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| Metabolic Types...Are you eating what you should? | ||
| Apr 18 2008 00:15 | ||
I find it incredibly frustrating that over and over again people are recommending macronutrient ratios of 60% carbs, 25%protein, 15% fats or something of the like. I have found through trial and error that eating this ratio causes nothing but weight GAIN for me personally, or at best keeps my weight the same. So I did a little research on metabolism.... turns out there are three different ways that we as people use food for fuel. What this means is that there are actually three different macronutrient recommendations one could choose to follow, depending on how your body burns. 1. Fast oxidizers Your ideal macronutrient ratio is 20 percent carbs, 50 percent protein, 30 percent fat.
Your ideal macronutrient ratio is 60 percent carbs, 25 percent protein, and 15 pertcent fat.
Your ideal macronutrient ratio is 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fat.
There are pretty substantial differences between the three so it's no wonder so many people show no loss when dieting and simply give up! They're eating the wrong stuff! I would advise everyone WHO IS NOT HAVING ANY SUCCESS AT LOSING to read the following excerpt , take a simple test, and find out what exactly your body prefers to run on. Trust me, it could make a world of difference in your weight loss efforts! Winning by LosingBy Jillian Michaels
If you you may be thinking that as long as you stay within your caloric range for the week, you can eat whatever you want. Although it’s true that at a basic level weight loss is simple math, there is more to losing weight and getting healthy than just numbers. As you restrict your caloric intake, it is absolutely essential that you eat the right kinds of food to build muscle, strengthen your immune system, and stay energized throughout the process. Sounds simple, right? It would be, except that the way to do this is different for everyone. Determining Your Metabolic Type Why? Inherited genetics make each one of us unique, from the color of our hair right down to the way our organs function. This uniqueness extends to the way our cells convert nutrients into energy. In order to know how to get the most nutritional bang for your calorie buck, you need to understand your unique metabolic type. Once you do, you can begin to custom design your new dietary lifestyle around the foods that will help you achieve and maintain your ideal weight while also optimizing your physical energy, strength, and mental clarity. Metabolic typing is really just fancy talk for figuring out how your body processes what you eat—more specifically, how your body deals with the three basic macronutrients in food: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Imagine that you are a furnace: your body takes the food you eat and burns it with oxygen to convert its caloric content into energy. This process is known as oxidation, and it’s how the carb content in your food gets turned into glucose and released into the blood. When glucose is released into the blood, the pancreas is cued to release insulin to “clean” your blood of any sugar that is not being used by the body as energy and carry it to your cells, where it gets stored as fat. The fact that we all oxidize the nutrients in our food in different ways is the reason why a particular diet will work for one person and not for another. If you know more about how the nutrients in your food act on your system, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary pitfalls and really maximize your results as you continue on your journey toward total health. Although rates can vary a lot from one person to the next, most people can be classified according to three basic groups: 1. Fast oxidizers Fast oxidizers burn through the nutrients in their food very rapidly, with the consequence that the carb content is broken down to glucose and released into the blood almost at once. This sudden increase in blood sugar triggers a rapid release of large amounts of insulin to clean away excess sugar, which is stored as fat in your cells. The more carb content in your food, the more energy will be available to your body right away, and the greater the chance that it will not be needed and get stored as fat. Insulin is a quick and effective blood-cleaner, and the dramatic leaps and falls in blood sugar levels that result from fast oxidation lead to the sugar crash effect. For a fast oxidizer, foods with high carb ratios cause fatigue and carb cravings as well as promote fat storage. Fast oxidizers should eat foods with more proteins and fats in order to slow down their rate of oxidation and insulin release, and to better promote stable blood sugar and sustained energy levels. Slow oxidizers burn through the nutrients in their food slowly and do not release the glucose from carbohydrates into the blood quickly enough, which means that they do not get converted into glucose, and energy production and availability are delayed. A slow oxidizer should eat