Yet another great post on Melissa Byers site, this one written by chemist Mathieu Lalonde on fat loss, muscle sparing and the like. Pay special attention to this:
So what’s going on with CrossFitters who write to me, saying they
CrossFit 3/1 and are only eating 1,400 calories a day… and STILL don’t
seem to be losing fat?
There could be a lot going on here.
First and foremost, what are these CrossFitters eating? If it’s high
carb, low fat, then I’m not surprised. If they are eating Paleo (meat,
vegetables, low fruit, with plenty of healthy fats), then the problem
might be elevated cortisol levels due to too much stress. Stressors include one, or a combination of, too few calories (i.e. starvation), too much exercise, not enough sleep, as well as a variety of other work or life related factors.
And you thought I was making this stuff up! Paleo and/or Zone is just one piece of the Fat Loss equation. Recovery is every bit as, if not more important for some, than diet in fat loss and body composition. Eat right, yes, but limit or mitigate your stress and get some sleep. 9 hours is great, 8 should be your minimum. Now go on, get to bed...
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