Weight loss "stress"

Dave Tallo

Most advice on weight loss for athletes appears to conclude "aim to lose no more than a pound a week - anything more places undue stress on the body."  I'm interested in this "stress." 

-Is this like other types of stress, where there is an actual physiological response to the calorie deficit?  Is the stress response - increased cortisol secretion or whatever - the same as other types of stress?  

-is it the calorie deficit, or the increased regimen and behaviour changes from a more disciplined diet that causes this stress?

-Does a calorie surplus cause the same stress? 

 

 

Bomber

The body reacts to not getting enough calories. You will get grumpy, low energy and the body will try to compensate by being more than usual hungry the next day. The 500 kcal a day less is enough to ensure approx a pound a week, without stressing the body and leaving you hungry..More than that, you will start to see the effects..

Calorie surplus....don't know...never tried that :-)

smtalbott

 Hey Dave,

You "can" lose more than 1 pound per week, but it is VERY hard for athletes to lose more than a pound/week of pure fat (and keep the muscle) while still maintaining a high level of training intensity. 

The "stress" you're referring to is mostly an imbalance between cortisol (a stress hormone) and testosterone (an anabolic hormone) - which leads to increased cravings, blood sugar fluctuations, abdominal fat accumulation, muscle loss, and the mood swings (cranky, irritable, foggy, etc).

Restricting calories "too much" is perceived by the body as a stress (same as if a lion was charging at you) - and the excess cortisol is a potent stimulator of sugar appetite in the brain (and fat storage in the belly).

With endurance athletes this same C:T imbalance is a sign of over-training (and the familiar "weight plateau" when you're trying to hit race weight), so you want to be sure to maintain "balance" with the right blend of exercise stress (your training) and nutrition stress (your diet) and recovery (eating enough/right for your training).

I have written several books on this topic - you can read them online at www.CortisolConnection.com and www.CortisolDiet.com (or find them at any bookstore). I can also recommend Matt Fitzgerald's book "Racing Weight" as a good resource (we're writing about basically the same stuff).

I have a free email-newsletter that is covering this exact topic (dieting stress) over the next 5 weeks - the first installment went out this past Wednesday (I can email it to you if you want it - and I'll try to attach it as a PDF to this message) - you can sign up for the next 4 at www.ShawnTalbott.com (the "Stress" article is scheduled for next Wed - with features on Exercise, Nutrition, Supplements, and Evaluation following each of the next Wednesdays).

Dave Tallo

Shawn, thanks for an outstanding response. I'm looking forward to reading your materials in greater depth.

David R

Last year I was trying to get down to 175 for my A race but could not get below 183 for nothing.  Finally I really focused on my calories in, calories out and how much I was burning per day.  I aimed  for a 1000 calorie defecit a day.  I went about two weeks and was able to get below 180 but I could tell it really took a toll on my training.  By the end of the two weeks I was tired mentally and could really feel it in my muscles.  After about two days of eating normal again I felt great, and the funny thing is I continued to lose the weight I needed to.  Was it worth it to get over that hump yes.  But I also had a ways to go before my race.

Coach Patrick

I have found varying level of success with calorie restriction and my training...it works, but sometimes to the point where my training has suffered. I think a large part of my improved fitness this OS has been due to increased sleep and reduced focus on body comp. At least right now in the winter, when I cut my calories, I tend to binge more late at night b/c I am starving from the high intensity work...not so with the volume work from in season...

timdawg7

-Coach R in a previous post mentioned an iPhone app called Loseit. It's a calorie counting app that I started using 4 weeks ago with good results. In that time it's helped me to lose the same amount of weight in that I lost in the first 10 weeks of the OS. It's great for those like me who tend to sneak in too many calories.

-@ Shawn- Great document, I look forward to reading the rest of the series in the comming weeks.

Dave Tallo

Thanks all. The question came on the tailend of a career-worst burnout, and I was interested in 'diet stress' as one of the whole constellation of other stresses - be they training, life, sleep, whatever - that put me there.

ri133ck

If you want to count calories and get a good look at what you eat everyday, try this Pyramid Plan that I found through my Health and Wellness course. They also track your workouts whcih can be analyzed along with your calorie intake.

http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/

mgraffeo

I'd love to see references for research that shows calorie restriction leading to elevated cortisol levels. I'm familiar with elevated cortisol levels for a variety of stresses, but not familiar with that body of research.