Category Archives: Fat Loss
Favorite Articles by Other Authors
You know, my main goal is to help you achieve your fat loss and physique enhancement goals. I realize to accomplish that task, I have to expose you (exposing myself is just marketing — good or bad is for you to decide) to great content, whether that content was created by me OR someone else. I’m not one of these “my way or the highway” type of guys. If something can add to your understanding/knowledge-base or help you progress in your journey — I’m all for it.
So I figured I’d do a little post on some of my favorite articles written by OTHER authors/coaches. These are pieces that have helped me in my own personal education and physique enhancement journey. Some are relatively new, but for some of the older ones, I have found myself referring back to them again and again (especially when writing my book). Here you go, complete with links: Read the rest of this entry
Coach T’s Guest Post — Addition by Subtraction
Since I’ve been away working on the book, it seems as if the writing bug has hit my friend and colleague Coach Toussaint, also known on our YouTube show as Mo-T. Shawn has been kind enough to share some great fitness psychology tips in the guest post below.
I can’t believe this beast is afraid of anything!
As a young boy, I was afraid of the dark. When the lights went out, the shadows of objects in my room would suddenly take the shape of monsters. I would often pull the covers over my head to shield my eyes from the known objects and unknown shadows I created in my mind. Today as a 36 year old man I still have a fear. I am afraid of living my life and not reaching for my dreams. Many of the dreams I’m talking about were born during those nights with the covers pulled over my head. Now I must take this knowledge and dream with my eyes wide open to fulfill the dreams of the boy and be successful in my quest to help motivate others to live their dreams.
As a personal trainer, I deal in the business of helping others achieve their fitness related goals. I have had some success over the years at doing this. I have found that many times it is not just the fancy exercises and complex programs I have created that help people succeed. I believe the primary reason some people succeed at achieving their fitness goals and some do not is directly related to how the person deals with fear, in particular their fear of success.
I know being afraid to succeed sound crazy, so why isn’t everyone successful at whatever they choose? It is safe to say that most people know what they need to do, but why don’t they do it. Is it unwillingness to do the work? Is it a fear of becoming different from those around you? Is it due to distractions? I think it’s a combination of these things and perhaps many others. For me, it is mainly my love for procrastination and laziness. I know that may sound harsh, but it’s true. I have known that I needed to start writing more to grow more and to live my dream of helping others to my fullest potential. For me, it took the experience of someone else telling me to do what I already knew that I should have been doing a long time ago. That’s fine. Sometimes we need a push from a good coach, mentor, parent, friend or even stranger to help guide us toward our path out of fear and into success.
My friend and mentor, Nate Miyaki, once said, “the programs are simple; execution is hard”. I understood this immediately. It goes back to the notion that most people know what they need to do, but doing it is the hard part. The challenge is to take those small steps in your day to day routine that put you on the path to success.
I’m not very good at mathematics, but I love its quantitative nature. For me to over come my fear and add writing to my life again, meant I had to subtract something else to make room. That something else was sitting at the front of the gym talking to my coworkers. Seems ridiculous doesn’t it? It’s funny I still talk to my coworkers, but now I do it with a purpose. That purpose is to extract their ideas and use them toward my writing. I lost nothing and gained double. That’s the idea. I believe that a good number of people don’t execute their plans because they believe they have to give up something up to do it. I believe that focusing on what you can gain by following through with the desires of your true essence will far exceed your perceived loss.
If you know you’ve been needing to lose that weight, don’t focus on the time you’ll lose away from your friends, instead focus on the possibility of making more friends. Focus on how you could be a positive influence on those around you, who may be suffering more than you thought you were. Be a difference maker, not an excuse maker. Excuses are just bits of undigested processed sugar that make their way into our thoughts. They really don’t exist. The only thing that exists is your will to be the best you can be in whatever it is that you choose. Let’s turn on the light and open our eyes to the success that lies ahead.
- Shawn Toussaint
Hungry? You Should Be
If you are trying to change your body composition, hunger is a good thing.
hun·ger
verb /ˈhəNGgər/
(1) Feel or suffer hunger through lack of food
If your goal is to get lean, you will likely be on a dietary plan that restricts the amount of food you eat. This will undoubtedly result in some amount of hunger as your body learns to function with fewer calories than its used to. And whether you eat three moderate sized meals per day or six smaller meals per day, the reality is that with less food, at some point you will be physically HUNGRY.
What do you do when this happens? If you are serious about losing weight, you deal with it. A certain amount of physical hunger is a good thing, because it means you are consuming less than what your body “needs” to maintain its current weight.
I’m not saying you should be famished or hungry to the point of feeling faint, as that would clearly mean you’re not eating enough for basic functioning; however, a little growl of your tummy at night before you go to bed (because dinner was 3 hours ago) can be a friendly reminder that you are doing the right thing. Resist the urge to have a snack before bed…you’re just going to sleep anyway, you don’t need to eat! You’ll have a nice healthy breakfast when you wake up in the morning.
Your diet will likely also restrict the kinds of foods you are allowed to eat, and as such you’re also likely to be “hungry” for things that are not on your diet plan. While most of these pains will be psychological (you don’t need Kettle Chips), some of them may be true physical withdrawals from highly addictive foods, like sugar. What do you do when you want something that you can’t have? Again, if you’re serious about your goal, you deal with it. Many of the things we love to eat – full of fat, sugar, and salt – are precisely what will hold us back from reaching our physique goals. I’m not saying you can never again have chocolate cake, linguine, or whatever it is that you love (shh…don’t tell Nate I said that!); however, during this “lean-up” phase, you must stay the course and not give in to the call (or scream) of these cravings.
How can you manage these nagging physical signals that keep coming at you? With yet another kind of hunger.
hun·ger
verb /ˈhəNGgər/
(2) Have a strong desire or craving for
How strong is your desire to reach your physique goals? In order to succeed, it must be greater than that of both kinds of hunger above (combined!). That’s a pretty tall order.
