The low carb dilemma

Without writing a scientific textbook about the intricacies of macro-nutrient absorption and delivery, I will break down into simple terms to process of dietary manipulation and fat loss.

Low carb diets have gotten a bad wrap, and rightly so, for their exclusion of fruits and veggies. However, eating a low glycemic diet that is full of fruits and veggies is the most effective way to decrease the fat stores on your body. There is much confusion in the dietetics world regarding calories and fat loss. Most dietitians (bless their hearts) will tell you that simply reducing calories is the most effective way to lose weight and be healthy. While the statement has some truths, it is a gross understatement and ignores so many important aspects of how the body handles certain types of calories. Unfortunately for dietitians, not all calories are created equal, and the effects that different macro-nutrients have on the body can dramatically effect the way the body is composed and the way it performs.

actual photo of award winning dietitians, anyone else see something wrong?

disclaimer:  The process of fat storage and glycogen management is very complex and this brief explanation should not be the end of your knowledge journey, but rather a segway into further research on how the body works.

When you eat carbohydrates , such as breads, pastas, grains, sugars, you build a stockpile of glucose and glycogen that your body uses for energy. What your body does not need for energy, it stores as fat. This process is done very easily with carbohydrates, not quite as easily with dietary fats, and almost impossible with protein (the three macro-nutrients)

Now, in order to deplete these energy stores, you have two options. Energy consumption is one (exercise). While exercise is important, it is very difficult to deplete your glycogen (carb) stores, and takes lots and lots of exercise. Considering how much food we consume that is high carbohydrate, this can take several hours of cardiovascular training, and we learned a few blog posts back how much The Guru loves cardio .

Option two seems to make more sense, which is to intake less carbohydrates. Now there needs to be something declared immediately to understand what I mean by carbs. Fruits and most veggies (corn is a grain not a veggie) are not composed of the same types of carbs that convert readily to glycogen, therefore are safe to eat while following a proper low carb program for fat loss. Eating in this manner will keep glycogen stores at a minimum, while eating healthy fats will create enough glucose for proper brain function and other vital functions.

This will create an environment in which the body is forced to burn its fat stores as energy, and still be able to function properly. This means avoiding ketosis ( one of the biggest criticisms of Atkins) and enjoying the numerous health benefits of eating lots of healthy fats, fruits and veggies.

Foods to avoid on this type of diet: bread, ALL grains, pasta, candy (DUH), anything made with flour( even wheat), potatoes, corn

Foods to devour: veggies, fruits, lean meat, eggs, olive oil (and other healthy oils), nuts, FISH, FISH, and more FISH

The Guru has found that fat loss is possible even while eating more calories than I expend. Yes you read that correctly, I have defied the science (or lack of) that the dietetics world preaches, and have a much better body composition in the mean time.

The Guru knows that he has been brief with this highly complex topic, and wants to hear your thoughts, concerns, hate mail, or love mail. Let’s hear it!!

Danielle can make you lean

Team Guru member Danielle Alexander has some really great tips on cutting that unwanted body fat.

..you should take a look

A few tips from the master

Charles Poliquin is highly regarded as the greatest strength coach of his time. He has trained more Olympic gold medalists that anyone, and is always way ahead of the curve regarding nutrition, strength training, and supplementation. Below are a few excerpts from an interview that he did for t-nation.

“

Q: A trainer at my gym said not to train abs first in my workout. If I do, my core will be fatigued, which could screw up my other lifts. True?

A: Yes, that’s true. If you’re going to squat and you do a bunch of ab work beforehand, your ability to control that load will be compromised. Anyone training with high loads using free weights should not train abs first in their workouts.

Direct ab exercises are finishers, not starters.

Q: My main goal is fat loss. Due to my schedule, I have to lift and do energy-systems work in the same workout. Is it best to do cardio first, or weights first?

A: Weights. Always.

It’s related to the rule of motor-unit recruitment. Always start with what’s hardest to recruit, then finish off with what’s easiest.

Now, do you want my totally honest answer? Skip the treadmill. Lift for an hour, then go home and work on your diet for fat loss.

Q: I think I may be overtrained. Then again, maybe I’m just being a wuss. Any quick way to tell if I’ve pushed it too hard in the gym?

A: Here’s a simple way to tell: Record your body weight every morning when you wake up, after going to the bathroom. If your diet hasn’t really changed recently, and yet you suddenly see a 3.5% drop in body weight, then you’re probably starting to overtrain, which is another way of saying you’re under-recovered. The change is caused by a loss in muscle mass.

