Losing Weight Can Make You Gain Weight- Understanding The Paradox

 

 

One of the most frustrating aspects of losing weight is the inherent difficulty in sustaining weight loss over an extended period of time. A difficulty that is perhaps most pronounced among those who are severely overweight and use a combination of calorie restricted diets and aerobic exercise. Regardless of whether the goal is to lose twenty pounds or fifty pounds, the experience for most people is an early (and welcome) loss of weight that slowly and inexplicably grinds to a halt over time. In many cases, weight loss begins to reverse itself  with a gradual increase in weight over time. Weight gain that continues even in the face of increased efforts to restrict calories and increase duration and volume of exercise in the hopes of stopping the upward movement of the numbers on the scale. Frustrated and discouraged, most will lay the blame on everything from a genetically slow metabolism to some mystical sensitivity to carbohydrates- when the reality is far more complex. In fact, weight loss is indeed one of the most complex issues that most of us will face in our lives, as it is affected not only by physical factors, but behavioral and psychosocial ones as well. Our media often dumbs it down as a way to use weight loss information as a form of entertainment, or as a vehicle to sell products, and such an approach does little for the individual wishing to understand its complexities. For it is only through an understanding of those complexities that anyone can hope to master the challenges that losing weight presents. In this article we will explore the physical mechanics of the yo-yo weight loss/weight gain effect and show why losing a large amount of weight actually predisposes you to regaining it easily. Most especially if the weight loss occurs within a short space of time.

 

 

An understanding of why most people regain weight first requires some familiarity with how our bodies expend energy and there are three main factors to consider. The first and by far the largest and most important component is our resting metabolic rate or RMR, which accounts for 65- 75% of total daily energy expenditure in sedentary adults.[1,5,9] Like the closely related basal metabolic rate, measured while completely at rest, RMR is measured under slightly less controlled conditions, but gives a good estimate of daily energy expenditure nonetheless. Resting metabolic rate depends mainly upon quantity of lean muscle mass, and to a lesser degree, thyroid hormones and protein behavior.[1] The second component of energy expenditure is known as work induced increase above resting metabolic rate (which we will refer to from hereon as WIT to make matters simple) and it refers to the amount of energy used in physical activity. Obviously this figure varies widely as it depends on how physically active an individual may or may not be. For example, an athlete or someone engaged in large amounts of manual labor would logically have a higher WIT than a sedentary individual. The final component of energy expenditure is diet induced thermogenesis (DIT) which refers to the energy used by our bodies to digest foods. Proteins, for example are known to have a significant thermic effect as they require more calories for digestion than carbohydrates or fats due to its molecular structure. However, digestion of all foods incur an increase in energy expenditure, thus diet related thermogenesis accounts for about 10% of our daily expenditure.[2] Among obese individuals this percentage can be lower possibly due to increased insulin resistance which has some effect on calories used during digestion.[3,4]

 

 

Losing Weight Can Make You Gain Weight- The Bigger You Are the More Calories You Burn

 

 

Contrary to the myth of slow metabolisms among people who are overweight, the absolute energy expenditures of individuals who are obese are generally higher than that of someone of a lower bodyweight.[5] Two factors account for this discrepancy:

1. Individuals who are obese tend to have higher fat free mass than those who are not.[5,6]
2. Larger bodies require more energy to move and thus expend more calories in physical movement.[7] 

 

This makes perfect sense as a larger body requires more energy to move than a smaller one. As a prime example- men on average burn more calories than women because they generally have higher body weights and more lean muscle mass. This relationship between weight and energy expenditure is one of the reasons endurance athletes try to shed any excess pounds so as to use less energy during events. The differences are notable as a typical 190lb man burns 1,380 kilocalories per hour running at a pretty fast pace of 11 miles per hour but a 130lb man uses 40% less running at the same pace.[7] That’s why you’ll seldom see someone on the larger side winning major marathons or distance type events, as natural selection favors those with smaller, more energy efficient bodies in the winners’ circle. With regards to weight loss, it then makes perfect sense that the more weight you lose, the fewer calories you’ll burn, while exercising.[8,9,10]

 

 

That’s not the only reason weight loss brings about a decrease in energy expenditure as there usually also an increase in mechanical efficiency.[10] When someone loses a significant amount of weight, their efficiency in the performance of physical exercise will increase. Such adaptations mean fewer calories will be burned while exercising. These are some of the factors that account for weight loss never being perfectly linear, but instead tends to slow down and eventually reverse over time. A reversal and slowing that was at one time attributed to the set point theory.

 

 

Losing Weight Can Make You Gain Weight-Set Point Theory Explained

Set point theory neatly placed the blame on the proclivity of most obese individuals to return to their previous weight with the idea that our body has a homeostatic feedback system for keeping our fat stores constant.[10] A system that would do everything possible to return you to previous body fat levels if you lost weight by creating adaptive changes in resting metabolic rate and thyroid hormones. Set point theory set the stage for weight loss as a bleak and somewhat Sisyphean task for those trying to slim down. However, although it was once regarded as scientifically plausible, further research has disproved it over the years as studies have failed to find hormonal or metabolic compensations that can neatly explain the tendency for most people to regain weight.[10]

 

 

Losing Weight Can Make You Gain Weight- Decreases In Resting Metabolic Rate

 

What has been observed is an often dramatic slowing of resting metabolic rate (RMR) among those who lose significant amounts of weight.[11] Due largely to the decrease in lean muscle mass that accompanies standard weight loss protocols of caloric restriction and or aerobic exercise. This significant decrease in metabolism due to reductions in muscle mass, when combined with other decreases due to lower body weights accounts for the tendency for most people who lose weight to regain it.[8,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20]

 

 

We have established that for most individuals weight loss is usually achieved as a result of a negative energy balance diet. You eat less calories than your body needs while including some aerobic exercise in the hopes of burning off a bit more and you will lose weight. But as most can attest, only for a limited amount of time. Reduction in resting metabolic rate and work induced increases above metabolic rate (WIT) after losing weight means that eventually the low calorie diet and exercise plan that helped you lose weight won’t work indefinitely and may actually make you gain weight over time.

 

The Biggest Loser- A Study In Weight Regain Predisposing Factors

This disturbing fact was highlighted recently in a study of competitors undergoing massive weight loss during a popular weight loss television reality show called the Biggest Loser. Seven males and three females- all significantly overweight were trained under supervised conditions for an average of two hours a day, six days a week for thirty weeks doing a combination of aerobics and circuit training. Dietary intake was advised to be at least 70% of baseline energy requirements and every seven days a participant was voted off the ranch and returned home to continue the program unsupervised for the duration of the thirty week period. All participants were measured at the conclusion coincident with a live television broadcast.

 

 

After thirty weeks participants lost between 127lbs and 52 lbs. An extreme reduction to say the least as participants lost as much as 40% of their initial body weight. Such weight loss came at a price- as fat free muscle mass accounted for approximately 17% of the total weight lost. Concordant with a drop in muscle mass, resting metabolic rates plummeted from baseline figures by about 350 kcal per day after the first 6 weeks and went down to a low of about 790 kcal per day. Putting this into perspective, a reduction of almost 800 kcal would mean contestants would have to eat at least two whole meals less than what they started with to maintain their weight loss while continuing to follow an unrealistic training program for two hours six days a week for the rest of their lives. Possibly even less food would be required over time as metabolism demands decrease with age,[21] making sustainable weight loss a challenge to say the least.

 

 

A Solution to Weight Regain Through Increasing Muscle Mass & High Intensity Training

Less extreme and closer to standard weight loss protocols don’t fare much better for weight loss as well, as those using hypocalorie diets alone average a decrease of 25% of fat free muscle mass.[9] While the authors of the Biggest Loser study hold a muscle mass loss of 17% as relatively small amount, it’s clear for anyone to see that such losses are significant enough to make weight regain becomes almost inevitable without continued extreme interventions. Other weight loss interventions such as bariatric surgery also bring about undesirable reductions in fat free muscle mass that result in slower overall metabolism and a high likelihood of weight regain over time.[12,13,14] Such findings might lead us to conclude that significant weight loss in the long term is unrealistic, but this is far from being the case as conventional approaches ignore the application of high intensity resistance training focused on muscle building as a viable protocol for long term weight management.

 

 

The most important part of any sustainable weight loss program is not simply burring off calories through cardiovascular exercise and lower calories, but rather the idea of focusing instead on INCREASING muscle mass. Increased muscle mass means higher resting metabolic rates, which allows for calorie intakes to remain higher and within more natural and practical limits for the average member of the population. (See my article on the Evolutionary Argument For Eating More To Lose Weight) Several reputable studies confirm the role of resistance training in preserving muscle mass during diet induced weight loss and a concurrent increase in fat mass losses as a result, [24,25,26,27] and it is an approach that I have used in my own practice for the past twenty-one years. If resting metabolic rates account for 75% of daily energy expenditure and is determined by fat free muscle mass then trying to lose weight by employing practices that decrease muscle mass is inevitably counterproductive.