This is where it truly is mind over matter. This is the hunger you want to feed, and to use to your benefit. Believe in your mental fortitude, and use the motivation that is guiding you to make this change in your life. Are you training for an athletic competition? Do you have a special event coming up? Or are you finally putting you and your health at the top of your list of priorities? Whatever your reason, always keep this in the forefront of your mind, and use it as a shield to deflect – or sword to slay – the temptations when they attack. Who is more worthy of coming out victorious, you or that Oreo cookie? (See Nate, I can write with the Warrior theme!)
Whatever your reason, whatever your motivation, grab onto it and hold tight. Use some of the recommendations on our site to help you through the challenges and temptations you will face (stick with us, there will be more!). In time, the physical hunger will become more manageable, and by learning to harness your mental hunger, your desire for success will fuel your efforts to persevere, and help you achieve your goals.
If we were to meet The Most Interesting Woman in the Universe she might just say, “Stay Hungry, My Friends.”
Just this once, say “Not This time”
We live in a food-centric society. Every other commercial on TV is about either some fast-food stop where you can get a “value meal” or family restaurant that serves huge portions of comfort food, a “nutritious” breakfast of sugary cereal fortified with whole grains you should make for your kids, or some easy dinner that you can prepare in a snap (just add water to all these chemicals!). There are magazine ads for sweet and salty treats, sodas, and even “healthy” versions of decadent desserts. And while half the advertisements are for food, the other half are for diet plans! No wonder we’re such a mess!
I won’t tell you the kinds of things you shouldn’t be eating if you are trying to lose weight or improve your physique, because you most likely already know what those are (and if you don’t, check out our nutrition articles). Yet we just can’t stay away, can we? Despite our best efforts, we always find an excuse to eat things that we know are bad for our diet goals. I know, because I am guilty of this too. We say to ourselves things like “Oh, just one bite” or “I had a stressful day, I deserve it” or “I’ll have this now and eat a salad for dinner”. Once we start to waver, there are often people around us who push us over the edge, encouraging us to indulge, or just have a little taste. It seems like we can’t seem to make the right choice.
But what if, just once, you said no? What if you could look temptation right in the face, and acknowledge the fact that while you absolutely want that bite (or whole piece) right now, you’re not going to have it. What if you made your will to stay on track stronger than your desire for a treat that may make you happy for 30 seconds, but will fill you with regret and disappointment for much, much longer?
I will tell you that I have to do this just about every day. Yes, I have my diet plan. I bring meals and snacks with me to work so that I have all my nutritional needs to last the whole workday. I know that if I cheat once it won’t be the end of the world, but I also know that cheating just once opens the door for more cheating…which will derail my efforts and bum me out, big time.
There is at least one moment during each day that I’d like to eat something that’s not in my lunchbag. When I stop to get a coffee in the morning I am tempted by tasty sugary pastries (darn you, cute and tasty petite vanilla scones and old-fashioned donuts…especially the chocolate ones, which they rarely have these days). As I stand in line waiting for my turn, I stare at them…and even though the calorie counts are looking me right in the face reminding me of the huge mistake I’m about to make (490 calories in a donut, or 140 in a single petite scone – but who wants just one? Give me all three!) I consider getting something. No one will know, just me. I’ll skip my rice cakes this morning to make up for it. I’ll have just one today, and then no more, I promise.
No, I shouldn’t do it. Stick to the plan, you don’t need this. Oh, but they taste so good! Then I get to the counter. Oh crap, my turn…what to do? Ready, go!
“Hi, can I help you?”
“A small coffee, please.”
“Sure! Any pastries?”
My head says “Just this once…”
And my mouth says “No thank you.”
What? Yeah! I made it! But then I look in front of the cash register and see some dark chocolate and think “Oh that’s healthy, right?” Ack, here we go again! No, stay the course! Look away! I grab my coffee and run.
My immediate feeling of pride is deadened ever-so-slightly by the fact that even after successfully dieting for 3 months to compete in a bikini contest, I am still challenged by a love for sweets and carb-rich foods. I wish I could just turn it off, but I can’t.
The solution I’ve found is to do just what I said above. Look right at whatever it is I know I shouldn’t eat. Acknowledge that I want it, and then say to myself, “I’m not going to have this right now. Just this one time, I’m NOT going to have it.” That’s not to say I might not have it later, but that’s another decision for another time. This time, the decision is no. And I walk away.
One time may not seem to be that big of a deal, but if you can do that more than once, imagine how that will add up. Can’t imagine it? Check this out. Here’s my list of things I wanted to eat last week:
Sunday: Coke, Parmesan Goldfish, Peanut M&M’s, Dark Chocolate Bar
Monday: Apple Cinnamon Muffin, Banana Bread
Tuesday: Old Fashioned Donut, Vanilla Scones, Peppermint Patties
Wednesday: Curly Fries, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Thursday: Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich, Brownie
Friday: Donut or Vanilla Scones, Tortilla Chips
Saturday: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie, Gelato, Chocolate Martini, Plum Wine
I’m a little embarrassed to post this list, because it shows what a piggy I could be if I didn’t practice the restraint that I do. But I think it’s important for you to see that I, like most people, enjoy sweet and starchy foods. I also think it’s important to see all these things listed out, and how many calories and grams of sugar, carbohydrates, and fat I DIDN’T consume by saying no…one choice at a time.
It’s not like I’m thinking about these things all the time. In fact, by eliminating sugar from my diet (I do have some artificial sweetener in my coffee), my cravings for sugar have diminished significantly. Eating balanced meals at timed intervals has done wonders to stabilize my hunger (or lack thereof) throughout the day, so I’m not famished and dying to shove food in my mouth at random intervals. Still, certain foods show up in front of me in one way or another, and while I may not crave them, I am not numb to their temptation.
