Muscle, fat and sugar metabolism/building and hormones

CCS

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I heard that if someone cuts their calories by 1000 per day, and burns 2000 and eats 1000, and loses 2 pounds in a week, 50% of that weight muscle. This may not be true, and there is other good info in the thread. I'm editing the posts to update them. Definitely see page 2. But I'll leave some of my original thought processes here so you can see old assumptions challenged:
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Old:

Is it just because not enough protein was eaten? Or because the meals were too infrequent? I think maybe a starvation mode saves fat.

But if those 1000 calories were eaten in 6 167 calorie meals, would that mean the body would not burn muscle?

Or does the body burn muscle every time someone burns fat, but just makes up the muscle from the exercise? I doubt that, because it is hard to put on 1 pound of muscle in a week, yet people can lose a pound of muscle in a week.
 

CCS

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16876565/

check that out. A controlled diet study. first of its kind.

it says that pure diet with no exercise does not cause muscle loss. at least not with 25% calorie reduction.
 

CCS

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exercise is good for health and building muscle. but to burn fat, you simply need a calorie deficit.


They almost got it right: to not burn muscle, you should not ask your body for more energy that the fat burn can supply. Do high intensity cardiio first thing in the morning and I think you will burn muscle. Low intensity is not a problem, though. Your fat can give you the energy you need.

for high energy, you need carbs.
 

CCS

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I'm sure if you cut calories enough, and go long enough between meals, your body might go into a starvation mode and burn muscle even though you still have fat on your body. But if you burn only 2 pounds a week, and have 5+ meals per day, looks like you can just starve the fat off without losing muscle.

but low intensity exercise might speed that up, so you are hungry for an hour and eat normal the rest of the day, instead of gradually letting glycogen drop and being hungry a lot.
 

CCS

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http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/511804


you've all seen that study. They have a 30% protein group and a 10% protein group, and a high exercise group, and a low exercise group.

combos makes four groups.

Note: the low protein group is only getting 40 grams of protein per day. I don't think that is enough. The study suggests that eating 30% of calories from protein will preserve muscle. I think the low group just starved, and would have done just as well as the 30% group had they just had 15%.


Next: exercise. the low group was voluntarily, on their honor, supposed to walk every day. The other group was more suppervised and lifted weights.
The weight group kept more muscle. They conclude that you need exercise to preserve muscle when dieting and losing weight fast.
I think they just atrophied from no exercise, since the study wasa 4 months long.


So this study does not contradict the MSN study if you take these factors into account. The MSN study was done in a lab the entire time, and supervised the who time.
 

CCS

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and cortisol does not magically jump up at 45 minutes. It is secreated when your glycogen in an active muscle is gone, and fuel is needed from fat. if you ask your body to put out more energy, more cortisol will be secreated, and it takes muscle as fuel.

not a bad hormone. if you don't want it, just drink some maltodextros or other carb source so your body does not need to burn fat.
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and testosterone and HGH are made when you workout hard. HGH can reach a max sooner, after 10+ minutes of heavy work, and lasts longer, wheras testosterone build up to a peak usually after an hour. Just work out like you are supposed to and you will get your testosterone and HGH.

yes, hormones matter for shaping your body. look at roid users.
 

CCS

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and post workout recover is important. you need carbs after a meal to start insulin and stop cortisol. You don't have to fill your glycogen stores that fast. It is good just keep stuff going into the muscle, so they take protein up.


drinking simple sugars spikes your blood sugar faster than your muscles can make glycogen, and your fat cells take up the spill over. That is why you need complex carbs. but fiber rich carbs don't get there fast enough. glycogen is made of glucose, not fructose. your liver can make it from fructose, but your muscles can't. to fill the muscles, you need dextrose (glucose from corn). Get maltodextrose, though, for a slower release, or sip your sugar gradually.


there. more muscle. less fat. your muscles are more willing to grow during the first two hours after working out, so get high glycemic carbs and proteiin (so not meat. think whey and hydrolysed whey).
 

s.a.f

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6 uninterupted replies to your own thread, that must be a record. :)
 

CCS

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bubka said:
s.a.f said:
6 uninterupted replies to your own thread, that must be a record. :)
what, you don't start threads and just talk to yourself in them??? , come on... :roll:

It is my way. Don't question the methods of CCS.
 

