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Building Muscle on a Vegan Diet

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 10:27:42 +1100

If you’re a vegan, or if you’re considering becoming one, you’ve probably heard this concern voiced time and time again: “How do you get enough protein?”

Because many of the most popular protein sources, such as meat and dairy, are animal-based, it can sometimes seem like a daunting task to fill up on protein as a vegan. This problem might strike you as even more complex if you’re trying to build muscle, a feat that usually requires ingesting ample protein — far more than the recommended intake for maintaining general health.

However, the good news is that there are plenty of ways for vegan bodybuilders to get their protein needs met — you just need to know what to look for and how to include it in your diet.

In this article, we’ll talk about what it really takes to get enough protein as a vegan and go over some of the best sources of animal-free energy.

The science of building muscle

In order to grow muscle (a process also known as muscle hypertrophy), you need two things: resistance training and adequate nutrition.

Heavy resistance training, like weight lifting, is stressful for your muscles. After an intense workout, your stressed and damaged muscle fibers undergo a process known as muscle protein breakdown, in which the protein in your muscles breaks down into smaller components called amino acids.

However, if you pair your workout routine with the right diet, your muscle fibers can be rebuilt through a process called muscle protein synthesis, in which your muscles can recover, generate new proteins, and ultimately grow into bigger, stronger muscles.

So, what does the “right diet” look like in this case? In order to help your body recover after a tough workout, you should be in a calorie surplus (in other words, eating more calories than your body uses in a day), so that your body has the energy necessary to fill out.

In addition, it’s also incredibly important to eat adequate amounts of protein to help your muscles recover.

How much protein do you need?

The total amount of protein that you should include in your diet can vary; it depends on your current health and your overall goals.

For example, someone who is not exercising and simply wants to make sure they get enough protein for their regular bodily functions should aim to eat 0.8 grams per kilogram of their body weight, or about 0.36 grams per pound of their body weight.

However, if you’re looking to build muscle, you should aim to eat more protein. Many researchers believe that you get optimal results if you eat at least 1.3-1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight per day.

An in-depth look at protein

At this point, you may be wondering, “How exactly does protein help me build muscle in the first place?”

Protein, which you may have heard referred to as your body’s “building blocks,” makes up the structure of your body’s tissues, including your muscle tissue. Since muscle hypertrophy is dependent on protein, eating protein after you exercise can increase your rate of muscle protein synthesis vs. muscle protein breakdown.

In other words, the key to building those bigger muscle fibers it to complement your workout routine by eating enough protein afterwards!

We’ve also mentioned the importance of amino acids, or the smaller components that protein molecules break down into. Protein molecules in humans are actually made up of 20 different amino acids, 11 of which your body can make on its own.

However, your body can’t easily manufacture the remaining nine amino acids, which means that they need to come from your diet instead. These nine amino acids are called essential amino acids (EAA).

Why this matters in a weight lifting context: essential amino acids play crucial roles in protein synthesis and, subsequently, muscle growth.

Of particular importance are the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAS): leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These amino acids are thought to fuel the process of protein synthesis.

In order for your muscles to grow, your body needs adequate protein — and furthermore, you need to make sure that the protein sources you eat are providing enough of all those EAAs that are essential to the process.

Unfortunately, not all protein sources are the same; protein sources can be categorized as either complete or incomplete. Complete proteins have all the essential amino acids in the amounts that your body needs.

Incomplete proteins, on the other hand, do not have optimal amounts of all of the amino acids you require for protein synthesis. Instead, they may be lacking one or more EAAs, which are referred to as the limiting amino acid(s).

Many kinds of food contain protein, including a variety of plant-based foods. But the issue is that branched-chain amino acids (BCAAS):, so vegan-friendly protein sources (when consumed on their own) often don’t have enough of the essential amino acids you need to grow your muscles.

How do vegan bodybuilders get enough protein?

Veganism is a practice in which you abstain from eating any animal products. This includes meat, fish, dairy, and eggs, which are some of the most widely recognized and consumed protein sources in the fitness world.