But here’s the thing: I don’t NEED these foods, I just WANT them. And a lot of the time I don’t even really want these foods specifically, I just want something different (perhaps because admittedly, I’m too lazy to put more variety into my cooking).
This cognitive understanding of my motivation to eat is hugely important. By understanding the difference between what is a want, a need, or neither, I am able to stay in better control and find the strength to pass on foods that I know will taste good, but will keep me from my health and physique goals. Eating healthfully and eating a “clean” diet is a very mindful process. NOT thinking about what we put in our mouth is what gets us into trouble; as such, getting to a better place requires much more thought and intent. If it’s not on your “plan,” you need to actively decide to keep that food out of your mouth.
It will be a bummer at first, I won’t lie about that, but in time it gets easier AND feels better. With each “no,” you will gain confidence in your strength and resolve to stick to your plan. As you start to reach your goals, your achievement will be incentive to keep up those good choices.
However, I also know that there will be times that you will choose to say “yes,” and that is okay! Understand your reason for that choice, whether it be a “planned cheat,” a celebration, or you say “screw it” – that’s fine too, it happens. Accept it, enjoy that moment, and move on (but get back at it!).
It all starts with a choice.
Give it a try. Practice “Just Saying No.” Try keeping a list for yourself. For one week – heck, start with just one day – write down all the things you wanted to eat, but didn’t because it wasn’t in your plan, and would keep you from reaching your goals. Once you have that list, add up all the unnecessary calories and grams of sugar, carbohydrates, and fat you prevented yourself from consuming. Be proud of yourself for sticking to your plan. Challenge yourself each day to THINK about your food and CHOOSE the one that will make you healthy, happy, and proud.
Q: Why am I not losing weight on a strict adherence to the Paleo Diet?
ANSWER:
Well because if your goal is to look like a Cro-Magnon man, then Paleo diets are great. And if you are 100lbs overweight, insulin resistant, type II diabetic, and just need to move closer to a natural, healthy bodyweight, Paleo diets are great. But if your goal is to reach the upper echelon of physical development (ie lose that last 10lbs, get ripped, look great naked, etc.), then in my opinion, 100% Paleo diets suck caveman booty. Just kidding, but not really.
Reaching a healthy body weight is one thing, but at some point getting to ultra-low body fat percentages, six-packs and whatnot, becomes somewhat of an unnatural process. The ripped guy would have died first in caveman times because a certain amount of body fat is advantageous as a back-up fuel source during times of food deprivation. So if you want to get rid of that extra reserve that your body physiologically wants to carry, you can’t just eat what your ancestors ate or rely on instinct. You need to add in targeted Sports Nutrition principles.
Why do you think you never see Paleo-ites with their shirts off? Because the majority are just skinny-fat (although there is always one guy that is genetically gifted, is an exception to the rule, and everyone points to as their example of Paleo-superiority). Well sorry to bust your bubble, but I’ve competed against world class NATURAL bodybuilders that would make your Paleo-god look like Richard Simmons.
And I don’t mean to be a jerk, honestly, I am really just trying to help you. I know what its like to be frustrated at a plateau, because I used to follow a 100% Paleo diet back in the day until I became more educated in exercise physiology and nutritional biochemistry. 100% Paleo is honestly just too simple of an approach for a physiological process as complex as fat loss.
Now before anyone gets their caveman, loin cloth panties in a bunch, I believe there are many great principles we can take from the Paleo Diet. In fact, so much so, that I’d say about 80% of my dietary recommendations are Paleo-influenced. But in my industry, we need to get out of trying to slot everyone into one little neat system. You’ll never convince me that a 300lbs sedentary office worker just trying to see his toes (among other body parts) again should be eating the same thing as a relatively fit, athlete trying to reach elite body composition levels. That makes no sense, common, scientific, or any other.
OK, now that the overview is out of the way, you are either (A) asleep, and in that case sweet dreams (B) logged off this site and logged onto Sportscenter.com (guys) or an online shoe store (girls, or vice versa, who knows?), and in that case have fun (C) excited to learn more, and in that case let’s break down your specific situation step-by-step. We’re going to go down a few different assumption roads so we can look at several possible solutions to your specific problem.
1. Maybe your current bodyweight IS your natural, healthy bodyweight. If it is, and that’s all you are shooting for, congratulations. Keep doing whatever it is that you are doing. I think most people could attain a healthy bodyweight by following a Paleo-style diet and walking alone, no formal exercise necessary.
2. But if you have higher physique development aspirations, maybe you need to look outside of 100% strict Paleo parameters.
3. You need to follow a diet more than a few weeks to attain noticeable results. Try a few months (and a few years if you want to reach elite status). I think shows like the Biggest Loser, and miracle pill and supplement marketing have skewed the public’s perception of realistic weight loss goals and time frames . We want fat loss and we wanted it yesterday right? Well, real fat loss takes time. And if you lose weight too quickly, you are likely losing more muscle than fat, damaging your metabolism, and setting yourself up for a huge weight rebound. This is the stuff you don’t see off camera on NBC.
4. Although food selections may give you a few metabolic and hormonal advantages, calories still count. If you are not in a relative calorie deficit, you are not providing an environment where your body will break down its own fat stores to obtain fatty acids. And on a side note, most formulas I’ve seen overestimate people’s true daily caloric needs.
5. Oils are not a true Paleo food. Where were the oil-refining factories in Caveman times. You may be in a “fat burning” mode, but if you are pouring oil on everything, your body is simply burning the dietary fatty acids you are consuming instead of being forced to break down body fat. True cavemen got most of their fat through their animal protein sources.
6. Fruit: Fructose is one of the worst compounds for body composition enhancement — directly leads to insulin resistance and fat accumulation. A small amount of fructose from 1-2 pieces of whole fruit a day is cool, but if you’re pounding bananas all day like a chimp, the fructose can add up. And definitely cut out concentrated sources of fructose like fruit juice, dried fruits, high fructose corn syrup and SUGAR (which is actually one molecule of glucose per one molecule of fructose.
