Lean Bodies Consulting Newsletter

Volume 9, December 3, 2007

Welcome to another addition of the LBC newsletter. If you haven't received the previous issues of the newsletter and you'd like to, you can find the archives here. 

In this issue we've got a Q&A on evening workouts and carbohydrate intake as well as an article on Sleep and Fat Loss by LBC client and national figure competitor Noel Clark.

What’s New At Lean Bodies Consulting?

Well, I just returned back from a 12-day trip that included a stop in Florida, Alabama and Georgia. That's the longest I've been away from home in about as long as I can remember, school notwithstanding.

My first stop was a three-day seminar in West Palm Beach, Florida put on by Craig Ballantyne of Turbulence Training fame. It was all about the business and marketing side of online businesses. I learned a lot but came out a little more overwhelmed than when I went in. But on the bright side, I've got a couple great business venture ideas on the horizon. It was also fun to meet and spend some time with some other industry professionals, some of them extremely successful. All in all, a great trip.

From there I hopped on a plane for the short ride over to Atlanta, Georgia where I planned to get a double dose of Thanksgiving (we Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October). My wife also flew down a couple days later and we then spent the week with the family of some friends of mine. We headed off to Alabama on Wednesday for a three-day stay at their beautiful lake house. Those three days had me indulging in quite a bit of non-compliant food, but hey, it's Thanksgiving right? I must say, I never actually thought I'd ever end up in Alabama. Where we were, it was definitely a bit 'different' than what I'm used to.

We finished off the trip back in Atlanta for the highly anticipated Auburn/Alabama Iron Bowl, which saw Auburn hand Alabama their sixth straight loss. War Eagle!

For a few pictures of my trip, check out my blog here http://www.leanbodiesconsulting.com/blog

I also just finished a free report that will soon be available as a download from the main Lean Bodies Consulting site. It's a 22-page report on the Top 10 Not-So-Obvious Fat-Loss Mistakes. Stay tuned.

As always check out the blogs of LBC clients, Noel Clark, Sheryl Stokes, and Lyn Sherrell.. Noel has put up a couple videos of her off-season PRs for you to see, most notably a 325-lb deadlift and a 150-lb push press. Sheryl is coming up on a 35-lb weight loss and Lyn is about to hit 60 lbs. Speaking of Lyn, I'll be doing an interview with Lyn for an upcoming LBC newsletter to see how she's done it. 

Volume VI Q & A

Question:
I'm trying to lose fat and I always seem to read that you shouldn't eat carbohydrates after a certain time of day, and that if you're going to eat carbs, they should come in the early part of the day. The problem is that I train in the evening. Can I have a bit of carbs?

Answer:
Yes, you definitely should be eating carbohydrates following your workouts and this holds true regardless of the time of day you train. The suggestion to cut carbohydrates off at a certain time comes from the idea that insulin sensitivity is highest in the earlier parts of the day and falls as the day progresses. According to a number of research papers, carbohydrate metabolism is rather poor in the evening.

However, exercise, and weight training in particular, is the great equalizer. Exercise creates a 'carbohydrate window' where your body is very responsive to carbohydrate intake. The post-workout period is characterized by a period of heightened insulin sensitivity and therefore positive nutrient partitioning. Basically, carbohydrates consumed in the post-workout period, regardless of time of day, are preferentially stored in muscle, where we want them to begin with.

This is the basis of nutrient timing. Carbohydrate and fats are simply consumed during the times they are most advantageous or preferred by the body. For carbohydrates this means the early hours of the day, and the peri-workout (around your workout).

So to answer your question again, yes, make sure that you're consuming sufficient carbohydrate in your post workout meal even if you're training in the evening. While glycogen replenishment isn't really a priority of the post workout meal, since average volume weight training isn't especially glycogen depleting, you'll still get some glycogen replenishment due to the sensitivity of your muscles to carbohydrates at this time. The big reason for taking in carbs around your workout relates to halting the catabolic processes and kick starting recovery. Basically, you're looking to put the breaks on protein breakdown and the gas on protein synthesis and you want a combination of quickly digesting carbohydrates consumed in your post workout meal (or even a pre/during workout meal or drink based on other research) to accomplish this.

How much depends on the volume of your session and your present goals, which you mentioned as being fat-loss focused.  The more volume you do, the more carbohydrates you can eat and the less volume you do, the less you can eat. For example, if you're doing a traditional bodybuilding-type workout with a fair number of sets and reps in the standard hypertrophy range, you can have more post-workout carbs. If you're doing more a strength-based/neurological workout with low to moderate sets and reps in the 4-6 rep bracket, you're not going to need a ton of carbs. On average, if you're dieting, you're probably going to be safe falling in the 25-50g range.

