Busy losing weight after the New Year! The secret to weight management: nutrition + exercise

The warm atmosphere of the Spring Festival reunion often increases people's appetite. They eat and drink happily. In addition to eating all the sumptuous New Year's dishes, they also eat high-calorie snacks one after another. According to statistics from the National Health Administration, the average person gains about 2 kilograms after the New Year. Weight management is very important after the Chinese New Year. How can we lose weight successfully without falling into the myth of weight loss? Dr. David Heber, chairman of the Nutrition Research Center and Nutrition Advisory Committee of Herbalife, who is also one of the best doctors in the United States, pointed out that only by taking a two-pronged approach of exercise and nutrition can we have a chance to say goodbye to the fat accumulated after the Chinese New Year!

(Caption: Supplementing protein and carbohydrates (sugars) before exercise can effectively burn calories and reduce fat and increase muscle.)

After the new year, my weight has skyrocketed. Although I feel very upset, I don’t know how to manage my weight. I believe this is a common problem for many people. Some people believe rumors and think that exercising on an empty stomach can quickly burn fat. As a result, their blood sugar drops too quickly, causing dizziness, cold sweats, and lack of energy. Others think that you cannot eat carbohydrate staples (sugars) to lose weight, especially when exercising, to avoid wasting your work. There are also many people who do not supplement enough protein before exercise, which causes muscle loss after intense exercise, thus reducing the effectiveness of exercise.

Supplementing protein and carbohydrates before exercise can effectively reduce fat and increase muscle

In fact, carbohydrates (sugars) are the source of energy during exercise. Protein supplementation before exercise is also important because protein plays an important role in both muscle synthesis and maintaining endurance. Supplementing protein and carbohydrates (sugars) before exercise can effectively burn calories and reduce fat and increase muscle. Therefore, both will have exercise effects.

The weight management formula: 80% nutrition and 20% exercise

The correct weight management equation is: 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. Dr. David Heber pointed out that more than 130 diseases are clinically related to obesity, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and cancer. More than half of the top ten causes of death in Taiwan in 2015 were related to obesity. Weight management must be done through a two-pronged approach of balanced nutrition and regular exercise.

The key to sports nutrition: protein and carbohydrates help burn calories to reduce fat and increase muscle

Dr. David Heber further explained that different types of exercise, such as swimming, cycling, running, etc., burn different amounts of glycogen and fat, so it is desirable to ingest glycogen before exercise to replenish the amount of glycogen in order to maintain the glycogen in the muscles. Once the glycogen in the muscles is insufficient, fatigue and muscle soreness can easily occur, and it will be impossible to continue. Therefore, in order to sustain exercise for a longer period of time, it is necessary to maintain the amount of glycogen in the muscles.

In addition, exercise is also very important for protein supplementation, because protein plays an important role in muscle synthesis and maintaining endurance. Supplementing protein before exercise can help lose fat and increase muscle. According to research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, supplementing with protein and carbohydrates before exercise is most effective in increasing muscle synthesis.

Because exercise consumes energy, but if you don't replenish nutrition before exercise, resulting in insufficient glycogen storage and fat not being able to provide energy in time (because burning fat requires the assistance of carbohydrates), you may use protein with a faster energy conversion rate to provide energy, creating the risk of muscle loss. When muscle is lost, it means that the body's metabolic rate decreases, which in turn reduces the effectiveness of exercise.

According to medical research, the body's muscle cells burn five times more calories than fat cells, while fat cells tend to store calories. In addition to calorie control, building a physique in which muscle tissue is stronger than fat tissue is the only way to achieve long-term and effective weight management and prevent weight gain.

Taking whey protein plus casein before exercise can help build muscle

More importantly, protein is an essential nutrient for muscles. Whey protein (e.g. milk) is more effective in increasing muscle mass, while soy protein is better. It is recommended that athletes supplement with a combination of rapidly decomposing whey protein and slowly decomposing but stable casein, so as to achieve effective amino acid absorption and increase muscle mass through rapid and stable release of comprehensive protein.

