BIOENERGETICS AND METABOLIZM: IMPLICATIONS

Posted by admin on May 8, 2009 under Weight Loss | Be the First to Comment

1. Obese people have a higher fat mass and fat-free mass than lean people.

2. Obese people generally need a higher energy intake to maintain weight than lean people.

3. Lack of weight loss on a diet of <1200 kcal is generally due to under-reporting of food intake.

4. Significant fat loss is invariably accompanied by decreases in FFM and thus decreases in RMR. This will tend to reduce the rate of weight loss. Exercise during weight loss helps to preserve FFM and prevent some of the decrease in RMR.

5. A reduction in fat in the diet will result in a greater decrease in energy intake than a similar (gram for gram) reduction in other nutrients.

6. Substrate utilisation (i.e. nutrient use as energy) can be measured through the respiratory exchange ratio (RER), using the ratio of inhaled to expired air, and the means of measuring RER are becoming more and more portable.

7. Physical activity expends energy both during and after the activity. RMR appears to remain elevated after activity. However, the level and duration of increases are a function of exercise intensity, duration and frequency.

8. Wrapping and ’sweating it off will lose water, but not fat. Remember that maintenance of body heat in cold conditions is an active process requiring energy.

9. It is reasonable to use spices that increase RMR—particularly those high in the ingredient capsaicin—to add flavour to low-fat dishes.

10. Caffeine in moderation may be a possible aid to fat loss but at worst, is not likely to interfere in the fat loss process. Denial therefore is not a necessary pre-requisite for fat loss.

11. Caffeine and spicy foods may have small effects on metabolic rate, but the major opportunity for increasing metabolic rate still must be through increases in physical activity and reductions in fat in the diet.

12. Increasing incidental physical activity should be used as well as increasing planned exercise.

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