7. What kind of training are you doing? Cardio sucks for fat loss, you can check out my article on this topic in the articles section. And if you have a knee injury, the repetitive nature of, and joint pounding cardio can have on the joints is probably only aggravating your condition. At least with strength training, you can control the exercise tempos and vary the angles to make sure you aren’t making the knee worse.
Alright, I’m worn out. Hope that helps answer your question.
Q: Is “Body-For-Life” a good way to get ripped?
ANSWER:
Well first off, I gotta’ question for you, and those following this. Does anyone else think the new T-mobile girl is hot? Is it just me? Some of my friends think I’m crazy, which makes me think I may be going crazy. That is entirely possible.
Ok Body For Life? Lets get this thing rolling.
If your goals are purely cosmetic (appearance first, performance second or not at all) which it sounds like they are, and you plan to consistently engage in a regular strength training program — which it sounds like you do, then I think Body For Life is one of the best commercial programs out there. I’d take it over any of the new trends towards low-carb or Paleo eating, or cross fit/cross-training.
Again, this is assuming regular anaerobic activity and appearance-based goals. If you are sedentary, a low-carb/Paleo-style diet is more appropriate because you aren’t burning a ton of carbohydrates and don’t need to replenish glycogen stores (a car sitting in the garage doesn’t need gas).
And if you have performace-based goals (improving strength, power, or muscular endurance), a cross-training program may be more appropriate. Programs geared towards performance should be different than those geared towards hypertrophy and fat loss. This reiterates what I’ve been saying on all along. There is no one universal program that is right for everyone, everywhere. The fitness industry needs to stop trying to slot everyone into one diet or training program. It should be the other way around. Every person needs to make sure their training program and diet MATCH their individual goals. Or in other words, prioritization necessitates specificity.
I’d say my nutrition advice has been influenced by several different resources: Paleo Nutrition, Sports Nutrition, the traditional Japanese Diet, and various authors in the fitness and bodybuilding communities — Bill Phillips and Body For Life being one of them. With your specific goals, I’d say you are heading down the right path. But pulling from my research and professional experiences, I’d say Body For Life is far from perfect. So I figured the best way to help you out is to go over the pros and cons of both the diet and training recommendations. You can decide from there what you think is the best approach.
Since diet has, by far, the biggest impact on body composition transformation, lets start there first.
BODY FOR LIFE DIET PROS:
1. Overall the diet composition and macronutrient ratios are basically a higher protein, moderate carbohydrate, lower fat approach. I think this is the best plan for anaerobic athletes. Sedentary folks (or those who are obese and/or diabetic, pre-diabetic, insulin resistant) would follow a more moderate protein, lower carbohydrate, higher healthy fat approach. But you ain’t sedentary right?
2. Each meal/snack is centered around a LEAN protein source. This helps provide the steady stream of amino acids you will need to initiate protein synthesis and build/maintain muscle. It also helps control blood sugar, hunger cravings, and feelings of satiety.
3. You are instructed to include a serving of complex carbohydrate with each meal/snack. This provides the glucose your body needs to refill glycogen stores. Essentially, it provides the fuel you need for training, and provides the anabolic stimulus your body needs to build muscle and respond to training sessions (carbs, and the resulting insulin release, shuttle amino acids into the muscle cell to initiate protein synthesis). So despite what you’ve heard, insulin is not all bad, especially for the athlete. No NATURAL hormone your body makes is all good or all bad, you just have to use diet and lifestyle factors to control them. The combination with protein helps to moderate insulin release better than eating carbs alone.
4. SIMPLICITY. The diet basically says to combine a serving of lean protein with a serving of complex carbs at each meal and snack. How simple is that dude? He even gives you serving shortcuts — a serving of protein is about the size of a deck of cards, a serving of carbohydrates is about the size of a fist. No measuring or weighing necessary.
5. There are some cool transformation stories, and pictures of hot bodies (girls in bikini’s, guys in board shorts — whatever you prefer).
BODY FOR LIFE DIET CONS:
1. The author is (or at least was) the owner of the supplement company EAS. So the diet, at least in some part, was created to promote and push supplement sales. He recommends 3 of the 6 meals/snacks come from his protein shakes or bars. I disagree with this. Whole foods are always better than supplements. The shakes and bars can be used for convenience from time to time (its better than a cheeseburger), but they should not be the core foundation of your routine. Too many artificial, chemical ingredients.
2. 6 meals/snacks is too much for most people, and too inconvenient for those living in the real world. I recommend spreading calories over 4-5 meals.
3. FOOD choices. I like the lean proteins, but I don’t like all of the carb selection recommendations. I’m with the Paleo-crowd on this one. He recommends a lot of the whole grain bread and cereal products. These can be problematic for a lot of people because (1) most people have a sensitivity to gluten (the protein in wheat, rye, and barley), if not a full blown allergy and (2) whole grains contain anti-nutrients like lectins and phytates that block mineral absorption and can be very hard on the digestive tract.
I would stick to more natural carbohydrate sources — think caveman or cultural carbs — so things like yams, potatoes, rice varieties, vegetables, and 1-2 pieces of WHOLE fruit.
BODY FOR LIFE TRAINING PROS:
1. It was one of the first commercial programs to acknowledge the importance of strength training for FAT LOSS, not just building muscle. Strength training is crucial for fat loss because it helps build muscle, boost metabolism, improve insulin sensitivity, and stimulates natural lipolytic (fat-burning) hormones like growth hormone.
2. It emphasizes a 3-day a week strength training program, which is great. It is also realistic and sustainable for most people.
3. It uses simple, basic bodybuilding-style exercises, which I believe are the best for transforming a body, not the new-age circus acts that are going on in gyms today (stand on one foot on a Bosu ball, close your eyes, touch your nose, then do a dumbbell curl). That stuff looks cool, and is marketable, but the basics are the basics for a reason — they are far more effective. Just look at the bodies of some of the trainers prescribing some of the more complicated, “innovative” stuff. Do they even look like they work out? Remember, fitness trends come and go, but basic barbell and dumbbell exercises have stood the test of time.
