Blog Posts From Active Expert: Nancy Clark RD CSSD Tagged With weight

Does adding on exercise = losing undesired body fat?

Nancy Clark RD CSSD — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:31:30 GMT

In one of the blog posts for new runners, a frustrated woman commented "And everyone said the weight would “fall off” when I started to run. Not true!"

I agree. Most novice runners start their exercise program believing undesired body fat will melt away. Not the case. If running contributes to a calorie deficit, body fat does dwindle away. But all too often, new runners eat a little bit more than usual, either because they are hungrier~~exercise can stimulate the appetite for women (more so than for men)~~or because they believe they deserve a reward of a cookie or two. The combination of hunger + desire for a reward = no fat loss, and often fat gain.

The other thing you have to look at is 24-hour energy expenditure. That is, some new runners become less active in the other parts of their day ("I ran today, so I'll sit and read instead of clean the house.”) A study with middle-aged people who added on an hour of brisk walking each day indicated they did they eat more, nor did they lose weight. They simply napped and slept more… In 24-hours, they did not burn additional calories.

I recommend you run for health and fitness, and pay attention to eating smaller portions at dinner to lose undesired body fat. Just chip off 100 to 200 fewer calories at night. For information on how to lose fat and maintain energy to exercise, you might want to read my Food Guide for New Runners: Getting It Right From the Start.

Regardless of weight, enjoy feeling proud of your running accomplishments!

Nancy Clark MS RD

Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD)

When eating is "good" by day, "bad" by night

Nancy Clark RD CSSD — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:53:11 GMT

"I am a bad evening eater even though I do quite well during the day. I'm trying to keep busy in the evenings so I'm not sitting around and snacking which is my downfall!"

When my clients report their eating is "good by day but bad by night", I notice they are "too good" by day-- that is, they are eating way too few calories. That is why they are starving at the end of the day and "being bad" in terms of snacking and overeating. The solution is to fuel by day (so you have the energy to exercise) and then eat just a little bit less at night.

Theoretically, if you create a small calorie deficit by knocking off 100 calories at the end of the day, you'll lose 10 pounds of body fat a year. If you create a 200 calorie defict at the end of the day, you'll lose 20 pounds of fat. To their demise, too many active people knock off 500 to 800 calories during the day, and then get too hungry, overeat at night, and then end up gaining weight. I recommend their eating be "bad" by day and "good" by night! That is, that they eat enough during the day to feel satiated, and then eat just a little bit less at night ... not to the point of being too hungry to sleep, but just enought so they are not quite full.

My Sports Nutrition Guidebook has a strong section on how to lose weight without starving yourself. The information teaches active people:

- how many calories are OK to eat,

- how to maintain energy to enjoy exercise while losing undesired body fat,

- how to manage snack attacks, and

- how to find peace with food.

In addition, you might want to meet with a sports nutritionist for personalized advice. This food expert can help you create a personalized food plan that's sustainable and will help you reach your goals. Use the referral network at www.SCANdpg.org to find a local sports nutritionist.

Eat wisely and well,

Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD

Am I really that thin?

Nancy Clark RD CSSD — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:22:36 GMT

Recently, I was asked to bring skinfold calipers to a social gathering. Ann (not her real name), a young mother who had succeeeded in losing 50 pounds by diet and exercise, wanted me to measure her body fat. She wanted to lose 10 more pounds, but her mother and other relatives had been making comments she was tooo thin.

The calipers provided unbiased data and Ann was actually shocked to learn she was a very lean 16% body fat. Because her physique had always been on the heavier side, she still saw herself as being bigger than she was. She ascribed to the belief “I’ll always be too fat, and never be too thin”. Not the case. She now was thin-enough and had no need to be thinner-yet.

Body fat measurements can be a helpful tool to give dieters the data they need so they know when to stop dieting. Ann could now believe her weight was indeed low and she could focus more on building muscle than on losing fat.

I encouraged Ann to allow her body a 5 pound weight range, to account for muscular growth. I offered to do repeated body fat measurements, to help her through the after-the-diet stage when the scale goes up as muscles get rebuilt.

If you, too, have lost a lot of weight, you might want to seek a sport dietitian who can measure your body fat, to give you data regarding a good weight for your body. The referral network at www.SCANdpg.org can help you find a local sports dietitian.

Power to weight ratio

Nancy Clark RD CSSD — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:18:22 GMT

More often than not, the avid bicyclists I counsel express concern about the power to weight ratio. As one cyclist, Hal, explained to me. “Nancy, biking is all about the power to weight ratio. I’ll be more powerful on my bike if I’m lighter. I really want to lose about 20 pounds so I’ll be able to bike faster.” I asked this lean man what his wife thought about this idea. He responded, “She thinks I’m crazy.” I silently agreed with her; Hal didn’t have 20 pounds of excess fat to lose.

I reviewed Hal’s eating patterns and made some suggestions to help him ride faster by being better fueled. In his efforts to lose weight, he currently was actively restricting his breakfast and lunch. No wonder he lagged on energy during his late-afternoon bike rides. He thought he was slow because he was weighed too much. I think he was slow because he was underfueled.

I’ll see him for a follow-up consultation in a month. If he’s like other cyclists, he’ll happily report, “I haven’t lost any weight, but by eating better, I’m much faster and I’ve been setting PRs.”

Can I maintain weight without going to the gym???

Nancy Clark RD CSSD — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:20:42 GMT

“I just don’t have time to run or go to the gym the way I’d like to. I’m in a demanding semester at grad school and I barely have time to breathe. If I take a semester off from the gym and just try to walk as much as I can as a part of my day, will I get fat? … I am afraid to stop working out four times a week…”

I could hear the fear and frustration in my client’s voice. I assured her she could exercise less and not gain weight. In fact, I generally separate exercise from weight management, particularly with women. Exercise has little impact on a woman’s weight. Exercise, in fact, often increases a woman’s appetite so she wants to eat more after a workout.

If you are fearful of taking time off from exercise, whether for grad school, injuries, or other reasons that limit your time to exercise, fear not. You may lose fitness, but you need not gain fatness. The trick is to eat mindfully, according to hunger -- not according to boredom. The mindless eating that accompanies boredom and loneliness contributes to fat gain.

If you listen to your body and eat when you are hungry, then stop when you are content, you can maintain weight, even without exercise. (Just look at the number of people in a hospital who lose weight – even without exercise; they create a calorie deficit that is essential to lose undesired body fat.) I told my client to eat when she was hungry, stop when she was content, and trust that her body could regulate the proper intake without micro-management of diet and exercise. She just needed to trust this process. Easier said than done!