(no subject)

[vicarz]

Yoinked from gymrats: Diet soda makes you fat!?
The article is a good quick read - not conclusive, but gives an interesting idea: fooling your body only works in the short term; if your body learns to associate sweet taste with no sugar, you fail to have a normal increased metabolism response to real sugar. So when you drink the diet soda, no problem, but then you actually gain more weight when you drink OJ, cranberry (*cough* white-grape), or mocha (*cough* sugar).
Here baby, have some sugar
Sugar? I want sugar, but how do I know this is sugar? Last time you said sugar I didn't get no nuffin. You was up there all tastin and I was down here going "What?" I got all the place all warm and everything ready for the sugar, kept pumping out the sugar for everyone else and then...nuthin.
It's sugar baby, just taste that!
Puh-leez, that's the same bullshit you told me last time. I'm not getting nuthin warm, not sending out no energy, not a thing. I only have so much luvin to give, and just telling me sweet things isn't going to get you any more love - I dun learned my lesson.

I. Love. It. True or not, it's a good excuse for me to ditch diet soda and switch to real stuff. This would explain why I'm able to lose weight while eating chocolate (aka the truffle diet). My body knows it is getting sugar, it is getting sugar, and it reacts accordingly. Lies suck, even to yourself.

This means the same old bad news of course - if you want to eat sweets, you have to watch how much OR overcompensate with exercise (if the theory turns out to be true).

Comments

[joanarkham.livejournal.com]

You can pry the Vault Zero from my cold, dead hands.

Question: I've been doing little bicep curls and overhead lifts with 5lb. hand weights while on the treadmill. Today my elbow hurts like crazy and my shoulder too. Think I'm doing something horribly wrong, or is that a sign I should keep going? Muscle aches don't scare me, but joint aches do.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

What is vault zero? I'm used to drinking coke zero and pepsi one, but I've mostly ditched soda anyway. I love linking sugar and honesty...a whole new level of 2/14 VD jokes.

I can't imagine little 5lb weights while on a treadmill doing any good. Focusing on something other than a natural motion is likely to lead to abuse of your joints and tendons, and the pain you're describing isn't sounding like it's in an area with muscles. If you want to expend more energy when on a treadmill, incrase the incline, speed, or even time you're on it (I recommend incline / resistance, 2nd place speed). If you want to increase your strength, then you need to lift bigger weights - never something you can lift 10 times - you should fail before then or be increasing the weight.

You can keep your diet drink, but it might mean that the next sugar you eat will stick to you like glue. Is it worth the sacrifice? Is there a sugar version of vault that won't lie to your system?

[ex-dasboot.livejournal.com]

Redbull + soda = vault. Not flavor wise, but concept wise. It's like that All Sport stuff a while back, which was basically carbonated gatorade. It's not as bad as Budweiser's short lived attempt at combining redbull style energy drinks with beer, but it's pretty damn close.

Lifting weights, even 5 pounders, while running on a treadmill screams bad idea.

[joanarkham.livejournal.com]

Aw, I think it's kind of yummy. But then, I really liked the TAB energy drink so my taste is more than suspect.

I'm not running on the treadmill, just walking/jogging. I'm not a gym rat, just a big squishy person trying to get slightly less squishy.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

I think you might qualify - you've spent a lot of time in the gym, used to see you there all the time. You put in a lot of effort and show great discpline, but some of your effort isn't focussed in a way I'd recommend. I'm lazy, really, and highly recommend getting the most bang for your buck. You dedicate so much time already - just changing your program would give you more benefits for the same level of effort, IMHO

[joanarkham.livejournal.com]

I pretty much only have 30 minutes a day, right when I get up. My original plan was to supplement that with the personal trainer exercises in the evening, but I've been slacking off since I'm so exhausted by the time I get home.

Think I should do treadmill every other day and alternate with the personal trainer stuff?

[vicar.livejournal.com]

It depends what your goals are. You could go faster or up a harder incline and you could work out less time - using more effort during that time. You could also do the treadmill at night - but if you always do the same thing on it then your body will adapt to be as efficient as possible when doing that activity. In other words, you'll burn less calories the more times you do the same exercise.

This is why I'm running faster, doing more inclines, doing different types of exercise, and always increasing the weights I lift. The body adapts quickly so you have to keep "tricking" it.

[joanarkham.livejournal.com]

I've been alternating a "hill" program with an "intervals" program and just walking while using the weights. Which seems to not actually be such a good thing.

FWIW, the personal trainer had me working with 5 or 8 pound weights, doing curls and lifts and things. I was just doing them while walking. Perhaps my urge to multitask is counterproductive.

[joanarkham.livejournal.com]

I'm just trying to sneak some upper-body stuff into my "workout" since I have pretty much zero time and/or energy anymore.

I thought small weight/more reps was the recommended thing for toning vs. bulking up.

scientific consensus on human use of artificial sweeteners is inconclusive

I've been drinking diet soda forever, while skinny and fat and gaining and losing. I drink like one a day.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

There is no such thing as toning, to be honest. You either gain weight, or lose weight, gain strength (hence muscle), or lose muscle. There is no such thing as toning. Anyway, 5lbs is not going to make you any stronger and it might just be enough to cause you to injure a joint.

Small weights are only recommended by people who get paid to make recommendations.

Perhaps drinking the diet soda changed your makeup and ability to eat sugars? So you may have done it forever, but you've complained for years of substandard results in your program for the effort you put in it.

Check out the community gymrats (in my profile) and read the community info - it's got great information there about exercise, "toning," fat loss, and strength training. The short version is strength gain / lifting weights (big weights) is very important to losing unnecessary fat. Plus, the stronger you are the more groceries you can carry! Uh...

to joanarkham:

[sparklypoof.livejournal.com]

I second the gymrats community recommendation. and for the love of sugar, dont make a post there if you start off saying things like "I thought small weight/more reps was the recommended thing for toning vs. bulking up." - that is 100% false. and you'll get reamed for mentioning it. (they are snarky over there, but ridiculously helpful w/a wealth of fitness knowledge)

but seriously, check out the community info, read stumptuous (linked in the info) - and learn that lifting heavy things is really, really good for you. and vicar is right: just up the incline on your treadmill, and dont use weights on the treadmill. mebbe do 10mins at a really high incline doing a brisk walk, then get off and lift some heavy stuff a few times, and call it a day. you'll be amazed what a difference it'll make. but prepare yourself w/some knowledge first. :)

sorry, dont mean to come off preachy or anything - just, being in that gymrats community - you see ppl come in ALL THE TIME w/this notion that tiny weights + lots of reps = worthwhile. and that philosophy couldnt be further from the truth... it's just become a knee-jerk reaction at this point to help point misled aspiring fitness folks in the right direction. :)

[peregrin8.livejournal.com]

Damn, be careful - tendons! Remember mr.darkness.

[peregrin8.livejournal.com]

I love this. I have heard (and believe) that about diet soda before, but never put half so entertainingly!

Give me the real sugar, baby. I can think of ways to work it off...

[vicar.livejournal.com]

That pic really makes me want to do just that...I mean really...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_blackjack_/]

Except you can't GET soda with real sugar, except in bodegas and around Passover. It's all made with corn syrup (which may well screw with your body's response to sugar too).

I honestly prefer the taste of aspartame to corn syrup.

[peregrin8.livejournal.com]

I think my ginger beer (http://www.reedsgingerbrew.com/brews.php) is made with honey. Mmm, honey.

(I am dying to find tonic water that's not made with HFCS but it does not seem to exist around these parts.)

[fractalwoman.livejournal.com]

Gimme some sugar baby......(I couldn't help it)