Engineering A Healthy Body: Career Catalyst
Engineering A Healthy Body: Career Catalyst
Engineering A Healthy Body: Career Catalyst
Engineering
a Healthy Body
These basic chemical engineering principles
expose common weight loss myths and
show you how to get into better shape
efciently and sustainably.
should you eat? How much more exercise should you do?
Without some numbers and a structured approach, the
questions and decisions can become so overwhelming that
you may just give up. Fortunately, engineers think in terms
of numbers and a structured approach, and should find it
easy to estimate the energy in and energy out terms.
Energy in. Daily energy intake is extremely easy to calculate by recording the number of calories (or kilojoules)
contained in each and every bit of food or drink that you
consume. Most foods have nutritional information labels
that list their calorie content. In addition, numerous books
and websites reference the energy content of almost every
type of food and can be found by doing a search for nutritional data.
Energy out. Although there are various ways to estimate
energy use, these tend not to be as accurate as the energy
intake calculations. The most important part of energy
use is the metabolism a common term (e.g., I have a
slow metabolism), but one that many people do not fully
understand.
Metabolism refers to the amount of energy the body
needs just to keep it alive and functioning every day. Metabolism is analogous to the amount of power required to keep a
pump or boiler on standby. Even when it is not actually delivering any output to the process, it still has a power demand.
Many ways have been proposed for estimating metabolism. Some involve empirical measurements using expensive equipment, but those are not necessary for this purpose. Simple mathematical equations have been published
in the literature, such as the Harris-Benedict equation (1):
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Energy balances
The most fundamental concept of weight loss is the
energy balance:
Energy In = Energy Out + Accumulation
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Equilibrium
Activity Factor
1.2
1.3
1.5
1.75
2.0
Activity Level
5,000
4,000
3,000
Operating
Point
2,000
1,000
Fat Gain Zone
Men:
BMR = 66 + 6.23W + 12.7H 6.8A
Women: BMR = 655 + 4.35W + 4.7H 4.7A
1,000
2,000
3,000
Energy In, cal/d
4,000
5,000
3,000
Point B
Operating Point
2,000
1,000 Point C
Point D
Fat Gain Zone
0
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
Energy In, cal/d
4,000
5,000
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Career Catalyst
5,000
Target
Equilibrium
4,000
Activity
Exercise
only
Optimum?
3,000
Operating Point
Diet
only
2,000
1,000
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
Chopping wood
0.135
0.087
Swimming
0.071
Basketball
0.063
Tennis
0.049
0.045
Walking (road)
0.036
Mopping floors
0.028
Raking leaves
0.025
Ballroom dancing
0.023
Typing (electric)
0.012
Setting targets
Although the body is not stupid, it can be fooled. It is
possible to achieve sustainable weight loss by operating
with a moderate energy deficit. My experience has been
that a 500 cal/d deficit gives consistent weight loss without
triggering the bodys starvation defenses. This is consistent with modern medical opinion (2), where 500 cal/d is
considered to be a safe and healthy deficit.
The energy map can be modified (as in Figure 3) by
plotting a target line parallel to the equilibrium line, with
a 500-cal approach to equilibrium. Shifting the operating
point so that it lies somewhere on this target line is a better
approach to losing fat. In principle, it should not matter
what path is followed vertical, horizontal, or at some
angle in moving from the operating point to the target
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September 2010
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5,000
Target
Equilibrium
4,000
3,000
Target point
Operating Point
Example meal 1
Example meal 2
Example meal 3
One whole
egg and six egg
whites scrambled.
4 oz grilled
chicken breast
1 oz oatmeal
3 oz brown rice
Three carrots
One sliced
banana
One apple
2,000
1,000
Fat Gain Zone
0
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
Energy In, cal/d
4,000
5,000
S Figure 4. Revise your energy map to determine your target food intake.
Two scoops
whey protein
mixed with water
32% protein
40% protein
39% protein
50% carbohydrates
44% carbohydrates
48% carbohydrates
18% fat
16% fat
13% fat
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Career Catalyst
Iron as a catalyst
You can use iron as a catalyst to speed up the process
and enhance selectivity, although this does not refer to
catalysts in the traditional sense. It is about pumping iron
i.e., weight training.
Weight training is an excellent tool for both men and
women, and it brings many benefits that are not offered by
other types of exercise. First, it improves body composition by stimulating lean muscle growth. Second, the new
muscle tissue increases metabolism, so your daily energy
consumption will increase and your operating point will
move up even when you are resting. Finally, weight training stimulates the secretion of hormones that control the
biochemical processes involved in burning fat (5).
However, several common misconceptions discourage
people from weight training. The first is that it will make a
person too bulky. This is not true. Bodybuilding is only one
of many ways to use weights. Most people who train with
weights become less bulky, because muscle is denser than
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25.0%
Body Fat
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
Plan
Actual
5.0%
0%
0
10 11 12
Weeks
Men:
F = 86.010log10(WC NC) 70.041log10(H) + 36.76
Women:
F = 163.205log10(WC + HC NC) 97.684log10(H) 78.387
where F = body fat, %; H = height, in.; WC = waist circumference, in.; NC = neck circumference, in.; HC = hips
circumference, in. All measurements must be taken to
within 1/4 in.
You can plot your goal as a straight line on a chart of
body fat vs. time. Figure 6 shows a plan to lose one-half
percentage point per week. This is feasible for most people
operating with an energy deficit, eating sufficient protein,
and exercising with weights.
Every week, take your measurements, calculate your
body fat, and plot the point on the chart. A point on or
below the straight line is a good sign, whereas a point above
the line indicates that something is not working. If there
is no improvement for several consecutive weeks, it is a
Literature Cited
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Final thoughts
The connection between chemical engineering and getting into better shape brings a scientific approach to your
efforts, rather than blindly following someone elses advice
and hoping for the best.
This is not just an academic discussion by applying
the principles I have described, I have lost over 40 lb and
8 in. from my waist. More importantly, I have also kept it
off for two years.
Finally, anyone working in the process industries
knows that health and safety considerations are foremost,
and this is certainly also the case here. That means you
should aim for a gradual improvement that is sustainable.
Do not be tempted by drastic measures and fad diets. These
often do more harm than good in the long term. Although
my title is Dr., please be aware that this comes from my
PhD in chemical engineering and that I am not a medical
doctor. You should consult your own doctor before putting
any of the ideas in this article into practice.
CEP
NICK HALLALE, PhD, is the creator of The Apollo Program, a novel system
that combines chemical engineering principles with the classical
Greek approach to health and tness (Phone: +44 (0)7939659392;
Website: www.apollo-program.com; Email: nick@apollo-program.
com). An internationally recognized expert in pinch technology, he has
provided consulting services to companies around the world as well as
the British government, and has delivered presentations at numerous
AIChE meetings. He taught at the Univ. of Manchester for three years,
has published around 40 journal papers and articles, and contributed
to two textbooks and the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical
Technology. In his mid-30s, unhappy with his poor health and physical
condition, he decided to apply his chemical engineering background to
the challenge of getting back into shape. He superimposed mass and
energy balancing and other engineering concepts onto his extensive
research into the diet and exercise methods employed by ancient
Greek athletes. He tested the system on himself with great success,
documented his transformation, and created a downloadable 12-week
course that emulates the classical Greek ideal of a natural, athletic
body. This is his third article for CEP, and he burned an estimated 2,500
cal while typing it! He holds a BSc and PhD in chemical engineering
from the Univ. of Cape Town.
CEP
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