[What if a brief exercise of 60-90 seconds, made it less likely that this dessert would get stored as body fat? That is exactly one of the things Tim Ferriss explores in The 4-Hour Body].

Brief Muscular Contractions a Few Minutes Before You Eat?

So most of you probably know that after an intense workout, food calories are less likely to get stored as body fat. A simplistic explanation is that your muscles are depleted of glycogen and that a lot of the calories you eat at this time simply serve to refuel these depleted muscles. What I did not know was how little the stimulus needs to be in order for this to happen. Tim has found that this effect can happen in as little as 60-90 seconds. The proper activity done a few minutes before eating can encourage food calories to get shuttled into the muscle cells, before it has a chance to get stored as body fat.

Encouraging Insulin to Store Food Energy Into Muscle Cells

What exercise does is increase a substance in your body called GLUT-4 (glucose transporter type 4). Tim explains that exercise will encourage insulin to store calories in the muscle cells:

"The more muscular gates we have open before insulin triggers the same GLUT-4 on the surface of fat cells, the more we can put calories in muscle instead of fat".

In The 4-Hour Body, Tim talks about a study which compares the effect of 280 seconds of intense exercise to a 6 hour low intensity exercise session. What the study found was that 280 seconds of intense exercise increased Glut-4 in the muscle by 83%…and 6 hours of lower intensity exercise increased it by 91%. So 280 seconds of exercise had almost the same effect as 6 hours when it comes to increasing GLUT-4 levels.

From 280 Seconds…Down to 60-90 Seconds

So Tim suggests that you keep the pre meal and post meal exercise down to 60-90 seconds. The GLUT-4 levels will increase with this amount of exercise, but it will drop down to normal levels after 1-4 hours. Tim recommends doing 60 seconds of exercise right before eating and 90 minutes after eating. Why 90 minutes? He has found that blood glucose levels to be the highest 90 minutes after eating.

The "Air Squat" is Tim's Exercise of Choice

[The guys in this video do a great job of demonstrating Air Squats.]

"Killing Two Birds With One Stone"

If there was one weakness in my physique, it would be flexibility…particularly the lower back, hips, and hamstrings. As I've outlined in previous articles, actively stretching the muscles through a full range of motion is the key to flexibility. Doing traditional stretches has a much shorter lasting effect. Special Forces Trainer, Scott Sonnon explains this proper way to increase flexibility in an interview I did with him a while back. So these Air Squats will improve flexibility over time, especially if you are performing them a few times per day. For me this is almost as big of a benefit as the "calorie shuttling" effect.

Tim Also Recommends Two Other Exercises

Wall Presses & Chest Pulls are the other two exercise that Tim recommends. These are to be done for 30-50 reps. Even if you can do 30-50 push ups you will want to stick with wall presses, because you don't want these pre and post meal exercises to interfere with your normal workouts. What Tim calls chest pulls in his book are more commonly known as "Band Pull Aparts". Here is a video demonstrating that exercise.

[The closer your hands are together on the band, the more resistance this will provide. So in order to get 30-50 reps, you may have to begin with your hands wider than a shoulder width grip. The resistance also depends upon the band being used.]

No Need to Use These Exact Exercises

The main thing it looks like Tim is accomplishing with these three exercises is working the entire body. The air squats seem like a great idea, because these can be done anywhere. Then you would just chose some sort of pushing movement and a pulling movement and you would be good to go. Just make sure and do around 30-50 reps and don't push so hard that this interferes with your normal workouts.

How I Plan on Using This Strategy

I'll bring a pair of resistance bands to my work space and do these brief exercises for at least one meal per day. Once I develop this habit, I may apply it to two meals per day. Typically I eat 3 times per day when I'm not doing an ESE style fast. At least one of my meals is eaten an hour after intense training, so no need to add additional exercise before that meal.

Note: I highly recommend The 4-Hour Body, by the way. I don't agree with everything Tim recommends, but there is easily enough helpful tweaks to make it worth your time and money. Tim's Blog —> Four Hour Work Week Blog.

[This my latest candy of choice. They are kind of sick and good all at the same time. A slightly weird chemical flavor, but the texture is outstanding! This is for more advanced gummy connoisseurs, who are ready to move on past Gummy Bears and Swedish Fish.]

A "Thanks" to All of the Fitness Guys Who Have Come Clean

I love the trend of guys with fitness blogs who aren't afraid to admit they like food that some people consider "junk food". For instance, one of my favorite things this past year was Brad Pilon chomping down a pizza, while Craig Ballantyne sprinted on a treadmill. They were trying to show you can't out train a high calorie diet. I also love the Martin Berkhan's Cheesecake Mastery posts over on his Lean Gains site (where he eats an entire cheesecake with hilarious photos). This is a good trend, because who wants to have out with someone who won't let their guard down and "eat like the locals".

Sacrificing Everything to Stay Lean is a Huge Mistake

It is easy to go overboard in your quest to get in top shape…especially if you are just starting out. It is cool to be uber-strict for short periods of time, like getting in shape for your wedding or a vacation…but don't make uber-strict your lifestyle. Life it too short for that! So lets get to the carb tips. Again…you are most likely not ever going to follow all of these…pick and chose what works for you.

1) Never Eat Carbs Alone – Always Eat With Protein or Fat

I learned this principle back in the early 90's. I am pretty sure I read about it in an issue of Muscle Media 2000. This was the small magazine Bill Philips published before he became huge. The reason you don't want to eat carbs alone is that it is more likely to spike your blood sugar and raise your insulin levels. When your insulin levels are high, you cannot burn body fat. When you add protein or fat to a carb source, it slows digestion and makes it less likely that you will have a strong insulin response. I break this rule at the movie theater on a regular basis (Diet Coke and Red Vines), but for the most part I follow this rule and it has served me well. There is one exception to this rule…fruit is fine to eat alone, since the fiber slows down digestion (learned this from Bova – Spartan Health Regimen in 2002-2003).

2) Drink as Few Carbs As Possible

I know some people believe Diet Coke to be the worst substance known to man, but I drink it on a regular basis. One thing I won't touch is regular soda. Regular soda and those Frappuccino style coffee drinks have contributed to the obesity problem in a big way. You can get a meal's worth of calories in one of those fancy coffee drinks…if you are going to drink coffee drink it black…or with a smidge of cream. Whenever possible try to avoid drinks that contain calories. This rule will serve you well. The only exception of course is beer but most likely you aren't drinking enough of it to make a huge impact on daily calories.

3) No Carbs Before or During Your Workouts

I was tempted to make this #1. I avoid carbs at all costs before training and would never drink an energy drink while training. I want my body to use stored body fat for energy during a workout session, not "food energy". I do realize that a lot of calories are burned after training and a lot of people argue that they don't have energy when training in a fasted state. If you can learn to train in a fasted state you may actually have more energy, NOT less. I have written a whole post on this exact subject… Fasted Workouts and Fasted Cardio vs EPOC – For Fat Loss

4) Eat the Heaviest Carb Meals After Your Workout

This isn't a rule I have followed recently, but it works like a charm. I believe I learned this tip from Tom Venuto in his BTFFTM book in 2002 or 2003. The reason why this works well is that your muscles will absorb a lot of the nutrients you eat right after training. If you do eat a bunch of carbs right after training, they will be much less likely to get stored as fat. Some of the leanest people I know eat their biggest carb heavy meals within 2 hours after training and taper down the carbs the rest of the day. I don't eat like this anymore because I now train in the morning and like to eat my biggest meal at night.

5) Starchy Carbs Earlier in the Day Fibrous Carbs at Night

This is another thing I learned from Tom Venuto quite a few years back. As it gets later in the day, make sure your carb sources are mainly fibrous. So if you love bread and potatoes and want to eat them, either eat them earlier in the day or right after training – (Tip 4). In the evening, go for green vegetables, salads, etc. Try to fill up on green veggies and a good protein source, while minimizing the amount of starchy carbs. I break this rule all of the time, because I often eat my biggest meal at night. I will only follow this rule if I am trying to get ultra-lean.

6) Go Paleo Every So Often

I love the idea of eating Paleo and to be honest I like the way it makes my body feel. While I'm not committed to the full-blown Paleo lifestyle, I do like to go low carb for short periods of time. I also like to make Paleo meals. It is fun to get creative and figure out ways to make a meal with no wheat, rice, potatoes, etc. This is fun to do to just switch things up…plus some of my favorite blogs are based on the Paleo lifestyle.

7) No Carbs After 7:00 PM (or any other set time)

This is a tough rule to follow. I know a lot of people would put this as #1, but I think it is too rigid to follow on a regular basis. I don't think it is a good idea to eat a bunch of carbs right before bed, but if you are craving some carbs then a little bit won't kill you. In fact, if you do an intermittent style fast on a particular day and eat a late dinner…then a decent amount of carbs will be fine. If you are someone who trains after work, then these night carbs won't hurt either. I do see this strategy as a good one if you are trying to reach lower than normal levels of body fat, but not a hard rule the rest of the time.

Summary: My hope is that adding one or two of these tips, will help you get past a fat loss sticking point. The most important thing is to simply create a calorie deficit through diet and exercise, but tweaking your carbs can make your diet that much more effective.

One Final Thing: Tom Venuto just put up a really good free mp3 on carb tips (for those who want to get extra-lean). This mp3 is only available for a few days, so download it now. There is a PDF as well, but I suggest simply listening to the mp3 while you are cruising the net, checking e-mails, FB, etc—> Limited MP3

[If you glance in the mirror and you look a little like this after chowing down some crackers or eating a snickerdoodle, then you might have a wheat allergy. If you don't have a wheat allergy...you at least need to change something, because this isn't a good look.]

"I Love Gluten. Let Me Count the Ways…"

I didn't know how much I enjoyed wheat until I really thought about it. I don't eat pizza as much as some people, but a good New York style pizza with a frosty mug of beer that is large enough to challenge your forearm muscles and grip? Yes please! I like to get an over-sized pastry at least 1-2 times per week at a French bakery downtown that also serves rockin' espresso. Typically it is a massive snickerdoodle or scone. Basically I just point at whatever gluten filled snack catches my eye in the glass case, as the barista is preparing my Double Americano. Just typing this makes me crave a frisbee-sized cookie.

How Could Something "That Feels so Right, Be Wrong"?

Eliminating wheat from my diet is not going to happen. My favorite beers have wheat in them, so that is a "no".

Speaking of beer, I am pretty much hooked on "Leffe Blonde". This tastes similar to a Hoegaarden or Mothership Wit, but with a little more kick. If you are into beer, give this a try. They carry this at "Whole Foods Market" for those who live in the US, Canada, or the UK.

This is the perfect Friday when you get home beer, to get you out of work mode. Also goes good with nachos, pizza, or hot wings.

They do make gluten free beer, and we will discuss that, but I can't eliminate wheat filled beer from my diet. It is painful just thinking about it!