BODY FOR LIFE TRAINING CONS:
1. In addition to the 3-days a week of strength training, he also recommends 3-days a week of high intensity cardio. I think this is way too much for most people to recover from. I think 4 days of high intensity activity is plenty for most NATURAL athletes. Beyond that, you start impairing recovery ability.
2. While I believe strength training should be the core of any fat loss plan, I think traditional cardio is overrated anyway.
3. Modifications. If I were to modify the training program I would just tell you to do 4 days of strength training and cut the traditional cardio. Or you can stick to the 3-days of strength training, and go outside and do some non-exercise specific walking on the days you were supposed to do the high-intensity cardio. Walk for your errands kind of a thing. This will allow you to burn a few extra calories without all of the negative drawbacks of traditional cardio (cortisol elevation, muscle loss, reduced testosterone levels, the need to wear high and tight running shorts, etc.).
*Last tip. You don’t need to buy the book. The website tells you all you need to know, and has the food lists, etc.
Alright, hope that helps.
Public Health Enemy #1: Fructose
I have a bone to pick with the fitness and commercial diet industries. If you listen to the trends and fads, you “gotta go low carb” to get fat loss results. Carbs are the enemy right? And a 300lb, insulin resistant, sedentary, office worker should be eating the exact same thing as a 180lb man or 140lb woman — both of whom are regularly active, relatively lean, but trying to take it to the next level and reach peak physical condition? Yep, cut the carbs across the board. Carbs are the enemy.
Whatever dude.
To me, those are nothing more than media sensationalism tactics and commercial dietary blanket statements — both of which are highly marketable, but just as equally, highly inaccurate. “If we cut the carbs, we can eat whatever else we want in unlimited quantities and still stay lean.” Really? How’s that one working out for you?
Listen if carbs were the enemy, wouldn’t traditional Asian cultures have been the fattest most diabetic populations on the planet. Got rice?
History tells us different. In pre-1991 Japan, diabetes and obesity rates were never over 3% of the population. It is only since Western habits (ie large portions of processed foods) have gained popularity with each successive generation that the numbers have gotten worse, now closer to 11%.
And here in America, where we are so ahead of the times, so cutting edge with our dietary recommendations, and have a billion dollar low carb industry, shouldn’t we be the fittest people in the world? I mean we have low-carb bars, snack foods, and even gum. As beaches and poolsides everywhere tell us, however, quite the contrary is true. We’re still the worst nation on the planet, right around 33%.
LEARN FROM HISTORY
To me, this “all carbs are the enemy thang” is no different than the 1970′s “all fats are evil thang”. Haven’t we learned our lesson about lumping different foods into one general category and condemning them as the downfall of society? I guess not. In today’s world, a natural potato is the same thing as a man-made muffin loaded with sugar and flour. And we’re supposed to eat our fake, factory produced, low-carb bar to compensate.
Again, whatever dude.
In the 1970′s, heart healthy monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids were lumped into the same category as pro-inflammatory vegetable oils and trans fats. We were told to cut fat across the board, regardless of the source. With advancements in research and knowledge, we now know that was uninformed, counterproductive advice.
One day, I feel like we will look back at the current Carbophobia Era in the same sort of way. Did they really say that potatoes and rice were just as bad as sugar and high fructose corn syrup? Really? C’mon man, you are B.S.’ing me right? They weren’t that stupid.
AMERICA’S WORST FOOD COMPOUND
So just like with fats, we can’t oversimplify. Unfortunately, we must put in some effort to educate and inform ourselves if we are to truly end up with the most accurate information and the most effective plans. We can’t blindly follow blanket statements.
We must distinguish between carbs that can be beneficial (especially for anaerobic athletes) vs. carbs that are without a doubt detrimental to our health. It is not ALL carbs that are killing us, making us sick, and making us fat; it is certain TYPES of carbs. And I have a bona fide grim reaper for you (yes I am going to resort to the scare tactic on this one).
While there are several worthy foods, I’d put the championship belt around concentrated sources of fructose as the worst compound in modern diets. If you did nothing other than cut out sugar and high fructose corn syrup from your diet, I’d bet you’d end up with a pretty decent physique. But that crap is everywhere, and is in everything.
According to numerous studies, fructose is the main culprit in table sugar that causes insulin resistance — FRUCTOSE y’all, not my poor glucose/starch compounds that get unfairly lumped into the same category via the “Y2K All Carbs Are Evil Campaign”. Here is one of those studies that compared a starch-based diet with sucrose/fructose-based diets:
Old-timers paper link: Thresher et al, Comparison of the effects of sucrose and fructose on insulin action and glucose tolerance. AJP- Regu Physiol October 2000 vol.279 no.4; New-school web link: http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/279/4/R1334.full
In an article from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the metabolism of fructose was further investigated. The report indicated that fructose, compared with glucose, is preferentially metabolized to fat in your liver. In animal models fructose produced the following responses: insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, high insulin levels, high triglycerides, and hypertension.
WE LOVE THE SWEET STUFF
The primary reasons that fructose is used commercially in foods and beverages is: (1) It’s cheap, and (2) It is the sweetest of all carbohydrates, up to 1 ½ times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar).
But isn’t fructose a natural sugar found in nature via whole fruits? Yep. How can it be bad for you then?
The fructose in whole fruit exists in tiny amounts. That’s not the problem. It’s the commercialization of foods, and the trend towards using additives to make everything sweet (because we love the sweetness) that is the problem. With the food refining process, we are getting concentrated sources of fructose in dramatically higher amounts, and with much more consistent regularity, than mama-nature ever intended for us. And it is this specific type of carb that is making us fat, diabetic, and sick.
