your enemy within: the visceral fat

In the year 1997, the World Health Organization (WHO) formally recognised obesity as a global epidemic. Just about 10 years after that, WHO has released the statistics that 1.5 billion adults (aged 20 and older) were overweight; and of these over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese.

Being fat used to be determined by just how heavy a person is, however, health scientists have come to recognise that body fat, instead of body weight, is the key to evaluating obesity. This is one basis that points out the irrelevance of BMI in predicting level of obesity, for example, among people who are muscularly built.

The body fat content depends on the volume of fat tissue, or adipose tissue and it can be found under the skin (subcutaneous fats), in between muscles (intramuscular fats), in the breast, and in the spaces between the intestines and abdominal organs (visceral fats). The main function of adipose tissue is as reservoir for lipids, which can be burned to release energy when the body needs it, and as protection from excessive blood sugars by storing it after conversion by the liver.

Most of us pinch the flab of skin over our tummy and be annoyed by how fat we are. Subcutaneous fats may cover up our muscle definition, but truly it is not much more than just a cosmetic concern. It is just literally skin deep, and the true enemy, the visceral fats, lie deeper than that. High visceral fat level is associated Type II diabetes, coronary heart disease and colorectal cancers. Although subcutaneous fats and visceral fats may grow proportionately, current medical knowledge links diseases more to visceral fats.

In this case, callipers reading on your triceps or thigh skin folds won't tell you how much visceral fats you have. Body fat analysis can be done with elaborate and complicated measuring techniques such as underwater weighing and X-ray absorptiometry. However these measurement can be as cumbersome as they are tongue-twisting. One approximating calculation that gives off a fairly representative measurement of body fat content, is by using bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) machine.

In BIA, a very low electrical current is sent through your body via your feet. The current should be harmless and too low to be felt. The mechanism of BIA calculation is complex, but can be simplified for our simple understanding.

Water lets electrical current through with little resistance, compared to fat. So if the machine reads high resistance, it will compute higher fat content for your body. Bear in mind also that when you are over hydrated, the machine perceives less resistance going through your tissues, therefore computing less fat content. The scales use this data, together with personal data you enter such as your height, age, sex and fitness level, to calculate your body-fat percentage using a formula corrected to reflect the general population.

However, some BIA machines warn against use for people with pacemakers as the scales' electrical current could interfere with the pacemaker. Many also warn the readings can be unreliable for children, athletes and bodybuilders, people with metal plates or screws in their bodies and pregnant women.

One machine that I am familiar with is the TANITA Body Composition Machine. On the print out, such as the one above (obviously not mine, hehe), look at the Visceral Fat Rating. For TANITA, it uses its own rating system from 1-59. Healthy visceral fat rating is from 1 to 12, while 13 and above is undesirable. Look also at the Fat Percentage, where a healthy fat range differs from men to women, and a desirable range is given. Take special note of the TBW (total body water) percentage, that may change the reading of your body fat composition. Compare body fat readings only when the total body water percentage is roughly similar. On that note, you should also compare readings at almost the same time of the day, or consistently before or after your workout because after you sweat out, the body water content may differ.

Fretting about weight-loss is so yesterday. You should strive for fat loss instead. Work on decreasing the total body fat and improving the visceral fat rating! The scary fact is: you don't have to look fat to be viscerally fat! Check your total body fat percentage and visceral fat rating to be sure. Is it possible to reduce visceral fat? Of course it is, however, no amount of crunches and sit-ups may help you do just so. 

Step 1

Get a healthy nutrition plan. Work with your doctor or your fitness trainer to design a nutrition plan for you that focuses on improving your health and helping you to lose weight. Remember, eating healthily and cleanly is the only method that will work!

Step 2

Exercise at least 30 minutes per day, which helps you lose and manage your weight. A weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight can help reduce visceral fat stores. The only way to reduce visceral fat stores is to burn more calories than you consume. Engage in physical activity such as circuit training, brisk walking, biking and any activity that gets your heart rate up.

Step 3

Stay motivated. Don’t expect to lose weight overnight because you didn’t gain it quickly. Fat loss takes time and don't lose your sleep over it. Literally! Getting the right amount of sleep helps. In one study, people who got six to seven hours of sleep per night gained less visceral fat over 5 years compared to those who slept five or fewer hours per night or eight or more hours per night. Sleep may not have been the only thing that mattered -- but it was part of the picture.

Step 4

Stop practicing unhealthy lifestyle habits. Stop smoking, drinking, being inactive, and eating high-fat, processed foods. Choosing healthier lifestyle choices will improve your quality of life and will show up in inches lost. According to the Journal American Medical Association, just a modest amount of weight loss will improve your visceral fat stores and other medical complications you have. Use that as motivation to stick with your eating and exercise program.

