New research reveals surprising results!

When it comes to post-workout nutrition, one of the most common questions I get is: “How much protein should I eat after I train?”

Most fitness advice recommends consuming 20 grams of high-quality protein after resistance exercise to optimize muscle recovery. But here’s the catch: that number is based mostly on studies in men. So does the same rule apply to women?

A new study just looked into this exact question—and the results may change how you think about your post-workout shake.

What the science says about post-workout protein for women

We know that resistance training and dietary protein both stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS)—the process your body uses to build and repair muscle. But how much protein is needed to trigger this effect?

In men, research shows muscle protein synthesis plateaus at about 20 grams of high-quality protein. Anything more doesn’t necessarily add benefit. But women tend to have less muscle mass, so their needs might be different.

This new study set out to test exactly that.

Study design: Protein & recovery in active females

Researchers recruited 28 healthy, recreationally active women (ages 18–24) to complete a resistance training session—specifically, unilateral leg presses and extensions performed to failure.

Immediately afterward, participants were randomly assigned one of three post-workout drinks:

• 1.5g of essential amino acids (EAA) with 6g of leucine
• 15g of whey protein
• 20g of whey protein

The goal? To compare the effects of different protein doses on post-exercise muscle protein synthesis over a 4-hour recovery period.

The results: Is 20g really necessary?

All three groups experienced a significant increase in muscle protein synthesis compared to rest. But here’s the kicker:

There were no significant differences in muscle protein synthesis between the groups at any point post-exercise.

That means whether the women drank a 1.5g EAA shake, 15g of whey, or 20g of whey, the muscle-building response was essentially the same.

Key implications:

• Smaller protein doses may be sufficient for women
• Leucine content (around 1g) is likely more important than total protein
• The 20g rule may be more than necessary for young, active females

What this means for your recovery strategy

This study supports the idea that more isn’t always better, especially for women with lower muscle mass.

Here’s what I recommend:

• Focus on total daily protein intake—that’s still your #1 priority
• After workouts, aim for ~15g of high-quality protein or a dose with ~1g of leucine
• Check your post-workout shake ingredients to ensure you’re covering leucine

Want more tips like this? Check out our FREE RESOURCES and explore the macro-friendly recipes on the blog to help you fuel smarter and recover stronger.

Bottom line

If you’re a young, active woman, your body might not need a full 20g of protein immediately after training. A smaller protein dose—or even an essential amino acid supplement with enough leucine—can still do the job.

And remember: post-workout protein is important, but the real gains happen when your total daily intake supports your goals.

Have questions? Drop them in the comments or DM me on Instagram @hollytbaxter. I’d love to hear how you’re adjusting your routine based on the latest research!

Holly Baxter

Holly T. Baxter is an Australian Dietitian with over 13 years of experience in health and fitness. She holds a degree in Food Science and Nutrition and a Master of Dietetics from Deakin University. A former professional physique athlete, Holly has two World Championship titles. Her latest project, BiaBody, is dedicated to women’s health and fitness. As an APD Dietitian and Online Physique Coach, she focuses on evidence-based health education and empowering women through fitness.

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So let’s start with a basic definition. What is a Refeed?

A “refeed” simply refers to a planned increase in calorie intake, typically focusing on an increase from carbohydrates, while keeping protein and dietary fat intake relatively stable. A refeed takes place over a relatively short period of time to temporarily reverse or mitigate the negative symptoms of prolonged dieting or caloric restriction. 

Ok, so who might benefit from a Refeed?

This practice is commonly used by athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts to enhance their day to day and sporting performance, improve body composition, and support psychological health and well-being, but… this approach can be implemented by just about anyone who is looking to lose weight and achieve sustained weight loss, safely, and efficaciously.

So what are the key purposes of a Refeed?

The are 3 main purpose of a Refeed 

•  Restoration of muscle glycogen stores:

Prolonged dieting can deplete our muscle glycogen stores, which is crucial for maintaining high-intensity, high quality training sessions and our overall energy levels. A refeed which focuses on increasing calories from carbohydrate can help replenish our glycogen stores, allowing for temporary relief and improved performance.

• Preservation of lean body mass and maintaining a robust metabolism:

Unfortunately, we often see weight loss being carried out at lightning speed, and this type of crash dieting behavior comes with a number of metabolic risks, leading to an unnecessary loss of lean tissue, which includes both skeletal muscle and organ size.This is because lean tissue is a rather costly tissue in terms of its daily energy demands. When lean tissue is lost, our Basal Metabolic Rate or metabolism decreases, meaning our need for energy from food lowers. A refeed can help prevent or mitigate unnecessary lean tissue loss, by slowing down the rate of weight loss and thus maintaining their metabolic health.

• Physiological relief:

A refeed is also extremely helpful in terms of psychological relief. Strict dieting can be mentally taxing, so a refeed provides us with a healthy psychological break, allowing for more flexibility and enjoyment in eating, which can help with long-term adherence to a diet plan.

Other considerations for Refeeds: 

Diet duration & Weight loss goal 

The diet duration & weight loss goal are both important considerations for how frequently and how long you plan & schedule a refeed. Your starting body composition, or more specifically, your body fat percentage, is also a major consideration for implementing refeeds.

If your weight loss endeavors are relatively conservative, for example, a weight loss goal of < 5% of your total body weight would generally be considered conservative, and, if your starting body fat % is within a healthy range, then there may not be any inherent need to include Refeeds. This is because your relative metabolic risk and subjective symptoms of dieting may be quite mild. 

Conversely, if your goal were to lose greater than 10% of your total body weight, and your starting body fat percentage is within a healthy range (which is 14-20% for men and 20-31% for women), then you may benefit from more frequent refeeds as a means of protecting not only your metabolic health, but to help temporarily mitigate the negative symptoms experienced while dieting.

That said, regardless of your weight loss goal and starting body composition, dieting can be quite unpleasant, both physically and mentally. Refeeds can therefore be implemented as often as you deem necessary, to alleviate the unpleasant symptoms of dieting, helping you maintain good energy levels, good day to day performance and high quality training sessions, and most importantly, healthy eating behaviors which focus on maintaining a positive relationship with food.

So how to implement a Refeed?

To set up a refeed, it is as simple as determining your current maintenance calories,the number of calories which maintains your current body weight and activity levels, which you can calculate using a maintenance calorie calculation, in fact you can learn exactly how to do this by reviewing previous videos I’ve made on this topic on Youtube. 

I recommend increasing your calories for a period of 1-3 days, and as often as needed, depending on the severity of your symptoms. You might even like to increase your calories by approximately 5 to 10% above your calculated maintenance calories during that time frame, primarily focusing on increasing your calories from carbohydrate sources. A Refeed can also be helpful from a practical sense if you have a busier than normal work schedule, or you are traveling and need a little more flexibility and brain power to focus on other important priorities. 

So, to summarize this video, a refeed is a strategic nutritional approach used to counteract the negative effects of prolonged dieting by supporting metabolic health, improved day to day performance, and psychological well-being. In my opinion, it is a fantastic tool anyone can use, that when used correctly, can enhance the effectiveness and safety of a fitness and nutrition plan. 

Holly Baxter

Holly T. Baxter is an Australian Dietitian with over 13 years of experience in health and fitness. She holds a degree in Food Science and Nutrition and a Master of Dietetics from Deakin University. A former professional physique athlete, Holly has two World Championship titles. Her latest project, BiaBody, is dedicated to women’s health and fitness. As an APD Dietitian and Online Physique Coach, she focuses on evidence-based health education and empowering women through fitness.

