This is going to be probably the longest FB post in recorded history BUT... for my friends that are NOT on Sparkpeople, I am posting my blog here as well for your benefit. Yes I feel it is that important. Its a long read so pack a lunch. If you have ever been stuck forever at a certain weight (like me) and cant break through, this is for you. BTW, so far I have lost 5 lbs since I started under their recommendations. The purpose of these last two blogs is to raise awareness among the weight loss community about this test and the benefits as well as to share what I have learned both through my own trial and error experiences and what has been finally confirmed by science. THIS WILL BE A LENGTHY BLOG.. be forewarned. If you want to educate yourself, read on. If you have been stuck forever like I have, read on. If you are looking for a quick woo-hoo-you-can-do-it, then move on, this post is not for you. I am passionate about this subject simply because I have been fighting this war for years and I am always looking for intel on my enemy and ways to relay that intel so that victory can be achieved by myself and others. We are in this together. I am heavy in to documentation on stuff like this. First reason is that I dont toss stuff like this out to the world based on I suppose or I think... there is TOO MUCH of that already. There is too much celeb personality driven fitness marketing in a world that is dying for lack of hard, simple facts and from the inaction caused by frustration from conflicting messages. The disillusionment from the cult of personality that is so prevalent doesnt help matters any. Before I begin let me bring some explanations and definitions to the role of insulin and weight loss.... in the words of science.... not diet cults. When people eat a food containing carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks down the digestible ones into sugar, which enters the blood.As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that prompts cells to absorb blood sugar for energy or storage. hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/carbohydrates-and-blood-sugar/ Insulin is a key player in the control of intermediary metabolism, and the big picture is that it organizes the use of fuels for either storage or oxidation. Through these activities, insulin has profound effects on both carbohydrate and lipid metabolism...Insulin inhibits breakdown of fat in adipose tissue by inhibiting the intracellular lipase that hydrolyzes triglycerides to release fatty acids....insulin is involved in further accumulation of triglyceride in fat cells....From a whole body perspective, insulin has a fat-sparing effect. Not only does it drive most cells to preferentially oxidize carbohydrates instead of fatty acids for energy, insulin indirectly stimulates accumulation of fat in adipose tissue. vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/pancreas/insulin_phys.html Glucose that your cells dont use accumulates as fat. mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/insulin-and-weight-gain/art-20047836?pg=1 Short version: When your insulin levels rise due to carb consumption ( from good or bad carbs), the hormonal response of insulin causes your body NOT to utilize fat for fuel.. period. Carbs not readily utilized as fuel turns to fat. Understanding the relationship between carbohydrate consumption and fat storage is key to appreciating how important the test is. The difference between good or bad is how fast it rises... but it still rises and the key to fat loss is to keep your insulin levels down and stable as much as possible. How you restrict and how much is between you and your health care provider or dietitian. This is purely education, not prescription. What the test measures and why- The test measures your respiratory quotient (RQ) Your RQ is the ratio of oxygen and carbon dioxide that you are taking in and expelling. The gas exchange that takes place (like a cars exhaust) tells the story of how your engine is doing and how it is managing fuel for combustion and at what percentage. The relative amounts of the macronutrients oxidized by an individual are reflected in the respiratory quotient (RQ), which varies inversely with lipid oxidation. A high RQ, indicating a relatively low lipid oxidation, and a low activity of the sympathetic nervous system have both been identified as risk factors for body weight gain. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9814478 a low ratio of fat to carbohydrate oxidation is associated with subsequent weight gain independent of low energy expenditure and may contribute to the familial aggregation of obesity. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2240203 ... so understanding your RQ is key to understanding what is REALLY going on inside you since your metabolism is going to be individually determined by unique genetic traits as well as lifestyle. This cannot be determined by online calculators, all they can do is provide a generic estimate based on averages and formulas. Can you lose weight without the test? Sure you can. Millions (including me) have done it BUT... it takes a high level of commitment and a dedication to trial and error as well as keen self observation. In spite of that however, as many can attest, you can get stuck... big time (not your typical plateau either). This is also where even the best of the best can stumble and crash in their resolve. Some lose their minds when they stall out for a month or two. Hang on honey, you aint seen nothing yet. Wait until you stall for years and you are still 60-80 lbs from goal weight with NO logical explanation. This is where the typical oh its only a plateau, you