Energy efficiency due to prolonged calorie restriction.
Reflecting on your interview with Eric on calorie restriction what did you understand to be the impact of weight loss on metabolic efficiency? I thought there was a comment that metabolic efficiency declines when calorie sufficiency is restored. If a consequence of weight loss is increased insulin sensitivity does that cause the weight rebound seen so frequently after the conclusion of a successful weight loss from calorie restriction? I have been intrigued by the idea from a Zone 2 interview that Tour de France cyclists gain weight when they stop training, possibly because of changed nutrition, but also because they have become so metabolically efficient. I am thinking in the context of having been variously on keto, high protein, and now a mix of TR and high protein, with supplementation. I feel I am on a treadmill of life long significant calorie restriction because if I add an extra 100-200 Kcal/day my efficient metabolism will just go crazy and store it all! Actually another question that really, really intrigues me is the metabolic activity of muscle in the presence or absence of testosterone? It seems to me that while I have a high muscle mass as a female the energy consumption/metabolic rate of that muscle is not as high as it might be in a male of equivalent size/weight and muscle mass because of testosterone. Is testosterone the difference between the male and female metabolic rate? I guess male and female muscle tissue stimulated in a testosterone environment would help answer that if you could also measure the number/density of testosterone metabolite receptors on the muscle? Thank you for your provocative and fascinating interviews.
Do super active people eat too much food?
Hi Dr. Attia, My husband and I are both former collegiate and professional athletes. We currently own a few CrossFit gyms in the Boston area and continue to take our training seriously but now with deeper focus on health and longevity. I have been searching for years to find the sweet spot of how much protein an active person who wants to continue to gain muscle should be eating without the dangers of excess IGF1 in the body which may contribute to disease. The more I dig deeper into this the more I am questioning not just protein, but all nutrients. I am leaning towards wanting to cut our daily food intake from 5 meals a day (breakfast, post workout, lunch, snack, dinner) to 3.5 meals a day (small breakfast, post workout, lunch, dinner). We try to get protein, fiber and micronutrients at every meal and also get in omega-3s and some fermented foods on a daily basis as well. We drink ~100oz of filtered water, take a multi-vitamin, vitamin D, fish oil daily. The reason I am so frustrated with not being able to find clarity on how much food active people who want to keep their muscle mass (or hopefully continue to gain muscle) but also live as long and healthy as possible is because my husband turned 45 this year and just got his colonoscopy. They removed 4 polyps. I am trying so hard to do everything right for us to be healthy and I just feel I am missing something. I apologize for the rambling and I really hope you or your team take the time to read through this. Thank you so much for all that you do to help so many people!!!
Acceptable blood glucose levels during physical activity
I play tennis competitively (amateur sports) and noticed that my blood glucose levels rose during my match. I recently started wearing a CGM. Why does this happen and is this ok since I’m trying to reduce my a1c to nonprediabetes levels. Also do you have recommendation on when athletes should eat wrt matches or games? ie should I listen to my CGM and exercise once my blood glucose has stabilized? Thank you!