Tag Archives: Nutrition

14May 2013

The Shocking Truth about Dietary Fats and Saturated Fats

⋅ 1 Comment

You’ve been deceived into thinking that saturated fats are bad for you, but let’s look at some facts below…

by Mike Geary – Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

I’ll preface this article by saying that it will help if you have an open mind and accept that some of these facts are a slap in the face to politically correct nutrition in this day and age where fats are admonished by many doctors, health “experts”, and the mass media.

To start, eating an adequate supply of healthy dietary fats is vitally important to your overall health. Fats are one of the main components in all of the cell membranes throughout your entire body. If you eat enough healthy natural fats, your cellular processes will proceed normally.

On the other hand, if you eat man-made, heavily processed, chemically altered fats (damaged fats) that are found in most processed foods, your cellular function will be impaired as these damaged fats become part of your cell membranes, the body will have to work harder to operate correctly, and degenerative diseases can develop.

In addition, healthy dietary fats are necessary for optimal hormone production and balance within the body and are therefore essential for the muscle building and fat burning processes.  Other important functions that dietary fats play in a healthy body are aiding vitamin and mineral utilization, enzyme regulation, energy, etc.

I cringe every time I hear so called “health experts” recommend restriction of dietary fat, claiming that a low-fat diet is the key to good health, weight loss, and prevention of degenerative diseases.  Restriction of any one macronutrient (protein, carbs, or fat) in your diet works against what your body needs and can only lead to problems.

All three basic macronutrients serve important functions for a lean, healthy, and disease-free body.  As Dr. Mary Enig, Ph.D, and one of the leading fats researchers in the world, notes in several of her books and articles, there is very little true scientific evidence supporting the assertion that a high fat diet is bad for us.

For example, if these so called “health experts” that admonish fat are correct, and a low-fat diet is the solution to good health, then why did traditional Pacific Islanders who typically obtained 2/3 to 3/4 of their total daily calories from fat (mostly from coconut fat), remain virtually free from heart disease, obesity, and other modern degenerative diseases (that is, until Western dietary influences invaded)?

Also, why did traditional Eskimo populations, consuming up to 75% of their total caloric intake from fat (mostly from whale blubber, seal fat, organ meats, and cold water fish), display superior health and longevity without heart disease or obesity?

Why did members of the Masai tribe in Africa remain free from degenerative diseases and maintain low body fat percentages on diets consisting of large quantities of raw whole milk, blood, and meat? What about the Samburu tribe of Africa, which eats an average of 5 times the quantity of dietary fat (mostly from raw whole milk and meat) as overweight, disease-ridden Americans, yet Samburu members are lean, healthy, and free of degenerative diseases? What about traditional Mediterranean diets, which are known to be very high in fat in some cases (sometimes up to 50-70% fat), and are also well known to be very healthy?

These examples of high fat diets and the associated excellent health of traditional populations around the world go on and on, yet it seems that many doctors, nutritionists, and media outlets still ignore these facts and continue to promote a diet that restricts fat intake.

Well, the problem is that the good fats (the natural unprocessed health promoting fats) have gotten mistakenly lumped together in nutritional advice with the deadly processed fats and oils that make up a large percentage of almost all processed food that is sold at your local grocery store, restaurant, deli, fast food joint, etc. These deadly processed fats are literally everywhere and almost impossible to avoid unless you know what to look for and make smart choices in what you feed your body with.

Take note that I’m not recommending following a super high fat diet. Active individuals that exercise on a regular basis certainly also need adequate supplies of healthy carbohydrates for energy and muscle glycogen replenishment as well as good sources of protein for muscle repair. The above examples of the high fat diets of traditional populations and their corresponding excellent health were simply to prove the point that you don’t need to be afraid of dietary fats as long as you make healthy natural choices and stay within your daily caloric range to maintain or lose weight (depending on your goals).

Following is a list of some of the healthiest fatty foods (some will surprise you!) as well as some of the deadliest fatty foods to try to avoid at all costs:

The Healthy Fatty Food Choices:

  • Coconut fat: Coconut fat is approximately 92% saturated fat, yet surprisingly to most people, is considered a very healthy natural fat. The health benefits of coconut fat lie in its composition of approximately 65% medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Specifically, about 50% of coconut fat is a MCT called lauric acid, which has very potent anti-microbial properties helping to enhance the immune system. Also, MCTs are more easily utilized for immediate energy instead of being stored as body fat.  Coconut oil is also an excellent cooking oil for stir-frying, etc. since saturated fats are much more stable and do not oxidize like polyunsaturated oils when exposed to heat and light, which creates damaging free radicals. The best sources of healthy coconut fat are organic coconut milk, virgin coconut oil (available at http://coconut-info.com), or fresh coconut.
  • Extra virgin olive oil:  Olive oil is approximately 71% monounsaturated, 16% saturated, and 13% polyunsaturated. Choose “extra virgin” olive oil, which comes from the first pressing of the olives and has higher quantities of antioxidants. Unlike most other oils on supermarket shelves, extra virgin olive oil is not extracted with the use of harmful industrial solvents and is one of your healthiest choices for liquid oils. Try making your own salad dressing by mixing a small amount of olive oil with vinegar. This is healthier than most store bought salad dressings, which are usually made with highly processed and refined (chemically damaged) soybean oil extracted with industrial solvents.

