#weightloss
Disclaimer: This is not the first time. Even though I did not do these measurements or pictures before but I have had cases in my training camps where a few guys squeezed in first week of training itself. In one case a boy (just like the below case) lost weight in the first week and since he was under me through out the season, he did not gain weight back in 4/5 months of cricket season.
Latest science and how my study contradicts it: As per ‘Constrained Energy Model’ (Dr Herman Pontzer’s & colleagues work) , we can’t expect to lose any weight from excercise without adjusting for calories unless we are burning say 500 plus calories. The caveat to that is we start eating more food as we increase our burn. So net net the effect on weight should be minimal.
My studies & experience: Respecting the science I would say that there are exceptions to this rule because there is no way anybody can adjust for 35000 calories (5 kg) in 5 days or 15 days. So clearly there is something happening inside that is propelling the burn & weight loss. Here is another example where an international cricketer (played last year world cup) lost 5 kilos in 15 days staying with me. I provided him the food and asked him to eat at libitum (to fullness).
https://umeshchhikara.com/2024/01/23/5-kg-weight-loss-in-15-days-how/
When you compare the pictures of both one can easily see the difference. The boy below clearly lost lot of fat as is evident from the photo whereas the cricketer (26 years old) it seems added a bit of lean muscle mass which perhaps increased the burn (BMR) and helped him lose weight. Like said…no adjustment – be it for water retention or calorie intake (as exercising do regulate appetite) can justify this much fat loss.
Question 1: Do you believe the individual in both images is the same person?
Question 2: How long do you estimate it took to achieve these noticeable results?
Surprising revelation: it took just 5 days – achieved through 5 sessions without any dietary restrictions. This post is on my hypothesis what may have happened on the basis of my experience and knowledge of the domain.
If you’re not yet a fan of muscles, this post might just change your mind. It’s not about the size of the muscle, but rather the deeper physiological processes that are more crucial to our health than the visible appearance of muscles. That’s why I keep them lean and healthy (internally).
While scientists argue that exercise alone does not lead to weight loss, I believe they may have overlooked the impact of calorie burning independent of nutrition. We should not underestimate the effectiveness of our most vital organ in this process. For instance, in a study on a tribe where researchers claimed that exercise doesn’t burn calories, I contended that the subjects’ bodies were adapted to their daily physical stress, which may explain the findings rather than the exercise itself being ineffective.
Setting aside exercise for a moment, I first became intrigued by this subject when I observed my clients losing weight while undergoing manual therapy sessions with me. I was genuinely puzzled. How could that happen?
Here’s a hypothesis I’m eager to explore further through proper research, provided there’s funding available:
Routine physical activities, whether athletic or everyday actions for non-athletes, create a divide in our musculature: some muscles become overactivated while others become inhibited or ‘underused’. Continual stress on the body leads to fatigue and potential damage in the overused muscles, while the inhibited ones remain dormant.
Interestingly, subjecting these muscles to different stressors—such as structural alignment, activating the inhibited ones, and relaxing the overactivated ones—results in increased calorie expenditure. More muscle activation equals more calorie burn. Right?
How does this work?
a) Activating an inhibited muscle, say a large one like the glute max or traps, leads to more calorie burn. These calories were previously conserved due to inhibition.
b) Overactivated muscles, which typically burn fewer calories, begin to burn more as they relax and engage more muscle fibers.
Isn’t this concept fairly straightforward to grasp?
And for those who contend, based on scientific claims, that weight loss is impossible without calorie adjustments, here’s my rebuttal:
Q: Can we not boost calorie expenditure without altering our diet? I think so else how do you explain this weight loss? It may not work on everybody but it does work on a few .
Q: And if we can elevate calorie burn while consuming the same foods, wouldn’t this inevitably lead to fat loss? Undoubtedly. It should. But then why science is not supporting it? I don’t know the answer because I do not doubt the findings. However, there is no reason for me to doubt what’s unfolding in front of my eyes.
My experience challenges the belief that weight loss is impossible without adjusting calorie intake, as I propose a mechanism by which calorie burn can be increased without altering the diet. If the calorie burn can be increased while consuming the same amount of food, it would logically result in fat loss. I have done this in athletic and non-athletic population both.
My hypothesis: 37 trillion cells
How about we can activate maximal cells? Would they consume more energy? – Yes
Would the consumed energy be adjusted somewhere else? – Yes, as per science. But not if you consider my case studies.
Summary:
While the claims made regarding the rapid transformation depicted in the images may seem extraordinary, my proposed explanation and openness to rigorous scientific investigation offer an intriguing perspective on the intricate relationship between muscular activation, calorie expenditure, and weight management. I do plan to do a research in a camp setting at some point where I can prove this with proper testing and numbers.
Shocking because this doesn’t happen! So I ain’t claiming that this can happen in 5 days. Instead I am equally shocked to see the transformation. This makes it very interesting for anybody who wants to dive deeper into human health and its possibilities.
Lastly weight loss without any dietery intervention or calorie deficit is a clear sign that our muscles are working better. And muscles are life for us. Even though we use them for photos; they have the capacity to treat the whole human body including brain via different mechanisms.
Umesh Chhikara 