Doctor Pierce's Notebook

Evidence for Why the Scale (and BMI) is Deceptive

Same woman, same scale weight. Jason at Everyday Paleo uses one of his clients to demonstrate that the scale is a virtually meaningless data point. Also note that her BMI would also be the same, and it is the standard used in most studies of obesity and nutrition, as well as by physicians and insurance companies.

You would also do well to note that the muscle layer replacing her fat layer is not only firmer, leaner, and more attractive, it improves insulin sensitivity rather than decreasing it, it maintains a higher metabolic rate for her even at rest, and it doesn't secrete hormones that may increase her likelihood of developing female cancers.  

Jason writes: 

"Faced with the facts above, basing your goals – or even worse, your happiness – on the number on your scale is absolutely ridiculous."

 

Dr. Pierce Fitness Challenge

Last week, I wrote about a Canadian study looks at whether you can get in shape by doing some activity 3 times a week at maximal capacity for 20-30 seconds, resting for 4 minutes, and repeating this sequence a total of 4 - 6 times.  They're saying it's equivalent to 90 - 120 minutes of aerobic-heart-rate-range exercycling.   The idea is that your mitochondria (your cells' furnaces) don't care how you increase their oxygen-use efficiency.  

This concept is similar to one that Dr. Richard Bernstein, my Diabetes guru, told me about when I spent a week observing his practice in Mamaroneck NY about 9 years ago.  He said to use the "Program your own workout" function on a LifeCycle to start at the highest workout level at which you could do 20 seconds (20 seconds is how long one column of lights last), and drop down one level every 20 seconds.  You would essentially be climbing the highest hill for as long as you could.

I'll be a guinea pig - 30 seconds of high-resistance exercycling, 4 minutes of Sudoku or Ken-Ken, and repeat a total of 4 -6 times.  I'll use two stopwatches, one set for 30 secs, one for 4 minutes.  I'll let you know how I'm progressing.  You could do it at the office at lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with the Instride Cycle XL from JC Penney online (an under-the-desk exercycle without wheels that costs $49.99) - you could even catch up on paperwork during the 4 minute cooldowns.

Efficient Exercise

You'll see a book over on the righthand side that I have sworn by for the effective treatment of both Type I and Type II Diabetes for years.  

One of the principles of effective exercise Dr. Bernstein propounds is that you work at maximal efficiency and exhaust the muscle.  This is important for maximal fitness but also for draining the muscle of glycogen stores which is essential for managing diabetes.  

This article also argues the same thing about exercise efficiency.  Don't spend more time exercising than you absolutely have to!