Instead, vegans have to stick to plant-based protein sources. We’ve already mentioned that many plant-based foods have some amount of protein, but they are also usually incomplete protein sources that may not include all of the amino acids your body needs to build muscle.

However, even with this limitation, you can still be just as successful at building muscle as someone who is eating complete proteins from animal-based foods.

Small studies have found that as long as you’re getting enough total protein in adequate amounts, there is no significant difference in animal versus plant protein for building muscle.

So, how can vegans manage to build muscle even when they don’t have a ton of complete protein sources to choose from? They simply combine their protein sources, and make sure that they’re getting plenty of them!

Even though most plant-based proteins are lacking in adequate amounts of one or more essential amino acids, other families of plant-based foods generally have enough of that amino acid while being limited in another.

So, the solution to getting enough complete vegan protein is simply to make sure that you’re eating several different kinds of vegan protein that complement each other!

Complementary protein sources are two or more protein sources that make up for the limiting amino acids in each other. By eating complementary proteins, you can ensure that you’re getting enough total protein plus all of the amino acids that your muscles need.

Some examples of complementary protein sources include beans and rice, peanut butter and whole-grain bread, and corn and peas.

By eating a varied diet with plenty of protein sources from different plant families, you can consume all of the essential amino acids that your muscles need to grow.

Best protein sources for vegan athletes

Now, let’s talk about some examples of good protein sources for vegans and discuss how much protein you can get per serving of them.

Remember, it’s important to eat several of these protein sources if you want to fill up on all of your essential amino acids, so make sure to include a wide variety of these in your diet for the best muscle-building results.

1. Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds are packed with nutrients, making them a quintessential vegan and vegetarian favorite. Not only do nuts and seeds provide healthy fats and complex carbohydrates, but many of them are also excellent sources of plant-based protein.

Case in point: one serving of raw almonds (about 23 nuts) provides 6 grams of protein, while two tablespoons of peanut butter provide about 8 grams of protein.

Use nuts and seeds to top your salads, grain bowls, and smoothies, or grab a handful and eat them as a filling and protein-rich snack.

2. Tofu

Tofu is a soy-based product that has been a protein staple for American vegans and vegetarians for decades. Invented in China about two thousand years ago, one 3-ounce serving of tofu will provide about 9 grams of protein!

You can also use tofu very similarly to how you would use meat, poultry, and fish, which makes it a great transition protein for someone who is just beginning to make the switch to a plant-based lifestyle.

Fry, grill, bake, steam, or even smoke tofu the same way that you would your meat.

3. Legumes

Legumes are a plant family that includes beans, peas, and lentils, all of which make for excellent vegan protein sources. For example, a half cup of black beans will give you 7.5 grams of protein.

Meanwhile, a half cup of green peas has almost 4 grams of protein.

4. Quinoa

Quinoa has been gaining a reputation for being one of the most nutritious grains, not least because of its excellent protein content. In fact, a single cup of quinoa provides about 8 grams of protein!

Use quinoa as a base for your grain bowls or mix it into your salads to add heartiness and nutrition to every bite.

5. Grains

Believe it or not, many grains are also a great source of protein! The trick is to make sure that you’re using whole-grain versions of these carbohydrates rather than refined ones, since whole grains tend to offer more nutrients per serving.

Brown rice, for example, has about 3 grams of protein in each half cup. Bulgur wheat provides 6 grams of protein per cup, while a slice of multi-grain bread delivers approximately 3.5 grams of protein.

6. Oats

One cup of cooked oatmeal will give you about 5.5 grams of protein, which means that your overnight oats or hearty hot cereal are both excellent opportunities to sneak in some extra protein first thing in the morning!

7. Tempeh

Tempeh is a food made from fermented soybeans, and a 3-ounce serving of tempeh provides 17 grams of protein. Tempeh is especially delicious when fried, steamed, or sauteed and served with a flavorful sauce (think teriyaki or barbecue).

8. Vegan protein supplements

In addition to eating whole proteins, many vegan bodybuilders also benefit from adding a protein supplement or two to their daily meal plan to ensure that they’re getting enough protein to maximize their workout results.

