Is it always calories in vs calories out?
4theking
Posts: 1,196 Member
Is it simply, if you burn more than you take in you lose weight no matter what? You hear it everywhere. Is it true?
I wanted to share some of my recent research on looking at the equation a bit deeper. In looking for the answers for one of my great friends on here, I ran across some interesting info. After losing an astounding amount of weight, her weight loss just stopped cold. She has been unable to lose weight for well over a year now. We have tried every kind of diet and workout setup imaginable, short of starvation but to no avail. Could a medication she is taking really cause her to be unable to lose more weight without starving herself? Here is what I found………
The medication in question is a beta blocker. A beta blocker works by blocking the Beta receptors that nor epinephrine and epinephrine bind to, thus slowing heart rate and reducing blood pressure. Sounds great right? While it can provide some benefit to people with heart issues, it also can create a weight loss nightmare.
The lowering of the heart rate reduces overall blood flow. Lower blood flow will mean less nutrients and oxygen will be carried throughout the body. As a result, at a cellular level, activity will slow down. Not only do you get a reduced metabolism from this cellular activity reduction, but also from the overall slowdown of the entire cardiovascular system. This will result in a lower bmr.
Nor epinephrine and epinephrine, known as the catecholamine’s or adrenal hormones, play a key role in ‘freeing’ fat from a fat cell. Without being able to get the fat out of the fat cell, fat cannot be burned off. Of course, it gets more complex……………..one thing that continues to amaze me. The more I learn, the more I realize there is so much more to learn. When catecholamines are reduced, HSL or Hormone sensitive lipase, decreases. HSL is the rate limiting enzyme of the lypolysis cascade(fat burning). It regulates the mobilization of the fatty acids from fat tissue. With epinephrine being effectively blocked, you will get a less active HSL enzyme which will further slow fat burning and metabolism.
To make matters worse, beta blockers decrease insulin sensitivity so the body has to produce more insulin to control blood sugar. When insulin gets elevated, the hormone glucagon goes down. Glucagon is a fat burning hormone and when insulin rises, glucagon always falls. A rise in insulin further decreases HSL activity. Because blood sugar is typically elevated when taking a beta blocker, growth hormone, another fat burning hormone, will go down. The catecholamines, glucagon, and growth hormones, when present, all increase HSL activity. Less HSL activity, less fat is burnt for fuel.
So the beta blocker stimulates a cascade of negative hormonal responses that make it tough if not impossible to lose weight without reducing calories to unsafe levels. Even if you are able to lose weight taking these medications, there is a good chance the weight lost would mostly be lean tissue. Because the body struggles to get fat from the fat cells, it has to resort to getting energy from the next best place, your muscle. I am not saying these medications are bad and I am certainly not saying to not take them. I just wanted to make people aware of the possible effects they can have on you.
I wanted to share some of my recent research on looking at the equation a bit deeper. In looking for the answers for one of my great friends on here, I ran across some interesting info. After losing an astounding amount of weight, her weight loss just stopped cold. She has been unable to lose weight for well over a year now. We have tried every kind of diet and workout setup imaginable, short of starvation but to no avail. Could a medication she is taking really cause her to be unable to lose more weight without starving herself? Here is what I found………
The medication in question is a beta blocker. A beta blocker works by blocking the Beta receptors that nor epinephrine and epinephrine bind to, thus slowing heart rate and reducing blood pressure. Sounds great right? While it can provide some benefit to people with heart issues, it also can create a weight loss nightmare.
The lowering of the heart rate reduces overall blood flow. Lower blood flow will mean less nutrients and oxygen will be carried throughout the body. As a result, at a cellular level, activity will slow down. Not only do you get a reduced metabolism from this cellular activity reduction, but also from the overall slowdown of the entire cardiovascular system. This will result in a lower bmr.
Nor epinephrine and epinephrine, known as the catecholamine’s or adrenal hormones, play a key role in ‘freeing’ fat from a fat cell. Without being able to get the fat out of the fat cell, fat cannot be burned off. Of course, it gets more complex……………..one thing that continues to amaze me. The more I learn, the more I realize there is so much more to learn. When catecholamines are reduced, HSL or Hormone sensitive lipase, decreases. HSL is the rate limiting enzyme of the lypolysis cascade(fat burning). It regulates the mobilization of the fatty acids from fat tissue. With epinephrine being effectively blocked, you will get a less active HSL enzyme which will further slow fat burning and metabolism.
To make matters worse, beta blockers decrease insulin sensitivity so the body has to produce more insulin to control blood sugar. When insulin gets elevated, the hormone glucagon goes down. Glucagon is a fat burning hormone and when insulin rises, glucagon always falls. A rise in insulin further decreases HSL activity. Because blood sugar is typically elevated when taking a beta blocker, growth hormone, another fat burning hormone, will go down. The catecholamines, glucagon, and growth hormones, when present, all increase HSL activity. Less HSL activity, less fat is burnt for fuel.
So the beta blocker stimulates a cascade of negative hormonal responses that make it tough if not impossible to lose weight without reducing calories to unsafe levels. Even if you are able to lose weight taking these medications, there is a good chance the weight lost would mostly be lean tissue. Because the body struggles to get fat from the fat cells, it has to resort to getting energy from the next best place, your muscle. I am not saying these medications are bad and I am certainly not saying to not take them. I just wanted to make people aware of the possible effects they can have on you.
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Replies
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Excellent information. People struggle with this and are not aware. It presents a great challange for weight loss physically as well as mentally, especially if you are doing all the right things, you wonder why isn't this working?0
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I do not take any beta blockers, or any prescription medicine, I have low blood pressure & my resting heart rate is 50. Does this apply to me also or is just because of the blockers? I know I have been on a plateau for months, (finally broke it), and I always have had a hard time losing weight.0
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It shouldn't because your body is not fighting against medicine. If you exercise regularly and are cardio fit it might just be harder to get into you zone. I am not the expert though....I do not take any beta blockers, or any prescription medicine, I have low blood pressure & my resting heart rate is 50. Does this apply to me also or is just because of the blockers? I know I have been on a plateau for months, (finally broke it), and I always have had a hard time losing weight.0 -
I agree with Christine. I was referring to the medications effects. Plateaus usually involve caloric intake, thyroid, and/or cortisol0
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I agree with Christine. I was referring to the medications effects. Plateaus usually involve caloric intake, thyroid, and/or cortisol
Whew, I thought so just wanted to confirm! I really didn't want another reason to plateau, my body has found enough!!0 -
Try to get her off medication! Seriously it's the worst. I got put on tons of antibiotics, acid blockers, antacids, and other stuff for my stomach issues and was so angry later on that it basically destroyed the healthy balance of bacteria in my digestive tract and my stomach doesn't produce enough acid anymore to digest food. It still feels like my body doesn't know what to do with food because it went through the ringer trying to fix everything. I think I would have been a lot better off if I just started eating healthier in the beginning and hiring a dietician instead of a doctor.0
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Try to get her off medication! Seriously it's the worst. I got put on tons of antibiotics, acid blockers, antacids, and other stuff for my stomach issues and was so angry later on that it basically destroyed the healthy balance of bacteria in my digestive tract and my stomach doesn't produce enough acid anymore to digest food. It still feels like my body doesn't know what to do with food because it went through the ringer trying to fix everything. I think I would have been a lot better off if I just started eating healthier in the beginning and hiring a dietician instead of a doctor.
I agree. Most docs treat symptoms, leaving the root cause unchanged. A patch on a leaky hose only leads to more leaks in other areas. Modern medicine needs an overhaul. A lot of health related problems can be traced to the diet.0
