- The Authors
Jeff Thiboutot
Matt Schoeneberger
The Special K Challenge – Weight loss at what cost?
Well, I took the Special K Challenge.
No I didn’t, but I saw a commercial for it and decided to check it out. For those of you not familiar with it, Kellogs is challenging people to lose weight with Special K and other Kellogs food products. They even give you entire menu ideas (loaded with Kellogs products).
When you start they ask the reason you want to lose weight and give you a few answers to choose from, ask when you want to start, and you’re provided your plan. They don’t ask your age, weight, body composition, weight loss goal, or anything else typically used to calculate a diet plan.
I chose the most basic plan I could and looked at the first day. I investigated the calorie and macronutrient content of the day. Here it is:
970 calories, 133 grams of carbohydrate (48 grams of sugar), 43 grams of protein, 16.5 grams of fat
55% of daily calories come from carbohydrate. As you know, Jeff and I are not supporters of a high carbohydrate intake and this is high. Now, some cultures do maintain good health on high(er) carbohydrate intake levels, but these cultures are not eating processed cereals, and here’s why:
On the Special K diet, 20% of calories come from sugar! On the diet you will also consume such ingredients as high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, soy protein isolate, sugar, maltodextrin, fructose, hydrogenated oils, soybean oil… all ingredients I would recommend you put in your body in very limited quantities, if at all.
Will you lose weight? A resounding “Yes!”
Will you better your health? Not a chance! Remember, weight loss will not necessarily make you a healthier person. There is a complex relationship between weight and health, and more weight is not always dangerous and less weight is not always better. For a better understanding, check out the first chapter of S.P.E.E.D., available free here.
Filed under: diet, nutrition, weight loss — Tags: special k challenge, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 11:22 am
Kettlebells: A Unicorn in the Weight Loss Industry
I don’t believe in unicorns. I don’t believe in kettlebells either.
Kettlebells have grown become popular over the past few years but they’re often promoted with ridiculous claims of near magical qualities. While kettlebells can be a great tool for the exerciser looking for something new, the real benefits garnered from a kettlebell workout have little to do with apparatus itself and more to do with the exercise protocols used.
The ACE newsletter, “Fitness Matters” January/February issue has an article titled “Kettlebells: Twice the results in half the time?”
A group of researchers at the University of Wisconsin performed a study for ACE investigating the effectiveness of kettlebells. Actually, they investigated the effectiveness of a workout routine, that happened to be performed with kettlebells. It could have also been performed with a dumbbell or barbell, or any other implement that provides loading for a snatch (the exercise used).
The workout was this: 5 minute warm-up; 15 seconds of snatches performed with the dominant hand, 15 seconds of rest, 15 seconds of snatches with the non-dominant hand, 15 seconds of rest, repeated for 20 minutes; 5 minute cool-down.
SAFETY
That is a great exercise protocol, minus the exercise choice. Performing a ballistic movement like snatches for this type of protocol is a bad idea for the average gym-goer for these reasons:
1. Fatigue of spinal stabilizers – I’m not a member of the “never bend forward at the hips” camp, but the torque on the lumbar spine caused by the combination of loaded flexion and the rotation caused by the fact that it’s a one-arm snatch is risky at best. This is true considering a fresh set of muscles. Fatigue those muscles with 20 minutes of activity and you’re asking for trouble in the general population.
2. Fatigue of shoulder stabilizer – do you like your rotator cuff the way it is? I do, and I’m not about to have my clients start throwing weight over their heads in a fatigued state.
KETTLEBELLS – NOT MAGICAL
Aside from the safety aspect I feel it is misleading to imply that the benefits one might receive from this type of protocol are garnered due to the use of kettlebells. If you performed the same routine with a dumbbell or barbell (still not a great idea), you’d see the same benefits. Kettlebells are not some magical instrument that burn more calories or raise your heart-rate any differently than would a heavy stone (and stones happen to be far less expensive).
In fact, similar results have been accomplished through cycling exercise with similar protocols in research settings. Trapp, Chisholm and Boutcher exposed trained and untrained subjects to cycling sprints of different lengths for 20 minutes. The short-sprint protocol involved 8 second sprints with 12 second recovery periods while the long-sprint protocol involved 24 second sprints with 36 second recovery periods.