Some popular protein sources for vegan protein shakes and bars include:

1. Pea protein

2. Soy protein

3. Hemp protein

4. Brown rice

Conclusion

Bodybuilding is a sport that requires ample amounts of protein, which can sometimes feel like an overwhelming requirement if you’re a vegan.

However, plant-based eaters can definitely get all of the protein they need to make gains.

The most important rule of vegan bodybuilding is to eat a wide variety of plant-based proteins. This helps guarantee that you can get all of the essential amino acids your body needs to stimulate muscle growth and attain your goals.

Contact My Body Composition Solutions for an analysis of your composition and more information.

Disclaimer: This article should not substitute professional medical advice. When starting a new diet or exercise plan, always consult your physician and exercise professional first.

Information in this article has been extracted and edited from InBody USA blog ‘How do vegan bodybuilder get enough protein?’ Published by InBody USA 25^th July 2023.

Smart Snacking Guide

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 06:56:48 +1000

Like many topics in the realm of nutrition, a quick search on the Internet about snacks will give you pages of conflicting recommendations. Some sources recommend frequent snacking, and some demonize snacking altogether. Even the word “snack” seems to carry a negative connotation.

Perhaps this is because of the common association between snacking and mindless eating, or the assumption that “snack” often refers to candy or salty processed foods. The idea that snacking can’t be part of a healthy diet is a common misconception. Although it’s true that snacking can cause weight gain, it all comes down to doing it the right way.

Benefits of Snacks

Fullness and Satiety

Snacking may help you stay full between meals. Feeling satisfied between meals helps avoid excessive hunger at mealtime, which therefore prevents overeating.

Specific types of snacks are more likely to help you feel less hungry between meals. In fact, one study found that almonds had more influence on satiety when eaten as snacks, rather than with a meal. Another study found that eating high-protein yogurt promoted satiety more than chocolate or crackers as snacks.

Metabolism

Eating a high-protein diet has been shown to increase your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is due to the process of gluconeogenesis, which forms glucose from non-carbohydrate substrates such as glycerol from fat and amino acids from protein. This process uses a lot of energy, meaning your body may burn more calories when you eat a high-protein snack.

Body Composition

If you’re working to build muscle, you have likely heard that a high-protein diet is a way to go. This is because when you exercise, muscle is broken down. Protein from your diet contains amino acids that repair and rebuild Skeletal Muscle Mass.

It may be difficult for some to meet the high protein needs needed to build muscle. Eating high-protein snacks can help contribute to meet protein recommendations to build Skeletal Muscle Mass.

Post-Workout

A snack is a perfect way to replenish your body’s energy after a tough workout. Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of energy, and protein helps repair muscle fibres that were broken down during the workout.

For optimal results, choose a post-workout snack that offers a balance of carbohydrates and protein.

Components of a Healthy Snack

Protein

Depending on your activity levels and goals, your protein needs may range from 0.8 – 2.0 grams per kilogram body weight. If you’re highly active and looking to build muscle, your needs will be on the higher end of the spectrum. Some people struggle to meet a high protein need with meals alone, which is why snacks are important.

Not all protein is equal. Animal protein (meat, dairy, etc.) and plant-based protein (from beans, tofu, etc.) look a little different when they’re broken down in the body.

Basically, protein is broken down into smaller parts called amino acids. There are nine “essential” amino acids that must be present to make a complete protein. Most animal protein provides all essential amino acids and therefore a convenient source for protein.

However, it’s easy to create complete proteins by eating a variety of plant-based proteins which complement each other. Complementary proteins do not need to be eaten together, so long as the day's meals supply them all.

By way of example, here are some common meal items that naturally complement each others’ proteins:

o Beans and rice or tortillas

o Peanut butter rice cracker

o Tofu with rice (or any grain)

o Hummus with pita bread

o Noodle stir-fry with peanut or sesame seed sauce

o Lentil soup with bread

o Whole grain cereal with soymilk

o Quinoa salad with black beans

o Tacos filled with beans or lentils

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates serve as the preferred source of energy in the body. Eating enough carbohydrates is especially important if your activity level is high.

