Saturday, March 31, 2012

Don't Cheat on Leptin

Cheat Day - a wonderful and terrible thing. It's hard to come to grips with the idea of throwing away all the hard work and sacrifice you put into the week to get results by binging on stupid foods. But it's also great to be free to eat whatever you want or whatever you have access to without having to think so much. For me, it's about getting to eat fruit, juice and a donut (or 4...ok, that was only 1 time, but it was awesome).

But, still, it doesn't feel right mentally, and you see that you take a half step backward and feel like you've thrown away hard work for what - a donut?  Please.  Not worth it, right?

Well, cheat day is also a bit of hard work with benefit.  Tim Ferriss talks about the benefits in The Four Hour Body, but there's even more to it that people on a forum of Four Hour Body followers have been discussing that's gotten attention in research and on other sites.  It's about Leptin production.  Leptin is a hormone produced by the liver that burns fat and is the lead domino in all sorts of fat burning / healthy functions in your body (like the regulation of the thyroid, inflammation levels, etc).

I wanted to share some really useful links that you should read to better understand Leptin, the value of cheat day, and ways to be smart about it all.  Remember, I'm not a doctor - just a guy who has found this helpful who thinks you might, too.

A an actual doctor is a pro on this stuff, though, and you should look into his work and his site.  His name is Dr. Jack Kruse, and he goes into Leptin in a lot of detail. His site's linked below, too.

Dr. Jack Kruse's website (check out blog posts on Leptin - there are lots, just look through the index, searching for the word "Leptin")
Video on Leptin's Role, Leptin Resistance & Leptin Sensitivity
Cheating / Refeeding & Leptin
Dieting Affects Leptin Levels
Stimulate Leptin Response
Trigger Fat Burning Hormones (4 Hour People Forum)

If you are following the Slow Carb Diet, and find that you're not seeing results in line with the effort, Leptin could be the reason.  As someone on the 4 Hour People forum said, if it's a struggle, it's not working right.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

"I'm gonna get in shape, but it will be really hard"

Well, now it will.

I have been hearing from lots of people who my advice and story is helping them get inspired to get in shape.  That's awesome. It makes me incredibly happy and proud to hear that, and this is exactly why I started newbodi.es.

That said, far too many people include in their note something about how hard it will be, how much work they will have to do, that it's a big undertaking, that they've never been successful before (either at all or in staying fit), etc.  The mind is an incredibly powerful thing, and the more negatively you frame things, the harder they will be to do.

See, if you go into this journey with a frame of negativity, you will be staring at this daunting wall in front of you at all times. Your cells will literally feel the weight of this burden.  Conversely, go in with just the comment about how you're going to get fit, or how you know you can do it, and your mind will trigger a rush of endorphins and other biochemistry that will keep your cells invigorated and energized, allowing you to get to your goal.

So, how can you stop being negative and mean it down in your core (it's easy not to say the negative thing out loud, but you may still be thinking it, after all).  Well, not saying it is a good first step, but to really stop, you need to expose why you are being negative in the first place.  Is it fear of failing, so you provide yourself the caveat or out in case you do so you can say, "Well, I knew this would be too hard, and I told everyone, so no one can say this was a surprise or a let down, including me."  I'd bet that's what it is more likely than not.  Is it just that you're a negative person? That's a bit of a cop out that doesn't explore the underlying 'why' at play.  I'll bet you're negative as a way to protect the real you from being exposed or hurt by failure.  Recognize this, embrace it, and rise above it.

Tonight, while running, my right knee started to hurt at the 10 minute mark.  I really wanted to go another 5 minutes.  It started to really hurt - like a lot.  Very sharp.  I started to worry - what can I do?  Should I stop?  What about my progress?  What about training for my first race?  Then I did something I read about in Born to Run.  I smiled.  I felt happy.  And, honestly, my knee pain faded in about 3 strides.  I felt it happen.  It didn't come back, and my knee feels great right now.

The point is, the body doesn't know reality from dream or thought.  It just takes the chemical cues, and performs accordingly.  Be positive, and your body will follow.

You can be positive.  You can affirm that you'll succeed.  You can rise up.  And in doing so, your body will change.  And the more your body changes, the more your mind will, which will drive further body improvement.  This is the cycle I got into about 9 months ago, and it's only accelerating.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Listen to your body, it knows a thing or two

Today was a day of opening my ears to my body.  It started this morning.  Instead of starting my day at 5, I overslept and woke up at 6:40.  I still didn't sleep enough, but it was much better than if I got up at 5.  I still got in my full workout today, so no loss.  I also hit another personal best while running.

