8 Metabolism Boosters for Weight Loss - True or False?

Here's a guest post from the great Craig Ballantyne. (He pays me to say that.  ;-) ) 

Seriously, there is so much conflicting information out there and I think this article does a great job of addressing the facts and fiction of metabolism and fat loss.

8 Metabolism Boosters for Weight Loss
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
TurbulenceTraining.com 

Your metabolism is your fat loss foundation.

It keeps burning and burning fat 24 hours a day...the only problem is, do you have a fast metabolism? And if not, what can you do about it to boost your metabolism and burn fat to lose weight?

Your metabolism is basically how many calories you burn each day. Children have faster metabolic rates than adults, and we all know about the legendary metabolism's of teenage boys. That's the metabolism you wish you had.

And while it is inevitable that your metabolism decreases with age, it doesn't doom you to gaining weight. It might even decrease 30% over your life, but really, is that any reason to become overweight? No way. Not when you can turn it around with a couple of simple, proven techniques listed below...

Here are 8 possible metabolic boosters and the truth about whether each works. 

1) Strength training  

Claim: Boosts metabolism up to 10% after a training program  

True!

In fact, despite what many men and women think, harder exercise is better for your metabolism. However, please note that 1 pound of muscle does not burn 50 calories per day.

In one study, women received a greater metabolic boost from using 8 repetitions per set rather than traditional high-rep (12 reps) sets. So stick to harder exercises (pushups and more advanced bodyweight exercises) or dumbbell exercises.

2) Breakfast

Claim: Because it stops your "fasting", it can boost metabolism

True? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Your metabolism won't go into "starvation mode" without breakfast, but it is associated with successful weight loss. So make it a habit to consume some protein, fiber, & fruit (& even veggies if you can fit them in) at this time. This will keep your appetite in check till your next break or even lunch.

3) Green Tea  

Claim: Burns an extra 80 calories per day

True? Not really. It has been shown to burn 80 calories per day in young men on the first day of supplementation, but will this affect last once your body gets used to it? I don't think.

After all, take a look at caffeine. You can find studies that show it increases metabolism as well. But really, is anyone losing fat with caffeine? The revolving doors at Starbucks say "No!".

Coffee is okay in moderate doses, and I recommend Green Tea to everyone, but for health reasons, not for fat loss. The only way you will lose fat with Green Tea is if you replace a 300+-calorie Frappucino with an iced, unsweetened Green Tea. Otherwise, don't count on it for much in terms of metabolism.

4) Fat Burners

Claim: Boost your metabolism big time!

See above. Fat burners are simply caffeine pills with a few other ingredients thrown in. You'll get an increase in mental energy, but that doesn't mean it will significantly boost metabolism or burn fat.

5) Ice Cold Water with Lemon Juice Squeezed into it  

Claim: The body will burn calories warming up the water and the lemon juice also burns more fat.

Truth? Nice in theory, short in practice. Nobody is losing fat with ice cold water. If it sounds too good to be true - you know the rest of the story.

6) Eating 6 small meals per day

Claim: Boosts metabolism and can help control cholesterol.

True! Simple and effective, and true! Try and split your meals up into smaller meals that can be eaten over the course of the day. This might be part of the breakfast magic...

(Mickey's note: This particular strategy can work great for some but not for others. Some people have a tendency to consume more total calories over the course of the day if they eat 6 meals. If you're going to do this, you MUST make sure you don't end up taking in too many calories.

Also, it can't be more difficult for some women  If you're eating 1500-1800 calories per day, "meals" of 250-300 calories may never leave you feeling satisfied.

Experiment with what works for you.) 

7) Protein

Claim: Burns more calories (uses more calories in digestion than carbohydrates or fat).

True!

Now I'm not sure if this is significant, but protein also helps fill you up longer. And that's where the real benefit comes in - preventing overeating. And if you want details, another study showed that animal protein results in more energy burned than vegetable protein.

8- Interval training  

Claim: Interval training causes a greater increase in post-exercise metabolism than regular cardio.

I certainly believe it.

