What Does It Take to Burn Off Halloween Candy?

In the big picture of weight loss it is not what we do on the occasional holiday that really determines our weight it is the week in week out eating and drinking habits that determine our weight.   That being said if you are not careful you can eat/drink a ton of calories in one day which then turns into weeks of too many calories during the holidays starting with Halloween.

The key is to plan and know what you are eating!   Candy can be confusing because of all the different snack sizes that are so prevalent during Halloween.      It is very easy to assume because you are eating snack size candy that it is not that bad, and this is true if you are not eating too many pieces!    Before you eat candy see how many calories you are eating – it takes less than a minute to google calorie, sugar, and fat content for just about any common Halloween Candy.

Here are some examples:

Nestle’s Crunch Bar (60 calories)               6 minutes of brisk aerobic exercise to burn off!

Kit Kat Bar (70 calories)                             8 minutes of brisk aerobic exercise to burn off!

4 Snickers Mini Bar (170 calories)             18 minutes of high intensity exercise to burn off!

Full Size Twix Bar (80 calories)                 6 minutes of continuous kettlebell swings to burn off!

4.2 Oz Candy Corn (450 calories)              4 – 5 miles of walking to burn off!

2 Peanut Butter Cups (210 Calories)          2 miles of running to burn off!

So eating a little candy is no big deal, BUT if you are not watching how many pieces/containers you eat you can quickly rack up a ton of calories that would take more than an hour of vigorous exercise to burn off!

Plan your candy intake and know what you are going to eat and enjoy it!   The other key is have candy after a meal so you are not really hungry – candy and hunger make for a really bad combination!

Digestion Resistant Starch: All Starch is NOT created equal!

Digestion Resistant Starch (resistant starch for short) is not fully digested and absorbed, but instead ferments in the large intestine and is turned into short-chain fatty acids (SCFA’s) by bacteria.    So it is a prebiotic and feeds beneficial bacteria in the colon.

Where does Resistant Starch come from?

All starches come from two polysaccharides: amylose and amylopectin.  A polysaccharide is just multiple units of sugar hooked together, and MOST of the time a starch is digested to glucose. 

Amylopectin has a large surface area that allows it to be broken down quickly resulting in larger and quicker spikes of glucose (blood sugar) along with corresponding increases in insulin which is where the dark side of starch intake can show up.

Amylose has much less surface area so is much more resistant to digestion.  Amylose is what makes resistant starch resistant! These starches produce much lower glucose and insulin spikes.

Resistant starch is similar to fiber, but nutrition labels rarely mention resistant starch content.

Digestive Tract Benefits of Resistant Starch

As mentioned above when resistant starch is fermented by bacteria in the large intestine short chain fatty acids (SCFA) such as acetate, butyrate, and propionate, along with gases are produced. SCFAs can be absorbed into the body from the colon or stay put and be used by bacteria for energy.

Evidence suggests that SCFAs may benefit us in many ways. For instance, they:

• ·       Stimulate blood flow to large intestine (colon)
• ·       Increase nutrient absorption
• ·       Inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria
• ·       Reduce absorption of toxins  

Metabolic Benefits of Resistant Starch

Lower Calorie Intake – we only absorb 2 calories per gram of resistance starch (versus about 4 calories per gram from other starches).   This is a really big deal because although you take in less calories from resistant starch it is VERY effective at satisfying hunger and produces high satiety levels! 

Reduced Hunger - the SCFA’s produced from resistant starch cause the release of hormones that reduce hunger!    This takes time so the longer that you consistently eat resistant starch the more the body adapts to produce more SCFA and the more pronounced the hunger lowering benefits become.

Improved Lipid Levels and Fat Metabolism

Resistant starch can help lower blood cholesterol and fats. It has also been shown to reduce the production of new fat cells. The SCFAs produced from resistant starch also reduce the release of carbohydrates by the liver thereby increasing the amount of fat we burn.