Like protein, not all carbohydrates are equal. Choose complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, beans, and vegetables as often as possible. These foods are high in fibre and other nutrients, and they are broken down more slowly by the body. Due to this, complex carbohydrates can serve as great snacks to help subside hunger until your next meal.

However, for both pre and post-workout snacks, simple carbohydrates (which the body can break down quicker) can prove to be very beneficial as they can help to provide you quick easy energy for your workout, as well as help you to recover faster post-workout.

Fat

First and foremost, it is not necessary to avoid fat if your goal is fat loss. Researchers now know that eating fat doesn’t necessarily make you fat. In fact, fat may actually benefit the body in many ways. Fat may play a role in preventing chronic disease. One meta-analysis found that increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids from fish significantly increased HDL cholesterol and decreased triglycerides. A separate meta-analysis found that increased polyunsaturated fat intake reduced common markers of inflammation in the body.

Choose snacks that contain healthy fats – specifically, polyunsaturated fats. These fats are essential, meaning the only way to get them is through your diet.

The Fine Line Between A Snack and A Meal

Without proper planning, the calories you consume from snacks can really add up. In fact, it has been discovered that snacking contributes an average of 35% of calories consumed per day by people in Australia. (1)

Remember, weight loss, gain, and maintenance essentially comes down to calories in vs. calories out. In other words, eating snacks that are too high in calories, or snacking too often can easily derail your health goals.

Therefore, it’s important to know what a snack really consists of, as well as what to look for on a label and how to plan ahead.

Snacks may range in calories, depending on your overall goals. For many, 100-200 calories is a good target for snacks. People with higher calorie needs may prefer a higher calorie snack.
Likewise, the number of snacks you eat per day depends on your personal needs and goals.
It’s best to plan ahead, and factor snacks into your overall meal plan to avoid overeating.
Remember to check labels and measure out snack portions.

Types of Healthy Snacks

There are countless snack products that are marketed as healthy. However, reading the label proves these snacks are anything but. Product labels are often misleading, so it’s important to learn the basics of building a healthy snack. Here are some examples.

Eggs

Eggs are a classic choice for breakfast. However, they also make a great snack that will keep you full and help you eat less. Eggs are a great source of protein and fat, as well as a healthy array of vitamins and minerals.

Hard-boiled eggs are easy to prepare ahead of time and portable.

Cheese

Like eggs, cheese is a great go-to snack for protein and fat. However, it’s important to watch the serving size if you’re limiting calories. Cottage cheese is highest in protein (around 10 grams per ½ cup), but cream cheese and cheese sticks may also be good options. Pair cheese with a serving of fruit or a vegetable such as grape tomatoes, bell peppers, celery, apples or pears.

Jerky

It’s no secret that meat is an excellent source of protein. Jerky is convenient and portable, making it a great way to pack in extra protein throughout the day. If eating beef jerky, the best option is grass-fed. Keep in mind that some jerky is high in sodium if you are trying to limit your intake.

Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a great option if you’re looking for a high-protein, grab-and-go snack. Keep in mind that many yogurts are high in sugar. Choose yogurt with less than 10 grams of sugar per serving or go for plain yogurt to avoid sugar altogether. Sweeten yogurt with Stevia if needed or serve with fresh berries or in a smoothie.

Veggies with Hummus or Guacamole

Hummus is a great source of plant-based protein, balanced with carbohydrates, fat, and fibre. Specifically, the olive oil in hummus provides a healthy dose of heart-healthy polyunsaturated fats. Guacamole is a delicious source of healthy fats.

Both dips are fairly calorie-dense, so be mindful of portion sizes. Pair them with carrot sticks, bell peppers or celery.

Edamame

Edamame is an excellent source of plant-based protein. It’s also high in fibre and antioxidants while being low in carbohydrates. Frozen, shelled edamame is easy to keep on hand and prepare. Eat this snack plain or tossed in chili sauce for some spice.

Nuts

Nuts are filling due to their fat content. However, nuts are also balanced in protein, carbohydrate, and fibre. A little will go a long way, and calories will add up quickly. It’s important to measure out portions of this calorie-dense snack. Pair almonds, walnuts or mixed nuts with a little dark chocolate if you’re craving something sweet.

