Holiday Weight Gain

holiday-weight-gain-in-the-us

It’s the time of year when people start regretting all the ham, cakes, cookies, and other holiday treats they’ve been eating.  You may have heard that the average person gains about five pounds during the holidays.   I decided to do a little research to see if this is true.

One study followed almost two hundred adults for a year to see how holiday eating (Thanksgiving through New Year) affected their weight.  They were weighed preholiday, holiday, postholiday, and a year later.   The study showed that most adults did put on extra weight during November-January, but it only averaged about a pound (.37 kg to be precise–as shown above).  Obese individuals tended to gain more, and 14% of the subjects did indeed put on five pounds. Here’s something else the researchers discovered: most of the subjects in this study never lost the weight they gained during the holiday.  The damage done was never reversed.1,2

This research backs up what we already know from personal experience and/or observation: weight gain is accelerated in the holiday season.   Most people don’t gain five pounds, but whatever they do gain stays with them (presumably for life).  It’s one contributing factor to the problem of obesity in the US.

One solution is to use the momentum of New Year’s resolutions to undo the “damage” caused by holiday eating–make a plan to drop a few pounds (more if needed).  There are plenty of good programs available to help you get started.

References:

1. N Engl J Med. 2000 Mar 23;342(12):861-7. A prospective study of holiday weight gain.

2. Nutr Rev. 2000 Dec;58(12):378-9. Holiday weight gain: fact or fiction?

Niacin and Fat Loss

Niacin
Niacin

A while back I wrote a post describing how I lowered my cholesterol without having to use statins.  The most important step I took was to start using a wax matrix niacin supplement.  This single step was largely responsible for bringing my cholesterol to a healthy range.

But I’ve recently run across some information that has caused me to make some slight adjustments in the way I take niacin.  Let’s talk about niacin and fat loss.

Niacin causes a temporary “flush” (tingling, reddening of the skin, and a hot sensation) within a few minutes of ingestion.  For this reason, many unscrupulous supplement companies put niacin in “fat burners.”  The user will assume the flushing sensation is fat/calories burning away.  But the opposite is actually happening–I’ll need to explain this in more detail.

The (limited) research indicates a dose of niacin will temporarily prevent the production of ketones and free fatty acids.1  It may simultaneously encourage the oxidation of glucose (since that would be the only available energy source).  The body “rebounds” somewhere within 3-5 hours, producing a surge in growth hormone (and other hormones associated with fat mobilization), free fatty acids, and ketones.

With this in mind, it does not make sense to take niacin in a fasted state (or right before fasted training).  You are essentially preventing the body from producing/using its preferred fuel source (ketones) when blood glucose is low.  But it may be useful to take it a few hours before you train, taking advantage of this “rebound” effect (timing your training to coincide with it).  I’ve also run across  some anecdotal evidence of guys getting good results from taking niacin along with a high carbohydrate meal at the end of the day.

The information I’m sharing pertains to the use of regular (immediate release) niacin.  What about the wax matrix niacin I use to control my cholesterol?  I’m not aware of any research, so I’m assuming there is a similar effect (maybe less drastic) for a more prolonged period (wax matrix niacin is time-released over 6-8 hours).  In other words, I’m assuming fat mobilization will be suppressed at some level for several hours after taking this supplement (possibly followed by the “rebound” effect).

This is where I see intermittent fasting to be particularly useful.   I follow the Renegade Diet, so I just wait until I have a protein shake in the afternoon (which has milk/carbs) before taking my first dose of wax matrix niacin.  My second dose is taken with dinner.  This would also work well with the Eat-Stop-Eat system of a 24-hour fast–just skip niacin during your 24 hour fast, then resume it on non-fasting days.

Reference:

1. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1983 Aug;57(2):410-4. Growth hormone, cortisol, and glucagon concentrations during plasma free fatty acid depression: different effects of nicotinic acid and an adenosine derivative (BM 11.189).