I have a friend that trains with a local trainer in town. The trainer has recommended nutritional supplements to her that include “The Release Program” from GNC. She said that it makes her feel jittery and her heart races. Why do trainers recommend supplements like these and is it safe? - Jessica P. from Papillion, NE
This is a great question Jessica, thank you. I will answer the second part of this question first. Is it safe? No, it certainly is not. We exercise to stimulate our metabolism, our bodies recognize this and allow for the increase in heart rate and blood pressure. That is the safe way to stimulate your metabolism. A “magic diet pill” stimulates the body’s metabolism chemically. Without sensing any exercise is being performed the body does not make adjustments for the increase in heart rate and blood pressure. This is where the danger lies. The possible side effects – stroke, heart attack and people have died using these types of supplements. Take a look at what history has taught us about “magic pills”. Phen phen swept the nation a few years back and people had success losing weight with it. Heart valve leakage was found to be a side effect and lawsuits were filed. The moral of the story is if it is to good to be true it usually is!
Now lets look at the first part of this question. Why do trainers recommend supplements like these? I can tell you right now it is education or lack there of. I’m pretty sure the trainer that recommended this is what I like to call an “overnight trainer”. They usually have no background in exercise science, exercise physiology, dietetics or nutrition. Basically they are uneducated. This is a problem in the fitness industry but an individual that wants to be a trainer can contact The American Council on Exercise (ACE), National Council of Strength & Fitness (NCSF), or a host of others and take classes by mail or online. Because of the ease of obtaining certified personal trainer status through all the different programs the profession has been saturated with uneducated trainers. Don’t ever be afraid to ask your trainers questions! If they can’t provide you with an educated answer consider someone else to help you achieve your fitness goals. Remember, don’t every let your self be a guinea pig to an uneducated trainer!
With all the different diet programs out there, Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, ect. how do I choose the correct one for me? - Carrie J. from Omaha, NE
Thank you for the question Carrie. The answer is none of them are for you. Ask yourself why conventional diet programs fail. They all emphasize weight-loss. A physiologically sound program will focus on fat-loss. The facts are this: fat is stored energy, your body is very efficient at storing it and can adapt to starvation, fat requires oxygen to be burned, and oxygen requires exercise. Diet programs designed for "everyone" do not take into account that people have different genetics, live different lifestyles, have different food preferences, and have different caloric intake needs based on a different lean mass. Without taking these facts into account conventional diets lose lean tissue not body fat by starving the muscles.
I have a perfect example for you from 2003. I sat down with a husband and wife who wanted to do some training. After presenting my program the husband signed up and his wife decided she would try a popular diet program. He was 43 years old with 37% body fat and had weight of 262 lbs. His lean mass was 165.06 lbs. and his fat mass at 96.94 lbs. With that amount of lean mass I put him on a caloric intake that would allow him to burn 2 lbs. of fat per week in combination with my workout program. She was 41 years old with 31% body fat and had a weight 152 lbs. Her lean mass was 104.88 lbs. and her fat mass was 47.12 lbs.
The goal I set for him was a body weight between 205-215 lbs. and a body fat of 14%-18%. Eight months after he started my program he weighted 212 lbs. with 16% body fat, down 21%. His lean mass was 178.08 lbs. up 13.02 lbs. from the start date. His fat mass was now 33.92 lbs. down 63.02 lbs. from the start date. He achieved his goals and a host of other physiological benefits (see the My Goals For You section of my website for these benefits). He did this by following the caloric intake that I set for him, strength training with me twice a week, and doing the cardio workouts that I assigned him.
The goal I set for her was a body weight between 127-133 lbs. and a body fat of 16%-20%. I took her weight and body fat at her husband's 3-month measurement. She now weighted 131 lbs. down 21 lbs from her start date. She said she didn't feel like she had any more energy than before and just didn't feel healthy yet. Her body fat was 30%, down only 1%! Her lean mass was now 89.08 lbs. down 13.02 lbs. from the start date. Her fat mass was now 39.3 lbs. down only 7.82 lbs. from the start date. She had starved 13 lbs. of lean mass on the conventional diet program she was on. She did lose weight in 3 months but without a physiologically sound program she lost mostly lean mass, which set her up for big failure down the road. I took her measurements again at the eighth month. She weighted 146 lbs. with 33% body fat.
Why did this happen? The answer is weight-loss versus fat-loss. A program will only be effective when it combines eating right, living right and a proper exercise program. She decided to start my program after seeing her husband's results and was very satisfied with 126 lbs. and a body fat of 20%.
My doctor has informed me that I am carrying an excessive amount of visceral fat. I can’t pinch a lot of fat on my stomach/abdominal area. What is this and what are the health risks? - Rick R. from Omaha, NE
There are two main body types when we talk about individuals that are carrying excess body fat, pears and apples. Pear shapes, known as gynoid obesity, refers to the body type where more fat is stored in the lower half, around the hips and thighs. Apple shapes, known as android obesity, show more body fat that is concentrated around the torso, especially the abdominal area. Android obesity is the category you fall in if your physician has suggested you have excess visceral fat. It makes sense as it is more common in men. Gynoid obesity is more prevelant in women.
Visceral fat is also known as organ fat as it surrounds the internal organs. That is the reason you cannot pinch much on your abdominal area. The fat is located beyond the abdominal muscles and is encasing the internal organs. Elevated levels of visceral fat is associated with high blood pressure, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, coronary artery disease, and a disruption in the amount of lipids in the blood. All are serious health problems. Visceral fat has also become a major health problem with postmenopausal women.