The Trim Carb Revolution

When it comes to choosing a fitness and nutrition program, maximizing both mental and physical energy and health should be the ultimate goal. Sounds logical, yet most programs ignore essential components necessary for individuals to achieve optimum wellness.

The components of a comprehensive, wellness-based lifestyle program include: a healthy eating structure incorporating essential macronutrients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates); a consistent, safe and results-driven exercise regimen; and science that supports that fitness and nutrition plan.

When these three key elements– food, exercise and science– are all included in an easy-to- follow program, the results will motivate you to keep going – hence creating a healthy lifestyle you can realistically maintain.

The Trim® Carb Revolution™ program was designed with these key elements in mind, and the goal of creating a wellness-based approach to achieving a healthy lifestyle.

Before we delve deep into food, science, and exercise–let’s cover a few basics. Several metabolic pathways in the body determine how we utilize the macronutrients we eat which will be the main fuel source that the body will use. It all depends on when the last meal was finished, and when you decide to eat again. If the body is in a “fasting” or starvation mode, energy pathways will adapt and behave differently than when food is consumed regularly.


CARBS

Found in fruit, vegetables, grains and other starches and are the first choice for energy. When you eat carbohydrates, your pancreas secretes insulin, the hormone that enables you to digest starches and sugars. Insulin acts like a gate opener to the body’s cells where glucose can either be: converted to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for immediate energy.

FATS

The second choice for a fuel source. Fat from food is broken down into fatty acids, which travel in the blood to the cells. Fatty acids that aren’t needed right away are packaged and stored in fat cells. When fats are needed as an energy source, they are broken down in cell’s mitochondria through a process called beta-oxidation.

PROTEINS

Proteins are broken down into amino acids and used in body’s cells to build new muscle. Excess amino acids are converted by the liver into keto acids and urea. Keto acids may be used as sources of energy, converted into glucose, or stored as fat. Urea is excreted from everyone’s body in sweat and urine.

“When you nourish your body regularly with the right combination of nutrients, exercise and rest, you reach a state of maximum well being, where you feel your best both mentally and physically. Living a wellness lifestyle is the process of repeating that cycle every day.”

~ BRENT AGIN MD


Trim® Carb Revolution™ – We Need Carbohydrates!

Although there are so many benefits to being in ketosis, when glucose is not available for fuel, our muscles still need to have glycogen stores replenished to help support muscle building. Glycogen (stored sugar) is the key to get the body to burn fat and also spare protein to build muscle. It’s important to remember that carbohydrates are an important nutrient for the body and removing essential carbohydrates such as fruits, grains, and legumes results in deficiencies of key nutrients as well as shifts the body’s innate fat burning mechanisms. This can be especially noticeable for those trying to maintain an aggressive exercise regimen while dieting. The solution is to not eliminate carbs, but rather eat the right ones in the right quantities and at the right times.

From our clinical experience, continuous low-carb diets become a gateway to yo-yo dieting by alternating weight gain and weight loss, rather than developing a consistent, healthy lifestyle. This yo-yo effect comes from the binge-purge type approach, which eventually removes any healthy gains and instead becomes inflammatory and unhealthy. Furthermore, low-carb alone is not optimal for maintaining muscle mass when done continuously, especially when performing calorie restriction at the same time. The Trim Carb Revolution™ program uses carbohydrate cycling to keep these important macronutrients in your diet. Carb cycling is the practice of consuming varying quantities of carbohydrates at specific days and times. Carb cycling limits the number of carbohydrates in order to reach ketosis on low-carb days and replenish depleted glycogen stores on high-carb days. These strategic carbohydrate days combined with high protein, good fats, and specific dietary supplements contribute to an accelerated metabolic state while preserving lean muscle mass. That means you lose excess fat safely and effectively. On carb reload days your body will temporarily switch out of ketosis and fill your muscles with glycogen, which improves training performance and muscle gains.

Exercise – The Driver of Trim® Carb Revolution™

The Trim® Carb Revolution™ program uses intermittent fasting, low-level ketosis and carb cycling to provide the fuel to burn fat, maximize energy and build muscle- but it is exercise that drives this powerful factory.

Regular, high intensity, resistance exercise helps to activate a protein glucose transport molecule that grabs glucose from the blood to replenish glycogen stores in the liver and muscle tissue. Exercise will increase levels of this important protein making this process extremely efficient. This is a very important component for low level ketosis to work, as this allows carb cycling to power the muscle and liver glycogen stores to keep the system going.

Carbs aid muscle growth and exercise performance in several ways:
  • Promote recovery: Carbs may help with recovery after exercise.
  • Produce insulin: Carbs also produce insulin, which helps with nutrient delivery and sugar absorption.
  • Provide fuel: Carbs play an important role in energy production, which are the primary fuel sources for high-intensity exercise.
  • Reduce muscle breakdown: Carbs help reduce muscle breakdown through glucose storing in the form of glycogen.
Resistance exercise is any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance. This resistance can be in the form of moving your limbs against resistance provided by your body weight (pull-ups, push-ups), gravity, rubber resistance bands, weighted bars or dumbbells, and certain exercise machines. High intensity interval training, and cross-fit also will fit the criteria for resistance training.

It is important to note that aerobic exercise such as running, walking, cycling, swimming, and elliptical machines are not considered resistance training and would not qualify for a carb loading day. Aerobic exercises are still important and are excellent for the low carb days. Aerobic exercise, often referred to as cardio (cardiovascular) exercise, helps improve your heart and cardiovascular systems by pumping oxygenated blood to the body. Cardio training provides several health benefits.


Exercising within the carb revolution program is best when it can be performed between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. for adequate cycling. If you were to exercise in the later evening you would have to adjust your fasting period accordingly.

Summary

The combination of intermittent fasting while maximizing protein and fat intake around the cycling of carbohydrates, creates the perfect opportunity for fat burning and muscle building.

Here are some of the key opportunities:

  • Reduction in weight and increase in fat loss
  • Increase in cellular turnover and repair (autophagy)
  • Reduction in blood triglycerides
  • Reduction in blood pressure through vasodilation
  • Reduction in markers of inflammation (including CRP, IL-6, TNF)
  • Improved metabolism
  • Reduction in migraines
  • Natural appetite suppression through Ghrelin and Leptin effects
  • Reduced inflammation
  • Improved cognition and fine motor skills
  • Increased growth hormone release
  • Reduction in oxidative stress
  • Improved hormone balance
  • Reduction in risk of cancer
  • Improved insulin sensitivity
  • Improved muscle building
  • Increased nerve generation and protection (neurogenesis)
  • Improvement in behavior associated with autism and spectrum disorders
  • Modifies disease progression in Epilepsy, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and autoimmune disease


Healthy Fats

The Science