CCS

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seekinghair said:
Thanks CCS, good information here. :)

See S.A.F. That is why I posted 6 times in a row.
 

CCS

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I'm so smart. I just figured out some more:

Your body is just a big computer. Your organs are like multi-function programs. They communicate by measuring blood concentrations, and through the nervous system too. But I'll focus on the blood concentrations:

liver: just sits there watching the blood glucose and protein levels. If there is too much protein in the blood, it stores some. If there is too much glucose, it fills up it's own glycogen supply. If it sees a bunch of fatty acids go by, it turns them into blood sugar (or is it the muscles that do this directly?). If too much protein, and it can't hold more, then it turns the protein into sugar and ammonia.

Kidneys: too much ammonia, then filter it and put it in the bladder.

Pancrease: Just sits there looking at the blood sugar levels. If too high, it secreats a proportional amount of insulin. Some times this can make blood sugar levels rebound down.

Fat cells: Need more insulin than muscle cells to take up sugar. They can always take up some, but when the insulin and blood sugar levels get high enough, that is when they start to really take sugar and turn it into fat. They release fatty acids when they get cortisol.

Some glands: If blood sugar is too low, they release cortisol. If it gets lower, they release more cortisol. They release testosterone when they sense chemicals associated with muscle tears. They release HGH when they recieve some other signal.

Cortisol and Insulin (not testosterone) are opposites.

Muscles: They synthesis glycogen, but have a maximum speed. They do this when their glycogen stores are less than full, and there is insulin and blood sugar. They constantly tear and rebuild, releasing amino acids, and recycling a fraction of them. Atrophy sets in when there is not enough dietary protein to supplement the inefficiency in recycling, and not enough testosterone produced from lack of tears.

Testosterone is protein kind of like want insulin is to sugar.

Muscle use: they burn glycogen first. If they run out, or they need more energy than that, then they take blood sugar. If blood sugar levels drop, then you know the cortisol drill. If cortisol levels get high enough, then protein will break down everywhere and float to the liver. Sugar is burned slowly (aerobically) or fast (without oxygen). The first several units of power always come from aerobics. Anaerobics occurs when you ask for more power, and the fast twitch muscles come into play. Anearobics makes lactic acid, which makes muscles burn.

When muscles don't have glycogen, they burn either fat or blood sugar made from fat, not sure which. Fat can only be liberated from fat cells so fast. Well, you can liberate it faster, but the cortisol levels needed to liberate it that fast can make muscle break down too.

Hormones:
DHT: makes hair, sebum glands, and your dick grow. It is also needed for nerves to work propperly. It is the androgenic signal in most tissues and must be made from testosterone.
Testosterone: it is the androgenic signal in muscle cells. DHT has little effect in muscle cells. Testosterone makes you muscles grow.
Steroids: mimic testosterone. Normally testosterone rises to repair muscle tears, and then goes down again. But steroids in high doses can heal those muscle tears faster, and keep levels up 24-7 so you build muscle even long after you are not training. They also harm the rest of the body.
 

s.a.f

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collegechemistrystudent said:
DHT: makes hair, sebum glands, and your dick grow. It is also needed for nerves to work propperly.

You got me worried now. :shock:
 

CCS

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s.a.f said:
collegechemistrystudent said:
DHT: makes hair, sebum glands, and your dick grow. It is also needed for nerves to work propperly.

You got me worried now. :shock:

Nerves you 5ar1, not 5ar2. Your regimen just has finasteride. You should be fine.

In the trials, most of the 2.5mg/day dutasteride group finished the trial. 85% of their 5ar1 was inhibited, though. That is pushing it. Some guys take dutasteride daily with grapefruit. They are pushing it too. But if no depression or inability concentrating, then they are fine. Hopefully the symptoms don't start after it has reached steady state and takes months or a years to drop off.
 
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