And I do know this. A recent study from Australia found that a shorter interval program led to more weight loss than a twice-as-long aerobic training program. This confirms the original interval training study from as far back as 1994 that showed greater results from a shorter interval program when compared to a traditional cardio program.

Bottom line: Intervals work!

So we see that hard work and diligent eating burn more calories and that magic pills and potions don't work.
But that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. My advice? Add strength, intervals, mini-meals, and protein to your weight loss plan and you'll be leaner and warmer thanks to your faster metabolism.

Turbulence Training was built to boost your metabolism,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit TurbulenceTraining.com

The 7 Deadly Workout Sins by B.J. Gaddour

If you're not happy with the results you've been getting from your workout routine or if you're gearing up to start exercising, you need to read this great article by B. J. Gaddour. It's long but well worth it. 

Stop spinning your wheels and start getting results.

The 7 DEADLY Workout Sins

MISSION: METABOLISM

Discover How to Fix the 7 Deadly Workout Sins to Achieve Metabolic Breakthrough

B.J. Gaddour, C.S.C.S.

Here's that link again...www.workoutmuse.com/blog/the-7-deadly-workout-sins

Women Have It All Wrong - Rachel Cosgrove

I received this today by e-mail. For some reason, Rachel hasn't posted this terrific article on her blog so I can't give you a direct link.

If your goal is weight loss, you really need to read this.

Women have it all wrong!
By Rachel Cosgrove

Women have it all wrong when it comes to weight loss. The average woman when she joins a gym looks at how many treadmills there are and the aerobics schedule to see if there are classes that fit in her schedule. When women want to lose weight they torture themselves with repetitive movement for hours on end spinning their wheels or running to nowhere like a hamster in a habitrail! If you take a look at all of the women walking on the treadmills you'll notice none of them have the body most women want.

The problem is that most personal trainers haven't figured it out yet either. They get a female client who hires them to change their body and they think, "Oh man...another one of those stupid toning programs in the ladies only section with the pink dumbbells doing lots of reps..." Most trainers don't realize that they need to challenge women to get their bodies to change and to stop being afraid of pushing her to gain muscle to boost her metabolism to change the way her body looks, permanently.

Weight Loss Program the average woman does:

* Endless hours of cardio or aerobics classes
* Avoids strength training because she doesn't want to get "big and bulky" or maybe she uses some rinky dink pink dumbbells to "tone" for lots of reps
* Cuts back her diet to practically starve herself
* Focuses on the scale weight and a number she wants it to say

What works about this plan: NOTHING!

What is wrong with this plan: EVERYTHING!

She will lose weight but it will be a mixture of muscle, water and maybe some fat so she'll end up looking like a smaller version of her same self but in the process she will have dropped her metabolism so there will be no way she can keep the weight off and will gain it back guaranteed. This is the cycle most women have been through many times throughout their lifetime. Yet, when they want to lose weight they do the same thing again. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

Weight Loss Program the average Women SHOULD do:

* Metabolically demanding full body strength training program lifting challenging weights. This should be their priority workouts 2-4 days a week.
* Boost their intensity and drop the duration on their cardio sessions performing interval style workouts for no more than 30 minutes at a time.
* Fuel their body with healthy food every couple hours getting their metabolism revving.
* Focus on how her clothes fit and how she looks and feels and not on a number on the scale. Focus in Fat Loss, not Weight Loss.

What works about this plan: It will boost her metabolism, it will change her body, it will make her feel confident about herself, she can eat and she will be able to maintain her new body!

What is wrong with this plan: NOTHING!

To really change their bodies permanently women need to start checking out the strength training floor. They need to get out of their comfort zone and push their bodies beyond what it is used to. No more walking to nowhere on the treadmill! I am not talking about bodybuilding routines where you split up each body part and bomb and blitz the pecs or pump up the biceps. It is not necessary for a woman to isolate any muscle group to get the defined look she wants.

Instead a woman should do a full body, metabolically demanding program in which she alternates between an upper body compound movement such as a push up or chin up with a lower body compound movement such as a squat or lunge. Keep the rest periods short and use a weight that is challenging. Use 3-4 pairs of exercises working out for no more than an hour at a time.