  • Dark, bittersweet chocolate (>70% cocoa):  The cocoa bean is a very concentrated source of antioxidants and responsible for part of the health benefit of dark chocolate. The fat portion of the cocoa bean (cocoa butter) is a healthy natural fat, composed of approximately 59% saturated fat (mostly healthy stearic acid), 38% monounsaturated fat, and 3% polyunsaturated fat. I’ll limit the description of healthy chocolate to ONLY dark bittersweet chocolate with >70% cocoa content. Most milk chocolates are only about 30% cocoa, and even most dark chocolates are only about 55% cocoa, leaving the remainder of those products composed of high amounts of sugar, milk fat, corn sweeteners, etc. Look for a quality dark chocolate that lists its cocoa content like Chocolove Extra Dark (77%) or Dagoba New Moon (74%), which contain mostly cocoa and very little sugar. Keep in mind that although dark chocolate can be a healthy treat, it is still calorie dense, so keeping it to just a square or two is a good idea.
  • Avocados or guacamole:  The fat in avocados (depending on where they’re grown) is approximately 60% monounsaturated, 25% saturated, and 15% polyunsaturated. Avocados are a very healthy natural food that provides many nutrients, fiber, and healthful fats, while adding a rich flavor to any meal. Try sliced avocado on sandwiches or in salads or use guacamole in wraps, sandwiches, or quesadillas.
  • High fat fish such as wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, trout, etc.:  Just about any fish or seafood are good sources of natural omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, but the higher fat fish listed above are the best sources of omega-3’s. Due to the radical switch to a higher proportion of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats like soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, etc. in our food supply during the middle of the 20th century, the average western diet is currently way too high in omega-6’s compared to omega-3’s, which wreaks havoc in your body. This is where good omega-3 sources like high fat fish, walnuts, and flax seeds can help bring you back to a better ratio of omega-6/omega-3.

  • Nuts (any and all – walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, macadamias, etc.): Nuts are great sources of healthy unprocessed fats as well as minerals and other trace nutrients. Macadamias, almonds, and cashews are great sources of monounsaturated fats, while walnuts are a good source of unprocessed polyunsaturated fats (including omega-3’s). Try to avoid nuts that are cooked in oil. Instead, choose raw or dry roasted nuts.
  • Seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds):  All of these seeds are great sources of natural unprocessed healthy fats. In particular, flax seeds have received a lot of attention lately due to their high omega-3 content. However, keep in mind that omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are highly reactive to heat and light, and prone to oxidation and free radical production. Therefore, freshly ground flax seed is the only way to go. Instead of using the store bought ground flax seed, you can buy whole flax seed and use one of those miniature coffee grinders to grind your own flax seed. Try grinding fresh flax seed into your yogurt, cereal, or even your salad.  If you’re using a flax oil, make sure it’s a cold-pressed oil in a light-proof refrigerated container, and use it up within a few weeks to prevent it from going rancid. NEVER cook with flax oil!
  • The fat in organically raised, free-range animals:  This is where most people have been misinformed by the mass media. Animal fat is inherently good for us, that is, if it came from a healthy animal. Human beings have thrived on animal fats for thousands of years. The problem is, most mass produced animal products today do not come from healthy animals. They come from animals given loads of antibiotics and fattened up with hormones and fed un-natural feed. The solution is to choose organically raised, free-range meats, eggs, and dairy. At this time, the price is still a little higher, but as demand grows, the prices will come down. I’ve found an incredible website that actually offers free-range grass-fed meats delivered right to your doorstep at very reasonable prices. Believe me, it’s very hard to find grass fed meats at any grocery stores, so I was pleased to find this site.

The Deadly Fatty Foods:


  • Hydrogenated oils (trans fats):  These are industrially produced chemically altered oils subjected to extremely high pressure and temperature, with added industrial solvents such as hexane for extraction, and have a metal catalyst added to promote the artificial hydrogenation, followed by bleaching and deodorizing agents…..and somehow the FDA still allows this crap to pass as food. These oils aren’t even worthy of your lawnmower, much less your body! They’ve been linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and more. Even small quantities have been shown in studies to be dangerous. If you care about your health, check the ingredients of everything you buy, and if you see partially hydrogenated oils of any kind, margarine, or shortening, protect yourself and your family by choosing something else.
  • Refined oils:  Even if the oils are not hydrogenated, most oils on your supermarket shelves are refined, even most of the so called “healthy” canola oils. Most refined oils still undergo the high temperature, high pressure, solvent extraction, bleaching, and deodorizing processes. Anything labeled vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, and even many canola oils have been damaged by this refining process (unless they say “virgin” or “cold expeller pressed”). This damages the natural structure of the fats, destroys natural antioxidants, creates free radicals, and produces a generally unhealthy product. Take note that the explosion of heart disease in the middle of the 20th century coincides quite nicely with the rapid increase in the use of hydrogenated and refined oils in the food supply.

  • Anything deep fried: including tortilla chips, potato chips, French fries, donuts, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, etc. All of this crap shouldn’t even pass as real food in my opinion!
  • Homogenized milk fat – Milk fat is a very healthy fat in its natural raw state. Milk and beef from grass fed organically raised cows is known to have higher quantities of healthy fats like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3 fatty acids compared with grain fed cows. Traditional populations around the world have thrived in perfect health while consuming huge quantities of raw, non-pasteurized, non-homogenized, full fat dairy products.  Once again, food processing ruins a good thing by pasteurizing and homogenizing milk fat, rendering it potentially dangerous inside the human body. Unfortunately, you will find it almost impossible to find raw milk in the US unless you personally know a farmer. Check out http://www.realmilk.com for more info on the benefits of raw milk and to find out if it’s available near you. As an alternative, cultured dairy products like yogurt have at least had beneficial microorganisms added back to them making them better for you.  Realistically, since you probably won’t find raw milk, sticking to skim milk is the best option to avoid the homogenized milk fat. If you use butter for cooking, your best option is grass-fed butter.

