Claims and gems of one weight loss study

by Brad Pilon
Eat Stop Eat

CLAIM 1: When you diet your level of non-exercise physical activity
(NEAT) drops spontaneously, even if you don't realize it's happening.

FACT: In the 20 week study there were actually 3 groups of women,

1) The first group cut their calories by 400 Calories per day.

2) The Second group cut their calories by only 350 Calories per
day, and increased the amount they exercised to make up the 50
calories by doing low intensity exercise

3) The Third group only cut their calories by 350 Calories per day,
and increased the amount they exercised to make up the 50 calories
by doing High intensity exercise

What the study found was that a CALORIE DEFICIT (whether by diet or
exercise) was associated with a slight decrease in non exercise physical
activity (the average was about 160 calories worth of activity per
day, about the amount of calories expended in a 20 minute brisk
walk for these woman).

More importantly, the study found that there was no difference
between the group who was dieting and the groups that were
exercising in ANY MEASURE.

This includes:

Total weight loss

Lean mass loss

Fat mass loss

V02 Max (surprisingly)

Resting metabolic rate

Physical activity induced energy expenditure

So when it comes to weight loss, it is the CALORIE DEFECIT that
matters, not the way the deficit was created, however it is true
that a being in a calorie deficit for 20 weeks seemed to cause
these woman to reduce their non-exercise activity levels.

CLAIM 2: The drop in physical activity during the diet was directly
related to the weight regain after the diet.

FACT: In this study people lost an average of 27 pounds during the
20-week weight loss period. 1 year later the average weight regain
was 11.5 pounds. Not bad, but not great either.

It is very important to remember that the purpose of this trial was
to investigate whether or not things that occurred DURING a weight
loss protocol could be ASSOCIATED with results 1 year later.

So they weren't looking for the absolute, definitive,
you-bet-your-house-on-it cause for weight regain, they were just
searching to see if they could find any associations.

In other words, they did not measure diet during that one-year time
frame.

So while there was a slight relationship between the reduction in
non exercise physical activity during the study period and weight
regain one year later (for my fellow stats geeks we are only
talking about a p of -0.4 for the pooled groups) It was simply an
association, showing that the people who tended to move around the
least while they were dieting also were the ones who tended to put
the most weight back on a year later.

CLAIM 3: There is a difference between losing weight from dieting,
versus losing fat with dieting and exercise.

FACT: Not according to this study. The three groups saw almost
IDENTICAL weight loss results. And, they saw almost identical
weight REGAIN results.

CLAIM 4: if you want to maximize your fat loss and keep fat off
permanently it is best to follow a reduced calorie diet and make a
conscious effort to make sure your activity level does not drop as
you lose weight.

FACT: I could not agree more. Exercise and staying active is still
an important part of ANY weight loss program. However when it
comes to weight loss, I think the benefits of resistance training
FAR OUTWEIGH the benefits of cardio or endurance style training (as
I'm sure the author of the newsletter in question would agree).
-----

So, there really wasn't that much of a contradiction. Our
interpretations of the research are drastically different but our
conclusions are the same.

The bottom line is (and always will be) that the best way to lose
weight is to find a the easiest and simplest way to reduce the
amount of calories you consume, and to follow a weight training
routine.

While most people think of Eat Stop Eat as only flexible
intermittent fasting, the truth is that the Eat Stop Eat lifestyle
is the COMBINATION of flexible intermittent fasting and weight
training. And, the weight training is very important!

You don't have to be a gym addict to get great results, but
resistance training does have to be a part of your lifestyle for
best results.

Now, lets take a closer look at this trial, as there were some
'gems' hidden in all of its data:

GEM #1- the people in this study were women in their late 50's and
who were obese (almost 200 pounds) at the start of the study. By
the end of the study they lost 27 pounds in 20 weeks, proving that
no matter your age...weight loss IS possible!

GEM #2- Even one year later, with no diet counseling, they were
able to keep more than half of their weight loss. Like a said
earlier - not great, but not bad either.

GEM #3, There was no difference in weight loss between the woman who
only dieted and those who dieted and exercised. Another example of
classic "cardio" style exercise not being any better than simply
dieting.

GEM #4, all groups lost Lean Body Mass, pointing to the importance
of resistance training in a proper weight loss program (which they
didn't do in this study).

GEM #5, RESTING METABOLIC RATE RELATIVE TO LEAN MASS

REMAINED UNCHANGED! Again, so much for starvation mode!

So in my opinion this was a great study showing that creating a
calorie deficit can help you lose weight, and that it really does
not matter whether or not you get that deficit from a combination
of diet and exercise, or from diet alone.

Brad

Eat Stop Eat


PS- As this research shows, when it comes to losing weight, it is
all about creating a calorie deficit, and in my opinion the
simplest, easiest way to accomplish this is with the Eat Stop Eat
lifestyle, which includes the added benefit of preventing you from
losing lean body mass!

ECA Stack

Ephedrine in the ECA Stack
by Tanya Zilberter, PhD

Ephedrine is a great pretender. It mimics effects of the stress hormone adrenaline (epinephrine) which is released by adrenal glands into the bloodstream. Naturally, this is the body's response Tao danger: it triggers the "fight or flight" syndrome and targets many tissues of the body, including those of heart, muscles and fat mobilizing them to face and manage the danger. Ephedrine elicits pretty much the same set of bodily reactions, causing an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, heat production and fatburning.

One positive thing about ephedrine is that the body can adapt to its negative effects while continuing or even enhancing the fat-burning response. Because of its stimulating effect on muscle tissue, ephedrine also helps preserve muscle mass during weight loss on a calorie-restricted diet.