The woman with toned arms and defined legs looks that way because she has the very thing most women are terrified of, muscle. They are so afraid to lift weights in fear of bulking up that they never get their bodies to look the way they want them to. They have it deeply seeded in their subconscious that as soon as they touch anything over 10 pounds, they will sprout humungous muscles! Even if they do use weights, they probably still aren't lifting heavy enough and pushing themselves hard enough to get the look they want. Most women don't know what their bodies are capable of and tend to not push themselves hard enough. There was actually a research study done on this where they showed that women when left to train on their own, lifted loads below what they were capable of.

Maybe it is because women have been conditioned our whole lives to exercise from the point of view of what we "can't" do, rather than what we can do. Women grew up doing "girl" push ups, because we were told we "can't" do actual push ups or hanging from the bar instead of a chin up because girls "can't" do chin ups. The first woman to run the marathon had to sneak in dressed as a man because women "can't" run a marathon, and that was only in the 70's, not that long ago. Women "can't" lift too heavy, they will hurt themselves. We still subconsciously hold ourselves back when it comes to training whether we realize it or not.

We need to start training from the standpoint of- What CAN you do? How much CAN you lift? How strong CAN you get? And stop letting "can't" enter our vocabulary. As women start to push themselves in the gym, lifting weights and building lean muscle tissue, their metabolisms will be revving and they will be the toned, defined body they have always wanted.

So how do you get your body to change? You have to lift enough weight to build muscle to increase your metabolism, fuel your body with healthy food and turn your body into a fat burning machine. Stop pounding your body with hours of cardio and stop starving yourself!

Rachel Cosgove is a triathlete and personal fitness coach. She and her husband Alwyn own Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California.

Rachel Cosgrove Online Journal

How to Keep Losing When Its Boring by Leigh Peele

We're almost through January. Are you hanging in there, moving toward your goals?

If you're on a fat loss journey, are you still plowing ahead or has your progress slowed, or even stopped.

Here's an article to help keep you on track.


How to Keep Losing When Its Boring
by Leigh Peele

Ah the two week slump.

Anyone who is a trainer or works with clients knows all to well about the two week slump. The first week of dieting down and training was exciting. You lost weight almost everyday, you felt great, you felt inspired and like you could take on the world! Global warming? Chump change! Problems with your Mother-in-Law? No fly’s on you! That new co-worker that you wanted to beat with a shovel? The two of you are the best of friends now! Yes, it is safe to say that in week one you were conquering the world!

Week two…not so much.You hate your Mother-In-Law again, you don’t have the time nor the energy for recycling your bottles, and your "new best friend" not only deserves a shovel in the face but you are thinking of joining a support group for murderous thoughts. Did I mention the diet and training? Your montage just couldn’t hold up and you are about to buckle big time, if you haven’t already. What to do? How do you get past this rut, this slump, this dip!?

The Top 4 ways to get through the Two Week Slump!

#1 Keep it real

The biggest problem for most people is they expect the same results they had the first week to happen in the second week. Sure this can happen sometimes, especially with those who have a larger amount of fat to lose. However, you have to be realistic!

Did you really burn 12,000 excess calories than what you ate this week? If so than fantastic for you but for most of the world it looks more like 3000-5000 even with the best of dieting down efforts. Take into account the water loss and glycogen depletion you already had in the first week and you should be at a break even or slight loss the second week.

Did you know though that if you can hang on there is usually a fantastic drop and rev up the third and fourth week if you stay perfect on track? Trust me, the course may be a little slower, but it comes. Even if you watch shows like the Biggest Loser where they are burning loads of calories a week and eating a few pudding cups, they have a great first week and a crap second week.

Don’t get so caught up in the scale, it is the trend that matters. Trust the process and don’t let the doubt of “this doesn’t work” set in. It works, it is what it is. Trust it and keep it up.

#2 Keep motivated

This is the time to pull out all the inspirational stops. Here are a few ideas/items to stock in your inspire box…

* Music: I don’t care if it is New Kids or New Order. If it pumps you up listen to it and often.
* Clothes: Women AND guys find an outfit, bathing suit, etc and keep it in your constant view.
* Books/Audio Inspiration: Don’t be ashamed of a self-help section, sometimes you are all you have. Inspiration can come in many forms and text.
* Message Board/Support groups: Find people that are on the same journey and use them for help during the tough moments.