When I say 'full workout', I don't quite mean that as I dropped something from my program for the time being.  I'm trying to be smart and safe. Today, I saw my back doctor (a physiatrist, which is basically an orthopedist who doesn't operate), and he figured out why my back is so achy and stiff all the time - especially after laying down even for a few seconds.  He did it in like 10 seconds, too.  He rocks.  He had me face away from him, and lift my shirt.  He said, "Wow, your hips are severely misaligned."  I had put all this work into strengthening my back to get my pain under control, but I was actually reinforcing a problem that I should have stopped to correct.  My right hip sits about 2" higher than my left.  Now I know why the left side of my back hurts all the time!  PT, here I come!

So I dropped the kettle bell swing from my routine (a M/W/F thing) because I will surely be using my back wrong and reinforcing the problem.  I listened to my doctor who was listening to my body.

So, this is my point - don't be foolish or crazy.  If you are exhausted, rest.  If you are hungry, eat (just eat smart, ok?).  If your pelvic alignment is all kaflooey, stop swinging a 53 lb canon ball with a handle.

Speaking of which, it's almost 11, and I'm tired.  I think your body is, too.  It's trying to tell you.  Listen up.

Good night.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Principle 3 - Don't Question It

A lot of the advice I give and coaching I do is to try to get people past questioning things. I see so much energy being spent questioning diet decisions, exercise advice, etc. What people seem to miss is that they are spending huge amounts of energy making excuses and coming up with logistical reasons why something isn't for them, or won't work in their case. That same energy could be used to test it out and use empirical evidence to decide what will and won't work.

This is the approach I used, and it's worked.  Where I was skeptical, I decided I'd try for a few days and see if it was sustainable. If it was, then I'd keep at it a little longer to see if it drove results.  If it did, it stuck.  If not, well, then I lost nothing and gained some knowledge.

This is a part of Principle 3 of the 10 newbodi.es Principles - "Don't question it."  See, if you stop to question things, it will fall apart.  You will waste energy on the negatives (can't, won't, shouldn't, etc) instead of just getting on with it.  This is why I work out first thing in the morning - by the time I'm awake enough to argue with myself, I'm half way done!  I kid, but it's also sort of true.  If I stopped to think about whether I was too tired, or if I really wanted to do it, I'd still be in bed.  I'd also still be 50 lbs heavier and miserable all the time physically, and much of the time emotionally.

Stop making excuses, stop questioning, stop rationalizing your current situation.  Get on with it.  Do better.  Be better.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sustainable & Maintainable?

Q:  This doesn't all seem sustainable or maintainable in the long term. What happens when you come off the diet? Doesn't the weight just flood back on like with every other diet?

A:  Ah, the age old question for every diet. See, the thing is, you're misusing the word 'diet', as are most people. We've perverted the original word from what you eat day in day out to something like, "A shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch and a sensible meal."  Or, "I have to fit into clothing X for event Y on date Z, so I will only eat alfalfa sprouts while standing on my head until every 37 minutes."

Once you flip over onto your feet at 12 minutes past the hour and eat, oh, I don't know, a chicken breast, poof, you can't wear clothing X again.

Well, that's the thing.  This isn't that kind of diet. At least not for me. Yes, you can be more extreme and official about it, but you can also bend it to be less extreme and fit your life better.  You still get results, but not as fast.  You can also maintain results, though you may not be able to recover from indiscretions as quickly.

Tim Ferriss lives the Slow Carb Diet, and he's in insane shape.  He could 'stop dieting' and 'eat normally', but this is normal to him.  He is healthy. Very healthy.  He's fit. Very fit. He also eats out a ton (he says, I believe, 2/3 of all meals are eaten out).