The post Refeeds Explained: Boost Your Fat Loss with Strategic Calorie Increases appeared first on BiaBody.

Embracing a Flexible Approach to Fitness

For years, I adhered to meticulous macro tracking, but I’ve recently shifted my focus. Instead of being bound by numbers, I’ve learned to trust my judgment and experience to estimate my food intake effectively. This change is particularly liberating because my primary goal isn’t a specific number on the scale but rather enhancing my physical capabilities for volleyball.

The Importance of a Strong Motivation

One critical lesson I’ve learned through this journey is the importance of having a compelling ‘why’ behind your fitness goals. It’s not just about the aesthetics or the numbers; it’s about deeper, more personal motivations. Whether it’s maintaining independence, setting a positive example for your children, or fulfilling a promise to your younger self, these emotional drivers are what truly sustain your efforts when the going gets tough.

My Top 5 Tips for Making Sustainable Changes

Here are some simple yet effective strategies I’ve adopted to keep progressing towards my fitness goals without overwhelming myself:

1. Incorporate a Nutrient-Rich Salad Daily: Each day, I make sure to have a hearty salad for lunch. I use pre-mixed salad bags as a base and add a generous portion of lean protein. This isn’t just a bland bowl of greens but a delicious, satisfying meal that I look forward to.
2. Create a Consistent Meal Template: My daily meals are generally structured the same, with slight variations in protein, spices, and vegetables. This consistency reduces the need for daily macro tracking, as I’m familiar with the nutritional content through periodic checks.
3. Opt for Lower Calorie Alternatives: I’ve made small adjustments to my diet, such as switching from regular breakfast options to lower-calorie alternatives like an egg scramble with low-carb toast. These swaps are simple yet effective in reducing overall calorie intake.
4. Boost Your Activity Level: Instead of replacing weight training with cardio, I’ve added more cardio sessions into my routine. Playing volleyball as often as possible is my main cardio workout, supplemented by running and walking. Increasing my daily activity helps enhance calorie burn without sacrificing muscle mass.
5. Eliminate Mindless Snacking: Cutting out habitual snacking, especially in the evenings, has been challenging but crucial. I’ve stopped stocking snackable items like popcorn, which I tend to overeat, to better control my calorie intake.

Conclusion

Adjusting your lifestyle for better health and fitness doesn’t have to be a draconian measure filled with daily number crunching and food weighing. By establishing a routine that includes balanced meals, consistent exercise, and smart food choices, you can achieve your fitness goals in a more enjoyable and less stressful way. Remember, the key to sustainable fat loss is understanding your motivations and making adjustments that fit your lifestyle. Keep moving forward, and let’s make this summer one full of energy and health!

Dr. Shannon Russell, PT, DPT, CSCS, USAW

The post Achieving a Leaner, Stronger You Without the Stress of Strict Tracking appeared first on BiaBody.

But here’s the interesting part: there’s a significant difference between knowing about potential muscle loss and actually experiencing it. I’m here to tell you that it’s entirely possible to navigate a dieting phase without sacrificing any of your hard-earned muscle mass. For a deeper understanding, I recommend checking out “The Complete Exercise Guide to Muscle Hypertrophy,” which provides extensive insights into muscle growth and strength training. You can grab 2 free chapters HERE!

First, let’s acknowledge that measuring muscle loss is far more complex than measuring fat loss. So, how can you tell if you’re losing muscle? The answer lies in understanding the relationship between muscle growth, strength, and the types of adaptations your body undergoes.

When muscles grow, they not only increase in size (hypertrophy) but also in strength. This strength isn’t just a byproduct of muscle size; it’s a combination of physiological and neurological adaptations. The fascinating part is that the neurological aspect is influenced by your exercise routine. Consistent training contributes positively to these adaptations, boosting your strength even if your muscles aren’t getting visibly bigger.

This brings us to an essential insight: strength can be a reliable indicator of muscle mass during a dieting phase. Think of strength as an equation: Physiological Adaptations + Neurological Adaptations = Strength. You can increase your strength in several ways, either by enhancing physiological adaptations, neurological adaptations, or both. If you maintain or increase your strength while dieting, it’s a good sign you’re not losing muscle.

But what if your strength plateaus or decreases? That’s a signal you might be losing muscle, especially since you’re still contributing to neurological adaptations through training. If your physiological adaptations (i.e., muscle mass) were stable, your strength would continue to increase.

However, it’s crucial to view strength in the context of your entire training program, not just a single exercise. A plateau in one exercise doesn’t necessarily mean muscle loss if you’re making gains in other areas. Overall strength is the key metric here.

In summary, muscle mass loss during a dieting phase is not inevitable. With a sensible caloric deficit and avoidance of extreme low body fat levels, you can maintain, or even build, muscle mass. For those concerned about this, consider partnering with a coach who can provide personalized training and nutrition strategies.

At BiaBody, our team of coaches offers expert guidance tailored to your goals and lifestyle. For more information and to start your journey towards a successful body transformation, click the link in the description below.

Holly Baxter

Holly T. Baxter is an Australian Dietitian with over 13 years of experience in health and fitness. She holds a degree in Food Science and Nutrition and a Master of Dietetics from Deakin University. A former professional physique athlete, Holly has two World Championship titles. Her latest project, BiaBody, is dedicated to women’s health and fitness. As an APD Dietitian and Online Physique Coach, she focuses on evidence-based health education and empowering women through fitness.

The post Maintaining Muscle Mass During Dieting: Your Ultimate Guide appeared first on BiaBody.

Unpacking the Claims

You might have encountered statements like:

• “Avoid eating fruit and vegetables in the same meal.”
• “Separate carbohydrates and protein for better digestion.”
• “Don’t mix high-carb and high-fat foods to prevent fat storage.”

These claims, often made by so-called experts, suggest that specific food combinations can detrimentally affect your health or weight loss efforts. But are these statements backed by science?

The Science (or Lack Thereof)

Many of these claims are loosely based on scientific principles but are often misinterpreted or exaggerated. For instance, the idea that eating carbs leads to insulin spikes and therefore increased fat storage is an oversimplification of complex bodily processes. On the other hand, some claims, like not mixing fruits and vegetables, lack any real scientific basis and instead rely on pseudo-science to sound credible.

Interestingly, these claims often relate to diet strategies intended to enhance digestion and aid weight loss. Ironically, improved digestion of these foods would lead to increased calorie absorption, which contradicts the goal of creating a calorie deficit for fat loss.

It’s important to remember that the burden of proof lies with the claimant. To date, there’s no substantial evidence showing that avoiding certain food pairings leads to better weight loss or digestion. While some practices may have cultural or religious roots, they’re not scientifically proven to be harmful.

The Impact on Weight Loss

Research indicates that the key to weight loss and maintenance is dietary adherence, not the specific composition of the diet (PMID: 26527511, PMID: 30583725). Imposing restrictive food pairing rules might actually hinder your weight loss efforts by reducing adherence, particularly if these rules cut out your favorite foods.

Key Takeaways

Claims about food pairing and avoiding specific foods are often tactics used by influencers to play on your fears and insecurities. These claims lack scientific backing, and the responsibility to prove them rests on the individuals making these claims. If you hear such a claim, always ask for evidence, and treat unverified statements with skepticism.

Your Thoughts?

Now, we’re curious to hear from you. What are the most outrageous food and fitness claims you’ve come across? Do you have any nutrition or exercise questions that you’d like answered? Feel free to share your thoughts, and our team may be able to provide insights.