 

 

On the other hand, increases in fat free muscle mass from weight training lead to higher resting metabolic rates.[9,27] Which, when combined with the added calories burned during resistance training and from excess post exercise oxygen consumption, can gradually and permanently decrease body fat levels when used in conjunction with muscle promoting high protein diets that are not overly hypocaloric.(22,23,28,30)

 

Aerobic Exercise Vs Resistance Exercise For Long Term Weight Loss

 

Skepticism has always existed regarding the use of muscle building exercise as a protocol for weight loss, as aerobic exercise is typically associated with losing body fat, even though numerous studies find high intensity weight training as being more efficient than conventional aerobic exercise for reductions in fat mass.[22,23] Aerobic exercise can indeed reduce fat mass, but has little effect if any on the preservation of fat free mass. [29,30,31] Not only does this increase the possibility of weight regain, but from a cosmetic point of view, diet induced weight loss using such forms of exercise would result in a smaller, but still flabby version of what you started out with if resistance exercise is not included in your regime. There is a slight increase in calorie expenditure for 20-48 hours after aerobic exercise, but only if such exercise is done with sufficient intensity and relatively long duration.[32,33,34,35] Except for this small window, there is, however no increase in resting metabolic rates regardless of how much aerobics you do.[27] On the other hand, increases in fat free muscle mass permanently increase resting metabolic rates- and the so called after burn effect of high intensity training from excess post exercise oxygen consumption is also greater than that of aerobic exercise.[22,23]

 

 

The other factor that favors high intensity resistance training for long term weight loss without weight regain is the use of a high protein diet designed to increase muscle mass. Studies have shown that a high protein intake of 18% or more of total energy intakes limits weight regain in those who have lost weight.[28] Diet induced thermogenesis accounts for about 10% of energy expenditure and high protein foods not only have a high thermogenic and muscle sparing effect, [9,28] but also promote higher satiety levels after consumption which can limit excessive calorie intake. [36,37,38,39]

 

Practical & Sustainable Solutions Through Resistance Exercise & High Protein Diet

 

In my own practice over the course of twenty one years I have records of thirty one significantly overweight individuals who lost over 50lbs using only a combination of high intensity weight training and a high protein diet. Calorie intake was not at all restrictive as emphasis is on long term adherence and was calculated more in line with the focus on muscle growth and preservation as opposed to simply inducing negative energy balance. Notably among those thirty-one trainees, eight of them lost over 100 lbs and such weight loss is very much on par with the some of the numbers cited in the Biggest Loser study. However, the process was centered on lifestyle change, took far longer (an average of 12-14 months) and did not involve more than thirty minutes of high intensity training per week. Unconventional, to say the least, but an effective program built on the science of maximizing resting metabolic rates, diet induced thermogenesis and absolute energy expenditure in a practical and sustainable manner. Most importantly increased muscle mass over time limited weight regain, as only 5 out of 31 trainees regaining more than 70% of the weight lost after a year- a success rate of 84% which is significant when compared to the failure rates of 35-80% reported in most studies. A sample size that is small, but one that calls for more research in the use of resistance training as a weight loss tool.

 

 

Reduction in body fat through high intensity weight training does not yield the quick decreases on the scale that would be seen from high volume aerobic exercise and low calorie diets- which in itself is a good thing as you don’t lose muscle mass in the process. However it does provide a long term solution for those needing to lose weight with the added benefits of increased strength and improved self esteem thanks to increased lean muscle mass. Muscle mass that is key to the development of the lean, toned and tight body that is without question the Holy Grail of our time. A look that is unattainable from high levels of aerobics and or low calorie intakes, as such activities have little effect on the increased development of skeletal muscle and from what we know can predispose you to regaining the weight you worked so hard to lose.

 

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Related articles

 Rethinking the Need For Cardio

The Evolutionary Argument For Eating More To Lose Weight

How Much Protein Do You Need

How Muscles Get Bigger & Stronger

Should Women Train Like Men

Understanding Calories & How They Relate To Weight Loss

 

Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, natural bodybuilding champion, creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. Read more about the science behind his high intensity training programs at his official website at www.naturallyintense.net

 

 

 

 

References:

1. Jequier E. Energy expenditure in obesity. Clin Endocrinol Metab 1984.

2. Sims E, Danforth E. Expenditure and storage of energy in man. J. Clin Invest 1987

3. Golay A, Schutz Y, Meyer H. Glucose-induced thermogenesis in non-diabetic and diabetic subjects. Diabetes 1982

4. Ravussin E. Acheson K, Vernet 0, Danforth E, Jequier E. Evidence that insulin resistance is responsible for the decreased thermic effect ofglucose in human obesity. Am I Clin Invest l985

5. Ravussin E. Burnand B, Schutz Y, et al. Twenty-four hour energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate in obese, moderately obese, and control subjects. Am I Clin Nutr 1982

6. Halliday D, Hesp R, Stalley SF, Warwick P, Altman D, Garrow IS. Resting metabolic rate, weight surface area and body composition in obese women. Int I Obes 1979

7. Ainsworth BE et al. The Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide. Healthy Lifestyles Research Center. Az State Un. 2011

8. Doucet E, Imbeault P, St-Pierre S, Alméras N, Mauriège P, Després JP, Bouchard C, Tremblay A. Greater than predicted decrease in energy expenditure during exercise after body weight loss in obese men. Clin Sci (Lond). 2003

9. Gaal LF, Vansant GA, De Leeuw IH. Factors determining energy expenditure during very low calorie diets. Am J Clin Nutr 1992

10. Weinsier RL, Nagy TR, Hunter GR, Darnell BE, Hensrud DD, Weiss HL. Do adaptive changes in metabolic rate favor weight regain in weight-reduced individuals? An examination of the set-point theory. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000

11. Johannsen DL, Knuth ND, Huizenga R, Rood JC, Ravussin E, Hall KD. Metabolic Slowing with Massive Weight Loss despite Preservation of Fat-Free Mass. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012

12.Chaston TB, Dixon JB, O’Brien PE 2007 Changes in fat-free mass during significant weight loss: a systematic review. Int J Obes (Lond)

13. Elia M 1992 Organ and tissue contribution to metabolic rate. In: Kinney JM, Tucker HN, eds. Energy metabolism: tissue determinants and cellular corollaries. New York: Raven Press

14. Mueller MJ, Bosy-Westphal A, Kutzner D, HellerM2002 Metabolically active components of fat-free mass and resting energy expenditure in humans: recent lessons from imaging technologies. Obes Rev

15. Doucet E, St-Pierre S, Alme´ras N, Despre´s JP, Bouchard C, Tremblay A 2001 Evidence for the existence of adaptive thermogenesis during weight loss. Br J Nutr

16. Heilbronn LK, de Jonge L, Frisard MI, DeLany JP, Larson-Meyer DE, Rood J, Nguyen T, Martin CK, Volaufova J, Most MM,Greenway FL, Smith SR, Deutsch WA, Williamson DA, Ravussin E 2006 Effect of 6-month calorie restriction on biomarkers of longevity, metabolic adaptation, and oxidative stress in overweight individuals: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA

17. Leibel RL, Hirsch J 1984 Diminished energy requirements in reduced-obese patients. Metabolism

18. Leibel RL, Rosenbaum M, Hirsch J 1995 Changes in energy expenditure resulting from altered body weight. N Engl J Med

19. Rosenbaum M, Hirsch J, Gallagher DA, Leibel RL 2008 Long-term persistence of adaptive thermogenesis in subjects who have maintained a reduced body weight. Am J Clin Nutr

20. Rosenbaum M, Hirsch J, Murphy E, Leibel RL 2000 Effects of changes in body weight on carbohydrate metabolism, catecholamine excretion, and thyroid function. Am J Clin Nutr

21. TzankoffSP, Norris AH. Longitudinal changes in basal metabolism in man. J App Physiol 1978

22.Bahr R (1992). “Excess postexercise oxygen consumption–magnitude, mechanisms and practical implications”. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica. Supplementum

23. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Tremblay, A. et al., Physical Activities Sciences Laboratory, Laval University, Quebec, Canada Metabolism.1994

24. Whatley JE, Gillespie WJ, Honig J et al. Does the amount of endurance exercise in combination with weight training and a very-low-energy diet affect resting metabolic rate and body composition. Am J Clin Nutr 1994

25. Geliebter A, Maher MM, Gerace L et al. Effects of strength or aerobic training on body composition, resting metabolic rate, and peak oxygen consumption in obese dieting subjects. Am J Clin Nutr 1997

26. Ballor DL, Katch VL, Becque MD, Marks CR. Resistance weight training during caloric restriction enhances lean body weight maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr 1988

27. Hunter GR, Byrne NM, Sirikul B, Fernández JR, Zuckerman PA, Darnell BE, Gower BA. Resistance training conserves fat-free mass and resting energy expenditure following weight loss. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008

28. Lejeune MP, Kovacs EM, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Additional protein intake limits weight regain after weight loss in humans. Br J Nutr. 2005

29 1. Garrow JS, Summerbell CD. Meta-analysis: effects of exercise, with or without dieting, on the body composition of overweight subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr 1995

30. Layman DK, Evans E, Baum JI et al. Dietary protein and exercise have additive effects on body composition during weight loss in adult women. Hum Nutr Met 2005

31. Hill JO, Sparling PB, Shields TW, Heller PA. Effects of exercise and food restriction on body composition and metabolic rate in obese women. Am J Clin Nutr 1987

32. Treuth MS, Hunter GR, Williams M. Effects of exercise intensity on 24-h energy expenditure and substrate oxidation. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1996

33. Maehlum S, Gradmontagne M, Newsholme E, Sjostrom OM.

Magnitude and duration of excess postexercise oxygen consumption in healthy young subjects. Metabolism 1986

34. Van Pelt RE, Jones PP, Davy KP et al. Regular exercise and the age-related decline in resting metabolic rate in women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1997