I hope this article has shed some light on the truth about dietary fats and made you realize their importance in a healthy diet.

A fully comprehensive analysis on dietary protein, carbohydrates, and fat, and how to compile all of this information into a diet that promotes a lean healthy body with a low body fat percentage is provided in my book “The Truth About Six Pack Abs”.  Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed!

17Apr 2013

Top Three Nutritional, Supplements, and Training Questions I Hate Being Asked, Answered

There are certain questions that just piss me off. I’ll list them for you so that you right here:

  • What muscle group does that work?
  • Should I take creatine?
  • How much protein shake should I drink?
  • What is the best protein shake?
  • How can I lose fat?
  • How much should I eat to put on muscle?
  • How can I make my arms bigger?

    • Read More →

15Mar 2013

Is Saturated Fat Evil, or Not So Bad After All?

The myths, lies, and misconceptions about saturated fat and your health.

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

I’ve written many times in the last couple years about the mistaken beliefs in society about saturated fat and the false perception in the media AND with MOST health professionals that saturated fat is bad for you.


If you’ve seen in some of my articles, I’ve even showed you why saturated fat can even be GOOD for you in some cases, despite every health/fitness professional in the world just accepting the false belief that it’s bad for you.

Note – I’m NOT saying that an “Atkins style” diet is good for you!  Atkins is NOT a healthy or balanced way to eat!  Atkins typically promotes processed meats full of nitrates, nitrites, excess salt, and imbalanced omega-6 to omega-3 ratios (since most grocery store meats are grain fed and not raised in a healthy manner).  Also, Atkins plans typically have a lack of many other important food groups, nutrients, and antioxidants.

Rather, what you’ll see in this article, is that saturated fat is a perfectly natural part of the human diet and has been for eternity… it is NOT the evil demon it has been made out to be!

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to FINALLY see a big name publisher have some guts to publish an article about why everyone in the world may be wrong about their beliefs about saturated fat.

Mike has written a great eBook title “The Truth About Six Pack Abs” which shows regular people how to get leaner and healthier. Click here to learn more.

I picked up a new issue of Men’s Health magazine over the weekend, and they have a huge 6-page article in there about the faulty research in the past about saturated fat, and some new emerging research that is showing why it may actually be more good for you than you would believe.

I’ve got to give them credit… the article was VERY well researched and put together beautifully to summarize where the studies in the past have gone wrong, and why recent studies are showing that everyone may have been wrong for the last 5 decades about saturated fat.

I’d highly suggest you read the entire article if you can. If not, I’m going to try to give you a quick summary of the findings here since it was a long article…

The “Fact” that saturated fat is bad for your health has never been proven by legitimate studies

First of all, did you realize that although doctors, nutritionists, fitness professionals, and the media all have told you that it’s a FACT that saturated fats are bad for you, this “FACT” has actually never been proven!


Mike has written a great eBook title “The Truth About Six Pack Abs” which shows regular people how to get leaner and healthier. Click here to learn more.

It’s actually not a “fact” at all. It was a hypothesis! This goes all the way back to a flawed research study from the 1950′s where a guy named Ancel Keys published a paper that laid the blame on dietary fat intake for the increasing heart disease phenomenon.

However, there were major flaws to his study. For one, in his conclusions he only used data from a small portion of the countries where data was available on fat consumption vs heart disease death rate. When researches have gone back in and looked at the data from all of the countries, there actually was no link between fat consumption and heart disease deaths. So his conclusions were actually false.

Second, his blaming of fat intake for heart disease was only one factor that was considered. There was no consideration of other factors such as smoking rates, stress factors, sugar intake, exercise frequency, or other lifestyle factors.

Basically, his conclusions which blamed heart disease deaths on fat intake were really just a shot in the dark about what a possible cause may have been, even though all of those other factors I just mentioned, plus many others, may be the bigger cause.

Mike has written a great eBook title “The Truth About Six Pack Abs” which shows regular people how to get leaner and healthier. Click here to learn more.

Unfortunately, Keys study has been cited for over 5 decades now as “fact” that saturated fat is bad for you.  As you can see, there certainly is nothing factual about it.

Since that time, numerous other studies have been conducted trying to link saturated fat intake to heart disease. The majority of these studies have failed to correlate ANY risk at all from saturated fat. A couple of them made feeble attempts at linking saturated fat to heart disease, however, it was later shown that in those studies, the data was flawed as well.

Another issue with flawed studies is that many studies have lumped artificial trans fat intake together with saturated fat intake, and mistakenly laid the blame on saturated fat despite the overwhelming evidence that artificial trans fat is the REAL health risk.  This is a HUGE mistake as there is a vast difference in how your body processes nasty artificially created trans fats vs the perfectly natural saturated fats that have been part of the human diet since the beginning of man.

Do we actually have evidence that saturated fat may actually be good for you instead?


Mike has written a great eBook title “The Truth About Six Pack Abs” which shows regular people how to get leaner and healthier. Click here to learn more.

Well, let’s consider a few examples…

Did you know that there are several well known tribes in Africa… the Masai, Samburu, and Fulani tribes… where their diet consists mostly of raw (unpasteurized) whole milk, tons of red meat, and cows blood?  The typical members of these tribes eat 5x the average amount of saturated fat compared to overweight, disease-ridden Americans.

Despite their very high saturated fat intake, they display extremely low body fat levels, and heart disease to natives of the tribe is virtually non-existant.

