Popular Drug... Unpopular Results?

There’s a popular weight loss drug running around (no pun intended) that you most likely have heard of. It’s known as GLP-1 or Semaglutide, and is most commonly found under the brand names Wegovy or Ozempic (note: only Wegovy has been authorized by the FDA for weight loss, while Ozempic is often used off label)

 It “promises” weight loss at a good clip, and it delivers, but at what cost? Some are touting it as a miracle drug, while others claim that it causes more harm than good in the long run. Let’s see what science says.

Weight loss in theory is SIMPLE. Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight. This popular drug is helping that simple approach by making you full quicker and longer and cutting your “cravings” by regulating blood sugar. Click here to learn more about how Semaglutide works.

It does a good job at what it’s touted at. Yes, you WILL lose weight. The caveat is “at what expense”? Now, please note I am NOT a doctor or prescriber of this medication and can not speak to short/long term side effects or symptoms. As a certified trainer and nutritionist my focus is on the increasing news surrounding muscle loss, in addition to fat loss, while taking these kinds of drugs.

As I’ve written about before, it’s not just about weight loss. It should be about fat loss. Fat is inflammatory tissue that can have negative side effects on the body and increase your risks of a variety of health concerns like Heart Disease, Stroke, High Blood Pressure, Arthritis, Diabetes and more.  Muscle mass, on the other hand, is anti-inflammatory tissue and increases our metabolic energy resulting in increased calorie burn while at rest, a stronger immune system, improved energy levels and better sleep.

New studies are coming out, finding that some people taking this drug are losing more muscle mass than what was expected. While this is concerning, I think it’s important to take a look at the lifestyle changes being made, not just the drug being taken. Because Semaglutide reduces your appetite dramatically, it’s easy for people to cut calories and lose weight without changing their diet (they’re just eating less than they were before) or adding in exercise into their routines. However, by not changing your bad habits, simply reducing your calorie intake overall will result in overall weight loss, both the good and bad kind.

So does this mean you shouldn’t look into a drug like this if you’re looking to lose fat? Not necessarily! Jtab is here to tell you there are a few key things to consider if you decide Semaglutide is right for you. (And quite frankly should be a part of your habits with or without the drug!)

Here they are in list view (I’m all about making it easy!)

1)      Focus on protein. No, seriously! Are you getting as close to your bodyweight in protein each and everyday? Because you’re reducing the overall food your consuming, the actual meals that you do eat while on the drug NEED to be protein centric/based. This means adding good quality protein powders or bars into your routines if you struggle to get enough from your regular meals. IF you are lacking in vitamin/nutrients from veggies you can always supplement with a good food based multivitamin.

2)      NEED to Strength Train! Building of strength and muscle during a weight loss period helps to KEEP as much muscle on your frame as possible. While we’ve all hear about cardio and weightloss, in reality serious strength training should be the first form of exercise while on any kind of weight loss drug or program. This keeps your body from disposing of muscle mass as it burns calories and keeps your muscle “important” to maintain.

Without these two important things, your weight loss WILL be lots of muscle, as it is metabolically demanding for your body to hold onto. This means that your body will want to “get rid of” it first, unless you are eating lots of protein and lifting weights. Not only will you FEEL the negative side effects of too much muscle loss, but you’ll see it in the mirror as well. Despite the scale going down you won’t see the true changes in your body that you’re looking for. Trust in the process, trust in the science!

Are you considering a weight loss program or drug? Reach out via email jtabtraining@gmail.com or via Instagram @Jtabtraining for help with nutrition guides, strength training programs and support!

What Kind of Exercise REALLY Changes the Body?

Sometimes you have to do things that are not in your wheelhouse to get the results you want. With summer right around the corner, results are something all of us are focused on. Well, maybe not all of us.  Don’t care about body composition results and looking good for the Summer?  Then stop reading now and carry on......                          

OK, if you’re still reading you want to change. The time has passed where you say you're going to do it and nothing happens. You REALLY WANT TO THIS TIME.  Well, you are at the right place.  Today I'm breaking down the best approach to get this done. Take note, this is not the list of what you “like” to do, but what actually works - there is probably a BIG difference.  This list would normally start off with the first 3 things being NUTRITION, NUTRITION, NUTRITION. You can't change your body without changing your nutrition. However, today we are going to bypass that, as we dove deeper into that last week. So take a few minutes and check out that blog. Go ahead, I'll wait....

