Typical Leangains Day + Cheesecake

Workout: StrongLifts B
Nutrition: Calories : 3178 / Protein 225 / Carbs 229 / Fat 144
Weight: 180.8

10am: Great workout today.  For the first time, we ditched squats from the B workout and added dips and chins.  I'm going to buy a weighted belt for next B session.  Not for chins yet, I figure I'll wait until I can do sets of 10 body weight, then add weight.  Dips I was doing sets of 12 and probably could have managed a few more.  Really fun short workout.  I had 10g BCAA's at about 9:30 and 10g at about noon while in the studio.

2pm: Broke fast at Applebee's after our recording session with an epic meal.  Honestly, I saw it on the menu and was so excited to eat it, I was literally drooling at the bar.  I added some garlic mashed potatoes for the additional carbs and was in heaven.


Calories 1500 / Protein 88 / Carbs 116 / Fat 77

5pm: On the computer working today, just ran out to the kitchen and threw 2 1/3 80/20 patties on the Foreman.  I'll give 1/2 of one to the dog to make my macros work for the day.

Calories: 585 / Protein 41 / Carbs 0 / Fat 47

9pm: Cheesecake.  OK, this is my first ever time attempting cheesecake, here's the recipe - pics to follow after.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/easy-sour-cream-cheesecake/detail.aspxIngredients

• 1 (9 inch) prepared shortbread pie crust

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (fat free)

• 1 cup white sugar (stevia or splenda)

• 2 scoops whey

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup sour cream (fat free)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

1. Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs one at time, blending well. Add vanilla and sour cream. Pour into shortbread crust.

1. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cake jiggles evenly across the top when lightly shaken. Run a knife around the outside edge, but leave the cake in the pan. Let cool on counter, then place in refrigerator. Remove from pan when completely chilled, and serve.

I did make some substitutions (I know - risky on my first ever attempt.)  I want to keep overall calories down and add some protein.  I used 2 blocks of fat free cream cheese (only 240 cal each) and fat free sour cream, used 1/2 cup of calorie free splenda (normally I would use stevia, but I ran out) and added 2 scoops of french vanilla whey.  I licked the spoon from the batter and it was AMAZING, I just hope the baked cake is as good.


I plan on eating 1/2 the cheese cake today, and half after my workout Friday.  Hell yes.


Calories: 1009 / Protein 75 / Carbs 113 / Fat 20


Overall, this is the highest carbs I've had in a while, I'm curious to what the effect (if any) will be.  I'll check in later with a report on the cheesecake.  I'm getting damn excited about eating it!

Whey Pizza #2 and #3

Still working out the kinks in this plan, but getting closer.

Here's Pizza #2

Pizza #2 Recipe:
5 Scoops Chocolate Whey
1/2 cup Egg Whites
1 whole Egg
Yeast
1/2 tspn Baking Powder
1 cup cheese
3/4 cup pizza sauce

This dough was much thicker, possibly because of the baking powder.  It was kind of like dry'ish cake, not great, but getting closer.

Pizza #3

This was the best thus far.  The crust was very thin, but crunchy and good.  The only problem was it was too sweet.  I used Cake Batter whey (my favorite for waffles) - here's the recipe:

Pizza #3:
4 scoops whey
yeast
1/4 cup water

then of course sauce and cheese - but that's it for the crust.  It was so thin while spreading it, it barely covered the 12" pan (which, btw, don't forget to spray for real.)

I'm trying next time with unflavored and seeing if I can finally get this perfect.  I liked the thin crust (and less calories) of this pizza the most thus far.

Whey Pizza

It's been a little while since I put up a new recipe, and have I ever hit the jackpot!  I love pizza.  I mean love love love love it.  But I can't stop once I start eating it - you know how that is most likely.  After making some of my whey waffles, I decided to take it to the next level and invent whey protein pizza.  Tonight's recipe wasn't perfect, but it was good and proved it can totally be done.

Here's the deal:

Ingredients:
3 Scoops Whey Protein (any flavor - I used vanilla)
1/2 cup Egg Whites
1 packet instant yeast - although I suppose baking powder works too
1 cup Pizza Sauce
Mushrooms
1 cup reduced fat cheese
1 small tomato

The stuff.

Add all the dry ingredients to the bowl.

Pour in the egg whites.

Mix it all up.

After it sits for about 20 minutes, spread it out on a very sprayed pan.

WHOA!  It's looking good!

Sauce!

Toppings!

Bake the pizza for 15 minutes at 350.

Look at that delicious healthy pizza!!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

And enjoy!