Now most critics of this example will say that it must be related to superior genetics… however this is false, as when they studied tribesman who had moved out of their native lands and started eating more modern day diets, their blood chemistry skyrocketed with heart disease risk factors.

This is true of certain pacific island countries inhabitants as well. Several studies have shown that certain pacific island nations had VERY high intakes of total fat as well as saturated fat from tropical fats such as palm, coconut, and cocoa. Tropical plants in general have naturally higher levels of saturated fats in their tissues due to the warmer climate.

Despite super-high intakes of saturated fat, these island natives were typically very lean and heart disease was virtually non-existant. However, when researchers followed up with islanders that had moved away from their native island and adopted a typical western diet, the heart disease risk factors were through the roof.  Hmm, once again, another example of people that started eating LESS saturated fat and more processed western foods and INCREASED their heart disease factors.

Mike has written a great eBook title “The Truth About Six Pack Abs” which shows regular people how to get leaner and healthier. Click here to learn more.

In fact, did you know that although saturated fat intake does increase your LDL bad cholesterol, it actually increases your HDL good cholesterol even further, hence improving your overall cholesterol ratio, which has been proven to be more important that just total cholesterol level (actually total cholesterol is an almost useless number… inflammation is the REAL problem, but that’s a whole different topic).

Another fact worth noting in favor of saturated fat…

Saturated fat is comprised of various different types… the 3 most common types are stearic acid, palmitic acid, and lauric acid.

Stearic acid is found in animal fat and cocoa in higher levels. Research continues to show that stearic acid has no negative impacts on heart disease risks. If anything, it’s either neutral or beneficial. In fact, your liver breaks down stearic acid into a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid, which is the same type of fat that makes up most of heart-healthy olive oil. Bet you didn’t know that!


Mike has written a great eBook title “The Truth About Six Pack Abs” which shows regular people how to get leaner and healthier. Click here to learn more.

Lauric acid is beneficial as well. Not only has it been shown to increase your HDL good cholesterol levels significantly, but it is also lacking in most Americans diet and has even been shown to have some powerful immune-boosting effects potentially. It is even being studied currently in HIV/AIDS research to help improve immune function in patients.

Tropical oils such as coconut and palm are the best sources of the healthy saturated fat – lauric acid.

Palmitic acid is the other main component of saturated fat and has also been shown to increase HDL good cholesterol to the same, if not greater extent than LDL bad cholesterol, thereby making it either neutral or beneficial, but certainly not bad for you.

So, if all of these researchers have tried so hard over the years to point the finger at saturated fat, but have continued to fail to show a correlation between saturated fat and heart disease risk, what are the REAL culprits for heart disease?

Well, here are the REAL causes of heart disease risk:

  • Trans fats (artificially hydrogenated oils)
  • Heavily refined vegetable oils such as soy, cottonseed, corn oil, etc. (inflammatory inside the body, and typically throw the omega-6/omega-3 balance out of whack…remember, inflammation is the REAL cause of heart disease, NOT dietary saturated fat or cholesterol).  
  • Too much refined sugar in the diet (including high fructose corn syrup)
  • Too much refined carbohydrates such as white bread, low fiber cereals, etc
  • Smoking
  • Stressful lifestyle
  • Lack of exercise
  • Other lifestyle factors

So why does it seem that so many attempts over the years have tried to lay the blame on saturated fat… do you think it might have anything to do with the muli-billion dollar vegetable oil industry, which has taken over for cooking oils for what used to be mostly animal fats and tropical oils in decades past…

hmm… do multi-billion dollar industries really have an influence on the way data is portrayed to the public? Of course they do! And don’t even get me started on the cholesterol meds industry! Again, I digress.

Mike has written a great eBook title “The Truth About Six Pack Abs” which shows regular people how to get leaner and healthier. Click here to learn more.


I hope this article has opened your eyes about the truth about saturated fat and how you’ve been misled over the years.

The true FACT is that saturated fat is a neutral substance in your body, and even beneficial at times, not a deadly risk factor for disease. The REAL risk factors are what I listed above.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder – http://TruthAboutAbs.com & Busy Man Fitness .com

PS – if you liked todays article, feel free to email this link on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.

Mike has written a great eBook title “The Truth About Six Pack Abs” which shows regular people how to get leaner and healthier. Click here to learn more.

This article links out to a product. If you purchase this product, I get a percentage of the sale. Click here to read my disclaimer.
12Mar 2013

Damage Control For Holiday Eating “Accidents” (Part 1)

By Tom Venuto, author of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle
www.BurnTheFat.com

We’ve all been at the holiday get-togethers, and have quickly devoured something devilishly delicious with little thought. Some feel little shame for eating a cake or drinking half the bowl of punch, but others find themselves feeling guilty afterwards and can’t help but think, “oops, I shouldn’t have eaten that.” I have to admit I do get a little chuckle out of the “accidental” part! Do you ever really “accidentally” eat anything? I think we are all responsible for everything we eat and how much we eat and until you consciously realize and accept this, and take the time to do some proactive meal planning, you will probably continue to have lots of “overeating accidents!”

After you overindulge, I definitely do NOT recommend skipping your next meal or skipping meals the next day to make up for it. I usually don’t even recommend cutting back either, although there may be exceptions where you could manipulate your meal size or macronutrient composition.

I generally recommend returning immediately to your “regularly scheduled meal programming,” because this continues to encourage the maintenance of positive habits such as eating 5-6 small meals every day.

I do suppose whether you cut back could depend on whether you’ve been on low calories a long time, how lean you were already, and on whether you were in a caloric deficit already. If you were in a calorie deficit for the day, then the extra calories might only bring you up to maintenance, not “over” your daily limit, which might not be as damaging as if you were in a calorie surplus.

