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Thread: Training reps in deficit; insulin and fat loss

  1. #1
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    Default Training reps in deficit; insulin and fat loss

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    Hey Robert, I am going to be in a caloric deficit for the long term future due to health issues and food allergies. I’ve been experiencing symptoms of neuropathy after eating any gluten and rice, and in an attempt to fix this I am going to try a very restricted diet of meat and fibrous carbohydrates that align with the aip diet. Furthermore, I feel like shit at 6’ 230lbs and always have when my weight gets this high, so I would like to drop back down to my usual 200lbs.

    My questions are: since I will be either at a deficit and unable to consume enough carbohydrates to run an effective program, would you think lower reps would be the way to go, or the conventional higher 8-12 for a cut? I personally have always felt less fatigued working with higher intensity and low reps rather than higher rep numbers.

    Also, I have been reading Marty Gallaghers purposeful primitive and he mentions that the body cannot burn fat when insulin is present, which is why fasted cardio is such an effective fat loss tool. He is the only one I’ve heard say this, and I was wondering if that is something you tend to agree with? Thank you for your time.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Johnsonville View Post
    Also, I have been reading Marty Gallaghers purposeful primitive and he mentions that the body cannot burn fat when insulin is present
    Do you realize how illogical this sounds? If insulin is not present then you'd be in a diabetic coma or dead.

    I don't know enough about your individual case to comment. What I will say is that if you put yourself in a state of under-recovery you will be unable to run out a program targeted at getting stronger. You may get stronger inefficiently over a long enough timeline though.

  3. #3
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    I have no idea how illogical it sounds honestly, I never had any interest in the topic, but it did sound a little strange hence me asking you for clarification. Thanks for the response

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    Quote Originally Posted by Johnsonville View Post
    Hey Robert, I am going to be in a caloric deficit for the long term future due to health issues and food allergies. I’ve been experiencing symptoms of neuropathy after eating any gluten and rice, and in an attempt to fix this I am going to try a very restricted diet of meat and fibrous carbohydrates that align with the aip diet. Furthermore, I feel like shit at 6’ 230lbs and always have when my weight gets this high, so I would like to drop back down to my usual 200lbs.

    My questions are: since I will be either at a deficit and unable to consume enough carbohydrates to run an effective program, would you think lower reps would be the way to go, or the conventional higher 8-12 for a cut? I personally have always felt less fatigued working with higher intensity and low reps rather than higher rep numbers.

    Also, I have been reading Marty Gallaghers purposeful primitive and he mentions that the body cannot burn fat when insulin is present, which is why fasted cardio is such an effective fat loss tool. He is the only one I’ve heard say this, and I was wondering if that is something you tend to agree with? Thank you for your time.

    I am certainly not a nutritionist or an SS coach but something seems funny here. You didn't mention any medical tests. It's difficult to properly gauge a real gluten intolerance vs. poor gut health without real medical testing. Before trying any dramatically different diet I would recommend at least a few things. First, get a full comprehensive metabolic blood panel along with a glucose tolerance test. These tend to run very cheap. I get one every year and generally the doctors are happy to order one for me. Additionally, I would mention to your doctor you believe you have a gluten intolerance and request a GI workup. You'll need a referral to a gastroenterologist (and this might be a little more pricey) but they can give you the necessary tests to assess bowel motility, GI inflammation, and associated gluten intolerance. Do not assume you have one of these even though it's en vogue to assume so.

    I would always encourage people to not eat like shit. However, before doing anything dramatic get the proper testing done.

