I have some tasty new foods to try...

Hello everyone, it's been a while!

I'll be posting on here more often though this is just a very short post. My diet has wavered recently and it's been difficult for me health wise. I discovered a website called muscle foods which I've heard good reviews about.

I decided that I'd try some new foods to make my diet seem less bland. I will post an update soon and let you know how it's all going. I'm looking forward to trying it all!

See you all very soon!

Barry

I passed!

Looks like my hard work over the past few days have been worthwhile...

I'm currently thinking of ideas for a website I'm going to be setting up but in the mean time, I need some time to recover!

Thanks for reading my posts x

Weight management - adipose tissue

Individual fat cells/adipocytes store excess dietary fat and energy (triglycerides) in the adipose tissue. Adipocytes and triglycerides are unloaded when lipoprotein lipase on lipid (containing lipoproteins) is sent out from the liver and into the adipose tissue. Circulating lipoproteins also transport lipids in the blood stream. Adipose tissue can also store excess energy, this comes from an over consumption of carbs. Body fat will increase when this happens for several days. Glucose will enter the adipose tissue where it is under the influence of insulin. Then it is stored as triglycerides when synthesised into fat. However, this is more likely when insulin levels are increased. Most glucose is taken into the tissues which is used as fuel and then the glucose will enter the adipose tissue and contribute to the storage of fat. The distribution of the adipose tissue can be influenced by gender, genetics and also hormonal dominance.

Right... that's it!

Seriously, I'm achy all over and done ridiculous amounts of revision which has made my M.E. worse - just hope I can function in the morning. Apologies for the frequent posting, it will now stop!

Good night all x

Weight management - Popular diets

There are many different diets that help to assist weight management: These can be in the form of fasting, very low calorie, calorie counting groups, meal replacements, food combining and fat-burning supplements.

Fasting creates a negative energy balance which results in weight loss, it rest the digestive system and it also helps to detoxify many systems of the body.

Very low calorie diets often only consist of 800 calories a day, is fortified with the daily requirements of minerals and vitamins, is designed for obese people to achieve fast weight loss and doctors also supervised replacement bars and shakes.

Calorie counting groups help to keep the calorie intake controlled, has guidance of foods to eat which are provided and also group involvement creates accountability.

Meal replacements help to control the intake of food calorie counted shakes and meals, it removes any complexity of calorie counting for the consumer and it usually consists of 1200-1500 calories.

Food combining means that carbs are better digested in an alkali environment, proteins digest better in an acidic environment and all foods should be eaten at different times meaning they have to be separated.

Fat-burning supplements boost the metabolism which burns body fat and it also creates a thermogenic effect in the body.

However, there can be problems regarding each of these, they are:

With fasting, there is a risk of dehydration, there's a lack of energy as well as essential nutrients and it increases aches and pains, headaches, bad breath and also allergies.

Very low calorie diets create a low bioavailability of many fortified nutrients, brings on diarrhoea, constipation, nausea and fatigue and it's only a short term approach.

Calorie counting groups tend to only be a short term fix, a yoyo dieting cycle is common and the nutrient intake may be compromised.

Meal replacements bring on a lack of energy, low adherence, boredom and taste fatigue and there is a low bioavailability of many fortified nutrients.

Food combining means very restrictive meals, erratic blood sugar responses from high carbs to low carbs and it may lack vitamin A, D, B12, calcium and zinc due to the low animal consumption.

Fat-burning supplements may cause arrythmia, depression, nervousness, insomnia, or illnesses leading to strokes, seizures and heart attacks.

Exercise nutrition - Hydration & Protein shakes

With regards to hydration: caffeine, sugar, salt and alcohol levels will all have an effect on fluid balance whilst sometimes even food can contribute to overall hydration levels.

When considering how much water you will need to maintain sufficient levels within cells and blood (optimises function), there are certain factors that need to be considered such as the amount of lean muscle mass in the individual, the environmental temperature and also the intensity, type of frequency of the exercises performed. Lots of health professional recommend that drinking half your body weight in water is a good guide to how much you need. To make more sense of this, here are estimated figures for the daily amount of water into by body weight: 55kg = 1.70 (litres), 60kg = 1.85, 65kg = 2.00, 70kg = 2.15, 75kg = 2.30, 80kg = 2.45, 85kg = 2.60, 90kg = 2.75, 95kg = 2.90 and lastly 100kg = 3.05.