Wheat Allergies and Gluten

To be honest I probably have a gluten allergy, but I like to use the term wheat allergy…it is easier to envision. So let's talk about gluten. What is gluten. I see "gluten free" labels on food all the time, but what are those foods freeing us from? So gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. The obvious uses for gluten is in breads and baked goods, but they sneak gluten into many other foods. Gluten can be used as an additive in other foods such as ice cream and ketchup.

Only 1 in 133 People Have Full-Blown Gluten Intolerance

The research I conducted showed that less than 1% of the population has full-blown gluten intolerance. This is called celiac disease, which is pretty serious and results in damage to the small intestine when gluten is consumed. Some signs of celiac disease are abdominal bloating and pain, chronic diarrhea, vomiting after eating foods containing gluten. If you are reading this and experiencing serious symptoms like this, then click on that link and then see your doctor as well.

Gluten-Free Beer is Discussed Here…so Cheer!

Yeah…bad rhyming skillz, I know (sorry to the poets).

This beer is called Redbridge and it is probably the easiest to locate since it is made by Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser).

Here is an updated list of gluten free beers. This link has a list of 23 breweries around the globe that carry gluten-free beer.

Here is a gluten-free beer review with comments. I like the sound of St. Peters Brewery in the UK. Their G-Free beer supposedly has a taste similar to Blue Moon. I will search this down at my local beer import market.

Many of Us Just Have Mild Wheat Allergies

I typically feel better after a wheat free meal than when I eat one containing wheat. My girlfriend is the same way. One of the big reasons I enjoy Marks Daily Apple and Feel Good Eating is that I can find great low-carb recipes and ideas of gluten free foods. I like to eat paleo when I need to be productive, and add in the carbs at night or on the weekend when I want to relax. I simply love carbs too much to be carb-free.

My Approach Will Be Part-Time Paleo & Part-Time Gluten Free

So I Google'd "gluten free" and found a bunch of places that offer gluten free products. Big companies like Whole Foods have a wide selection of gluten-free products, but try and support a local business if possible as well. I try my best to support small local businesses, because they tend to give back and care about the community. I found a cool little bakery called Wheatless In Seattle that is really close to where I live. They have gluten-free breads, cookies, pizza, etc. There is a good chance that you have a similar place in your neighborhood. So I will simply do my best to buy gluten free alternatives when it it convenient. Mix in a few paleo meals and simply eat normal gluten-filled foods the rest of the time.

Note: I don't claim to be an expert on this subject at all, I really wanted to get some feedback and tips from others who have mild wheat allergies or full-blown gluten intolerance.

[Yeah, I probably overdo the fire effects on this site. I just couldn't resist with the word "scorch" in the title.]

-by Martin Berkhan

This article’s title was originally going to be “Food Choices That Kill Your Chance of Getting Lean” per Rusty’s suggestion. But it would be highly ironic if I, who regularly ate ice cream and cereal on my last cut to 5.5% body fat, told you that there are certain foods that would kill your chance of getting lean.

Besides that, there are about one billion articles on what foods cause fat gain or stall fat loss. You’ve seen them and it’s usually the same tired stuff. Do you guys need another article telling you to avoid white bread, fast food and hot pockets? Nope.

So I asked myself how to approach this topic and make it worth your while. There’s no food that, once you eat it, flips on a metabolic switch that completely shuts down fat burning and weight loss if you’re maintaining a daily caloric deficit. It’s a question of quantity, moderation and context.

[Martin Berkhan at 5.5% body fat]

I believe most foods can be consumed in the right context, but should be avoided in another context, in order to optimize body recomposition and fat loss. For example, most of my clients consume a fair amount of starchy carbohydrates following a workout. This isn’t a problem because it’s part of optimizing the plan. In this context, starchy carbs are great for restoring muscle glycogen. On rest days however, my clients might skip starches, eating fewer carbs and more satiating ones. This strategy optimizes satiety, fat loss, diet adherence and performance.

That being said, there are some foods that should be ditched first from your diet if weight loss is stalling or if you want to speed things up. Same thing goes if you just want to make the diet as easy and painless as possible. Having reviewed and created hundreds of meal plans throughout the years, I know a little something about this topic.

Your diet is where you fix things first and foremost. Adding more cardio when your diet is suboptimal is an inefficient and time-wasting strategy that will result in an increased risk of burnout and overtraining.

In this article I’ll spotlight a few less-than-obvious staples that people tend to include in their diets. These are foods that people generally think of as “healthy” and diet friendly, when they can be diet killers in disguise.

Nuts, protein bars and dried fruit

Nuts in all their various forms are the most overrated and overhyped foods in the “health conscious” community. Just because it’s a natural food doesn’t mean it’s all that diet friendly or even healthy for that matter.

Packing a higher calorie density than chocolate, it’s no big mystery that people easily overdo it with nuts. Some people rationalize a high nut consumption by saying it’s a healthy and natural snack, but this is wrong. Nuts contain an incomplete amino acid profile and consist mostly of plant fats. The westernized diet is already highly unbalanced in the omega 3: omega 6-ratio—the polyunsaturated fats from nuts certainly won’t help.

Optimize the fat composition of your diet by kicking nuts to the curb and add more fish, that’s my recommendation. You’ll be more satiated and healthier to boot.

A protein bar is nothing more than a chocolate bar with slightly higher protein content and crappier taste. A whopping 300 calories for a bar that you’ll gulf down in a few minutes is crazy. For most women that amount makes up about ¼-1/5 of the daily total calorie intake needed to lose fat efficiently. Besides that, eating protein bars to up your protein intake isn’t a great strategy as a bar’s protein content makes up only about 30-40% of its calories. You could down half a Snickers bar and a protein shake, and end up consuming fewer calories with a better nutritional breakdown than having your typical protein bar. Protein bars are nothing more than glamorized candy. And you don’t eat candy on a regular basis if you want to optimize fat loss and diet adherence.

Unprocessed fruit is good, but dried fruit including dried apricots, dates and raisins are just sugar lumps with some extra fiber. These snacks have high calorie density and tend to stimulate hunger rather than quench it. Out of the three popular snacks discussed here, dried fruit may just be the worst of the lot. You don’t want or need them on a fat loss diet.

Shakes

Shakes, liquids and anything else that resembles baby food shouldn’t stay on menu when it’s time to shave off calories or make your diet more manageable and painless. This includes “recovery shakes” with high-glycemic index carbs and protein shakes, fruit juices, milk and yogurt. Packing a good deal of calories in proportion to the little satiety they provide, liquid calories have no place in your diet other than for convenience.

Think you need a “recovery shake” post-workout? Think again. Unless you’re an elite athlete training twice a day and need to refill muscle glycogen as fast as possible for your next training session, “fast carbs” are a complete waste of calories. Your time (and money) is better spent with whole food carbohydrates that offer chewing resistance.

Are you drinking whey protein shakes throughout the day because you’re too lazy to cook or eat real food? Well, if you’re too lazy to step into the kitchen or chew your food, you’re probably not going to reach your fat loss goals anyway. I’d rather have you learn to savour a good steak with veggies rather than rapidly chugging insulin-spiking and appetite-triggering whey protein shakes. Liquid calories should be replaced with whole foods, including your protein choices. But if you must supplement your diet with protein shakes, I recommend casein or milk protein isolate over whey.

What about those vitamin drinks, smoothies and fruit juices people are drinking to make sure they’re getting enough antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals? Another complete waste of calories Do you think you risk missing vital nutrients if you cut these “health drinks” out from your diet? It’s actually the other way around: strong evidence suggests that overdoing intake of antioxidants and vitamins can negatively affect your health and your training results. A balanced diet with wholesome foods such as meat, eggs, berries, veggies and some starches, doesn’t need vitamin or antioxidant support. It has everything in abundance. If you’re still paranoid, take a multivitamin with your first meal.

Breakfast

I apologize in advance to readers who were expecting a third group of food items that I think should be ditched from your diet. This is in part tongue-in-cheek. There is nothing inherently bad about breakfast. Nor is there anything inherently good about it either. But for me, skipping breakfast was the single greatest diet fix I ever made and the one that allowed me to really take it to the next level in terms of lowering my body fat. There’s a lesson in here, so keep reading even if you don’t think you can live without breakfast.

I was never a breakfast person in the sense that I wasn’t hungry in the morning and preferred to eat later in the day and evening. Yet I forced myself to eat breakfast on every diet attempt I made until a few years ago. I believed breakfast was absolutely crucial for a few different reasons.

First, sleeping supposedly leaves your muscles without a steady supply of amino acids for several hours, making breakfast crucial to keep your muscles from falling off.
Second, my poor fragile metabolism apparently couldn’t handle a few hours without food before completely shutting down.

And third, breakfast-eaters were on average healthier and weighed less than breakfast-skippers so there had to be something good about it, right?

One day I looked into all of this—the actual studies that is, and not what I had learned through fitness magazines and supplement ads. Guess what? All of those claims about the healthiness of breakfast, muscle catabolism and metabolic rate were wrong.

I’ve written a lot about this topic on my blog, but let me provide the main points.

Your metabolism doesn’t scavenge amino acids from your muscles after an overnight fast. Fatty acid metabolism is highly up-regulated, but muscle catabolism doesn’t occur in short-term fasting for up to 24 hours. If you’re still paranoid about this (I am), make sure to eat some slowly absorbed protein before bed, such as cottage cheese, egg white protein or meat with veggies (the extra fiber will slow absorption as meat is generally considered a “fast” protein). Another thing to keep in mind is the very slow absorption rate of whole food proteins. We’re talking a few grams per hour, which means that a mixed meal with 40-50 grams of protein will maintain a steady level of amino acids in your bloodstream well through the night and into the next day. The belief that a few hours without food will cause muscle catabolism is absurd.

Metabolic rate does not slow down during short-term fasting. It actually increases slightly. That’s probably the complete opposite from what you’ve heard, but this is an undisputed fact. It takes more than three days without food before metabolic rate is negatively affected via down-regulation of thyroid activity. That skipping breakfast or missing a meal affects metabolic rate, a myth still propagated in the fitness and health community, is ludicrous.

What about those studies showing breakfast is healthy and people that eat breakfast weigh less than breakfast-skippers? Those are all correlational studies. Skipping breakfast is connected to a certain dysregulated eating behavior that predisposes people to weigh more. The Average Joe or Jane breakfast-skipper is the personality type to grab a donut on the way to work, eat junk food for lunch and finish the day off with a big dinner and snack in front of the TV. Those studies have no relevance to the conscious dieter that skips breakfast as a fat loss strategy.

Summary

<-----------End of Article----------->

Make sure and visit Lean Gains and learn more tips for getting lean from Martin. He actually has one of the more entertaining posts I have ever read where he downs an entire cheescake: Cheesecake Mastery Part 2: Easter '10 Massacre. In fact, the picture from that post is so clever, I have to post it here. All former video game geeks will instantly know what this is all about. The comments on the post are hilarious. People told him it was irresponsible, he was setting a bad example, etc. I give him props for crushing the entire cheesecake (plus being able to pull off the Fatality in style).