Improved Insulin Sensitivity

The reduced insulin response to resistant starch is very significant.   Constant high levels of insulin in response to high levels of sugar and other non-fiber carbohydrate intake reduces the cells insulin sensitivity and overtime this can result in Type 2 Diabetes!    This has big ramifications for the treatment of this form of diabetes which is sky-rocketing.

The effect on glucose and insulin metabolism is very impressive. Some studies have found a 33-50% improvement in insulin sensitivity after 4 weeks of consuming 15-30 grams per day.

Decreased Digestive Issues

Resistant starch may help prevent and reduce existing irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis, constipation, and ulcerative colitis.

Immune System Enhancement

Resistant starch can help balance immune response in the gut by balancing the production of immune cells and inflammatory chemicals.

Sources of Resistant Starch

Resistant starch is found in starchy foods such as:

Beans and Legumes

Whole grains

Starchy Fruit and Vegetables

There are four types of resistant starch:

Type 1 – is in whole unprocessed foods like legumes, whole and partially milled grains, and seeds.   The starch resists digestion because it is bound within fibrous cell walls.

Type 2 – is found within some starchy foods like raw potatoes and green unripe bananas.  The more raw and uncooked these foods are the more resistant starch they tend to contain since heat can turn resistant starch into regular digestible starch.

Type 3 – is formed when certain starch foods, including potatoes and rice are cooked and then cooled.   Cooling turns some of the starch into resistant starch through a process called retrogradation.

Type 4 – is man-made and formed through a chemical process.    An example is “Hi-Maize Resistant Starch” made from corn.

 Getting More Resistant Starch

There are three ways to get more resistant starch: either get them from foods, supplement them or do a little of both.   

Some common popular food items that are easy to find include raw potatoes, cooked and then cooled potatoes or rice, green bananas, cashews and raw oats.

If you are eating a low carb diet and want to make sure you keep your sugar and digestible starch intake very low focus on raw potatoes or green bananas which both have almost no digestible carb.  

Or you can use raw potato starch powder (Bob’s Red Mill Raw Potato Starch) which is easy to sprinkle into foods and shakes.  This supplement has very little taste.    Benefits will likely max out at 32 grams of resistant starch per day and start slowly and gradually increase to let your digestive system adjust.

It will take 2 – 4 weeks for the production of short chain fatty acids to increase and to notice all the benefits!

The Incredible Pomegranate

Research proves that pomegranate is one of the most concentrated sources of antioxidants.  Studies have also proven that key compounds in pomegranate can do something no one thought possible - reverse the process of atherosclerosis (arterial plaque buildup that is the main cause of heart disease and heart attack!). These studies indicate that pomegranate provides protection against and actual reversal of atherosclerosis by restoring artery health, lowering blood pressure, and protecting low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from oxidation. Pomegranate also fights several of forms of cancer including slowing the progression of prostate cancer and suppressing the growth of colon, breast, and lung cancer cells. The good news is that pomegranate’s remarkable health benefits can now be obtained in the form of affordable, highly concentrated extracts. Pomegranates have potent hormonal attributes that have been shown to have estrogenic effects without increasing cancer risk unlike hormone therapy.   This may be beneficial in safely minimizing menopause symptoms.  At the same time they have also been been proven to cause metastatic breast cancer cells to self-destruct. Mechanism of Action for Protection from Atherosclerosis Pomegranate protects arteries by increasing nitric oxide, which improves the function of endothelial cells that line the walls of arteries. Nitric oxide (NO) causes relaxation of the muscles in the walls of the arteries which increases increasing blood flow. Nitric oxide also reduces injury to the arteries which helps prevent the development of atherosclerosis.  Research has shown that oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) can reduce NO levels. Pomegranate juice enhances the nitric oxide synthase activity which boosts NO. In addition, pomegranate antioxidants prolong the action of nitric oxide which increases its effectiveness. Amazingly Pomegranate has been shown to reverse atherosclerotic lesions in arteries! An Israeli study showed that pomegranate can actually reduce existing plaque formations in the arteries.   In the study patients with significant carotid artery narrowing that ranged from 70 – 90% consumed 1.7 ounces of pomegranate juice each day while others received a placebo.   Diet was not changed Those who drank the pomegranate juice had significant reductions in the thickness of their carotid artery walls, which is correlated with decreased risk for heart attack and stroke. After only three months, the average thickness declined by 13%, and after 12 months, the thickness dropped 35%! During this same 12-month period, the average carotid artery thickness of the placebo group increased by 9%. The researchers noted a number of improvements in blood markers that help to explain why pomegranate so effectively supports cardiovascular health.  For example, total antioxidant status in the blood was increased by 130% after 12 months of pomegranate use, while serum lipid peroxidation was reduced by 59%.  There was also an 83% increase in serum paraoxonase-1, an enzyme that can reduce harmful lipid peroxides in arterial cells and in lipoproteins in coronary and carotid lesions.  In addition, one year of pomegranate use more than doubled the time it took for the initiation of LDL oxidation, from 30 minutes to 65 minutes. Since LDL must be oxidized before it can stick to artery walls, this delay in LDL oxidation helps keep plaque from building up. At the same time paraoxonase-1 may help break up existing plaque, leading to overall reductions in plaque formation over time. How to Obtain the Benefits of Pomegranate If you enjoy Pomegranate Juice drinking 8 – 12 ounces each day of a high-quality product should confer all the benefits seen in research.   Of course eating Pomegranates is another great way to get the benefits! You can also obtain all these benefits WITHOUT all the sugar contained in juice by taking a standardized Pomegranate Supplement.     Look for products that are standardized for Punicalagins not just Ellagic Acid.    Ellagic Acid is a highly beneficial chemical, but it does not survive the digestive tract intact while consuming Punicalagins will result increased levels of Ellagic Acid after digestion.  Excellent products and brands include: Jarrow Pomegranate Extract Life Extension Pomegranate Extract POM Wonderful Juice