Paleo Low Carb Pizza

Yo!  I finally got it!  After many attempts at getting my low carb Paleo Pizza happening, tonight was 100% winner!  Here's the skinny.

1. Brown 1 pound extra lean ground beef/turkey whatever.  (I used 85% cause I have it at the moment.)
2. Mix browned beef with 1 cup shredded cheese.
3. Spread beef mix on greased pizza pan.
4. Bake at 400 until the beef firms up, add cheese and toppings, toss back in the oven for a few minutes for the cheese to melt. 

Easy and amazing.  This is my favorite meal yet.

If What You're Doing is Working - Ignore This

I'm not sure why so many people think "eating balanced" or "everything in moderation" makes so much sense. You wouldn't say that it's ok to just do a little cocaine right? Some junk is just junk and should be kept as low as possible. I think the great quote from Benjamin Franklin is "Keep all things in moderation, including moderation." There is a time for being hardcore, I believe.

Is the cocaine example too much? Alright - maybe. What about eating a moderate piece of fudge every day, and a moderate amount of pizza and McDonalds? I think we all know where that leads.

Some people think keeping fat low is the answer to weight loss - I tried that with mixed results. It did reduce my fat and left me fairly lean, but I couldn't stop binging on sugary/carb foods. The problem was I was trying to eat that junk in moderation. That's way harder for someone like me than just cutting the cord entirely.

It wasn't until I gave up having a few hundred grams of carbs/sugar (which are basically the same thing) a day, that my binges came under control and I finally could stay on track for long period of times.

Paleo lowish carb nutrition has worked for me for over a year now. It has been amazing. It's made eating out so easy, and less stressful, it's helped with keeping my body fat nice and low and has helped with my general energy levels. I no longer crash after a big carb meal, my energy is more of a baseline all day long. Sleep has improved and all my blood tests have come back with improved numbers.

I don't worry about calories at all - that's a tremendous relief. It caused a lot of unnecessary stress worrying that I'd be over calorie by the end of the day, under calorie, miss a 3 hour feeding window - whatever. Now, I eat 2-3 meals a day, until full, no worries.

Here's my simple rules:

Eat: Animals/Veggies

Don't Eat: everything else. (including wheat, rice, corn, anything out of a box, fruit, sugar)

wait.... fruit?

Yeah - here's the thing.

Fruit has some great stuff in it (although all that can be found in a healthy variety of veggies) but also a bunch of fructose. That's not so great. It's probably too long to post the whole thing, but can you just go with me that fructose won't help big weight loss. Once a client is close to their goal weight, some fruit probably won't hurt, but during the big weight loss portion, I recommend to stay away.

Can overeating protein/fat make you fat?

OF COURSE!

However, when is the last time you really binged hard on protein and fat? If you have - then by all means, ignore me. But if you're like me, I never binged on steak and chicken. It was always carbs/sugar. Ice Cream, Doughnuts, Cake, Pie, Chocolate, Chips - whatever. I have a long long long history of binging and not once crushed an animal in a 3 day mega binge.

I believe that for many of us who struggle with overeating and weight gain - carbs/sugar (love how that's one word?) are as much of an addiction as heroin or cocaine. In fact, it actually activates the same part of your brain - the reward center.

I wish that I could have just a bite of a doughnut and walk away, but I can't. That bite will lead to a whole pie, a pizza, a bag of doritos and all the rest. I've stayed lean for a couple years by completely eliminating all carbs except veggies from my life.

If what you do is working for you - then please, keep doing it. But if it's not - if you're struggling, try my way for a month. If you do it and it doesn't work - you may come to Pittsburgh and kick me in the shin.

Steve.

Resources:
www.Whole9Life.com
www.Marksdailyapple.com
www.RobbWolf.com
The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf
Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes
www.KnightFit.com - by me.

BodyBlitz Abs for Summer Workout

OK, I'm late getting this up, but here's the workout for tomorrow at the Greentree Sportsplex.  Bring your little bucket, cause it's going to be brutal (in a good way.... or something.)  This week is all about getting those abs showing for summer time.  Hitting the beach is going to feel a lot better after you sweat off all that Memorial Day junk with me.  6pm is the new time at the Plex.

I won't tell you the time or amount of repeats coming up, you'll have to drop by and check it out to find out.

A quick word about nutrition.  People have been trying to over-exercise and under-eat for many years now.  How's that working out?  We're fatter as a culture than ever and headed in the wrong direction.  It's not how much we're eating - it's WHAT we're eating.  I know, I'm probably beating a dead horse here, but listen, I did everything wrong when I was trying to lose my weight.  No one told me how really easy it is.  I ate a typical high-carb diet, 6 mini-meals a day, did tons of treadmill time and lost weight - yes, but I looked like a sick weakling.  It wasn't until I finally bought into the Paleo/Primal nutrition plan that I eat tons of healthy good food and am leaner than ever.

