1000 calories or less day). By eating more food, you’ll avoid the diet hormone surges that trigger uncontrollable hunger and the inevitable weight gain that follows.
Eat every 4 hours. Ghrelin is produced and secreted on a four hour schedule. In order to keep ghrelin low you need to eat on a schedule every 3-4 hours. Leptin level is decreased after short-term fasting (24–72 hours). I’m not a big fan of fasting except for intermittent fasting. This entails eating your food within an 8 hour period during the day and not eating for the next 16 hour period. This is a very effective weight loss tool.
Peptide YY:
Low peptide YY concentrations are associated with an increase in appetite and food intake. Low peptide YY levels are seen in obesity and before the onset of type 2 diabetes and may contribute to weight gain in these conditions. However, low peptide YY concentrations are very unlikely to be the main cause of obesity as the levels decrease after weight gain has started. There has been some research into using peptide YY as a medication for obesity, aiming to decrease the appetite of people who are overweight. This research is still ongoing.
From: http://www.women-rnd.com/leptin/leptin.php
Factors Contributing to Leptin Resistance
As with all hormone issues, Leptin resistance is a complex issue with no singular cause, but there are many factors that can negatively impact Leptin levels including:
- Fructose consumption (especially in forms like High Fructose Corn Syrup)
- High stress levels
- Consumption of a lot of simple carbs
- Lack of sleep
- High insulin levels (vicious cycle here)
- Overeating
- Exercising too much, especially if your hormones are already damaged
- Grain and lectin consumption
Fix Leptin Resistance:
a. Factors that will help improve leptin response are:
b. Eating little to no simple starches, refined foods, sugars and fructose.
c. Consuming a large amount of protein and healthy fats first thing in the morning, as soon after waking as possible. This promotes satiety and gives the body the building blocks to make hormones. My go-to is a large scramble with 2-3 eggs, vegetables and leftover meat from the night before cooked in coconut oil.
d. Be in bed by ten (no excuses) and optimize your sleep!
e. Get outside during the day, preferably barefoot on the ground, in mid-day sun with some skin exposed. There are many reasons this is helpful and I’ll be explaining them soon)
f. DON’T SNACK!!! When you are constantly eating, even small amounts, during the day it keeps your liver working and doesn’t give hormones a break. Try to space meals at least 4 hours apart and don’t eat for at least 4 hours before bed. This includes drinks with calories but herbal teas, water, coffee or tea without cream or sugar are fine.
g. Don’t workout at first. If you are really Leptin resistant, this will just be an additional stress on the body. Let your body heal a little first, then add in the exercise.
h. When you do exercise, do only sprints and weight lifting. Walk or swim if you want to but don’t do cardio just for the sake of cardio. It’s just a stress on the body. High intensity and weight lifting, on the other hand, give the hormone benefits of working out without the stress from excess cardio and are great after the first few weeks. Also, workout in the evening, not the morning, to support hormone levels.
i. Remove toxins from your life as these are a stress on your body. There will be more specifics on how to accomplish this in the next few weeks, but getting rid of processed foods, commercial deodorants (make your own) and commercial soap (use microfiber) will go a long way!
j. Eat (or take) more Omega-3s (fish, grass-fed meats, chia seeds) and minimize your Omega-6 consumption (vegetable oils, conventional meats, grains, etc.) to get lower inflammation and help support healthy leptin levels.
k. We eat –> body fat goes up –> leptin goes up –> we eat less and burn more Or…We don’t eat –> body fat goes down –> leptin goes down –> we eat more and burn less.
Note that in the above, high insulin levels are a very vicious cycle that decreases your ability to lose weight, no matter how few calories you consume. The best way to control insulin levels is to pay attention to your glycemic load (not index, load).
http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-eating/glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods
Note that the glycemic index and the glycemic load are VERY different for many foods.
You can increase your insulin resistance by keeping you glycemic load to under 500 per day. This means limiting starchy food and cutting out the real culprits: bread, potatoes, pasta, and rice (yes, all rice). You can have those grains (in moderation) that have a relatively low glycemic load, such as barley, oats, and quinoa.
(Actually, quinoa is not a grain, it's a seed, but you can use it to substitute for grains, potatoes, etc.)
You don't have to eliminate starchy vegetables, just make note of the glycemic load and plan your diet accordingly. Corn and sweet potato, for example have a fairly high load.
This is getting way too long and my chores are awaiting. I'll be back with the exercise portion.
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