Holly Baxter

Holly T. Baxter is an Australian Dietitian with over 13 years of experience in health and fitness. She holds a degree in Food Science and Nutrition and a Master of Dietetics from Deakin University. A former professional physique athlete, Holly has two World Championship titles. Her latest project, BiaBody, is dedicated to women’s health and fitness. As an APD Dietitian and Online Physique Coach, she focuses on evidence-based health education and empowering women through fitness.

The post Debunking Common Food Pairing Myths: Separating Fact from Fiction in Nutrition appeared first on BiaBody.

Written by Holly Baxter
October 5, 2021

How many of you are working extremely hard at your diet, killing your workouts, only to find  that after a short while, your weight loss has begun to plateau?

This is incredibly frustrating, I know because I’ve been there! There are many likely causes for this, I won’t go into the specifics in todays article, so let’s move on and assume that you’ve done everything by the books, and you need to make some adjustments. Let’s take a look at the appropriate steps you can take if you are in a position to continue losing weight at the same rate.

Option number one is to modify your diet. The second option is to make a modification to your exercise. So how do we know how much is enough? Do we modify calories by 100, 200, 300 from our current intake? What about exercise? Will adding 15 minutes be sufficient, how do we know if it will be enough?

Below is an example just to demonstrate how.

In previous videos I’ve shown you how the Biolayne method works when it comes to calculating a calorie deficit required for every 1g of weight loss for otherwise healthy, normal weight individuals.

In our books “The complete contest prep guide” and “Fat loss forever”, we describe that 1g of weight loss is equal to 5.9 – 6.2 calories, therefore if you are targeting 1.0kg of weight as your weekly weight loss goal, you simply do the following equation.

Step 1.

Start by converting this to grams so we are using the same unit of measurement. Therefore 1.0kg is multiplied by 1000 which gives us 1000g. We then multiply 1000 by our suggested calorie amount of 5.9 kcals, which comes out to 5900 kcals. This is the total amount of energy deficit one would require to achieve approximately 0.5kg of weight loss. Since we are wanting to achieve this over 7 days, we then divide this by 7 to determine the daily calorie deficit. This works out to 842 kcals.

So tell me, what do you think about that number? That’s a significant calorie drop isn’t it! If you currently maintain your weight at 2000 calories per day for example, you would need to drop your calories down to 1158, every day of the week in order to achieve this kind of weight loss based on the population group I’ve described.

The first point I want to make here is the importance of setting realistic weight loss targets. I hear this all the time with new clients. We also need to consider how much weight this is as a percentage of someone’s body weight. 1.5% per week is about the most I’m really comfortable with for the described population. If we try to lose beyond 1.5% over a 7 day persiod, we start to risk greater loss of lean body mass, not to mention a host of other negative physiological and psychological symptoms

Let’s now take look at how much exercise is required for me to lose 1.0kg of weight

I use my apple watch frequently to monitor my daily steps as a form of self monitoring, and for 15 minutes of walking at a speed of 4.0 miles per hour, I burned approximately 150 calories.

If I didn’t want to make any adjustments to my current calories, and achieve that 842 kcal daily deficit from increased walking alone, I’d need to walk for an additional 80 mins or so. Every day! We also need to consider that as we add more activity, there becomes a point of diminishing return. The more exercise we do, studies show we become more efficient in other areas of energy metabolism, for example our NEAT begins to drop, so all those involuntary, unconscious movements (fidgeting, swaying, tapping you feet), even our incidental activity slows down as a means of conserving energy to prevent us from losing weight.

I don’t know about you all, but I do not have 80 minutes spare every day! I’d probably look to a less aggressive weekly weight loss target to make the diet and activity requirements less challenging. I’d also likely opt for a more effective method of achieving that deficit, which probably includes a combination of both calorie decreases and a more intense form of activity, HIIT for example, something that doesn’t require 80 minutes of my day. Perhaps 45 minutes instead!

Something I would like to re-emphasize from previous videos is the difficulties of trying to out-exercise poor dietary choices or behaviors. Our food choices do impact our ability to lose fat, so when you reach for an extra handful of nuts before closing up the bag or an extra cookie before closing the lid of the cookie jar, if you’ve got a health goal your striving for, think about the impact those decisions may be having on your ability to make progress.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this article, please share it if you found it helpful and follow me on my social channels for more tips like this!

Holly Baxter

Holly T. Baxter is an Australian Dietitian with over 13 years of experience in health and fitness. She holds a degree in Food Science and Nutrition and a Master of Dietetics from Deakin University. A former professional physique athlete, Holly has two World Championship titles. Her latest project, BiaBody, is dedicated to women’s health and fitness. As an APD Dietitian and Online Physique Coach, she focuses on evidence-based health education and empowering women through fitness.

The post Has your weight loss plateaued? appeared first on BiaBody.

Written by Holly Baxter APD, BS, MS
April 13, 2021

What is IBS / What are the causes and How to manage your symptoms?

IBS is the abbreviation for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which is a fairly common disorder or dysfunction which affects the large intestine.

The signs and symptoms of IBS can vary in severity and will also differ between people. The most common symptoms of IBS include things like cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea or constipation, or sometimes both. IBS is considered a chronic condition, so by definition this means it has been present for more than 1 year, so if you experience these types of symptoms but only on very rare occasions, then it’s unlikely that you have a true case of IBS as the infrequency doesn’t meet the prerequisites for a formal diagnosis.

What causes IBS?

The exact cause of IBS isn’t known. There are however a number of factors that appear to play a role including:

Increased gut motility.The walls of the intestines are lined with layers of muscle that contract as they move food through your digestive tract. Contractions that are stronger and last longer than normal (also known as a hyperactive gut) can cause excess gas, bloating as well as diarrhea. On the flip side, weak intestinal contractions (I call this a sluggish GI which is what I have) means the passage of food is significantly reduced and this can lead to hard, or often dry stools.

Dysfunction of the Nervous system. Dysfunction or sensitivity of the nerves in your digestive system may cause you to experience greater than normal discomfort when your abdomen stretches from either gas or large amounts of food. Poorly coordinated signals between the brain and the intestines can also cause your body to overreact to changes that occur as a normal part of the digestive process, and this results in pain, diarrhea or constipation. We often hear people referred to the gut brain axis, so people with IBS can be hypersensitive to these small changes due to the neurological connection between the brain and the gut.

Have you had a severe infection? IBS can also develop after a severe infections or even a bad case of diarrhea (gastroenteritis) caused by bacteria or a virus. IBS may also be associated with a bacterial overgrowth in the intestines which is why it is often recommended to have a stool sample during the investigation phase of IBS.

Changes in gut microbes. Who has recently taken an antibiotic? While highly effective for reducing pathogenic bacteria, antibiotics can also wipe out many of the good microbes in our gut. Sudden changes to our bacteria, fungi and viruses naturally present in our GI may be linked to IBS. Even the way we were delivered at birth might be a potential cause for the development of IBS in later life due to its influence on our gut microbiome. Interestingly research has shown there to be significant differences in the gut microflora of people who are delivered by vaginal birth and those who are delivered by cesarean birth. We also know that the gut microbes in people with IBS often differ from those in healthy people.

Early life stress. People who have been exposed to stressful events, especially in childhood, also tend to report more symptoms of IBS.

What are the IBS Subtypes?