I Was GNC's Best Customer at the Age of 17

When I first started training over 22 years ago, I used to buy protein powders and amino acids from GNC. I would go to GNC so often that I knew where just about every brand and every supplement was. I bought all the popular products of 1987…Smilax, Hot Stuff, Mega Mass 2000, Met-RX, you name it and I could tell you what aisle it was on. I was 17 working as a prep cook in a sit down Mexican Restaurant…and a lot of my earnings went towards supplements.

Is That Patchouli Oil I Smell?

…Fast forward 5 years. I am 22 years old it is the summer of 1992 and I am listening to a tape mixed with techno and alternative rock (living in Seattle in the early 90's, was a great time for alternative rock/grunge). I am done working out at Gold's Gym and I stop to get some groceries at Safeway. In the strip mall is a small store called "Karen's Natural Health Remedies" (something along those lines). I walk in and a bell rings and a young guy with a seriously bushy beard greets me…sitting at his feet is a large German Shepherd.

I Was Lost In a Sea of Strange Bottles and Odd Smells

This place didn't smell too bad or anything, I was just used to that typical vitamin and protein powder smell. I walked down aisle after aisle and had no idea what I was looking at. How could a 5 year supplement store veteran get stumped in a supplement store? It was a classic case of "You Don't Know What You Don't Know". Make no mistake about it…the typical "fitness health food store" and "organic whole foods" health stores are two entirely different worlds.

Speaking of Bushy Beards & Alternative Rock…

[I need to break up this lengthy post....the main singer of Band of Horses has one of the best voices in alternative rock in my opinion...amazing album by the way!]

Even the Workout Venues Differ Between These Groups

These are going to be complete generalizations, but just bear with me. The whole foods group is inclined to do things such as mountain climbing, hiking, cross country skiing, and kayaking. The fitness group is more likely to do activities like working out in a gym, running stairs, doing sprint intervals around a track, crossfit, etc. There is some overlap obviously and this is NOT even close to 100% true, but I certainly see some trends in this direction.

Transitioning from Powders and Pills to "Real" Food

Shortly before I started this blog (about 3 years ago), I began replacing my breakfast protein drink with a real breakfast of eggs and yogurt. I continued drinking protein shakes for lunch, but phased them out a year later. I guess I like the idea of getting all my nutrition from natural organic food. It just mentally feels right to eat a meal full of vegetables and organic protein sources than it does drinking a shake. Note: I always ate real food at dinner, but a lot of the times it was two shakes during the day.

I Basically Went From One Extreme to the Other

…while eating nothing but whole foods has felt good, I began getting sick every so often. When I was drinking Myoplex protein shakes each day, I never ever got sick. In fact, I went 10+ years without getting sick at one point and the only constant was drinking 1-2 vitamin fortified protein shakes each day. Perhaps I was too harsh on taking Supplements? Heck, I wrote a free report called "The Supplement Conspiracy". A lot of the message included was good, but maybe a bit too extreme. I now believe that in some cases, supplementation is great. Perhaps a multivitamin, occasional protein shake, etc.

Healthy Whole Foods Mixed With Some Supplements

The best way of training and nutrition is a hybrid of these two schools of health and fitness. I like intense focus exercise mixed with outdoor activities. I enjoy organic green vegetables, but also like the convenience of a protein shake to serve as the occasional meal replacement.

A Couple of Hybrid Fitness Enthusiasts Who I Respect

Mark Sisson of "Mark's Daily Apple" is a guy who trains like a typical gym fitness expert, but who eats organic healthy foods. Bova of Spartan Health Regimen is also a guy who implements intense fat burning workouts, but stays lean with natural whole foods. I actually just started taking cod liver oil mixed with molasses like Bova recommends. It is an potent natural immune system booster. Anyway, much respect to these guys and there are many others who take a balanced approach to heath and fitness.

Note: I could easily write 30-40 more paragraphs regarding these different worlds of health and fitness, but I would rather have you guys comment and add in your 2 cents. What are some of the ways you like to mix in whole foods vs supplements…gym workouts vs outdoor activities, etc.

My One Meal Per Day Warrior Diet Post Has 1,371 Comments!

Back in June of 2007, I wrote a post called Lose Body Fat By Eating One Meal Per Day. It was basically outlining The Warrior Diet and explaining to people that they could lose weight without having to eat 6 meals per day. Little did I know that this post would become so popular! I rarely see blogs with over 300 comments on a single post, let alone 1,300! Reading and responding to the comments on this post, I found many others who lost body fat following The Warrior Diet. I had been experimenting with it on and off up until that point…but June 2007 is when I fully adopted The Warrior Diet lifestyle.

A Basic Outline of The Warrior Diet

The Warrior Diet is a method of eating where you aim to eat one big meal per day at night. For the most part you fast during the day. On some days you can eat a bit of fruit, but for maximum effect you fast until dinner whenever possible. Once you eat, you have a 3-4 hour window to eat until you are full. You are suppose to listen to your body and eat until you are satisfied instead of aiming for a specific calorie range.

Why the Warrior Diet is Effective

The Warrior Diet works well, because while you are fasting your body releases HGH and also is much more likely to use fat for fuel. Since you consume your daily calories in one big meal, you can eat higher calorie foods while still creating a calorie deficit for weight loss. Countless people have done well following this diet, after being unable to lose fat following the "eat every few hours approach". The Warrior Diet is a big step in the right direction.

My First Big Mistake With The Warrior Diet

The biggest mistake I made when following The Warrior Diet, was to use it as an excuse to be able to eat junky food while still being able to stay lean. I figured if I had 2,200-2,500 to work with in one meal…I could regularly eat pizza, nachos, large plates of pasta, etc. The problem was that I underestimated the calories and would go way over this mark. Also, I was eating unhealthy foods on a consistent basis.

I Switched to Healthy Foods, But Still Faced Challenges

After putting on a little bit of body fat, I decided it was time to clean up my diet. Here was the big problem…my appetite was massive at night and I was able to fit a lot of food in my stomach. Eating one BIG meal was giving me the capacity to eat bigger and bigger meals (my stomach was expanding a bit). Even if the food was healthy I tended to eat everything in excess. I would go to bed with a bloated stomach and wake up feeling a little groggy. I didn't do well with all of this food in my stomach.

Eating Like This Everyday Began to Feel Unnatural to Me

Now the great thing about The Warrior Diet is that you do have the flexibility to do eat like this just a few times per week or every day. The problem is that since those one meal days were focused on one big meal, my appetite was insane when I did eat. I just had a tough time "putting on the brakes" when I ate. Also, I couldn't get quite as lean as I was accustomed to being, by eating this way. I have a feeling it was due to the fact that there was food in my stomach when I went to sleep. This probably doesn't affect people with 20+ pounds to lose, but when you want to get extra lean…this does make a difference.

After One Solid Year of Eating Like This I Found Eat Stop Eat

At first glance Eat Stop Eat seemed like the same thing as The Warrior Diet. Although they both are forms of intermittent fasting, Eat Stop Eat is quite a bit different than the Warrior Diet. The differences weren't obvious until I read the course. This little post doesn't do the course justice, but I'll do my best to point out a few key differences.

A Video of Brad Pilon – Creator of Eat Stop Eat

[I just wanted to throw in a video to break up the long post. This is just a sample of one of Brad Pilon's videos. I have always recommended going into a workout in a fasted state and Brad Pilon shows the scientific reasoning behind this. He has a bunch of great videos for free over on Youtube: Brad's Youtube Channel.]

With Eat Stop Eat You Fast Until Dinner 1-2 Times Per Week

The good thing about Eat Stop Eat is that you only fast 1-2 times per week. This makes it an easier diet to follow in my opinion. The rest of the time you eat naturally, which for most people means 3-4 healthy meals per day. Brad doesn't want people to get food obsession and not enjoy the occasional pizza or other high calorie food, but if fat loss is your goal then you will want to limit this type of food. I like to eat mainly a paleo diet when possible…things like stir fry, salads, etc. The idea behind Eat Stop Eat is that it should be an easy to follow for the long term.

With Eat Stop Eat, You Never Purposely Eat a Big Meal

This is where most people go wrong with Eat Stop Eat: People assume that they eat one large meal like The Warrior Diet, but just do it twice per week. This is not the way Eat Stop Eat was meant to be followed. With Eat Stop Eat, you eat a regular size dinner (600-1,200 calorie range…a rough estimate). So 1-2 days per week, you are having a much lower calorie day than normal. So in essence this reduces you calorie intake by 10-20% each week.

The Reason You Can't Do an Eat Stop Eat Fast Every Day

Eat Stop Eat works because your body can easily handle a low calorie day every once in a while, without negatively affecting your metabolism. Try to do this every day and within 2-3 weeks bad things will happen. The Warrior Diet is different, you are getting your daily calories all in one meal. With Eat Stop Eat, you are striving for 1-2 low calorie days. Too many low calorie days in a row are what cause eating disorders. Fasting 1-2 times per week improves health. Fasting like this every day is not good for you at all.

My Verdict After a Solid Year Following Both Methods…

I have been able to get leaner following Eat Stop Eat. This isn't necessarily a flaw with The Warrior Diet, I just found that eating one big meal increased my capacity to eat bigger meals. Since I try to avoid big meals at night, I never go to bed with a bunch of food in my stomach. I have been able to get as lean as I'm accustomed to being. Tip: I used to use the fasting days as a way to get away with eating more calories at night. You will get better results if you make these strict, low calorie days. This will create that nice weekly calorie deficit.

Summary: This is just my experience with The Warrior Diet and Eat Stop Eat. Many people have done well following The Warrior Diet and continue to lose weight. Also, this post doesn't take place of either course. It is impossible to have full understanding of either method from just a few short posts. Hope my explanation cleared up any confusion regarding the 2 approaches to eating!

[For many years, fat used to be considered the devil. These days many people consider carbs to be harmful. Although I tend to lean towards the Paleo and Primal way of eating, I don't think carbs are evil. The key is to find your "sweet spot" and adjusting up or down depending upon your goals.]

A Study Comparing Low Carbohydrate and Low Fat Diets

Try to say this title quickly 3 times…A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Efficacy of Carbohydrate-Reduced or Fat-Reduced Diets in Patients Attending a Telemedically Guided Weight Loss Program. Basically two groups of 100 followed either a low carbohydrate diet or a low fat diet for 12 months. After 12 months the participants in each group lost a similar amount of weight, but the low carbohydrate group had lower HDL-cholesterol levels as well as lower systolic blood pressure than the low fat group. So the low carb group experienced some health benefits along with weight loss.

