The Stronger Solution: Using Muscle Power to Tackle Obesity

More muscle boosts metabolism, burns fat, and improves insulin sensitivity—key factors in combating obesity. Start Wise & Strong classes today!

IN MY 20s I COULD EAT ANYTHING I WANTED!

If we eat the way we did in our teens or even in our 20s, our clothes are bound to feel tighter. Besides that, because of obesity, we set ourselves up for health problems, and according to the CDC, about 40% of Americans are already obese. Worldwide, according to WHO, more people are obese than underweight, except in Sub Sahara Africa. In 2022 WHO proclaimed that by 2025, about 167 million more people, adults and children, will become less healthy due to being overweight or obese. It seems to be the new normal, but it is NOT HEALTHY.

Obesity not only impacts movement, but it affects most body systems (muscles, heart, liver, joints, lungs, it's also responsible, at least in part, for type 2 diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular problems, sleep apnea, and other chronic conditions.

Fat storage was the key to survival; today, it means overweight and obese.

The best way to control weight is to keep the pounds at bay in the first place. It's complicated because as we age, everything from hormones, muscles, metabolism, other body systems, and lifestyle are in a state of flux, tipping our scales in the wrong direction. It's not impossible to lose unwanted fat, but we might be going about it incorrectly.

There is a science to weight loss, and it's not found in money - making diets. Most people who have been on diets regain weight within a short time anyway. And many people who get regular exercise (walk, cycle, swim, stair master, treadmill) are convinced they're staying healthy, yet are perplexed not only to find themselves weaker, but to find the extra pounds making their way to their bodies. As people age, metabolism slows down, and body composition changes; we lose lean body mass – opening the door for weight gain.

Any exercise you enjoy doing, and every time you move your body, is beneficial. Activity levels have some relevance, but when it comes to losing fat, so much more is involved. We can use the example of an imaginary person, a 55-year-old woman. She's 5'8", weighs 135 pounds, and has a basal metabolism rate of 1303.35. I used the BMI calculator from pediatriconcall.com.

Female: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)
That means she burns 1303.35 calories daily for metabolic functions to stay alive. Per hour she burns 54 calories.

I used the treadmill calculator at treadmillcalculator.com for the following example. Suppose she's on the treadmill for one hour, including warm-up, fast-paced runs, and higher-speed intervals. She had a great workout – she completed 6 miles in an hour. The treadmill screen shows 656 calories. She's drenched with sweat. 54 calories are her basal hourly rate; we subtract them from 656. She burned 602 calories on her one-hour treadmill workout. Still, what a feat

On her way home, she turns into Dunkin Donuts - why not? She deserves it. She was about to get a glazed donut, but she really wanted the chocolate frosted one, so she got it – a special treat, 6 miles! That's 360 calories. Feeling a bit wiped out, she decided on an energy drink and opted for the Pineapple Dunkin' Energy Punch, which was 430 calories. Total 790 calories. So, that's a surplus of 188 calories.

Let's say she goes back to the gym the next day for a light treadmill walk, easy enough to read her book. She wants to keep her body moving. The calorie counter on the screen starts up, and by the end of the hour and 3 miles, she burns 212 calories. Take away her 54 for her basal metabolism, and she burned 158 calories. She passed by a Whole Foods Market, and since it was a light day, she decided on a Blueberry scone to keep her weight in check (410 calories) and a Strawberry Probiotic Plant Protein Drink (220 calories). That's a total of 630 calories, while she burned 158. If we subtract the totals for two days, food calories are 1420, and workout calories are 760, we get 660. There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat, so if she continues like this, she'll gain more than a pound every six workouts.

Luckily, she doesn't continue like that. Suppose this woman doesn't get hungry after the treadmill (not likely) and doesn't eat on her way home. Let's say she goes to the gym for the next 7 days and averages 3 miles daily. She's determined to keep it up. Every day the calories on the machine read 212, but we subtract her basic metabolic rate of 54, and she burns 158. At this rate, it will take her just over 22 days to lose a pound; will it be a pound of fat, a pound of muscle, or both? According to the book Body by Science by Doug McGuff and John Little, she can easily lose five pounds of lean muscle mass in about 6 to 12 months. This is where the science of fat loss comes in.