There are 4 different subtypes of IBS, and these include IBS-C, IBS-D, IBS-M, IBS-U. IBS C is predominately constipation. IBS D is predominantly diarrhea or very loose stools. IBS M is mixed, meaning both constipation and diarrhea might be present. IBS-U means undiagnosed, which is typically only diagnosed if someone presents as having IBS but the subtype is not formally diagnosed.

Who can help you diagnose IBS?

A dietitian or gastroenterologist are the two best medical professionals who can help you determine which of these subtypes best describes your symptoms and provide you with a formal diagnosis. Something you can do prior to your appointment with your health care professional is to monitor and record your daily bowel movements, and you can do this with a bristol stool chart.

What should my stools look like?

The type of stool depends on the time it spends in the colon. After you go to the bathroom, what you see is basically a result of your diet, fluid, medication and lifestyle. This chart shows seven categories of stools. Every person will have different bowel habits, however a normal stool should be soft and easy to pass like types 3 and 4 shown on the chart. Type 1 and 2 indicate constipation while types 5-7 may indicate diarrhoea. Once we know what subtype we are dealing with, it becomes much easier to manage your symptoms.

How frequently should I be going to the bathroom ?

We often hear the expression ‘eat this or drink that and it will keep you regular’, but what is regular? And how do we define normal?. It’s common for people to empty their bowl once a day, although it’s still normal if you are more or less frequent. What’s most important is the type and ease in which your stool passes, and this can happen anywhere from 1-3 times per day or as infrequently as 3 times per week. To be given a formal diagnosis of IBS-C, which is constipation predominant, by definition you would be averaging less than 3 stools per week. For a diagnosis of IBS-D subtype, you would be experiencing a bathroom trip frequency of greater than 3 times per day.

What are some signs of a healthy bowel?

Being regular is one thing, (great work if you are!) but some other signs your have a healthy GI are:

1. You can hold on for a short time after you feel the first urge to go to the toilet. You should also be able to pass within about a minute of sitting down on the toilet.
2. You should be able to pass a bowel motion easily without pain, you shouldn’t be straining or struggling to pass anything that is hard and dry.
3. You should also be able to completely empty your bowel when you pass a motion. You shouldn’t be running back to the toilet soon after to go again.

So how do we treat IBS?

I like to think of this as a 2 tiered approach where we have a first line advice and a second line advice.

First line advice

There are a number of food and beverages as well as eating behaviours that can cause IBS symptoms to be more exaggerated.

1. Caffeine
2. Daily Fluid Consumption
3. Alcohol
4. Speed of Eating & Meal Timing

How is your Daily Fluid intake? Drinking a sufficient amount of water each day is not only important for reducing the risk of chronic disease, for example, having a high fluid intake is associated with a reduced risk of chronic kidney disease, but can also help relieve constipation. Water not only acts as a lubricant for the intestines so they remain soft and flexible, but to help the food we eat travel through your GI tract. Low fluid intake or irregular fluid intake, such as going without fluid for large periods of time, can lead to hard stools and eventually this becomes constipation. If you are someone with IBS-C, make sure you are drinking a sufficient amount of water and regularly throughout the day. If you are wondering how much? The recommended amount of fluid is 35ml / kg body weight, however if you sweat a lot throughout the day, or maybe you work outdoors or you train in high temperatures, you may need to consume significantly more than this.

Alcohol can be another problem for IBS sufferers and can rather be unfavorable for both IBS-D and IBS-C subtypes. Like caffeine, alcohol also increases gut motility. This gut hyperactivity causes foods to move through the GI too quickly and this often results in diarrhea. Large amounts of alcohol can also kill the natural gut microflora present in our GI, which can cause a bacterial overgrowth which can also lead to loose stools. Consuming too much alcohol can also cause constipation if you aren’t also consuming a good amount of fluid when you’re drinking. Alcohol reduces the secretion of ADH, a hormone that signals the body to retain water. Low levels of ADH leads to increased urine production, so if the fluid excreted isn’t replaced, it can contribute to constipation as the body needs water for stool to move normally through our GI.

Eating slowly and eating regularly may seem like very simple words of advice, however studies have shown that people with IBS report more exaggerated GI symptoms when a meal is consumed too quickly or when their meal timing is irregular. If you know you eat too fast or skip meals, try slowing down when you eat and try to evenly time your meals to avoid large volumes of food being consumed in one sitting, these simple changes may drastically improve your symptoms.

Second Line Advice

Beyond these simple strategies, we can now look to other potential approaches to reduce frequency and severity of symptom flare ups.

1. Stress
2. Diet (Fodmaps & Fiber)
3. Lifestyle
4. Medication and counselling

Fiber is another highly important part of the dietary approach used to help manage IBS. Fiber might just be one of the missing puzzle pieces in the case of someone with IBS-D, as it can help to provide bulk to your stool, however, for someone with IBS-C, too much fiber or the wrong type of dietary fiber may actually worsen symptoms. This is why it’s so important to know your subtype, to help best manage your symptoms.

Fiber is typically found in plant based foods, specifically fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds as well as whole grains and legumes. It is recommended that we consume on average 25-30g per day ⁽³⁾.

Dietary fibers are a specific type of carbohydrate known as oligosaccharides and non starch polysaccharides which are unable to be broken down in the small intestine, so instead, they travel undigested to the large colon. There are two types of dietary fiber, soluble fiber and insoluble fiber, and they each have an important role to play for our digestive health.

Soluble fibers include things like pectins, gums, inulin type fructans and some hemicelluloses, you’ll often see these listen on the labels of packaged foods, and these fibers are able to absorb large amounts of water which form a thick viscous gel. Since they are unabsorbed in the small intestine, soluble fiber is more easily fermented by our gut microflora which is one of the reasons we produce gas, as well as short chain fatty acids called acetic, propionic and butyric acid which can be reabsorbed and ultimately used for energy ⁽⁴⁾.

Insoluble fibers do not absorb water and include things like lignin, cellulose and some hemicelluloses. Most of the foods we consume are about a third soluble and two thirds insoluble ⁽⁴⁾. Both types of fiber are important for a healthy digestions as insoluble adds bulk to our stool and soluble draws in water and makes it easy for us to go to the bathroom.

How can fiber help those with IBS

For those who have IBS-C subtype, including more soluble fiber in the diet will increase the amount of water in the GI which can help speed up your transit time, and allow you to go to the bathroom more regularly. Something to consider is that different types and amounts of fiber can affect people differently, so for this reason, I recommend increasing your fiber very gradually ~3-5g every few days until you find an amount that helps you become more regular. For someone with IBS-D, they may require more insoluble fiber to help provide bulk to their stool and can help to slow down digestion and reduce the frequency of loose stools and diarrhea.

Diet & Fodmaps

Fodmaps is an acronym that stands for fermentable oligosaccharide, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Eliminating certain Fodmaps from the diet can be another effective management option for people suffering from IBS ⁽⁵⁾.  This is huge topic and worthy of an entire series of its own, so if you want to learn more about fodmaps, there is a link to an article on my website as well as a video on my youtube channel which covers this topic in more detail.

Exercise

Why is exercise important in the management of IBS? Low activity levels have frequently been reported to worsen IBS symptoms. The reason for this is thought to be due exercises’ effect on gut motility and transit time. A clinical trial in patients with IBS found that 12-weeks of regular moderate activity significantly improved gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life ⁽⁶⁾.  Other studies have found that participation in regular exercise has been shown to help to relieve pain and bloating caused by gas and may encourage more frequent bowel movements ⁽⁷⁾.