Eat: Meat/Veggies/Fish/Poultry/Eggs

Don't Eat: everything else.

Simple right?

Update: Time/Volume Training

I finished my first two workouts of this phase and as usual, made a few changes as I learned it.  First - 15 minutes of chin-ups, even in sets of 3 is way too long!  I failed pretty quickly.  I added in Reverse Back Rows alternating with chins after the first 5-6 minutes.  15 minutes of dips are incredibly tough.  I'm sitting here typing this through mind-numbing D.O.M.s in my chest right now - 3 days out from my chest workout.

Here's the change in plan:

I'm going to keep up the same split - same 15 minutes per body part, but pick a new exercise each workout to really target in different body parts.  Some days will be bodyweight, some will be lifting, all will be done on a 30 second interval timer.  This will allow about 8-10 seconds for a 3 rep set, then a 20 second rest.  The only thing this won't work for is the easier workouts - like diamond push-ups, pike press, etc.

This past week looks like this:

Sunday:

• Dips
• Barbell Shoulder Press
• Bench Press

Tuesday:

• Chin-Ups/Reverse Back Rows
• Dumbbell Biceps Curls
• Seated Leg Extension

Thursday and Friday - I'll pick new exercises that target the same body parts.  I'm really looking forward to being able to mix it up each workout.  Going on the road with this technique will be really great as well, as we can pick only bodyweight stuff or use weights if there is a gym there.

I'm continuing with the "no cardio" approach except for what I do while teaching my class.  As long as I can stay lean and keep building muscle, no need to crush myself with more cardio nonsense.

Time/Volume Training

It's finally time to get the next program ready to go.  I love making workout programs in phases.  Usually they last anywhere from 3 to 5 weeks.  Sometimes, it's just a single phase, sometimes it's a 90 day, 3 phase split (*like P90X.)  This particular phase, I'm going to kind of play with it.  It's 4 workouts a week, again, no cardio.  I may do an additional ab routine from time to time to keep them popping, but generally, here's what I'm doing.

I had to keep in mind my upcoming tour throughout June.  We'll be living in hotels for several weeks and won't have access to a gym or weights, so I wanted to try a bodyweight routine.

Every set is only 3 reps.  The differing breaks are noted along with total time per body part.

Monday:
Chest Dips - 15 minutes, 10 second break
Handstand Push-Ups - 15 minutes, 10 second break
Diamond Push-Ups - 10 minutes, 10 second break

Tuesday:
Chin-Ups - 15 minutes, 10 second break (moving to back rows when chin-ups fail) *(sets of 3)
One Leg Bench Step Ups - 15 minutes, alternating, so no break. *(sets of 5)
Alternating Calf Raises/V-Ups 15 minutes, SuperSet - no breaks. *(sets of 5)

Thursday:
Bench Press - 20 minutes, 20 second break *(sets of 3, deloading as needed)
Military Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 20 minutes, 20 second break *(sets of 3, deloading as needed)

Friday:
Squats - 20 minutes, 20 second break *(sets of 3, deloading as needed)
Alternating Bi/Tri sets - random/fun stuff.  20 minutes.

High Volume Body Weight Plan

I'm finishing the final 3 workouts of my 12 week "Stop Training Like an Idiot" plan, and had really nice results, I am thinking about what I want to move into.  High volume training has been something I've been curious about for a long while, and bodyweight stuff is endlessly fascinating to me.  This seems to combine both things.  It's a 2 day split, so probably Mon-Tue, Thu-Fri per week.  I like that it's time sensitive for progression, unlike just lift heavier and more reps all the time that so many plans preach.

I found this from my friends over at www.BodyWeightCulture.com   Head over there and check them out - they have brilliant stuff.

-----------------------------------------------

Time/Volume Training - A Program For Building Mass Even With Bodyweight Exercises!

By Nick Nilsson

This training style is VERY effective for building muscle even with bodyweight 
training. It can be inserted into ANY training split...it can be used 
as a total program or as a single training day. Powerful stuff!

This past summer, I was stumped…how could I use bodyweight training to build substantial muscle mass using exercises like push-ups where I was able to do 30 to 50+ reps per set! 
Enter Time/Volume Training…
This technique allowed me to take exercises where I could do a TON of reps and turn them into effective mass-builders.
Basically, it's kind of a cross between my Compound Exercise Overload training (where you take a weight you can do 6 reps with and do 3 rep sets until you can't get 3 reps anymore, then you drop the weight and keep going - I'll give you a link to that below so you can read more about it) and Escalating Density Training (by Charles Staley - where you take an alloted timeframe and do as many reps as you can within that timeframe).




