O2 Blog

Fasting can be a tool for weight loss but is not necessarily any better than simply reducing caloric intake. A 2015 meta-analysis of 12 clinical trials focused on IF found weight-loss results comparable between fasting and caloric restriction groups. When researchers compared the fasting group with the continuous calorie restriction group, they concluded, “There was no significant difference in weight loss amounts or body composition changes” (Seimon et al., 2015).

Similarly, a 2018 meta-analysis of six studies found that “intermittent energy restriction was comparable to continuous energy restriction for short-term weight loss in overweight and obese adults,” again showing that fasting isn’t necessarily superior to caloric restriction in terms of weight loss (Harris et al., 2018).

So why do people seem to lose weight with IF?

When it comes to any diet or plan, the reason people lose weight is more about the caloric intake and awareness of food, portions, etc., rather than the specific dietary protocol they are following. This appears to be true for fasting as well. IF may work as a tool but isn’t superior for weight loss. Further, fasting is a high-level strategy for managing weight.  

Much like moving from body-weight exercises in the gym to performing higher-level body-building movements, there are certain nutritional foundations that should be mastered before manipulating caloric intake with fasting.

A 2019 study found that people who eat a diet with more highly processed food end up eating approximately 500 more calories per day. The study suggested, “Limiting consumption of ultra-processed foods may be an effective strategy for obesity prevention and treatment” (Hall et al, 2019). Clients wanting to improve weight or health could benefit by eating fewer highly processed foods in addition to more fruits and vegetables, before moving to higher-level strategies like fasting.

Intermittent Fasting and Managing Cholesterol and Glucose

Researchers have also been interested in the use of IF to help manage both cholesterol levels and glucose. The results, however, have been less than consistent.

One randomized controlled trial that followed 100 obese participants for 12 months found “no significant differences in blood pressure, heart rate, fasting glucose, and fasting insulin. At 12 months, although there were no differences in total cholesterol and triglycerides, the alternate-day fasting group showed significantly increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels.” The authors did not comment on a possible cause (Trepanowski et al., 2017).

While Trepanowski et al. (2017) noted an increase in LDL cholesterol among subjects who fasted, a 2018 study conducted by Ganesen and colleagues noted a decrease in LDL cholesterol levels in a meta-analysis of four studies on IF. More research is necessary to investigate the long-term impacts of fasting on metabolic markers.

Suttun et al. (2018) found that early time-restricted feeding (i.e., dinner is eaten by 3pm) improved both insulin sensitivity and blood pressure. Unfortunately, the study was only conducted on men. Further, the early feeding window could be particularly challenging to implement and maintain over the long-term.

While the research results on IF are mixed, previous studies have shown that the strategies that have the biggest impact on managing cholesterol and glucose/A1c are increasing fiber intake with fruits, vegetables and whole grains in addition to increasing exercise (Mcrae, 2017).

Practical Concerns of Following an Intermittent Fasting Diet

Supporters of IF assert that fasting is simple because tracking calories or eating specific food isn’t necessary—simply eat only during your specific days or eating windows and you’ll lose weight. However, as research suggests that implementation isn’t quite so simple.

In the 12-month randomized control trial mentioned above, the dropout rate was higher in the alternate-day fasting group, which suggests that fasting may be more challenging to stick to. The prospect of going without food for a whole day or sticking to a very low-calorie intake a few days a week may not be feasible in the long-term (Trepanowski et al., 2017).

Putting fasting into practice in daily life becomes more complicated due to social events, cravings or high stress levels. One recent study tracked individuals who intended to fast to determine whether or not they followed through. The study found “emotional, stress eating, and food craving are disinhibiting traits that seem to increase intention-behaviour gaps” (Reichenberger et al, 2019). In other words, despite the best of intentions, common aspects of daily life often get in the way of being able to maintain an IF diet.

Is Intermittent Fasting Appropriate for Everyone?

