Changing Body Composition through Diet and Exercise

Confused by so many conflicting messages about nutrition and exercise? Learn the latest from the field of performance nutrition, with scientific research backing up every concept presented. Clear, easy-to-understand explanations will provide all the information you need to set your personal body composition goals - and reach them.

If you want to feel, look, and perform better - whether that means lifting the grandchildren with ease or running a marathon - your weight is no way to chart your progress. Learn why your proportion of fat to muscle is a better gauge of health, and see how that ratio can be measured.

Learn about the chemical reactions involved in digestion and absorption and the mechanisms of nutrient partitioning - how nutrients are moved into specific storage areas in your body. Armed with this knowledge, you'll understand why exercise is the best way to use your food to improve body composition!

What we eat affects the functionality of every microscopic process inside each of our 30 trillion cells. Learn how the nutrients absorbed from our food protect cells from damage, provide the fuel used by the mitochondria to produce energy, and continually create new cells to replace old or damaged cells.

Bioenergetics, the process of converting food into a usable form of energy, is directly related to overall metabolism. Learn about the chemical work of the body's three energy-producing systems, the fuel each uses, when each is activated - and how your fitness level significantly impacts your body's use of fat as a fuel source.

While the breakdown of carbohydrates provides the energy needed for all human functions, excess carbs can significantly disrupt good health. Exploring the complex relationship between carbs and the hormone insulin, you'll learn which carbs are best eaten at certain times of the day based on your individual total nutrition and workout schedule.

It's a common - but erroneous - belief that the amount of fat you eat is directly proportional to the amount of fat on your body. To the contrary, the latest research shows why you need to add specific fats to your diet for optimal health and to meet your body composition goals.

Proteins play an integral role in almost every physical aspect and function of our bodies - from hemoglobin to hair to hunger, from mitochondria to metabolism to muscles. Examine the body's use of protein at the molecular level and learn the importance of incorporating high-biological-value protein into your diet.

Are high-protein diets a harmful fad potentially leading to kidney injury? Or should we believe the marketing messages touting protein powders as beneficial for muscles and strength? Dr. Ormsbee reveals the latest scientific truth about protein: how much protein you need to maintain health, improve metabolism, and meet your body composition goals.

Learn about the life-sustaining functions provided by micronutrients - vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals - along with water. While these nutrients are critical to regulating cell processes and metabolic pathways, many of us suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, and some studies have even revealed links between deficiencies and obesity.

Given that most of us eat at least some processed foods - and that all calories are decidedly not created equal - nutrition labels can reveal the real impact of our food choices. Dr. Ormsbee takes the consumer step by step through the current label as a tool for identifying the most nutrient-dense products.

Is breakfast really "the most important meal of the day," or is that just another nutritional myth? Should you eat 6 smaller or 3 larger meals per day? Scientific studies reveal new and surprising answers. Learn how the timing and frequency of meals can help you best meet your specific goals.

Dr. Ormsbee explodes the myth that nighttime eating causes weight gain, explaining the fallacy in the myth's genesis. Numerous recent studies of both young and elderly, fit and obese individuals reveal that a small, before-bed protein snack can actually increase muscle protein synthesis and improve body composition.

Marketing messages from the multi-billion-dollar sports nutrition industry come at us loud and clear. But have rigorous scientific studies revealed any supplements that can safely and effectively burn fat or increase muscle mass? You might be surprised, as you consider whether or not to add these products to your diet and exercise plan.

Your body is in energy balance when your daily energy output is exactly balanced by the energy of the food you consume. Learn about the caloric content of food and how to choose specific foods to help you adjust your energy balance for desired body composition.

While caloric expenditure above resting levels is proportional to the duration and intensity of your exercise, small changes will make a difference, too - like consistently taking the stairs instead of the elevator. The most important aspect of your exercise program is to develop a plan you can stick to!

While there are an infinite number of exercise strategies to choose from, only a few are scientifically proven to help you lose body fat. New studies examining the effects of exercise at the cellular level reveal the value of adding specific types of resistance training to any long-term fitness regime.

Recent studies show that sarcopenia, the gradual loss of muscle mass as we get older, results primarily from chronic disuse and inactivity, not the aging process itself. Learn how to find a personal trainer to begin a safe and effective program to increase your muscular strength, endurance, and power - at any age.

Hormones are the chemical messengers that affect every aspect of our physiology from blood pressure to internal temperature, energy availability, and the storage (and loss) of body fat. Learn about the complex relationships between your thyroid hormones, insulin, cortisol, and catecholamines and your sex, age, and body composition.

Learn what scientific studies reveal about some outside-the-box methods for helping weight loss and improving body composition. Should you dismiss the potential impacts that artificial sweeteners, detox dieting, plate size, standing desks, sleep quantity, and environmental pollutants have on your energy intake and expenditure? You might be surprised.

Explore how vegetarians can get the protein they need without turning to animal sources, how children can be provided the optimal exercise opportunities and nutrition to address their unique needs for growth, and how appropriate nutrition and exercise can help maintain and improve the quality of life for older adults.

Learn how your hypothalamus works to maintain a certain preset level of body fat and weight, commonly known as the set point, and how can you influence that set point. If you feel that you've plateaued, check back with these basics to help you accomplish your personal body-composition goals.

With so many choices, committing to a particular diet plan can seem overwhelming. So start by emphasizing nutritionally dense, minimally processed foods. And remember that even one positive habit you adopt and stick with can make a positive long-term impact on your body composition and health.

Time to get started! Identify a few small changes to make to your nutrition and exercise programs, ones that seem the easiest to fit into your lifestyle. Set small, reachable goals that you're confident you can stick with - and you will be successful.