Here is a fantastic review paper on fat burning and supplements for fat burning. Looks like coffee and green tea come out on top!


Conclusion: "The list of supplements that are claimed to increase or improve fat metabolism is long; the most popular supplements include caffeine, carnitine, green tea, conjugated linoleic acid, forskolin, chromium, kelp and fucoxanthin. In this review the evidence for some of these supplements is briefly summarized. Based on the available literature, caffeine and green tea have data to back up its fat metabolism-enhancing properties. For many other supplements, although some show some promise, evidence is lacking. The list of supplements is industry-driven and is likely to grow at a rate that is not matched by a similar increase in scientific underpinning." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21951331

And here is an excellent review of foods to lower blood lipids.

Conclusion: "Mediterranean and Portfolio diets; low-fat diet; diet high in soy protein, fibre, or phytosterols; whole grain foods, and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. The consumption of nuts, a diet high in carbohydrates and protein, green tea, and red wine, as well as the supplementation with policosanol and red yeast rice extract, can be considered for improvement of the lipid profile, while the supplements of guggulipid, garlic, chromium, vitamin C, magnesium-pyridoxal-phosphate-glutamate, tocotrienols, and absorbitol cannot be recommended."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21801978

Here is the second instalment in the series on training for fat loss. If you missed the 1st phase, you can find it here http://www.tonyboutagy.com/1/post/2011/08/a-weeks-training-plan-for-fat-loss-part-1.html Make sure you have performed the 1st phase before attempting this one.

In this phase, perform the strength sessions three times a week on non consecutive days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). You will also perform two quality high-intensity interval workouts (Tuesday & Thursday). And the final
session should be easy continuous cardio sessions between 60-75 minutes around 70-80% max heart rate. Perform for a month.

STRENGTH SESSIONS
DAY ONE
A1. Front squats, 5x8, 30X0, rest 15 seconds
A2. Lat pulldowns, medium parallel grip, 5x8, 30X0, rest 15 seconds
A3. Back barbell lunges, 5x12, 20X0, rest 15 seconds
A4. Lean away pulldowns, underhand grip, 5x12, 30X0, rest 15 seconds
A5. Leg press, feet low and turned out, 5x20, 20X0, rest 15 seconds
A6. Seated row to waist, pronated grip with rope, 5x20, 20X0, rest 3 minutes

DAY TWO
A1. Lying leg curls, feet neutral, 5x8, 30X0, rest 15 seconds
A2. Standing barbell press, 5x8, 30X0, rest 15 seconds
A3. Standing dumbbell curls, with rotation, 5x12, 20X0, rest 15 seconds
A4. Seated 75-degree bench dumbbell press, neutral grip, 5x12, 30X0, rest 15 seconds
A5. Back extensions, 5x20, 20X0, rest 15 seconds
A6. Low cable Swiss ball sit ups, 5x20, 20X0, rest 3 minutes

DAY THREE
A1. Deadlifts from a podium, 5x8, 30X0, rest 15 seconds
A2. Incline barbell press, 5x8, 30X0, rest 15 seconds
A3. Standing good mornings, 5x12, 30X0, rest 15 seconds
A4. Incline dumbbell press, 5x12, 30X0, rest 15 seconds
A5. Romanian deadlifts, 5x20, 20X0, rest 15 seconds
A6. Push ups, 5x20, 20X0, rest 3 minutes

HIGH INTENSITY CARDIO TRAINING
SESSION 1 & 2
Perform either running on flat or uphill or cycling up hill at best possible pace
10 minute progressive warm-up
1 x 60 seconds, rest 3 minutes
1 x 90 seconds, rest 2 minutes
1 x 120 seconds, rest 1 minute
Repeat twice more for a total of nine intervals
10 minute walk cool down

I've recently posted on tea, cocoa and red wine. I may as well finish the series and add a brief word on coffee (even though I'm drinking a cup of cocoa as a write!).