Lastly, exercise has also been linked to reducing stress which is a huge trigger for IBS as I mentioned earlier. Things like yoga & meditation, as well as getting outdoors and being in nature have also been reported to help with stress relief and in turn reduce IBS symptoms ⁽⁸⁾, so the moral of this story is if you suffer from IBS and you aren’t exercising regularly or if you are under alot of stress or you spend a significant amount of time indoors and you’re seated for long periods of time (like me), it may be a good idea to get up, get outside and move more!

Medication

The final option is medication, and this is typically only considered once all these strategies Ive talked about today have been trialled for several months with limited success are medications. The most common medication used to manage IBS symptoms are laxatives, and these can either help to stimulate the gut or help draw water into the GI and soften the stool. For IBS-D antispasmodics may be prescribed and these can help relieve cramps and relax the smooth muscles of the gut. Another medication is the use of a low dose antidepressant. Like I spoke about before, the gut has lots of nerve endings and are in constant communication with our brain, so if you suffer from anxiety or are under alot of stress, this can affect the messages your brain sends to your gut. Antidepressants have been shown to help reduce that messaging and can provide some relief of symptoms. Additionally, hypnotherapy has also been used in clinical trials for helping reduce symptoms of IBS. Now I do want to reiterate that medications should only be considered if you have tried all of the previous first line and second line approaches, for several months with minimal improvement.

Summary

As you’ve come to learn, there is no cure or treatment and there is no one magic solution that helps everyone manage the symptoms of IBS. How we address this is very much an individualised approach, and as we’ve discussed today, there are several strategies you can use that have been shown to help improve your symptoms for different IBS subtypes.

As someone who personally suffers from IBS, for me, learning my subtype and understanding what areas needed to change, have made a huge impact on my overall quality of life. I now know what causes my symptoms, so IBS is at large, under my control. This doesn’t mean I’m completely pain free or that there aren’t times where I’ve eaten too quickly, or have ordered a meal at a restaurant that contains one of my known fodmaps, but for the most part, I know what makes my symptoms worse, and now it’s a choice to avoid them.

I hope this was helpful for you, and if you know someone who would benefit from this information, please share it with them or check out my Youtube Video on this topic!  No one has to live in pain and by simply investing some time into monitoring your symptoms, learning your subtype, and committing to a few small changes, can drastically improve your quality of life.

References

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202343/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202343/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8824651/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257631/#B12-nutrients-02-01266
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3966170/
6. https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-2008-1038600
7. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0205806
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096424/

Holly Baxter

Holly T. Baxter is an Australian Dietitian with over 13 years of experience in health and fitness. She holds a degree in Food Science and Nutrition and a Master of Dietetics from Deakin University. A former professional physique athlete, Holly has two World Championship titles. Her latest project, BiaBody, is dedicated to women’s health and fitness. As an APD Dietitian and Online Physique Coach, she focuses on evidence-based health education and empowering women through fitness.

The post Struggling with IBS? appeared first on BiaBody.

Written By Holly Baxter (APD Dietitian), BS, MS
March 30, 2021

Taking ‘cheat meals’ or ‘cheat days’ is a widely used dieting practice amongst people in and out of the fitness industry. For many folks, cheat days essentially provide all the justification needed to eat more than you probably should during a diet phase.

The old school of thought behind cheat days is that consuming meals loaded with calories or taking entire days at significantly higher than normal calorie intake will lead to improved 1.) total weight loss 2.) increase your satiety and appetite regulating hormones, which in turn reduces hunger and can help improve future dietary adherence and 3.) they are a magic tool used to boost your metabolism during a fat loss diet.

The problem is, many of these claims don’t actually have any scientific evidence to support them, particularly when it comes to long term weight loss outcomes.

I understand there is a strong desire to believe that refeeds or cheat meals are effective tools for all the above reasons, and of course why wouldn’t you want to believe it, a cheat day gives people the opportunity to eat more desirable food with the belief that it’s having a positive effect on weight loss.

For this reason, I think it is important to point out where some of these ideas have been taken out of context, and why in some situations taking an untracked cheat day may actually be having a greater negative impact than a positive one, specifically in the setting of a diet.

Let’s take a look at the research on hormones

There were a large number of publications that came to life back in the early 1990’s, which alluded to that fact that when we take these periods of eating more calories, specifically carbohydrates, this increases our satiety hormone leptin, which proposedly helps mitigate the feelings of hunger we experience while dieting, and this might have beneficial effects for long term dietary adherence.

However what we actually see, and this is where the research has been taken out of context, is that leptin actually returns to its pre cheat meal levels, in a relatively short period of time. In some cases this return to baseline occurs within ~24 hrs or less. So if these levels are not sustained for the days to follow, what was the benefit of that cheat meal or refeed? At best, you’ve taken a day’s break from the diet and added an extra day to the time it takes you to achieve your desired weight loss goal. This however, is only true in the case where energy balance was resorted.

What’s more likely to happen in the practice of taking cheat days however, is that despite the few hours where leptin levels are restored, while you may indeed feel less hungry now that you’ve stuffed your face full with a giant sized cheeseburger, the extra calories you’ve just consumed from the cheat meal may have completely undone all the work you did throughout the earlier days of the week and now, this person is in the exact same place they were a week ago.

My husband (Dr Layne Norton) has a really great graphic that illustrates this in his book ‘Fat Loss Forever’.  It clearly depicts this type of dieting behaviour and why some folks just can’t seem to make any progress when it comes to fat loss.

We also know that just because you have less leptin in your bloodstream, it doesn’t necessarily make you hungrier, or at least not in an acute or short term situation. In fact I have a study here that looked at the serum leptin levels and appetite in people who either consumed breakfast or skipped breakfast, and what they found was that despite the breakfast skippers having lower leptin levels, their appetite scores were not significantly different to those who did eat breakfast ⁽¹⁾.

So here is why the argument for acute rises in leptin just doesn’t make sense from a mechanistic point of view.

Leptin is produced by your fat cells, and as such, it makes sense why our circulating leptin levels correspond with our ‘cumulative energy balance’, and not the acute provision of energy from a delicious greasy hamburger. In order to increase your leptin levels back to your pre-weight loss values, you would probably need to restore the entire diet period’s energy deficit and essentially gain back all the fat you lost. No thanks!

Hopefully this explains why refeeds and the acute rise in leptin from eating a handful of carbohydrate rich foods, shouldn’t be the main focus during your weight loss diet. The rules for fat loss are fairly plain and simple, if you aren’t in an energy deficit, you aren’t losing fat.

What about cheat days and their effect on resting metabolic rate?

Is there a possibility outside of the hormone argument that supports the use of refeeds for significant increases in resting metabolic rate and greater rates of fat loss?

Several studies have looked at the effects of short term overfeeding and changes in resting metabolic rate, dating back as far as 1985. Almost all, with a few minor exceptions have reported similar findings.

One study found that 3 days of eating at 40% above maintenance resulted in a total daily energy increase of 7% which was found to be insignificant ⁽²⁾.

Other studies have found eating at 50% above maintenance resulted in a 54kcal per day increase in resting metabolic rate (RMR) ⁽³⁾.

All this being said, how significant is 54 kcals from a practical sense? What does that mean for fat loss? This likely depends on the individual’s endogenous BMR (maintenance calories). Even for a small individual who’s maintenance calories are ~ 1200 per day for example, 54 kcals is only 4.5% of their total daily energy requirements, so to what effect this actually has on someone’s long term weight loss, I personally just don’t think it amounts to much!