foods with higher ratios of carbs, since protein and fat slow the rate of oxidation and energy production even further. Balanced oxidizers fall right in between the two. They require foods that have equal quantities of protein, fat, and carbs in order to optimally process, produce, and use the energy from their food. Now that we have defined the different metabolic types, you’re probably wondering how you’re supposed to know what’s happening in your blood every time you have a snack. Don’t worry—there’s a test, and you can take it right now, and all you need is a pencil and paper. The test is made up of a series of detailed questions that bear on everything from the foods you crave to the dryness of your skin. These questions cover such a wide range of physical attributes because scientists now believe that metabolic type, i.e., the way in which your body processes nutrients, is wired right into a part of your central nervous system that controls a host of other functions within your body. Consequently, if you take a closer look at some of the peripheral functions in your own body, they will shed light on your particular oxidative type and help you pinpoint your specific nutritional needs. Oxidizer TestFor each of these questions, circle the response that best applies to you. You may not know the answer right off the bat—it may take a couple of days if you have to see a pattern, but really think about these questions and analyze how different foods affect your body and your moods. The better you know yourself, the greater your odds of achieving exactly the results you want. In the morning, you: At a buffet, the foods you choose are: Your appetite at lunch is: Your appetite at dinner is: Caffeine makes you feel: The types of foods you crave are (sugar is not listed because everyone craves sugar when they are tired or run-down): For dinner, you prefer: After dinner, you: The types of sweets you like are: Eating fatty foods like meat and cheese before bed: Eating carbs like breads and crackers before your bed: Eating sweets before bed: Each day, you eat: Your attitude toward food is: When you skip meals, you feel: Your attitude toward fatty foods is: When you eat fruit salad for breakfast or lunch, you feel: What kind of food drains your energy? Your food portions are: How do you feel about potatoes? Red meat makes you feel: A salad for lunch makes you feel: How do you feel about salt? How do you feel about snacks? How do you feel about sour foods like pickles, lemon juice, or vinegar? How do you feel about sweets? When you just eat meat (bacon, sausage, ham) for breakfast, you feel: When you eat heavy or fatty foods, you feel: When you feel anxious: You concentrate best when you eat: You feel more depressed when you eat: You notice you gain weight when you eat: What type of insomnia, if any, applies to you? Your personality type is: Your mental and physical stamina are better when you eat: Your climate preference is: You have problems with coughing or chest pressure: You have a tendency to get cracked skin or dandruff: You have a tendency to get light-headed or dizzy: Your eyes tend to be: Your facial coloring is: Your fingernails are: Your gag reflex is: You get goose bumps: You are prone to: When insects bite you, your reaction is: Your body type is: Your nose is: When you have finished the test, add up the number of A answers, B answers, and C answers you have circled. If your number of C answers is 5 or more higher than your number of A or B answers, you are a fast oxidizer. If your number of A answers is 5 or more higher than your number of B or C answers, you are a slow oxidizer. If your number of B answers is 5 or more higher than your number of A or C answers, or if neither A, B, nor C’s are 5 or more higher than the other two, you are a balanced oxidizer. If you’ve answered this questionnaire and you are still not clear which category is the right one for you, there are two other tests you can take to help clarify your metabolic type. These tests are a little drastic and provocative, and they are only intended for those who truly cannot type themselves using the questionnaire. 1. Niacin test: Take 50 milligrams of niacin on an empty stomach. If you experience an immediate flush, you are most likely a fast oxidizer. If you experience a moderate flushing effect, you are a balanced oxidizer. If you experience a significantly delayed flushing or nothing at all, you are a slow oxidizer. 2. Vitamin C test:
Take 8 grams of vitamin C in equally divided doses over 8 hours. The
fast oxidizer will respond by feeling acidic and uncomfortable, and may
even experience other symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, or increased
intestinal gas. A true balanced oxidizer may find that his or her
stomach feels less acidic. A slow oxidizer will have no response at
