I.M.120 Helping you to BE YOUR BEST SELF

I have heard the theory proposed that going into the gym hungry will force your body to burn fat cells for energy thereby stimulating more weight loss.

The theory just doesn't hold up in practice. Remember, anytime you experience hunger your body goes into a catabolic state. That means that your body is breaking down proteins, Essentially breaking down muscle, in some cases vital organs, including your brain can be effected. (Hungary and mentally dull is no way to greet the world.)

Entering the gym in a state of hunger leads to less effective workouts. You simply will not have the energy required to get the most out of your exercise.

Remember, the goal is to reduce fat mass, not shrink muscles. Effective weight loss does not merely move the number on the scale, it also preserves power, vitality, and helps to reshape our bodies.

Imposing hunger on your body for the purpose of weight reduction is a proven failure. That is one of the reasons why people who commonly skip breakfast often have great difficulty controlling their weight. Your body does not like being starved and will react to that stimulus by increasing hunger drive and shifting metabolism to insure vigorous weight gain in the aftermath of the hunger cycle.

Finally, it's important to remember that exercise does not correlate with weight loss. The purpose of exercise is to be well conditioned, healthier, stronger. Weight loss requires change in food intake. (In many cases, the changed food intake needs to be supported by micronutrient and hormonal modifications.)

We recommend a pre-exercise snack consisting of 10 to 15 grams of protein, a high quality protein bar, protein shake, 2 eggs, or plain greek yogurt, even 1 or 2 glasses of milk (organic, whole milk is best).

After exercise, a high quality 25 grams protein snack should be consumed. High quality proteins are those that have all nine essential amino acids. These proteins include; meat, fish, eggs, whey (milk based) protein. For most of us, that snack is most conveniently consumed by taking a protein shake.

So hit the gym with a full tank, work without hunger, with joy and high-energy, restock your muscles with high-quality protein afterward. This is part of the healthy routine that will fuel your energy to live your  best life.

-Dr. Stephen Petteruti