Fruit

Fruit sometimes gets a bad rep because of its low protein and high carbohydrate content. However, fruit is a natural nutrition powerhouse that provides fibre, antioxidants, and other vitamins and minerals while being low in calories. Pair fruit with nut butter, cottage cheese or yogurt to incorporate protein for a low-calorie snack.

Tuna

It doesn’t get much easier than tuna when it comes to snacking. Packets of tuna are easy, portable and fairly inexpensive. They are also low in calories, high in protein and a great source of polyunsaturated fat. Snack on tuna on its own, or with a few whole-grain crackers.

Protein Shake

Drinking a protein shake is one of the easiest ways to get the most protein for the least amount of calories. Many protein powders can be mixed with water, making this a very portable snack option as well.

There are several types of protein powder in the health and fitness market. Keep in mind that whey protein has been shown to help with muscle gain and fat loss. However, plant-based protein powders are a good alternative for those with other dietary requirements.

The bottom line: Snack Smart and Reap the Benefits.

Snacking can be part of a healthy lifestyle if done correctly. Choose nutrient-dense snacks that provide carbohydrate, fat, and protein for the most benefit, and paying attention to portion sizes is the key to smart snacking.

Contact My Body Composition Solutions for an analysis of your composition and more information.

Disclaimer: This article should not substitute professional medical advice. When starting a new diet or exercise plan, always consult your physician and exercise professional first.

Information in this article has been extracted and edited from InBody USA ‘Your Guide To Smart Snacking’. It was written by Breanna Woods is a Registered Dietitian with over 5 years of clinical experience. She is passionate about giving her clients the tools they need to build a healthy lifestyle.

This article includes words and phrases that link to several other information resources.

(1) Source: MDPI Journal

Can Stress Affect Your Fitness Program?

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 09:58:07 +1000

With the increase in popularity of CrossFit and HIIT style workouts, there’s a growing concern that people may be pushing their bodies to the limit too often and overtraining. Overtraining syndrome can definitely be a factor in hurting your fitness progress, BUT it probably doesn’t apply to most people. Unless you’re exercising like a professional athlete, you probably don’t have to worry about overtraining.

What you should be most concerned with is poor exercise recovery, and one of the biggest factors that can impact your exercise recovery is too much stress.

Now, we know what you’re thinking: “Really? All the worry I’m putting myself through trying to lose fat is going to negatively impact my fitness progress?” Yes! In fact, forget your fitness goals–stress can make it difficult to even enjoy the benefits of exercise at all!

That’s because stress is more than just a feeling, it actually served an important evolutionary function for our prehistoric ancestors. As humans, it’s perfectly normal to experience mild stress and it actually has positive short-term benefits because it releases a hormone called cortisol. This stress hormone can give us “a quick burst of energy, heightened memory, increased heart rate, and a lowered sensitivity to pain”, which can be incredibly advantageous in high stakes situations.

However, as humans evolved the challenges we face today has shifted from acute stress (like an animal attack) to constant stress. The issue plaguing many people is high levels of chronic stress which leads to an overproduction of cortisol and results in health problems. Common effects of too much stress include memory loss, weakened immune function, fat gain, muscle loss, anxiety, just to name a few of many symptoms. That is why it’s crucial that we learn techniques to reduce this strain in our lives. Read on as we demystify stress, explain how chronic stress can affect your ability to achieve your ideal body composition, and show you tips for stress management.

Cortisol and Body Composition

In a culture where chronic stress seems to have been normalized because it’s something that nearly everyone experiences, it’s crucial that we learn how it can affect our health. Although we are still at the beginning of our understanding of how the human brain works, our thoughts, and state of mind can end up affecting our physical health.

To truly understand how cortisol can affect your body composition, we first need to look at how high levels of the stress hormone affect different components of the body.

Fat Free Mass *

First, let’s examine how the stress hormone affects your Fat Free Mass (your muscles and muscular development). As far back as 1964, researchers have suggested this hormone hampers protein synthesis. Protein synthesis = development of new muscle.