Time/Volume Training is relatively simple. I'll use back training for my example here (chin-ups, specifically).


For working back, I use a 15 minute block of time (this will vary according to bodypart - use less time for smaller parts).

• First, start by doing a set of 3 reps. Then stop and rest 10 seconds. Now do another set of 3 reps. Stop and rest 10 seconds.
• Keep going using 3 rep sets and 10 seconds rest until you can't get 3 reps anymore. When you hit this point, begin taking 20 SECONDS rest in between your 3 rep sets.
• Keep going using 3 rep sets and 20 seconds rest until you again can't get 3 reps anymore. Then take 30 SECONDS rest in between your 3 rep sets. If you have to increase again, go to 40 seconds, and so on.
• Keep going in this fashion until your 15 minutes are up.

It's just that simple! Basically, the idea here is not to go to failure on any of your reps but to manage your fatigue so that you can maximize your training volume (i.e. more reps and sets).
And, because I originally worked up this technique to go with bodyweight training (where you can't change resistance), instead of decreasing the weight (like in Compound Exercise Overload), you will instead just increase the rest periods, which gives your body a bit more time to recover in between sets, allowing you to keep doing sets with the exact same resistance.
But just because it's originally designed for bodyweight training doesn't mean you can't use it with free weights and machines as well - it'll work like a charm for that, too!
You'll find when using this technique with different exercises (especially bodyweight exercises, where some tend to be a bit easier than others), you'll be able to go longer before having to increase rest. For example, when doing chins, you'll probably have to increase rest sooner than you will with push-ups.
But rest assured, even if you can do 50 push-ups, you'll STILL get to a point where you're not able to do 3 reps sets on 10 seconds rest and you'll have to bump up the rest periods. 
It's a great way to work bodyweight exercises without resorting to high-rep endurance training. With the 3 rep sets, you're still hitting the power-oriented muscle fibers, which is what allows you to make this type of training work for mass building.
Take a few minutes inbetween bodyparts for recovery.
Here are the time intervals I've been using for this type of training:
Back, Chest and Thighs - 15 minute blocks each
Hamstrings, Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, Calves and Abs - 10 minute blocks each

I've also changed up some of the bodypart blocks so that I'm actually working 2 bodyparts at once (I did this with abs and calves). 
Here's a split I've been using (based on bodyweight training) but you can certainly feel free to come up with your own. 
Just be absolutely sure to keep your total workout time to under an hour (I've been shooting for 40 to 50 minutes).
This type of training concept is simple enough where you can simply insert it into whatever your favorite training split is.
My preference is for a 2 day on, 1 day off, 2 day on, 2 days off type of training split, e.g. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.

Day 1:
back - 15 minutes of chin-ups - I was using a regular underhand, close grip for these, coming all the way up and down to full extension.
chest - 15 minutes of dips - I was using two chairs with the back facing each other. I would set my hands on the tops of the chair backs and do dips in between the chairs. Works like a charm!
Combination of Calves and Abs - 10 minutes - NO rest in between bodyparts or sets. I would just go straight from one-legged calf raises (5 reps on each leg using no weight) then right into (5 reps on that exercise, too) then back to calves. Because they're such unrelated bodyparts, their getting rest while you're working the others, so you don't need specific rest for them.
Biceps - because I was doing 15 minutes of Chins, biceps already got a lot of work. I would just finish the workout with one set of flexed arm hang. 
Total workout time: 45 minutes

Day 2:
Thighs - 15 minutes of Bench Step One Legged Squats - Basically, this exercise is a one-legged squat done standing on a chair or bench. Because you're standing up off the ground, you can drop down a lot further, increasing the overall workload. I also recommend hanging onto something for support. This exercise for this long will really beat the crap out of you.
Hamstrings - nothing for me here - the deep bench step squats were PLENTY of work for the hamstrings, believe me. In a normal split, you would do 10 minutes of hamstring work for this type of Time/Volume training.
Shoulders - 10 minutes of Pike Handstand Push-Ups. This is a great exercise for shoulders - it's a bodyweight exercise, making it very effective for functional strength AND it's easy enough where if you've got decent shoulder strength, you should be able to get good training volume. In that same link above, you'll also find Horizontal Push-Ups, which is an easier version of it.
Triceps - 10 minutes of Close Grip Push-Ups - even though I can normally do about 40 to 50 of these in a row, after about 8 straight minutes on 10 seconds rest, I had to increase to 20 seconds rest. The fatigue catches up to you and you'll really be feeling how effective this training is. I again finished with one set of the Flexed Arm Hang here.
Total Workout Time: 40 minutes
---
That's the scoop with Time/Volume Training! Like I mentioned, you can insert this methodology into pretty much any training split and any program. It's one of THE best ways to get a mass-building effect out of bodyweight training (when you can get high reps with an exercise) that I've ever found.
Give it a try in your next workout to test the concept then try a couple of complete workouts with it. Then take the concept with you next time you travel and apply to some bodyweight training. You'll look at the hotel gym (with the stationary bike with no seat and the squeaky hydraulic resistance machines) and Laugh