In past newsletters I wrote about categories of muscle fibers: slow, intermediate, and fast twitch. Going on the treadmill for one hour is a low-intensity, steady-state workout that doesn’t ask your muscles to do much, in fact it puts little demand on muscles.(McGuff, Little, 2009) She could go on forever. Her endurance muscle fibers (slow and intermediate twitch) tire and recover, tire and recover, and so on for the entire hour. The powerhouse fibers, fast twitch, aren't used at all; they are the first to atrophy – that’s how we lose muscle mass, it's the perfect way to lose our muscles, and strength. The main problem is that while she thinks she's doing great things for her body, she'll probably even be heavier and unhealthier a year from now. Endurance exercises like walking, treadmill, stair master and jogging, cycling, and swimming can actually cause you to lose muscle mass and gain weight. We may know people like that. When fast twitch muscles aren't used, they atrophy. We might think that muscles don't have much to do with obesity, but they are directly related!

The info is in the literature: increasing lean muscle mass is the key to burning calories! And endurance activities do nothing to prevent this muscle loss and can even accelerate it if overdone, leading to a long list of chronic conditions. Proper strength training with the right amount of caloric intake is the best combination to lose weight and maintain or increase muscle mass.

If an individual is truly interested in shedding pounds, it's important to work with the natural changes in our bodies as we age. We can regain muscle with high-Intensity training of major muscle groups; when we do, it's the best weight-loss technique. It has lasting effects and will increase our basal metabolic rate.

Ultimately, it's up to the individual to understand the problem and have the discipline to apply the solution. We live in a world where we barely have to lift a finger to perform household tasks, and with our over-abundant food supply, vigilance is the key to fat loss. We can do many other things that, when combined with strength training, will accelerate fat loss.

Diet: A healthy diet of natural and unprocessed foods with the right portions is key. If you enjoy healthy eating and find it satisfying, it's easy to form a habit. Natural, whole foods also require more calories to digest than processed foods.

Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated with water instead of other drinks. Drinking cold water uses calories to bring it to body temperature. It doesn't seem like much, but drinking cold water several times a day adds up to many calories over time. Staying hydrated also helps the busy liver mobilize body fat to be used for fuel.

Sleep well and sleep cool; when you wake up energized, you'll be more active during the day! Sleeping in a cool room also burns extra calories.

Deal with stress in positive ways. Stress often leads to emotional eating, but it also slows metabolism and preserves body fat. It's important to find positive ways to handle stress. Practices like mindfulness and yoga are examples. When yoga becomes a lifestyle change, its benefits go far beyond flexibility: it helps burn calories and reduce weight even off the mat! It can reduce emotional eating, boost digestion, improve sleep, and reduce stress - in general, all factors involved in weight loss. Yoga also builds muscle and strengthens bones.

In summary, positive lifestyle choices and high-intensity strength training go hand-in-hand to build muscles, improve strength, boost metabolism.

Please reach out If you'd like more information on strength training! If you want to check out a high intensity strength training class with resistance bands, you can sign up right here.

Sources:

Drew Baye's High Intensity Training. www.baye.com

Chai, Carmen. Three Big Ways Yoga can Help With Your Weight Loss Goals, Everyday Health, May 2023.

Dunkin Donuts https://www.dunkindonuts.com/e...

McGuff, D,Little,J., Body by Science pp. 179-200. 2009

Reynolds, G. How Weight Training May Help with Weight Control. New York Times, July 7, 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/0....

Whole Foods Market. Blueberry scone
https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/whole-foods-market-blueberry-scone-4-count-12-oz-b08mmb5flb

Whole Foods Market. Strawberry Drink https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/forager-project-organic-dairyfree-strawberry-cultured-probiotic-plant-shake-12-fl-oz-b077s1y875

Xinhong, L. et al. Effects of Different Resistance Exercise Forms on Body Composition and Muscle Strength in Overweight and/or Obese Individuals. National Institutes of Health. PMID: 35250604.2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.go...