As for me, I plan to stay fairly strict through to the 1 year mark (July 1) for my journey (though only about half of that time is following the SCD as I didn't know about it until January), and then move into a somewhat less strict version.  I'm working out the details of that now, and what works for me may not work for you or someone else because it's about adaptations to my lifestyle and tastes (both taste of food and preferences in life).  Some basic things I plan to follow (color coded w/ 'still' in blue, and 'stop' in red to help make the point - most things are permanent changes, and I'm really happy to do that):

  • Still get lots of protein, including 30g or more w/in 30 minutes - I love how this makes me feel each day, and don't want to lose that. This is much better than when I used to eat a bowl of cereal in the morning, which tasted great, but sat funny and left me hungry an hour later despite loading me with calories and sugar.
  • Still eat lots of greens, and probably still use a powdered green supplement in my eggs (as well as some fresh spinach) each morning because it's damn good for you, and I was horrible at eating enough of them before. I'm into not getting cancer, and cruciferous veggies are a fabulous way to help that not happen.
  • Still have a restricted amount of refined / fast carbs and sugar. It's just not good for you, and it's a wasteful way to fuel yourself because you waste much of it (or store it in a slow-to-use form), and could have gotten a longer-lasting, slower carb that keeps you satisfied and fueled.
  • Still avoid most dairy.  I'm lactose intolerant, so this isn't a big shift for me, but I definitely ate cheese and yogurt and drank kefir regularly (really good stuff, by the way).  I don't plan to go crazy with the stuff, but I might put some cheese in my eggs occasionally (I do on cheat day now), have kefir a couple of times a week, and the same for yogurt. I don't plan to eat ice cream, fro-yo or drink milk.
  • Still use some tricks, like cinnamon, a shot of espresso or a glass of grapefruit juice to help burn fat / stop sugar absorption.
  • Stop avoiding fruit entirely. I won't go nuts, but I do plan to have an orange or grapefruit now and then, or perhaps have a bite of my son's apple when he doesn't want anymore.
  • Stop avoiding whole wheat bread entirely. Lunch is a tricky meal, whereas I find breakfast and dinner easy to comply with. I plan to have mostly salads at lunch, as I have been, but now and then (maybe 2x / week) have an open-faced sandwich on a multi-grain bread.  Something like chicken breast or turkey breast with lettuce or spinach and some mustard. No mayo.
  • Stop doing a cheat day. Instead, I'll use the rule bending I've mentioned above to even it out over the week, and allow myself to have something like brown rice or whole wheat pasta on occasion (e.g. when out for dinner or lunch).

How about you? How do you think you can keep this up so life changes stick in a sustainable way to make your new body maintainable?  I'm really not concerned or worried at all.  I love a lot of what I've learned, and don't plan to give most of it up. It's easy to follow, and it really is just better for your body.

Remember, I'm a dad, and don't want my son to either have poor health habits or be a paranoid and anxious person who is too worried about what he is and isn't eating.  It's about being healthy while knowing what is and isn't healthy so you can create balance and offset breaks in that balance from time to time.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Compression is Key

16.2 -> 16.8 
What are those numbers?  Before and after for calorie burn per minute (cal/min).

It may not look like a big difference (+0.6 calories), but when you do 45 minutes of cardio at the same resistance level, a 0.6 cal/min change adds up to another 27 calories, or a 5.7% increase in performance.  This change took place from a Monday morning workout to the next morning's workout.

That might not sound like much of a change to some of you even when it's nearly 30 calories, but watch people compete in running, speed skating, weight lifting, track & field, skiing etc. 1st and 2nd place aren't usually 5.7% apart.  Think about those horse races that need to go to a photo finish in the movies.  When I was a ski racer in high school, 1st, 2nd and 3rd were usually within a 1 second band of each other - and often closer as you move up to professional racing.

5.7% is a huge increase in performance.  And, mind you, this was achieved from one day to the next with nothing changing but what I was wearing on top and on bottom.  From a long sleeve Under Armor Heat Gear top and Heat Gear spandex shorts that were both too loose (they fit before I lost weight) to 2XU Compression long sleeve shirt and CW-X stability tights in the proper size giving good compression to my muscles.

OK, that was a $220 change - no small sum - but the learning is huge.  And it's stayed consistent 6 months later.  The reason is that compression does a lot for you - it aides in muscle recovery by increasing blood flow to the muscles. It allows your muscles to fire faster, and keep from tiring out as quickly or as much. It reduces warm up time, and thus gets you to peak performance much sooner. Plus, the act of getting the stuff on can be quite a good workout in and of itself sometimes!

So, if you haven't thought about it, do.  If you have, but haven't taken the leap, get some compression clothes to work out in. And, no, I'm not an advocate of the uncovered spandex look.  Put some shorts on over those shorts! Whether you can pull it off or not isn't the question - no one at the gym needs to know what your junk looks like!

