Captain's Log - November 08, 2012

Hello internet people,

Sorry I have been quiet lately. I have been doing a lot of reading but haven't had much time to summarize and post. My contract at my current job ends in December (I was filling in at this location for a maternity leave) so I am on the job hunt once again. BUT, I am in the process of typing up some more of my highlighted articles/scribble notes (Including Article 7 that is part of the new guideline I posted today).

PACO (my gut) is down a 1/2 inch since the first guideline. I haven't stuck to it 100% diehard but the effort I have made has really helped. I try to eat lower carb options during the day and then I can have pasta or a potato or whatever at dinner with no worries. I used to eat bagels A LOT for breakfasts/lunches and just toning that down has been helpful. It's not that hard because you don't feel really deprived, you just say "I can have that food at dinner or as a treat for dessert".

I have put the new guideline into action this week. I have a bag of nuts at my desk for if I get hungry in the afternoon (protein and good fats instead of the temptation of chips or cookies) and I have been taking vitamin C caps (I'm not a huge fan of oranges or orange juice) so this works for me. I have been keeping up with walking. My uncle and I walk 4 days a week, even if its just a couple times around the block. I have also been trying to take 10 seconds a couple times a day to close my eyes and take a few deep breaths - even if I'm not stressed. Just to relax.

That's all for now :)

Amanda

GUIDELINE #2

GUIDELINE #2

Manage stress hormones, especially Cortisol using relaxation, aerobic exercise that releases feel good endorphins (ARTICLE 6) and a higher consumption of monounsaturated fatty acids; intake of dietary fiber, vitamin C, and alcohol (ARTICLE 7)

ARTICLE SUMMARY #6

ARTICLE SUMMARY #6

Drapeau, V., Therrien, F., Richard, D., & Tremblay, A. (2003). Is visceral obesity a physiological adaptation to stress? Panminerva Medica, 45(3), 189-95.

·         Visceral obesity is associated with a disruption of the functioning of the HPA axis

-       HPA Axis stands for “hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis” and is basically acts as a liaison communicating the interactions between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal glands. It plays a huge  part of the system that controls the body’s  reaction to stress

·         Abdominal fat storage has been associated with when the HPA-Axis is set off by stress

·         HPA axis activation increases cortisol production which has been shown increase appetite, consumption of food and anti-thermogenic effects (this is the opposite of a thermogenic effect which produces weight loss)

·         “Since abdominal adipose tissue has more cells per mass units, higher blood flow and more glucocorticoid receptors, glucocorticoids affect abdominal fat to a greater extent than subcutaneous adipose tissue” (I quoted this because I couldn’t word it any more clearly myself)

·          Cushing's syndrome is evidence that links overproduction of cortisol (hypercortisolemia) and accumulation of central fat.

-       Visually, people with Cushing’s Syndrome are centrally obese. They carry all of their weight in abdominal area and face (“moon face”). They tend to have more slender limbs and a very small bum. There are lots of pictures on the internet if you are interested.

·         “Hervey's hypothesis”suggests that fat cells take up and metabolizes cortisol and has a regulatory effect that adapts the body into accumulating visceral fat in response to stress.

-       Evidence shows obesity is associated with an increased cortisol clearance. Hormonal and enzymatic changes have been implicated in this preferential body fat accumulation in response to stress.

·         Genetics can emphasize this belly fat storage

·         Article discusses that this could be a vicious cycle. People gain weight because stress and excess weight causes stress  - they clearly state that “Even if the available literature does not permit to establish clearly which comes first, it suggests that visceral obesity could represent a non optimal physiological adaptation to stress”

·         Article suggests that treatment of visceral obesity  should focus on stress management to help break the stress/fat circle.

ARTICLE 5 SUMMARY

ARTICLE 5 SUMMARY

Abe, T., Kawakami, Y., Sugita, M., & Fukunaga, T. (1997). Relationship between training frequency and subcutaneous and visceral fat in women. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 29(12), 1549-1553.

·         Twenty-six  healthy women with sedentary lifestyles ( defined as less than 30min a day, 1 day a week) were randomly assigned to three groups:

1.       Control group – changed nothing

2.       Group that performed aerobic exercise 1-2 sessions/week and restricted calorie program

 (-200 cal from current intake)

3.       Group that performed aerobic exercise 3-4/week and maintaining current caloric intake

·         Training programs lasted 13 weeks. Aerobic activity consisted of stationary cycling with intensity set at 50-60% of maximal heart rate

·         Weight was measured using hydrostatic weighing technique

·         Visceral vs. Subcutaneous fat was measured using B-mode ultrasonography

·         Results

-          Average energy cost of each training session ranged from 150 to 220 calories

-          Approx weekly caloric deficits were 1960 cal/week

-          Reduction in total body weight, body fat % and total fat mass following training was significant for both Groups 2 & 3.

