Cycling effect Post Xmas fat? Little

[briansnail]

I was just listening to Anand Jagatia. He took to a bike to answer “Where does fat go when we exercise? in BBC Crowd science. Apparently:

Hormones from fat influence the brain, heart and skeleton.

In men the fat cells get bigger but not in women. However, before the female cyclists all rush out for a celebratory cream cake caution. They get a bigger number of fat cells. We guys do not.

The team could tell how much glycogen a track cyclist like that gentleman Chris Hoy (Loud cheers) burns. Compared to fat by a Tour de France cyclist. This is because the carbon dioxide exhaled can be monitored. It is influenced by the fuels that have different numbers of carbon atoms.

Now this is where it got interesting. They found the Hadza tribe in Tanzania walked all day. Expending the same number of calories as someone sedentary in UK/USA.The latter did not gain a lot more weight. They cannot figure it out. They think possibly inflammation/stress in the non-exercisers burns up compensatory calories.

If you believe the researchers in this documentary. To lose weight cut down on FOOD. CYCLING/exercise has minimal effect.
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I ride Brompton and a 100% British Vintage

[Carlton green]

I don’t know whether just cutting down on food is the answer or not but I have an observation. When we got a young dog and had to walk it for several hours a day then we were both exhausted and slimmer. Of course moderation on food intake matters, but to me it seems that there are other things too.

[Nearholmer]

Did the study factor-in the temperatures that the two populations were operating at? Or whether ‘load’ on the brain might have been significantly different between them? And, were the office-wallahs physically bigger?

PS: ‘walking’ covers a lot of things, and ‘ambling along at a couple of miles an hour’ uses relatively few calories above those needed to sit doing office work, for instance.

[briansnail]

"Did the study factor-in the temperatures that the two populations were operating at?"

Valid point.They looked at babies who have brown fat.This is superb at generating energy but adults do not have this.If you have a pet dormouse and you leave it the warm in winter it will lose fat as it senses there is no need for hibernation stores of fat.Note it has a small surface area.Certainly if you go swimming now.In the depths of winter.The first 15 minutes will be sheer hell.But after the swim one can walk in a T shirt at 5 c outside comfortably.
The answer may be in the West most non cyclists lead sheltered lives.The car is warmed up before driving off.At night the thermostat is set low.Offices are warm although females on average will have less muscle mass and feel colder.This might minimal shivering which consumes calories and generates energy.

I strongly suspect the tribe does not knock back high alcohol beer and avoids the perils of processed food.

[briansnail]

" Of course moderation on food intake matters, but to me it seems that there are other things too."

Agree the tribe would probably be bemused by Western culture.Wow we even need electronic help to wind down car windows,close car boots and sunshine roofs.Even washing the car is automated.Driving to come shortly.
As for lounging watching TV.We need remote controls rather than walk a couple of mins.Sheer decadence.

[gbnz]

I don’t know whether just cutting down on food is the answer or not but I have an observation. When we got a young dog and had to walk it for several hours a day then we were both exhausted and slimmer. Of course moderation on food intake matters, but to me it seems that there are other things too.

Physiologically it's very straightforward. Precise quantities of exercise & nutritional intake lead to weight & fat loss

Have never raced, but was a road bike "nut" until 18yr's back (Nb. So relieved I didn't buy that full carbon, £3.5k road bike in 2004. ). Precise spreadsheet recorded program of cardio at various intensities, upper & body resistance workouts, ab workouts, combined with precisely measured nutritional intake, 4 yr's as a cycling nut, obviously HRM's on bikes and machines

Have only been back on that program once, for 19 days six years back (Nb. Had put 1/2 stone on, 9pcm in demanding role). 19 days? I'll have set a 20, maybe 30 day program, but at 19 days had lost 1/2 stone, 2" off the neck, 4" off waist, fat off face, jaw, chin . You know you're losing the fat, when the collars on your shirts all need adjustment or replacement & people look astonished

Same with muscle. Do resistance exercise with the relevant diet and muscle grows. Only just back into a upper body program 8 weeks back, after 4.25yr's pottering around. And? Took 5 weeks for arms to be wider, 8 weeks to be lifting 3-4 times the weight, high protein, must have been fat burning, as neck thinner

[gbnz]

" Of course moderation on food intake matters, but to me it seems that there are other things too."