While there is no specific research on IF and female hormones, there are some studies that suggest fasting could adversely impact ovulation and fertility in women. For example, Fujiwara and Nakata (2010) found that skipping breakfast was related to menstruation disorders in college women. In subsequent research, Fujiwara and colleagues (2018) found evidence that fasting negatively impacted ovulation in female rats. While animal data cannot directly be applied to humans, it does suggest that further research is necessary, especially considering the impact fasting can have on hormonal health.

There are a few groups of people who should NOT fast. These include:

• Pregnant or breastfeeding women
• Anyone with an unhealthy relationship with food, or a history of eating disorders or disordered eating habits
• Anyone with diabetes, or who experiences low blood sugar

Additionally, women with a history of irregular periods or who are trying to conceive are urged to proceed with caution, as IF may adversely impact hormone levels.

Conclusion: More Research is Needed

A lack of high-quality, large-scale controlled studies and longitudinal data, as well as multiple definitions and methods for fasting, make it challenging to extrapolate recommendations from the current research. Without long-term research studies, including studies that specifically investigate the impact of IF on men and women, it’s too early to know the long-term benefits or drawbacks of fasting.

In their comprehensive research review of animal and human studies on fasting, Harvie and Howell (2017) sum up what we can safely conclude about IR: “We do not know conclusively whether long-term IER [intermittent energy restriction] is a safe and effective method of weight control for subjects who are overweight or obese or whether IER may confer health benefits to people of any weight independent of weight loss. High-quality research comparing long-term outcomes of IER and CER [continuous energy restriction] are required to ascertain any true benefits or detrimental effects which IER may have for controlling weight and improving metabolic health in the population.”

So, if your clients ask for your opinion on the merits of IF or if they should try it, your best bet is to let them know that there just isn’t enough quality research yet to make a determination. You can, however, remind them of the basic tenets of a healthy diet, such as consuming a variety of whole, fresh foods, practicing portion control and reducing saturated fats and processed foods. In doing so, you can stay well within your scope of practice while also providing quality information that can help guide their food choices and improve their overall health and well-being over the long-term—not just the duration of a short-term diet.

Healthy eating and staying fit has to start from your home don’t expect it only from the gym or the exercise. There are many changes you can make in your home that not only make living a lot easier for all family members, but will make your home an assistant in your weight loss endeavor. Right now we will focus on the kitchen. One of the first changes you should tackle is your refrigerator. Focus on what you put on the middle shelf. The middle shelf is the first place our eyes go when we open our fridge door. Let’s make sure you spot the food that will work for you and not against you. That’s where you should store single serving sized containers filled with cut fruits, veggies , boiled egg , boiled peanuts , boiled chana / rajma .

If you are into making your own 100 calories snack packs, the middle shelf is a good home for them also. Of course, this is going to leave you with some items that need storing elsewhere. If you or your family members just cannot stand the thought of giving up those sugary or high energy drinks, store them in the lower vegetable drawer. That way they are out of sight. It’s important to make as much room as you can for healthy, unprocessed food. Single serving containers sure make life easier for us. Keep at least 6 single serving sized containers of protein. Go even further, if you like, by using a color coded system. Green containers are for veggies, orange are for fruits, maybe yellow for low fat dairy. We even have the option to use those tiny containers for items like salad dressing, condiments and such.There’s no denying that those cute containers can make life easier. There are many more ideas for streamlining your home into your own weight lose assistant.

Don’t get overwhelmed by taking on too much at once. Make one change or modification at a time . We encourage you to make changes in your kitchen to make your life and dieting easier and more enjoyable. Go on, you can do it.

 ABS WORKOUTS

•  5mins warmup – stretches
• Swissball crunches
• Hanging crunches
• Weighted russian twist
• Knelling cable crunches
• Reverse curl with knee bend
• Mountain climber
• Leg raise on dip machine
• Pendulam crunches
• Iron man with medicine ball (30sec 3sets)

NOTE: 20 COUNTS 3 SETS FOR EACH VARIATION

Every workplace area has its own code of conduct and the gym is no exception.

Make yourself heard.

If something is broken or need attention, don’t start moaning to your colleague. he’s probably in there to escape the whining, not to get an earful. Tell the PT or front desk – your muscles will thank you.