35. Poehlman ET, Danforth E. Endurance training increases metabolic rate and norepinephrine appearance rate in older individuals. Am J Physiol 1991

36. Barkeling B, Rossner S & Bjorvell H (1990) Effects of a highprotein meal (meat) and a high-carbohydrate meal (vegetarian) on satiety measured by automated computerized monitoring of subsequent food intake, motivation to eat and food preferences. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 14

37. Latner JD & Schwartz M (1999) The effects of a high-carbohydrate, high-protein or balanced lunch upon later food intake and hunger ratings. Appetite

38. Weir JBDV (1949) New methods for calculating metabolic rate with special references to protein metabolism. J Physiol

39. Skov AR, Toubro S, Ronn B, Holm L & Astrup A (1999) Randomized trial on protein vs carbohydrate in ad libitum fat reduced diet for the treatment of obesity. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord

Exercise Induced Headaches & Migraines- Causes & Observations

 

Even after all these years, the pain is still easy to recall: I was finishing up my last set of bench presses- a skinny but enthusiastic teen who had just started weight training a mere three weeks before, when it hit. In the final throes of my last set, pushing as hard as I could to overcome the forces of gravity I felt a sudden pain on the right side of my head. I finished the set and the workout, but as I kept going I felt the pain growing and growing in intensity. With every repetition sending a searing pulse of what can only be described as bright white pain shooting through my temples. At the end of the workout, my coach asked me if I was alright. In typical male machismo fashion, I nodded that all was well and went my way. I was no stranger to pain. Some would even say that I courted it, given the extreme nature of my martial arts training and my newly found love of weight training. But this was something that I was not ready for, a pain that reached into the depths of my being, and it took everything I had to walk the ½ mile home from the gym under the hot tropical sun. These headaches persisted for what seemed to be an eternity- but lasted only about a month. In the midst of training, it would strike, narrowing my vision with a haze of pain that would descend upon me. A pain that could only be soothed by the darkness of my room and the blissful release that sleep would bring. I began to worry that there was something wrong with me, and that perhaps I couldn’t keep on training the way I did. My goal of transforming myself from a lanky 125lber into a statuesque natural bodybuilder seemed further and further away with every throb of my skull- and yet as suddenly as it started, the headaches just stopped. This phenomenon, which I would later learn was a classic case of exercise induced migraine wasn’t a curse that had befallen me for some unacknowledged transgression, but rather a bane that affects many who engage in intensive physical activity.

 

 

Exercise Induced Headaches & Migraines- What Are They

Exercise induced headaches and migraines have been diagnosed since the time of Hippocrates and yet we still know little about its causes. Often called ‘weightlifter’s headache’, it is associated with intense physical activity- especially unaccustomed levels of exertion. Clinically, these headaches fall into two major groups- exercise induced migraines or effort-exertion headaches.[2,3] Strict classification of headaches in one particular group presents significant diagnostic challenges as individuals can often have symptoms that can appear to fit several categories at the same time and many experts criticize the practice of strict categorization. Head trauma is a significant causative factor in sports related injuries and represent a very distinct group of sport related headaches. However, for the purpose of this article, we restrict our focus to the phenomenon of non-trauma related headaches.

 

Category 1- Exercise or Sports Induced Migraines

 

Exercise related migraines usually have the following symptoms:

1. An aura, or visual or sensory warning before the onset of the headache

2. A pounding or throbbing headache of significant intensity lasting several hours.

3. A headache that is confined to one side of the head.

4. Nausea and or vomiting associated with the headache[3]

 

Exercise related migraines tend to happen more than once and in many cases is a family history of such headaches as well.

 

Exercise Induced Migraines- Causes and Aggravating Factors

 

As common as exercise induced migraines may be, we still don’t have a concrete understanding of why and how it happens. Exercise induced migraines tend to be more common in women than in men[3] and the prevailing theory is that it may have some connection to low oxygen levels.[4,5] The low oxygen theory is commonly accepted as symptoms not only appear to be similar in nature to altitude sickness related migraines, but also due to the prevalence of exercise induced migraines among athletes during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.[5] A location 7,000 feet above sea level. At sea level such headaches are rare among highly trained athletes which suggests low oxygen levels as a possible trigger.[3] While we are at this point unable to pinpoint the exact cause of exercise induced migraines, there are several factors that have been recognized as aggravating factors.

 

Exercise Induced Migraine: Aggravating Factors

1. Dehydration and inadequate water intake before strenuous physical activity

2. Hypoglycemia brought on from inadequate nutrition before intense exercise

3. Extreme exercise

4. Exertion at high altitudes

5. Exercise in high temperatures[6,7]

 

Exercise Induced Migraine: Treatments And Recommendations

 

In my personal training practice, where high intensity training protocols call for training at near or beyond the point of momentary muscular failure, 1% of trainees (2 individuals over the course of three years) experienced migraine type headaches- usually within their first month of training. This data comes from a fairly large group of 296 people. Interestingly enough, and in line with my personal experience, symptoms subsided within a period of two months. Increased water intake before training as well and adequate pre-workout nutrition is recommended to avoid exercise induced migraines and may account for the cessation of symptoms among clients. Dietary and water intake are regulated among all who train within our system and improvements in adherence corresponded with the reduction of exercise induced migraines. All who suffered from exercise induced migraines self-reported that they did not drink anywhere near the amounts of water recommended on days that the headaches occurred and it is easy to hold these factors as being causative. However’they may simply be correlative as reduced incidence of migraines may also be a result of physiological adaptations to high intensity training as trainees increase their levels of fitness and tolerance to high levels of exertion. Thus, there is no real way to discern what factor actually caused the exercised induced migraines to stop and it bears noting that in only one case was exercise induced migraines clinically diagnosed by a physician. Longer warm up periods have also been recommended as a way of minimizing exercise induced migraines and is often effective as well.

 

Category II: Exercise Induced/Effort-Exertion Headaches

 

Effort-exertion headaches are the most common and most diverse of the subgroups of exercise related headaches, and like exercise induced migraines they tend to occur more among women than men.[3] Exertion type or exercise induced headaches appear to occur after strenuous lifting, bending over, running and physical jarring[8] but can also occur after sneezing, coughing and sexual intercourse.[3] Such headaches tend to  have the following symptoms:

 

1. A sudden acute headache that lasts for several seconds to as long as several hours as a result of physical exertion, but without visual or sensory cues beforehand.

2. A gradual headache lasting an hour or longer [3]

3. Pain in the occipital and neck region lasting only a few minutes in duration [9,10]

 

Exercise Induced/Effort-Exertion Headaches- Possible Causes

 

Sudden exertion headaches are usually caused as a result of strenuous anaerobic activity like intense weight lifting or sprinting, whereas the gradually building headaches tend to come after more sustained aerobic effort and fatigue.[4] Like exercise induced migraines, the pathogenesis of exercise induced headaches remains unidentified but there are several theories that have been put forward. The possible causes include increased intrathoracic pressure[11,12], compression of blood vessels due to muscular tension[12,13], vasodilation of cerebral blood vessels as a response to stress[14], neck muscle tension and or strain[15], stimulation of nerve cells or fibers that transmit nerve impulses via monoamine neurotransmitters[16] or a combination of these factors.[17] While pathogenesis remains speculative there are some clearly defined factors that appear to trigger exercise induced headaches- factors that are listed below:

 

Exercise Induced Headache: Aggravating Factors

1. Poor fitness levels

2. Altitude

3. Hot workout environments

4. Extreme exercise or exertion

5. Hypoglycemia due to inadequate pre-workout nutritional intake

6. Alcohol and caffeine consumption [6,7,18]

 

Exercise Induced Headaches- Observations And Commonly Recommended Treatments

 

In my personal training practice, occurrence of acute exercise induced headaches was slightly higher than that of exercise induced migraines- 1.7% as opposed to 1% (a total of 2 trainees self reporting exercise induced migraines and 5 self reporting exercise induced exertion headaches). However, caution must be exercised when comparing these numbers since they are merely casual observations as no formal clinical diagnoses were made in each case. The symptoms of exercise induced headaches mimic that of many other potentially serious neurological disorders and self diagnosis should never be relied upon. That being said, about those who did experience exercise induced headaches at one point or another usually did so early on in their training as well. Self-reported among those who experienced the headaches was consumption off caffeinated drinks pre-workout, inadequate water intake, skipping breakfast and lack of sleep. Like exercise induced migraines, the headaches never persisted among 4 out of 5 who suffered from the headaches. The 5th trainee has only experienced self reported exercise induced headaches for just about a month, however those headaches appear to be decreasing intensity in keeping with the pattern experienced by other trainees whose headaches tended to go away gradually. For those who continued to exercise the headaches usually subsided no longer than one to two months after they began- becoming less and less intense with every occurrence. It is again hard to say what causes the improvement and without clinical verification all observations are speculative at best. However, all who experienced the headaches either stopped drinking coffee, increased their water intake and or made sure that they did not skip breakfast and ate adequate amounts of carbohydrates and fats to fuel their high intensity workouts. Again,  these factors may be simply correlative as the increased fitness levels and adaptations to exercise that occur over time may be ultimately responsible or perhaps a combination of all of the aforementioned factors.