If you were already very lean or had been dieting strictly for a long time (as in a bodybuilder coming off a competition), a large meal or entire high calorie day might not have any negative effect either. Your metabolism has a way of slowing down if you keep your calories too low 100% of the time.

With occasional (planned) higher calorie days, you’d be using the BURN THE FAT “zig-zag” or “cycling” principle, so eating more in this context can be a positive thing. (Note: You can learn more about this technique in the BURN THE FAT program at www.burnthefat.com). However, there’s a big difference between a planned “cheat meal” or a planned high carb, clean food “re-feed” day and a binge on junk food. Regardless of total 24 hour calorie intake for the day, you could still store body fat after heavy eating if it’s done at certain times and in a certain metabolic state.

Although I do prescribe calorie levels based on daily (24 hr) needs, I believe you should also pay attention to 3 hour “windows” when you’re thinking about adjusting your caloric intake. Calories and macronutrients (protein/aminos, carbs/sugar and fat) are partitioned into glycogen, muscle or fat tissue or burned immediately depending very much on present moment energy and recovery needs and on what’s going to happen over the next 3 hours or so as the food enters your system.

So, if you’re going to be plopping down on the couch to watch football games for the rest of the day and night after that big holiday meal, beware – you might just want to cut back on that next meal a little, especially starches and sugars.

Bottom line: It’s okay to eat small amounts of your favorite junk foods once in a while as planned “free meals,” and it’s a good idea to eat more in general from time to time to keep your metabolism humming along. However, your best bet if you’re really serious about fat loss is to avoid huge meals and avoid bingeing in the first place. ALWAYS practice portion control – even on holidays.

If you ever do slip, don’t beat yourself up, just get right back on the wagon with your next meal and remember, the past is behind you and today is a new day.

Your friend and coach,

Tom Venuto, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
www.BurnTheFat.com

P.S. If you’re interested in burning fat naturally in a healthy, sensible way, then be sure to take a look at Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle – it’s the best place to start your journey: www.BurnTheFat.com

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert, lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, independent nutrition researcher, freelance writer, and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat-Burning Secrets of The World’s Best Bodybuilders & Fitness Models (e-book) which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com
05Mar 2013

Warrior Diet Results

I had stopped eating breakfast for quite some time. It was after I read The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler. Ori had a pretty crazy idea about not eating throughout the day. The Warrior Diet apparently mimics the way hunters and gatherers used to eat in the old days. You know, the caveman days when we humans were just running around in our loin cloths.

My experiences with the Warrior Diet have been both good and bad. Every time I went on the diet, I lost weight instantly and had tremendous energy during the day. But maintaining the diet was very tough. Hunger pangs are not fun, and most people can’t eat 2000 calories at one meal like Mr. Ori can.

I give Ori big credit for introducing a new theory and a new way of dieting that everyone should try out at least once. The Warrior Diet is a great detox diet, and has actually helped me find the middle path that I know follow.

What I realized with The Warrior Diet is that Ori recommends little bits of protein throughout the day for athletes or those that lift intensely. This seems to resemble a typical bodybuilding diet, except for the one large meal at the end of the day.

What I was doing before was an extreme form of dieting. The Warrior Diet gives you a tremendous amount of energy by under eating. But Under eating, from what I’ve discovered, doesn’t mean that you starve yourself.

It means that you eat less than you normally do to prevent a tremendous increase in insulin. Ori goes on to talk about the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) and how the SNS is what wakes us up and the PSNS is what puts us to sleep.

By eating breakfast, we basically activate the PSNS and become tired and drowsy, and hence thinking that we need more food.

I’m really not sure about that. That could be true or it could not. But I think what happens, at least for me, is that when I eat a lot of carbs at once, I feel sleepy. If I eat a lot of calories that consist of fat and protein, I may not feel as drowsy.

But either way, a large calorie consumption at one sitting, whether consisting of a lot of carbs or a lot of protein, makes me feel drowsy. This drowsiness without actually doing anything to make you feel drowsy or tired, is a good indication of a tremendous insulin spike.

The path that I’m currently following consists of eating 6 meals per day, with limited carbohydrate intake and steadily increasing protein. I’ve done 6 or 7 times a day before and ended up gaining a tremendous amount of fat.

This was due to the fact that I was spending too much time miscalculating. I tried to get my protein without really seeing what I was eating. Dunkin Donuts egg sandwiches were a source of protein for me since eggs aren’t allowed in my house. Other things I ate were taco bell on a weekly basis, and Starbucks coffee.

The middle path that I described earlier focuses on gradually phasing out the foods that are bad, and replacing foods that are good. That’s the first step to creating a sustainable and healthy diet.

If you’re tired of following all these over-hyped crash diets, and want a safer approach to losing fat, then I suggest Strip That Fat. Strip That Fat is a no-nonsense approach to healthy eating.

Click here to Grab your Strip That Fat Package today!

03Mar 2013

Fix your Nutrition: Basic tips and techniques you can use NOW

A big part of performing well with high intensity workout routines is nutrition. Many people are warriors when it comes to working out, but still eat anything they can get their hands on. This may work when you’re younger, but as you get older, these bad nutritional habits can come back to bite you.

The following are some foods that you should absolutely incorporate in your diet:

Green Vegetables – Green leafy vegetables are full of antioxidants. Americans actually spend billion of dollars each year to get antioxidants in pill form. However, you could probably do better with just eating more vegetables.