How Much Exercise is Enough?

If a little exercise is good than more is better right?  Not so fast.  Like most things in life there does appear to be a sweet spot when it comes to exercise.   To understand this, it is important to keep in mind that the human body is all about homeostasis.  Homeostasis refers to the ability of the body to maintain a balance within its internal environment while being faced with constant changes in the external environment.     

For example, the body tightly regulates many factors such a temperature.  Regardless of outside temperature the body will adjust heat production to maintain a body temperature of about 98.6 degrees.  There are many other examples including blood sugar regulation, ph regulation, AND caloric expenditure!

For example, during conditions of low food intake the body will slow down the metabolism to maintain caloric equilibrium in terms of the energy the body is using and taking in.  This ability is known at metabolic adaptation and allows us to survive during famine.

At the same time the body also adjusts to energy production demands to try to maintain balance between calories in and calories out.   Research has shown that there is an activity/exercise threshold, and when we go above this threshold of exercise the body adjusts by minimizing movement and slowing metabolic rate when NOT exercising.

A great example can be seen in elite level swimmers who spend up to 7 hours per day in vigorous exercise.  Anyone who has spent a few days with these folks will notice that when they are not exercising they are sitting or lying down and tend to sleep a lot between workouts.

This explains why several very well-designed research studies show that total daily energy expenditure is NOT always higher in groups who exercise a lot!     At the low range of physical activity/exercise more activity and exercise IS associated with higher total daily calorie burn, but for people in the upper range of physical activity and exercise total daily calorie burn plateaued.   Body fat levels and activity levels modulate metabolic rate aka totally daily calorie burn.

This fits the metabolic adaptation theory perfectly!   More fat and less overall movement and the body will allow you to “waste” more calories in movement.   However as fat mass becomes very low and/or activity levels become very high the body becomes stingier in allowing energy output so makes adjustments to prevent total daily energy usage from going higher!

Other studies have shown that maximum health and longevity benefits appear to max out at about 500 calories per day in formal exercise activity.   This is not to say more is bad, but rather points out that with exercise there is clearly a point of diminishing returns.    

So more is NOT always better when it comes to exercise!

Kaatsu aka Blood Flow Restriction Training

Kaatsu training was developed in Japan five decades ago.  Ka means "additional" and atsu means "pressure." An English layman's term for the practice is "blood flow restriction training," and involves performing strength training exercises while restricting blood flow to the extremity being worked.