And if you're curious what to get, I've tried Under Armor, Adidas, CW-X, 2XU and Skins.  Overall, my favorite by far is Skins for both tops and bottoms. If you have bad knees, CW-X has some great tights that have what amounts to bracing around your knees, which I really like.  2XU look awesome with the giant X on your forearm or leg, but I don't find them to be as technically advanced or beneficial as the CW-X or Skins products (though I do like their shirts a lot, and find them similar to Skins).

I like Skins mostly because a) they aide performance at least as well as the competition, and b) as a guy, they really pay attention to the crotch and the movement proper crotch structure can give. This is really simple - without a gusseted crotch (like Skins has), compression shorts or pants will tend to ride down as you work out.  Skins stay put. Plus, I like the yellow stitching on black lycra look. Very cool and sporty (and similar color choice to my logo, of course).

I personally wouldn't bother with the more usual brands (UA, Adidas, Nike, etc). They're ok and cheap, but they don't do much. I do have a UA Cold Gear mock turtle neck I really like for both compression and heating me up, but not as much as the Skins, 2XU and CW-X stuff.  Save up and buy right.

You can find Skins products at Amazon here.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Q: Alcohol...what is a person to do?

Q:  if you’re going to have a night drinking do you make sure it’s on Cheat Day?  Or do you do the PAGG/coffee/grapefruit/air squats stuff if you have a few drinks and it’s not Cheat Day?


A: This is another great question - you guys keep giving me good stuff that is so useful for making this work for your lives - real lives.  The answer is, of course, "it depends."


If you can make a drinking night be on a cheat day, that's definitely best. But, even then, alcohol is not a good thing for so many reasons, but mainly the extremely high amount of carbs (and sugar, specifically) regardless of what kind of booze you're drinking. It also taxes your organs, which should be cleansing your blood and keeping you healthy and well.  Someone on 4hbpeople.com said it really well, "Drinking beer is like drinking a loaf of white bread." Ew.  So, wine is best, and red wine is better than white, but moderation is really the key here.


So, if it isn't a cheat day, and you either don't drink wine, or it isn't a wine kind of place/event, is your life over and are you destined to pack on 80 lbs that moment? No. Like I said in a Tweet recently, this isn't a yes/no situation. It's a continuum where making a less than ideal choice will not mean you suddenly fall apart, but that, instead, you don't do quite as well as if you didn't make that choice.  It's not a light switch, it's a dimmer.


So, have fun, but do it with your eyes wide open. If fun means drinking a bunch, then know that you will slow your progress or maybe step back a bit when you weigh yourself next. If fun can mean nursing a glass of red wine while laughing with your friends, then so much the better.

Q: Do you eat w/in 30 min of waking if you're not hungry?

Q: I'm curious. Do you ever wake up not hungry? And if so, do you eat anyway?


A: Interesting question. As I think about it, I don't wake up hungry. I don't think I've ever woken up hungry, or hardly ever and I can't think of a single time. But I've also done things that 4HB suggests to keep me from waking up hungry that I never used to do - like eating some almond butter before bed, and eating a much bigger dinner at around 5:30/6 (but it's way healthier and varied in content).

It is a question of what you're going for. I'm trying to bring my body fat down. If you're an athlete who is in good shape, then I'm guessing your goal isn't the same, and eating when you're hungry is probably a much better approach. That said, getting high protein w/in 30 minutes of waking isn't just about weight loss. It's also about fueling your muscles.

I'd guess a better approach for you would be to think about protein types to get w/in the first 30 minutes. Use the right kind of protein relative to when your muscles will need it. Check out my post from March 20th, 2012 on protein types.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

On goal setting

Having overarching goals is a good idea and helps drive you. It can also be too easy to lose sight of, or start explaining away as being too hard, or too extreme.  That doesn't mean don't set them, but it means don't set them alone.

By 'not alone', I mean setting smaller goals that are closer to your current situation and can be achieved in the near term.  For example, if you have a goal of losing at least 50 lbs over the next year, get more granular and near-term, too.  Add something like, "By losing 5 lbs per month."

In this way, you keep moving ahead. You keep getting reinforcement. You keep succeeding.

Plus, it gives you content to post on social networks as part of newbodi.es Principle 2 - Go Public.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

...and I just can't hide it

I'm very excited. The thing that really put me over the top to create newbodi.es is finally happening.  I had the final call today with YouBar, and my 4 flavors of Slow Carb Diet / 4 Hour Body compliant energy / meal bars are going into production.

