Q&A for: 22-Sep-05
549. Q:
I read on a website( http://www.buildingbodies.ca/Cardio/early-morning-cardio.shtml)that the levels of muscle and liver glycogen are low early in the morning before one eats.So if one exercises before breakfast the body will burn fat more easily. What do you think?
A:
I agree that your glycogen levels are low in the mornings and that's exactly why I do NOT recommend doing cardio on the empty stomach. I give my reasoning in Q&A #159.
The basic problem with the cardio-on-empty-stomach-will-burn-fat argument is the same as with starving-will-burn-fat one: just because your body needs energy doesn't mean it'll turn to only the fat reserves for that energy! Instead it'll burn both fat and muscle which is NOT what you want when trying to lose fat. Every little bit of muscle you lose will slow your metabolism that much more, will prevent FUTURE fat loss that much more, and make you vulnerable to fat coming back that much more.
Losing fat is not hard if you know what you're doing and take your time. It's hanging on to the muscle at the same time that's hard but it's hanging on to the muscle that will allow your fat loss to be sustainable and lasting.
550. Q:
how many kilos in a 5 k run
A:
Well, 5k means 5 kilometers. If you meant how many miles in 5k, then the answer is just over 3 miles. And if you meant how many kilograms of mass you'll lose after a 5k run, then the answer is very very little (less than a tenth of a kilogram), not counting the water lost through sweating which will be replenished quickly. If you're thinking of running a lot of 5k races to lose fat, then I urge you to read this first.
551. Q:
what is the importance of playing sports in ramadan
A:
See Q&A #492 and Q&A #493 for my comments on sports in general. Nothing would really change for you during Ramadan, except I would once again recommend sparing the calories during fasting periods like that for whole-body weightlifting instead of using them on cardio. However if you're choosing between sports and something like running or jogging, sports is probably the better choice for reasons explained in the other Q&A.
552. Q:
why is playing sports after iftar in ramadan is important?
A:
See Q&A #551.
553. Q:
Is whole wheat pasta less fattening than regular pasta.Would replacing High glycemic carbs with low glycemic carbs help me lose weight?
A:
Good question on a tricky subject! In general, yes, foods with lower glycemic index are superior choices to ones with higher glycemic index, including the example you mentioned with wheat pasta vs. white pasta. However glycemic index alone does not tell the whole story. It measures the speed with which carbs in individual food get converted to glucose in your system. The slower the conversion to glucose the better. BUT this is just one step (albeit, an important one) in a very complex process. It does not measure, for example, the subsequent response of insulin to glucose or the effect of other foods in a meal.
There're foods that are low on glycemic index (GI) which you should avoid if trying to lose fat. This includes almost all dairy products, with an exception of cottage cheese. Yogurt, especially, is very low on the GI but elicits very strong insulin response so it should be avoided. Natural unsweetened full-fat yogurt with live bacteria should be the only kind of yogurt anyone eats. Some juices, like apple juice, have relatively low GI, but certainly should be avoided in favor of real fruits. Pasta in general has low GI, but is not a good choice of food (not even if it's whole-wheat) when compared to legumes or veggies. Fructose has very low GI, but certainly should never be consumed on its own (as opposed to being part of a whole fruit). Brown and white rice have nearly identical GI values though in practice eating a lot white rice will gain you a lot more fat than equivalent amounts of brown rice. And so on...
Instead of relying on GI, my advice would be to instead follow the following hierarchy when choosing your carb sources:
1. Non-starchy veggies. This includes all green veggies, peppers, tomatoes, and pretty much all other veggies besides potatoes, corn, and carrots. Especially eat leafy veggies like spinach, lettuce, and broccoli.
2. Legumes. All sorts of beans, lentils, peas.
3. Whole grains, fruits, sweet potatoes/yams, carrots, brown rice. Whole grains doesn't mean bread, it means cooking actual whole grains like making old-fashioned oatmeal or a barley soup.
4. Whole-grain breads, pastas, some whole-grain breakfast cereals (Total, Wheaties), etc. I consider this category to be gray area. Preferably you only eat these foods out of their convenience when you can't have a higher quality choice from one of the top 3 groups.
Remember to eat these foods in as close to natural state as possible. That means raw for most veggies and fruits and boiled for grains and legumes. Avoid canned food, buy raw as much as possible and cook it yourself. Things like white bread/pasta/rice, most breakfast cereals, corn, potatoes, juices should all be avoided same as, of course, candy, sweets, and alcohol. You'll eat them here and there, of course, but they should not be part of your regular diet. Hope that helped more than it confused :)
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