I'm Expecting a Good Debate on This Topic

There are people who have strong opinions about too much fat in the diet or too many carbs. I know that this site has a lot of readers who follow more of a primal (low carb) way of eating, so it will be a little slanted. Here are a few things, I'm hoping that both groups will agree on. I think it is best to show what the diets have in common before talking about the differences.

Fruits and Vegetables…Hard to Go Wrong Here

I know a lot of people just say this out of habit, but this really is the best place to start. When I grocery shop, I try to spend at least 75% of my time in the produce section. I feel great when the bottom of my shopping cart is full from this section. There is a bit of debate about whether the sugar in fruit will make it hard to lose weight. I have a good article about fruit here. It explains why fruit is the perfect food for our digestive tract and why it is probably the food we were meant to eat: Incredible Fruit Facts: Why Fruit Should Be A MUCH Larger Part of Your Diet!

Quality Sources of Protein Each Day

I know people will argue about how much protein you need, but there isn't any big arguments over the fact that you do need protein. The low fat group would be more inclined to focus on less fatty meats like chicken breasts, while the low carb group would have no problem eating meat with higher fat content. Vegetarians also focus on protein sources but typically have to combine incomplete protein sources to hit their protein requirement each day.

"What Else?" is Where the Debate Starts

You aren't going to easily get your daily calorie requirements from fruits, vegetables, and protein. So, what else do you include in your diet? Here is where the biggest disagreements occur between the followers of low carbohydrate dieting and low fat dieting.

'Low Fat' Advocates Claim…
…high fat diets raise cholesterol and cause heart disease.
…fat is more calorie dense than carbohydrates, making it easier to eat more calories per meal.
…studies comparing high-fat to low-fat meals show that people tend to eat more in the higher fat conditions.
…some people equate eating fat with putting on body fat (this is what some of the general population still believes…educated low fat advocates know better).
…too much fat intakes has been blamed for many chronic diseases.

'Low Carb' Advocates Claim…
…carbs raise insulin levels making it easier to put on fat and harder to lose that body fat.
…excessive carbs cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash, causing unpredictable energy levels.
…when dietary fat is too low, it can negatively affect hormone production.
…fat digests slowly in the stomach, making higher fat meals more satisfying. Low fat diets cause hunger and make people more likely to binge…eating a lot of food in one sitting.
…studies of the Mediterranean diet have found few problems in terms of heart disease despite a relatively high fat intake.
…we were not meant to have grains as the basis of our diet. A diet based on grains causes high insulin levels leading to inflammation, diabetes, and many of the modern chronic diseases that we didn't experience as hunters and gatherers (before we focused on grains).

So What is Right? A Low Fat Diet or a Low Carb Diet?

This health and fitness stuff is very confusing at time. My hope is that you study from numerous sources and make the best decision for your situation. To help you out a bit, I'll give you my personal experiences and opinions on both low fat and low carbohydrate diets…

It is Easy to Follow Low Carb Diet During the Week

I really like the way my body looks while eating low carb. I also like the way my body feels. I have more energy and I seem to be more productive. For me, this is the ideal way to eat Monday-Friday. This type of eating also makes it easier to follow the Eat Stop Eat method of eating…you typically don't get the strong cravings for food that moderate to high carb diets produce.

Tougher to Go Low Carb on the Weekend

I'm a social guy, so I do like to enjoy time with family and friends on the weekend. The challenge is that much of this time involves being around food that isn't low carb. So I do eat higher carb on the weekend quite often. When possible, I still try to focus on vegetables and protein, but I would be lying if I said I followed this rule all of the time. I think the devil invented nachos, because I love eating lots of them…with a cold pint (and not water in that glass).

For Short Periods of Time I Like to Go Low Fat AND Low Carb

If you need to sharpen up and only have 1-2 weeks to do so, then you need to meet your protein requirement with as little excess calories as possible. For 1-2 weeks (no longer than that) you can create a large calorie deficit by avoiding fat calories as well as carb calories. A diet based around chicken breasts and green vegetables can work wonders in dropping weight quickly. This is what I would call a "vacation prep" diet. I may outline this in full in a free report at some point.

Occasionally I Go Low Fat and Higher Carbs For A Few Days

If I feel like my muscles are small and flattened out a bit more than normal, I will eat low fat and higher carb for a few days (before going back to my preferred lower carb way of eating). I simply just keep the calories low while adding in rice or potatoes, etc. This doesn't happen too often, but occasionally I will train a bit too hard and need a little bit of carbs to look my best.

Overall, I Like the Idea of Eating Primal 75% of the Time

When I eat on my own on a typical work day, I enjoy primal meals…higher protein and healthy fats while being low carb. This way just feels right to me. I am pretty sensitive to carbs, and they cause me to get a bit tired during the day. I also tend to eat a lot more fruits and vegetables when I don't have things like bread, rice or potatoes in the meal. On the weekends I eat a little more traditional…trying to go low carb low fat, but often times doing high carb and high fat (doing my best to limit this).

Summary: In my opinion, the goal of losing weight is to simply find the easiest way of eating less. For me it is a combo of eating low carb during the week with two Eat Stop Eat style fasts…which allow me to eat more carbs and calories on the weekend. For quick weight loss, I employ both low carbs and low fat. If my muscles look smaller than normal, I can quickly "carb up" a bit with a higher carb low fat diet. How do you use carbs and fat in your diet? What approach have you found to work best?

***New Addition to the Post*** Mark Sisson put up a great article on saturated fat called: The Definitive Guide to Saturated Fat. This is a great place to start when it comes to researching saturated fat's role as far as health is concerned. He believes that saturated fat is a healthy part of the diet (I am still in research mode as far as saturated fat goes).

Having Symptoms of Mindless Eating Without Realizing It

I am a full-blown mindless eater, no doubt about it! It is dangerous for me to go to restaurants that serve big portions. I have to finish the plate. There is something deep inside me that won't let me leave food on a plate. You may or may not be a hardcore mindless eater like me, but most people exhibit mindless eating behaviors without knowing it. Dr. Wansink conducted a bunch of interesting studies showing just how common this problem is.

The Mindless Eating – Stale Popcorn Study

Two groups of theater patrons were given free containers of stale popcorn. One group was given a large container and one group was given an extra-large container (both too big too consume). Each group's containers were collected after the movie and they were told this: "Some people tonight were given medium-size buckets of popcorn, and others, like yourself, were given these large-size buckets. We have found that the average person who is given a large-size container eats more than if they are given a medium-size container. Do you think you ate more because you had the larger size?"

The Group Given the Larger Bucket Ate 53% More Popcorn

When they were told that they most likely ate more due to the fact that the container was larger, most of the people denied that it applied to them…saying "Things like that don’t trick me," or "I’m pretty good at knowing when I’m full." When they weighed the popcorn, they found that those with the largest bucket ate 53% more popcorn. Wansink stated…"Most people eat mindlessly, based on the size of the container and other cues—not the taste of the popcorn or how hungry or full they are."

The Mindless Eating – Chocolate Candy Dish Study

Dr. Wansink performed this fun study on desk-bound secretaries and chocolate candy. On week one, he placed the candy dish on the corner of the secretary's desk. During week 2, the candy dish was placed in the top left-hand desk drawer. During week 3, he placed the candy dish six feet from the desk. When the candy was on the desk, the secretaries ate 9 pieces on average per day…when in the desk, 6 pieces on average…six feet from the desk, 4 pieces on average.

"The More Hassle It Is to Eat, the Less We Eat"

Dr. Wansink had this to say about the candy dish study "The basic principle is convenience…When we talked to the secretaries after the study, many of them mentioned that having six feet between them and the candy gave them enough time to think twice whether they really wanted it. It gave them time to talk themselves out of having another chocolate."

By the Age of 5 We Typically Eat Whatever is In Front of Us

Professor Wansink has observed that a 3 year old will stop eating when they are full, regardless of how much food is placed in front of them. By the age of 5, however, a child will eat whatever is placed in front of them…"If they are given a lot, they will eat a lot". Serving size plays a huge role on how much we eat.

Habits Are Harder to Change Than Your Environment

In my opinion it is easier to not have the big portions of food in front of you in the first place. One of the tips that Dr. Wansink gives is to dish up your plate for dinner and then put the remaining food in the fridge before eating…don't have the food out so that you can go back for seconds and thirds. Also, it makes sense to not have high calorie snacks in front of you when you are watching TV or watching a movie.

A Good Restaurant Strategy to Ensure You Eat Less

A couple of days ago, I walked to get pizza and a beer with my girlfriend (a mile away, trying to get my daily walking in). What we decided to do was order a dinner salad and a small personal pizza and split them both. We had just a little salad and a few slices of pizza and a beer. Going forward, we have decided that at many restaurants we will each order a dinner salad and split one of the main courses. It is a way to insure that we don't eat 2,000 calorie dinners at the places that serve massive portions. Give it a try!

Note: Please comment on whether you think you are a "mindless eater" or not. I am a full-blown mindless eater, and here to support you!

[I enjoy sleeping in a room with either huge windows or a door out to a deck. It is much easier to sleep with a lot of fresh air circulating around the room. The ultimate situation is being by the ocean in a room like this and going to sleep with the fresh ocean air coming in and hearing the sound of the crashing waves.]

How Much Can You Eat Immediately Before Going to Bed?

The answer to the main question of eating before bed depends upon how much you plan to eat, what you have eaten earlier in the day, what your fitness goals are, and a few other factors. In my experience, I feel you will get better results if you don't eat a big meal within 1-2 hours of going to bed. If you are doing something like the Warrior Diet where you don't eat anything during the day, then you can get away with eating right before bed.

Does "Getting Away" With Eating Before Bed Make it Optimal?

I used to follow the Warrior Diet and now I do Intermittent Fasting just twice per week. When I was following the Warrior Diet at first I ended up eating a big meal right before bed. I found that it was fine when I was maintaining my weight, but didn't work well when I wanted to get really lean. Now I do an ESE-style fast twice per week, which is just eating a normal sized meal at night about 4 hours before bed. The rest of the week I eat 3 meals per day and my last meal is about 4-5 hours before bed.

For Maximum Fat Loss This Has Been My Experience…

In order to get really lean, I think you should eat your last meal no later than 4-5 hours before going to bed. Now…if you get really hungry then it is fine to have a cup of yogurt, an apple, or a cup of cottage cheese. It is okay to eat a little before bed, but not have a full meal right before bed. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you don't have to worry about this as much. This is more geared towards people who are trying to lose the last 5-10 "stubborn" pounds.

Once You Are in "Maintenance Mode" Then No Need to Worry

The ideal situation is to be in maintenance mode. This is when you are as lean as you would like to be. At this point you don't have to be as strict. If you are extra lean, you still will want to time your night meals 4-5 hours before bed some of the time. The rest of the time you don't have to worry as much.