Where is most of our dietary fructose coming from? The top 2 are:
1. High fructose corn syrup and pure fructose as a sweetener in packaged and processed snack foods and desserts, as well as sauces, dressings, and condiments.
2. Ditto for pure table sugar added to almost every refined treat, snack, and baked good. Sugar is 1 molecule of glucose plus 1 molecule of FRUCTOSE.
Beyond that, we get if from additional sources like:
3. Agave nectar, which is almost pure fructose. This is the latest marketed “health food/ sugar substitute”, but it is one of the worst things you can put on your food because of the high fructose content.
4. Honey
5. Fruit juice and fruit smoothies
6. Dried fruits
7. Fruit. 1-2 pieces of whole fruit a day is healthy and should not be problematic. Just don’t go around like a chimp eating 50 bananas a day. At that point, the fructose adds up.
We have to start cutting back on our fructose intake to improve both our waistline and our overall health. They call it dessert, not a dietary staple, for a reason.
SWEET ADDICTION
What is the most widespread, addictive drug in our society today? Is it cocaine? Maybe for the nightclub crowd, strippers, and bankers. Painkillers? Athletes and seniors use them to get by. Pot? Dude, I grew up in California and went to school at Berkeley, so that certainly makes sense. Tobacco and alcohol? They’re legal, over-the-counter, and readily available in any grocery store, market, restaurant, and bar. We’re getting warmer.
In terms of sheer numbers of addicts, there is one drug that surpasses them all, combined. There is one drug that is more dangerous than the rest, simply because most people are not even aware that it is a drug. There is one drug that is having profound, detrimental effects on our nation’s health and well being (as well as your waistline), and it is cheap and highly available wherever you turn. Many parents even give it to their children on a daily basis, not knowing any better. What is this drug?
Sugar.
This compound, along with our lack of portion control with sugar-loaded foods, is the main reason why we are the fattest, unhealthiest people on earth. I do not mean to make light of drug addiction. On the contrary, that’s how devastating I think this whole sugar problem is. Make no mistake about it my friends. Sugar IS a drug. It is a compound that we can become physically, mentally, physiologically, and emotionally addicted to.
Every day in America, many of us are abusing a powerful drug that is slowly crippling us. As seen above, sugars are some of the most destructive things you can put into your body. When you talk about these foods, it is not what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It is what doesn’t kill you quickly kills you slowly. I truly believe that if cutting out sugar/fructose was the one and only change you made towards improving your health and fitness profile, you would obtain dramatic results.
Most people have a hard time cutting out sugar, just as they would have cutting out any drug. Its not just a weak will, it’s a physiological addiction. Sugar triggers serotonin release in the brain, which has a calming effect and gives us a sense of well-being. Have you ever just eaten one M&M? You can’t do it, because your body gets a glimpse of that drug-like effect and the reward centers in your brain crave more. Its not just the taste or a weak will, it’s a physiological desire to eat more.
This is the main problem with “emotional eating”. People don’t run to chicken and broccoli when they are stressed, anxious, or depressed. They run to comfort foods that make them feel better. They run to sugar. You need to find healthier ways to deal with your emotions than relying on a drug-like chemical disguised as food.
BLOOD SUGAR ROLLER COASTER RIDE
There is also evidence that sugar and the resulting high levels of insulin affect appetite centers in the brain. In high amounts, insulin is an appetite stimulant. Eating sugar makes you even hungrier, which in turn causes you to overeat. Sugar loaded foods are the most dangerous foods to overeat because of this appetite stimulating affect. They make you hungrier and crave more of the same.
Like all things related to fat loss and gain, this can be related to blood sugar levels. When simple sugars are consumed, blood sugar rises above its upper limit. Insulin is released in large amounts to clear sugar from the blood. The large amount of insulin can end up doing too good of a job, so much sugar is cleared from the blood that blood sugar levels are left low, below the normal limits. Low blood sugar causes fatigue, low energy, and hunger.
The body craves food to return blood sugar back to higher amounts. It craves a type of food that will enter into the bloodstream and raise blood sugar levels quickly – more simple sugars. It’s a harsh cycle of peaks and valleys; simple sugars cause you to eat more simple sugars. It’s a roller coaster ride of energy bursts and energy crashes. Not only do you gain body fat, but hormonal processes in the body make you more prone to continue eating in this destructive manner.
To put it another way, my recommended sugar intake for positive fitness and body composition transformation is 0g per day. For those interested in general health, my recommended sugar intake is 0g per day.
CUTTING THE CRAP — BLOG EXAMPLE
I’m not going to lie to you. Cutting out sugar is not going to be easy. You may have withdrawal symptoms and you will get cravings. That’s exactly why I would classify it as a drug. But if you work hard, and power through like you must do when breaking any addiction or bad habit, it does get easier.
So I want to provide you with a real life example to motivate you.
One of our friends contacted us about 2 months before her wedding day. She had read our site and wanted to apply some of the content to shape up a little bit before the big day. She was realistic, and didn’t think she could implement every single one of our recommendations (after all she wasn’t a fitness freak), but wanted to make a real effort towards moving in the right direction.
The compromise we came up with? She was only going to focus on doing one thing — cutting out all sources of fructose and sugar. No other dietary changes were to be made. And she exercised a little more, but not enough to make a huge difference. The result?
She lost 15lbs in that two-month time frame, and we both though she looked great at her wedding.
If you are only going to take one step, make it this one.
Q: Which is more effective for fat loss – 20 min of high intensity interval training or 60 min of cardio in the fat burning zone?
ANSWER:
The short answer is that the 20 minutes of higher intensity intervals would probably do more for fat loss in the long run than the 60 minutes of low intensity cardio. But I’m not one for short, easy answers, because you will never truly understand the complicated fat loss process, and thus you will never learn how to separate fact from myth, efficient plans from inefficient ones. Trust me, its worth educating yourself a little bit if you truly care about getting real results.