 

Aside from increasing fitness levels over time, the best treatments for exercise related headaches and migraines are proper sleep to minimize fatigue, good nutrition, adequate hydration and an extended warm up period.[19] Other suggested treatments include keeping a journal of headaches as a way to pinpoint the causative factors- a method I undertook myself but thankfully my migraines stopped before I had a chance to record much of anything. Pharmacological solutions are often suggested as well, however it is recognized in the medical community that there is a need for more large scale studies of athletes who suffer from these headaches. Not only to identify the mechanisms of pathogenesis but also for the creation of standardized treatment protocols. [19] Either way, given the substantial benefits of physical exercise and activity, unless you are advised otherwise by a physician, it is important that you do your best to keep exercising whenever possible . Be sure to always consult your physician about any recurring headaches you may experience even if you believe that they may simply be exercise induced. There is no such thing as being too safe.

 

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Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, natural bodybuilding champion, creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. Read more about the science behind his high intensity training programs at his official website at www.naturallyintense.net

 

 

 

References

1. Ad Hoc Committee on Classification of Headache. Classification of Headache. JAMA 1962

2. Headache Classification Committee of the Intenrnational Heachae Society. Classification and diagnostic criteria for headache disorders, cranial neuralgias and facial pain. Cehpalalgia 1988

3. Williams SJ, Nukada H. Sport and exercise headache: Diagnosis and classification. Br. J. Sp Med 1994

4. Atkinson R, Appenzellar 0. Headache in sport. Seminars in Neurology 1981

5. Jokl E. Olympic medicine/sports cardiology. Ann Sports Med 1984

6. Dalessio DJ. Effort migraine. Headache 1974

7. Massey EW. Effort headache in runners. Headache 1982.

8. Moskowitz MA. Neurogenic versus vascular mechanisms of sumatriptan and ergot alkaloids in migraine. Trends Pharmacol Sci 1992

9. Rooke ED. Benign exertional headache. Med Clin North Am 1968

10. Perry WJ. Exertional headache. Physician and Sportsmedicine1985

11. Lambert RW Jr, Burnet DL. Prevention of exercise induced migraine by quantitative warm-up. Headache 1985

12. McCarthy P. Athletes’ headaches: not necessarily ‘little’ problems. Physician and Sportsmedicine 1988

13. Cleveland H. Headaches: a weighty problem for lifters? Physician and Sportsmedicine 1984

14. Rose CF. Headache: definitions and classification. In: Vinken PJ, Bruyn GW, eds. Handbook of Clinical Neurology Vol 48, Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier, 1986

15. Paulson GW. Weightlifters headache. Headache 1983

16.Roos R. Luge participation is hard on the head. Physician and Sportsmedicine 1986

17.Jordan BD, Tsairis P. Warren RF eds. Sports Neurology. Rockville, Maryland, USA: Aspen, 1989

18. Thompson JK. Exercise-induced migraine prodrome symptoms.Headache 1987

19. Nadelson C. sports and exercise induced migraines. Curr Sports Med Rep 2006

Eating More To Losing Weight- The Evolutionary Precedent Against Low Calorie Diets

 

Losing weight is usually associated with the practice of eating less and thus the idea of eating more for many appears almost counter-intuitive. The standard practice for weight loss has traditionally been an attempt to create a negative energy balance by eating fewer calories- which forms the basis of almost all popular diets. However as universal as this practice may be, it has not enjoyed much in the way of success as it is in many ways contrary to natural human behavior. In spite of numerous protocols for eating less, long term weight loss remains elusive for the overwhelming majority of the population as 80% of those who attempt to lose weight through conventional dieting regain any weight lost within the course of a year- even when exercise is included.[1,2,3] In a word, the idea of eating less to lose weight has been an abysmal failure. Failures that do nothing to curb the fact that over 65% of Americans over the age of twenty are overweight [4] nor do those failures do much to stem the deaths of over a quarter of a million people here in the United States alone each that are directly ascribable to the ill effects of being overweight. [5] Human beings are the only mammals in nature aside from domesticated animals that do not work to obtain food. Trips to the supermarket do not approximate the energy expenditures of our hunter gatherer ancestors, nor is it close to the energy required to stay alive in a pre-Industrial Revolutionary agricultural society since in an affluent society there is no real link between the food we eat and the energy we expend. That being said, as much as overeating is a very real problem today, our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate far more calories than the average American while possessing well-muscled physiques that most would find enviable. The back breaking labor required for existence in an agrarian society also suggests a higher calorie intake. [26] Thus, eating more- in the way of nutrient dense and minimally processed foods in conjunction with intense physical activity appears to be more in line with our evolutionary heritage than simply eating less. It is no surprise that elite athletes today eat anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 kcals/day yet have little in the way of excess body fat and have no problem losing weight when necessary even though they eat significantly more than the average person. In this article we take a look at how eating more to lose weight with a program of exercise may be more natural for humans both behaviorally and possibly genetically as opposed to low fat and calorie restrictive diets.

 

 

Conventional notions of eating less to lose weight- especially within the confines of a low fat diet, fail to address three immutable facts;

1. Hunter-gatherer societies have consumed high fat and high calorie diets since the Paleolithic period without concurrent weight gain to the point of obesity.[6,7,8]
2. From the Paleolithic  to the Neolithic period, the physical demands of staying alive created an environment of greater calorie intake to compensate for our greater energy output [9,10] thus a higher caloric intake is required.
3. The processed foods that form the staple of today’s diet are high in calories, but still do not always provide adequate nutrition, even among those who are obese,[12,13] while a diet of only naturally occurring meats, fruits, nuts and vegetables may require more food and more calories from fats- yet likelihood of deficiency is unlikely, and it is a path to healthy weight maintenance proven by generations of human beings.[8,11]

In this article we take a look at the idea of incorporating exercise and eating more as a viable and history proven method of weight loss employing the nutrient rich and at times calorically dense foods that have been part of our diet for millennia.

 

Eating More To Lose Weight- Great Physiques- High Energy Intakes

While the trappings of modern society can often blur the distinction between our current state and our ancestral heritage, it must be noted that we are genetically similar to our early hunter-gathering ancestors,[14] That being said, in spite of our relatively recently acquired trappings of supermarkets and high stress jobs, we remain biologically adapted to the physical and metabolic environment of our predecessors.[6] An environment that over the course of almost 2 million years conditioned the human genome to be what it is today.[14,15,16] Ironically, as harsh as survival was for us as a species during both the Paleolithic and agriculture based Neolithic periods, archeological discoveries show that early man had a level of lean muscle mass far superior to that of the average human today.[17, 20,21] With a physique more akin to that of an Olympic  athlete [17] or perhaps natural bodybuilder, our ancestors were by no means the physical equals of the typical man or woman today. Anyone who has ever seen a National Geographic or similar documentary program featuring the men and women of  today’s hunter gatherer tribes, who live in an environment similar to that of our ancestors, know that they all share similarly athletic builds and low body fat percentages, and studies confirm that their average skinfold thickness is only half that of aged matched Americans.[18] As an aside, it is important to note that the well-toned bodies of early hunter gathers bear no resemblance whatsoever to the skinny fat ‘supermodel’ ideal that has become common in our society. A media promoted ideal that is in essence, a perfect example of poor health and limited athletic ability. One that has unfortunately caused significant harm to the young women who seek to emulate it by severely restricting their calorie intake with the goal of losing weight. As widely promoted as the unhealthy skinny fat look may be, there is no denying the universal appeal of a trim and toned body on both men and women, but such physiques are not born of energy restrictive diets and require considerable physical activity.

 

Eating More To Lose Weight- How Much Did Our Ancestors Eat?

 

The average human several hundred thousand years ago was as tall as the average citizen in an affluent society today but far more robust. [19] The hunter-gatherer lifestyle to which we as humans genetically adapted to over the course of 1.8 million years [22] required significant physical labor, as did the physical demands of the agrarian lifestyle that followed it 10,000 years ago[22] up until the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. Given the unavoidable physical work required to stay alive and procure food during the Paleolithic period, our ancestors required a high calorie intake to offset the demands of a higher energy expenditure.[23] Extrapolations from the estimated daily caloric intake of hunter-gatherer societies suggest that the taller and comparably active humans of the Paleolithic period consumed somewhere in the ballpark of 3,000 kcal a day- (averaged for both men and women.)[25,26,33] An average that is considerably higher than the current American calorie intake of 2,475 kcal/day for men and 1,833 kcal/day for women,[24] and a far cry from the 1,200-2,000 kcal/day restrictive diets that are common today. Such an intake would not bring about a concurrent gain in weight due to the fact that the average total energy expenditure was much higher than it is today and given the higher resting metabolic rates of early hunter-gatherers due to their greater proportions of lean muscle tissue.[34]

 

Eating More To Lose Weight- The Importance of A Relatively High Fat Intake

One of the main contributors to the higher calorie intake of our foraging ancestors was the higher levels of fats in their diets. Unlike those who live in affluent countries and prefer relatively lean cuts of meat, hunter-gatherer groups consume all edible parts of the animals they procure through hunting or scavenging. This would include organ meat, bone marrow, brain and animal fat- all much higher in calories than the select cuts consumed today. Without access to grains or cereals, fats are essential to maintaining life- a fact I always stress when teaching survival classes and one that I was all too aware of during my own survival trainings. Low fat cuts may look appetizing but in the wild eating only low fat meats can be deadly. The best available estimates from modern hunter-gatherer counterparts suggest that our ancestors obtained about 35% of their calories from fats, 35% from protein and 35% from carbohydrates. Keep in mind however that since all animals consumed at the time were wild, not domesticated and thus the saturated fat intakes in their diets were lower than that of modern Westerners. In addition to wild meats, dietary choices among our ancestors were limited to minimally processed wild plants, fruits and nuts- another high fat and high calorie food which has been shown to actually promote weight loss. (Read my article on how nuts help you lose weight here.) Needless to say, the hunter-gatherer diet was by no means a low-fat, low calorie affair and yet diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other diet related diseases were noticeably absent.[17,18,23] Interestingly enough, some studies suggest that today’s low fat diets bring about a reduction in serum testosterone production,[35] the hormone responsible for among other things, increasing muscle mass and decreasing body fat. Another important factor to consider with regards to a low calorie and low fat weight loss