OK, you're back! So, after a solid lower calorie/higher nutrient diet, the list looks like this:

1. Heavy resistance training.  High weight for lower reps (in the 1-5 range).  I can not express this ENOUGH.  When you cut calories to lose fat, your body will start losing muscle mass.  That is a critical error in most people’s approach to fat loss.  As we age, we are already losing muscle at an alarming rate, UNLESS you train to keep muscle.  My friend Tony Gentilcore says “what makes muscle, keeps muscle”.  He means that lifting to always try to “gain” muscle, especially while on a reduced calorie diet,  will help you keep the muscle you have and possibly even gain some new muscle.  That is a good thing for body composition (remember, this list is not what you “think” you should be doing, but what you SHOULD be doing for proper recomposition.)  Heavy resistance training also encourages bones to strengthen and possibly even add some bone mass over time.  
2. Hypertrophy training.  Lower weight for higher reps (in the 5-12 range).  OK, now that you got a heavy lift in to encourage bone health and muscle strength, now is the time to tap into that strength and use it for slightly higher reps and higher sets.  This will do two-fold. A) It will add some nice mass to the muscles that you just worked. This will, in turn, make you look leaner and thinner, yet have some muscle on your frame. B) Burn those calories by doing the reps in a circuit fashion.  Done correctly (Jtab training will show you how to) this leads to enough cardio conditioning while still building or keeping muscle that you will see fat loss changes even after only a few sessions.  
3. Sprint/ropes/sled/bike sprint work.  This could be timed work or rep work (do six 5-10 second sprints, etc).  1 or 2 days a week should be plenty, unless your nutrition is AWFUL (which it should be if you did the nutrition work we mentioned at the top of this blog first).  Rope work usually is timed for 10-40 seconds of work with a minute break and repeat.  Usually 5-30 minutes is all you need for this “all out” work. Or do what you can handle before you get sloppy and start working less intensely.  
4. General movement “work”.  Yes, just be more “active”.  Go walk around stores, light hikes, park further away from the entrance of stores/grocery stores, clean house, walk around the neighborhood.  Do light activities that you ENJOY!  As long as the other 3 (again the amount of time you should devote to each is dependent on diet and nutrition) are done intensely, you can just do what you enjoy doing. 

There you go, and easy recipe to follow that may hard to execute week in, week out.  Maybe people find that having accountability helps them keep to this schedule so they don't fall off the wagon and start seeing results before the warm weather hits. If this sounds like, reach out to Jtab Training today to set up your first appointment and see how we can help you change your body correctly!

Move of the Week: Squat to Push Press

At Jtab Training we're all about moves that work multiple areas of the body at once. This all-in-one powerhouse will help get your heart pumping, blood flowing and fat burning. In addition to building all over muscle, by working some of the largest muscles in your body, it becomes a great cardio workout as well. So grab some light, to medium, dumbbells and get going!

Captain Obvious Nutrition: 5 Tips You Already Know But Aren't Doing

Nutrition is one of the most talked about subjects between people.  It seems like everywhere you turn people are doing a crazy diet or giving their own nutrition advice to make sure everyone around them knows (Hey, did you know I’m doing paleo right now?).  With all of the fad diets going around out there, I thought it would be best to bring it back to the basics. Sometimes, striping everything down to the tried and true nutrition facts we’ve always know is the best way to start:

1. Get enough protein from quality sources.  If you are lifting and/or trying to change your body composition it is important to eat enough protein.  It fills you up better than carbs, helps with recovery from workouts and helps with changing body composition.  
2. Eat/drink your VEGGIES!  I don’t want to say an amount of servings specifically (as that can verify by person) but you should be including them in as much as possible.  Don’t like veggies?  Then drink them, but get them in.  There are plenty of great tasting veggie powders nowadays.  No excuses.  The list of how greens/veggies help your health is immense.  
3. When trying to change your body composition (i.e. gain muscle, lower fat), it has been proven that a lower carbohydrate intake is best overall.  Try to cut out the breads and pastas, and when you do eat carbs, keep them in the form of veggies.  
4. Fats have the highest calorie per gram content out of the 3 main macronutrients.  Fats have 9 calories while protein AND carbs each have 4 calories per gram.  Do I even have to mention you should limit your fats to try to change body composition and reduce body fat?
5. Tip #5 should be #1 but it’s not as “sexy”.  DRINK LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER!  DRINK MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU SHOULD!  That is probably the best thing you can do to start eating healthier.  The more water you drink, the less hungry you will be, and the less you will snack on empty calories.  Water is also vital for many functions.    

Additional Tip:  Obviously very important to know what foods are high in carbs, which ones are high in protein and which ones are high in fats.  Some for example an egg are high in 2 of the 3.  Eggs are lots of protein but also high in fats (although in this case, it’s a good kind of fat).  Cheese is another example.  Cheese is high in protein yet very high in fat.  Grass fed beef is very high in protein but also very high in fat making it a good protein source but also very high calorie food.  Lean chicken is high in protein and fairly low in fat making it a good choice for a high protein food with lower calories.