Changing your body/losing fat is not just about how many calories you burn while exercising, or what percentage of those calories come from fat as a fuel source. Its about the positive effects exercise can have on (1) your resting metabolic rate (Technically, this is your truest “fat burning zone”, as the body burns predominantly fatty acids at rest, or in other words, the greatest percentage of fat as a contributing fuel source occurs under resting conditions, not exercising ones) (2) muscle building/fat burning hormonal release — the true key to physical change. High intensity intervals has a more dramatic effect on these processes than low intensity cardio, but there is another MODE of exercise that has a greater effect than both combined. Thus there is a more efficient way to go about your fat loss business. What if you tried 40 minutes of STRENGTH TRAINING?
Compared to strength training, cardio (any form of cardio) is inferior for body composition change. Strength training is not just for meatheads trying to get huge, its also the most efficient way to get your body to burn fat — AT REST. How? Strength training causes microscopic damage in the muscle cell. The repair process can take up to 72 hours to complete. And all of the cellular processes that happen during this phase require energy = CALORIES. And since all of this happens at rest, a large percentage of those calories will come from fat. So even though you may burn more calories during an hour of low intensity cardio or 20 minutes of intervals than an hour of strength training, you will burn more calories in the 71 hours that follow after a strength training session. Which do you think has the biggest impact on your goals?
And yes, intervals will give you a nice fat burning growth hormone surge/release, but so does strength training if you do it right. And the strength training has a much more profound, sustained metabolic effect in the recovery period — as described above. Fat burning hormone release, elevated met rate, and the opportunities to wear spandex, grunt really loud, and wear sunglasses inside the gym, you can’t beat that (I hope you know I’m kidding).
So curls are good for the girls, and also good for the guys trying to get the girls.
If you enjoy the science, here is a little more about what goes on in response to a strength training session:
- Satellite cells are activated when muscle fibers receive trauma or damage.
- Satellite cells fuse to existing muscle fibers and help to
repair/regenerate the damage by increasing the size and number of
contractile proteins (called actin & myosin) within those fibers. - The body restores cell fluids, electrolytes, and minerals lost during training.
- The body must refill muscle glycogen stores as glycogen is the
primary fuel used during high intensity training. - The immune system responds with a sequence of actions leading to
inflammation. This inflammation is what causes muscle soreness. The
purpose of this inflammation is to contain the damage within the muscle
cells, increase blood flow and nutrient delivery to the damaged area,
repair the damage, and clean up the injured area of waste products. - Antioxidants scavenge free radicals and repair oxidative stress
caused by the increased rate of oxygen consumption during the training
session. - Growth factors (such as IGF-1) regulate insulin metabolism and stimulate protein synthesis.
- Testosterone, cortisol, and growth hormone levels rise, fall, and
return to baseline levels in their own respective patterns (assuming you
are training naturally without performance enhancing drugs). - All of the above processes can take up to 48-72 hours under normal
circumstances but can be delayed by many factors including poor dietary
decisions, lack of sleep, and high stress levels just to name a few. - All of the above actions require energy (calories).
This is why we say that strength training boosts the metabolism (the
rate at which your body burns calories on a daily basis) and is so
crucial to the body composition change process.
If you still don’t believe me, and would rather hit the treadmill instead of the dumbbells, despite everything I’ve just taught you, there may be nothing I can do for you. But I wish you luck nonetheless.
What is the best way to get 6-pack abs?
ANSWER:
2. Be careful who you take your advice from on this topic. Misinformation and myths abound. Ideally, you want to learn from someone who has practical experience. Someone who actually has a 6-12 pack AND has helped others get one. How many people write about getting abs that have never actually seen their own? Plenty in my industry. That’s why there are so many B.S. myths that don’t work in the real world. Sorry to vent.
You also want someone who has a science background (many meat-head bodybuilders and diva-fitness girls have great bodies but can’t intelligently explain the processes behind physical transformation, which means their results can’t be replicated). Being a good athlete or model or whatever is different than being a good coach.
I’m not trying to attack anyone personally, just trying to establish my own credibility and expertise. Ask this question and you’ll get a thousand answers. As a novice, how do you filter through the noise?
3. Diet is the most important factor, hands down, but lets talk about training first because the two really go hand-in-hand. Most people think cardio first when they think about 6-packs. “Gotta burn the fat”. I wrote about this in another question but I’ll repeat it here — losing fat is not about how many calories you burn while exercising, its about how many calories you burn the other 23 hours of the day. Restated — its not about “burning fat” while exercising, its about the metabolic and hormonal impacts of exercise.
Strength training is far superior in this regard compared to aerobic training. Think about it logically. How many people do you see on the rows and rows of cardio equipment “burning” away fat, only to look exactly the same a year later? Now think about where you see the “fittest” looking people in the gym. At some point, they all hit the weight floor.
Your training should always be geared towards increasing beneficial hormonal output, building lean muscle (which is the second, but often overlooked aspect of changing your body composition/body fat percentage thus seeing a six-pack), and increasing the resting metabolic rate so you can burn more calories/fat in the recovery process. Strength training is the best choice here. But not circuit training or boot camp training or cross-fit training (because its cool and/or that’s what the 300 guys did — bullshit marketing fluff). Again, even with strength training its not about burning more fat during the session. If you want to truly change your body its about building metabolic-boosting muscle. Cross-training is better suited to performance adaptations (increasing anaerobic and/or aerobic endurance) than it is to APPEARANCE adaptations (six pack and guns).
Traditional hypertrophy, bodybuilding-based training is the best method for these goals — body part splits, volume (multiple exercises per body part, 3 sets of 10, etc.), interset rests of 45-60 seconds. There’s a ton of research behind that, too much to go into here.
So strength train 3-4 days a week using a body-part split and traditional hypertrophy programs. That’s the first half.