Calories In and Calories Out is What Matters for Most

You can get really close to your ideal weight, by just paying attention to calories in and calories out. That being said, I believe you can make your fat loss much easier by eating a Paleo-style diet combined with intermittent fasting. The Paleo low carb diet will keep your insulin levels steady. Your body can't burn body fat when insulin levels are high. Steady insulin levels are a key to rapid fat loss. Intermittent fasting, they way I do it, is an easy way to reduce your weekly calorie intake. This is the best 1-2 combo I know for getting as lean as you want and still being able to indulge now and then.

Eating Right Before Going to Bed and Digestion

If you eat a big meal and then lay down your body is in a horizontal position. Some believe that food doesn't get digested as well when someone is in the horizontal position. I spent an hour researching this and found that really only a small percentage of individuals have an issue with this. The people who need to avoid this are those with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). If you have a healthy digestive system this tends to be less of an issue.

Eating Right Before Going to Bed to Gain Muscle

Actually it probably isn't a bad idea to have a little protein right before bed if you are trying to gain muscle. No need to make it overly complicated, but a cup of yogurt, cottage cheese, whey protein shake, etc. To be honest, this hasn't really been proven with a study either way…it is just one of those things that "seem" to make sense. If you add a little protein before bed you muscles will have a steady supply of aminos for at least part of the night. Please don't wake up in the middle of the night and go protein crazy on me. That is madness!

Summary: So most people will be fine if they simply pay attention to calories in vs calories burned each day (they will still lose weight). Even those people would probably do best if they didn't eat a large meal within 1 hour of going to bed. For people who want to lose those last 5-10 pounds…try not to eat a big meal within 4 hours of sleep, but eat a small snack if you are starving. For people who want to gain muscle it makes sense to eat a quality protein source before bed, but this is still more of a guess that hasn't really been scientifically proven.

Note: I found a ton of articles on this subject, but listing them will confuse more than they help. The biggest problem is that weight loss is really basic until you get 5-10 pounds out from your target…then the rules change. I'm convinced that it is pretty hard to get extra-lean for most people if they eat a big meal within 4 hours of going to bed, but a small bit of food is fine every now and then. Would love to hear other people's take on the subject. Bring on the comments!

[I don't think I would enjoy cave exploration, especially back in the days of the caveman. I picture weird looking pale bald creatures with no eyes and sharp teeth running all over the place when you go too deep into a cave...and blood sucking mega-sized bats.]

A Quick Summary of the Paleo Diet

The paleo diet is based around quality sources of protein and healthy fats. The diet consists of meat, fish, eggs, nuts, roots, fruits and vegetation. Dairy, grains, gluten, refined sugar, trans fats, and hydrogenated fats are to be avoided. This is a low-carb diet focused on the way we ate before the agricultural era….the way we ate when we were "hunters and gatherers".

Paleo and Primal Eaters Prefer Free Range and Organic Food

We all know that this is the way to go when it comes to eating fresh food. My girlfriend has recently turned me on to trying to go organic whenever possible. I must say that it makes a difference in the way I feel. It tastes better as well. All those steroids and chemicals do bad things to the body. One of the side effects of pesticides is an increase in estrogen which leads to stubborn body fat.

What I Like About This Diet

Whenever I want to get extra lean, I follow a diet of animal protein and green vegetables along with the occasional fruit. When I eat like this my body begins to use a lot more body fat for energy. Within 4-6 weeks I can get as lean as I desire eating this way and I feel great the whole time. I also enjoy the sense of energy that I feel. So if it helps me feel and look better, why don't I eat this way all the time?

What I Don't Like About Paleo and Primal Eating

Honestly, I simply enjoy fresh baked bread, pasta, rice, ice cream, cheese, and various other non-primal foods. Make no mistake about it, I agree with the followers of the primal diet for the most part…I just like some of this food too much to be 100% primal. I'm guessing beer is out of the question as well, so that has to be a "no" for me…I follow some, but not all principles.

A 5 Minute Video Put Together by My Friend Methuselah

Methuselah over at Pay Now Live Later put together one of the best videos I've ever seen explaining this diet. In fact, I think this video is an instant classic as far as Youtube videos go. You can learn more about this diet in 5 minutes, than reading on the topic for 4 hours.

[Methuselah is one of the best teachers as far as fitness bloggers go. I am a big fan of his blog and probably don't comment on his site as much as I should. He has a really unique writing style that is hard to explain...until you read his site for a while.]

My Suggestion About the Primal/Paleo Diet

Take an afternoon and read up on the subject. Implement a few of the things that fit your lifestyle and you notice a difference in the way you feel. Even if you just switched to organic foods and replaced half of your grains with vegetables, you will get lean and feel less lethargic after meals. It isn't all-or-nothing, you can "go primal" part of the week and get solid results.

Here Are Some Great Places to Begin Your Research

I've become friends with most of these bloggers, because all of us spend a big chunk of time building our fitness blogs. I am sure that I will miss many people, but here is a good list of starting points.

Mark's Daily Apple: Mark Sisson has been talking about this way of eating for quite a few years. He has a book in the works on the subject, one of his most popular posts is called The Primal Blueprint.

Son of Grok: A man that goes by the name "SoG"…you gotta love it. He was inspired by Mark's Primal Blueprint and put it to the test. You have to go to his About Me page and read his story (check out his slide show which shows the transformation). The guy went from flabby to ripped in less than 9 months and is extremely healthy.

Free the Animal: If there was a debate over paleo eating, I'd want Richard Nikoley in my corner. His whole site presents a strong case for going primal and eating the way our ancestors ate. This is another blog you will want to subscribe to. Here are his articles on Paleo Eating.

Art De Vany's Evolutionary Fitness: This is a subscription blog, but some of his articles are free. When I have time I will probably order his DVD set…his methods are cutting edge. Another guy who I would want on my side in an argument. Art is a Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of California, Irvine. He is not only smart, he's 71 and is in ridiculous shape. Go to Evolutionary Fitness to see what I mean.

The Paleo Cookbook, by Nikki Young: This seems to be the best selling cookbook on eating paleo to stay lean and healty. Nikki has included over 120 recipes. I haven't read it yet, but may pick it up at some point to add in some variety into my eating. I hear it is solid info…The Paleo Cookbook

Note: I know I missed a ton of people who follow the primal-paleo way of eating. I just didn't want to have dozens of links in the article. Please comment and tell me about your experiences with this way of eating.

[Although I know this stuff is just plain bad for you, I love gummy candy! Gummi Bears, Swedish Fish, Gummi Worms, etc. I recommend limiting candy and pure sugar snacks, because it will take a toll on your body if you eat too much of this stuff.]

Some People Can Eat Junk Food Like a Rockstar!

Lets talk about Linda. Linda is a woman I used to work with who ate non-stop. She was a true junk food Rockstar (Hall of Fame level). We had donuts one morning for a meeting. I ate two and then took a 30 minute nap in my car for lunch, and Linda ate 4 and kept that party rolling. It didn't phase her at all. Throughout the day, she proceeded to eat cookies from the vending machine, a HUGE bottle of apple juice, a Snapple, and a bag of pretzels…not a single yawn out of Linda! She didn't appear phased at all!

Linda Wasn't the Only "Junk Food Rockstar"…

I think I've been surrounded by these people at every place I've ever worked. I've noticed a few common traits in these mega-superstars of junk:

• They like to use the excuse of "eating every few hours to keep the metabolism high".
• They always claim to have low blood sugar, therefore justifying the need to eat at every break possible.
• They seem to get sick quite often.
• Without fail, they are almost always overweight.

There are always exceptions to the rule and there are people who are diabetic, but the rockstars typically fit into this mold well.

So How Does One Lose the Ability to Party Like Linda?

When you begin eating healthy foods and exercise regularly, your body becomes insulin sensitive. This is a healthy and positive thing. When an insulin sensitive person eats a large amount of sugar, their pancreas efficiently shoots out a bunch of insulin to remove that sugar from the bloodstream. It is great at removing that sugar and storing it inside the fat cells and muscle cells. The downside is that the blood sugar will be low for a period of time and this is when the healthy person feels tired.

What Happens When Linda Eats Sugary Foods?

Linda is insulin resistant, which is not healthy. When she eats a bunch of carbs, her body is terrible at using insulin to store those sugars. She has sugar floating around in her blood stream for hours and it never really drops too down to a low or even a normal level. She won't get tired like a healthy person would, because her body can't store the sugars properly. She won't get tired, but she will get hungry!

Why Insulin Resistant People Are Hungry All the Time

Although Linda has a lot of sugar in her bloodstream, her body is not good at getting those sugars into cells of her body to use for energy. Her cells are starving for energy, even though she has plenty of energy in her blood stream that isn't being used. This leads to a constant craving of sugary food. No matter how many carbs she eats, she just can't utilize this food. Therefore Linda eats non-stop and puts on a lot of weight.

How Someone Becomes a Junk Food Rockstar

Too many insulin spikes on a regular basis and the body adapts by reducing the receptors that respond to insulin on the surface of the cells. The body builds up a tolerance to insulin…the same amount does less and less. Similar to the effect alcohol has on Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones…it just takes more insulin to do the same work. Over time this can lead to more serious problems.

Avoid Junk Food Hangovers Or You Might Make the Band!

The main thing is to avoid these large spikes in insulin in the first place. It is okay every now and then, but limit it as much as possible. Over time, this does pretty terrible things to the body. The subject of insulin and blood sugar is quite a bit more complex than what I've outlined here, but hopefully this gives you a better idea of the big picture.

Note: One of the reasons I'm a fan of Intermittent Fasting is that it improves insulin sensitivity in the body. It is a way to retrain your body to use insulin better.

[What if you had access to the supplement creators themselves? The scientists who actually create many of the top selling supplements. What questions would you ask them? Finding and interviewing these guys is exactly what I set out to do...]

Jackpot! Not Only Did I Find Two Scientists…

I found two scientists who have Managed the entire Research and Development departments of competing supplement companies. These guys were the Head of R&D, meaning that they were involved in product development, clinical trials management, intellectual property management for all the supplements that these companies produced. They also designed formulas and came up with patents for their respective companies. Bottom line…these guys are full-blown supplements experts.

A Funny Thing I Learned About Scientists A Few Years Back

Eight years ago I was an Executive Recruiter in the Biotech industry. My job was to find the most talented Medicinal Chemists in large pharmaceutical companies and recruit them into Biotech start-ups.  I got to know several world-renowned professors at the "top" chemistry schools in the US (Berkeley, Stanford, Columbia, etc). I was fortunate enough to interview the top minds in the pharmaceutical industry and without failure, they were all modest beyond belief. Scientists typically don't like hype and would rather "understate" an effect than exaggerate and get involved in hype.

Two Modest Scientists Who I Have a Lot of Respect For

I'm going to make this post a little bit of a "teaser". When you download and read The Supplement Conspiracy, you will find out the names of these two gentlemen…I'm not going to give it away in this post. They will never brag about their knowledge but I can on their behalf. Not only are these guys experts in diet and nutrition, they can are great at explaining complex concepts in easy-to-digest language. You won't fall asleep trying to read this!