 

Eating More & Losing Weight- Understanding Ancestral Energy Expenditure

 

The higher calorie expenditure of our hunter-gatherer ancestors was dictated primarily by their searches for food. Studies of hunter-gatherer tribes show what we assume to be a Paleolithic rhythm- with men hunting taking place one to four times a week on nonconsecutive days and women gathering food every two to three days. [27] Overall, the pattern for foraging involves days of intense physical exercise alternating with days of rest and lighter activity.[27] Other labor intensive activities included tool making, butchering, cooking, clothing preparation, carrying water and firewood as well as the exertions associated with moving camp sites from time to time. Dance based rituals that lasted for several hours several times a week were also significant sources of energy expenditure as was child care. In hunter-gatherer societies, infants are carried by their mothers or other members of the tribe either on their backs or in sling like devices with the average child being carried for 681 miles during its first two years of life.[28]

 

While this may sound like an impressive distance- it should be noted that the average distance covered by some hunter-gatherers averages an astonishing 252 miles a month.[25] Indeed from an evolutionary perspective today’s recommended physical activity requirements of 11/kcal/kg/day of bodyweight seem paltry by comparison as they are less than half the levels of energy expended by hunter-gatherers.[25] As modern foraging tribes have been observed expending as much as 24.7 kcal/kg/day. Given that we are so genetically close to our pre-agricultural ancestors it would appear that each of us is physically capable of far more than we think and that the performance of high level athletes may not necessarily be that far out of reach of the average person if they were conditioned over time.

 

 

Eating More to Lose Weight- Exercise As the Great Leveling Factor

 

It goes without saying that it would be impractical in our times to expect the average person to devote such huge amounts of physical activity to their daily routines. The time requirements for such levels of daily exertion would be impossible given today’s hectic schedules, however as physically demanding as the activities of ancestors may have been, they lack the efficiency of physical exercise afforded to us by the tenets of modern physiology.[25] With high intensity training protocols for example, it has been shown that we can attain similar physiological effects such as reduced body fat and increased lean muscle mass with minimal time expenditures.[29,30,31,32] Such training paradigms, however require higher calorie intakes to support the intense physical activity and concurrent increases in lean muscle mass- which would bring about an increase in resting metabolic rates. Thus to get the most out of the incorporation of intense exercise into your daily routine you must eat more to lose weight.

 

We have established thus far that there may be a strong genetically programmed precedent for us as a species to thrive in a metabolic environment of high energy expenditure and output. One that severely contradicts the low fat and low calorie dietary approaches which appears to offer only short term weight loss at best, as it fails miserably as a long term solution.[1,2,3] Such eating practices are far removed from what our evolutionary past suggests and the perhaps this accounts for its general failure in the general population. Losing weight is by no means a natural part of the human experience as it is only fairly recently that obesity has become a problem for us as a species given the overabundance of food, the lack of physical labor required to obtain it and the strong marketing towards over-consumption. However, if we can learn anything from both hunter-gatherer examples and the examples of the many athletes whose calorie intakes exceed or equal that of most individuals who are overweight it might be that ideally we are designed to eat more to lose weight with the inclusion of intense physical activity. Such activity necessitates higher calorie intakes, not only to offset the energy demands created by such intense forms of exercise but also to support increases in lean muscle mass. There is one other important factor that leans towards eating more to lose weight and that is the very nature of the foods required for optimum health and performance.

 

 

Eating More To Lose Weight- More Food Does Not Always Equate To Weight Gain

 

Using myself as an example, I consume on average anywhere from 3,000 to 3,500 kcal/day depending on my activity levels with all of my calories coming from minimally processed or completely natural foods. I weigh considerably more than most at my current weight of 212lbs and my body fat is estimated at this time to be at or about 7% or lower.  My food intake is considerable, as I eat six to seven meals a day and I never had a problem maintaining a low body fat percentage eating as much food as I do. I don’t drink milk, protein shakes or juices of any kind- just water- which necessitates that I get all my calories solid foods only. I eat eggs and chicken- which costs a considerable amount unfortunately these days to get truly free range and non corn fed birds. I eat meat of some form every day as well,  with a strong preference for leaner wild meats like bison, venison or grass fed and free range beef, goat or lamb. I eat fish every day- a wide range of wild caught fish that changes almost every day, but I tend to mostly eat the fishes that I grew up with in the West Indies as opposed to cold water fishes that are here in the temperate zones- unless I catch it myself. I don’t eat regular wheat products  but I do eat oats, rices, roots and tubers as my carbohydrate sources (ground provisions- we call them back home) and of course fruits and nuts. It’s without question quite a lot of food- but it is what I need to keep increasing my strength and muscle mass while maintaining a very low body fat. Without my exercise program, or muscle mass such a diet would only make me fat- but it should be noted that for the past 23 years I have never trained more than three times a week for no more than 10-20 minutes per workout. High intensity training workouts that are brutally intense, but mercifully short form the foundation of all my accomplishments as a natural bodybuilder and most importantly it allowed me the ability to always have the time to train. Even over the past two decades that have seen me become a parent to five, working two jobs and now as an independent business owner that probably does far more than he should. The bottom line is that quality trumps quantity and at the end of the day consistency and sustainability are the most important aspects of any training program.

 

Overeating is indeed a problem for many today and it would be both unfair and irresponsible to brand calls to eat less as being without merit. Nutritional guidelines are not written for advanced athletes but rather for the sedentary majority of the population and they must take into consideration the foods that said population regularly consumes when recommendations are made. That being said, eating less processed foods are always a good idea, especially for those who are relatively inactive, but given the fact that we may very well have a genetic predisposition towards eating more as a lasting artifact of our earlier days of existence when we were more active, attempts to circumvent this inherent tendency may always be doomed to failure. Instead, the ideal may very well be an embrace of the idea of eating more and doing more to lose weight and keep it off.

 

If you enjoyed this article be sure to click here to download a copy of Kevin’s free weight loss ebook

 

Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, natural bodybuilding champion, creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. Read more about the science behind his high intensity training programs at his official website at www.naturallyintense.net

 

 

 

References

1. Stunkard AJ, McLaren-Hume M. The results of treatment for obesity. Arch Int Med 1959
2. Kassirer J, Angell M. Losing weight—an ill-fated New Year’s resolution. N Engl J Med 1998
3. Wing RR, Hill JO. Successful weight loss maintenance. Annu Rev Nutr 2001
4. Hedley AA, Ogden CL, Johnson CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Flegal KN. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents, and adults, 1999–2002. JAMA 2004
5. Allison DB, Fontaine KR, Manson JE, Stevens J, VanItallie TB. Annual deaths attributable to obesity in the United States. JAMA 1999
6. Eaton SB, Konner MJ. Paleolithic nutrition. A consideration of its nature and current implications. N Engl J Med 1988
7.Cordain L, Watkins BA, Florant GL, Kehler M, Rogers L, Li Y. Fatty acid analysis of wild ruminant tissues: evolutionary implications for reducing diet-related chronic disease. Eur J Clin Nutr 2002
8. Cordain L, Eaton SB, Sebastian A, Mann N, Lindeberg S, Watkins BA, O’Keefe JH, Brand-Miller. Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century.  J. Am J Clin Nutr 2005
9. Cordain L, Gotshall RW, Eaton SB. Physical activity, energy expenditure and fitness: an evolutionary perspective. Int J Sports Med 1998
10. Cordain L, Brand Miller J, Eaton SB, Mann N, Holt SHA, Speth JD. Plant to animal subsistence ratios and macronutrient energy estimations in world wide hunter-gatherer diets. Am J Clin Nutr 2000
11. Nelson GJ, Schmidt PC, Kelley DS. Low-fat diets do not lower plasma cholesterol levels in healthy men compared to high-fat diets with similar fatty acid composition at constant caloric intake. Lipids 1995
12. O. Kaidar-Person, B. Person, S. Szomstein, and R. J. Rosenthal, “Nutritional deficiencies in morbidly obese patients: a new form of malnutrition? Part A: vitamins,” Obesity Surgery, 2008.
13. O. Kaidar-Person, B. Person, S. Szomstein, and R. J. Rosenthal, “Nutritional deficiencies in morbidly obese patients: a new form of malnutrition? Part B: minerals,” Obesity Surgery, 2008.
14. Gould SJ. The structure of evolutionary theory. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002.
15. Boaz NT. Evolving health: the origins of illness and how the modern world is making us sick. New York: Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2002.
16. Nesse RM, Williams GC. Why we get sick. The new science of Darwinian medicine. New York: Times Books, 1994.
17. Eaton SB & Eaton SB  An evolutionary perspective on human physical activity: implications for health. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 2003
18. Eaton SB, Konner M & Shostak M (1988) Stone Agers in the fast lane: chronic degenerative diseases in evolutionary perspective. American Journal of Medicine
19. Walker A & Leakey R (editors) (1993) Perspectives on the Nariokotome Homo erectus skeleton. In The Nariokotome Homo Erectus Skeleton. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
20. Ruff CB, Trikhaus E, Walker A, Larsen CS. Post cranial robusticity in Homo. 1. Temporal trends and mechanical interpretation, Am. J. Physical Anthropol. 1993
21. Bridges PS. Skeletal biology and behavior in ancient humans. Evol. Anthropol. 1996
22. Marlowe, F. W. “Hunter-gatherers and human evolution”. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews. 2005
23. SB Eaton et al. Paleolithic nutrition revisited. Euro J. Clin. Nutr. 1997
24. National health and nutrition examination survey. Intake of calories and selected nutrients for the United States population 1999-2000. CDC
25. Cordain L, Gotshall RW & Eaton SB. Physical activity, energy expenditures and fitness: an evolutionary perspective. International Journal of Sports Medicine 1988
26. Astrand P-O. Whole body metabolism. In: Horton E, Terjung R. editors. Exercise, Nutrition and Energy Metabolism. MacMillan 1988
27. Sahlins MD. Notes on the original affluent society. In: Lee RB, DeVore I. editors. Man the hunter. Aldine 1968
28. Lee RB. The !Kung San. Men, women and work in a foraging society. Cambridge University Press 1979
29. Gilba MJ. High-intensity Interval Training: A Time-efficient Strategy for Health Promotion. Canada Current Sports Medicine Reports 2007
30. Tremblay, A. et al. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Canada Metabolism. 1994
31. Burgomaster KA, Krista R. Howarth KR, Phillips SM, Rakobowchuk M, MacDonald MJ, McGee SL, Gibala MJ Similar metabolic adaptations during exercise after low volume sprint interval and traditional endurance training in humans. – J Physiol 2008
32. Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki M, Hirai Y, Ogita F, Miyachi M, Yamamoto K. Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max.-Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1996