all. Fast oxidizers Proteins Choose from this list of proteins when deciding on a meal or snack: High Purine: organ meats (pâté, liver, etc.), herring, mussels, sardines, anchovies Moderate Purine: beef, bacon, dark meat chicken, duck, lamb, spareribs, dark meat turkey, veal, wild game, salmon, shellfish (lobster, shrimp, crab), oysters, scallops, octopus, squid, dark tuna Low Purine: cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, eggs, cheese, white meat chicken, turkey, fish Carbohydrates Low-Starch vegetables: asparagus, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms, spinach Fruits: avocado, olives, apples and pears (in limited quantity and never without protein on the side) Grains: sprouted grain bread only (Ezekiel bread is a well-known brand that is available at supermarkets and health–food stores) Legumes, tempeh, tofu Fats Nuts/Seeds (listed in order of protein content): waltnuts, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, filberts, pecans, chestnuts, pistachios, coconut, macadamias Fat/Oils: butter, cream, almond oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, flaxseed oil, sunflower oil, waltnut oil Along with knowing the foods that are ideal for you, it is important to know the foods that are worst for you. You don’t always have to eat off the ideal foods list, but the following foods will sabotage your weight-loss efforts. 1. Don’t ever eat a meal that is predominantly carbohydrates. 2. Don’t drink alcohol. It causes an increase in blood sugar and fat storage, and it will lead to a sugar crash as well as an increased appetite for carbs. If you choose to have a drink, avoid sugary cocktails, beer, and wine. Stick to clear alcohols like vodka or rum with calorie-free mixers like diet or club soda, and you can always just do what I do and drink it all straight. 3. Don’t eat carbohydrates that are high on the glycemic load index. The next chapter will tell you everything you need to know about the GLI. For now all you need to know is to stay away from high-GLI foods. It is important for all metabolic types to watch their high-GLI intake, but it is especially crucial for you. If you should happen to eat high-GLI foods, make sure to combine them with a protein in order to slow down the production and release of blood sugar. 4. Don’t drink too much caffeine. It is true that caffeine can be used as a fat burner and a performance enhancer when exercising. This is only effective, however, when the caffeine is taken in pill form in conjunction with aspirin. In the forms of coffee, tea, and soda, caffeine gives you short-term energy but does so by getting your adrenal glands to dump adrenaline into your blood like it’s going out of style. As a result, when the caffeine leaves your system, your adrenal glands will be depleted for a while, which leaves you feeling weak and tired from substandard blood-adrenaline levels. Caffeine also speeds the rate of oxidation, which is the exact opposite of what you want your nutrients to do. Avoid caffeinated beverages whenever possible and keep your overall caffeine consumption to a minimum. 5. Don’t overcook your meat. Avoid overcooked animal products, since heat destroys essential amino acids and valuable enzymes. You will have less physical ailments and feel energized if you eat the foods that contain the ideal macronutrient ratios for your metabolic type. However, these foods are all very high in calories. You must remember to keep within your caloric allowance in order to lose weight. Slow OxidizersIn order to best serve your metabolism and feel energized both physically and mentally, you require foods with a higher percentage of carbohydrates. Your ideal macronutrient ratio is 60 percent carbs, 25 percent protein, and 15 pertcent fat. Proteins Low Purine: white meat chicken, turkey breast, lean pork, catfish, cod, flounder, perch, sole, trout, white meat tuna, swordfish, low-fat cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, skim milk, low-fat yogurt, egg whites Carbohydrates Vegetables—Low Starch: asparagus, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, cucumbers, garlic, kale, leafy greens, onions, peppers, scallions, sprouts, tomatoes, watercress Vegetables—Moderate: Starch beets, eggplant, jicama, okra, yellow squash, zucchini Fruits: apples, berries, cherries, citrus fruits, peaches, pears, apricots, plums, tropical fruits, olives Grains: barley, brown rice, buckwheat, corn, couscous, kasha, millet, oat, quinoa, rye, spelt Legumes tempeh, tofu (eat sparingly as they are high in purines) beans, peas (should be eaten fresh, never dried) Fats Nuts/Seeds: raw and unsalted only—be very sparing Fats/Oils: vegetable or nut oils such as almond, coconut, flaxseed, olive, peanut, sunflower, walnut It’s not enough to know the foods that are ideal for you—you also have to learn which foods are worst for you. If you find yourself straying from the list of suggestions, remind yourself of these guidelines. 1. Don’t eat foods that are fatty or that contain high-purine proteins, such as organ meats and fish such as herring and sardines. Limit your intake of fats and oils, as they will slow down your ability to convert food into energy even further. Avoid red meat or dark white meats, and stay away from high-fat dairy, nut butters, and avocados. 2. Don’t drink alcohol. This is less of a concern for you than for fast oxidizers, but at the end of the day alcohol still increases your blood sugar and inhibits fat metabolism. 3. Don’t drink too much caffeine. This too is less of a concern for you than it is for fast oxidizers, but caffeine gives you energy by acting on your adrenal glands, causing them to over-produce and flood your system with adrenaline. When the caffeine’s effect has worn off, your adrenals are exhausted and you are left with lower-than-normal levels of adrenaline in your system, which makes you feel tired and sluggish. 4.