#3 Go do something you wouldn’t

You want to change? You want to be a different person or more so a better you? How exactly are you going to do that if you are playing it safe in your comfort zone?

You have got to do something different! You have to keep yourself in constant reminder of why you want to change. It is pretty easy to fall back into old patterns when you didn’t keep yourself uncomfortable to make a difference in the first place. It is easy to hide out in you safe spots with people who love you. At the core of this though you want some bigger and more. Be it a physical goal or a mental breakthrough, you have to start working for it NOW instead of when you are “done.”

#4 Everyday you must question

Why?

Everyday you must sit through and start the process all over again. Ask yourself these questions…

* What is my goal?
* What do I want?
* Who do I want to be?
* Why am I really doing this?
* Why do I really want this?
* How do I feel when I am winning at this?

Asking yourself daily important questions is going to be key to providing yourself with a lifetime of giving yourself the answers.


About The Author

Leigh Peele is a professional author and trainer who specializes in fat loss and metabolism damage. Leigh Peele received her certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine in training. She also has a Nutritional Consultation Certification and in training Special Populations and Weight Management.

A nationally published author in both magazine and online, Leigh Peele is continually raising the bar on her ability to achieve fat loss under any conditions. A leader in research and study in metabolic behavior and recovery she has been deemed the Fat Loss Troubleshooter.

Her clients range from college athletes and professional fighters to housewives and obese seniors. She has led those to figure wins and been the champion to those with personal battles especially with eating disorders. She is who you go to when nothing else has worked.

The Fat Loss Troubleshoot

How To Boost Metabolism with Supplements or Exercise by Craig Ballantyne

How To Boost Metabolism with Supplements or Exercise
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

You can't boost your metabolism with supplements. Or at least not enough to cause weight loss. This is hope in a bottle, but this hope doesn't stand a chance. It doesn't work.

One misconception is that caffeine boosts your metabolism, but I’ve also heard that fish oil, protein, CLA, and green tea will do it, too. As with the fat burning zone, this myth comes from a distortion of science.

Green tea, for example, was shown to increase the daily energy expenditure of young men by eighty calories per day. Now, that’s great news for the people who make supplements because they can put that claim on their label, but what that doesn’t take into account is that people’s bodies adapt to a stimulus.

If there is any benefit to taking a particular supplement, by the end of the week, your body has adjusted to the chemical and no longer reacts to it. And that’s why, as a recent study showed, that taking Green Tea supplements for 12 weeks did not cause any fat loss. Most supplements seem to be nothing more than glorified caffeine pills.

Let’s think of this another way. Say for example that green tea extract actually did help you burn an additional eighty calories per day. It is agreed upon by most trainers that one pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. Even if the supplement worked as intended, then it would take nearly a month and half to lose one pound!

Unfortunately, you’ll find big promises from supplements in every magazine, and it is very difficult to avoid the allure of the quick fixes that supplements present. Supplements make you think, “Why work out when you can take a pill?”

And as long as there are people who aren’t willing to work for their results, there will always be a product claiming to work miracles.

Unlike these “miracle” supplements, research repeatedly shows that both strength training and interval training can help boost your metabolism and burn fat.

In one study, women did a strength training session with eight repetitions per exercise and had a significant increase in their post-exercise metabolism. This is just another example of how short burst training will burn more calories and more fat. These are proven results that no diet pill can compete with.

Boost your metabolism with hard work, not the easy way out,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Cardio Queens and Disappointing Fat Loss Results

If you belong to a gym, I'm sure you've seen them. The members (usually women) who spend all their time on the cardio equipment racking up hours and hours. Have you noticed how their shape rarely changes from month to month or even year to year (if they last that long)?

I know that for years we were led to believe that cardiovascular exercise was superior for dropping pounds. However, research has disproved this.

So, imagine my frustration when I took my brother and nephew through their new program on Sunday and found out that my sister-in-law was not doing the quickie strength training routine I had designed for her at Christmas.