33. Toobey J, Cosimides L. The past explains the present; emotional adaptations and the structure of ancestral environments. Ethol Sociobiol 1990
34. Kious, Brent M. Hunter-gatherer Nutrition and Its Implications for Modern Societies. Nutrition Noteworthy. 2002

35. Wang C, Catlin DH, Starcevic B, Heber D, Ambler C, Berman N, Lucas G, Leung A, Schramm K, Lee PW, Hull L, Swerdloff RS. Low-fat high-fiber diet decreased serum and urine androgens in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005

Five Ways Eating Nuts Can Help You Lose Weight

 

Losing weight can appear to be a relatively simple affair- reduce your calorie intake to the point where you consume less calories than your body uses and you will lose weight. Easier said than done for a mountain of reasons, but this concept of striving for a negative energy balance is nonetheless the key rationale behind most weight loss endeavors. To that end, it makes sense to eliminate or restrict the intake of high calorie and high fat foods like nuts. A logical step since it would appear to be all too easy to go over your daily calorie limits by eating several handfuls of these tasty but high energy snacks. However reviews of all the studies on the matter clearly demonstrate that in this case you can indeed have your cake and eat it as they say. In fact, those who eat nuts as a regular part of their diet tend to have a lower BMI when compared to those who don’t.[1,2,3] Further complicating the issue is the rather contradictory finding that you can lose weight even if you consume more calories than your body needs if those calories come from nuts.[5] In fact those who add nuts as a regular part of their weight loss protocols on average lose more weight than those who don’t. A somewhat puzzling and counter-intuitive happenstance but in this article we will take a look at the mechanisms behind this phenomenon and explore five ways that eating nuts can help you lose weight and stay on track with your diet.

 

As far back as the Stone Age, nuts have been a part of our diet with evidence of its regular consumption from archeological sites dating back over 780,000 years. Recently, nuts have been recognized as an invaluable source of health promoting and heart friendly nutrients such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, protein and fiber. Nuts are also excellent sources of vitamin E, and those eating nuts on a regular basis have higher intakes of folate, beta-carotene, vitamin K, lutein, phosphorous, copper, selenium, potassium and zinc per 1000 calories when compared to those who do not.[29]Also found in nuts are plant sterols and phytochemicals- whose benefits are not fully understood but seem to play a role along with the other nutrients in nuts in conferring some protection against cardiovascular disease.[4] Thus, not surprisingly, more and more public health  authorities recommend nuts be integrated into everyone’s diet.[28] However since it is indeed a rich source of fats and a high calorie food, and as we mentioned previously, many avoid eating them for fear of gaining weight even though numerous studies show that this is not usually the case. Some of the nutritional concepts behind why nuts don’t contribute significantly to weight gain can seem to be somewhat involved and are seldom fully explained in the media. That being said, here are five of the ways that nuts can help you lose weight- attributes that hold true for all varieties of nuts.

 

How Nuts Help You Lose Weight- 1. All The Calories From Nuts Don’t Count

 

One of the most confusing aspects of understanding calories is that what we see on food labels doesn’t always reflect the true biologically available energy content of a food.[6] For the most part, calorie values are relatively accurate but there are some exceptions and nuts happen to be one of them. The calorie values we use today are direct results from the work of Wilbur Atwater, arguably the father of nutritional sciences here in the United States. Who created the caloric standards that we use today in the early years of the 20th century to measure the energy yield of our foods. These values are well known by most with any familiarity with nutrition: Proteins and carbohydrates are estimated to have 4 Calories per gram, while fat, which is higher in energy yield has 9 Calories per gram. These numbers work remarkably well for most instances requiring energy estimation. However they don’t necessarily tell the whole story, especially where nuts and plant proteins are concerned. It might be a surprise to some to learn that according to Atwater’s measurements, most protein foods have a true calorie yield of 5.65 Calories per gram. (Learn more in my in depth article on Understanding Calories)

 

The discrepancy lies in the fact that not all of the calories in a protein can be fully used by our bodies. Proteins contain high levels of nitrogen, which is not oxidized and instead is converted mostly into urea and excreted in urine. Thus some of the calories found in protein foods cannot be absorbed by our bodies and Atwater’s calorie values take this into account. That’s why the calorie estimates for protein foods are set at 4 Calories per gram and not 5.65 as it measures the biologically available calories. A corrective estimate is added to calorie values to compensate not just for proteins, but for all foods, as our digestive system never uses 100% of any food that we consume. Thus any calories contained in undigested particles don’t count towards our overall energy intake and this is accounted for in the calorie values of most foods to give an accurate assessment of how much energy our body can obtain by consuming them.

 

It isn’t a perfect system as it doesn’t accurately gauge the calorie values of nuts, which our body is unable to fully digest and so we are unable to absorb all of the calories from them.[7,8,9] Most foods are estimated to have a net loss of about 10% figured into their calorie values due to undigested particles, but studies have found the values for nuts to be 10 to 15% higher than those estimates. So assuming you needed 2,500 Calories to maintain your body weight and regularly ate let’s say 300 Calories above your metabolic requirements. If those calories came from regular foods you would, in accordance with the laws of thermodynamics see an increase in your body weight over time. However, if those extra calories came from eating nuts you wouldn’t gain weight since all the listed calories from nuts don’t count.

 

This inability to digest all the calories from nuts comes from the resistance of the parenchymal cell walls of nuts to the gut enzymes and bacteria that break down our foods. As a result, cells that aren’t broken down from chewing may pass through our bodies without releasing the high calorie fats they contain.[10,11] This is one reason you should choose whole nuts over nut butters as studies have found a much greater energy loss from whole nuts compared with nut butters.[12,13]

 

How Nuts Help You Lose Weight- 2.The More Nuts You Eat The Less You Eat

One of the main ways that nuts can help you lose weight is by reducing the size and frequency of eating.[5] Eating nuts makes us feel not necessarily full, but satisfied.[28] This high satiety effect goes a long way in reducing how much food we eat after consuming them and studies have found that between 55 to 75% of the calories added to our diets from nuts are offset by the subsequent reduction in energy intake from other foods.[5] The fiber, protein, fats and phytochemicals in nuts all require significant processing in our mouths before swallowing. This coupled with a very distinct and energy rich flavor seems to go a long way in making us eat less and better adhere to weight loss diets.[14]

 

How Nuts Help You Lose Weight- 3. The More You Chew The Less You Eat

 

Nuts aren’t like processed snacks that are designed to be easily eaten as they do require some degree of chewing to crush them into pieces small enough for us to swallow. Chewing activates mechanical nutrient and sensory signaling systems that appear to significantly affect our appetite. The act of chewing (mastication) breaks the parenchymal cell walls of the nut and liberates some (but not all) of the fats and proteins they encase. These nutrients promote the release of appetite related peptide hormones in the intestines such as cholecystokinin (CKK) and glucagon-like protein 1 (GLP-1) which in turn increases our feeling of satiety and prompts us to eat less.[18-20] Anyone who appreciates eating nuts can also attest to the fireworks that seem to go off in your mouth when you eat them. Apparently the sensory properties from the taste of nuts stimulates our salivary glands, digestive system and increases metabolism.[15] Perhaps as a way our body prepares to get the most out of the nutrients it can derive from the foods we eat. A rather controlled clinical study found that chewing almonds 25 times (which is the average number for most people who eat almonds without trying to choke) elicits the strongest reduction in hunger and increased feeling of fullness two hours after eating, compared to chewing 10 or 40 times.[16] Which leads us to believe there is no need to exaggerate chewing in order to reap the appetite suppressing attributes of nuts since regular chewing seems to do the trick.