Agree the tribe would probably be bemused by Western culture.Wow we even need electronic help to wind down car windows,close car boots and sunshine roofs.Even washing the car is automated.Driving to come shortly.
As for lounging watching TV.We need remote controls rather than walk a couple of mins.Sheer decadence.

Oh? Haven't had a car for six years or tv for thirteen. Haven't had more than a several mile walk single walk this week - too many coughing, hacking people on Tuesday, had to stop the bus and walk several miles back

[531colin]

…..

The team could tell how much glycogen a track cyclist like that gentleman Chris Hoy (Loud cheers) burns. Compared to fat by a Tour de France cyclist. This is because the carbon dioxide exhaled can be monitored. It is influenced by the fuels that have different numbers of carbon atoms………

I think that’s a dreadful over simplification.
It’s a very long time since I studied metabolism, but the metabolic pathways for fatty acids are considerably different to Krebs cycle.

You need to know the (average) energy yield of the different “fuels” ; I can’t remember if the energy yield is the same for aerobic and anaerobic (lactate producing) metabolism, for example

But yes, if you want to get skinny, eat less

[Nearholmer]

Can anyone point to the underlying study?

I ask because, depending upon how closely the subjects were monitored, it ought to be possible to understand the patterns of energy expenditure related to activity properly. ‘Hunter gatherer’ vs ‘sedentary’ is a bit meaningless on its own because (a) I don’t have the foggiest what a h-g actually does all day in any detail, and (b) ‘sedentary’ covers a multitude of sins, from loafing on a sofa all day watching the telly, through to a stressful, and possibly fairly physically active, office job, reached by a commute involving running up and down escalators, being rammed together on the metro, hurrying like the blazes to fetch the kids from after-school care, a metabolism driven by five espressos a day etc.

And, all the points about eating in this thread seem to miss the point that the OP only mentions energy expenditure, not intake.

In summary: we know far too little to be able to comment on this isolated ‘finding’ meaningfully. What we do know, though, is that if intake and expenditure don’t balance pretty closely, we either store, or draw upon stores, so get fatter or thinner, and I don’t think the snippet challenges that understanding.

[Jdsk]

I'm guessing that the programme was: "Where does our fat go when we exercise?":
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct3j88
(I haven't listened to it.)

and that the reference to carbon dioxide exhaled and fuel utilisation is to respiratory quotient:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respiratory_quotient

Jonathan

[briansnail]

My take is simple.Any activity will burn calories.We all know if we do not cycle for a week we will put on a few grams which translates to kg long term. Especially over 60 when metabolism slowly drops.Exercise develops muscle which burns fat as it is more metabolically active.
So on Xmas day tuck into mince pies and get on the bike (especially if you get a present of a new one lucky you).Cycling also helps keeps colds and worse at bay and helps mood.
The only drawback the bicycle is just to efficient.One needs to log a reasonable mileage.One km trips to the shops will not cut it.Merry Xmas.

[Jdsk]

...
Exercise develops muscle which burns fat as it is more metabolically active.
...

I'm not sure what you're saying here.

Does the "it" refer to "muscle" or "fat"?

And "more metabolically active" than what?

Thanks

Jonathan

[briansnail]

And "more metabolically active" than what?

According to my cycling mag.Fat turns to muscle which has a higher burn during and after exercise.Thanks for the link to the documentary which points out "burn" is the wrong term.Fat molecules are broken down by a process only Prof Bill (Bryson) can simply explain to people like me.

[Jdsk]

And "more metabolically active" than what?
According to my cycling mag.Fat turns to muscle which has a higher burn during and after exercise.
...

Thanks

I don't know what "fat turns to muscle" means. And what has "a higher burn" than what?

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

Thanks for the link to the documentary which points out "burn" is the wrong term.Fat molecules are broken down by a process only Prof Bill (Bryson) can simply explain to people like me.

I don't have problems with "burn" being used in common parlance to describe energy-generating metabolism. And fats are metabolised by oxidation, so it has similarities to combustion.

How the most common type of oxidation of fatty acids works:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_oxidation

Jonathan