Researchers mimicked a stressed state in healthy test subjects by adding cortisol to their systems via IV and oral tablets. They found that cortisol and inactivity were linked with loss of Lean Body Mass, muscle loss, and negatively affected body composition overall. While inactivity can have this effect alone, the catabolic effect of cortisol seemed to play a significant role in muscle loss.

While we may not understand everything about the stress hormone yet, researchers are beginning to understand the effect that chronic stress can have on muscle recovery.

A study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research in 2014 was conducted to determine the relationship between stress and muscular recovery. Over the course of a 4-day period, the subjects’ perceived energy, fatigue, and soreness levels were measured after a bout of strenuous resistance exercise.

Over time, perceived stress can end up wearing away at both your mental and physical health. What’s worse, it doesn’t take weeks or months to start seeing the effects. It only took 4 days for researchers to notice a statistically significant impact on perceived energy, fatigue and soreness levels.

And it’s not just in our heads either. The results from the study also showed that over time, stress (whether it originates from an external event or perception) negatively influenced the recovery of muscular function after exercise.

Fat Mass *

Of course, that’s what we found just from looking at Fat Free Mass. Next, let’s look at how cortisol affects Fat Mass.

In 2000, University of California’s Health Psychology Program conducted a study designed to assess whether women with central fat distribution displayed consistently heightened cortisol reactivity when presented with nerve-racking situations.

What the study concluded was that stress-induced cortisol secretion could contribute to an increase in Fat Mass. Interestingly, when comparing subjects with greater fat content vs. leaner subjects, they found that the leaner subjects were more at risk than the subjects with greater body fat percentages.

The implication of this study suggests a fat gain positive feedback loop could occur if left unchecked: more stress -> more cortisol ->more body fat -> more stress

This is where the danger starts to become apparent. It’s not that it hinders one specific aspect of your overall fitness development– it impacts every aspect of it. Building muscle and losing fat becomes harder while under stress while gaining fat becomes easier than ever before. It’s clear that feeling stressed out can have a serious effect on your body and fitness level.

And that’s not the worst of it. Sure, there’s plenty of data that shows how stress makes it harder to reduce body fat and limit the benefits of exercise. But there’s just as much concern in the fitness community that elevated levels can derail one of the most important factors to achieving a healthier body: your diet and sleep.

How Stress Can Derail Your Diet and Sleep

Keep in mind that achieving a healthy body composition is more than just building muscle and losing fat.

Maintaining a proper diet and getting enough sleep every night are necessities if you expect to make meaningful progress but that it can be difficult if you suffer from chronic stress.

A study conducted in 2016 by the Health Care Department or the Metropolitan Autonomous University was designed to observe whether there is a relationship between obesity, depression and emotional eating. Depressive symptoms have often been associated with obesity, and the study ventured to see how anxiety and depression can trigger emotional eating and subsequent weight gain.

Emotional eating occurs when people eat to deal with stressors – often overeating high-calorie sweet or fatty food. After examining the results of over 1,000 subjects and their emotional eating habits, the data suggested that depression-related emotional overeating can have a statistically significant impact on obesity and that emotion management may prove effective in obesity prevention.

Stress is hard enough to handle in small doses, but chronic stress can have complex, detrimental effects on your emotional health (which in turn, ends up impacting your overall health). While the benefits of maintaining good nutrition and managing your calories are well established, it is becoming clear that how you address the triggers of stress is just as important when you are constructing your diet plan.

But stress can impact not only your diet but your sleep. The average adult barely gets enough sleep as it is, with about a third of adults reporting less than 6 hours of sleep every night. Chronic stress can make it harder to fall asleep, resulting in an endless cycle.

Consider the findings of a study conducted in 1997 by the University of Chicago’s Department of Medicine. The expressed purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between sleep loss and cortisol levels.

Long story short, the study concluded that when your body doesn’t get enough sleep, your cortisol levels can rise anywhere from 37-45%, which according to researchers can “accelerate the development of metabolic and cognitive consequences of glucocorticoid excess.”

Translation? The increased cortisol levels can seriously threaten your muscle development (never mind the reduced GH and testosterone levels caused by your lack of sleep) and make it that much harder to reach your fitness goals. Even partial sleep loss is enough to raise your cortisol levels and bring on the entire host of problems that come along with it.