Coffee falls into the category of one of those foods/drinks that divides the public as to its health benefits. You'll notice that most people eliminate it from their diets when trying to 'detox' and improve their eating and drinking habits. Others rely on the caffeine hit to wake them up in the morning and pep them up mid afternoon. Some are addicted, some drink it for social purposes only and others, like me, drink it for the sheer pleasure of the taste sensation of a perfectly extracted coffee. The fact that it has an extremely high antioxidant status and numerous health benefits simply reinforces my daily coffee habit. Here are a few things about coffee that you may not have been aware about:

A recent study from a group at Harvard has added to the studies showing that several cups a day of coffee improved metabolic and liver function. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21914162 

Coffee is an extremely rich source of polyphenols, with one cup of coffee providing around 350mg of phenolic compounds, mainly chlorogenic and caffeic acids. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20138903

A meta-analysis published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found the consumption of several cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of type II diabetes by 25%. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20008687

Time for me to make a coffee with the freshly roasted beans from my friend and world authority on coffee, Paul Bassett http://www.paulbassett.com/

I was complaining to myself the other night that I only had one bottle left of my favourite wine, Polished!

One of my oldest friends, Sandy Godfrey, became a wine maker several years ago and is producing some of the finest wine in the affordable price range.

If you like red wine, in particular from the Barossa region, I can't recommend Sandy's more highly. It is seriously good wine. I have loved the Polished and Shiraz. You might like to visit http://godfreywines.com.au/ to see his range. If you buy from Sandy, you will be supporting a family run wine business and drinking some of Australia's finest wines.

Those of you who know me, know that I like a drink or 8 a day. And by drink I mean my daily green tea, black tea, coffee, cocoa and red wine. He is a little piece I wrote on red wine a little while back.

The grape is one of the most ancient and common fruits in the world, dating over 65 million years old. Grapes were domesticated around 7,000 to 5,000 BC and it’s  likely that the fermentation process leading to wine production occurred around  this time. With the exception of tea, no other beverage has been so concretely linked to human civilization as wine. It has been recently noted in The Blue  Zones that wine is one of the consistent beverages consumed by most of the  world’s oldest living populations, and in a published meta analytical review of  over 50 studies, men who consumed two to four 120ml glasses of wine a day (and  two glasses for females) had a 25-30% reduction in death from all causes.

Daily intake of wine at these moderate levels increases HDL (“good”) cholesterol  and decreases the tendency of blood to clot by inhibiting blood platelet  aggregation. The evidence is indisputable that intakes of wine above moderate  levels cause considerable damage to cells, increased risk of cancers and  mortality.

One of the primary reasons why wine has such noted beneficial  effects is due to long and complex process of grape fermentation which results  in the formation of hundreds of polyphenols and other health-yielding molecules. Most of the polyphenols are contained in the grape seed and  skin and in the fermentation process resulting in the production of red wine.  It’s estimated that 1 litre of red wine may contain up to 2 grams of polyphenols.

One of  the polyphenols that  has attracted a lot of research attention in recent years is resveratrol, as it appears  to be the primary molecule responsible for the health benefits of red wine. Resveratrol is a  plant hormone that the
grape produces as a defence mechanism in response to  environmental stressors, such as pruning or attack by pests and microorganisms. It is found almost exclusively in the skin and seeds of grapes, which explains its presence in red wine and near absence in white. And of all the red wine varietals, it seems that pinot noir has the
highest concentration of resveratrol (about 10mg  per litre).

Resveratrol has been demonstrated to have an  anticancer effect as it interferes with the progression of cancer by inhibiting  the stages necessary for the development of the disease. Recently, it has been  found that resveratrol acts positively on a family of gene  regulators called sirtuins, in particular the SIRT1. For years it has  been observed that caloric restriction preserves skeletal muscle health and has  an ‘anti aging’ effect. Researchers now believe that the primary mechanism that  explain why caloric restriction is effective for longevity is because it  promotes mitochondrial renewal and reduces mitochondrial breakdown. All of this  appears to be governed by SIRT1 expression.

Researchers have been  looking for substances that mimic the positive effect that caloric restriction  has on sirtuins,  primarily because most people get too hungry for caloric restriction to be a  viable health solution over the long term. Resveratrol impacts sirtuin activity in a way similar to caloric restriction – without the hunger pangs! Resveratrol has been demonstrated to activate SIRT1, PGC-1 alpha, and induce  mitochondrial biogenesis.