Antioxidants are vital to the human body, as they’ve been linked to preventing cancer, heart disease, and boosting the immune system. If you get sick a lot, then start eating more vegetables. This is because antioxidants are like a layer of protection for the cells and tissues.

Protein Powder – Protein is extremely important to help you build muscle mass and recovery from your intense workouts. But frankly speaking, not all of us get enough protein just from food. Especially if you’re an athlete and are working out at an extremely high intensity level.

Protein powder simply helps you get some extra protein. I like to mix mine with milk. Take it right after your workouts, and you’re good to go. Based on your size, you may need to take more than one protein shakes per day.

Olive Oil – Olive oil is a type of good fat. And good fat burns fat! But olive oil in particular is extremely beneficial for your body. Studies have shown that olive oil helps control LDL (bad) cholesterol by raising HDL (good) cholesterol.

Natural Oatmeal – One of the best things you can do is replace your regular cereal with natural oatmeal. Oatmeal has tons of great vitamins and nutrients you need to start your day off right. It also provides your body with lots of fiber, which is an essential nutrient in helping your body carry out daily metabolic functions

The Bridge Between Nutrition and Training (or, What do eat right after working out)

As mentioned earlier, the best thing to consume immediately after a tough training session is protein. Mix yourself a nice protein shake, chug it down, and start preparing your meal. You should wait at least a half hour after your workout to eat.

Depending on your workout, you may  need to consume different things. For example, after an intense bodyweight workout, you probably want to consume more protein then carbs, especially if your goal is to minimize fat gain.

But honestly speaking, the main thing is to eat healthy. Don’t go out and eat a slice of pizza. Your post workout meal should be your most nutritious meal of the day. Keep the junk off the plate, and you should be fine.

Here are some ideas for great post workout meals:

  • Glass of milk with protein powder
  • Turkey or Chicken sandwich on wheat bread
  • Natural Peanut butter and Low sugar jelly on wheat bread
  • Tuna fish on wheat bread
  • Protein bar with natural peanut butter on top and milk

Foods to Avoid

Unfortunately, there are probably more foods that we should be avoiding then consuming. That’s just the way out society is nowadays. People are choosing tastier options rather than healthier options, although with the right cooking techniques, you can make almost any food taste great.

Your biggest step to a more healthier diet should be to reduce your consumption of sugar. Start by cutting down the amount of sugary beverages that you drink. Bottled juices, soda, and sugary lattes can be killer diet destroying foods.

Next step would be to eliminate fried foods. Next time you go into a restaurant, avoid the sides of french fries, onion rings and curly fries. Try to understand how food is made. Don’t be afraid to ask the waiter at a restaurant how the food is prepared.

This third step is probably the most difficult. Eliminate or reduce your consumption of white flour. You can easily just switch to whole wheat bread and pasta, and still enjoy the same great (or even better) taste. I’m a huge pasta fanatic, and switching to whole wheat options has made a huge positive difference.

While you’re trying to cut down on sugar, you should start avoiding desserts. Just don’t buy them anymore from the grocery store. The less temptations you have at home, the better. I don’t care if you have little children. Get them started on a healthy diet early on.

Alcohol, especially beer, can be a physique killer. Once in a while, it’s not a bad thing. But at the end of the day, it’s just more empty calories being ingested into your body. On top of that, alcohol is a poison. So you should be controlling your consumption anyways.

Meal Frequency and Timing

Here’s something that a lot of people talk about: 3 meals a day or 6 meals a day? There are even people out there that only eat once a day and are still incredibly strong, ripped, and athletic. The truth is that it depends on you.

If you can get all your nutrients and calories with just one meal a day, then good luck to you. But most people will need to eat 3 complete meals a day, with a few snacks along the way. The majority of people probably eat 6 meals a day without even realizing it.

The best advice I can give you is to find your natural eating rhythm and stick to it. Fasting once in a while doesn’t hurt. Sometimes when I feel to sluggish or out of shape, I’ll fast for a few hours, and I’ll feel much better. Fasting also helps you improve your immune system and releases human growth hormone.

These were just a few basic tips to help you get started on a better nutrition plan. If you want to learn how to optimize both your bodyweight training and nutrition plan for a healthier lifestyle, then check out the Average Joe Fitness Program.

03Feb 2013

How Much Muscle can you Gain?

Tim Ferris is my hero. No kidding! My world was transformed after I read his book, “The Four Hour Work Week.” The book basically applied a lot of my fitness principles, such as the 80/20 principle and Parkinson’s Law, into regular life. Now, the truth is that Parkinson’s Law in my view is similar to Work Capacity, i.e do as much productive work in as short a period of time.

So then began the journey of how I began to re-boot my life in search of freedom. All of a sudden, I wanted to live the Tim Ferris lifestyle. I wanted to accomplish great things NOW!

I began reading his blog, and came across an article where Tim claimed that he had put on 34lbs of pure muscle mass Read More →

19Dec 2012

Fitness Tips from a Client: D-Raj

15Dec 2012

An Alternative to the USDA Food Pyramid

If you haven’t figured it out already, the USDA Food Pyramid will not help you achieve your goals. As health enthusiasts we know that the amount of carbs (6-11 servings of grains) that they recommend are just too many. If you are not convinced that the USDA food pyramid is unhealthy, then please take some time to read this post.

For the rest of us, I have developed an alternative to the food pyramid. My version of the pyramid does not talk about specific servings. Instead, it’s a step by step method in developing your own unique diet that works for you.

Eat 90% Healthy

The base of the pyramid tells you to eat 90% healthy. When people come up to me and ask me how many calories they should be eating or how much protein to consume, I ask them what they are eating. Many times they say they are eating healthy, but are unable to name all the foods they consume. Some people are actually able to name all their foods. You know these are the people that are in some way tracking their foods.