Even Simpler Meal Plan

After I posted my Simplified Meal Plan, I got a bit of feed back via email saying it's too complicated, just "tell me what to eat and I'll do it."

OK.

Here it is.  Follow this, every day, and you'll get ripped.

3 meals in a 6-7 hour window.  This window can be whenever you want.  10am-5pm, 7am-2pm, whatever.

• Meal 1:  5 Eggs, 2 Slices Cheese, 8oz 85% Ground Beef.
• Meal 2:  8oz 85% Ground Beef, all the veggies you have.
• Meal 3:  1 Pound of Fish/Turkey/Chicken and tons of veggies.

That's it.  Eat until full, but make sure to eat enough.  That comes out to roughly 2700 calories.  Women might cut portion size slightly, but that's the idea.  Don't cut it in half!

Workouts:

• Mon: Lift Heavy Weights, Full Body - 3 sets per body part.
• Tue: -
• Wed: Lift Heavy Weights, Full Body
• Thu: -
• Fri: Lift Heavy Weights, Full Body
• Sat: Run 100 Yard Sprints x5-8
• Sun: -

That's it.  Simple 4 workouts per week, all should be quite short.  Here's a good example of the lifting workout.

1. Chest - Bench Press or Push-Up
2. Back - Pull-Up or Reverse Back Rows
3. Shoulders - Military Press or Pike Press
4. Legs - Back Barbell Squats or Goblet Squats

That's enough.  The upper body moves will work your arms, no need to crush them with endless curls and triceps extensions.  That's a total of 12 sets.  Even resting 2 minutes between sets, you're looking at a 24ish minute workout.  The sprints workout is probably only 10-12 minutes.  Not a big commitment for a lean, healthy body right?

*note*

You must push yourself hard.  If you're doing sets of 5 push-ups and you could be doing 7.  DO 8.  You have to push close to your limit.  Good youtube examples of these 4-8 exercises are easy to find.  Do some research and watch your form.

Nutrition Laws:

• Low Carb.  The only carbs you should eat are veggies.  Note that wheat/corn/rice is grains.  Avoid them.
• Lots of meat/fish/poultry/eggs.  Eat until full, don't feel guilty.  Fatty cuts of meat are fine and healthy.
• All food should be consumed in a 6-8 hour window of time.
• 3 larger meals is actually shown to be better for muscle gain and fat loss, contrary to the old 6 meal a day theory.  It's about insulin production and trying to limit that as much as possible.

*additional info*

Once you're at your goal weight, you may add some carbs back in - a sweet potato or two post workout can be great, but not so much during a big fat loss phase.  Adding in carbs however, does not include adding back in the grain family (wheat/corn/rice).  That stuff is just plain bad for you.  Some dairy or legumes is probably ok, but keep it in moderation.  Cheese is better than milk.

Skip anything listed as low fat or reduced calorie.  In fact, skip anything that has labels completely.  If it comes in a box, SKIP IT.

Meat/Fish/Eggs/Poultry and Veggies only.  There is nothing else worth putting in your mouth.

*LINKS AND SOURCES*

Why no grains?
http://whole9life.com/2010/03/the-grain-manifesto/
http://neander-steve.blogspot.com/

Why a 7-8 hour feeding window?
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-intermittent-fasting/
http://www.leangains.com/
http://www.justinowings.com/b/index.php/me/a-low-carbohydrate-diet-mixed-with-inter

Simplified Meal Plan

I want to streamline my life.  I also want to streamline the life of my clients and friends and really feel like I stumbled upon the right way to do it.  When I was starting the journey down the path to healthy eating and fitness, I certainly took the long road.  I've documented that a few different places, but just for added simplicity, I'll sum it up.