Don’t exceed one serving per meal of simple or starchy carbs like
potato, pasta, or rice, and always eat them with a lean protein to help
stabilize your blood sugar. If you are a balanced oxidizer, your diet is the easiest to follow, since you require an equal percentage of carbs, fats, and proteins. You feel at your best on a diet that incorporates a wide range of foods. Your ideal macronutrient ratio is 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fat. Proteins High Purine: organ meats (pâté, liver, etc.), herring, mussels, sardines, anchovies Moderate Purine: beef, bacon, dark meat chicken, duck, lamb, spareribs, dark meat turkey, veal, wild game, salmon, shellfish (lobster, shrimp, crab), oysters, scallops, octopus, squid, dark tuna, eggs, regular-fat cheeses Low Purine: white meat chicken, turkey breast, lean pork, catfish, cod, flounder, perch, sole, trout, white tuna, swordfish, low-fat cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, skim milk, low-fat yogurt, egg whites Carbohydrates Vegetables—Low Starch: asparagus, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, cucumbers, garlic, kale, leafy greens, onions, peppers, scallions, sprouts, tomatoes, watercress Vegetables—Moderate: Starch beets, eggplant, jicama, okra, yellow squash, zucchini Grains: barley, brown rice, buckwheat, corn, couscous, kasha, millet, oat, quinoa, rice, rye, spelt Legumes/Lentils (all fresh, nothing dried), tempeh, tofu, beans, peas Fats Nuts/Seeds: (listed in order of protein content) walnuts, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, filberts, pecans, chestnuts, pistachios, coconut, macadamias Fats/Oils: butter, cream, almond oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, flaxseed oil, sunflower oil, walnut oil Eat the foods that are ideal for you. Also remember these guidelines of what not to do. 1. Don’t eat meals made up of just one macronutrient. Make sure you adhere to your ideal ratio of 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fat. 2. Don’t drink alcohol. It depletes glycogen storage in the liver, which causes an increase in blood sugar and fat storage. In addition, you will most likely experience a sugar crash, which leads to a heightened appetite for carbs and the nutrients you need to metabolize them. If you do have a drink, choose wisely and avoid sugary cocktails, beer, and wine. Opt instead for clear alcohols such as vodka or rum with calorie-free mixers, like club soda diet, light fruit juices or diet Snapple. And there’s always straight or on the rocks as well. 3. Don’t eat foods that are high on the glycemic load index. (Again, see the next chapter for a full understanding of glycemic load.) If you should happen to eat high-GLI foods, make sure you accompany them with protein in order to show down the rate of oxidation and stabilize blood sugar and energy levels. 4. Don’t drink too much caffeine. Caffeine is only effective as a fat burner or performance enhancer when taken in pill form and combined with aspirin. In the forms of coffee, tea, or soda, caffeine gives you short-term energy but does that by signaling to your adrenal glands to dump all of their store out into your blood. When the caffeine wears off, your adrenal glands are so depleted they have to take a break, which means that you feel tired and weak. 5. Don’t overcook your meat. Avoid overcooked animal products, since heat destroys essential amino acids and valuable enzymes. Now
that you have your list of foods that are ideal for your metabolic
type, you will have more energy and feel better if you eat to support
your metabolism. However, many of the foods on your list are high in
calories. Your diet should incorporate these types of foods in
accordance with your caloric allowance. Excerpted with permission from Jillian Michaels' new book, Winning by Losing. |
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| Page 1 [2] of 2 | Post Reply | |
| #1 | Apr 18 2008 00:51 | |
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Very interesting. I turned out to be a moderate oxidizer. Looks like I should cut back on the carbs :-) |
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| #2 | Apr 18 2008 03:15 | |
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It IS interesting isn't it?? I have so much more energy since I've changed to eating this way, and the weight loss is steady! |
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| #3 | Apr 18 2008 03:16 | |