4. Diet is the second, and dramatically more important half. The trend these days is to recommend going low/no carb/Paleo for fat loss. That’s too simplistic of an approach. I have a problem with that, especially for anaerobic athletes (remember from above you are strength training 3-4 days a week = anaerobic athlete).
Low carb diets are great for sedentary people because they just aren’t burning a ton of carbs throughout the day. Paleo diets are great for people who want to reduce disease risk factors and reach a healthy body weight. Those are all great, but training and dieting to reach the pinnacle of physique development is something completely different, is somewhat of an unnatural process, and requires targeted sports nutrition principles outside of the strict Paleolithic parameters. How many Paleo people do you know who are shredded at 4% body fat? I don’t know any. How many bodybuilders that follow a moderate carb, lower fat diet that are shredded at 4% body fat (and I mean naturals, not juiced up steroid freaks)? I know and have competed against many.
I recommend a more moderate carbohydrate, lower fat approach than what is currently “hot” in the industry right now for several reasons: (1) Because the chemical composition of dietary fat is similar to that of body fat, dietary fat is the macronutrient most likely stored as body fat in periods of caloric excess (both per day and per meal). This habit of keeping carbs low and pouring oil on everything is counterproductive. I don’t care if you haven’t eaten a carbohdyrate since 2000, if you are overeating any macronutrient you won’t drop fat. The body is just using dietary fat as fuel instead of stored body fat. And where were the oil refining factories in caveman times?
The body burns predominantly glucose/glycogen during anaerobic training. Thus the body needs a certain amount of carbohydrates to fuel, recover from, and respond to training sessions (to build muscle, boost metabolic rate, and ultimately burn more fat at rest). Chronic low carb dieting can lead to muscle loss (soft, flabby appearance, maybe the skinny-fat syndrome), reductions in thyroid output (inhibited fat burning), reductions in leptin output (leading to hunger cravings and binge eating), and here is some new research: can lead to an imbalance in the free testosterone:cortisol ratio in response to high intensity training. This imbalance can lead to muscle loss and fat storage, particularly around the midsection (the tight everywhere else but holds fat in the midsection syndrome)
With the carbs, its the amount and type that matter. A carb-based diet consisting of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and refined flour is much different than a carb-based diet consisting of vegetables, whole fruits, potatoes, and rice (which is what I recommend). I agree with Paleo and low-carbers in this respect, many of the modern carbohydrate food choices are suboptimal (packaged foods loaded with fructose from sugar and high fructose corn syrup, which leads to insulin resistance), grains (wheat/gluten allergy, digestive disorders), and dairy (lactose intolerance, high insulin index, high acidity). Just stick to the 4 choices mentioned above to avoid the problems associated with suboptimal carbohydrate selections.
Six pack/fat loss diet. I generally start people at 1g of protein and 1g of carbohydrate per 1lb of lean body mass, with dietary fat as by-product of protein sources (salmon and other fish, lean meats, moderate amounts of eggs). No oils or added fats. These ratios are enough to support anaerobic training while still being in a relative calorie deficit, which is necessary for body fat reduction. Adjustments are made base on individual metabolism, body type, AND progress.
The Basics – Nutritional Overview
Let’s start our discussion of the basics with our nutritional overview. Why? Because what you put in your mouth (or perhaps more importantly, what you DON’T put in your mouth), will have the greatest effect on your body composition and changes to your physique. Here are the basic principles that guide our recommendations:
Nutritional Overview: We emphasize a natural, animal and vegetable-based diet over a refined sugar & flour-based diet. Animals foods provide our bodies with all of the essential nutrients necessary for survival – essential amino acids and essential fatty acids – in the right quantities, proportions and ratios. This is what we evolved on; you can’t beat nature.
What should you eat? Natural foods:
- Lean proteins with every meal: chicken or turkey breast, fish, shellfish, lean cuts of red meat (filet mignon, top round, sirloin, leanest ground beef), lean cuts of pork, egg/egg white mixtures (1-2 whole eggs per 4-6 egg whites)
- Natural, starch-based carbohydrates with every meal: yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice (any kind), or rice based products with no additives (unflavored rice cakes)
- As many non-starchy vegetables as you wish with any meal (spinach, broccoli, etc).
- Fruit as dessert only
- Drink 2-3 liters of water per day. Tea and black coffee are fine.
- Use herbs and spices to flavor foods – garlic, sea salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, paprika, etc.
- Use low fat and low sugar condiments = salsa, pico de gallo, wasabi, mustard, etc.
What should you avoid? Pretty much all man-made, processed foods, along with sugar, dairy, and fat:
- Sugar and concentrated sources of fructose: high fructose corn syrup, pure cane sugar, table sugar, fruit juices, smoothies, dried fruits, soda, “sweets”, pastries, mochas, etc.
- Sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners, and flavorings
- Trans fats, hydrogenated oil, margarine
- Vegetable oils, flax seed oil, and other processed oils
- Dairy – milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, ice cream, cream
- Bread, pasta, and flour-based products
- Grains, including “whole grains” – breads, cereals, tortillas
- Beans, legumes
- High sugar and/or high-fat dressings and condiments
- Processed meats – hot dogs, salami, etc
- Tofu and soy-based products
- Alcoholic beverages
When should you eat?
- If you are sedentary, eat 3 times per day.
- If you are active and exercise regularly, eat 5 times per day.
How much should you eat at each meal?
- Protein: 4-8 ounces (0.25-0.5 pound). This is about the size of your palm, a deck of cards, or your iPhone.
- Carbohydrates: 8 ounces (1 cup). This is about the size of your fist or a baseball. When you start out, measure it exactly so that you know what it looks like.
- As much/many non-starchy vegetables as you like.
Where should you eat?
- Whenever possible, eat at home so that you have control over what goes into your meals.
- Sit at the dining table, or somewhere away from the television, computer, or anything else that will distract your attention from your meal.
Got this down? Great! Next, let’s talk about Training/Exercise.
natemiyaki
Kalai Diamond