 

How Nuts Help You Lose Weight- 4. Shells Can Slow You Down & Make You Eat Less

While pure peanut and nut butters are listed as a healthy additions to a wholesome diet, as we have mentioned previously, there is something to be said about the mechanics of chewing to help us get the most benefits out of eating nuts. This applies to many foods that are processed as well, since processing can remove some of the important properties of foods we have evolved to eat over the past several thousand years. Bear in mind that the human genome hasn’t changed much changed since the emergence of behaviorally modern humans some 150,000 years and so we are still genetically adapted to eat the foods consumed by our remote ancestors [17,18,19,20,21] and in their minimally processed or unprocessed forms as they have been eaten for countless generations. That being said, for optimal weight management it is always wise to eat foods like nuts in as natural a form as possible- and while eating shelled nuts may be more convenient, it is a better practice to eat nuts that are still in their shells. The form in which nuts are available is a very real factor in regards to our overall appetites, as the extra preparation time required slows down our rates of consumption. That it takes longer to eat nuts when they must be first removed from their shells increases the metabolic signals of satiety- which can thus reduce the amount of calories we consume in a sitting.[22] An invaluable side effect for anyone trying to control their eating habits.

 

 

How Nuts Help You Lose Weight- 5 Nuts Taste Good & Act As A Replacement For Unhealthy Snacks

One of the most important, if not the most important aspects of any diet is sustainability, as results can only occur if you are consistently able to adhere to an energy reduced diet.[23,24] Weight loss regimes that center only around bland and unpalatable foods are always doomed to eventual failure as we are by nature designed to enjoy the foods we eat. Far too often we focus on the numbers- how many calories need to be consumed and what foods are best to reach that quota efficiently. In so doing many experts in the field forget that long term compliance to an uneventful but calorically correct diet is unlikely for the overwhelming majority of the population. Studies have shown, however that including nuts as a staple in weight loss diets increases long term adherence and augments overall weight loss.[25,26] It makes perfect sense since having nuts in your diet allows for a tasty and calorie rich food while watching your calories otherwise. A much needed break that serves not only to reduce the cravings for unhealthy high calorie snacks, but also increases the likelihood that you will stay on your diet.

 

Additional Health Benefits

Add to these five important weight loss factors, the bad cholesterol (LDL) lowering effects of nuts[45] and it is clear that nuts should indeed be an integral part of any diet designed for optimal health and weight management. So much so that the US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Nutrition stated that: “Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.” Also of note is the fact that most of the U.S. population falls short of the recommended intakes for magnesium, a mineral that is often lost in processed foods and one where chronically low intakes appear to be linked to an increased risk of osteoporosis.[30,31] All nuts and seeds contain magnesium and inclusion of more nuts and seeds in could make a significant contribution towards protection against chronic insufficiency of magnesium.[29] that being said, replacing refined high carbohydrate snacks with nuts could have a significant positive impact on dietary nutrient density and risk of developing chronic disease. Nuts are useful not only as snacks, but stand on their own almost as a specific food group, providing a viable protein substitute for vegetarians who do not consume meat or animal products, as 1/2 ounce of nuts or one tablespoon of peanut butter is considered to be nutritionally equivalent to 1 ounce of lean meat, poultry or fish.[29] In terms of weight loss, not only is the consumption of nuts not associated with weight gain, but the evidence highlights the tried and true pattern of healthy weight management by eating natural foods. Foods that have been part of our diet as human beings for millennia- and in a form that is as raw an unprocessed as possible.

 

Thanks for reading and if you enjoyed this article feel free to get a copy of Kevin’s free weight loss ebook here.

 

Personal trainer NYC Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, natural bodybuilding champion and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training.

 

References:

1. Natoli S, McCoy P. A review of the evidence: nuts and body weight. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2007

2. Sabate J. Nut consumption and body weight. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003

3. Rajaram S, Sabate J. Nuts, body weight and insulin resistance. Br J Nutr. 2006

4.Penny M Kris-Etherton, Shaomei Yu-Poth, Joan Sabaté, Hope E Ratcliffe, Guixiang Zhao and Terry D Etherton. Nuts and their bioactive constituents: effects on serum lipids and other factors that affect disease risk. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September 1999

5. Mattes RD, Kris-Etherton PM, Foster GD. Impact of peanuts and tree nuts on body weight and health weight loss in adults. J Nut. 2008

6. Trivedi B. The calorie delusion. New Sci. 2009

7. Haddad E, Sabate J. Effect of pecan consumption on stool fat. FASEB J. 2000

8. Cassady BA, Hollis JH, Fulford AD, Considine RV, Mattes RD. Mastication of almonds: effects of lipid bioaccessibility, appetite, and hormone response. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009

9. Ellis PR, Kendall CWC, Ren Y, Parker C, Pacy JF, Waldron KW, Jenkins DJA. Role of cell walls in the bioaccessibility of lipids in almond seeds. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004

10. Kendall CWC, Jenkins DJA, Marchie A, Ren Y, Ellis PR, Lapsley KG. Energy availability from almonds: implications for weight loss and cardiovascular health. A randomized controlled dose response trial. FASEB J. 2003

11. Zemaitis J, Sabate J. Effect of almond consumption on stool weight and stool fat. FASEB J. 2001.

12.Hollis J, Mattes R. Effect of chronic consumption of almonds on body weight in healthy humans. Br J Nutr. 2007

13.Levine AS, Silvis SE. Absorption of whole peanuts, peanut oil, and peanut butter. N Engl J Med. 1980

14. Kirkmeyer SV, Mattes RD. Effects of food attributes on hunger and food intake. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord.2000

15.Eisenstein J, Roberts SB, Dallal G, Saltzman E. High protein weigh loss diets: are they safe and do they work? A review of the experimental and epidemiological data. Nutr Rev. 2002

16. Cassady BA, Hollis JH, Fulford AD, Considine RV, Mattes. RD. Mastication of almonds: effects of lipid bioaccessibility,appetite, and hormone response. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009

17. Eaton SB. The ancestral human diet: what was it and should it be a paradigm for contemporary nutrition? Proc Nutr Soc 2006

18. Eaton SB, Eaton SB 3rd, Konner MJ. Paleolithic nutrition revisited: a twelve-year retrospective on its nature and implications. Eur J Clin Nutr 1997

19. Cordain L, Eaton SB, Sebastian A, et al. Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century. Am J Clin Nutr 2005

20. Eaton SB, Konner M. Paleolithic nutrition. A consideration of its nature and current implications. N Engl J Med 1985

21. Eaton SB, Konner M, Shostak M. Stone agers in the fast lane: chronic degenerative diseases in evolutionary perspective. Am J Med 1988

22. Painter, J. The pistachio principle: calorie reduction without calorie restriction. Weight Management Matters. 2008

23.Sacks FM, Bray GA, Carey VJ, Smith SR, Ryan DH, Anton SD et al. Comparison of weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. N Engl J Med. 2009

24. Shai I, Schwarzfuchs D, Henkin Y, Shahar DR, Witkow S, Greenberg I et al. Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low fat diet. N Engl J Med. 2008

25. McManus K, Antinoro L, Sacks F. A randomized controlled trial of a moderate-fat, low-energy diet compared with a low fat, low-energy diet for weight loss in overweight adults. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001

26. Wien MA, Sabate J., Ikle DN, Cole SE, Kandeel FR. Almonds vs complex carbohydrates in weight reduction program. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003

27. McKiernan F, Lokko P, Kuevi, A, Sales, RL, Costa, NMB, Bressan J, Alfenas, RCG, Mattes RD. Effect of peanut processing on body weight and fasting plasma lipids. Br J Nutr.

28. Mattes RD. Dreher ML Nuts and healthy body weight maintenance mechanisms. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2010

29 King JC, Blumberg J, Ingwersen L, Jenab M, Tucker KL. Tree Nuts and peanuts as components of a healthy diet. Journal of Nutr 2007

30. Tuker KL, Hannan MT, Chen H, Cupples LA, Wilson PW, Kiel DP, Potassium, magensium and fruit and vegetable intakes are associated with greater bone mineral density in elderly men and women. Am J Clin Nutr 1999

31. Ma J, Folsom AR, Melnick SL, Eckfeldt JH, Sharrett AR, Nabulsi AA, Hutchinson RG, Metcalf PA. Associations of serum and dietary magnesium with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, insulin, and carotid arterial wall thickness: the ARIC study. Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. J Clin Epidemiol. 1995

Exercise Addiction: Part 2- The Steps Leading To Exercise Addiction

 

Originally thought to be an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), exercise addiction distinguishes itself from impulse control disorders in several important ways. With compulsive disorders the individual obsesses about performing ritualistic activity that revolves around unrealistic outcomes. Take the common OCD example of an individual who can’t stop washing their hands out of a need to remain germ free.[1] It’s not possible nor realistic to not have germs on your hands, nor is it rational to spend significant amounts of time worrying about contracting disease from germs on your hands. In any case the desired outcome of the obsessive behavior is unrealistic. Contrast this with the addict thinking about their next hit and how they will feel as a result. In addiction the individual ruminates about a very realistic,  although negative, outcome from his or her behavior- regardless of the consequences.[2]  This along with the development of tolerance, withdrawal symptoms and relapse readily separates exercise addiction from anxiety-related compulsive disorders. To determine behavior that can be classified as exercise addiction, it must conform with the following four phases of addiction.[3] Phases that are best illustrated by the following example:

 

Jenny found that she was putting on a few extra pounds and decides to join a gym with hopes of losing weight and getting in shape. Going to the gym every evening after work she discovers that she really enjoys how much her training program improves her strength and appearance and the way it makes her feel. The workouts help her forget the stress of her everyday life and provide a much needed break from some of her problems and worries. In time, a trainer at the gym suggests that she enters a figure competition and she increases her training to a routine of cardio and weight training twice a day for several months. After successfully competing and placing well in the show, she likes how she looks and feels and decides to continue training twice a day and she increases her time on the treadmill as it helps her keep her mind clear. Friends and family are concerned that she spends so much time in the gym and she is noticeably absent from important social gatherings if they occur during her scheduled gym times. Her knees and shins hurt but she ignores it thinking “no pain-no gain.”One day she feels a sharp pain in her ankle- she has suffered a severe sprain and her physician recommends that she stop training for a while. After the first day of not training she feels irritable and has a sense that something isn’t right. She misses training terribly and is becomes more and more depressed. Against medical advice, she returns to the gym to do some weight training, but several days later she decides to get back on the treadmill. She runs until her ankle gives out completely.