Because of the demonstrated  anticancer, cardiovascular and “anti-aging” benefits of resveratrol, I try not to miss my evening tipple of red wine drinking a glass (typically pinot noir) and I also add trans-resveratrol and grape skin and seed extract to the supplements I take daily (available from Kingsway Compounding (1300 564 799).

In the 1980's, the public was advised to eat a low fat, high carbohydrate diet improve health and increase fat loss. In the 2000's, there has been a complete reversal and now the public has become carbohydrate phobic, replacing carbohydrates with fat and protein. It never ceases to amaze me during courses we run at my gym just how many trainers eat an extremely high meat diet and are completely devoid of carbohydrates. Dietary advice, of course, is an individual affair. One diet may be optimal for obese individuals with metabolic disorders, whereas, almost the opposite diet might be recommended for an endurance athlete. It can be a very confusing subject with multiple viewpoints on both sides. For example, yesterday in Sydney was such a glorious day that I read two books in their entirety at the beach. The first was the latest edition of the Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, who advocates eating just over half of your daily calories coming from red meat, white meat and seafood, with the rest of your calories coming from vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. The second book I read was Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselstyn, who advocates a no fat, little protein and high carbohydrate vegan diet for the reversal or heart diesease. He and Dean Ornish have demonstrated reversal of coronary heart disease with high plant based, no animal product diets.

The majority of reseach conducted to date supports the idea of high plant based diets. Whether the rest of the calories are derived from whole grains and legumes (see research by FB Hu & W Willet) or red and white meat and seafood (see research by JS Volek), or both (See J Brand-Miller), is a personal decision that can be made with your goal in mind.

As for the 'carb phobia' sweeping our society, this paper makes for interesting reading.

Am J Clin Nutr.
2009 Jul;90(1):23-32. Epub  2009 May 13.
Long-term effects of a very-low-carbohydrate weight loss diet compared with an isocaloric low-fat diet after 12 mo.
Brinkworth GD, Noakes M, Buckley JD, Keogh JB, Clifton PM.

Source Preventative Health National Research Flagship, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization-Human Nutrition, Adelaide, SA, Australia. grant.brinkworth@csiro.au

Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Long-term weight loss and cardiometabolic effects of a very-low-carbohydrate, high-saturated-fat diet (LC) and a
high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet (LF) have not been evaluated under isocaloric conditions.

OBJECTIVE:
The objective was to compare an energy-controlled LC diet with an LF diet at 1 y.

DESIGN:
Men and women (n = 118) with abdominal obesity and at least one additional metabolic syndrome risk factor were randomly assigned to either an energy-restricted (approximately 6-7 MJ) LC diet (4%, 35%, and 61% of energy as carbohydrate, protein, and fat, respectively) or an isocaloric LF diet (46%, 24%, and 30% of energy as carbohydrate, protein, and fat, respectively) for 1 y. Weight, body composition, and cardiometabolic risk markers were assessed.

RESULTS:
Sixty-nine participants (59%) completed the trial: 33 in the LC group and 36 in the LF group. Both groups lost similar amounts of weight (LC: -14.5 +/- 1.7 kg; LF: -11.5 +/- 1.2 kg; P = 0.14, time x diet) and body fat (LC: -11.3 +/- 1.5 kg; LF: -9.4 +/- 1.2 kg; P = 0.30). Blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, and C-reactive protein decreased independently of diet composition. Compared with the LF group, the LC group had greater decreases in triglycerides (-0.36 +/- 0.15 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.67, -0.05 mmol/L; P = 0.011), increases in
HDL cholesterol (0.23 +/- 0.09 mmol/L; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.40 mmol/L; P = 0.018) and LDL cholesterol (0.6 +/- 0.2 mmol/L; 95% CI: 0.2, 1.0 mmol/L; P = 0.001), and a greater but nonsignificant increase in apolipoprotein B (0.08 +/- 0.04 g/L; 95% CI: -0.004, 0.171 g/L; P = 0.17).

