Skipping Breakfast before Exercise Could Achieve Greater Weight Loss Results
When you eat breakfast and if you eat it at all may influence your weight loss goals. A recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition has found skipping breakfast before your workout might reduce your overall calorie intake throughout the day.
The small study involving 12 healthy, active men has found skipping your pre-exercise breakfast creates a negative daily energy balance. This could become part of your short-term weight loss strategy and help maintain a healthy weight in the long run.
Energy-deficit key to weight management
Obesity is not just an issue threatening the health of Australians, but a global problem that has healthcare professionals concerned. Weight gain is typically a consequence of the overconsumption of energy over a period of time. Simply put, eating more energy than your body burns leads to an increase in body fat.
Reducing calories and watching our macronutrient intakes such as carbs and unsaturated fats are common strategies for weight loss. In addition, regular exercise can help facilitate the loss of body fat and the maintenance of a healthy weight due to the increase in energy expenditure.
However, previous studies have found people don’t tend to lose as much weight as they expect when starting a new exercise regime. This is often because of our energy balancing behaviours of eating more throughout the day or decreasing physical activity outside of the workout.
Our brain fights against energy-deficit
While we may make healthy lifestyle changes to lose weight, our brain naturally fights energy-deficit by increasing our hunger levels or encouraging us to move less.
This is for our own survival as our brain simply doesn’t want us to starve by living in an energy-deficit state for too long.
Over the years, research has found that many aspects of healthy eating and physical activity can influence the brain’s behaviour in compensating for the calories burned during exercise including the type and length of the workout.
The role of breakfast in weight loss and weight gain
The role of breakfast in weight loss and weight management has also been considered. A typical Australian breakfast is carbohydrate-rich comprising of cereals, muesli, toast or fruit.
The carbs in these foods are used as our primary energy source. When we no longer require energy, the carbs are stored in our body. These stores are smaller than those of body fat. It has been suggested that when our carbohydrate levels reduce, the brain rushes to replace them.
If we exercise before we’ve eaten breakfast, we rely on our internal carb stores, and some fat stores, to provide us with the fuel we need to work out. In the process, we’re reducing these stores.
It’s been speculated that we might end up overcompensating for this loss later in the day by eating more calories than we burned. This greatly undermines the health benefits of exercising and our efforts to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
Skipping breakfast before exercising may be a solution
In this recent study, researchers looked more closely into the timing of breakfast and its relation to exercise.
The 12 active, healthy young men recruited for the study were asked to participate in three lab experiments:
- Visit One – the participants ate a 430 calorie breakfast of oatmeal porridge and rested for several hours.
- Visit Two – the participants ate the same oatmeal porridge and rode an exercise bike at a moderate pace for 1 hour.
- Visit Three – the participants skipped breakfast, rode on the bike and avoided eating until lunch.
On each visit, the men remained in the lab through to lunch where they could eat as little or as much of the meal as desired.
To ensure the participant’s daily calories were tracked, they were provided food to take home. They were only allowed to consume the food provided and were asked to return anything uneaten. They were also asked to abstain from drinking alcohol and caffeine for the period of the study and refrain from any strenuous physical activity for 24 hours prior to the trials.
The men recorded any activity in a dairy and wore a physical activity monitor to track their energy expenditure.
The results
When the numbers were compared, there were some results that were predicted by others more surprising.
- Having eaten breakfast before relaxing, the men consumed about 490 calories more than they burned.
- On the day the men ate breakfast and worked out they maintained their energy balance throughout the day, burning and consuming nearly the exact number of calories.
- When the men skipped breakfast and exercised they consumed substantially more calories at lunch than they did on the previous visits. However, this hunger reduced throughout the day and they maintained an energy-deficit of almost 400 calories.
Senior lecturer at the University of Bath, Dr. Gonzalez, who led the study says these findings may have implications for those including physical activity as part of their weight loss program.
While your hunger may increase after exercising in the morning on an empty stomach, the researchers suggest this may actually lead to calorie deficits. If you continue this lifestyle change beyond one workout and one day, Javier Gonzalez says it would probably help you lose weight.
Avoid focusing your efforts on the 1% gains
This recent study is small and only short-term, involving only active, healthy young men. It also doesn’t explain why the men consumed fewer calories and why their brain didn’t respond to urgently replenish their carb stores.