I also want to draw this back to what I discussed above. In a practical setting, what we typically end up seeing is people going overboard on foods that are extremely calorically dense during a cheat meal, and any small increase in RMR is totally outweighed by the large energy surplus from that meal.

Side Rant: I’ve always found it interesting when someone tells me they’ve been ‘told by their coach’ to avoid certain foods during the week, but on weekends it’s totally ok to have an untracked cheat meal, like there’s something magical about ‘the weekend’ that makes it perfectly fine to choke down whatever you want because those calories apparently don’t count! This blows my mind.

We do have a number of nutrition researchers who are currently investigating the association between body composition and refeeds, and for slightly longer periods of time than what’s been examined in older studies. You can learn more about these by checking out these topics on my YouTube channel.

To summarize the implication of refeeds and their effect on RMR, short term overfeeding doesn’t seem to have a significant impact on resting energy expenditure (<100 kcals per day).

Potential benefits of cheat days for performance and psychology.

The last point I want to cover are the potential benefits of cheat days for performance, as well as the psychological advantages.

We often hear people say refeeds can help you train harder because of the extra stored muscle glycogen. In fact there has been quite a bit of discussion over the years about carbohydrate availability and whether it is a ‘rate limiting factor’ for strength trained athletes. There are a handful of tightly controlled studies looking at bodybuilders and how carbohydrate availability affects performance, and while early studies seemed to suggest that carbohydrates made little to no difference when it comes to overall performance, recent studies may indicate otherwise.

This first study had bodybuilders perform 15 sets of compound quad exercises and 5 sets of isolation work, and this resulted in about a ~ 28% decrease in stored glycogen which is modest but not crazy. There have been other studies that also produced similar findings in strength trained athletes ⁽⁴⁾.

More recently, a study by Hokken, et al. 2020, which analyzed muscle glycogen storage depletion in specific type 2 muscle fiber types, which by the way are the predominant muscle fiber types used for muscle contraction during resistance training, found a 54% reduction in intra myofibrillar muscle glycogen stores ⁽⁵⁾, which is significantly more than what has previously been found.

My speculation and the practical implications of these findings are that it is possible that for some folks, particularly those who are undergoing a diet phase, or when we are in a state of negative energy balance, our body is now using a far greater %, or potentially all of their available glucose, therefore it’s possible that performance may start to decline and thus limit the total amount of work we are able to perform. Less accumulated volume may lead to greater losses in lean body mass throughout the course of the diet, which is not optimal for physique competitors. So is there any performance benefit to cheat meals/days? Well, I don’t have a hard set answer, however future research will hopefully lead us to more clear cut answers.

Potential Psychological Advantages

Lastly, what are the potential psychological advantages of cheat days or meals? A number of athletes have reported that taking these refeed days at either maintenance or even slightly above maintenance have helped them with their overall dietary adherence ⁽⁶⁾. It’s been reported that taking a single day or even multiple days on higher calories, gives them the psychological break they needed from caloric restriction, it gives them something to look forward to and fills up their cup for the start of a new week.

Based on these subjective findings, it does seem that for some individuals, refeeds would be a worthy addition to a diet. On the contrary, if these strategies cause the individual to be less adherent to their overall nutritional strategy, then refeeds may be inappropriate for that particular athlete.

For me personally, 7 day diet breaks were not a good strategy due to poor dietary compliance. I’d be inclined now having experienced a full 7 day diet break to try shorter, more aggressive refeeding periods, so I don’t feel like I’m getting too far away from my normal routine.

Summary

• So to summarize everything from today’s video, taking a cheat day can result in acute changes to the appetite regulating hormone leptin, however there doesn’t seem to be any long term benefit for fat loss.
• Short term changes to RMR have been observed with the addition of a cheat day or refeed, however these are relatively small <100kcals per day and are likely to be outweighed by the calories consumed by the cheat meal, especially in the case of untracked cheat meals or full days of untracked eating.
• Longer periods at maintenance calorie intakes termed ‘diet breaks’ which are typically 3-4 days duration do seem to have a robust effect on protecting lean body mass as well as helping to attenuate decreases in resting metabolic rate, however the optimal diet break length is still unknown.
• The benefits of refeeds on performance in resistance trained athletes may be beneficial, especially during a diet phase, however more studies are needed to assess the extent of benefit.
• What we do know, is that there are a few principles that must be adhered to in order for refeed to succeed. An overall energy deficit must be maintained if continuous fat loss is to occur. These techniques are only appropriate if a person is able to maintain adherence to their nutrition strategy.

References

1. Leptin Level and Skipping Breakfast: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4808845/
2. Effects of short-term carbohydrate or fat overfeeding on energy expenditure and plasma leptin concentrations in healthy female subjects | International Journal of Obesity https://www.nature.com/articles/0801395
3. Metabolic adaptation to caloric restriction and subsequent refeeding: the Minnesota Starvation Experiment revisited | The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition | Oxford Academic https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/102/4/807/4564599
4. Glycogen and triglyceride utilization in relation to muscle metabolic characteristics in men performing heavy-resistance exercise.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2289498/
5. Glycogen supercompensation is due to increased number, not size, of glycogen particles in human skeletal muscle https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1113/EP089317
6. Intermittent Dieting: Theoretical Considerations for the Athlete https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/7/1/22

Holly Baxter

Holly T. Baxter is an Australian Dietitian with over 13 years of experience in health and fitness. She holds a degree in Food Science and Nutrition and a Master of Dietetics from Deakin University. A former professional physique athlete, Holly has two World Championship titles. Her latest project, BiaBody, is dedicated to women’s health and fitness. As an APD Dietitian and Online Physique Coach, she focuses on evidence-based health education and empowering women through fitness.

The post Cheat Meals / Cheat Days appeared first on BiaBody.

In this video I briefly describe some common food and beverages that are known to cause GI pain, bloating and discomfort. However the last talking point where I discuss FODMAPs requires a little more explanation.

I do want to point out that not everybody is sensitive to all FODMAPS, so if you are unsure which of these are problematic for you, then I highly recommend getting in touch with me to discuss some quick and easy tests we can carry out to determine which of these cause problems for you.

As you can see this is quite a long list, so the last thing you want to do is avoid everything which is likely very unnecessary.

What are FODMAPS ?

• Fermentable
• Oligosaccharides
• Disaccharide
• Monosaccharides
• And Polyols

They are short chain carbohydrates which for some people, can be poorly absorbed in the small intestines and are prone to absorbing water and ferment in the colon. This produces gas and may cause digestive discomfort in some people. The reasons are thought to be due to hypersensitivity to luminal distention, but they do not cause intestinal inflammation.

FODMAPs include short chain oligosaccharides polymers of fructose (fructans). Food sources of fructans include leeks, asparagus, garlic and onion (check out my Youtube video description for an exhaustive list).

Galactooligosaccharides, thankfully abbreviated to (GOS) as no one wants to pronounce that!  Due to the configuration of their glycosidic bonds, GOS (stachyose and raffinose) are largely resistant to enzymatic breakdown in the stomach and intestine and are classified as a prebiotics. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the host by stimulating the growth and/or activity of beneficial bacteria in the colon.

Other FODMAPs include Disaccharides (lactose). Lactose is made up of a galactose and glucose molecule and makes up around 2–8% of milk by weight. This is also known as a lactose intolerance.

Monosaccharides (fructose). Food sources of fructose include fruits, vegetables and honey. Other high sources of fructose include HFCS, agave nectar, molasses, maple syrup, many fruits and fruit juices.