Sept 1, 2008
I started going to the gym.  I was 235 and had never exercised before in my life.  I would go two times a day, mostly hitting random machines and doing as long as I could for cardio.  Usually this was about 10-12 minutes per session at a very slow pace.  Nutritionally - the only thing I heard is I'm supposed to eat every 3 hours.  I went to the store and bought a whole freezer full of Michealina's Lean Gourmet frozen dinners.  I would eat one of these 200-300 calorie boxes every 3 hours, on a precise schedule (I would set my phone alarm - seriously...) and stop everything when it was time to eat.  My daily total was usually about 1200 calories.  This included 2 workouts a day.  I lost weight - really fast.  I turned into a flabby, skinny, pale, sickly looking wimp.

Feb 22, 2009
Started P90X and learned about protein!  Oh man did I learn about protein.  Well, honestly, mostly I learned about grilled chicken breast.  I would eat grilled chicken breast for about 3-4 of my 6 meals a day.  My protein numbers were often around 300g of protein a day, with the rest of my calories coming from extremely low fat, instant microwavable food.  Basically, one step better, but still junk.  I was still losing weight, but not adding any real muscle.

My binges during this time were mostly under control due to my excitement from P90X and starting to really get fit.  It wasn't until I finished my first 90 day round that my Binge Eating Disorder truly came back, with a vengeance.  After I finished my first round, after many attempts to stop binging, I reentered therapy.

Feb 22, 2010
I celebrated a year of doing Beachbody programs with a 4 day binge (very typical) of pizza, ice cream, doughnuts, and all the rest.  I just couldn't stop binging out on everything I could get my hands on.  The 24 hour gas station was my worst enemy.  I would go out in middle of the night and buy 6-10 king size candy bars, 2-4 quarts of cookie dough ice cream, several 2 liters of pop, and 2 big bags of doritos in a single haul.  I was working my ass off in the gym, under-eating, stupid low fat, fairly healthy food for maybe 10 days to 2 weeks, then binge like a maniac for 3-4 days.  UGLY.  I was spinning out of control and starting to get chubby again.  By mid summer, I had ballooned from 168 to 190 again and was heading down the path of relapsing.

I kept trying to get back to the hard P90X workouts, and eating super low calorie meals every 3 hours, but something wasn't working.  I couldn't keep it up for long stretches of time.  Finally, things changed.

April 1, 2010
I found out about www.MarksDailyApple.com.  This started to make sense, but it went against so much of what I had come to believe.  Eating fat makes us fat!  Carbs are needed for energy!  etc.  I butted my head against it for a while, but after binge after binge, decided that I HAD to change something up, or I would keep falling off the wagon.

I took the Primal Plunge.

I started eating a lot of fat and pretty lowish carbs.  It was terrifying.  I expected to blow up like a freaking balloon - yet after the first couple weeks, I actually lost a couple pounds.  After a month, I was down about 10.  More importantly, I hadn't had a major, fall off the wagon binge in over a month!  I was slowly starting to believe.

It wasn't until I bought in completely that the real effects started to happen.  I started getting leaner and building muscle at the same time.  I started having more energy while I ate more fat.  I continued to learn about the really good effects of eating animal fat along with tons of veggies.  Everything was coming together.

Now, I believe I found the last part of the puzzle.  It's time to simplify things even more.  No more 6 meals a day.  No more stupid cardio all the time.  Here's the simplified plan:

Nutrition:
3 meals a day in a limited feeding window.  Eat whenever you want for the first meal, then eat a second a few hours later, and a third a few hours after that.  Then shut it down until the next day.  Ideally, this should create a 16 hour fast every day.  More on the reasons why down below.

Meals will consist of plenty of protein, plenty of fat, and plenty of veggies. 

No grains. (Wheat, Rice, Rorn)
No sugar.
No fruit.
No legumes.

A typical day might be this:
Noon: Meat Omelet, coffee
3pm: Ground Beef Salad
4:30pm -workout-
6pm: Sweet Potato, Steak/Fish Salad

Done.  I'll only have the sweet potato on workout days, none on rest days.  Easy right?

Workouts:
3 strength sessions per week, using mostly compound full body moves. (Deadlift, Bench, Military Press, Row, etc.)
1 hard cardio sprint session/Insanity type workout a week for cardiovascular performance.
lots of walking.

That's it!  Easy stuff!  Every time you eat - eat lots of veggies and meat.  No bread, no pasta, no sugar - whatever.  It's junk, it's stupid calories.  It's stupid insulin-creating junk.  If you're very lean, you may have some fruit, if not, skip it.

Why the small feeding window with the intermittent fast?