CONCLUSIONS:
Under planned isoenergetic conditions, as expected, both dietary patterns resulted in similar weight loss and changes in body composition. The LC diet may offer clinical benefits to obese persons with insulin resistance. However, the increase in LDL cholesterol with the LC diet suggests that this measure should be monitored. This trial was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry at (http://www.anzctr.org.au) as ACTR 12606000203550.

Here is another old blog of mine that I promised the Level 2 Interns that I would post.

It was low tide, so I thought I would take a break from writing up my PhD and go walk around the foreshore of Careel Bay in Avalon. I ended up walking for  over 2 hours - talk about procrastinating! While I was out, I thought about  writing a short piece on the importance of carbohydrate for those training regularly.

There is extremely good evidence that consuming carbohydrate during intense cardiovascular exercise around one hour's duration or prolonged aerobic exercise over an hour benefits performance and enhances immune function. Taking carbohydrates in the post training period, regardless of whether the session has  been strength or cardiovascular training, has also been shown to improve recovery, promote greater adaptation and enhance the immune system.

Research from Professor Asker Jeukendrup's lab in Birmingham has demonstrated  that one source of carbohydrate alone is less beneficial than multiple sources.  The ideal ratio of carbohydrate types in the training drink is 2 parts glucose  or maltodextrin to 1  part fructose. The reason for this, according to Jeukendrup, is that glucose and fructose use two different transporters to gain access to the blood. By taking advantage of these two transporters, more of the carbohydrate you consume will be available and eventually oxidized by the skeletal muscle, rather than sitting in the stomach and intestine, causing gastrointestinal problems.

Bottom line:
During aerobic exercise lasting longer than an hour, take in around 40g of glucose or maltodextrin with 20 grams of fructose per hour  of exercise.

Post strength or aerobic training, take in a minimum of 1g  per kg of body mass of carbohydrate using the
2 to 1 ratio of carbohydrate sources outlined. 20-25g of high quality protein should also be consumed after  exercise.

Here is an old post of mine that I thought was worth repeating.

I work from home in Avalon on Wednesday and Friday's, which gives me the opportunity to swim in the ocean in the morning when I would usually be training  clients. While I was swimming today, I thought I might write a quick piece on  the virtues of a nutrient which I use to enhance fat burning during aerobic  exercise. Anyone who  knows me will not be surprised - it's tea, in particular  green tea.

Green tea has been well noted in recent years for it's  numerous health properties. The key to tea's health benefits is a class of polyphenols which tea  contains in abundance. So far, over 4,000 phenolic compounds have been  identified. Polyphenols, like other antioxidants, help protect cells from oxidative damage. One of the most powerful
and  researched phenolic compounds is a group called catechins, in particular, a catechin known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). 

Research has  demonstrated that EGCG may be protective against certain cancers,  heart disease, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's  and Parkinson's disease. Green tea has also been shown to lower
blood glucose,  reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol, increase feel good brain chemicals  (dopamine and GABA) 
 and stimulate the metabolism.

Of interest for the exerciser is the effect  that green tea has on fat oxidation rates at both rest and during exercise. A  study recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition  found that a green tea extract supplement containing around 900 mg of polyphenols and 365 mg of EGCG increased fat  oxidation during moderate-intensity exercise 17% more than the placebo and  improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance by 13% in healthy young  men.

Using this information, I provide green tea for all clients at my gym prior to training. I use the Jasmine tea from expert tea merchant Clayton Pine http://www.pineteacoffee.com.au/ and  if clients don't like the taste of green tea, I suggest taking a green tea extract similar to the one used in this study. The highest quality EGCG supplement is made by Kingsway Compounding  1300 564 799.

If making the green tea, you'll want about 2 cups of tea that has been steeped for about 10 minutes. 

Its been two whole weeks since I've posted on my blog or tweeted! Busy with Level 2 course and then some time up on the mid north coast catching up on some reading, running through the magical bush trails, swimming in the ocean and spending time with friends. I will post all the info from level 2 later this week and the next fat loss program in the series.