So if you’re an experienced athlete and typically weigh 200 pounds, then suddenly drop to 193 almost overnight without trying to, you’re overtrained. The solution is to back off the number of total sets you do in training, but not the intensity.

Q: I’m about to turn 40. What’s something I need to start paying more attention to?

A: Quality of sleep. It’s the most underrated health indicator and recovery factor.

High-quality sleep means putting your head on the pillow and not waking up until the next day. You also want to wake up at the same time every day.

But quantity of sleep isn’t the only problem. Erratic sleeping patterns are also bad for your health and your physique. If you wake up in the middle of the night to go pee, it’s not good sleep.

Remember, all the anabolic-hormone cascades depend on the quality of your sleep. A lot of males with low Testosterone levels can be cured simply by fixing their sleep patterns.

A low estimate is that 68% of the population doesn’t sleep properly. When I work with pro teams as a consultant, the first thing I do is teach them all the tricks I have for improving quality of sleep.

Now, a young guy can go out on Friday night,  then go to the gym on Saturday morning and deadlift without it affecting him much. Eventually, though, it starts to take a toll on you. Many men these days start to see a decline in Testosterone at age 31. Thirty-one is the new 50.

Q: I want lower abs like an underwear model — the guys with that V-shape below the navel. What exercises can I do to get it?

A: For starters, you have to get your diet in order to get as lean as he is.

Next, remember that the major compound exercises — chin-ups, deadlifts, and squats — build up the abs better than most ab exercises. That includes the inferior rows of the rectus abdominis, which give that V-shape you covet.

“

The Guru can’t speak enough about HGH complete and how it has dramatically improved his sleep patterns:

5 servings of veggies every day

is what it would take to get the nutrients you need. Nutrients that detox your body and help you process toxins that you take in from the environment around you. Nutrients that replenish the body with essential amino acids and fatty acids that are needed for proper neurological function and metabolic function…

..The Guru could go on and on about the importance of vitamins and minerals from veggies in your diet, but the thing the Guru would like to stress the most, is that it is virtually impossible to get the nutrients you need entirely from veggies. The current condition the agricultural industry is solely based on profits. Organic certifications have become watered down, and hardly have the rigorous standards they once did. This means that the soil gets over planted, there are too many chemicals sprayed on the plants, and nutrient degradation is rampant.

So make sure you are supplementing these things that we simply are not getting from our veggies anymore. Take a good multi vitamin and make it the staple of your fitness life.

The Guru quick tip of the day!

The Guru likes to front load carbohydrates earlier in the day to avoid unnecessary fat gain. An excessive insulin spike at night can trigger fat storage. Try to eat some sort of lean protein with every meal to keep your metabolic fire lit! This simple re-arranging of macro-nutrients can really lead to an increased metabolism and fat loss over time!

Take your fish!

For those of you who have been living in a cave for the last few years, Omega 3 fatty acids, like those found in fish oil, are one of the most amazing things you can feed your body with. In fact, The Guru will make the case that it is indeed the most important supplement you can put in your mouth.

Omega 3 fatty acids are a form of unsaturated fatty acids that are essential to normal bodily function, hence the name essential fatty acid, or, EFA. The body can not make these on its own, therefore it is crucial that they are obtained through the diet. However, given the rise of refined grains and starchy carbohydrates in the typical western diet, EFAs have all but disappeared from the foods that we eat. That means the best option for getting your EFAs is to take a supplement. Many supermarket chains sell their own brand of what they call, “fish oil”, that is no more than sardines squeezed in a capsule. The best and only EFA supplement you should take is a high quality, reputable name brand product.

The benefits of EFAs on the body are so numerous, that it would be pointless to list them all here. It would literally take weeks. So I will leave the Guru readers with a good resource to find the actual medical literature on their own, and also recommend a product that they can buy from The Guru store that will provide the super high quality EFAs that you need.

www.omega-research.com

Now, take your fish!!

The Guru has contracted an RTD

The Guru is pretty busy during the day, so getting my 250 grams of protein is sometimes a struggle. It however has become much easier now that The Guru bought a 12 pack of Lean Body RTD’s. 40 grams of protein, and low carb! They taste like chocolate milk too, so that is hard to beat!

–I don’t want to put on all that muscle — pt. 2

What is the first thing that most people do when they have the “fitness epiphany”? Lace up their running shoes and go for a run! Running is the most commonly perceived way to get in shape, burn some fat, tone up a bit, etc.