Check out Martin Burkhan's amazing site - Leangains.com
http://www.leangains.com/2011/03/intermittent-fasting-for-weight-loss.html

How to Lose Fat on Paleo/Primal

I was doing some research on Leptin tonight and came across this very well written article by celticcavegirl over at cavemanforum.com - I think it's well said and short enough for a quick read.

 How to lose fat on the Paleo WOE, or Endocrinology for Dummies

« on: March 24, 2011, 03:54:20 PM »

This post is written for the benefit of stumblers and newcomers 

The paleo way of eating is about optimising health, and that's what we should all ultimately be aiming for.  But the fact remains a lot of people start the paleo diet because they want to lose weight, so as we have a lot of new people on the forum these past few weeks (hi guys!) I thought I would write a little endocrinology 101

When I first started paleo I read quite a short, simple article online about insulin, carbohydrates and weight.  I don't remember where it was but I do remember that as a person who knew little about the subject, it really clarified it for me and made me finally understnad why it is important to cut carbs to lose weight.  So to help others, I will attempt to reproduce it!

 The below is all very basic common knowledge for anyone who knows much about diet and biology, but not necessarily such common knowledge for the average stumbler starting out on the paleo diet.


Part 1 - what happens in the body when you consume carbohydrates, a very simplified version
- Consumption of carbohydrates results in an increase in blood sugar.  The more refined the carbohydrate, the faster and higher the rise
- Glucose is a fuel when it's in the muscles, but when it's in the blood stream in high levels it is essential a toxin.  Yes, a toxin.
- The body wants reduce the amount of this toxin in the blood, so the pancreas produces a load of insulin.  Again, the higher volume and refinedness of the carb ingested, the more insulin is produced.
- Muscle cells are covered in insulin receptors; insulin binds to these and prompts them to take in glucose to remove it from the bloodstream.  It is stored in the muscles as glycogen, to be used as energy when necessary (e.g. anaerobic exercise)
- if the muscles are 'full', the excess is converted into triglycerides and stored in adipocytes i.e/ turned into fat.  (this is why athletes, whose muscle cells have 'space', can eat a lot of carbs and not get fat.  But they can still get diabetes on route to winning 5 olympic gold medals - see Redgrave, Sir Steve).  -
- This is not a problem in and of itself, because the body is creating and burning fat constantly.  However because of the spike in insulin, some of the glucose that was already in the blood is also converted to fat as well.  So you end up with slightly more energy stored as fat than the energy from the carbs you just ate.
- Additionally, this leaves you with low blood sugar and makes you more likely to snack or overeat, as you are hungry!

Insulin sensitivity and Insulin Resistance
- if someone is described as being insulin resistant, this means that their muscle cells are not as sensitive to the effects of insulin and do not uptake glucose from the bloodstream so readily; the excess glucose is more likely to be stored as fat rather than stored in the muscle cells.
- this turns into a vicious cycle of the pancreas producing more and more insulin in response to the same carbohydrate intake.  Diabetes and obesity are the eventual results.
- Someone who is insulin sensitive has muscles that are good at taking up glucose from the bloodstream.  Exercise increases insulin sensitivity, as does intermittent fasting.

How to lose weight on the paleo diet
- first one must understand that to lose weight, one must minimise the production of insulin
- rule 1 - every time you eat, insulin is produced.  So to lose weight, eat less frequently, and don't snack
- rule 2 - carbohydrates result in the largest insulin response, followed by protein, followed by fat.  So to lose weight, the intake of carbs (especially sugar) must be minimised and the intake of fat must be maximised.  This is one of the many reasons why so many people on the forum will say 'eat more fat'.  Remember that protein still has an insulinogenic effect - http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2010/1/11/insulinogenic-is-not-hyperglycemic.html
- rule 3 - anaerobic exercise uses glycogen for fuel and increases insulin sensitivity = less of the energy from your carbohydrate food will end up in fat cells, because it will either be burned, or taken into the muscles.  It will also liberate body fats for use as energy, which can then be burned off via LOW INTENSITY aerobic exercise. Lifting heavy things is also crucial
- rule 4 - In terms of minimising the insulin spike, **Carbs from leafy green veg > carbs from roots and bulbs > sugars in fruit**
Paleo doesn't have to be very low carb - you can eat 30/30/40 as carb/protein/fat or 5/30/65.  But the *less* carbohydrates (especially sugar) you eat and the *more* fat you eat, the more easily you will loose weight.