    As a last note, insulin is used to control blood sugar. Insulin is anabolic. Anabolism implies fat burning. In fact, in bodybuilding circles insulin-loading is one of the many ways they get huge. What you are likely correlating here is insulin tolerance which is associated with fat gain because of your cells inability to be told to uptake glucose) the purpose of insulin. Fasted cardio is effective not due to insulin but because your body will preferentially burn circulating glucose before it burns glycogen. To entire a fat-loss state you need to be in a state where your body can be "convinced" it needs to begin converting triglycerides into muscle-food. In light of this last point, I would advise you also ask your doctor for a nutritionist, and not take advice from just any old book you read.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Johnsonville View Post
    I have no idea how illogical it sounds honestly, I never had any interest in the topic, but it did sound a little strange hence me asking you for clarification. Thanks for the response
    Insulin is the most anabolic hormone in the human body. It's primary function is to lower blood sugar and if blood sugar becomes uncontrolled you release more and more of it to compensate. This is called insulin resistance. Blood sugar often gets uncontrolled from a shit diet and lack of activity but is also genetically influenced. The effects of excess insulin production in this pathological situation is not the same as physiological insulin release in someone who is training and following a well balanced diet aimed to enhance the effects of training.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by j410s View Post
    I am certainly not a nutritionist or an SS coach but something seems funny here. You didn't mention any medical tests. It's difficult to properly gauge a real gluten intolerance vs. poor gut health without real medical testing. Before trying any dramatically different diet I would recommend at least a few things. First, get a full comprehensive metabolic blood panel along with a glucose tolerance test. These tend to run very cheap. I get one every year and generally the doctors are happy to order one for me. Additionally, I would mention to your doctor you believe you have a gluten intolerance and request a GI workup. You'll need a referral to a gastroenterologist (and this might be a little more pricey) but they can give you the necessary tests to assess bowel motility, GI inflammation, and associated gluten intolerance. Do not assume you have one of these even though it's en vogue to assume so.

    I would always encourage people to not eat like shit. However, before doing anything dramatic get the proper testing done.

    As a last note, insulin is used to control blood sugar. Insulin is anabolic. Anabolism implies fat burning. In fact, in bodybuilding circles insulin-loading is one of the many ways they get huge. What you are likely correlating here is insulin tolerance which is associated with fat gain because of your cells inability to be told to uptake glucose) the purpose of insulin. Fasted cardio is effective not due to insulin but because your body will preferentially burn circulating glucose before it burns glycogen. To entire a fat-loss state you need to be in a state where your body can be "convinced" it needs to begin converting triglycerides into muscle-food. In light of this last point, I would advise you also ask your doctor for a nutritionist, and not take advice from just any old book you read.
    Thanks, this is very informative. I have had food sensitivity tests done before that show a moderate gluten sensitivity and a strong sensitivity to potatoes. The gi work up is something I will request at my upcoming appointment with my pcp and hopefully I’ll get a gastro referral. This has been happening for the last four years starting with mild achy joints to now pretty severe joint pain, tendinitis flare ups, and the nerve issues. After thanksgiving I can barely open my hands, my right foot is almost entirely numb, and my patellar tendinitis came back. I can trigger these symptoms essentially on command, as every food I enjoy has gluten in it it seems. I get major blood work done at least twice a year from my endocrinologist, but I am seeing a naturopath (I know they can be kooks) in a few weeks and I am going to request another test on food sensitivities.

    Regarding the insulin, I need to go back and reread what he said, because Marty isn’t just some random guy, he’s the most successful powerlifting coach of all time. Maybe I misinterpreted what he said, but I really appreciate the response.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Santana View Post
    Insulin is the most anabolic hormone in the human body. It's primary function is to lower blood sugar and if blood sugar becomes uncontrolled you release more and more of it to compensate. This is called insulin resistance. Blood sugar often gets uncontrolled from a shit diet and lack of activity but is also genetically influenced. The effects of excess insulin production in this pathological situation is not the same as physiological insulin release in someone who is training and following a well balanced diet aimed to enhance the effects of training.
    I must have misunderstood Marty, as this is news to me. Thanks for clearing this up.

  8. #8
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    Many people misunderstand how insulin functions in the human body and tend to focus on its relationship with body fat accumulation while ignoring all the other factors that are often present when that happens.

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