  • I like to use a service such as theDailyplate.com to track my food. Online services help you manage your dietary intake better then just simply writing everything down on a notepad, then manually researching the foods.
  • For beginners, it is crucial that you track your foods for the first three months, but as you begin to understand the nature of nutrition itself, you can lighten up a little with all the measuring and analysis.
  • I personally choose three to five days per month to make sure that 90% of my calories are coming from healthy sources. If something is awry, then I adjust.

Adjust Calories

Once you have a strong understanding of how exactly to eat healthy, and are able to do it on a regular basis without putting much thought into the process, it’s time to see whether or not your caloric intake fits your goals.

Macro-nutrient Ratios

Now we get to the nitty gritty. Macro-nutrient ratios are the percentage of protein, carbs, and fat that you consume in your diet.

  • For example, if you are consuming a total of 2000 calories with 150 grams of protein, then 30% of your calories are coming from protein (150 x 4 = 600, 600/2000 = .3).
  • The media has hounded macros as being the number one concern when it comes to being healthy. The truth is, there is no set percentage that you should follow.
  • I personally follow a moderate carbohydrate, moderate protein, and moderate fat diet. So technically, I eat in moderation. If at one meal I consumed too many carbs, then I know I need to balance it out with some protein and healthy fats in my next meal.
  • I have found that on some days that I cheat on my diet, I am actually leaner the day after. Your body cannot live on just one magic vitamin, mineral, or nutrient. Keep things balanced.

Supplements

I am not abhorrently against supplements, although I do think that people need to take less of them. I think that most people follow a reverse pyramid, in that they rely on supplements to cover their bad eating habits.

  • Supplements should be used as a last resort and are often better used by athletes who are training hard for an event or competition.
  • Bodybuilders should use fat burners during their pre-contest phase. UFC fighters can take BCAA’s and other recovery products to help their bodies recover during intense training.
  • The regular gym goer does not need a suitcase full of drugs. Forget about the green tea extract and the super powerful Hydroxyfluf if you’re eating pizza and booze on the weekends with your buddies over a game of poker.

An architect knows that without a strong foundation, a building will not stand. Develop a strong base of healthy eating, and you’ll be successful in your nutrition.

14Dec 2012

4 Steps to Achieving your Fitness Goals

The problem that I see with many people who start a fitness program is a lack of desire. I’ve been training since I was 13 years old, and programs were only effective when there was fire in my eyes and determination in my stomach. I wanted something and went out and got it. I paid no attention to see if I was really doing something right or wrong. Heck, I used to wake up at four in the morning and go for a run.

You don’t need to wake up at four or do anything crazy like that to achieve your fitness goals. Just use the following four principles to find that fire deep inside of you:

Decide What you Want

Photo by gserafini

It’s been knocked over you a million times. You need a goal. But so many people still do not have a clear and concise goal. Let me help you. Here is my goal: “To gradually improve my body composition as I improve and maintain my daily mobility, sound nutrition, and athletic capabilities.”


That is what you call a goal. My real goal isn’t to get a six pack, although I’ve said it many times before, what I have come to realize is that a shallow goal such as increasing your arms size, and getting a six pack isn’t really fulfilling. What makes me happy is knowing that I’ll be able to walk when I’m seventy years old, being able to make healthy decisions under peer pressure, and being able to play a sport that I’ve never played before and still be well-conditioned for it.

In short, a goal should be fulfilling. What makes you happy in the long-term?

Decide What You’re Willing to Do For It

Sacrifices need to be made, but which ones? For myself, it means choosing exercises that stress mobility as opposed to body parts. I sacrificed a strong posterior chain over big arms. It means choosing a veggie burger over a pizza when I’m with my friends. It means performing high intensity kettlebell movements as opposed to long-distance cardio. The GPP aspect of kettlebell training prepares you for any sports. Distance cardio is both boring and doesn’t do much for your athletic conditioning. However, distance cardio on an empty stomach may help you get leaner, faster, then GPP work. But we really do not know this, nor do I care much.

Are you willing to sacrifice the 4rth meal? Photo by ross0025

Those are my sacrifices NOW. But, here’s a whole list of things I’ve given up in the past few years:

  1. Soda
  2. Taco Bell
  3. Starbucks
  4. Used to eat indian restaurant food every week, up to 3 paratas (bread). Now i eat once a month, and can only eat 1 parata (bread)
  5. Used to eat 10 rotis (another type of indian bread) each night for dinner. Now I’m good with three or four, and do not eat each night.
  6. Subway – was a big part of my diet, but then realized how many carbs are in one sandwich. No more!
  7. Salted Peanuts – Used to be addicted to these. Switched to plain almonds
  8. Ready Made Protein Shakes – Lots of sugar, and not very nice on your wallet. Use regular whey protein and mix it at home with milk or water.


The majority of your sacrifices will come in the form of nutrition. But, you also need to ask yourself one more question: Will you be able to stick to your training program despite social and family pressures?

The social aspect is huge. You want to go to the gym, but your friends want to go to the movies. Which one do you choose. Which is more important?

Another aspect is entertainment. Some people are addicted to television and will not give up their only free time during the day to workout because of a show they’re watching. Are you even willing to give up your favorite shows to achieve your goal?

Establish Your Program

“What can I do to lose weight?”

Are you serious? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you that in order to lose weight you need to eat less and exercise more. There are thousands of programs out there. Start with your goal in mind, and choose your program. All you need is a program that makes a little sense. For example, if your goal is lose fat, then you shouldn’t be on a power lifting program.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. That’s how you learn.

