School Publications, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM)

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Get the Facts - Carbs
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2016-09-30)
Myth: Carbs are bad. Fact: Okay this one really bugs me. With the fad diets exploding over the past few years, I have been told this statement more times than I would like to count. I think the biggest culprit of the perpetuation of this myth is the Paleo diet. Here is the logic behind the myth: I stopped eating carbohydrates from the Paleo and Atkins diet, therefor the carbs made me fat. One main problem with this is that there are a lot of other factors contributing to the weight loss that has not been accounted for. With any of the low carb diets, people end up overall eating less. This may be due to the large carbohydrate prevalence in the American diet and/or the fact that people do not know what to eat that has low carbs so they just don’t eat as much. Either way there are plenty of other reasons that may contribute to the weight loss
Get the Facts - Counting Calories
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2016-11-25)
MYTH: Counting calories is: • A waste of time • For women • For people on “diets” • Not feasible • Too difficult • Not important • Confusing FACT: This week’s article will be more of a recount of my own experiences and understanding so I will not have sources at the end, please let me know if you would like some literature on this topic! Referring back to the article on calories and energy consumption, fat loss is based under the overarching principle of energy consumed/energy expended. If this ratio is <1, weight loss will occur. The variables lie in the speed of the loss and manipulation of either the numerator, denominator, or both. I will focus on the numerator (energy consumed). The first (and most important in my opinion) point I want to make it that it is extremely difficult to manipulate this variable when it is not measured. Estimates can be made based on a thorough understanding of what one is eating and how calorie dense the meals are, but this takes more time, effort, and planning than actually counting the calories you eat.
Get the Facts - Eating Fruit...
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2016-10-07)
Myth: You need to eat fruit to be healthy. Fact: This is one of my favorites only because people automatically assume I must eat tons of fruits and veggies. On the contrary, I personally have never eaten a fruit other than apples. This is just one of those childhood myths like Santa Claus, cereal as a balanced breakfast, milk making you grow faster, cursive as necessary for your future.
Get the Facts - Protein Supplements
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2016-12-09)
Myth: Protein supplements will destroy my kidneys, will make me fat, will make me bulky, are only for bodybuilders, are like steroids, and will make me crazy. Fact: I have heard these statements from different people and I will try to tackle them all in this issue. First thing’s first, similar to what has been stated in previous issues, technically nothing will make you “fat” or gain weight if you consume less of it in terms of calories than you are burning in a day. That being said, I will focus on protein supplementation with calories remaining constant (isocaloric conditions).
Get the Facts - Supplemental Protein
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2016-10-14)
Myth: If I take supplemental protein without working out, it will make me fat. Fact: I want to start by saying if you begin eating more of anything without replacing something else with it or adding more exercise to your routine, you will gain weight (or you will stop losing as much weight). Assuming we keep the number of calories the same, protein consumption in replace of fat or carbohydrate consumption will maintain muscle mass. For example, if someone eats 1000 kcals less than needed with 45% carbs, 45% fats, and 10% protein, they will experience significantly more muscle mass loss than those who consume a protein supplement to increase the percent of protein in their daily kcal allowance.
Get the Facts - Thanksgiving Recovery
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2016-12-02)
Myth: Thanksgiving dinner was so bad that now I must diet and exercise for weeks to catch up. Facts: If you celebrate Thanksgiving, it can sometimes feel more like a binge eating holiday than a giving thanks holiday. Many will sit with family and friends with a plate piled as high as possible, perhaps even competing with others as to who can eat more. Even for the fitness enthusiasts, tracking food and moderation are near impossible. Trust me I understand the attempt to limit yourself on Thanksgiving only to look down at your third serving of mashed potatoes dwindling away while almost automatically reaching for your first piece of pumpkin pie. I am not here to burst your bubble and talk about how bad the food is for you (partially because I don’t want to hear that either). What I do want to talk about is how badly people feel afterwards. There is this idea of a massive debt people are now in because of badly they have eaten. The next few days may consist of extreme exercise, diet, or other ways to make up for how bad you were the Thursday before. This huge jump from the norm makes it impossible to maintain and leads to an inevitable crash of poor habits. I have also seen this give a bad impression of healthy eating and exercise.
Get the Facts: Age and Losing Weight
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2017-03-31)
Myth: I can’t lose weight because of my age/ “oh you are fit because you are young” Fact: A statement that I hear often that really frustrates me is when older adults who are overweight or not in the best shape minimize the effort and determination of those who keep themselves physically fit. These people say things like, “Oh you have it so easy, you are still young. Just wait until you are my age.” I don’t mean to be harsh, but this statement is simply using an uncontrollable variable in one’s life to justify not taking care of themselves. As far as scientific and physiologic excuses go, this is not one of them.
Get the Facts: Burning Fat without Losing Muscle
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2017-02-10)
Fact: In a perfect world, we could go to the gym for 30 minutes and gain massive amounts of muscle while burning away all the fat. Unfortunately, this does not happen. Similar to other areas of the body, there is a balance between muscle breakdown and muscle formation. The stress applied to us by the outside world dictates which direction these mechanics will sway. This is the fundamental concept of adaptation. For example, if an animal comes across a large meal, it will store this meal as fat as well as create muscle to allow it to hunt for another meal. If, however, it does not eat at all, the muscle may begin to atrophy and will be used as fuel reserves along with the fats.