Use the Road rules.

The man carrying the weight has the right of way -regardless of how big or small his weights are. Get out of his way immediately but don’t turn this bypass into a bobbing and weaving Irish dance. Always yield to the left.

Try to go low tech

Unless you are the cusp of an important merger or an expectant dad, switch off your phone during your workouts. Your chatter tells everyone you are not serious about training. Work your body, not your jaw muscles

It’s not a race

It’s acceptable to compete on the sports pitch. It’s not acceptable to compete with guy on the next treadmill. He may be a novice or he may have heart problem. Compete against your toughest opponent yourself

Eyes Front

Treat the gym like an exam. Feel free to look up and see what is going on but don’t eyeball the guy next to you are desperate to nab his work out tips and get yourself an equally enviable physique.

Reflect Only In Motion

Mirrors are there to check your form. Use them to make sure you are working the right muscles , not to black heads, and never check out your abs; they will still be there, in the sane condition, in your bathroom mirror later.

Do unto others...

Treat the weight room like a picnic spot, leave it exactly as you found it. Put the dumbbells back on the rack and strip the barbells of weights once you are done with them. Think of it as  your recovery period.

Leave no trace behind

The only thing you should leave behind you on the bench is the muscle shape indent caused by the usage of large weights. Don’t leave large sweat swathes of your DNA for the person. Wipe up or put a towel down first.

Be strong and silent

In the office the less man knows, the more noise he makes. In the gym, a man who can lift more, the more noise he tries to make don’t drop your weights, it’s admission of weakness  and every one will hear.

Talk in text speak

keep the social conversation short and to the point. Remember, the guy on the machine next to you doesn’t want to hear about last night’s drunken exploits.

Respect personal space

Give all other gym users at least two arms length of space in every direction. Accidents can happen in the weights room, so don’t let your well being be determined by grip strength if the over enthusiastic guy doing shoulder raises on the bosu ball right next to you.

Leave karaoke to the clubs

The last thing the gym wants to her is you belting out Rock on! Focus on keeping your breathing rhythmic, not keeping time with lyrics. Timed metrical breathing will get more oxygen to your muscles so they will lift more.

The rule of one

Its good manners to share a machine. But never ask to work in with someone if you are training with a partner. The rest between sets will be too long, which will reduce the intensity for everyone’s workout.

• The American college of sports medicine (ACSM) recommends a combined approach of exercise and moderate caloric restriction
• Existing data clearly suggests that  people who are successful in maintaining weight loss engage in regular aerobic exercise
• Adding exercise to everyday life can significantly alter weight Eg: expending just 100 calories/day, beyond daily caloric need for a year creates a caloric deficit of 36,500kcal!!!(7700 calories = 1kg of Fat; Roughly you can keep off 5kg fat a year)
• Additionally, exercise helps to retain Muscles and Metabolic Rate, during weight loss, plus the benefits of cardiovascular health. Regular physical activity also reduces the age related weight gain.
• The ACSM recommends that individuals engage in minimum of 15o minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week and further states that additional exercise 200-300 minutes per week likely to be associated with successful weight control
• The following are specific recommendation for weight loss with exercise

It is a good idea to drink only water or calorie-free drinks  like tender coconut water , butter milk whenever possible. Sugary drinks and juices may have hundreds of calories, and they don’t make you feel any fuller. In essence, drinking them does nothing for you except quench your thirst and add calories to your count for the day.

Water is the only beverage that helps regulate body temperature, keeps you

u regular, flushes out toxins, boosts your metabolism, and improves organ function. So if you have trouble drinking adequate amounts of water jazz it up with a squeeze of lemon or a little cranberry juice to add flavor.

Many of us don’t like to drink water or get bored with water. It’s just one of those things we have to learn to like for our health if nothing else.