She has been using her treadmill but that's it. I'm always glad when people are being active, in whatever ways, rather than being sedentary. And, luckily, she's been doing intervals rather than steady state cardio but she is definitely depriving herself of optimum results by neglecting the strength training.

Check out the results of the following two studies.


Kramer, Volek et al.

Influence of exercise training on physiological and performance changes with weight loss in men.

Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 31, No. 9, pp. 1320-1329, 1999.

Overweight participants were divided into three groups: diet-only, diet plus aerobics, diet plus aerobics plus weights. The diet-only group lost 14.6 pounds of fat in 12 weeks. The diet plus aerobics group lost 15.6 pounds (just one more pound than the diet-only group).

The aerobic training was performed three times a week; over the 12 weeks the subjects worked their way up from 30 minute sessions to 50 minutes. So, over the 12 weeks, the diet plus aerobics group spent anywhere from 18-30 hours performing aerobic exercise which produced only one pound more of fat loss than the diet-only group.

The champs were the diet-aerobics-weights group who discarded 21.1 pounds of fat- 44% more than the diet-only group and 35% more than diet plus aerobics group!


Bryner RW, Ullrich IH, Sauers J, Donley D, Hornsby G, Kolar M, Yeater R.

Effects of resistance vs. aerobic training combined with an 800 calorie liquid diet on lean body mass and resting metabolic rate.

J Am Coll Nutr. 1999 Apr;18(2):115-21.

This study separated subjects into aerobic-only group and a resistance training-only group.

The weight training group worked out three times a week, performing 8-15 reps of 10 exercises for 2-4 sets. The aerobics group completed one hour of aerobic exercise (walking, biking or stair climbing) four times per week.

Both groups were limited to 800 liquid calories. (Don't try this at home, folks. Calorie intake was that low to remove any dietary variables and to compare the effects of exercise on metabolism and lean body mass.)

Both groups lost weight and VO2 max increased equally in both groups.

However, the strength training group lost no lean body mass (LBM) and also lost significantly more fat than the aerobic training group. The resistance training group preserved both their LBM and their RMR and although the aerobics group lost weight, they also experienced a decrease in their resting metabolic rate (RMR).

It's obvious why lowered metabolism would be a problem but why should you care if you lose muscle as long as the scale goes down?

Muscle, along with fat loss, gives you that defined body that most of us want. (No one likes the "skinny-fat" look.) More muscle means you can be more active and independent as you age. Most important to a fat loss discussion, muscle tissue is metabolically active; the more muscle you have the more calories you burn even at rest.

Any magazine, book, or internet guru who promotes long bouts of steady state aerobic exercise over strength training for fat loss is way behind on the research.

If you're interested in fat loss and are not already strength training, what are you waiting for?

Want to get started on an effective resistance training program? Join Body & Soul or contact me about personal training. If you're not in Lancaster, here are my recommendations:

If you are a beginner, check out Craig Ballantyne's TurbulenceTraining. If you've been lifting for and for a while and haven't seen the results you'd like, pick up a copy of The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess.

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10 Machines You Shouldn't Use

10 Machines You Shouldn't Use

Obviously, writers want you to read their articles so they come up with attention grabbing headlines, that may or may not be totally accurate.

Let me start out by saying that if your primary goal is burning maximum calories and dropping weight, isolation machines should be a very small (if any) part of your strength training routine.

You will get much more metabolic "bang" for your time and effort "buck" by concentrating on compound exercises that work multiple muscles. Everyone seems to love Bicep Curls and there's nothing wrong with adding them to your program occasionally. However, if you are limited in time (like most people) and are interested in fat loss (like most people), you will be much better served by Rows and Pulldowns than by Curls.

I agree with much of this article. I haven't had a client do Behind the Neck Pulldowns in at least 8 or 9 years, Body & Soul's Leg Extension machine pretty much just collects dusts and I will never own a Hip Abduction machine. For the most part, I believe standing exercises are better than seated, and dumbbell exercises are superior to the same movement on a machine. That being said, I think a blanket condemnation of all 10 of those machines goes a little far.