The last group is sugar alcohols (collectively called polyols). This group includes sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol and maltitol. Sugar alcohols are added to foods because of their lower caloric content than sugars, however they are also less sweet, and are often combined with high-intensity sweeteners. They are also added to chewing gum as they are not broken down by bacteria in the mouth or metabolized to acids, and thus do not contribute to tooth decay.

Listed below are some of the commonly consumed FODMAPs, listed by food group.

• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Baked beans
• Beetroot, fresh
• Black eyed peas
• Broad beans
• Butter beans
• Cassava
• Cauliflower
• Celery – greater than 5cm of stalk
• Choko
• Garlic / garlic powder / garlic salt
• Haricot beans
• Kidney beans
• Lima beans
• Leek bulb
• Mange Tout
• Mixed vegetables
• Mung beans
• Mushrooms
• Onion / onion powder / small pickled onions
• Peas, sugar snap
• Pickled vegetables
• Red kidney beans
• Savoy Cabbage – over 1/2 cup
• Soy beans / soya beans
• Split peas
• Scallions / spring onions (bulb / white part)
• Shallots
• Taro

• FOS – fructo oligosaccharides
• Inulin
• Oligofructose

• Carob powder / carob flour

• Deli Ham
• Chorizo
• Sausages
• Deli Turkeys

• Apples including pink lady and granny smith
• Apricots
• Avocado
• Bananas, ripe
• Blackberries
• Blackcurrants
• Boysenberry
• Cherries
• Currants
• Custard apple
• Dates
• Feijoa
• Figs
• Goji berries
• Grapefruit – over 80g
• Guava, unripe
• Lychee
• Mango
• Nectarines
• Paw paw, dried
• Peaches
• Pears
• Persimmon
• Pineapple, dried
• Plums
• Pomegranate
• Prunes
• Raisins
• Sea buckthorns
• Sultanas
• Tamarillo
• Tinned fruit in apple / pear juice
• Watermelon

• Beer – if drinking more than one bottle
• Coconut water
• Cordial, apple and raspberry with 50-100% real juice
• Cordial, orange with 25-50% real juice
• Fruit and herbal teas with apple added
• Fruit juices in large quantities
• Fruit juices made of apple, pear,
• Kombucha
• Malted chocolate flavored drink
• Meal replacement drinks containing milk based products e.g. Ensure, Slim Fast
• Orange juice in quantities over 100ml
• Quinoa milk
• Rum
• Sodas containing High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
• Soy milk made with soy beans – commonly found in USA
• Sports drinks
• Tea:
  • Black tea with added soy milk
  • Chai tea, strong
  • Dandelion tea, strong
  • Fennel tea
  • Chamomile tea
  • Herbal tea, strong
  • Oolong tea
• Wine – if drinking more than one glass
• Whey protein, concentrate unless lactose free
• Whey protein, hydrolyzed unless lactose free

• Wheat containing products such as (be sure to check labels):
• Biscuits / cookies including chocolate chip cookies
• Bread, wheat – over 1 slice
• Breadcrumbs
• Cakes
• bar, wheat based
• Croissants
• Crumpets
• Egg noodles
• Muffins
• Pastries
• Pasta, wheat over 1/2 cup cooked
• Udon noodles
• Wheat bran
• Wheat cereals
• Wheat flour
• Wheat germ
• Wheat noodles
• Wheat rolls
• Almond meal
• Amaranth flour
• Barley including flour
• Bran cereals
• Breads
• Granary bread
• Multigrain bread
• Naan
• Oatmeal bread
• Pumpernickel bread
• Roti
• Sourdough with kamut
• Cashews
• Chestnut flour
• Cous cous
• Einkorn flour
• Freekeh
• Gnocchi
• Granola bar
• Muesli cereal
• Muesli bar
• Pistachios
• Rye
• Rye crispbread
• Semolina
• Spelt flour

• Agave
• Caviar dip
• Fructose
• Fruit bar
• Gravy, if it contains onion
• High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
• Hummus / houmous
• Honey
• Jam, mixed berries
• Jam, strawberry, if contains HFCS
• Molasses
• Pesto sauce
• Quince paste
• Relish / vegetable pickle
• Stock cubes
• Sugar free sweets containing polyols – usually ending in -ol or isomalt
• Sweeteners and corresponding E number:
  • Inulin
  • Isomalt (E953 / 953)
  • Lactitol (E966 / 966)
  • Maltitol (E965 / 965)
  • Mannitol (E241 / 421)
  • Sorbitol (E420 / 420)
  • Xylitol (E967 / 967)
• Tahini paste
• Tzatziki dip

• Buttermilk
• Cheese, cream
• Cheese, Halmoumi
• Cheese, ricotta
• Cream
• Custard
• Gelato
• Ice cream
• Kefir
• Milk:
  • Cow milk
  • Goat milk
  • Evaporated milk
  • Sheep’s milk
• Sour cream
• Yoghurt
• Option 19

Holly Baxter

Holly T. Baxter is an Australian Dietitian with over 13 years of experience in health and fitness. She holds a degree in Food Science and Nutrition and a Master of Dietetics from Deakin University. A former professional physique athlete, Holly has two World Championship titles. Her latest project, BiaBody, is dedicated to women’s health and fitness. As an APD Dietitian and Online Physique Coach, she focuses on evidence-based health education and empowering women through fitness.

The post Foods to Avoid Bloating appeared first on BiaBody.

1. Be active with family and friends

It can be easy to fall into ‘holiday mode’, and before you know it, you’ve been cooped up indoors sitting on the couch watching the tv screen. If this is not your normal behaviour, all this inactivity can result in weight gain, so instead of staying sedentary and stuck indoors, still plan to have some quality time with your family over the holidays but to so by getting outdoors. Plan a picnic and a short hike, take a walk around the neighborhood to get the focus away from food, participate in local community holiday events, attend the local markets or take a shopping day. There are lots of things you can do that will keep you active without sacrificing time with your family. If going to the gym is a normal part of your daily routine, you may have to make some sacrifices, but just because its the holidays, doesn’t necessarily mean you have to give up altogether. If you are travelling over the holiday, why not find the closest local gym and plan to get your workouts done while your family are busy with other things? I like to get up nice and early before anyone is awake to train. That way my workout is done for the day, and now I can relax and enjoy the day with my loved ones.

2. Snack wisely

During the holiday season, calorie dense snacks like cookies and other treats tend to be available for you to take as you please. When treats are easy to access, you’re more likely to snack unnecessarily. This problem can be solved by keeping treats out of sight. However, this strategy is more difficult if you are staying with family, or in situations where they are available in the workplace.

In this case, try to be mindful of your snacking habits. If you find yourself munching just because there’s food around, and not because you’re hungry, tell yourself no, remind yourself of your goals as well as the other main meal you are likely to enjoy more.

3. Practice mindful eating

People are often in a rush during the holiday season, which frequently leads to multitasking during meals. Studies show that those who eat while distracted are more likely to overeat. This is because they’re unable to pay attention to their body’s fullness signals. Chew your food slowly and thoroughly, as this will allow you to better recognize your body’s fullness signals and consume fewer calories

4. Get plenty of sleep

Studies show that those who have poor sleep are often hungrier, tend to eat more calories and exercise less. There is also research that links poor sleep to reduced metabolic rate due to its effect on our circadian rhythm. While it is tempting to stay up late and be active outside your normal bedtime routine, remember the importance of sleep, and how its lack thereof, can sabotage your weight loss efforts. Life is all about balance, so if you have a couple of late nights in a row during the holidays, try to make the following nights sleep your number 1 priority. You’ll be less likely to overeat the next day due to disrupted hunger signals, you’ll also feel better and have more energy too!