Since Ephedrine is so good a stress-mimicking drug (yes, drug!), people are trying to use it to heighten the metabolism. They are doing it for thousands of years, they did it even before knowing they were dealing with Ephedrine in the form of a herb. So it does work, isn't it? Yes it does. It does increase the metabolism. However, let us go through the facts step by step.


Ephedrine and ephedrine plus caffeine increase energy expenditure by increasing the amount of heat released after a meal. However, aspirin does not further increase this effect of ephedrine and caffeine. (2)

Is It Safe?

Manufacturers of herbal phen-fen, ma huang and other ephedra supplements claim their wares as "clinically proven fat burners" that will "increase your calorie-burning energy level." This may be true, but consumers need to keep in mind:

1. that herbal drugs are not subject to stringent FDA standards;
2. it's very difficult to control the exact dose of an herbal preparation in a non-standardized formula; and
3. increased dosages can lead to serious health problems, including heart attack, psychosis (3) and stroke. (The usual scenario is that after trying and failing on the recommended doses, people increase the intake up to dangerous, sometimes deadly ones.)

Side effects include headaches, heart rhythm abnormality (4), nervousness and insomnia. Dieters overdosing on ephedrine may be at risk of developing kidney stones derived mainly from metabolites of ephedrine. They also maybe prone to drug or alcohol dependency. (5) Further, eating disorders and disorders of body image appeared to bee specially prevalent among ephedrine users. (3)

Researchers in the Department of Human Nutrition, Copenhagen, Denmark, investigated the effects of 20 mg ephedrine and 200 mg caffeine mixtures on fat burning and weight loss. They came to the following conclusion:


"We conclude that the ephedrine/caffeine combination is safe and effective in long-term treatment in improving and maintaining weightloss. The side effects are minor and transient and no clinically relevant withdrawal symptoms have been observed. The combination has shown superiorweight-reducing properties when compared with either ephedrine alone (20 mg) or caffeine alone (200 mg) three times a day." (1)


At Harvard Medical School, safety and efficacy of combination of ephedrine (75 to 150 mg), caffeine (150 mg) and aspirin (330 mg) was tested for eight weeks. During the study, an average weight loss of 3.2 kg was observed, compared to the 1.3 kg weight-loss average of the placebo group. After five months on ECA, average weight loss was 5.2 kg compared to 0.03 kg gained in the placebo group.

The authors concluded:


"No significant changes in heart rate, blood pressure, blood glucose, insulin and cholesterol levels; and no differences in the frequency of side effects were found. ECA in these doses is thus well tolerated in otherwise healthy obese subjects, and supports modest, sustained weightloss even without prescribed caloric restriction, and may be more effective in conjunction with restriction of energy intake.

"The combination of ephedrine and caffeine significantly improved endurance-prolonging exercise time to exhaustion, compared to placebo. Neither ephedrine nor caffeine treatments alone significantly changed time to exhaustion. The improved performance was attributed to increased central nervous system stimulation."

References.

1. International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders, 17, S73-77
2. European Journal of Applied Physiology & Occupational Physiology77(5):427-33, 1998
3. British Medical Journal, 313(7059):756, 1996
4. Journal of Emergency Medicine, 17(2):289-91, 1999. A 21-year-oldmale presented to the emergency department with an initial blood pressureof 220/110 mmHg and heart rhythm abnormality after ingesting fourcapsules of herbalecstasy.
5. American Journal on Addictions, 7(4):256-61, 1998
6. Journal of Emergency Medicine, 17(2):289-91, 1999.

Caffeine and Aspirin for Fat Burning

Caffeine and Aspirin

by Tanya Zilberter, PhD

The combination of the three components of the ECA stack, when taken in proper dosages, are said to promote weight-loss, boost energy and enhance athletic performance. The key component, ephedrine, found in the ephedra plant, is a central nervous system stimulant. Ephedrine is the active ingredientofherbal supplements Ma Huang and "Herbal Phen-fen."

Caffeine is included in the ECA stack to prevent an inevitable decrease in metabolic rate that usually occurs as the body tries to slip back to the comfortable energy-saving mode (European J. of Applied Physiology 77(5):427-33, 1998). Caffeine acts on the cellular level, blocking the production of enzymes that are responsible for energy conservation.As a result, epinephrine continues to act to promote heat production and fat burning.

Aspirin

Aspirin also helps to counterpart the body's attempt to return to the energy-saving state by fighting the inhibitors of metabolism prostaglandins much the same way it does to reduce a fever. It is important to note,however,that this particular effect of aspirin doesn't seem to work for non-obese people, making it useless for bodybuilders.

Even without aspirin, the "EC" part of the formula proved as efficient as the prescription diet drug dexfenfluramine.(International Journal onObesity & Related Metabolic Disorders, 1994, 18: 99-103)


What Is the Correct Dosage?

It is the most important to keep the ephedrine dose both efficient and safe. It's usually recommended taking 20 mg of ephedrine or an herbal equivalent. The caffeine dose is usually 10-times higher and the aspirindose is only four-times higher. The simplified formula is:

E:C:A=1:10:4

The advise is to start with one morning dose for several days, to overcome the initial discomfort, and then add a mid-day dose for several days tosee how it works. If it is not enough, the third dose is added, notlater than five hours before bedtime to avoid insomnia.

L-tyrosine
To avoid increasing the ephedrine dose (if the recommended 20 mg do not work), dieters should consider adding the supplement amino acid L-tyrosine. The synergistic relationship of L- tyrosine with ephedrine has been researched in rats ( 6) and it is a textbook fact that L-tyrosinehelps in the thyroid hormones production.