Understanding and Managing Stress

When you embark on your fitness journey to improve your health, there are so many different factors that come into play you might start to feel overwhelmed, especially when it seems like you aren’t making any progress.

Ironically, worrying that you aren’t making any progress may reduce/limit any positive benefits that you get from exercise.

Fortunately, there are plenty of tools you can utilize. Making sure you get enough sleep is crucial to managing for both your stress levels and mental health. Research has shown that mindfulness practices like meditation, pilates and yoga can help lower stress, along with other positive benefits.

The key to stress management is to make sure you have something positive that you can turn to in your time of need. Because if you don’t have a plan, stress can cause health problems and end up as one of the biggest barriers between you and your fitness goals.

The fact that chronically elevated stress levels have a negative effect on the humans is hardly a revelation these days – symptoms ranging from a depressed emotional state to compromised immune system has been well-established. The more we study stress and try to understand how it specifically affects the human body, the more we realize that it might be one of the underlying issues holding us back in the pursuit of a healthier, happier life.

Don’t let stress hold you back!

Contact My Body Composition Solutions for an analysis of your composition and more information.

Disclaimer: This article should not substitute professional medical advice. When starting a new diet or exercise plan, always consult your physician and exercise professional first.

Information in this article has been extracted and edited from InBody USA ‘Can Stress Hurt Your Fitness?” originally published on October 12, 2016 and updated on November 21, 2018, for accuracy and comprehensiveness. It was written by Brian Leguizamon, a content marketing specialist. Brian has worked with Shopify, Gigster and a bunch of start-ups you’ve never heard of.

This article includes words and phrases that link to several other information resources.

How Does A Cheat Day Affect My Goals

Mon, 25 May 2020 10:55:59 +1000

It’s a classic dilemma.

To maximize weight loss, you are tracking every calorie, substituting junk food with healthier alternatives, and cooking all of your meals at home. All of your hard work is paying off. As long as you stick to your plan and don’t cheat; the weight is just going to keeping coming off. You have already lost 10Kg and feel unstoppable!

That’s when life gets in the way.

Maybe it’s your birthday celebration. What would everyone think if you didn’t take a slice of your own birthday cake? Or your best friend is back in town and just wants to indulge for the entire day! Unfortunately, quinoa isn’t what your friend was craving for.

You’ve already made so much progress, so you think, “I can eat my cheat meals this weekend and splurge for a couple days and it won’t affect me that much right…”.

When Monday comes, you weigh yourself for your weekly weigh-in and you can’t believe it: you’ve gained 2Kg.

Two months to lose 5Kg and then one weekend to gain 2Kg. The daily morning workouts. Eating nothing but steam vegetables and skinless chicken breasts. And counting every calorie. Wasted.

First the bad news: no, your scale isn’t lying to you, you gained 2Kg. But the good news is it’s definitely not 2Kg of fat. Most likely it is nothing more than water weight.

But how do you know for sure?

Can I Gain Fat in One Day?

Let’s get one thing straight: you can’t gain a kilo of fat in a day, or even 2kg in one weekend. Biologically, it would be astounding if you did. You are very much aware of how difficult it is to lose fat quickly, but don’t laugh when I tell you, in theory, it is just as “difficult” to gain fat.

Fat gain or loss has a lot to do with your energy/caloric balance–how many calories you take in vs. how many calories you use during the day. If you are using more energy than you take in, your body gets some energy it needs from your fat stores. If you’re taking in more energy– eating beyond your body’s needs–then the opposite happens: you build fat stores.

A common theory in the health and fitness world is that there are around 3,500 calories stored in a pound of fat. The theory goes that if you reduce your daily caloric intake by 500 every day of the week, in 7 days you’ll lose ½ kg of fat. Conversely, if you overeat by 500 calories a day, you can gain a ½ kg of fat in a week.

500 Calories x 7 Days = 3,500 calories/week or 1 lb/ week

The point is it TAKES TIME to gain or lose fat.

Of course, it is much easier than you think to overeat 500 calories a day. A large blended coffee-flavoured drink once a day will do it.

