Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

eDiets.com has a good writeup by Raphael Calzadilla who can pass for a younger looking Jack Lalane. The hair and puffed up chest make the resemblance seem uncanny. Anyway, Raphael Calzadilla has some very good points about getting fitness and losing weight. Most of these tips jibe with the Abs Diet program I have been following this year. Point number 4 seems to get to the core of the Abs Diet theory:

4. Calories are the only thing that counts when trying to lose body fat or gain lean muscle. FALSE!

Ratios of protein, carbohydrates and fats are also important. The key in losing body fat and getting lean is controlling and manipulating insulin levels. In simple terms, when we consume excessive calories or excessive amounts of high glycemic carbohydrates at one meal, the body’s blood sugar rises. When this happens, the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin to lower the blood sugar levels.

7. The best way to lose fat is to eat very few calories. FALSE!

Always consider your body from the inside out. Your body’s main objective is to survive. It doesn’t care if you want to lose body fat. In fact, it would prefer to increase fat in case of famine. Internally, the body has no idea that it’s the year 2003. It could still be 10,000 years ago for all it cares. Survival is its number one objective.

If you eat very little (less than 1,200 calories), the body perceives an emergency and will accommodate you by holding onto stored body fat. As well it should, because it has no idea when it will be fed again…

One thing I found is that eating six times a day helps to regulate the blood sugar and helps to cut down cravings. I used to crave the late night bowl of ice cream but not any more. Since my stomach is not empty and I already have some other options such as almonds or yogurt, it is easy to bypass the gelato all together.

http://www.ediets.com/