References:

TANITA - FAQ

WebMD - Truth About Belly Fat

http://www.livestrong.com/article/173780-how-to-burn-visceral-fat/

do you bant?

Diet, diet, diet. That's the one thing that makes or breaks any effort to lose weight. Countless regime has been formulated and all carried their own promises of making you into a lean and slender, magazine cover material.

The Internet is saturated with fad diet entries, that a google search of the words fad+diet will return 5.5million, and believe me, it is still growing at exponential rate! Fad diets are defined as "a nutritional regimen, generally of an extreme nature, intended to produce results more quickly than a traditional diet-exercise combination; often of a dubious nature." (Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012)

In 1974, an article in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Food Faddism: a challenge to nutritionists and dietitians by McBean and Speckmann) listed 3 categories of food fads:

1. A particular food or food group is exaggerated and purported to cure specific diseases.
2. Foods are eliminated from an individual’s diet because they are viewed as harmful.
3. An emphasis is placed on eating certain foods to express a particular lifestyle.

Food fads might have gotten more popular in the recent 50 years or so, but the first documented fad diet was evident from as early as the mid 19th Century, when a man called William Banting printed his weight-loss success with a regime of diet that limited intake of refined and easily digestible carbohydrates. The pamphletes were so popular, it was reprinted several times and the question "Do you bant?" was the rave of the moment, equivalent to our modern day "Are you following a Diet?"

While some researches conclude that low-carbohydrate diets are a "feasible alternative recommendation for weight loss", restrictive diet programmes for weight reduction by food groups restrictions are never meant as a life-long adjustments to the way we eat. Instead, there are a few other factors we may need to consider adjusting, not just the type of food alone:

1. The portion size of a meal
2. The timing of a meal

Some of us might have picked up the habit of looking at the nutritional table of food products, take a glance at the calories column and judge whether or not it justifies itself for consumption. A quick glance at a caramelized popcorn box, shows 122kcal per serving. Harmless, you'd think, 10 minutes run at 7km/h on the treadmill will take care of that. But one may overlook the fact that a standard portion for popcorn sold at the cinema is 85 oz, not 1 oz.

Here are some examples of healthy portion size, taken from WebMD:

• A cup of fruit should be no larger than your fist.
• One ounce of meat or cheese is about the same as the size of your thumb from base to tip.
• Three ounces of meat, fish, or poultry (a normal serving) is about the size of your palm.
• One to two ounces of nuts equals your cupped hand.

You must have heard of the adage: eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. A study published in the journal Obesity, has concluded that timing the caloric size of your meals in a day is important for weight loss. The research divided  2 groups of obese women, both given the same total caloric intake per day of 1400kcal. In the first group, breakfast was 700kcal, lunch 500kcal and dinner 200kcal, while the second group was given breakfast of 200kcal, lunch 500kcal and dinner 700kcal. The types of food was same for both groups, and their weight changes were measured after 3 months.

Both the groups showed weight reduction at the end of the 3 months, because of the restricted caloric diet (1400kcal/day) but the first group showed greater weight loss and weight circumference reduction. Other than weight and size drop, the heavy breakfast group also showed:

1. significant drop of fasting glucose
2. greater drop of cholesterol level
3. greater level of satiety score (less hungry throughout the day)

So it might pay to have your main meal on the early side. However, don't lose sight of the fact that what works in the long run is cutting calories by portion control and not so much on food group restriction. 

Eating clean with the right portion and being more physically active, is the only diet that will work!

The best diet is not a diet at all but a way of life that includes food you enjoy, exercise, and healthy habits. Here are some tips to kick start a portion controlled clean eating habit, and physical activities:

• Eat a variety of foods -- lean protein; complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables; and "good" fats, like omega-3 fats from fish and monounsaturated fats from avocados, nuts, and olives or olive oil.
• Say NO to bad fats: minimize how much saturated fat you get from animal sources, and eliminate trans fats from the fried foods, snacks, and fast food products you eat.
• Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Choose different colors of fruits and vegetables to ensure optimal nutrition.
• Be careful about portion sizes. If you must have seconds, serve yourself vegetables.
• Exercise at least 150 minutes each week with a moderately intense activity like brisk walking. This can be divided into smaller blocks of time. For example, you could do a brisk walk for 10 minutes three times a day for five days to reach 150 minutes.  
• Clean out the kitchen and eliminate all junk food. Toss out high-calorie, high-fat, sugary foods that will tempt you to overeat -- chips, cookies, crackers, ice cream, candy bars, and the like.
• Fill your kitchen with lean protein, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, good fats, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products.
• Eat smaller meals more frequently. Five to six per day may be best. Space your meals every three to four hours throughout your day. Try taking low fat cheese and whole grain crackers to school or work for a snack, or eat a tablespoon of peanut butter with one slice of whole grain bread. Find foods that are healthy and that keep you full.
• If you like lots of food on your plate, fill up with a large salad and a super serving of green beans, broccoli, cabbage, kale, or other low calorie vegetable.
• Snack on berries. Dark berries (blueberries, blackberries, cherries, and raspberries) are rich in healthy antioxidants. They are also low in calories and fat and high in fiber.
• Avoid "empty calories" including sugar-containing sodas and fruit drinks.