 

 

Exercise Addiction: Phase 1- Recreational Exercise

In the above example, Jenny goes through distinct phases on her way to developing behavior that can be defined as addictive. Phases that are key barometers of whether someone is engaged in healthy activity or negative addictive behavior. In the first phase there is Recreational Exercise, where Jenny’s primary motivation for training is an appreciation of the physical changes to her body and the pleasure that comes with physical activity. This behavior is under control with little or no risk of negative consequences, aside from manageable muscle soreness after the workout, and occurs within the parameters of the individual’s schedule. Such activity can be stopped at any time with little or no consequences. Unlike addictive behavior this phase of healthy recreational exercise enhances quality of life unlike exercise addiction which makes life unmanageable.[4]

 

Exercise Addiction: Phase 2 At Risk Exercise

 

In the second phase At Risk Exercise occurs. This happens when the individual discovers through recreational exercise that training can have a profound effect on his or her mood and self esteem. In the cited example, Jenny finds that she can temporarily escape the problems of her life while exercising and that she feels much better about herself as well. It is a well documented fact that exercise can increase self esteem and decrease the negative effects associated with depression and anxiety.[5] (See my article on Exercise & Depression). This mood altering effect occurs with both aerobic type activities such as running as well as anaerobic exercises such as weight training. ]6,7,8,9,10]

 

One commonly cited explanation is that during exercise our bodies release endorphins, which are naturally occurring opiates that create a feeling of euphoria and well being. ‘The runner’s high’ or the physical rush of feeling alive that is often described by those who push their bodies to the limit a regular basis. Unfortunately, with some individuals, over time the increased endorphin production from regular exercise results in a reduction (down-regulation) of the amount of endorphins produced while not exercising. Thus they feel compelled to exercise as a way of maintaining a natural balance in the brain. [4] Other proposed mechanisms explaining the connection between mood improvement and regular exercise are the thermogenic and catecholamine hypotheses. In the thermogenic hypothesis, the increase in body temperature is thought to be responsible for decreased anxiety.[11]) Whereas in the catecholamine hypothesis, catecholamines which are linked to changes in mood, alertness, movement, cardiovascular and hormonal responses, are thought to be the cause of elevated mood during physical activity. [12]

 

Regardless of the biology behind mood elevation, the problem lies in the individual’s primary motivation for exercising. With healthy physical activity, enjoyment of the activity and its benefits are the driving reasons to exercise. However with at risk exercise, motivation comes not from enjoyment of the activity but from the stress relief it creates, the improved self-esteem and relief from anger, depression and boredom.[4,13,14] Studies show that the likelihood of exercise addiction is far greater among those who exercise to escape negative feelings or change their appearance to improve self esteem as compared to those who train to improve fitness and performance.[4] The more physical activity becomes the sole means of relieving stress the more likely addiction is to occur.[35] The transition between at risk exercise is also marked by periods where negative physical consequences such as repetitive injuries  become increasingly common. In the example given, Jenny’s ankle injury is a direct negative consequence of her extreme exercise routine.

 

Exercise Addiction Phase 3- Problematic Exercise

The third phase is known as Problematic Exercise and it occurs when the individual begins to rigidly schedule their daily lives around their exercise program. [32] In the example given, Jenny begins to miss more and more social events with friends and family, especially those that would interfere with her scheduled workouts. With problematic exercise the individual also tends to experience withdrawal symptoms, as evidenced by Jenny’s feelings of depression and irritability when she stops training temporarily due to injury. In this stage there is the beginning of a  loss of control as the motivation to exercise becomes the desire to escape the withdrawal symptoms that come with stopping.

 

Exercise Addiction: Phase 4- Addiction.

The fourth and final phase is Exercise Addiction. At this point life revolves around training and in spite of feeling the physical rush that comes with exercise, the individual continues to increase the volume, frequency or intensity of training- regardless of any negative outcomes. In the example, Jenny goes from someone who exercised to improve her life, to someone for whom exercise makes life almost unbearable as she feels compelled to train primarily to avoid dealing with the lows that come with withdrawal. So much so that it exacerbates the gravity of her ankle injury. At this stage there are almost always negative outcomes in the form of injuries and the inability to meet social obligations and role obligations. In many cases this behavior leads to clinical depression.[4]

 

Exercise Addiction Risk Factors: Why do Some People Become Addicted?

Why some people succumb to exercise addiction while others do not is an important question to ask. Study reviews estimate that exercise addiction occurs in only 3% of the general population. [16] A figure that makes it relatively rare but its incidence has been found to be much higher among certain groups such as ultra-marathon runners and sports science students.[16,17,18] While there are no large scale studies conducted with this particular population, given the relationship between addictive behaviors and disorders among exercisers who have a high need for perfection and control over their bodies and lives,[4] I would assume the rate of exercise addition to be higher as well among competitive bodybuilders, fitness, figure and bikini  competitors. A high incidence that my own personal experiences with individuals in the sport and among regular gym goers over the past two decades leads me to believe to be all too true. Rates of addiction have indeed found to be quite high among regular gym goers as one French study found 42% of the members of a club in Paris exhibiting signs of exercise addiction.[19] Research has shown that there are a number of risk factors that can predispose someone regularly involved in highly engaged levels of training to exercise addiction. Risk factors that hold true for any form of addiction such as genetic and neurological predispositions, negative peers, low self-esteem, juvenile delinquency, parental drug use and low levels of social conformity.[35]

 

Some research has shown that exercise addicted individuals also tend to have other addictive behaviors that co-occur with their exercise addiction. Buying addiction, work addiction and sex addiction has been identified as common among those addicted to exercise [19,20,21,22] and some estimate that 15-20% of exercise addicted individuals are addicted to nicotine, alcohol or illegal drugs.[23] Experts propose that addictions are seldom singular in nature and athletes suffering from exercise addiction are especially susceptible to developing  or suffering from substance abuse related addictions using stimulants to improve performance and body composition such as amphetamines, ephedra, cocaine or caffeine. [24-25] The use of anabolic steroids has also been similarly linked to the use of cocaine and illicit substance abuse[26,27] and while there is little research available again my experience has been that some steroid users show very real signs of co-addictions and eating disorders.

Exercise Addiction & Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are the most common disorders that co-occur with exercise addiction with anywhere from 39-48% of people with eating disorders also suffering from exercise addiction.[28,29,36] For many the primary motivation for exercise is weight loss in the extreme- termed anoerxia athletica[37,31] and it is often paired with vomiting, use of laxatives and diet pills to avoid any potential weight gain from regular calorie consumption.[30]This is a very serious problem for many women, however it is becoming clear that men do suffer from eating disorders as well.[32] The problem is that while eating disorders are regularly diagnosed and treated, the co-occurring exercise addiction is often left unchecked. Repetitive injuries can often be a sign of exercise addiction, however they are usually not identified by clinicians as such due to the lack of material on hand regarding this form of addiction.

 Treating Exercise Addiction

Treating exercise addiction is difficult and presents some very real practical challenges as unlike other addictions where abstinence is usually the ultimate goal, exercise is a positive activity and an important part of overall health. Thus in addition to several forms of cognitive therapy, the emphasis is on finding a balance and a return to moderate recreational exercise as opposed to stopping completely.[33] In some cases other forms of exercise may be suggested as well- for example a runner may be advised to take up swimming or a weight trainer advised to try hiking and other outdoor activities. Since exercise is often prescribed as a remedy for those suffering from depression, care must also be taken in ensuring that such at risk populations do not develop addictive behaviors by using exercise as their sole coping mechanism and by having physical activity dominate their lives. Essentially trading depression for a potentially harmful addiction. Nevertheless exercise remains a valuable tool in treating depression, but there is a need for more large scale studies documenting exercise addiction. It is hoped that this article will at the very least provide an overview of exercise addiction and help avid exercisers distinguish it from highly engaged forms of exercise. Like all addictions and disorders, if you do suspect that you have a problem, the earlier you get help the better the outcomes tend to be. It’s hard to look at a habit of regular exercise as a problem, but exercise can indeed sometimes be too much of a good thing.[34] Below is a standardized short form for basic evaluation of potential exercise addiction-

Click Here For A Basic Exercise Addiction Evaluation

 

Read Part 1 of  Our Series On Exercise Addiction Here:

Exercise Addiction: Part 1 of 2

Other Related Articles:

Is Exercise As Effective As Medication For The Treatment of Depression

High Intensity Training As A Relief For Depression

 

Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer, natural bodybuilding champion, creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. Visit his official website at www.naturallyintense.net to learn more about his personal training services.

 

 

 

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