Moving onto protein shakes, here are a few facts: Found in milk is whey protein (6.5% protein). 20% of the 6.5% is whey protein. There is a massive concentration on amino acids making whey protein the highest biological value to the body of any protein.

Here are a few more facts about whey protein: whey is a waste liquid by-product from cheese manufacture, it is often dried at high temperatures which helps speed the manufacturing process however anything above 60% means the fragile proteins become denatured and essentially destroys their ability to function. Also, manufacturers use colours, flavours, sweeteners and sugar which improves palatability. It's also often very low in fat although proteins need fat for proper metabolism use and lastly it's often only backed up by self-funded research.

When thinking about purchasing a protein powder, it's important to consider the following: to look for cold processed protein powders that are manufactured below 50 degrees, have no added sweeteners, flavours, colours or sugars and that it is mixed with whole organic milk due to the fact that fats are essential for protein metabolism.

Exercise nutrition - General exercise & Isotonic drinks

General exercises refers to people who participate in lower intensity training, this is where glycogen is possibly lost and greater amounts of fat will be used. There are also guidelines regarding general exercise. These are to aim to stay within the energy balance, not mixing high carbs with high fat though try to provide energy that can be metabolised, smaller portions and also having meals often favour the oxidation of the nutrients, the micronutrients should be high, aim to create an energy deficit of 250 calories if trying to lose body fat, also fulfil carbohydrate needs (moderate/low GI foods), EFA's should be eaten in balance, must include adequate protein and also fibre should be high.

Isotonic drinks replace the fluid and provision of fuel which comes in the form of carbohydrates. This can help to maintain reasonable hydration and provide a faster rate of absorption. They have electrolytes/salts lost through increased sweating during exertion which are all necessary. However, isotonic drinks sometimes have artificial sweeteners added to them. It can also be recommended to create your own sports drinks which you would do by: dissolving 60g of glucose into 1 litre of water and then adding a fifth of a teaspoon of unprocessed natural salt. You can also mix 500ml of water with 500ml of fruit juice (unsweetened) and then adding a fifth of a teaspoon of unprocessed salt which is natural.

Exercise nutrition - Pre/Post-exercise meals

It is thought that a release of insulin will occur due to a high rise in blood glucose when GI foods are chosen before exercise. There are however feared side effects of high GI carbs, these are when the insulin causes a big fall in glucose levels before the exercise workout has begun (rebound hypoglycaemia) and also and increased rate of early glucose oxidation. It is thought that better performance in exercise occurs when glycogen sparing occurs with the low glycaemic trial. There is however no clear benefit that research has found. It is mainly thought that low GI foods and high GI foods eaten before exercise show no major differences regarding performance levels.

Drinks containing carbs are highly recommended during exercise for athletes. It has been shown that ingesting carbs is acceptable if the race/match is no longer than 90 mins, the session is longer than an hour or if a pre-exercise meal isn't possible. It can also help improve performance during exercise when consuming isotonic drinks as it delays the onset of fatigue. This can be as effective as consuming a pre-exercise meal. It is also an advantage that fluid is replaced by an isotonic drink.

In particular, during the 2 hours after a training session, the muscles are a lot more sensitive to the effects insulin produces creating a more reliable replacement for the lost glycogen. Immediate consumption of GI carbs helps the high synthesis of muscle glycogen.

The reasons why high GI (glycaemic index) carbs post-exercise are recommended is due to increased glucose availability/uptake, insulin and glycogen synthesis. There are also recommended guidelines, they are as follows: post-training = 1 gram carbohydrate per kg of body mass every 2 hours or 50 grams per meal, the 1st intake to be within 15 minutes of the workout ending and intake over a day = 7-10 grams carbohydrate per kg or 500-700 grams of carbohydrates per day.