In order to gain a ½ kg of fat, you would need to add about 500 calories a day on top of your normal diet, every day, for about 7 days. This makes gaining any significant amount of fat from even the craziest all-out cheat days extremely unlikely.

To gain 2 kg of fat in a day, you’d have to eat about 17,500 calories on top of your daily caloric limit. Not even Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson can consume that many calories!

What is Water Weight?

So, if that 2 kg of weight isn’t fat, then what is it? And how long is it going to stick around? The answer involves your body’s favourite energy source: a molecule called glycogen.

Glycogen is an energy source that is produced primarily from carbohydrates. Your body loves glycogen because it’s an easily accessible energy source that provides a lot of energy.

Glycogen also has an interesting attribute: it bonds really well with water. In fact, for every gram of carbohydrate in your body, there are about 3 to 4 molecules of water bonded to it. This can cause some large increases in weight, but weight due to water, not fat. Depending on what kind of diet you were on, loading up on carbs on a cheat day can increase your weight noticeably.

If you were trying to lose fat, you likely were trying to cut carbohydrates out of your diet. It’s a very popular technique, and diets structured around low carbohydrate and low caloric intake are about as basic a diet as they come. The Mayo Clinic notes that a diet targeting low carbohydrate intake constitutes about 60-130 grams of carbs a day. Some popular diets – such as the Atkins Diet – target extremely low levels of carbohydrates, as low as 18 grams a day.

If you’re consuming 60 grams of carbs a day, you’re holding onto approximately 210 grams of water. That’s about half a pound of water.

But if on a cheat day, you decide to eat and drink whatever you want and load up to 300 grams of carbohydrates (the average number of carbs eaten by men (1)), you would be retaining around 1kg of water.

If you were on a 60 carbs/day diet, you could be 700 grams heavier already. If you went up to 400 grams of carbs, you could add on almost 1.5kg of water.

However, glycogen is far from the only substance or factor that can cause your body to retain extra water. Excess sodium (salt), something commonly found in your favourite cheat meals, can also cause your body to hold onto the water on top of the water held onto by your glycogen. Once you factor in the effects of other things you ate and drank, your hormones, and your unique body composition, you can see why your weight can fluctuate so much.

Once you return back to eating a low carb, low sodium diet, your body will naturally shed the extra water weight you gained.

So, Can a Cheat Day Ruin My Body Composition?

A cheat day every once in a while will not erase weeks and months of hard workouts and careful calorie counting. You can’t put on kilos of fat over one weekend.

Changing your body composition and losing weight is a long-term process, but if you do it right, you’ll have long-term results. Quick fixes and crash diets that focus on cutting out nearly all carbohydrates for a short period don’t actually achieve lasting results, and now that you understand a little about glycogen, you also understand why.

However, this doesn’t mean you can get carried away on cheat days.

It’s so easy for your cheat day to become a cheat weekend, and your cheat

weekend to suddenly become a cheat week. Before you know it, you are

back to your old eating habits. Try a cheat meal instead and make sure you

plan a workout before to rev your metabolism.

Your body will thank you the next day.

Bottom line: it’s OK to indulge once in a while!

Fat gain or loss is determined by how many calories you take in and how many calories you use in a day.

Water weight can come from increased glycogen, an energy source that is produced primarily from carbohydrates.

A cheat day every once in a while will not erase weeks and months of hard work and making it part of your routine means you’re in charge of it. Eating your favourite meal can help keep you motivated. (But contrary to popular belief, cheat days don’t boost your metabolism). Any sudden weight gain is not fat.

Making cheat days a part of your routine makes it easier for you to manage them. Just make sure after you’ve had your fun, you get back on your fitness journey and keep working towards your goals.

Disclaimer: This article should not substitute professional medical advice. When starting a new diet or exercise plan, always consult your physician and exercise professional first.

Information in this article has been extracted and edited from InBody USA ‘Does a Cheat Day Undo a Week at the Gym?” updated

on September 17, 2018, for accuracy and comprehensiveness. It was originally published on February 17, 2016.

(1) Source US department of agriculture