Go Ahead…Download and Enjoy!

[Just click the cover to get taken to the Free Download page]

Note: A BIG favor to ask…I have always wanted to see if I could make a free report go "viral". I'm aiming for 10,000 downloads in 90 days. It would be fun to see this little underground report make a few "waves". Any help in spreading the word (Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Stumbleupon, e-mail, etc.) would be greatly appreciated! I'll update this page 90 days from now and tell you if I hit the target.

[This picture reminded me of The Matrix and belief systems..."The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work... when you go to church... when you pay your taxes."]

Isn't Yo-Yo Dieting a Bad Thing?

The difference between yo-yo dieting and yo-yo weight loss is a matter of magnitude. Yo-yo weight loss typically becomes a yo-yo diet when the dieter freaks out about a quick weight gain. They feel like a failure for putting on weight and then just think to themselves…"screw it, I just don't have what it takes to get lean". These people then proceed to sabotage their diet and eat large amounts of food, get depressed, etc.

I Will "Yo-Yo" off These Last 5 Pounds Before Summer

I am pretty lean, but wouldn't mind losing 5 pounds before summer. My game plan is to just lose 1-2 pounds per month. This sounds like slow weight loss and it is, but losing that last little bit of weight is the trickiest…especially if you want a normal social life. Also, one of the things I have found is that when you lose the last few pounds slowly, you tend to keep them off longer than if you "starve away" the final 5-10 pounds (a topic for a future post).

I Thought About This Subject on Sunday Night

This past Sunday, I went over to my girlfriend's parents house for dinner. Her mom is an amazing cook and she invited us over for lasagna and dessert. I used to be kind of "neutral" on lasagna but her mom made me a convert. I had two large helpings, 3 pieces of sourdough bread, and 2 helpings of berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream….but I'm trying to lose weight, right?

Sometimes You Lose the Battle, But Win the War

I don't really view eating a large delicious meal as losing a battle, but as far as dieting goes it means that I will put back on some of the weight that I lost. The cool thing is that this Monday I still was slightly lighter than last Monday. Also, I did one of my two weekly fasts on Monday, had an intense workout in a fasted state and a medium salad for dinner. I'm back in business!

How Losing Weight is Like Playing a Sport

If you are playing basketball, you can't expect to stop the opposing team from scoring.  Same with weight loss…you can't expect to lose weight without ever gaining some of that weight back. Also in basketball, there are times when a team is behind for a quarter or two. When losing weight, you may weigh more on Wednesday than you did on Monday. This is natural, just make sure that you push extra hard on the rest of the week to come out slightly ahead on Wednesday.

Some Weeks You Will "Barely" Win the Weight Loss Game

For me, last week was a "small win"…I only lost a tiny bit of weight. I still consider this a win and I still consider this forward progress. All of these small wins will add up to reaching my goal of getting really lean for summer. What if I would have gained weight last week? I would have made a big adjustment in either my diet or exercise plan and aimed for a "small win" this week. Over time this is a great approach to insuring weight loss success.

Two Steps Forward and One Step Back

You can expect to lose 3 pounds, gain back 2 pounds…lose 4 pounds gain back 1 pound…lose 1 pound gain back 1 pound. I call this "zig-zagging" your way to a lean body. This is really where I came up with the term "yo-yo weight loss". A more accurate term would be zig zag weight loss, but that wasn't as catchy.

Note: Speaking of The Matrix and belief systems…I am releasing my first free downloadable e-book titled "The Supplement Conspiracy".  I basically ask tough questions to two scientists in the supplement industry.  The interview gave me an entirely different view on supplements and food. I waiting for the graphic designer I hired to finish the fancy ebook cover and website graphics for the e-book…and then I will release it for you guys to download!

It All Started With 4-Star Chicken Pad Thai and a Cold Singha

About 15 years ago my friend Gerry, invited me to a restaurant called Tup Tim Thai in Seattle. He asked me if I had ever had Thai food and I told him "I'm not sure". He explained to me that it was kind of a fresher and spicier version of Chinese food. At the time, I loved anything spicy (still do)…I was kind of a Mexican food addict, but wasn't super happy about all the excess calories found in most Mexican food. I was game to try something different and it sounded right up my alley.

I Was Hooked on Thai Food the Second it Hit My Mouth!

Don't get me wrong…the 4-star was a bit more heat than I anticipated, but that is why I ordered a cold Singha beer. This light bodied beer was a perfect compliment to the spicy kick that the Pad Thai delivered. If I remember correctly it was a Friday and nothing tastes more refreshing than that 1st Friday beer in a frosty mug! The beer gods insure that the 1st Friday beer tastes extra-special.]

[Even the mere picture of a cold beer makes me smile a bit.]

Thai Food Addict Discovers Freshness of Vietnamese Food

Thai food was kind of a "gateway food" for me to move on to other exotic Southeast Asian foods. Vietnamese food is quite possibly the healthiest and freshest food on the planet! Seriously…all the vegetables taste like they were just pulled out of the garden. Even the meat has a really clean taste to it. They use basic ingredients but then combine them in a magical way to create food where you can taste every fresh ingredient. I like it just as much as Thai food…and that is saying a lot, because Thai food is "drug like"!

Vietnamese Food – Asian Food With a French Influence

The French occupied a large portion of the Southern Region of Vietnam in the early 1900's. Because of this, there is a french influence on the Vietnamese cuisine. They incorporate French Bread into some of their meals and drink European beer for the most part (Heineken). One of my favorite sandwiches is called Bánh mì. It is basically a French Baguette filled with carrots, daikon radish, cilantro, sliced Jalapenos, fresh cucumber slices, and typically some form of sliced pork (ham, head cheese, or bologna).

[Here is what a typical Vietnamese meal looks like. A lot of focus on vegetables and a lot of soup dishes. Your body will feel great after eating a meal like this...unlike many of the foods eaten in the west like pizza, burger and fries, etc.]

A Heavy Use of Vegetables and Fresh Unprocessed Foods

I haven't mentioned many of the neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, but their food is just as healthy as Vietnamese and Thai food. What I would recommend is to try some of these delicious foods, if you get the chance. A good intro to Vietnamese food is Pho (noodle soup) and a good intro to Thai food is Pad Thai. These are just the basics, you will find dishes that you like better.

Note: I'm guessing that most people have been exposed to Thai food, but less people have really explored Vietnamese food. If you want to stick to a clean diet while having delicious food, I would certainly recommend Vietnamese food as a way to do that.

Does Drinking 8-10 Glasses of Water Each Day Feel Natural?

If drinking that much water per day feels natural then by all means, go ahead and drink that much. For me, this just makes my entire day feels focused around drinking water. This is the same feeling I got when I used to try and eat 6 meals per day…I just don't want my day to be devoted to consuming food and water. Even worse than that is the increased trips to the restroom that accompany that type of water intake.

The Average Person Loses 10 Cups of Water Per Day

Wouldn't that mean that the average person would need to drink 10 cups of water per day? Well…it isn't that simple. The average person also gets 4 cups of water from food. For instance, a watermelon is 92% water by weight, an egg is about 75% water, a piece of lean meat is about 70% water. So that leaves just 6 cups of water, right? Well, not exactly…

Coffee, Tea and Other Caffeinated Beverages Count!

I have always felt that caffeinated beverages were hydrating, but for some reason the mainstream media claims that the diuretic effect of the caffeine offsets any fluid in the beverage. Here is an interesting study which shows that coffee, tea, milk, soda, and other fluids have the same effect as water as far as hydration is concerned:
The Effect of Caffeinated, Non-Caffeinated, Caloric and Non-Caloric Beverages on Hydration

Here is what Ann Grandjean, the study's lead author had to say…"We found no significant differences at all. The purpose of the study was to find out if caffeine is dehydrating in healthy people who are drinking normal amounts of it. It is not." The same goes for tea, juice, milk and caffeinated sodas: One glass provides about the same amount of hydrating fluid as a glass of water. The only common drinks that produce a net loss of fluids are those containing alcohol.

A Kidney Physiologist Who Recommends Much Less Water

From a Los Angeles Article titled "All That Water Advice Just Doesn't Wash" – 15 January 2001:

Kidney specialists do agree on one thing, however: that the 8-by-8 rule is a gross overestimate of any required minimum. To replace daily losses of water, an average-sized adult with healthy kidneys sitting in a temperate climate needs no more than one liter of fluid, according to Jurgen Schnermann, a kidney physiologist at the National Institutes of Health.

One liter is the equivalent of about four 8-ounce glasses. According to most estimates, that's roughly the amount of water most Americans get in solid food. In short, though doctors don't recommend it, many of us could cover our bare-minimum daily water needs without drinking anything during the day.

What About This? "If You Are Thirsty, Then It is Too Late"

It is often stated that by the time a person is thirsty, then that person is already dehydrated. I have always had a feeling that our bodies are smarter than that. Luckily I have found some scientific studies which back this up. Here is a study showing that people who waited until they were thirsty to drink water, remained just as hydrated as people who drank on a set schedule. So maybe our natural thirst mechanism actually works properly! Body Fluid Changes, Thirst and Drinking in Man During Free Access to Water

How Much More Water Does An Active Person Need?

I guess this would be one of the big variables. Obviously an exceptionally active person would need a more water compared to a less active person. Also, warmer climates and different altitudes would make a difference in how much water someone needs to consume.

Your Body Will Tell You How Much Water You Need

Drink water when you are thirsty and drink a little more than that if you enjoy water, but don't freak out if you aren't hitting the 8-10 glasses per day figure. I drink a cup of coffee in the morning, tea during the day, a cup of coffee before I work out, and then 4-5 cups of water the hours after working out until bed time. This feels like more than enough water. Bottom line is this…drinking a glass of water every 2 hours certainly won't harm you, but don't worry if you can't drink water on such a structure schedule.

Many Foods Contain Protein Besides "Protein Foods"

A cup of cooked broccoli plus a cup of brown rice adds a total of about 10 grams of protein to a meal. Many starchy carbs (breads, rice, and pastas) and fibrous carb foods (leafy green vegetables) add a significant amount of protein to your diet…and eating a meal consisting of veggies along with a starchy carb isn't a waste. The main thing would be to make sure that you keep the total daily calories in check.

Complete Proteins -vs- Incomplete Proteins

A complete protein is a protein source that contains all of the essential amino acids. All animal proteins are a "complete protein" as are dairy and eggs. Incomplete proteins are also known as vegetable proteins. They include grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and other vegetables. Your body does need a complete protein to survive, but you can make a protein complete by combining two or more incomplete proteins.

A Variety of Foods Insure That You Are Getting Complete Proteins

By combining beans and nuts you are getting a complete source of protein…same thing when you combine corn and rice. Here is an interesting fact – you don't even have to consume these two foods in the same meal to get the essential amino acids. You don't necessarily even have to have these two incomplete proteins in the same day. You actually have a 2 day window. Practically speaking, just eat a variety of healthy whole foods to insure a steady supply of protein. No need to ever experience "Protein Guilt" when a meal appears to be low in protein.