Get the Facts: Creatine
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2017-04-07)
Myth: You need to take creatine to get big, or, creatine is like steroids and will make you big. Fact: Creatine is one of the most popular supplements among gym bros. If you ask most people why they have creatine as a part of their supplementation regimen, you will hear some vague answers such as “it helps with gains” or “it increases strength.” To date, there has been no conclusive evidence that this is the case. In fact, many of the supplements that people swear by are not truly evidence based; only anecdotal evidence exists. These mystical supplements include creatine, glutamine, zinc, testosterone boosters, and (to a lesser extent) BCAAs. Here, I will break down what we do know about the more popular supplement, creatine.
Get the Facts: Going to a Gym is the Only Way….
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2017-03-17)
Myth: The only way to get exercise is running or lifting weights at a gym Fact: One of the many reasons some do not begin or continue a workout plan is because of the idea that you need to lift weights or do cardio at the gym. The gym can be intimidating, expensive, out of the way, or simply not everyone’s ideal place. Fear not, there are plenty of other options for those who would rather try a different approach.
Get The Facts: How to Build Muscle
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2017-01-27)
Facts (not alternate): Most people who aim to lose fat as their fitness goal also want to increase their muscle mass. People want to "have a butt" or "get big" but their workout routine doesn't always match that goal. Muscle growth is complex beast that is still not fully understood but we have identified a few key principles. There are three main ways to induce muscle growth from strength training: mechanical tearing from a large load on the fibers, ischemia or lack of oxygen to the tissue under anaerobic conditions, and metabolite accumulation or the formation of products like lactic acid. Basically any style of exercise can encompass these features, but how do you maximize your goals?
Get The Facts: Juice Cleanse
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2017-01-13)
Myth: A juice cleanse diet will detoxify my liver and clear out chemicals from my body. Fact: This myth relates to a previous Wellness Weekly on processed and organics foods. Hundreds if not thousands take up a "juice cleanse" diet with reports that it "renews your body" and "clears evidence of junk food." Well the evidence of junk food, or any food, technically is cleared in a natural way by everyone up to 3 times daily. The basis for wanting to do a cleanse is the negative, almost fearful connotation of the words toxins, and chemicals.
Get the Facts: Meals Per Day
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2016-10-28)
Myth: In order to lose weight, I have to have _ meals per day and eat _ number of carbs right off the bat. Fact: This myth plays off of many of the topics talked about in previous issues of Wellness Weekly. I will break this down into two sections: one regarding beginners attempting to lose weight to be healthier or look better and another on athletes attempting to cut down past a plateau point. Let’s focus on the more common first topic.
Get The Facts: New Year’s Resolution
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2017-01-20)
Myth: To stick to my new year's resolution of going to the gym, I must start going as much as possible right away. Fact: New Year's resolutions are great. Everyone makes them in one form or another. Whether it be "I will lose 55 lbs this year!" in a formal grandiose statement or simply "I should cut back on caffeine this year" subtly to yourself. The majority of resolutions, however, are fitness related and unfortunately fail within the first few months
Get The Facts: Processed Foods
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2017-01-06)
Myth: Processed foods are horrible for you and organic foods are the healthiest option available. Fact: The wave of fad diets introduced the layman to words such as processed and organic foods. Since these terms became mainstream, the more popular they got, the less meaning they had. When people talk to me about organic, non pro-cessed, non-GMO foods, they automatically assume that I am on the bandwagon. Terms like unhealthy, chemicals, tox-ins, and pesticides are thrown around in these conversations constantly. But what toxins, chemicals, and "unhealthiness" are people referring to?
Get the Facts: Training for a Run
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2017-03-03)
Myth: To train for a run, you just run. Fact: Many will say, to train for a marathon, half marathon, 5k or a sprint, you just do it until it gets easier. There is some truth to this but it is extremely oversimplified and not applicable to most. For example, everyone starts at a different level. Some can run 4 miles but not quickly, some can run quickly but only for a short distance, some have never run in their lives. For this article, I will focus on the most beginner of trainers.
Get the Facts: Veggies & Protein
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2016-11-11)
Myth: Vegetarians/Vegans do not get enough protein and are weak/cannot build muscle. Fact: Vegetarian/vegan diets have been long debated as incomplete in nutritional value and have been looked down upon especially in the bodybuilding/fitness field. The thought is that without animal products, there is no way to get all of the proteins we need for proper muscle growth. There are 8 amino acids that humans must acquire through the diet for proper nutrition: 1.Histadine 2.Leucine 3.Methionine 4.Isoleucine 5.Valine 6.Phenylalanine 7.Lysine 8.Threonine 9.Tryptophan
Get the Facts: Weightlifting Sets
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2016-11-04)
Myth: To get big I have to lift _ number of sets and _ number of reps with very heavy weight. Fact: If you search online for a workout routine to build muscle you’ll most likely find a plethora of plans claiming to be the best. If there are so many plans, why haven’t we found that perfect combination? This myth is tough in the sense that it is still under active investigation (not uncommon for the exercise science field). For decades, people have been trying to figure out that perfect combination of weight and reps to maximize their #Gainz. So far the short answer is there is no perfect routine. However, I will take you through some of the current literature.
Get the Facts: Weightlifting, Size, & Strength
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2017-03-24)
Myth: Being strong = being big and being big = being strong. Fact: People who are avid gym goers usually want to lift weights to get big and/or get strong. Too many times do people fall into the trap of lifting to get big and strong at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, someone new to lifting will indeed gain size and strength, but as time passes and experience is gained, strength and size become more mutually exclusive.
Get the Facts: Working Out on an Empty Stomach
Heilmann, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2017-02-24)
Myth: You should never workout on an empty stomach. Fact: Like most myths, this one is not as black and white as some like to make it seem. There are quite a few variables to consider when answering the question of “should I work out without having eaten the day of?” Here I will touch on a few more relatable variables to guide you in creating the best workout program for you.