Homepage Stijn van WilligenStijn van Willigen2023-02-25T15:41:49+00:00

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🔬 Fat loss specialist. Science based. For busy people.
🌱 Founder recipe app @weekmeals (for a greener planet)
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😟 Some men seem to believe a bite of tofu will

😟 Some men seem to believe a bite of tofu will make their balls fall off, since soy products contain estrogen-like isoflavones.⁣
⁣
A major review of more than 15 studies on this subject concluded that eating soy products has no effect on testosterone levels in men. [1]
⁣
However, this review also included research on elderly men with prostate cancer.⁣
⁣
Therefore, I took a scrutinizing look at the studies done in young healthy men, and left out any data I deemed not high quality enough. The image shows the results.⁣
⁣
According to the image, in the worst case scenario, eating more than 300 g of tofu (or equivalent of isoflavones) per day may cause a trivial decrease in testosterone.

A recent meta-analysis from 2021 looked at all relevant studies since the review from 2010.

It concluded that in men neither soy nor isoflavone intake affects levels of total testosterone, free testosterone, estradiol or estrone. [2]

… even when participants consumed soy for longer periods of time, exceeding the typical Japanese intake.

Study references:
1. Hamilton-Reeves 2010, Pubmed ID: 19524224
2. Reed 2021, Pubed ID: 33383165

Finish carousel ➡️ Tap for post overview. Tak

Finish carousel ➡️ Tap for post overview.

Take-away:
Feeling like you belong, are competent, and have freedom of choice at work is strongly linked to better sleep, less anxiety, and less depressive symptoms. Better sleep translates to a higher quality of life and more fat loss and muscle growth.

Definitions 3 highly validated basic *psychological* needs (ABC):
🌟Autonomy: I feel like I can safely be myself and make my own choices.
❤️Belonging: I feel respected, understood, and cared for.
🚀Competence: I feel that my skills and contributions are valuable.

🎬 How to apply:
1️⃣ **Do important work you're good at.** Ideally it aligns with your personal values (for example Social justice, Pleasure, National security, etc.), and your skills are valued. This enhances sense of Autonomy and Competence.

2️⃣ **Invest in colleague relationships.** For example learn more about their personal interests, openly and acceptingly listen to their life struggles, etc. This enhances Belonging.

3️⃣ **Find work with a better manager.** Need-supportive managers begin from the employee perspective and encourage self-initiation and self-direction (autonomy), remain positive that the employee can succeed (competence), and develop a warm interpersonal climate (belonging) [9].

Study references (and Pubmed IDs):
1. Meta-analysis Lim & Dinges (2010): 20438143
2. Curcio et al. (2006): 16564189
3. Meta-analysis Benca et al. (1992): 1386215
4. Strine & Chapman (2005): 15680291
5. Nedeltcheva et al. (2010): 20921542
6. Wang et al. (2018): 29438540
7. Deci & Ryan (2007): The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior.
8. Niemiec et al. (2022): 35139261
9. Ng et al. (2012): 26168470
10. Campbell et al. (2006): University students’ sleep during an exam period: the role of basic psychological needs and stress
11. Campbell et al. (2008): Examining the role of psychological need satisfaction in sleep: A Self-Determination Theory perspective

⏱️ Quick, plant based, protein rich, helps fat

⏱️ Quick, plant based, protein rich, helps fat loss.

Because there’s a recipe for ~525 kcal (typical for ~1500 kcal diet) and ~700 kcal (typical for ~1900 kcal diet).

You may want to use another type of plant based minced beef, but “Beyond mince” has macros very similar to ground beef.

The plant based versions have ~8 g less protein (but is still high protein).

Eating less calories than you burn is *always* key for fat loss. (No, rice is not going to make you fat.)

See story highlight “Calorie burn per day” to determine your ballpark daily calorie intake for weight loss.

🔪 Total ingredients to prepare for:

🙍 ~525 kCal, ~28 g protein, 1 person:
100 g (4 oz) Beyond mince OR Ground beef
35 g (1.5 oz) Lettuce, mix
2 tbsp (36 g) Salsa sauce (mild)
2 tbsp (20 g) Violife grated OR Shredded cheese (mild)
2 piece (80 g) Tortilla wraps (medium size)

🙍 ~700 kCal, ~33 g protein, 1 person:
*Added* 0.25 piece (45 g) Avocado
125 g (5 oz) Beyond mince OR Ground beef
35 g (1.5 oz) Lettuce, mix
3 tbsp (56 g) Salsa sauce (mild)
2 tbsp (20 g) Violife grated OR Shredded cheese (mild)
2 piece (80 g) Tortilla wraps (medium size)

👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 1x weight loss option ~525 kCal + 1x typical adult + 2x child:
0.25 piece (45 g) Avocado
425 g (17 oz) Beyond mince OR Ground beef
140 g (6 oz) Lettuce, mix
9 tbsp (164 g) Salsa sauce (mild)
8 tbsp (80 g) Violife grated OR Shredded cheese (mild)
8 piece (320 g) Tortilla wraps (medium size)

👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 1x weight loss option ~700 kCal + 1x typical adult + 2x child:
0.5 piece (90 g) Avocado
450 g (18 oz) Beyond mince OR Ground beef
140 g (6 oz) Lettuce, mix
10 tbsp (184 g) Salsa sauce (mild)
8 tbsp (80 g) Violife grated OR Shredded cheese (mild)
8 piece (320 g) Tortilla wraps (medium size)

Finish carousel ➡️ Tap for post overview. In

Finish carousel ➡️ Tap for post overview.

In collaboration with @shannonbillowsfitness

Graph based on data from a study that @thealanaragon @james.krieger, and @bradschoenfeldphd contributed to.

Take-away:
When you lift weights while dieting (calorie deficit), you will very likely maintain/gain more muscle and burn more (belly) body fat.

🎬 How to apply:
1️⃣ **Sleep enough.** Fundamental and most important to burning more fat (and maintaining/growing muscle).

2️⃣ **Lift weights consistently.** Commit to 2-3 weight training sessions per week of 30-45 min.

3️⃣ **Eat enough protein.** The current research standing indicates 1.5 g /kg (0.7 g /lb) is optimal for women.

Of course, all these while staying in a calorie deficit.

Footnote 1: We actually took the average of month 3 and month 4 figures of the study, since the month 4 muscle measurements for the weightlifting group were very unexpected: they suddenly lost 1.5 lbs muscle in 1 month. This measurement was possibly due to a shift of glycogen/water content of the muscle, the authors state. A further supporting argument: this unexpected result is not in line with other findings in the scientific literature.

Study references:
1. Miller et al. (2010): Pubmed ID 28871849
2. Bouchard et al. (2009): Pubmed ID 18779759
3. Beavers et al. (2017): Pubmed ID 29086504
4. Clark et al. (2015): Pubmed ID 25973403

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