In addition to protein, Professor Guo Jiahua, chairman of the Taiwan Sports Nutrition Society and professor at the Institute of Sports Science at Taipei City University, said that carbohydrates are also a key nutrient required for exercise because carbohydrates promote insulin secretion and can help human muscles absorb amino acids smoothly and accelerate muscle protein synthesis. Supplementing with large amounts of protein but lacking carbohydrates will cause insufficient insulin secretion, making it difficult for the protein to be absorbed by the human body. In addition, insulin also induces muscle cells to absorb glucose, promoting muscle storage of glycogen to enhance physical fitness.

Supplement key nutrients before exercise to effectively reduce fat and gain muscle

Lin Ruojun, a senior nutritionist at Herbalife, an American company, said that burning fat during exercise must be done with the help of carbohydrates, just like a candle. Carbohydrates are like the wick of the candle, and fat is like the body of the candle. Fat can only burn smoothly with the help of carbohydrates. At the same time, sufficient carbohydrates can provide appropriate calories to maintain physical fitness for longer, perform high-intensity exercise, sustain exercise for longer periods of time, and increase the total amount of fat burned during exercise.

Nutrition before, during and after exercise: care for strength, endurance and recovery in three stages

How to supplement nutrition before, during and after exercise? Herbalife senior nutritionist Lin Ruojun gives the following suggestions:

Enhance your physical strength before exercise: Nutrition needed before exercise includes protein, carbohydrates and water.

1. It is recommended to supplement easily digestible, small in size and weight food (for example: liquid nutritious drinks that are easy to absorb, and replenish water) about 30 to 60 minutes before exercise.

2. Choose complex carbohydrates such as glucose and sucrose. Both can provide rapid and continuous energy replenishment respectively, providing enough energy to maintain the physical strength required for exercise. It is recommended to pay attention to calorie control to about 200 calories, not too high. (Reference value: 1 medium-sized banana contains about 120 calories).

3. When taking in protein, it is recommended to choose milk protein because milk protein is more effective in strengthening muscles than soy protein. It is recommended to consume low-fat protein foods, which are easier to be digested and absorbed by the body. It is recommended to choose milk protein.

Maintaining exercise endurance during exercise: Nutrition required includes: isotonic, easily absorbed sports drinks that allow the body to absorb and help with water balance. It is also light in calories, low in sodium and contains energy, electrolytes, and water. It is recommended to replenish 150~200cc of water every 10 to 15 minutes to control body temperature, or choose electrolytes that are easily absorbed.

Pay attention to recovery after exercise: It is recommended to eat within 30 minutes after exercise. Compared with delaying meals, it can reduce body fat by 25% and increase muscle by 6%. This is because after exercise is the time when muscles absorb nutrients the most. The quota of nutrients absorbed by fat is reduced, which can produce obvious body shaping effects.

1. It is recommended to supplement 20 to 25 grams of low-fat, easily digestible protein, such as whey protein, and glutamine after exercise to make up for the loss during exercise and help maintain immunity.

2. Supplement branched-chain amino acids and other ingredients to enhance physical strength and help restore vitality. For example: banana milk with multigrain bread.

Finally, Herbalife senior nutritionist Lin Ruojun reminds everyone to start a nutrition plus exercise weight control plan as soon as possible after the Chinese New Year, through the "addition, subtraction, multiplication and division" method to achieve the goal of successful weight loss:

"Add" high-quality protein: It is recommended to choose low-fat, high-quality protein, which can not only make you energetic, but also help promote metabolism and assist in weight management plans.

Reduce your daily calorie intake: Avoid overeating during the New Year holidays. It is advisable to use meal replacements in moderation. They are high in fiber, low in calories, easy to make you feel full, and can better control your food intake and calories.

"Take advantage" of a group of friends to work together to lose weight: During the Spring Festival, when you have a meal with a few friends, you might as well go exercise together. During the Chinese New Year, you can also exercise at home to increase your muscle endurance, such as weight training, push-ups or planks, elbow support, etc., high-intensity interval exercise, at least 5 times a week, about 10 to 15 minutes each time, to reduce fat and calorie storage.

"Get rid of" greasy eating habits: Eating a lot of high-fat, fried, grilled, and smoked foods can easily lead to excessive intake of carcinogens, which in the long run will cause cancer cells to grow and become cancerous. If you want to keep your intestines young and healthy, you should keep your taste buds light and avoid consuming too much greasy food.