A significant benefit of the method is that you can use just 30 to 50 percent of the weight you'd normally use while still reaping maximum benefits of resistance training. You use less weight but do more — up to 20 or 30 repetitions versus 8 or 12 in most traditional strength training programs.

Cuffs or bands are used that are just tight enough to allow arterial blood flow but not venous flow. This causes lactic acid and other waste products to build up, giving you the same benefit as heavy lifting without the dangers associated with heavy weights. For this reason, it's a great strategy for the elderly and those who are recuperating from an injury.

Scientists believe that restricting venous blood return can dramatically boost growth hormone secretion, reducing myostatin and inducing cell swelling.    Even better there is less overall tissue damage compared to traditional high intensity resistance training.

History of Blood Flow Restriction Training

The history of this type of training was detailed in an Outdoors Online Article (https://www.outsideonline.com/2023016/you-should-probably-try-japanese-blood-flow-routine ):

"Kaatsu came about in 1966 when 18-year-old [Dr.] Yoshiaki Sato, now a doctor, noticed the intense ache in his calves after having assumed the traditional Japanese sitting position during a typically long Buddhist ceremony. It was an ache much like the one he experienced after lifting weights — an ache he realized had to do [with] the occultation of blood circulation.

Eureka! Using himself as a test subject, Sato spent the next several years perfecting a system of blood-flow moderation using bicycle tubes, ropes and straps. He later replaced the tubes with thin computer-controlled pneumatic bands. The idea was to apply pressure around the arms and legs while lifting a light load, safely impeding the flow of blood to exercising muscles.

Slowing this flow engorges the limbs with blood, expanding capillaries, engaging muscle fibers and raising lactic acid concentration. But — and here's part of what makes Kaatsu unique — it fools the brain into thinking it's being put through a vigorous workout."

Kaatsu training can stimulate muscle growth and strength in about half the time, using about one-third of the weight, compared to regular resistance training.

How does Kaatsu Work?

The concept idea behind blood flow restriction training is to restrict blood flow in an exercising muscle/s using a band around the upper portion of the arm or leg being worked. This creates a metabolic disturbance that has local and systemic effects:

1. A reduction in the partial pressure of oxygen and increase in the acidity of the muscle tissue stimulates protein synthesis through an adaptive response to the stressor.

2. The central nervous system also senses the challenge and compensates by increasing sympathetic tone, heart rate, ventilation and sweating.   There is also an accentuated hormonal response as mentioned previously.

Kaatsu also stimulates mTOR signaling and lowers myostatin (myostation stops muscle growth!)

Unexpectedly muscle growth occurs both sides of the cuff even though blood flow is only restricted on the side farthest away from the heart.    The systemic increase in Growth Hormone also drives overall muscle growth.

How much Pressure?

It is important not to restrict blood flow too much, as this could lead to injury and fainting.

The good news is that research shows that if you use common sense the risk of using too much pressure is easy to minimize.  Your limb should not be tingling, turning red, blue or purple, and you should not lose feeling and should be able to feel your pulse in the limb.

For a great quick start guide to Kaatsu click here:  https://www.kaatsu-global.com/quick-start-guide-001/

Kaatsu Training Protocol

A typical training session uses three sets 0f 20 – 30 repetitions per set. use half or less of the weight you'd normally use. Rest between sets is short with typical rest time being 30 seconds.

Could Kaatsu Cause Injury such as Deep Vein Thrombosis?

Kaatsu is NOT the same as putting a tourniquet on and if you follow proper precautions is quite safe.    The key is that Kaatsu does NOT alter arterial blood flow as described previously.    It is important to use cuff’s designed specifically for this process.

Contraindications for Kaatsu

• Women who have had a mastectomy with or without radiation and/or an axillary node dissection should not use blood flow restriction training.
• People in hemodialysis who have arterial venous fistulas. Avoid doing blood flow restriction on the affected limb
• Pregnant women should not use Kaatsu training.