It’s also questionable whether the same results would be seen in those who are older, female, have high body fat or eat a diet of processed foods.
It does, however, highlight the need to shift our efforts from focusing on the 1% gains and instead look at the 99%.
If you’re looking to lose weight and achieve a healthy body weight, start by looking at your overall eating habits and lifestyle behaviours. Start by ditching the fad diets and quick fixes and focus on:
- Consuming food in their whole form, limiting processed foods and junk foods;
- Eating regularly to maintain healthy blood sugar levels;
- Remaining hydrated by drinking 2L of water a day;
- Exercising regularly;
- Getting 8 hours of sleep a night;
- Managing your stress levels;
- Spending time outdoors to get enough vitamin D.
These are all foundational steps we need to take before you can achieve any substantial weight loss and reap the health benefits. Once you have these nailed, focusing habits that achieve the 1% gains, such as skipping breakfast before you exercise, will become more relevant.
Menopause Doesn’t Cause Weight Gain Rather a Shift in Fat Distribution, Study Finds
It’s not uncommon for postmenopausal women to complain about weight gain and a change in body shape as they age. Along with hormonal changes such as hot flushes, night sweats and aches, an increase in body fat are some of the most cited menopausal symptoms.
But recent research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology has found menopause doesn’t cause weight gain but instead causes a shift in fat distribution.
It was found, postmenopausal women experienced an increase in abdominal fat, however, a decrease in leg circumference. This suggests the fat cells move from other parts of the body to the waistline.
The researchers attributed this shift in body fat is likely to be due to hormonal changes that occur during midlife when women have a higher androgen to oestradiol ratio after menopause.
An increase in abdominal fat results in higher disease risk
Ananthan Ambikairajah, an Australian National University PhD candidate, who led the research, says weight gain can occur in postmenopausal women, but this is likely to be attributed to ageing.
“There’s the decrease in metabolism that happens as people age. People often say, ‘I can’t eat like I used to when I was younger, the excess weight just doesn’t seem to vanish when I eat well’. That’s related to an ageing metabolism.”
The concern about an increase in weight gain around the waist isn’t in vain. Central fat poses high risks for women’s health including an increase in insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, dementia risk and cardiovascular disease.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle and watching your waistline
These results highlight the importance of women maintaining a healthy weight by adopting a healthy lifestyle even before menopause hits to reduce health risks.
“Total fat mass for men and women should be monitored across the lifespan, but the important thing about this paper is after menopause, more attention needs to be paid to central fat accumulation because that’s the bad stuff,” says Ambikairajah.
In addition to watching the number on the scale, women should monitor their waist circumference through measuring to keep track of the shift in body fat.
Postmenopausal abdominal fat hard to kick
Once the middle age spread occurs it’s not uncommon for women to find it very difficult to kick. The stubborn belly fat is largely due to the fall in oestrogen levels and a slowing of the metabolism; two factors that are difficult to alter.
Reducing calories and portion sizes to a sustainable level together with a regular exercise routine including strength training can lead to weight loss and an increase in muscle mass. This can reduce age-related risks such as osteoporosis.
However, sometimes diet and lifestyle changes aren’t enough to decrease the abdominal fat and lower the long list of health risks. That’s why a number of postmenopausal women are choosing cosmetic surgery procedures such as liposuction or a tummy tuck.
Procedures such as liposuction can directly remove some of the stubborn fat cells to reduce the waist circumference and help women get their premenopause body back.
If you are interested in seeing how cosmetic surgery can help with your postmenopausal weight gain, take at look at Cosmos Clinic’s procedures list.
You can contact us here for consultations or call us at 1300-138-797 to get in touch with our team of experts for further information.
A Rise in Liposuction Linked to the Activewear Trend
According to a leading British plastic surgeon, more women are opting for liposuction to look good in their activewear.
Rajiv Grover of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, says liposuction procedures in the UK have increased by 12% in a year. It’s the fastest growing area of cosmetic surgery and we’re seeing similar trends in Australia.