The Guru wants to break a few things down about fat loss to inspire the average fitness enthusiast to look at things a little differently. While it is true, running will cause weight loss to happen, it wont be the type of weight loss you should desire.

-disclaimer time- The Guru is not against running, and would much rather see someone jogging than sitting on the couch eating potato chips. The Guru will however easily make the argument that it running is NOT the most effective way to lose body fat, or even a good one for that matter.

We can see this by looking at high level marathon runners and by comparing their body compositions to that of high level sprinters. The body does not need fat to run at 110% intensity, therefore the adaptation to high intensity, short burst movements such as resistance training, and interval training, is to lose fat and encourage the hormonal profile for muscle growth. This adaptation applies to the entire scope of the training!

The adaptation to running long distances is simply to lose lean muscle due to its heavy weight slowing the runner down, and the fact that running uses mainly a few lower body muscles.This is not the type of weight loss you want. Another adaptation of distance running is to store fat, since fat stores are actually needed for distance running to take place. Fat gain during long distance running is also related to high levels of cortisol from the tremendous stress placed on the body.

Here are some reasons Erick Minor, owner and strength coach at Dynamic Barbell in Fort Worth Tx, www.dynamicbarbell.com, agrees with the Guru:

The top 5 reasons I don’t recommend long duration low-intensity exercise:
1. Long duration low intensity exercise decreases muscle tissue. You must increase and maintain muscle tissue for significant fat loss to occur.
2. There is a high incidence of orthopedic injury among avid joggers and marathon participants. It is accepted by runners in the know: if you run a marathon you will be injured.
3. Excessive aerobic exercise increases resting cortisol levels.
4. Aerobic exercise is time consuming. An intense 35 minute resistance training workout will do more good than 60 minutes of walking.
5. Increased oxidative stress: a cause of premature aging.

And why would resistance training be any better?

ADVANTAGES OF RESISTANCE TRAINING OVER AEROBIC TRAINING
1. Anyone at any level of conditioning can participate in resistance training.
2. Postural faults can be addressed while resistance training.
3. Corrective resistance exercises can decrease incidence of back pain.
4. Specific muscles can be emphasized to reshape your body.
5. Resistance training is the best way to increase bone density.
6. Growth Hormone levels increase with a properly designed program.
7. More effective at improving insulin resistance than aerobic training.
8. Increases testosterone levels naturally.
9. Increases muscle tissue which is the most important factor for fat loss.
10. Resistance training increases metabolic rate, regular aerobic work decreases metabolic rate.

I think the answer for fat loss is clear!

–I don’t want to put on all that muscle — pt. 1

As an experienced trainer, and now having been involved in the fitness community for several years, The Guru has heard this line literally hundreds of times. There are several false dogmas that The Guru calls “magazine tips” that have floated around gyms, locker rooms, and just about any place that fitness is discussed. The dogmas have been nothing but a plague to the advancement of fitness and health to many individuals. One of the worst “magazine tips” out there is that people (specifically women) should avoid eating protein and lifting weights because of a fear of “putting on too much muscle”.

It is easy to understand how this myth got started, however it is not based on any practical evidence or relative experience. In fact, it would be EASY to demonstrate that lifting weights and eating more protein and less refined carbohydrates is one of the best things a person can do for their health. Building pounds and pounds of muscle is VERY difficult and takes years of hard work and discipline, and that is for men who have the hormones to do so. Women are not equipped to put on muscle at a grotesque rate, and should not be afraid of some lean muscle gain. Here are some of the benefits of having more lean muscle:

• Increases the bodies thermogenesis (fat burning)
• Increases strength and endurance
• Decreases fat mass which improves hormone profile and overall health
• Increases bone density (resistance training)

Stay tuned for pt. 2, The Guru will address some dogma regarding fat loss!

HGH is awesome

..The stuff that your pituitary makes naturally that is. Injecting yourself with HGH without a doctor’s supervision is not only stupid but simply not necessary and this is NOT what the Guru is suggesting.

As we age, NATURAL levels of human growth hormone decline and it becomes necessary to encourage healthly production through supplementation. There are many benefits to having healthy HGH levels:

• Increased energy and endurance
• Decreased fat mass and increased muscle mass
• Improves sleep patterns
• Improves immune function
• Improves cholesterol

Luckily for enlightened supplement users like the Guru and his readers, there are products that can help encourage NATURAL and healthy pituitary function.