Have you been doing a lot of exercises but is not too successful on losing fat? And instead ended up gaining a few more pounds?
A nutritionist shares the reasons why.
Nadine Tengco, who was the nutritionist during the first season of the reality show “Pinoy Biggest Loser,” said some people end up getting fat despite doing a lot of exercises and going on a diet because they fail to rehydrate.
She said rehydration involves replacing lost electrolytes, repairing torn muscles and restoring balance to the body’s systems.
When people are not able to rehydrate properly, all their efforts to lose weight are wasted, said Tengco, who also prepares diet plans for local celebrities.
She said:
“You really can exercise to get fat. Why? Exercising is a stressor. It really stresses your muscles. It raises your stress hormones,”
“The actual act of exercising is a stress. The gain happens outside the gym, where recovery and repair happens. That is when the burn happens. And the key here is nutrition.”
“Kasi if you don’t get, for example, ‘yung requirement sa muscles – tear ka nang tear tapos paglabas mo hindi mo binigyan ng nutrients para mag-build ng muscles – pinunit mo lang siya. Walang nangyari,”
“You can get fat, you wasted your time, you’re dehydrated. And you can also get injured.”
Tengco noted that some people tend to overlook rehydration as they are too focused on exercising and watching what they eat.
She said the body needs to replenish not only fluids, but also protein, potassium, sodium, calcium and other nutrients after losing them during a workout.
“We lose a lot of potassium during exercise, particularly during endurance exercises and marathons,”
“That’s why you have cramps or you get tired easily after 15 minutes of exercise.”
“You’re giving your body stress and you’re supposed to give it something to bring it back, lalo na if you’re old na, mabagal na ‘yung recovery mo from stress… If you give it the nutrients it needs, mabilis siya dapat mag-repair.”
Coconut water for rehydration
Tengco said that contrary to what many people think, water is not enough for rehydration after long periods of exercise since it does not have enough nutrients to help the body rehydrate, refuel and recover.
“There is a condition called water intoxication kung fluid ka lang nang fluid tapos nawawala na ‘yung other minerals. Literally, nalulunod ka... Especially with the heat, you’re losing so much fluids and hindi enough na water lang.”
Recalling her stint at “Pinoy Biggest Loser,” Tengco said she does not allow the reality show contestants to drink water during extreme challenges and workouts.
Sports drinks may be an alternative, but since she does not like using artificial ingredients, she narrowed down her options to hydration tablets and coconut water.
“Sinubukan ko muna ‘yung hydrite kasi mura pero walang gustong uminom kasi pangit ‘yung lasa. Kadiri daw. So it defeats the purpose of hydration, ayaw uminom eh... So there’s coconut water – but the problem at the time was there was no packaged coconut water in the market so ang ginawa namin, kumuha kami ng magbubuko. At hindi siya viable.”
Fortunately for customers today, coconut water has gained popularity in different parts of the world, with the drink available in ready-to-drink packs. The newest entrant to the Philippine market is the US brand Vita Coco, which claims to use only fresh coconut water without concentrate.
“Although compared to cola and iced tea, it has less sugar... It’s ideal to drink it when you exercise, or you can drink once or twice a day.”
“For those casual runners who run for 30 minutes lang, pwede silang mag-water. But they have to eat within 60 minutes after their workout. If they start running and they start perspiring a lot and it goes beyond 90 minutes, drink coconut water,”
Tengco said, however, that like most beverages, coconut water should be drank in moderation – around three to four packs a day. --Source: ABS-CBN News