-          Group 3 showed no training induced differences in Visceral fat

-          Subcutaneus fat was significantly reduced in Groups 3 but not Group 2.

-          Group 2 exercised less and had less change in subcutaneous fat, there was a significant loss in visceral fat.

-          Group 3 exercised more with less diet restriction and lost more subcutaneous fat than visceral fat but both losses were significant.

·         Findings

-          Decrease in subcutaneous fat (but not visceral) is proportional to the amount of aerobic exercise training whereas Visceral fat appears to be related more to a caloric deficit.

Birthday Post

Hey Internet People

Today is my birthday and marks my 27th year which I have deemed the year of Amanda (THE SUMMER OF GEORGE!....no?...no Seinfeld watchers here? Oh well). Which means tomorrow starts my journey of putting what I've read so far into practice.

As of today - Paco (my giant Buddah belly) measures 55 inches in circumference. I had a WTF moment and didn't believe it - I re-measured twice more to confirm. I walked 7km last night - I wonder howmuch bigger he would be if I didn't walk? hrrmmmmm

I know for many of you this blog is moving a little slow but I am doing my best to keep up with life (work, family, sanity, etc) and still read these academic articles. Take a beak and check back every week or so and see what's new. I'm averaging just over 100 views a day and feel bad when I don't get around to posting.

Have fun and make good choices,

Amanda

ARTICLE #4 SUMMARY

ARTICLE #4 SUMMARY

Abdominal fat and what to do about it. (2006). Harvard Women's Health Watch, 14(4), 1-3.

NOTE: This was very much so an "overview" article and I don't think I will make guidelines from it until I get to review the original research referenced (which is included in the reference list of this blog to be reviewed)

Intro

·         As women age, their proportion of to body weight tends to increase (especially during menopause)

·         Visceral fat has been linked to metabolic disturbances, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, higher LDL (bad) cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes

·         In women, visceral fat has been linked to breast cancer, colorectal cancer  and the need for gallbladder surgery

·         Fat accumulated in pear-shaped women (weight carried in lower half) is subcutaneous fat while those with apple shaped bodies (weight carried in middle) is largely visceral.

Common causes of abdominal fat in women:

·         Heredity (genetics) can influence your shape. A number of genes have been identified that determine how many fat cells an individual has and where their fat gets stored

·         Hormones are also a big player

o   lowered estrogen can lead to increased abdominal fat after menopause

o   menopause can also lead to an increase of cortisol, the stress hormone that promotes the accumulation of abdominal fat

·         There is much evidence that waist circumference is a better predictor of health problems than BMI

Our fat is not lazy

·         Abdominal fat is biologically active and should be thought of as an endocrine organ/gland that produces hormones than just a storage area

·         Fat releases leptin (hormone that lowers appetite) after meals

·         Fat releases adiponectin (chemical that affects your body’s response to insulin)

·         Excess body fat disrupts the normal balance and functioning of these hormones

·         One reason visceral fat is so harmful is because of its location near the portal vein (vein that carries blood from the intestinal area to the liver)

What can we do about visceral fat?

·         What works

o   At least 30 min of physical activity a day - Duke University Medical Center study shows - non-exercisers experienced nearly 9% gain in visceral fat after 6 months compared to those who walked/jogged the equivalent of 12 miles per week who put on no visceral fat

o   Strength training – study where experimental group received 1 hour of strength training 2x a week reduced total body fat by nearly 4%

·         What doesn’t work

o   Spot exercising – sit-ups, etc tighten ab muscles but will nto get at visceral fat

o   Drastically reducing calorie intake – puts body into starvation mode

o   DHEA – hormone that declines with age. A two year randomized trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the hormone had ZERO effect on aging markers (including body composition) in men and women aged 60+

·         Drug treatments

o   Meridia – drug’s greatest effects are on visceral fat

o   Acomplia – not yet FDA approved – new class of drug that blocks brain receptor that increases appetite and has been shown to modestly reduce storage of fat on the waist

Guideline 1

1. Eat the majority of your daily carbohydrates at dinner (Article 3)