fun with sled pulls

Most people find great success with the Whole 30 and find their solution to the above issue. However, once in a while, we have people that have had great success with paleo, losing upwards of 30+ pounds of fat, who seem to plateau after a while. Even repeating a Whole 30 doesn’t seem to do the trick. (I think it’s important to mention now that I’m talking about body composition change that will enhance your athletic performance)

What’s the hold up? We now know that your propensity towards weight gain is caused in part by diet and lifestyle, but also in part by genetics and epigenetics. Does that mean some people were dealt a bad hand by the way their mothers ate?   Possibly, but predisposition does not equal inevitable fate.

Chris Kresser talks about the ‘bodyfat setpoint’ in one of his podcasts, comparing your body’s fat regulation to a thermostat. You lose fat and your brain tells you you’re hungry; gain fat and you lose your appetite. Unfortunately, sometimes in people who have been overweight for some time, their setpoints are thrown off and it seems like an uphill battle to lose the fat and keep it off. In this series, I’ll first introduce the potential obstacles in the way.

First it’s important to address a few factors in fat gain and retention. Insulin and leptin are hormones that play a huge part in regulating this setpoint. Insulin is responsible for telling your body to hold on to fat.  Leptin is responsible for telling your body that it is not hungry.  Both hormones need to be secreted in the right amounts to regulate your body fat.

Most of you know eating sugary foods will increase insulin in your body, which eventually leads to insulin resistance and more insulin production.  Well, inflammation leads to leptin resistance, which means you don’t feel full even when your body has had enough to eat.  From past posts and the Whole 30, we know that gluten, sugar, legumes, and dairy are amongst the common causes of inflammation in our bodies.  Just another reason to stay away from them if your goal is fat loss.

All these factors can sabotage you reaching your body composition goal. However, it’s not a hopeless battle. You just have to look at a few aspects in your lifestyle, which I’ll cover in part 2.

WOD 04.10.12

Push Press 3-3-3

2 Rounds:
1 Minute Work/1 Minute Rest
Pull Ups
Slam Balls
Row (calories)

Tire Flips