I've decided to put all of my sample run up for sale so people can try all of the flavors, and I get some real feedback before we go full speed ahead with higher volume runs.  If you're interested, just go to newbodi.es/sampler to order a 4 bar sampler pack today for $10.

The flavors are chocolate, vanilla, AM mocha and AM vanilla.  The 'AM' versions add coffee crystals.

Q: I can't eat 30g of Protein in the 1st 30 min each day

Q: I'm having trouble eating 30 grams of protein within the first 30 minutes after waking.  Is this really necessary? Do I really need 30 grams of protein, or is some ok? Are there any tips you can give me to help?


A: As I've tried to impress upon people, nothing is absolute.  If you eat at minute 31, you won't suddenly lose all progress you've made or get nowhere. But complying is better than not complying.  So the question becomes how can you get as close to 30 minutes as possible.

I have two tricks that make it possible for me.  The first is preparing, and the second is mixing protein intake methods.

1. Prepare - I have an omlete with 1 whole egg, 2-3 egg whites, mushrooms, scallions or onions, oregano, sea salt, Amazing Grass ORAC greens, and a cup of lentils as my 'whole food' breakfast. It's great. I cook it the night before, pop it in foil in the fridge, and micorwave it for 1:30-2 minutes. You can eat it cold if you're not ok with microwaving, or you can warm it in a toaster oven or oven for a few minutes, but that takes longer, and the clock is ticking!  This gives about 20 grams of protein, depending on how many lentils you add, and the size of the eggs.

2. While the egg is warming, I have a protein shake. I use Casein with no flavoring or sweetener, which is really hard to find (I use this one), but Jay Robb has some great Whey Protein Isolate and Egg White Protein options that are sweetener-free (they use nothing or use stevia, which is fine). If unflavored, I throw some cinnamon and stevia in my Blender Bottle along with a scoop of protein.  This gives me 20-24 grams.

I eat the egg while drinking the protein. It works well, tastes good, and gets me set to start my morning workout (a mix of cardio and some body weight exercises like leg lifts and pull ups). If you use whey, be sure you workout afterward, or it will be wasted since it will metabolize too fast for your muscles to absorb. Casein take several times longer to metabolize, so your body can use it whether you are working out or not.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Q: What protein shakes?

Q: What kind of protein shake should I use? I found one that says it's carb-free.  Is that ok?


A: Good question.  What I've found is that most protein shakes aren't ok.  One thing Tim Ferriss says is to avoid artificial sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda) or aspartame (Nutrasweet), and these 'carb free' protein shakes use these for flavor.  Also, the ideal protein is Casein, which makes up 80% of the protein in milk.  The problem is that casein is hard to find without sweeteners - natural or artificial.  If you are ok with a little sweetener, then Optimum Nutrition has a good natural option.  If you aren't, then I've only found 1 option so far.  Check out our store page for a link to Muscle Feast Micelar Casein.  Casein is best because it's a very slow protein to metabolize, so it's easy for your muscles to absorb over a ~4 hour period.  I add a scoop of natural unsweetened cocoa, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a packet of stevia.  Super tasty.

Otherwise, you have 2 more options. The next is whey protein isolate. Note that I didn't just say 'whey' or 'whey protein'. This is a fast absorbing protein, which makes it great for post-workout use as your muscles are ready to absorb protein quickly. Otherwise, your body will process out what it can't use via the kidneys (and urine). My favorite option is Jay Robb's chocolate whey protein isolate.  Jay Robb uses stevia to sweeten it, which is absolutely ok with the diet.  The chocolate also tastes really good.  There's also an unflavored that's very good, but I treat it like casein, and add my own flavoring.

If these proteins don't work well for you, then I'd suggest egg white protein. It doesn't taste as good when mixed with water as the other two.  It works, and works well, but I'd make this my third choice.

For whole food protein, lentils, eggs and cottage cheese are the way to go.  I make an omelet at night and put some lentils in it.  Then I heat it up in the morning and eat it with a casein shake within the first 30 minutes after waking, as the diet suggests.  It's easy and works well for me.  I then workout, and then have a cup of cottage cheese or maybe a spoon of almond butter. Otherwise, I grab a Dizzle Bar, and hop in my car to get to work.