5. Control your stress levels

Stress during the holidays can be a disaster, as we know that high levels of stress can increase our cravings for high calorie foods, and we all know these are in no short supply during the holiday season. Another reason why we encourage you to stay active during the holidays is because exercise increases the release of hormones known to bring about positive emotions. So get active, and try to minimize your stress. Remember your friends and family will still love you regardless of how good or bad the turkey turns out! Try to relax and enjoy yourself and focus on the memories you create.

6. Keep meals balanced with protein

Holiday foods are typically packed with carbs and fats and these types of foods typically offer very little satiety. Try to include a protein containing food with each meal, I recommend 25g per serving. Note individuals with a larger lean body mass may need to consume more, i.e. up to 50g per serve to achieve their daily protein needs Protein is not only the most important macronutrient for building lean body mass, it will also help promote feelings of fullness and help curtail your calorie intakes. Some good sources of protein include lean red meat, grilled poultry and fish, egg whites, and fat free dairy foods such as milk, yogurt and cheese. Some protein containing plant foods include, tofu, tempeh, lentils beans and quinoa.

7. Focus on fiber

Fiber is another important nutrient that also induces feeling of fullness. Studies show that increased dietary fiber can help to reduce total calorie intakes, which may help prevent weight gain over the holidays. Fiber has a myriad of health other health benefits in addition to helping with weight maintenance, so make sure you try to include a fiber source with every meal. Foods high in fiber include vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, breads and cereals, specifically grains with the skins still in tact, as well as nuts and seeds.

My favorite fiber sources are stir-fry or roasted and salted vegetables such as peppers, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, bok choy and kale. My favorite salad ingredients include freshly chopped collard greens, kale, baby spinach and iceberg lettuce with cucumber, diced tomatoes, roasted red peppers, sweet corn kernels, banana peppers, jalapeno, olives, chickpeas, and fresh herbs such as basil, cilantro and mint. Team these with a nice low calorie salad dressing and a protein source and it’s amazing how good a salad can be.

8. Cut back on taste-testing

If you are anything like me, there is a lot of cooking taking place around holiday time. Knowing when to draw the line on your taste testing is crucial. Surprisingly, all this snacking, licks of the spoon and bites of holiday dishes can quickly add up when it comes to calories, and this may lead to unexpected weight gain. Avoid baking when you are hungry, as it’s much easier to go overboard on taste-testing when your stomach is growling. It may also be useful to tell yourself outloud ‘No, I will not lick the spoon’. Save the tasting for the finished product!

9. Limit your dessert intake

Dessert is everywhere during the holiday season. This often leads to excessive calorie consumption from highly palatable foods. If you have a set calorie budget for your holiday occasion, either bake your own lower calorie version, or focus on your favorite dessert, and do away with the rest. Another useful tip is to eat slowly and really savor the flavour. This can help you feel more satisfied and less likely to over eat.

10. Plan ahead

Planning ahead will go a long way when it comes to holiday eating and maintaining your weight. If you know there are going to be a plethora of foods available, you probably need to decide what foods you would like most, as it’s unlikely you will be able to fit them all without making some adjustments to your daily macro budgets.

Start by setting yourself a calorie target for the known event(s), and stick to it. If you know your weekly calorie budget, plan out which high days you would like to take, i.e. Thanksgiving, Christmas, or an important work function, set yourself a realistic target you think you can stick to so you don’t feel like you are completely missing out, and make up for these high days by taking 1 or 2 lower days earlier in the week. When it comes to maintaining your weight, it all comes down to energy balance, so if you plan ahead, you might just be able to finagle enough calories to fit that slice of your mother inlaws amazing pumpkin pie, as well a glass or two of alcohol.

11. Use a smaller plate

Research shows that when we eat from a larger plate, we tend to eat more calories.
Try using a smaller appetizer plate to help control your portion size. Perception is a powerful tool. Use this to your advantage over the holiday period.

12. Modify your recipes. Bring a healthy dish to share

High-calorie energy dense food are a primary cause of weight gain during the holidays. However, you can easily lower the calorie content of the foods you eat by switching over to a homemade recipe instead. Processed foods often contain double the amount of calories from fats and sugar than the homemade equivalent, and this because the food manufactures want them to not only taste good, but also to help extend the products shelf life. Take control over what you consume by bringing along your own healthy version of a dish to share. This way, you can guarantee you’ll have something to eat that aligns with your macro targets and weight goals over the holidays.

Here are some quick ideas:

Baking:
Substitute butter with the 75% reduced fat version.
Replace real sugar with zero calorie powdered sweetener (stevia, sucralose or splenda etc.)
Substitute heavy cream and full fat dairy with low-fat or skim varieties.

Cooking:
Flavor dishes with herbs and spices instead of butter and oil.
Try baking, steaming, or grilling instead of frying in copious amounts of oil.
Replace full fat dairy products (i.e.cream cheese, dressings, sour cream, and mayo) with their fat free or reduced calorie versions.

Beverages
Use club soda or sparkling water in place of regular soda.
Avoid drinking juice or adding juice to alcoholic beverages
Flavor drinks with freshly squeezed lemon or lime, or use a diet flavoring i.e.crystal light or diet cordial
Cinnamon can also add flavor to holiday-themed beverages.

13. Weigh yourself regularly

It can be useful to weigh yourself regularly throughout the holidays as it can remind you of your weight goals and allow you to take action before significant weight gain sets in. Studies suggest that people who weigh themselves regularly maintain or lose weight better than those who don’t weigh themselves.
I recommend weighing in at least 3 times per week. If taking your weight gives you anxiety or worry, have someone else make a note of the weight for you while still staying accountable.

14. Skip seconds

Holiday meals are sometimes served buffet-style, with several options to choose from in unlimited amounts. This leads people to serve themselves a second helping. The calories from multiple helpings can quickly add up and lead to significant weight gain, so set some limits and allow just one plate. If you track macros, you should have planned ahead and set yourself a target, so try to stick to the plan for a successful holiday period.

15. Know when to draw the line

During the holiday season, many people have an “I’ll start tomorrow” mentality, and this mindset can end up leading people down a terrible pathway of poor decision making surrounding their nutrition. This often carries over well after the holiday period and into the new year. Studies show that the period spanning from October through to January is where majority of weight gain takes place, and we continue to gain more weight with each and every year that passes.

If you’re serious about maintaining your weight over the holidays, it may be helpful to find a friend who has similar weight goals as you, who also wishes to maintain their body weight during the holiday period. Knowing you also have a friend along for the journey can me the holiday period far more manageable, and this way you can keep each other motivated and accountable for your actions over the holidays.

With this being said, know when to draw the line, set limits for yourself, and stick to your goals regarding your food intakes. It’s okay to say no to certain foods and habits that don’t align with your goals. And most of all, enjoy yourself!

Holly Baxter

Holly T. Baxter is an Australian Dietitian with over 13 years of experience in health and fitness. She holds a degree in Food Science and Nutrition and a Master of Dietetics from Deakin University. A former professional physique athlete, Holly has two World Championship titles. Her latest project, BiaBody, is dedicated to women’s health and fitness. As an APD Dietitian and Online Physique Coach, she focuses on evidence-based health education and empowering women through fitness.

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