just need to change things up cliches really fall flat.... as if weight loss veterans havent actually considered this.... wow *eye-roll*. At that point you need more than a pat on the back or a woo hoo, you need answers and dont even get me started on fitspirational posters. If all it takes is a picture of a never-been-fat skinny chic, her abs, and a cliche to motivate you, you probably havent been at this long enough for reality to set in... brace yourself, its coming, but I digress... back to science. The RQ numbers and what they mean. Because of the differences in composition of food fuels, different amounts of oxygen are required to completely oxidize those foods to carbon dioxide and water. Thus, the quantity of carbon dioxide produced in relation to oxygen consumed varies depending on the substrate metabolized. This ratio of metabolic gas exchange is termed the respiratory quotient (RQ): cstl-hhs.semo.edu/jpujol/hl331/HL031%20RQ%20Lab.pdf Short version: Since fat has less oxygen than carbohydrate, the amount your body needs to metabolize it varies and that ratio of O2 and CO2 tells us the percentage of carbs and fats is being metabolized at that moment. When this is done in a fasted condition, it tells you what ratio of fat / carbs your body uses at rest. This is key because we know that metabolic functions from day to day is what burns the majority of our calories. Also, knowing this is also key to adjusting our intake of insulin raising carbohydrates to a level that will allow energy for the day yet still allow us to lose weight since we are metabolizing more fat than carbs. My Number is .83 During activities that range from bed rest to light aerobic exercise the RER seldom reflects the oxidation of pure carbohydrate or pure fat. Instead, a mixture of these nutrients is used, and the RER falls between 0.7 and 1.00. cstl-hhs.semo.edu/jpujol/hl331/HL031%20RQ%20Lab.pdf During the review of my results with my provider, it was determined that my RQ was .83. I was advised that for fat loss, I need to get an RQ of .80 or less. She reviewed my stats and determined that I need to keep my carb levels to approximately 150-ish grams a day with light exercise. The amount can be tweaked as we go along but that gets me in the neighborhood. If needed, I can also see a dietitian to get ideas but I got a pretty good handle on this. 0.83 Carbs 43.8% Fat 56.2% at rest At .83 my leanings are somewhat toward fat burning, I just need to adjust my carb intake and avoid the processed crap. For some others the number may be much higher and thus highlights the need for intervention to properly adjust the diet to levels that will allow for weight loss since they are natural sugar burners. I hope this helps someone. i know this was long, but I wanted to get this out there because this was such an eye opener for me and I know it gave me the missing link, what i am needing to really get my weight loss going in the right direction again. *** ADDENDUM *** I wanted to make 3 additions to this- 1) The above information should also should cast much doubt on the mindset that some have that says a calorie is a calorie when it comes to the simplistic idea of calories in / calories out. 1500 calories a day of stereotypical high carbohydrate low fat diet is going to produce an entirely different hormonal reaction than 1500 cal of balanced (good) fats, carbs and protein. The insulin response and thus the fat hoarding properties of high insulin will be in play here. 2) The above only applies to those engaging in a moderate exercise program that does not provoke the body to require more carbohydrates to properly fuel ones training (running / triathlon etc..) Again proper balance requires the input of a skilled practitioner in nutrition / sports nutrition to eliminate the guesswork. Its pretty tough to train for performance and still keep ones carbs down for weight loss. It probably should be one or the other but not both. 3) Some have commented that low carb is not a sustainable lifestyle and I tend to agree. It is not a lifestyle, it is a weight LOSS methodology. Lifestyle implies day-to-day living and maintenance. We are mistaken if we think that we can flood our system with hormones that block access to our fat stores and still lose weight. The science says no. When it comes to maintenance, thats different. The only way to lose fat is to tap our fat stores and that is nearly impossible when our nutritional choices blocks our bodys ability to use its own fuel. End of story. As far as maintenance and healthy living goes, I personally believe that there is NO single best way to eat. The fact that humans survived and prospered under varying dietary conditions with macronutrients varying greatly should tell us that humans are extremely adaptable. Then again we are talking daily living and thriving, not about creating the metabolic environment for fat loss to occur. The only thing that the varied traditional diets and peoples across the globe have in common is how the dietary wheels fell off when they were introduced to the Western processed food culture. Across the board, many of these cultures never heard of our diseases eating their traditional diet of whatever was local to them. The bad things happened when they traded pineapples and fish for Whoppers or walrus meat and caribou jerky for Chicken McNuggets and Coke. For further reading on this concept of there not being any one perfect way to eat... I highly recommend the book Diet Cults by Matt Fitzgerald. amazon/Diet-Cults-Surprising-Fallacy-Nutrition/dp/1605985600
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 21:21:48 +0000
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