TAKE-HOME POINTS
Kettlebells are a great exercise tool, but they’re not magical and there is nothing special about them.
The type of protocol used in the ACE study may not be safe for the average gym-goer, and much safer methods are available.
References:
Trapp EG, Chisholm DJ, Freund J, Boutcher SH. The effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise training on fat loss and fasting insulin levels of young women. Int J Obes 2008; 32(4):684-91.
Filed under: Exercise, Research, weight loss — Tags: Exercise, kettlebells, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 11:28 am
New Year’s Resolutions and Informercials
Beware the informercial!
Leave a comment if you have a product you’d like us to review!
Filed under: weight loss — Tags: abs, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 3:55 pm
Kudos to WebMD on the Acai Berry
I stumbled upon an article on WebMD this morning that discusses whether or not the acai berry is the weight loss miracle some promoters are claiming it to be. I was happy to find a well-written, to-the-point summary of why it’s irrational to think that acai berry or any other super-food is the key to weight loss.
A few weeks ago, Brad Pilon from Eat Stop Eat pointed out in his newsletter that a well-promoted (read:they’ve got ads everywhere!) acai berry weight loss product had “borrowed” before and after pictures from Brad’s website. To make things worse, they were pictures of Brad himself.
We recommend very few supplements in S.P.E.E.D. In fact, we don’t really recommend them, we just tell you which supplements have some good scientific evidence backing them up. If you want to use them, great. If not, okay too.
There’s something in the word supplements that should clue us in to how they should be used. They are a supplement to an already effective weight loss plan or program. It’s our constant thirst for the magic bullet that allows these types of sham products to exist and we need to change our attitude toward weight loss. Losing weight takes hard work, dedication, and a good plan. Now get to it.
Filed under: Supplements, weight loss — Tags: acai berry, brad pilon, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 10:23 am
Alternate Day Fasting Succussful for Weight Loss and Heart Health
Research Review:
A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows some support for the ability of modified alternate day fasting (ADF) to facilitate weight loss and modify markers of heart health.
Subjects ate 25% of energy needs on fast days and ate ad libitum (at will) on alternate days. On fast days, subjects were instructed to consume all calories between noon and 2 p.m. This pattern continued throughout the study. Subjects were also able to meet with a Registered Dietician (RD) (explains the horrible food choices they were provided on fasting days during the first 4-week period – chicken alfredo? really?) once per week.
The cool thing about the study’s design is that for 4 weeks, the subjects were provided a meal for each fast day, and for another 4 weeks were left to complete the program without prepared food. Adherence rates remained high for subjects who completed the study, which means ADF may be a valuable tool for weight loss and health in the real-world. One drawback was that 2 people withdrew from the study due to their inability to comply with the protocol – that’s 10% of the original subject pool. I guess ADF isn’t for everyone, although that’s not surprising.
Average weight loss over 10 wks (8 wks on weight loss diet – 2 on control diet) was about 5.8% or 5.6kg (12.3 lbs). Also decreasing were BMI, body fat percentage, total and LDL cholesterol, and triaglycerol levels. Systolic, but not diastolic, blood pressure was also lowered.
This study gives us a little more evidence that ADF or intermittent fasting (IF) might be a great tool for weight loss and health interventions. However, there are some drawbacks to this study. 20 subjects is a rather small sample size, so more studies with larger samples are a must. The fact that subjects had weekly meetings with a coach (RD) most likely affected the adherence in a positive way. It would be interesting to see a study that compared an ADF plan with coaching to one without.
On a side note, the lead researcher Dr. Krista Varady commented on the subjects eating less than expected on ad libitum days and said “”I think it’s probably because their stomachs kind of shrunk.” Let’s get this straight. Stomachs don’t shrink. Feelings of satiety (fullness) change, but the physical size of the stomach does not shrink. Ugh… I can’t believe she said that.
