Better Than Steroids

Dr. Warren Willey, DOCEO/CMO The Fitness Medicine Clinic and Physicians Immediate 

Care Center

Founder – Walk In Weight Loss

Founding Diplomat: American Board of Holistic Medicine

Diplomat: American Board of Family Practice

Diplomat: American Board of Urgent Care Medicine

Diplomat: American Board of Bariatric Medicine

Today Goal’s

• Understand some dietary basics

• How do steroids work?

• What happens when we exercise?

• Muscle physiology 101

• Proper nutrition is Better Than Steroids!– Post workout meal

• Questions 

Absolutes in sports and health

• Adequate Sleep

• Daily Movement

• Protein 

• Stress Control 

Food Groups

• Protein 

• Carbohydrates

• Fat

• Alcohol

• Sugar

Weight Gain/Weight Loss:

• Energy (calories)– Intake vs. Output

• Fat– Storage vs. Burning 

• Nutrient Intake– Utilizing what is available (oxidation) 

Bariatric Principles

• Lean body mass loss must be minimized– Lean body mass contains only 363 kcal/lb, i.e. muscle is 20% protein, 80% water

• For example: Weight loss of greater than 0.3 lb. per day on a 1,000 kcal/day deficit includes loss of lean body mass

– If a 1,000 kcal deficit targets lean body mass, one can lose 2 ¾ lb. per day

– Quality weight loss must be paced!

STEROIDS

How Steroids Work

• A hormone is a messengerthat:– regulates growth– alters body mass– direct reproduction– control behavior– regulate minerals in the body

How Steroids Work

• Anabolic steroids are a group of hormones created to duplicate the beneficial aspects of testosterone.

How Steroids Work

• When dealing specifically with muscle cells,steroids tell the muscle cells to:– Increase protein synthesis, which allows themuscle to grow faster, recover quicker, etc.

How Steroids Work

• When dealing specifically with muscle cells,steroids tell the muscle cells to:– Increases creatine phosphate synthesis, thesubstrate needed for energy, (i.e. makes youstronger)

How Steroids Work

• When dealing specifically with muscle cells,steroids tell the muscle cells to:– Increase the storage of glycogen in the musclecell, which increases the cell’s size by theamount of glycogen and by the accompanyingwater that comes with it.

How Steroids Work

• When dealing specifically with muscle cells,steroids tell the muscle cells to:– Increase nutrient uptake by the cell

How Steroids Work

• Recovery! 

What Happens During Exercise?

What Happens During Exercise?

• Energy stores are depleted.  This includes ATP and creatine phosphate (CP)

• Muscle glycogen stores are drained• Catabolic hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine are elevated.– all break down muscle!

• Free radicals are generated • Inflammatory response occurs 

What Happens During Exercise?

• Everything opposite of what we are after! 

Muscle Physiology 101

Muscle Physiology 101

• The duration, type and intensity of exercise all cause specific metabolic conditions that result in one of two things:  A state of anabolism(growth, tissue repair, etc.) or a state of catabolism (tissue breakdown).

Muscle Physiology 101

• The timing of your meal is as important as what your meal consists of.

Muscle Physiology 101• Vigorous exercise without a properpost‐exercise meal, done at the righttime, has the potential to keep yourbody in a catabolic state.

• When the body does not receiveproper post‐exercise nutrition, at theright time, muscle breakdown occursand all that hard work you just put inhas been futile.

Muscle Physiology 101• Journal of Physiology  

– Two groups: subjects trained 3 times a week for 12 weeks

• Group one consumed a post‐workout protein‐containing drink immediately after training

• Group two waited 2 hours after training

• Group one quadriceps muscle size increased 7% and muscle fiber cross‐sectional increased 24% 

• Group two – no changes 

Esmark B, et al. 2001. Timing of post‐exercise protein intake is important for muscle hypertrophy with resistance training in elderly humans. Journal of Physiology. 535:301‐311.

Muscle Physiology 101• Levenhagen et al. 

– Three times the protein synthesis – Increase fat oxidation 

• Journal of Physiology – Muscle size increased 8% – Strength increased 15%. 

Levenhagen, D.K., Carr, C., Carlson, M.G., et.al., “Post exercise nutrient intake timing in humansis critical to recovery of leg glucose and protein homeostasis”, American journal of Physiology,280:E982‐E993, 2001Zawadzki, K.M., Yaspelkis, B.B., III and Ivy, J.L., “Carbohydrate‐protein complex increases therate of muscle glycogen storage after exercise”. Journal of Applied Physiology, 72: 1854‐1859,1992.

Muscle Physiology 101

• What is the most powerful growth promoting hormone?

Muscle Physiology 101

• INSULIN

Post Workout Meal• Increases muscle mass• Decreases muscle damage• Accelerates repair and recovery• Replenishes glycogen stores in the muscle• Increases Nitric Oxide (NO) synthesis therebyincreasing blood flow

• Increases fat oxidation, burning more fat• Increases protein synthesis• Increases removal of waste products such aslactic acid

• Replenishes energy stores such as creatinephosphate

Post Workout Meal• Fast‐acting high‐grade whey protein

o Provides the growth stimulus for those hard workedmuscles

• Glutamineo Replaces the glutamine used during the workout and

allows the muscles to recover• Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) with additional l ‐ leucine

o Promote healing and provide the essential amino acids forgrowth. This further increases protein synthesis andstimulates insulin release.

• High Glycemic Carbohydrateso Stimulate insulin, your anabolic powerhouse, to drive the

protein and carbohydrates into the ‘hungry muscle’• Antioxidants

o Promote tissue repair, remove the free radicals that causebreakdown of muscle fibers

Questions

• Warren Willey– Web Site:

• www.drwilley.com• www.eatright4u.com

– Phone:• 208.237.7911 

– warren@walkinweightloss.com