Guest Article – Fat Loss And The Need For Sleep.

You are ready to drop the weight. You have made a commitment to the gym, planned to stick to your diet this time, and set all of your goals for weight loss. You've figured out a way to get to work, get to the gym, and spend quality time with your loved ones. Congratulations!

One problem, though, in order to do all of this, you have to get less sleep. Little do you realize how this actually affects your body, besides the obvious – being tired.  When we talk about weight loss, sleep is another factor that we must consider when setting out to achieve these weight-loss goals. “Oh, great, not only do we need to worry about diet and exercise, but now we have to find time in our crazy schedule to sleep”?  YES! 

Studies are showing that adults are getting less and less sleep and getting more and more obese. So how are sleep and obesity related? One of the ways they're connected is through the relationship between two important regulatory hormones – leptin and ghrelin. These hormones are known to help regulate appetite. Leptin, produced by fat cells, tells your body that you're full. Ghrelin on the other hand, a hormone made by the stomach, tells your body you're hungry. When sleep hours fall, the regulation of these hormones is skewed. Studies have shown that those who sleep less than four hours per night have ghrelin to leptin levels elevated as high as 71%. So, what that means is that ghrelin levels climb and leptin levels plummet, and as a result, your body starts to whine about being hungry when you really don't need the food.

Not only are you hungry, you're hungry for the worst kinds of foods. People dealing with this deregulation of appetite hormones forgo the nutritious choices of food and head straight for items like candy, cookies, chips, breads and pastas. So here you are trying your best to drop the weight, on the go, getting your workouts in and trying to eat right and only getting four hours of sleep?  Not enough. 

Another impairment that comes from a lack of sleep is your body’s ability to metabolize carbohydrates, leading to elevated levels of blood sugars, which increases the production of insulin. Insulin is the body’s main energy storage hormone. When you eat, insulin levels rise and the body stores the energy from the food to be used later. However, research has shown that sleep deprivation causes an imbalance in insulin levels which impairs your body’s ability to break down stored fat for energy. Again, body fat storage is not what we are looking for in a weight-loss plan.

Sleep deprivation can also cause a change in you basal metabolic rate. This reduces how many calories you are able to burn just doing basic life-sustaining activities. Less calories burned means more excess calories available to be stored as body fat. Between your hormone-driven desires for chips and chocolate, your higher insulin levels turning your body into a fat-storing machine, and your dropping daily caloric burn, your lack of sleep is wreaking havoc on your well-intentioned, weight-loss plans.

So now you know the importance of sleep and how it can negatively affect fat loss. What do you do? First and foremost you need to make an attempt at getting a little bit more shut-eye. Yes, I do realize that to fit in work, family, training, and leisure that often you find it cutting into your nightly rest – trust me, I face the same battle on a daily basis. But you will need to make this a priority. Another helpful idea is that knowing that you're going to miss out on some sleep and knowing that you're going to be reaching for those chips and candies, be prepared. Plan, plan, plan. Prepare your meals ahead of time so that when you do reach that point you have a healthy option to grab instead of a fat-laden one. This has proved to be the key for me. When I'm planned and prepared I have no problem staying the course. When I find myself behind on my planning and preparation, that's where I run the risk of getting into trouble. Planning is a huge key to anyone's weight-loss success. And last but not least, overall time management – in the gym, at home, at work – this will lead to less stress and typically more time for rest.

Sleep is an often overlooked element in a healthy lifestyle, but, as the research shows, it is a critical component to any weight-loss plan. Proper training and nutrition are still the building blocks of good health and fitness, but sleep provides the foundation. You are to be applauded for you weight-loss goals and your dedication to proper diet and exercise, but remember, there is one more leg to this weight-loss tool – sleep. The good news is now you have an excuse to sleep in a little on the weekends.

Noel Clark, BS, MS, is a Certified Personal Trainer through the NSCA, a national-level NPC figure competitor, a professional therapist, and a very busy mom of three. You can keep up with her 2008 contest prep on her blog at http://www.leanbodiesconsulting.com/noelc

“You have two choices - success or failure. You choose."

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Until next time, thanks for reading.

Erik Ledin, CSCS, CISSN 
http://www.leanbodiesconsulting.com