Varady KA, Bhutani S, Church EC, Klempel MC. Short-term modified alternate-day fasting: a novel dietary strategy for weight loss and cardioprotectio in obese adults. Am J Clin Nutr 2009;90:1138-43.
Harding A. On-off fasting helps obese adults shed pounds. Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5AB4HM20091112
Filed under: Research, health, weight loss — Tags: fasting, heart health, Research, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 12:07 pm
Weight Loss Plan vs Weight Loss Education
Don’t ask for a weight loss plan. Ask for weight loss education.
Get a weight loss education now with “S.P.E.E.D. – The Only Weight Loss Book Worth Reading!“
Filed under: weight loss — Tags: weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 11:11 am
HCG and B12 Injections for Weight Loss – You Must Be Kidding Me!
Can HCG please go away? And could it take B12 with it?
Filed under: weight loss — Tags: b12, HCG, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 1:44 pm
The Contour Belt – You Must Be Kidding Me!
The Contour Belt: This product will not make good on the promises it makes. The reason we feel the need to tell you things like this is we don’t want you wasting your time on stuff that doesn’t work. Stick to the S.P.E.E.D. principles and you’ll get the most efficient weight loss possible.
Filed under: weight loss — Tags: abs, Exercise, weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 3:51 pm
Can or should you eat carrots on a low-carb diet? This will largely depend on how low you are keeping your carbs. If you are keeping them in the 20-30 g/day range (ketosis) then probably not, but if you are keeping them in the 70-80g./day range then it is probably fine to eat some. Here is the breakdown of half a bag of organic baby carrots, which equals 2½ servings:
| Food |
Serving size |
Total Carbs |
Fiber |
Net Carbs |
Protein |
Fat |
| Baby carrots |
½ bag (8 oz) |
20 |
5 |
15 |
2.5 |
0 |
As you can see, a fairly large serving of carrots does not have a high amount of useable carbohydrates. For comparison, a 1 cup (8oz) serving of brown rice would have about 
40 net carbs.
A final thing about carrots is how fast the carbs in them get digested. This is referring to its glycemic index (GI) rating, which for carrots is about 40. 1 This is a low to moderate ranking (rankings run from 20 to 100). It is typically thought that carrots have a high GI, but recent research has over turned this. 1 As we mentioned in S.P.E.E.D., it is good, for weight loss and health, to keep the overall GI of your diet low. So, the conclusion here is that eating some carrots is okay as long you do not go over you specific carb intake goal.
1-Brand-Miller, J. (2008). International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care; 31(12): 2281-283.
Filed under: diet, fat loss, health, weight loss — Jeff Thiboutot M.S. @ 12:00 pm
Metabolism is a complex phenomenon. So complex science does not fully understand it.
That said, the Bodybugg system boasts greater than 90% accuracy for reporting calories burned. Pretty cool.
The system includes an armband that you wear each day. This is the device that measures how many calories you burn through the use of multiple sensors. This is combined with a computer-based food journal system, which allows you to compare calories burned with calories consumed. Again, pretty cool.
Apparently, Bodybugg has been featured on The Biggest Loser. I wouldn’t know, I don’t watch it. (Why sit around watching other people achieve things when you could be out achieving your own goals?) The system is sold through 24 Hour Fitness and Apex Fitness. If you do decide to use Bodybugg, it is my recommendation to steer clear of most Apex Fitness products.
The reality of the situation is this; the Bodybugg’s best use is as an accountability tool. If finding out how many calories you’ve burned each day helps you stick to your diet (and it very well may) then Bodybugg may be a useful tool for you. But, by far, the most important aspect of weight loss results is the calories you consume. A food journal is great for this. There is one included with the Bodybugg (for the first 6 months) and you can find these free on the internet. We like FitDay.com and NutriDiary.com.
I view the Bodybugg as a cool toy, but definitely not a necessity for weight loss. If you have some extra cash and you’re the type of person who would enjoy analyzing your caloric balance, Bodybugg is for you. If you’re just looking to lose weight, use an online food journal and get to work following the recommendations in S.P.E.E.D.
Filed under: weight loss — Matt Schoeneberger M.S. @ 10:35 am