Reference:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/the-truth-about-fad-diets

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieting

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512957

home made baby butter-head lettuce salad with orange and balsamic dressing

I first had a taste of orange dressing salad with crispy duck at Canoodling Restaurant and fell in love with it. Here, I've tried to replicate that delicious salad by using stuffs I have in my fridge. In this version, I've taken out the olive oil and put in chia seeds for my dose of Omega-3 instead. Try to increase the portion and have a big bowl, because believe me, just one serving will keep you wanting for more.

• 1 head baby butter-head lettuce
• 1 medium sized orange
• 1 slice chicken ham (35g)
• a dash of balsamic vinegar
• a sprinkle of raisin
• a sprinkle of sunflower seeds
• a sprinkle of chia seeds

Slice chicken ham into strips. Wash the lettuce and spin dry. Cut the orange into half, squeeze the juice out of one half, and dice the other half into chunks. Mix the orange juice with a dash of balsamic vinegar. Toss the lettuce, orange chunks, raisin and chia seeds in a big bowl and drizzle with the dressing. Dive in.

Total calorie 114kcal, carbohydrate 18g, protein 9.4g, fat 2g

Without chicken ham: calorie 89kcal, carbohydrate 16.5g, protein 2.4g, fat 1.3g

いただきます

greek yogurt caesar salad, fortified

A slight modification to the earlier posted Greek yogurt Caesar salad dressing. Instead of using soft boiled egg for the dressing, I've taken the yolks from 2 hard boiled eggs and whisked them into the yogurt. I've also used half a carrot, grated, rather than baby butter head lettuce. It tastes about the same, only that the boiled yolk gives a slight chalky consistency in the dressing, but I like it anyway. 

Two eggs to reward myself for doing HardCore and BodyCombat today :o) Using cooked eggs also takes away the concern for salmonella problem for those who are particular about having partial raw eggs in their food. This recipe is without the raisins and I topped up with sunflower seeds instead, for that extra crunch. The egg whites are used as topping.

Total calorie 364kcal; carbohydrate 22g, protein 23g, fat 20g.

The pie chart doesn't look that balanced, but only because the calculation is based on dry weight of the particular food group, and for carbohydrate, fibre and sugar component is added together. The high protein component comes from the eggs, and dairy products.

This could feed 2 servings as side dish, but I had all to myself for lunch, considering that's all I'm having :o)

いただきます

home made greek yogurt caesar salad

Long enough have I been cheating myself to eat healthy outside, by ordering anything that has the word 'salad' in it's name. And a peek at the calorie count for a typical dinner sized Caesar salad made in a restaurant may fetch up to 800kcal depending on the ingredients used. So, choose the lesser evil? Perhaps if we don't do it that often.

However, I do try to eat clean whenever I prepare my own salad at home. My latest craze, using yogurt as dressing. You may notice the new hype on yogurt, claimed to be the healthier version - the Greek Yogurt - that almost every brand carry a variation at the moment. But for the best benefit of clean eating, try to get the plain version, which is sans the fruit jam and unnecessary sugar chucked in.

Here's my take on a yogurt based Caesar salad:

• 1 cup shred cabbage (about a quarter of a medium Beijing cabbage)
• 1 cup baby butter-head lettuce (about half a head)
• a pinch of seasoned nori

Dressing:

• 3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
• 1 large soft boiled egg
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan
• a sprinkle of raisin
• a drizzle of honey
• a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Total calorie 235kcal; carb 15.7g, prot 15.8g, fat 8.0g.

The above portion fills up a whole salad bowl, that can easily feed up to 4 people as a side dish. I however, split them into 2 servings, or sometimes when I'm really famished, gobble up in one seating, which I admit goes against my philosophy of moderation.

Caesar salad usually comes with hard boiled eggs, and some crouton. So if you're feeling really naughty, throw in a sliced boiled egg and substitute the crouton with 3 pieces of Munchy's Oat Krunch with Chia seed, which adds up another 8g of protein at the expense of about 200kcal. Not too bad if you have friends to share this with.

いただきます