Paleo is not a weight-loss diet, it's a way of eating

Sidenote 1 - leptin
- Leptin is a hormone that inhibits the appetite.  It is (mainly) produced in the adipose (fat) tissue
- Wheat germ agglutinin is a protein found in wheat and contributes to leptin resistance
- obesity results in overproduction of leptin and thus leptin resistance
- one who is leptin resistant does not feel 'full' so readily so is more likely to overeat
- this is one of the many why it is very important to cut out gluten grains

Sidenote 2 - Fasting Induced Adipocyte Factor - simplified
(I believe the the below is still a theory rather than a fact)
- FIAF is another hormone, produced by the gut wall, liver and muscles.
- FIAF is mainly produced in times of starvation and prompts the body to burn fat by blocking the action of another hormone (lipoprotein lipase)
- active gut bacteria inhibit the production of FIAF, inactive (hungry) bacteria cannot do this
- gut bacteria live on carbohydrate and fibre.  They cannot 'feed' on fat and protein, become inactive, and stop blocking the production of FIAF
- for a proper explanation see http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/2007/12/fiaf-whos-fat-is-it-anyway.html

Further reading
1) Good Calories, Bad Calories, Gary Taubes
2) http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2009/8/27/how-to-lose-weight.html
3) http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2009/8/27/can-protein-turn-into-fat.html
4) http://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-carb-binge/
5) http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html

« Last Edit: March 24, 2011, 06:33:57 PM by celticcavegirl »

Big Ass Primal Salad Take 3

Not a lot to post here, but I wanted to show pictures of probably the very most epic salad I've ever made.  It wouldn't fit on one plate, I had to get a second plate.  The whole meal took me nearly 35 minutes to eat.

OK,  Here's the damage.

8oz Pork (left all the delicious saturated fat on baby!)
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Small Tomato
1/2 Onion
1/2 Cucumber
2 TBSN Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper

621 Calories   51g Protein 19g Carbs 36 Fat

It was one of the biggest single meals I've ever put down (this coming from a former Binge Eater....)

Total dishes: 1 skillet, 1 plate, 1 fork, 1 knife.

That's how I roll.

Big Ass Primal Salad Take 2

I've learned a couple things that have improved my Mark Sisson Big Ass Primal Salad.  First - I learned that I don't really like salad in the traditional sense.  The cold, crunchy veggies just don't really do it for me.  Second - I could never find a salad dressing that is Primal/Paleo and that I actually liked.  You know what I do like?  Beef.  Third - I really don't like doing dishes.  I cook for one (plus the dog) about 99% of the time and hate spending more time cleaning than I need to.  Thus - here are the changes for my BIG ASS PRIMAL SALAD MARK 2!
 

 1.  1 pound of ground beef.  I like 85% lean.  It has enough fat in it to brown on the skillet and have left over fat for the veggies.

 2. 1 Bell Pepper, 1 Small Tomato, 1/2 Onion  Cut them up and throw them in the skillet right after you flip the beef over.

 3.  A lot of organic baby spinach.  A lot - seriously.  Fiber dude.

4
4. Pour the beef and veggies over the spinach.  ps.  Always use baby spinach instead of lettuce - lettuce has almost nothing in it.  Get those nutrients.  Scrape all the fat over top for your dressing.  It's delicious.  I use a bit of salt and pepper over top and take my time to eat this beast.

5.  Temp the dog with the scraps.

For the calorie counters out there.

1005 Calories 92g Protein, 16 Carbs, 64 Fat

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... This is really good - I ate it right after my really hard leg workout and it was amazing.  Going for a walk with the dog to let this bad boy settle.

Nutrition Simplified

I get so many people telling me that eating healthy is hard.  "It's so complicated!"  Ugh.  It's not hard.  There are many things in life that are hard.  Dealing with a family member's death is hard.  Battling cancer is hard.  Beating Super Mario Bros 1 is hard.  Eating healthy is not. 

I think in the huge web out there, and today's instant fad diet world, we see conflicting opinions as information overflow.  Low carb vs. high carb vs. high protein vs. the cookie diet vs. emotional eating vs. whatever.  Today's post is not going to explain anything.  It's going to give you a very simple plan of how to get lean, stay lean, stay healthy, and have energy.  There is endless information out there - and even here on my site that will explain it, but for now, if you just do this, your life will improve. 

Eat Meat, Fish, Poultry, Eggs. 
Don't Eat Grain. (wheat, rice, corn) 
Eat Veggies. 
Don't Eat Sugar. 

That's it.  No macro-nutrient talk, no calorie intake.  I'll get to the sciency-stuff later, but take it like this.  If you follow these rules - you will certainly lose fat and get more fit. 

It's not exercise. 

It's not calories in vs. calories out. 

You don't have to weigh your food or count your grams of protein. 

Simple right?