From fruit juices to canned vegetable juice, breakfast noodles to seven grain bread, its easier to think your food choices are healthier than they really are. If a label says’ seven-grain bread’, it sounds pretty healthy, right? But unless that label also says ‘whole grains’, its not necessarily going to be the healthiest bread choice you could make. Likewise many folks think that eating a can of vegetable coup is as nutritious as downing a plateful of veggies- not realizing how few vegetables are inside and how much of the nutrients are lost in processing. Another common mistake: substituting fruit juices for whole fruits. Are fruit juices are healthier than soda? Yes. But they are also concentrated sources of sugar that don’t give you anywhere near the same level of nutrients you get from whole fruits. What’s more if you are trying to lose weight you won’t get the same sense of fullness from a glass of juice that you will from a piece of fruit. “Instead you will just take in a whole lot of calories and still feel hungry

Solution

Whenever possible, eat whole, fresh and unprocessed foods. Even when you eat them in smaller amounts, you are likely to get a will rounded group of nutrients. When buying packaged food, put in at least as much time into reading labels and selecting products as you do when choosing a shower gel or shampoo. Don’t just assume a product is healthy even if it’s in the health food section of the super market.

1. You will burn more fat if  you exercise longer at a lower intensity.

 2. If  you’re not going to work out hard and often, exercise is a waste of time.

3. If  you exercise long and hard enough, you will always get the results you want. Exercise

4. Exercise is one sure way to lose all the weight you desire.

5. If you want to lose weight,  stay away from strength training because you will bulk up

 6. Water fitness programs are primarily for older people or exercisers with injuries.

 7. Overweight people are unlikely to benefit much from exercise.

8. A radical exercise regimes is the only way to lose weight

9. Exercising alone will make me lose weight; I can still eat it all and tone those trouble spots.

10. I can spot reduce fat by doing targeted toning exercises.

When combined with other lifestyle changes, exercise is important for the overall reduction of body weight and subsequent maintenance of weight loss. The perception about the role that exercise can play in energy expenditure has become exaggerated over time. Three commonly held perceptions about exercise and weight loss: that exercise consumes a lot of energy, that “fat-burning” exercise is the most effective way to consume fat as a fuel, and that exercise will stimulate energy expenditure for hours after completing exercise. The pertinent literature is reviewed to illustrate that although exercise does increase energy output during and after exercise and can expend energy from fat for many overweight persons, excessive caloric expenditure has limited implications for substantially reducing body weight independent of nutritional modifications.

Have you replaced sit-down meals with snacks? If so, you’re not alone. Snacks are great — when they help you stay slim (or even lose weight) rather than add belly fat.The key to smart snacking is knowing when and what to nibble. Here are 5 tips to revamp your snack habits:

Here are 5 tips to plan healthy snacks that help you stay slim.

1. Skip mid-morning snacks. A recent study of women on diets found that those who didn’t have a mid-morning snack lost 4% more weight than morning snackers. Why? The gap between breakfast and lunch typically isn’t long, and you’re probably not really hungry for something by mid-morning (but someone brought in samosas, sandwiches  and . . . well, you know how that story ends), which brings us to our next strategy.
2. Follow the 5-hour rule. If there’s more than 5 hours between meals, go ahead and have a snack. The break between lunch and dinner often is longer than 5 hours, and a late-afternoon snack will satisfy your appetite so you’re less likely to overeat at dinner. The same study also found that afternoon nibblers tend to eat more fruits and vegetables compared to those who skip an afternoon snack, so well-planned afternoon snacks can help boost your nutritional bottom line, too.
3. Add some protein. It helps you stay satisfied. Plus, protein helps you build muscle so you burn more calories and lose more weight. Good protein candidates include plain, fat-free Greek yogurt with walnuts, a hard-boiled egg, or peanut butter on celery or whole-grain crackers.
4. Revamp your snack lineup. Clean out your pantry, fridge, and desk drawer at work. Toss out anything that has more than 4 grams of sugar per serving. Restock with healthy snacks, such as nuts, whole-grain crackers, fruit, and cut-up veggies. If healthy stuff is on hand, you’re less likely to visit the vending machine.
5. Eat the same snack every day. Variety may be the spice of life, but it can spell trouble for your bottom line. A new study from Cornell University finds that the greater the variety of foods we eat, the more calories we gobble, so find your favorite healthy snack combo and stick to that.