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=/ Apparently I'm a fast oxidizer (almost mixed between fast and balanced though) but I love vegetables. I have to work to get my protein in. |
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| #4 | Apr 18 2008 06:39 | |
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apparently i'm balanced oxidizer. this has worked for you? gosh i wish i could attempt this but it really seems like it requires so much thought put into every single meal! it seems so high maintenance. |
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| #5 | Apr 18 2008 07:22 | |
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It says I'm a slow oxidizer...Very informative and makes MUCH sense to me. I think it confirms what I already know. Thank you very much for this info. |
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| #6 | Apr 18 2008 11:55 | |
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Like everyone else here I found this REALLY interesting. I went on a diet last year that emphasised protein and I lost very little though I tried really hard including exercise, keeping to calorie recommendation etc. Since checking the site you recommended I've decided to go with the "type" they have identified for me - which is higher carbs. I'll let you know what happens! |
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| #7 | Apr 18 2008 12:28 | |
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It says I'm a fast oxidizer. I agree with a lot of the things about it, but I LOVE carbs, I don't know if I can eat that much less of them!! I'll try to shift towards the ratio they recommend, but we'll see if I can do that. |
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| #8 | Apr 18 2008 14:00 | |
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The fact that this woman is affiliated with "The Biggest Loser" makes me highly skeptical of anything she has to say. |
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| #9 | Apr 18 2008 16:11 | |
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sorry nuevaburro I haven't watched The Biggest Loser - I only watch tv about once or twice a month (no more than about an hour or so!!) What is the Biggest Loser and what's the problem with it?? |
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| #10 | Apr 18 2008 16:39 | |
Original Post by iluvconchords: It's totally working!! I don't worry about the balance of every meal, just my overall percentages for the day. You're very lucky to be a balanced oxidizer! A little bit of everything and you're set! |
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| #11 | Apr 18 2008 16:44 | |
Original Post by nuevaburro: Wow! Guilty by Association huh? That's really too bad you judge so quick. Despite the fact that Jillian Michaels is a trainer on a show you don't like, she does know what she is talking about. Her passion for fitness training originates from 17 years of martial arts practice in Muay Thai and Akarui-Do, in which she holds a black belt. Since 1993 Jillian has held two personal training certificates from the leading certification programs in the country, the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (NESTA) and the American Fitness Association of America (AFAA). During that time she has helped shape and inspire the lives of millions. In addition, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has recognized Jillian for their work in Advanced Exercise Nutrition and Supplementation for Training and Performance. |
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| #12 | Apr 19 2008 00:07 | |
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i was hoping this would clarify some things, but actually my answers were absolutely all over the place (in terms of a, b or c). and the niacin/vitamin c test sound a little weird. so i think i'm just going to stay ignorant about my metabolic type. thanks for the info, though. |
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| #13 | Apr 19 2008 01:03 | |
Original Post by iknowmychicken: That's funny, none of my marital arts training (25 years of aikido with a mixture of judo, karate and recently jiu jitsu) has ever covered diet and nutrition. I have no doubts that the woman is qualified as it would be the height of idiocy for the show to hire someone who is unqualified but I don't think that martial arts is what has caused her to be qualified in diet and nutrition. |
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| #14 | Apr 19 2008 01:25 | |
Original Post by smwhipple: Cute typo. :-) I included that part to illustrate she's been actively involved in fitness training of some kind for a very long time. Do you know why she started in Martial Arts? To work out her frustrations with being overweight! Yes she was overweight once upon a time. This is the part that verifies she knows a bit about nutrition too. "In addition, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has recognized Jillian for their work in Advanced Exercise Nutrition and Supplementation for Training and Performance."
