About Bryan
I’m an electrical engineer by trade, but fitness and nutrition fanatic at heart (as you may already know)! I first developed a love for fitness in high school while playing sports. As the “little guy,” I turned to strength training to build my body (and confidence) so that I could be more competitive and successful on the field. After a while, I began to love the concept of training more than the sport that I was training for! This is when the floodgates to my fitness journey really broke open. I dove into the research, sifting through hundreds, if not thousands, of articles to build my foundation of knowledge around fitness, health and nutrition. At this point, my focus has shifted from aggressively building as much muscle as possible to a more holistic and lifelong fitness journey. This is where I stand today. I like to apply the logical approach that engineering has taught me to fitness. I hope that I can save you time and frustration by providing you with the information to learn from my mistakes so you can thrive and live life in a body that you love!
Calories In vs. Calories Out: Why The Simple Equation Isn’t So Simple (UPDATED)
Reading Time: 13 minutes
In honor of Men’s Health Month (June), let’s focus on a hot topic that is discussed on a regular basis in the health space. Many of us have the goal of losing fat or building muscle. Either way, calories run the show! In this article, we’ll dive into how calories are manipulated inside and outside of our bodies to direct us towards or away from our health goals!
Is a Calorie a Calorie?
In a chemical sense, yes. A
calorie is a standard unit of energy.
According to the law of thermodynamics, if you expend more calories than you metabolize, you will expend the extra stored energy as fuel (commonly known as burning fat).
However, this process of “calories in vs. calories out” is extremely complex! Each of these two variables, and the precise balance between them, depend significantly on a range of factors. We’ll start with the first variable, “calories in”.
Metabolism and Weight Loss: What You Need to Know
When people face difficulties trying to change their body composition, the metabolism is one of the most common scapegoats. Is this blame warranted?
Maybe a “slow metabolism” is scrutinized for challenges with weight loss or maybe a “fast metabolism” is blamed when it seems impossible to gain weight. It all starts with how we define the word “metabolism.”
These claims are often misguided, and I’ll explain why in this article. Then we’ll explore what you can actually control to change your body composition to reach your goals.
What is the human metabolism?
(more…)Red Meat & The Environment: Is It Really As Bad As They Say?
In my last article, I’d like to think that the concerns about red meat being harmful to your health have been addressed. The scientific literature just doesn’t establish a clear connection.
Health is a primary driver that causes people to exclude animal-based foods from their diet, but environmental concerns are also substantially motivating. Are these concerns warranted?
As you’ll soon see, the environmental impact of red meat (compared to agriculture) is more complicated than it may seem. The intent of this article is to clear up some of this confusion and present an evidence-based case that addresses all the major variables at play, balancing the entire equation.
(more…)Is Red Meat Bad For Us?
There’s a lot of conflicting information these days on what’s good or bad for us. The federal recommendations keep changing, health gurus from one side say one thing, others say the opposite. Health documentaries, newspaper and research headlines, top-searched websites on Google… Many will give you conflicting information!
Health and nutrition are still emerging fields in the scientific literature and components of these fields are not exact science. Individual differences do exist, which makes the data even harder to process and analyze.
The purpose of this article is to try to dispel any myths that are still paramount and offer a science-based resolution (with a relatively high degree of certainty) with logic and reason to this complex question.
(more…)Artificial Sweeteners…. Unfairly Demonized?
Quick Background
*As a disclaimer, artificial sweeteners and their impact on the human body are not completely understood. They’ve been around for a few decades, but their long-term impacts are still being evaluated. This article is using the currently available evidence as its basis.
Artificial sweeteners are those that are made synthetically (by humans) and are not found in nature. Common artificial sweeteners are sucralose (i.e. Splenda), aspartame (i.e. Equal), or saccharin (i.e. Sweet ‘N Low).
Natural sweeteners are those found in their natural form and then processed by humans to isolate and concentrate their sweetness. Common examples are stevia leaf extract or monk fruit.
Are They Safe?
We’ve all heard the expression “the dose makes the poison”. This can be applied to just about anything. If you drink too much water, breathe in too much oxygen, eat too much broccoli, or exercise too much… It can literally be fatal!
(more…)Should Lifters Do Cardio?
As always, the first step is to define your goal. We can walk through a few scenarios for why cardiovascular training might make sense for you.
(more…)Core Training – So Much More Than Crunches
The days of doing endless crunches to train your core are over!
The core is extremely complex and needs to be engaged and trained in a variety of ways. It should be stable, be able to rotate and resist rotation, and flex at the belly button. And then there’s the obliques! We’ll review a few exercises to cover our bases.
We can simplify core training, and break it down into 2 parts:
- Spinal flexion – Think of the chest-to-belly-button movement, like the crunch
- Spinal stability – Think of bracing and resisting rotation
A Guide to Eliminating Chronic Low Back Pain
If you haven’t already, and you’d like some background on how to diagnose the root of your muscular-related discomfort or pain, please check out this article.
Attacking The Root Of The Problem
In the last article, I illustrated some common scenarios for why these types of discomfort are prevalent. Now we need to create some actionable items for how to fix the root of the problem! Fortunately, a lot is in our control. However, since there’s so many moving parts, the root cause can be difficult to assess.
(more…)Diagnosing The Root Cause of Musculoskeletal Pain
First, I want to start this off with the disclaimer that I’m not a licensed doctor, health practitioner or physical therapist. I’m basing this information off my own review of the scientific literature, personal experience, and feedback from people that I’ve worked with. Please consult your doctor before doing anything that may have an adverse effect on your health.
We’ll start out by introducing the problem, dive into some common scenarios that cause the pain/discomfort, and then offer solutions for how to get to the root of the problem! If you’re already confident with your diagnosis, feel free to skip ahead to the action plan that fits your individual situation.
(more…)About This Site
Welcome to your Fuelyourgainz.com!
Join me on a lifelong journey to optimize health, performance and longevity with the power of food, fitness, and nutrition!
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- Calories In vs. Calories Out: Why The Simple Equation Isn’t So Simple (UPDATED)
- Metabolism and Weight Loss: What You Need to Know