Weight / Fat loss

This is an interesting thread. The fact that there are so many theories regarding weight loss is more attributable to the complexity and sophistication of our bodies.

Here is my unasked for opinions, :). The only basis I have for this is discussions with a couple of Dieticians, (Not nutrionists), a couple of personal trainers, (not mine), and I train using weights, cycle and do pilates. I weigh more than most and have been 262 pounds, (34% fat, 33% lean), down to 236 pounds (25% fat,35% lean) in the last 6 months. (This measurement isn't exact, but it is derived the same way in both instances).

Dietry needs:

Of all the mix of diets out there, the one thing that IS pretty certain is that people at the higher end of their particular spectrum of sport, whether it is triathlons, powerlifting, cycling, running, they all are very conscious of what/when they eat. They will differ in their philosophies but they will all eat what they need to get the desired results. What will strike you is that most of them will have a BALANCED diet. Yes, the weight lifter will have have egg whites, especially if he is trying to increase his strength, (the protein is more readily used by the body when creating new muscle when tearing muscle fibers as a result of lifting ever heavier weights, for example), but he will still require carbohydrates because in order to tear muscle, he needs to have as much energy as possible to use his existing muscle to the limit.

Triathletes are a great example of all round fitness; you will find they have greater upper body strength than a lot of pure runners. As a result they will usually take a supplement, say whey protein, when training. This is to reduce the rate of reduction in LEAN body mass that will occur in long periods of cardio. So the body will use whatever it has to in order to provide energy. The whey protein helps provides particular nourishment to the body that it would normally get by breaking down muscle when the initial reserves are lost.

But training for specifics aside, if you wish to lose weight, and by weight I am referring to Fat here and not overall weight, then it does come down to calories in vs calories expended. The difference though is that you want to preserve your lean mass as much as possible when reducing calories. Lean mass is hard won. The tricky bit is getting the calories reduced, but still leaving the body with the required parts that still gives you a feeling of energy which encourages you to do things, thus expending yet more energy. This is what varies considerably among people. Some require more carbohydrates than protein, some require less. When you hit on the right combination though, the body then gets used to having the required nutrients at the right times and then doesn't need a fat store and at that point you will notice a loss of fat in a fairly quick period of time.

Homeostasis is when the body has adjusted to a particular method. It is both a good thing and a bad thing, depending on what you are trying to achieve. For example, an athlete may be trying to improve on a weight/time but cannot seem to improve, even though they train hard. Assuming that they are not at the peak of their possible discipline, then what occurs is Homeostasis. This is the way the body adapts to any given scenario and becomes very efficient. If you cycle every day for 100 miles, and do this week in and week out, you will become fit. Your body adapts. If then you decide to drink more beer for weeks at a time, then your body, being very efficient at this cycle now, will find it doesn't need the extra calories and will store them since there is now a considerable excess coming in. So you could carry a few stone of fat and still be more efficient on a 50 mile bike ride than a lot of others and carry it off without breaking a sweat.

My point is that if you do a lot of exercise, and don't think you are taking in a lot of calories, your body can be that efficient that it doesn't need as many to do the exercise as you once did. When weight trainers hit that they will change how they do the exercise. Whether grouping different body parts together, or changing the exercise itself. Sometimes even just a week out of training is enough to get past homeostasis.

The one thing that seems to make a difference when trying to achieve a specific goal regarding health, according to two separate trainers i know, is keeping a food diary. Oh and avoiding pasta and bread. That seems universal too.

Body types:

There are well documented types of body systems. They are a generalisation, (like most classification systems), and you will have extremes in either end of each category. I know a couple of classic ectomorphs who can do whatever they like, but they find it effortless to keep fat off. On is in their teens and sometimes active, one is in his mid forties and drinks ale and does very little exercise. By the same token in fat being very low, they would find it difficult to also put on lean body mass, (muscle), and typically ectomorphs can end up with very good power to weight ratios, they would struggle harder than a typical mesomorph would.

I am not saying here that each person conforms completely the standard definition, however, they will fall into one of the Meso, Endo, Ecto types. In each case variance will and does exist.

Mmmm, I rambled a lot there I think.

Sum up - keep a food diary and record how you feel on a day to day basis, switch it if you have to but keep the diet balanced & vary what exercise you do. If you do longish rides regularly, try mixing shorter faster ones in for a while, or vice versa. But keep the body guessing in that respect.