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| #15 | Apr 19 2008 02:23 | |
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http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,16267 95_1627112_1626456,00.html People might not worship "Biggest Loser" if they understood what really goes on. If she was a decent trainer, she would have never agreed to support people on calorically deprived diets, excessive exercise, and laxative/dehydration style weight loss methods. What she's a part of is one of the unhealthiest models I've ever seen....and people are idealizing this show. It encourages major muscle loss in order to to win the competition. Ever notice how the news media used to show pictures of returning astronauts being carried from their crafts? It's because they lost muscle mass in just a few days in space. I'm surprised the contestants on that show have the strength to carry the check after they've won. |
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| #16 | Apr 19 2008 03:42 | |
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Ummmmm ok. I never said I worship the show. I don't think anyone, even Time.com could speculate what actually takes place there unless they've actually been there. The media is still the media and will publish whatever slant they desire. As far as I can tell, the trainers are not with these people every second of every day so some personal accountability needs to be factored in here. It can't be all that bad in my opinion. "(Kelly Minner)The first-season runner-up dropped from 110 kg to 74 kg by the finale and now weighs 63 kg." "Last season's winner, Erik Chopin, 37, who owns a deli in North Babylon, New York, and since December has put on 10 of the 97 kg he lost, keeps a photo on his fridge taken when he weighed 185 kg."
I don't even know why I'm justifying myself right now. Everyone has their own opinions and that's fine. I posted this thread here to offer a new insight, if not hope for those who are really seriously struggling to lose despite their best efforts. It has been very beneficial to me to learn more about Metabolic typing so I thought I would share it. Sheesh!
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| #17 | Apr 19 2008 03:49 | |
Original Post by iknowmychicken: I agree with the fact that maybe Michaels might know her stuff, but none of what you just listed automatically makes her an expert. Sports Medicine does not focus on nutrition for weight loss, and neither does the Supp for Training and Performance. Of course, someone can still be an expert and not have "credentials", just pointing that out. Also, pointing out typos is pathetic. |
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| #18 | Apr 19 2008 03:55 | |
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Got any idea what the science behind this is, if any? I found the test amusing since at least my answers were consistent (31 "Cs", yeesh!) but do we have some sort of randomized controlled trial showing us this is the way to go? By way of anecdote I've lost about 60lbs and eat at LEAST 60% of my calories in carbs....bad carbs, no less. ;) |
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| #19 | Apr 19 2008 04:24 | |
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Wow! I never said she was an expert either, I just said she knows her stuff, as in I researched this further and found other reports confirming this metabolic mumbo jumbo. I should have just left her name out of this and this thread and it may have gone a whole other direction. And I thought that typo was cute. Marital Arts, martial arts...so close yet so far. |
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| #20 | Apr 19 2008 04:26 | |
Original Post by noelle31: Just Google Metabolic Typing. You'll find lots of interesting stuff about it. |
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