In fact, Australians spend approximately $1 billion each year on cosmetic treatments like liposuction. According to the Australian College of Cosmetic Surgery(ACCS) over 30,000 liposuction procedures are performed annually with women making up the large majority of clients.
Why the rise in popularity?
“The rise comes at a time where a fashion trend for women is athleisure clothing, showing what kind of physique you have rather than covering up,” Mr Grover tells BBC News.
‘Athlesiure’ or activewear includes compression garments and figure-hugging items suitable for exercising such as leggings, crop tops, sports bras and singlets.
Activewear is a huge business worth billions around the globe. It’s largely fuelled by popular social media influences and celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and activewear brand owner, Kate Hudson.
No longer is activewear reserved for the gym. It’s become a socially acceptable fashion choice with women wearing sports attire shopping, to cafes and school pickups. In a study by Roy Morgan, Australians spent $1.5 billion on ‘athlesiure’ in the year 2016 alone. With a growing number of brands in this space, the figure has no doubt increased substantially.
Looking good in their activewear
With a growing trend for women to wear activewear whether exercise is involved or not, more are turning to plastic surgery treatments such as liposuction, tummy tuck, BBL and breast augmentation, to look good in their clothing.
“The rise comes at a time where a fashion trend for women is athleisure clothing, showing what kind of physique you have rather than covering up,” Grover tells BBC News.
While liposuction is an effective tool to help contour and refine a person’s figure, as seen with Cardi B and her post-baby liposuction, it’s not a weight loss tool.
At Cosmos Clinic, we encourage healthy eating and regular exercise (in activewear, of course) to achieve a healthy weight and to maintain liposuction results post surgery.
If you are interested in improving your appearance in activewear, take a look at Cosmos Clinic’s info page to learn more about cosmetic surgery options for you.
You can contact us through this page for consultations or call us at 1300-138-797 to get in touch with our team of experts for further information.
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(more…)Cosmos’ Dr Ajaka Reveals 2019’s Most Popular Procedures…
Cosmos Clinic’s Dr Joseph Ajaka appeared on the Seven Network’s The Morning Show to discuss this year’s most popular procedures and put the rising popularity of them down to two things: The Kardashians and Instagram.
Kardashians still rule
It will come as no surprise to learn that the ‘Kardashian-effect’ is still in full swing. It seems that women, particularly those aged between 20-35 years old, continue to watch Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie at close range and follow their every move.
The BBL for ladies
This year’s hottest procedures, as predicted by Dr Ajaka, includes the continuation of the trend for larger buttocks with the Brazilian Bum Lift (BBL) for women still the number one choice.
The BBL involves taking purified fat from excess areas (such as the love handles) and transplanting it into the butt cheeks to give lift and fullness.
Cosmos Clinic first performed the BBL back in 2010 and has carried out over 2,000 lifts since.
The BBL for men
However, it’s not just the ladies who are looking for a prize booty in 2019. The Brozilian Butt Lift for men is also popular. The procedure sees approximately 800 – 1,000mls of fat reinjected into each buttock cheek to give fullness and shape, something that Seven presenter Larry Emdur joked he might consider.
Whereas larger lips were on trend for the past few years, Dr Ajaka suggested that more natural and therefore slightly thinner lips will be in demand. Again, this follows the news that Kylie Jenner had her excess lip filler dissolved and then refilled more subtly for a natural look.
2019’s hot favourite – the hip dip
The extent to which Instagram is shaping our bodies is perhaps the most surprising reveal for 2019. This year’s hot procedure? The ‘hip dip’. This is largely spurred on by our love of Instagram posing. In particular, influencers and Insta-Models are opting to have a ‘hip dip’ procedure for a perfect S shape without any indentation in the hip area or having to stand awkwardly for the perfect shot. So, just like the current desire to have bigger buttocks, hips in 2019 are following suit.
Is 2019 the year for your body transformation?
Fully on board with this year’s hot body trends, Dr Ajaka and his team are best placed to advise any person hoping to have a BBL, hip dip or lip procedure. Please get in contact or visit our site for guidance or more information.
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Washing Away The Guilt With ‘Lipo Soap’
What happens to fat removed from patients during liposuction treatment? It’s usually disposed of, but one Dutch artist decided to turn it into a useful artwork resource that poses questions about human guilt and the debt of modern society.