I would like to pop in here with a few comments and experiences I have had with dieting and exercising.
I have Type 1 diabetes and so have looked into a lot of diets and exercise routines. I have also done some personal research on what a body goes through during and after exercising, since it is something I enjoy and want to do regularly without any complications with my diabetes.
I am in agreement that a high refined carbohydrate diet will lead to weight gain and or problems losing weight while on a diet that doesn’t restrict them, or eliminate them all together. I do not however believe that you should cut carbohydrates out completely. The only carbs you should be consuming are complex carbohydrates. The idea being that eating starchy or refined carbs will spike insulin levels. Insulin, as I’m sure most of you here know, acts on many cells in your body, in particular for this topic, the storing of fat. So with a low consumption of complex carbohydrates in a meal your insulin levels will be much lower than if you consumed any refined carbohydrates. So, I believe that it logically follows that if your meal contained any fat while containing a low amount of complex carbohydrates, the fat from the meal will be used for energy, rather than stored (due to there being a low level of insulin). If you consumed a low fat high carb meal, the carbs can also be stored as fat. Fat cells prefer fatty acids but if they are lacking, the next choice is all of those refined carbs in the form of glucose. Complex carbs being released slowly into the blood will be used for energy well after the meal at a slower rate (which is why I believe you should not cut carbs completely).
On to exercise.
I am personally a firm believer in exercise combined with diet to reach any weight related goals.
I have seen it written here that exercising increases your appetite. Absolutely true. Then it was written that this leads to a will power struggle not to eat more. I believe that you can eat more while exercising and still lose weight (or inches). What I have learned is that after exercising, in particular if you have trained with weights, you can consume roughly 15-20 grams of refined carbs after a workout. During a workout your liver and muscles release glycogen for energy, glycogen is replaced by glucose, so the 15-20 grams are going to be used to replace glycogen levels. This is also one of the reasons you are hungry after a workout, because your liver and muscles are looking to replace the lost glycogen, and if your blood glucose levels are low (a result of your body replacing glycogen) you feel hungry. So enjoy something a little sweet after a workout. I do =)
It is also good to do cardio first thing in the morning, before you eat. The theory being that your body is in a fasted state and has no source of energy other than stored fat. I also read that it helps to burn calories more efficiently throughout the day (not sure how true that one is).
I wish I could have written this out a bit better but I wanted to reply and had little time, so hopefully I added something, I only read the first and last page of the thread.
Oh and the book seems very interesting, I think I might pick it up.
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