So How Much Protein Do You Need Per Day?

This leads me to the question I get asked a ton "how much protein do you need each day"? Well the quick answer is probably less than you think. Brad Pilon, author of Eat Stop Eat, is launching a book on protein that I believe will shake up the industry called "How Much Protein". Brad is the guy I look up to for nutrition advice. He used to Head the R&D department for a major supplement company, conducted many of the studies, created the formulations, etc. This guy knows how the body absorbs and utilizes nutrients. Bottom line…when Brad Pilon talks nutrition, I listen!

So I Have Begged Brad to Do Something Special For You Guys

Brad has a great promo going, he has a special package deal on his book Eat Stop Eat. If you order his "Deluxe Package" you will get Eat Stop Eat and How Much Protein at a big $23 savings. I thought this was an amazing deal, but I wanted to do something extra for the loyal readers of this site: I have talked Brad into letting you guys download the first chapter of How Much Protein for free. Here is his message…

[It is really cool of Brad to give us this exclusive sample...he has never done this with any of his other courses, so this is a big deal. Some HUGE paradigm shifts will happen as a result of this book! I'm betting the supplement based fitness mags don't want you to know this info.]

Note: Order —-> The Deluxe Package to take advantage of this limited $23 in savings. Together, these books will basically teach you how to eat to get as lean as you desire without losing any muscle mass. Eat Stop Eat is the eating plan I follow to stay lean year round (I can't really call it a diet…it is a flexible eating strategy that works extremely well). Once you are done with "How Much Protein?" you will be shocked at how misinformed most people are on the subject. The good thing is that you will be one of the few people "ahead of the curve". This info will be mainstream in a few years…it typically takes that long for the masses to catch up.

[Tropical vacations...a good motivation to get in great shape...right? You want to look good while "makin' out" in the surf!]

Getting Paid 5 Million Dollars to Get in Shape

What if I offered you 5 million dollars to get in the best shape of your life? Does that sound like too "out there"? Well…this is exactly what the top sex symbols of Hollywood wind up doing. Obviously an actor or actress has to be able to act, but a fine line separates a regular actor or actress from a mega-superstar in Hollywood. Did you see Ironman? Robert Downey Jr. came back on the scene in outstanding shape. He looked better than ever and it certainly helped him put his name back into the top of Hollywood's leading men.

What if Over One Million People Were Going to See You Nude?

Many of Hollywood's actors and actresses wind up doing a nude scene or they are partially naked in a scene. If you knew your butt was going to be on a big screen in front of millions, I bet it would be really easy to say "no" to junk food! Even if you had a swimsuit scene in a movie, I'm betting you would have no trouble at all looking incredible in 3-4 months.

Discipline is Directly Proportionate to Motivation

If you had to lose 30 pounds or lose your house, you have serious motivation to lose that weight. If you were paid  10 million dollars to lose 40 pounds in 2 months, it would be hard but you would find a way…because you would have crazy amounts of motivation. You would be very "disciplined" to reach your goal.

The Stronger Your Motivation, The Easier it Feels

When your motivation is strong enough, it doesn't even feel like you have to exercise a strong sense of self-discipline. Dieting and exercising become effortless when the motivation is strong. I always find it is extremely easy to stick to a strict diet a month or two before a vacation. I don't get to travel as much as I'd like, so I want to make sure that I look and feel my best for the trip. Exercising during this time is very easy as well…even tough HIIT training becomes a breeze.

I Can Help You With the Details…

…but you have to find your motivation. There are a lot of ways to get lean that work. I happen to think the methods I teach here will give you rapid results, especially if you want to lose body fat and slim down, but you have to come up with a reason to be motivated. If I was a betting man…I would take a motivated person who knows very little about training over an unmotivated fitness expert.

So What is Your Motivation?

I'll tell you what mine is, to help you brainstorm. My goal is to travel the world with my girlfriend, one beach at at a time. I want to look good for her and I want to be able to have the energy to play in the water, swim, go out dancing in places with a raging night-life, etc. I'm almost 40, but want to look great in a swimsuit well into my senior years. I also don't want to spend the last 30 years of my life in and out of a doctor's office.   Bottom line…I have only one shot at this life, so I want to look and feel my best.

Note: This mindset doesn't just apply to getting in great shape, it will help you achieve anything you desire. I'm not trying to be "spacey" or anything…just decide on what you want and work on "wanting it badly enough"…then do what it takes to get it.

Scott is the "go to" guy for me when it comes to eating whole foods for maximum health and performance. He is widely respected by the online fitness and nutrition community, because he knows his stuff. He does a great job of taking complex topics and simplifying them a bit.

I highly recommend you go over to Scott's site and subscribe to his blog: Fitness Spotlight

In fact, you want to read a post that makes you think…then read one of his recent posts: Thoughts On Michael Pollan’s Latest Article “Farmer In Chief”.

[Support your local Farmer's Market. I'm lucky enough to live 5 minutes from the world famous Pike Place Market in Seattle. It started in 1907 and is the longest running farmer's market in the United States. It feels good to buy from your own community.]

The Four Types Of Fat

Author: Scott Kustes

There are four high-level categories that all fats fall into. You've heard of all of these: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated, and trans fats. There are two configurations for fats, known as cis and trans. Don't ask me why those names were chosen over "bent" and "straight"…you know how those science types are.

Let's explore the four types a bit, so we have an understanding of what we're talking about. Here's an image of three molecules that I'm going to refer to a couple times, so keep it handy.

Saturated Fat
Saturated huh? Exactly what is it saturated with? Hydrogen. Saturated fats refer to fats in which all carbon atoms are bonded to hydrogen atoms (as opposed to having a double-bond connection to another carbon atom). So looking at the handout (click the link above if you closed that picture that I told you to keep handy…you kids never listen), you can see that the top molecule has no double bonds between carbon atoms and is therefore saturated with hydrogen (i.e., holding as many hydrogen atoms as possible).

Monounsaturated Fat
So then if a saturated fat is holding as many hydrogen atoms as possible, what is a monounsaturated fat? Look at the second molecule in the picture and you'll see a single double-bond between two carbon atoms. Because these two carbon atoms could each hold one more hydrogen atom if the double-bond were broken, it is unsaturated, and because it is only unsaturated at a single point, it is mono-unsaturated.

Polyunsaturated Fat
I guess you've figured out what polyunsaturated means now huh? Poly-, meaning two or more, means that a polyunsaturated fat (the third molecule) has at least two double-bonds between carbon atoms and potentially more. The most commonly known polyunsaturated fats today are the omega-3s and omega-6s. The 3 and 6 refer to a specific location of the first double-bond. I won't get into because I can sense your eyes glazing already and it's relatively unimportant.

Trans Fat
Trans fats are the only of the four types of fat that are man-made. Through the process of hydrogenation, hydrogen atoms are added to (typically) polyunsaturated vegetable oils with the help of a nickel catalyst. Contrary to popular belief, high temperature frying and reusing oil does not produce trans fats. These fats can only be produced when nickel is added and hydrogen is forced through an oil at high pressure.

Where Do I Find These Fats?

When talking about fats, it's important to realize that no fat source is purely saturated or unsaturated. For instance, pork lard is saturated, right? Well, sorta. For illustrative purposes, let's look at the fatty acids in pork lard: 41% is saturated, 47% is monounsaturated, and 11% is polyunsaturated. Olive oil is 75% mono-, 14% saturated, and 11% poly-. As you can see, these oils aren't purely one thing or another, but are a mix of various fatty acids.

Moving along, I'm going to paint with a very broad brush here. Foods like nuts and avocados are predominantly monounsaturated fat sources, as are olive and canola oils. Polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils like corn, soy, and sunflower, along with in fish and fish oil. Animal products, including dairy, and the foods made from coconut (coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut oil) or palm oil are the main sources of saturated fat in the diet.

So Which Fats Should I Use?

Easy question, right? Mainly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, keeping saturated fats to less than 10% of total calories, right? Hmm…maybe not. I go the "natural" route when it comes to choosing fats. That automatically knocks trans fats out of the equation. They are man-made unnatural fats and are not good for you in any way, shape, or form.*

What else does my choice of natural fats rule out? Vegetable oils. Okay, so I just lost half of you who have now chalked me up to a quack. To the rest of you, here's the logic:

• Vegetable oils come from…vegetables (or grains in the case of corn)
• Vegetables and grains have very little fat
• Therefore, it takes HUGE quantities of these foods to make a little bit of oil, quantities far larger than any human could ever eat
• The extraction methods are suspect and involve such lovely terms as hexane and supercritical carbon dioxide (in comparison, olive oil is extracted by pressing olives)
• Further processing is necessary to remove impurities and most of the vitamins to enhance shelf-stability
• Polyunsaturated oils have been shown to suppress the immune system (and are used in organ transplants for this purpose)

Okay, so monounsaturated and saturated fats? Yep! These fats are readily available in nature and are the foods that have been consumed by humans for hundreds of thousands of years. Polyunsaturated vegetable oils are a 20th century creation. There is no evidence supporting the damnation of saturated fats. While polyunsaturated fats are not shelf-stable and need heavy refining, saturated fats are nearly impervious to oxidation and rancidity, owing to their high degree of saturation. They don't need to be refined and are rich sources of vitamins. It also means these are the proper fats for cooking, as poly- and monounsaturated fats tend to oxidize and spit free radicals throughout your body with application of heat and light.

It's unlikely anyone will argue with me about monounsaturated fats given their exalted status as a media darling due to the so-called Mediterranean Diet, so I won't waste your time making you read a treatise on why you should eat them.

To finish this long, winding explanation of the fats I recommend, here's a list: coconut oil, red palm oil, pork lard (from pastured pigs), real butter (NOT MARGARINE!) and olive oil. I do my cooking in the first four (though don't use butter much, for no real rhyme or reason) and add the last to vegetables and salads.

One Final Thing

This is just a brush of the surface when it comes to fats. In reality, the three broad categories of natural fats (I'm leaving trans out of the discussion) are just that: categories. All monounsaturated fats aren't the same, nor are all saturated or polyunsaturated fats the same. As you delve deeper, which we aren't going to do today, you get into names like palmitic acid, butyric acid, lauric acid, etc.

I say this to point out the underlying reality of fats: it's far too complex of an area to be condensed to a single talking point of "fat is bad" or "fat is good".

What are your thoughts on the issue of fat? More is better? Less is better? Any other questions about fat? (I could talk for days.)

* Okay, there are small amounts of naturally-occurring trans fats that appear to have health benefits in a few foods…those aren't what is measured on the Nutrition Information panel and are inconsequential to our discussion.

[The gas stations in Seattle don't look as fancy as this. My guess is that this is somewhere in Europe.]