And Get to Work

Once you’ve realized your goal, understand the sacrifices you’ll need to make, and have a decent program at your fingertips, the next step is to go out and do it. The more you delay, the less likely you’ll be to start. Stop saying to yourself, “Oh it’s Wednesday, let me start my program on Monday.” Who made it a rule that you can only start programs on Monday’s? The same people who told you that your Chest can only be trained on Monday’s.

If these four points don’t motivate you then… maybe this will:

10Dec 2012

Nutritional Steps to Take when you Hit a Fat Loss Plateau

Each and everyone of us will hit a plateau in our fat loss at one time or another. Our bodies were programmed for survival, and so when we throw something unexpected at it, for example a caloric reduction, then our bodies think that we’re headed for disaster and takes the necessary steps to save our life. When our bodies are in a severely calorie restricted state for prolonged periods, it beleives that there is some sort of danger. Perhaps there is some sort of famine going through, or we are stuck in some castle under siege. Naturally, these situations will not arise in our modern day world, but this is the way that our bodies are meant to respond to threats. So, lets say that our body believes that we will not be getting any food for quite some time. It automatically starts taking the necessary steps to save you, including reducing your metabolic rate, storing fat for future use, and potentially breaking down muscle mass.

What do you do?

I have learned that after two weeks without losing any weight, if i go away for the weekend and eat anything that my friends are eating, I find myself at a lower weight when I come back. How come? Well, simply because now you have food and your body realizes that you are no longer under threat. This simple act of loosening up on your diet for one weekend out of a month will help you jump start your fat loss.

28Nov 2012

It’s difficult for a Vegetarian to get protein! And 2 Other Vegetarian Myths Debunked

basic-chickpeas-260x209

People say that you can’t burn fat or increase muscle mass or be a great athlete as a vegetarian. This is not true. If your diet isn’t clean, then it doesn’t matter if you eat meat, or you don’t eat meat, you won’t make any progress in your fitness endeavors.

This artice isn’t about which lifestlye is better. It’s about shedding some light on the whole vegetarian issue and providing our side of the equation.

Myth #1: It’s difficult for a Vegetarian to get protein

When I made the effort, I was able to take in about 170 grams of protein, which is close to the bodybuilding recommended intakes of protein (1 gram per pound of bodyweight). I’m still unsure if this is the optimal intake necessary. I personally think it depends on your activity level. Hence, if you’re just a guy who goes to the gym 3 days a week or if you don’t work out at all, your recommended dietary intake of protein will be much lower. But lets stick to this 1 gram per pound of bodyweight equation. How do vegetarians get protein?

There are numerous foods that have ample sources of protein. The following are my top ten sources of protein:

1. Peanut Butter
2. Almonds
3. Veggie Burgers
4. Cottage Cheese
5. Soybeans
6. Milk
7. Tofu
8. Kidney Beans
9. Protien Powders
10. Protien Bars

I usually consume some almonds after each meal. If you plan ahead, you’ll be surprised at how quickly it is to increase your protein intake.

After doing my own research I came across some other protein intake recommendations. The most common of which was .8 grams of protein per kilogram bodyweight. For me, that’s an intake of 72 grams of protein. No wonder my strength shot up once I ate 170 grams.

Myth #2: Vegetarians don’t get enough calcium

This is as ridiculous as not being able to get enough protein. If you follow a varied diet with a good number of calories, you’ll be able to get almost every single vitamin and mineral and macronutrient you need out there. Like I said earlier, all it takes is a little bit of planning, experimentation, and research.

Some of the high-protien foods that you already consume such as tofu and soybeans have ample amounts of calcium to help meet your dietary needs. Tofu has about 683 miligrams of calcium per 100 gram with about 15 grams of protein.

The recommended level of calcium for adults is 1000 mg per day. A slightly higher intake is recommended for adults above the age of fifty. You see lots of cases of ostoperosis in this age category. This has nothing to do with vegetarianism. Simply stated, if you don’t meet the minimum requirements, you’ll see problems in the future.

Myth #3: Vegetarians are skinny. There’s no way you can get big and strong with a vegetarian diet.

Being skinny or weak has nothing to do with being a vegetarian. It has to do with caloric intake. If you have a positive caloric deficit (eat more than you burn), and increase your protein intake, you’ll be able to build lean muscle mass, get stronger, and have more energy throughout the day.

Robert Cheeke is a really good example of vegan bodybuilder who has been able to build up some nice lean muscle mass and maintain it. At 14 years old, he was only 89 pounds (my sister’s 13 and 114lbs). He began lifting immediately and bulked up to 133lbs at 17 years old. Using bodybuilding methods of meal frequency, and increased protein and carb intake, he packed on 19 lbs in 12 weeks through the Body-For-Life program. He’s been a competitive bodybuilder and fitness author ever since.

The point is that Robert Cheeke was a skinny kid who packed on close to 100 lbs of muscle in five years because he did things right and he was motivated. Putting on muscle has nothing to do with your lifestlye. It has to do with vitamins, minerals, macronutrients, caloric intake, and hard training.

I’m going to stop right here. Almost every other Vegetarian Myth out there can be summarized by what I’ve written above. Let’s forget about the argument about which lifestyle is better. Choose your own lifestlye, do your own research, and make your own rules.

Live With Intensity!

- Parth Shah

P.S. If you’re interested in the vegetarian lifestyle, or are already a vegetarian and need some high protein healthy meal plans, then check out Easy Veggie Meals Plans here.