An Email I Received

The following is an email question that I received the other day. I thought it was a good question so I decided to share with you all.

Hi Daryl,


I have been following your blog over the past months and enjoy your articles.  I have a question for you.  What would you recommend for someone who doesn't like to exercise. In fact, I hate to exercise and probably won't adhere to any type of program.  I don't want to join a gym, or do anything at home.  I have to lose weight and was wondering if there was another way of doing so without having to exercise? You are probably going to get all over me about not exercising, but I really don't want to exercise.  


J.B.


Hi J.B.,

Thank you for the question. First off, you should be concerned with losing fat, not weight. Losing weight is dangerous and takes away too much muscle tissue. I want you to lose fat not muscle.  No, I am not going to get on you about not exercising.  There is really one way to lose body fat in the body, it must be metabolized via muscle tissue.  It is all about nutrient manipulation.  Nutrition is 85% the equation, exercise makes up the other 15%.  Even though exercise is the best metabolic booster to the systems of the body, it is not necessary for changing body composition.

Whenever your body gains too much body fat there are different variables that could be a contributing factor, 1. hormone levels, 2. not eating enough vital nutrients, 3. eating too much.

Hormone Levels
The natural hormones of the body decrease during age and when muscle tissue is not being worked enough. Progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, growth hormone, luteinizing hormone, thyroxine are some of the major hormones that deplete as we age. When these hormones deplete there is usually an increase in fat storage. This is a natural aging process, however it can be slowed down if the systems of the body are still needing an increase in hormonal support.  This is where exercise would come into play.  I realize you don't like to exercise, but one of the greatest benefits of exercise is the slowing down of the aging process. When the muscles are stimulated and challenged through varying resistance, the anabolic hormones are increased to help support the function and recovery of the damaged tissue. When the tissue is not active or utilized beyond a sedentary level, the body will regulate the necessity of the anabolic hormones, in other words the body will reduce the amount of hormones secreted to accommodate to the low energy level.  Folks that lead a sedentary life tend to age faster than those that exercise.

I would recommend that you have all of your hormone levels tested. That would provide answers to how much you are secreting.

Not Eating Enough Vital Nutrients
If your hormones are in the normal range and there is no significant change in the anabolic production. Then we have to look at how many nutrients you are taking in per day.  The biggest mistake a person makes is thinking that if they eat less then they will lose body fat.  This is not the case.  It is important to know what your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is to establish a baseline of how many nutrients you should be taking in on a daily basis.

In my book "diet EARTH", I go into depth about vital nutrients and the importance of eating the right amount throughout the day.  If you are interested in learning more about nutrition I recommend this book for you.  You can get it on my website @ darylconant.com

The resting metabolic rate is the amount of energy that your vital organs and tissue of the body is working at per day. Think of the vital organs of the body as little engines. Each engine has a certain amount of energy (fuel) needed to operate.  The vital nutrients are the fuel for the engines.  The RMR determines how much fuel the engine needs.  If we match the energy demand with external vital nutrients coming into the body, then the RMR will be satisfied.  All the organs and tissue will be fed what they demand. When the systems are fed their required amount then there is not a deficit. When a deficit occurs this means that the vital organs are not be fed their necessary amount of vital nutrients. The result of insufficient nutrient intake results in a compromised system.  An effect of a compromised system is fat gain and muscle loss.

The body loses muscle during times of insufficient nutrient intake because there is not enough dietary protein coming into the system. When this occurs the vital nutrient exchange suffers, the body will then recruit protein from its own skeletal muscle to feed the vital nutrient exchange system. When this occurs fat metabolism is decreased.

What you want to do is to increase the vital nutrient intake so that you don't go into a catabolic affect.
You need to know how much protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, low glycemic carbs, your body needs to take in on a daily basis.

Eating Too Much
This is common sense. Eating too much will force the body to store more fat. The interesting thing about overconsumption is that it is difficult to over consume protein but it is very easy to overconsume carbohydrates.  Here is a trick to avoid over eating.  Eat protein first, whether its chicken, beef, fish.  You will most likely begin to get a full feeling after about 5-8 oz. of protein consumption.  Then eat your vegetables. By the time the sugar gets into the system your hunger will be suppressed.  If you eat carbs first you will have a tendency to over eat because the digestive system has an easier time with carbs and can process them faster than proteins and fats.  This means that you can eat a lot of sugar without ever feeling full. This is why restaurants serve you bread before you eat. The sugar actually makes you hungrier, which means you will order more food. They would never give out free protein because you would be stuffed within minutes and wouldn't order any food.

Eating Poor Value Food
Eating poor value food is the same as eating nothing at all. The same physiological effects occur when you eat junk food. In addition, poor value food is loaded with cancer producing agents that will compromise your health.

By establishing a healthy nutrition plan that is loaded with the correct amount of timed released vital nutrients is key for burning fat.

If you are interested I offer online nutritional services. I would be more than happy to work with you. If you do decide to hire me to help you I would suggest that you write down everything you eat for 4 days and then email me that information.  I will analyze your intake and design a nutritional plan for you that will help you start seeing results.  Thank you for your question.

Daryl

tags: daryl conant, vince gironda, ron kosloff, nutrition, the cell