Today - the small, frequent meal concept.
Let's talk insulin. You keep hearing me tell you to keep your insulin levels stable and avoiding foods that will "spike" your insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the absorption of sugar (glucose) — your body's main source of fuel — into your cells. The pancreas secretes insulin when you eat. The insulin allows sugar to enter your cells (for energy) and, in turn, lowers the amount of sugar that's in your blood. When you overeat or when you eat foods with specific chemical compositions, your body is forced to produce more insulin to compensate for the decreased sugar in your blood. Weight gain is a common side effect for people with increased insulin. The more insulin you use to control your blood sugar level, the more glucose that gets into your cells and the less glucose that's wasted in your urine. Glucose that your cells don't use accumulates as fat. If that isn't enough, excess weight can make your body resistant to the action of insulin — which means that you may eventually need even more insulin to get sugar into your cells (think type II diabetes). (Mayo clinic 2007) Research has found that small, frequent meals stabilizes your insulin levels. The more stable your insulin levels, the better your body is able to use what you eat for energy vs. storing it. (Also preventing adult onset diabetes - nice bonus)
As women, we were raised with the philosophy that the fewer the calories, the thinner we will be. True, but what a sad, sorry life. Is thin the goal? Thin means tired, no energy, and wispy little body without shape. I lived that life and vetoed it. I bring this up because we are programmed to skip a meal if we are not hungry. "Why eat if not hungry - eating will just make us fat". Wrong. Not eating will make you fat. And overeating will make you fat. And eating the wrong foods will make you fat. My point is - Eat small, frequent meals. And do not skip one. Your tendency may be what mine is - that as the day goes on, I think "I don't really need that 3:00 meal" or "I certainly don't need the meal right before bed". But this is so wrong. If you skip a meal, you will not keep your insulin level stable (see above) and you will not be getting enough calories throughout the course of the day and you will be hungry tomorrow. Take the small, frequent meal concept seriously.
Most women don't want to be "thin". We want pretty, feminine, shapely bodies that are extremely strong and energetic. Right? Thought so. So women need to lift heavy weights and feed their bodies. Enough said. You know I will be on my soap box again soon, but enough for now.
Debbie
6 comments:
I read a book called the Sugar Solution published by Prevention. The book's entire premise was insulin maintenance. It's important and makes complete sense. Admittedly, I have skipped meals because I wasn't hungry in my last week. For me, however, it's the HUGE gram total of protein intake with the diet that scares me. Since glucose is vital for brain function and nervous system functions, how does a diet composed of %50 protein not compromise these systems? Thanks!
Are you going to post the workout from last week?
Could you please post the workout we did on Tuesday? I loved it! I felt great that day. I tried to do them my following workout day but couldn't remember everything. Thanks!
Thanks so much for posting this! I finally understand! I am one of these women! At risk for Diabetes, have had insulin resistance. Not eating, over eating but the eating every few hours has worked great for me so far! I don't feel like I am deprived in any way so my tendency to overeat has curbed.
Below is the first workout we did together, however these workouts build on each other in order to sneak you into performing the olympic snatch and olympic clean and jerk, so you should be doing workouts 3, 4 and 5 this next week.
Workout #1:
1. pole squat 10 reps
2. chair squat 10 reps
3. toe raises 10 reps
4. narrow grip upright rows 10 reps
5. curls 10 reps
6. front presses (bar on shoulders/chest - lock arms straight up)
7. wide grip twist
8. laterals (bend at waist - side to side)
9. lower back stretch (stand knees slightly bent, bar slide down leg, pivot to knee, look straight with face forward, shoulders over bar) 10 reps
(do 3 rotations)
Bridget,
Great question! I love a researcher/answer seeker. I will post my feelings on research assoc with body building on the blog today, but below I have pasted in a comment from a bodybuilder as a start to begin answering your question:
Is Eating a High Protein Diet Damaging To Your Kidney Health?
From Hugo Rivera,
Your Guide to Bodybuilding.
Very often I am asked if eating the amount of protein required of a bodybuilding diet will lead to kidney damage. This FAQ will answer this question and hopefully put all of your fears to rest.
A. Fact is that there are no studies that have ever shown a high protein diet causing kidney damage in persons with normal kidney function. Only people who already have a pre-existing kidney condition need to be concerned with keeping their protein in check.
In a study(1) that was performed this year designed to study the effects of a high protein diet in young men, the blood markers for kidney function of 77 men who participated in an average of 6 hours of weight training per week (average age of 26), and ate a diet consisting of 19% protein were analyzed. Their protein intake came out to be about 0.76 grams of protein per pound bodyweight, which is very close to the 1 gram per pound minimum that is typically recommended for bodybuilders. Primary blood tests for kidney function were ran in which blood urea nitrogen, uric acid and creatinine levels were monitored. The measurements showed that all of these items were within normal parameters in all participating men. Therefore, one can conclude that a high protein diet does not apply stress on healthy kidneys.
It must be mentioned that kidney function naturally declines with age due to the gradual loss of nephrons which are the kidney's filtering units. This loss can be caused by ailments like heart disease since in this case the blood flow to the kidneys is reduced. Also untreated high blood pressure can lead to kidney damage as well as long term use of prescription and non prescription pain relievers such as aspirin.
I always caution bodybuilders that in order to keep their kidneys healthy some aerobic exercise needs to be performed on a weekly basis as this will help keep the blood pressure in check and the heart healthy. I also recommend to drink plenty of water as this fluid is of utmost importance for protein processing and cleansing of waste product produced by protein metabolism. Also, eating vegetables as well helps with protein digestion. Finally, more is not always better. I have experimented with different protein intakes and find that 1-1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight is just about right.
References
(1) LaBounty, P, et al. (2005). Blood markers of kidney function and dietary protein intake of resistance trained males. J Int Soc Sports Nutr.2:5.
November 23, 2005
About The Author
Hugo Rivera, About.com's Bodybuilding Guide since 2005, and ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer, is a nationally-known best-selling author of over 8 books on bodybuilding, weight loss and fitness, including "The Body Sculpting Bible for Men", "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women", "The Hardgainer's Bodybuilding Handbook", and his successful, self published e-book, "Body Re-Engineering". Hugo is also a national level NPC natural bodybuilding champion.
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