I'm Not a Fan of Shopping for Groceries

I HATE shopping. I really, really dislike it. Despite this hatred of shopping, I do my best to get fresh fruits and vegetables from my closest supermarket. I do well in getting really healthy whole foods for dinner, but I'm kind of lacking when it comes to picking up stuff for lunch. For breakfast it is either the occasional piece of fruit or nothing at all.

Why I Don't Shop for Lunch Food

To be honest, I only eat lunch about 3-4 times per week. I like to eat fewer meals, since I like to do cardio in a fasted state (check out my cardio fat loss strategy here…Low Body Fat Mini-Course). So, most of the time I just don't plan on eating lunch. On the days I do want a bit of food, mini-marts are ideal!

Mini-Marts Are Loaded With "Evil" Food Choices

It used to be that mini-marts were loaded with nothing but junk food. In my high school days when I ate poorly, I had my share of $1 hamburgers and chili nachos. I remember going to a place called AM/PM and getting 2 hot dogs for a dollar along with am 89 cent 48 ounce Coke. I wish I could go back in time and slap myself upside the head, because I ate poorly back then…thank goodness I saw the light and try to eat healthier these days.

[I'm glad I didn't turn into Kobayashi the former hot dog eating champion. The guy has consumed 53 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes. I think eating 53 hot dogs in 12 years sounds like a lot!]

Shopping in a Mini-Mart = Walking Through a Mine Field

I started noticing about 10 years ago that mini-marts began carrying Meal Replacement Bars. They were limited at first, but now many have close to an aisle of these protein bars. I'm not saying these are ideal, but they are a much better alternative to most fast food places. Around a year ago I started seeing Meal Replacement Shakes in many mini-marts. In my opinion, the shakes are much better than the bars. They have more protein and lower calories.

A Good Excuse to Drink More Water

I like really cold water. I'm also a fan of bottled water. Most of the mini-marts I go into these days have at least half a dozen different brands. I can't really tell the difference between brands, but I do like to switch it up. The one thing to avoid for sure are the sports drinks. In fact I suggest you avoid sports drink at all costs. It will jack up you insulin levels making it hard to burn body fat.

Drive Past the "Drive-Thru" and Into the Mini-Mart Parking Lot Instead!

When you are on the road and strapped for a quick food choice, min-marts are the way to go. I suggest to keep it simple and grab a thing of bottled water and either a meal replacement shake or protein bar. Typically your meal will be less than 5 bucks and if you get a good Meal Replacement Shake like Muscle Milk, you will get 30 grams of protein at 300 calories. This is a great way to keep those calories low if you are trying to get extra lean or if you have a lot of weight to lose.

Some Mini-Mart Tips

1) Don't use the ATM…You will get jacked with fees!
2) The guy waiting outside the door is going to ask for "Bus Money" (aka beer money). Pull out your cell phone and pretend you can't hear him.
3) Don't use the bathroom ever! You will smell that nasty smell hours after you leave. It won't wash off your hands or clothes.
4) Be kind to the shop owner or poor guy that has to work there late at night. It can't be a pleasant job.

Note: I used to live off of protein shakes and just a bit of food. While you can get lean this way, you won't be at the optimum health. Over the past two years I've weaned myself off of most supplements and try my best to get most of my nutrients through natural food sources. I feel better than ever! A great site that talks about this is Modern Forager…Scott has built an amazing resource here. This isn't your typical "generic" health food site.

Why I Think You Will Enjoy Mark's Writing Style

Mark's blog is massively popular due to the fact that you just can't find this stuff in magazines or any mainstream publication. I highly suggest you visit his site on a regular basis and subscribe to his RSS feed. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite blogs. I am pumped that he wrote this article exclusively for this site. How cool is that?

Here is a Picture of Mark at the Age of 54!

Mark stays this ripped year round. I like fitness authors who "walk the walk". I guess I'm just picky about who I take advice from…I mean, why take advice from someone who is out-of-shape?

He knows a thing or two about fitness and nutrition. He was former editor of Optimum Health newsletter. He has written several books including Maximum Results, The Fat Control System, The Anti-aging Report and The Lean Lifestyle Program.

Oh yeah…he is "slightly" functionally fit as well, finishing as high as 4th place in The Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. This is a MAJOR accomplishment!

[Okay...okay...so I know you want to dig in to the article. Here goes...]

Why We Need Meat
by Mark Sisson

Vegetarian and vegan lifestyles are more common than ever, especially in my neck of the woods (you guessed it, Southern California). I see the menus, hear the pitches, and even read the occasional bogus study that comes out in support of these diets (don't get me started on the China Study). I once did four-month vegetarian experience in my 30s. I've even spent a week as a vegan, with an uncomfortable outcome in an otherwise fun vacation with extended family. Having studied the phenomenon (as well as the science) up close and personal, let me tell you I'm not convinced.

It's not the most politically correct time to be a meat eater, I understand. And I empathize with those who forgo or reduce meat consumption for environmental and ethical concerns. My wife and son are among them. Nonetheless, the fact remains (as science and human history show), we need meat for optimum health.

First off, let's get this on the table: no human civilization has ever subsisted, let alone thrived, without animal flesh of some kind. In fact, the study of past and current tribal populations shows that traditional diets contain about twice the protein intake of the typical Western diet today. On average, about a third of hunter-gatherer diets were protein-based. And protein for these folks meant mostly meat.

Research on remaining tribal cultures confirms the healthfulness of the traditional hunter-gatherer style diet. High protein, fruit- and vegetable-rich diets (with virtually no other carbs and few unhealthy fats) seem to protect against the so called "diseases of wealth" we've burdened ourselves with in the developed world (heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, arthritis, etc.).

In my little adventure on "Vegan Island" I got to hear the famous Dr. John McDougall's doctrine on the health advantages of veganism. But when I looked around me, the picture didn't fit the caption. Overweight people drawn to a philosophy that was clearly doing them no favors. As for the "thin" members of the fully fledged vegan group? I believe the label "skinny fat" would be an apt description.

[Rusty's side note...Evangeline Lilly is an example of a slim woman who isn't skinny fat. She is a great role model for women who want to get in great shape while still looking feminine.]

Okay! Quit looking at the picture…back to the article…

I don't say this to be snide. I say it because the current nutritional "culture", I believe, steers us the wrong way. To gain and maintain muscle mass, adequate protein consumption is essential for everyone (yup, men and women). For us seasoned folks out there, it's especially critical for overall health as well as muscle mass maintenance, which is key to successful aging, of course. Fats are essential as well, you simply can't live without them. As for all those carbs we athletes gorge ourselves on? Let me clear something up. Carbs provide glucose that serves as short-term fuel for muscles, but it doesn't do a thing to build or maintain them. In fact, there is no actual requirement for carbs in the human diet.

As an active person, I eat (here's an example of my daily diet break down) about 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass each day. For me, that's about 150 grams of protein a day. (The powers that be would suggest I should be eating half that or less.) I'm 55 and have never been healthier or more fit in my life. Take a look if you like and judge for yourself.

And let me just put the big anti-protein critics to rest. One of the most common critiques links higher protein diets to impaired kidney function. Recent research suggests, however, that people without prior or developing kidney or liver impairment do not experience any kidney or liver issues with a higher protein intake (1.3 g/kg/day). People most at risk for this kind of kidney stress include those who have a personal or family history of kidney or liver problems or those who have high blood pressure or diabetes. And what about the osteoporosis link? This is an outdated claim that just doesn't hold water. Most new research, including USDA studies, suggests bone density improves with added protein intake in most deficient or borderline people when they also have adequate Vitamin D. Stress, salt intake, and lack of weight-bearing exercise has more impact on bone loss.

But what does adequate protein intake look like in terms of a day's menu? How do I personally fit 150 grams of protein in a day? I can tell you one thing: I'd be more than hard-pressed to do it without meat. In fact, as a vegan I think it would be pretty much impossible. Check out a few protein estimates (compliments of The Harvard School of Public Health and Northwestern University), and I think you'll get the picture.

Meats
Beef (6 oz.) – 54 grams
Turkey, breast (6 oz.) – 51.4 grams
Pork Chop (6 oz.) 49 grams
Turkey, dark meat (6 oz.) – 48.6 grams
Hamburger (6 oz.) – 48.6 grams
Chicken, dark meat (6 oz.) – 47.2 grams
Tuna (6 oz.) – 40.1 grams
Chicken, breast (6 oz.) – 37.8 grams
Salmon (6 oz.) – 33.6 grams

Dairy/Eggs
Cottage cheese (1 cup) – 28.1 grams
Yogurt, low fat (1 cup) – 10.7 grams
Skim milk (1 cup) – 8.3 grams
Whole milk (1 cup) – 8 grams
American cheese (1 oz.) – 7 grams
Soymilk (6 oz.) – 6.7 grams
Egg (1 large) – 6.3 grams

Beans and Legumes, Nuts
Tofu (6 oz.) – 13.8 grams
Peanut Butter (2 Tbsp.) – 8.1 grams
Almond Butter (2 Tbsp.) – 7 grams
Lentils (1/2 cup) – 9 grams
Split Peas (1/2 cup) – 8.1 grams
Kidney Beans (1/2 cup) – 7.6 grams
Sesame Seeds (1 oz.) – 7.5 grams
Black Beans (1/2 cup) – 7.5 grams

Fruits and Vegetables
Orange (large) – 1.7 grams
Banana (medium) – 1.2 grams
Green Beans (1/2 cup) – 1 gram
Carrots (1/2 cup) – .8 gram
Apple (large) – 0 grams

Let's put it this way. As a vegetarian, I'd have to consume a boat load of dairy, which isn't the healthiest choice and often presents some rather uncomfortable consequences. As a vegan, I'd be gorging on beans (you fill in the blank on that one) trying in vain to get enough protein, all the while cramming in more starchy carbs. Tofu? There are many reasons to avoid it, and I certainly wouldn't ever make it a staple food. Nut butter? I love almond butter as much as the next guy or gal, but I'd be shoveling away more than a jar of it a day if I was depending on it for a central protein source. How does that feel in your stomach?

[The World's most expensive chicken dish is $231 at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris.]

The fact is, we need meat for an efficient, bioavailable source of essential protein. But let me say that I do still believe in feeding your body the "cleanest" protein you can. Factory-farmed meats and fish can carry the heaviest "toxic" burden of our modern food supply. These toxins can be plentiful enough over time to put a strain on anyone's body, including liver and kidneys. Choose organic, grass-fed meat and poultry whenever possible, and go for wild instead of farmed fish. Short of that, trim the excess fat off those supermarket family-pack steaks.

After my own week-long foray into vegan living, I found myself a few pounds short of muscle (which I was able to regain) and more convinced than ever that meat was essential for healthy living. An essential part of human evolutionary design, meat holds a central place in my Primal Blueprint philosophy. That first night back from vacation, it was also the main fare for dinner. A Porterhouse steak never tasted so good.