2. Go fermented. Dr. Weston Price is famous for his studies of 12 traditional diets of near-disease-free indigenous communities spread around the globe. He found that the one common element was fermented foods, which were consumed daily. Cultural mainstays varied but included cheese, j.a.panese natto, kefir, kimchi (also spelled "kimchee"), sauerkraut, and fermented fish. Unsweetened plain yogurt and fermented kombucha tea are two additional choices. Fermented foods contain high levels of healthy bacteria and should be viewed as a mandatory piece of your dietary puzzle. I consume five forkfuls of sauerkraut each morning before breakfast and also add kimchi to almost all home-cooked meals. Dr. Weston Price is famous for his studies of 12 traditional diets of near-disease-free indigenous communities spread around the globe. He found that the one common element was fermented foods, which were consumed daily. Cultural mainstays varied but included cheese, j.a.panese natto, kefir, kimchi (also spelled "kimchee"), sauerkraut, and fermented fish. Unsweetened plain yogurt and fermented kombucha tea are two additional choices. Fermented foods contain high levels of healthy bacteria and should be viewed as a mandatory piece of your dietary puzzle. I consume five forkfuls of sauerkraut each morning before breakfast and also add kimchi to almost all home-cooked meals.
3. Consider probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics Probiotics are bacteria. I"ve used Sedona Labs iFlora probiotics both during training (to help accommodate overfeeding) and after antibiotics. are bacteria. I"ve used Sedona Labs iFlora probiotics both during training (to help accommodate overfeeding) and after antibiotics.
Prebiotics are fermentable substrates that help bacteria grow and thrive. In this category, I"ve experimented with organic inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides, commonly referred to as FOS. For a host of reasons, I prefer inulin, which I get through the Athletic Greens mentioned previously. Inulin is about 10% the sweetness of sugar, but unlike fructose, it"s not insulinemic. In the whole-foods realm, garlic, leeks, and chicory are all high in inulin or FOS content. are fermentable substrates that help bacteria grow and thrive. In this category, I"ve experimented with organic inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides, commonly referred to as FOS. For a host of reasons, I prefer inulin, which I get through the Athletic Greens mentioned previously. Inulin is about 10% the sweetness of sugar, but unlike fructose, it"s not insulinemic. In the whole-foods realm, garlic, leeks, and chicory are all high in inulin or FOS content.
Though the research is preliminary, introducing pre- and probiotics together in the diet could have beneficial effects on allergies, aging, obesity, and a range of diseases from AIDS to type 2 diabetes. I found one potential benefit particularly fascinating, given our focus on GLUT-4: both inulin and FOS improve calcium absorption, and calcium absorption promotes the contraction-dependent GLUT-4 translocation!
If the anti-obesity effects weren"t enough, consider bacterial balance a crucial step in supporting your "second brain."
Most of us have heard of serotonin, a wide-acting neurotransmitter that, when deficient, is intimately linked to depression. Prozac and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) act to increase the effects of serotonin. Despite the label "neurotransmitter," which leads most people to visualize the brain, only 5% of serotonin is found in your head. The remaining 95% is produced in the gut, sometimes referred to as "the second brain" for this reason.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 39 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, Lactobacillus casei Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota was found to significantly decrease anxiety symptoms. Probiotics (bifidobacteria is one example) have also been shown as an effective alternative treatment for depression because of their power to inhibit inflammatory molecules called cytokines, decrease oxidative stress, and correct the overgrowth of unwanted bacteria that prevents optimal nutrient absorption in the intestines. strain Shirota was found to significantly decrease anxiety symptoms. Probiotics (bifidobacteria is one example) have also been shown as an effective alternative treatment for depression because of their power to inhibit inflammatory molecules called cytokines, decrease oxidative stress, and correct the overgrowth of unwanted bacteria that prevents optimal nutrient absorption in the intestines.
Give your good bacteria an upgrade and get your microbiome in shape. Faster fat-loss and better mental health are just two of the benefits.
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TOOLS AND TRICKS.
Twelve Hours of Bingeing in Photos (www.fourhourbody.com/binge) See the binge from this chapter as I captured it in real time and posted the photos on Flickr. It will give you an appreciation for the quant.i.ty. See the binge from this chapter as I captured it in real time and posted the photos on Flickr. It will give you an appreciation for the quant.i.ty.
Super Cissus Rx (www.fourhourbody.com/cq) This is the brand of CQ I used during the experimentation. This is the brand of CQ I used during the experimentation.
Athletic Greens (www.athleticgreens.com) This is my all-in-one greens insurance policy. It contains 76 ingredients, including inulin for improving bacterial balance. This is my all-in-one greens insurance policy. It contains 76 ingredients, including inulin for improving bacterial balance.
Escali Cesto Portable Nutritional Scale (www.fourhourbody.com/cesto) This is the one-pound scale I carried around in my man-purse to measure the weight and nutritional composition of my meals. The Escali Cesto display shows calories, sodium, protein, fat, carbohydrates, cholesterol, and fiber for almost 1,000 different types of food. May the force be with you, fellow OCDers. This is the one-pound scale I carried around in my man-purse to measure the weight and nutritional composition of my meals. The Escali Cesto display shows calories, sodium, protein, fat, carbohydrates, cholesterol, and fiber for almost 1,000 different types of food. May the force be with you, fellow OCDers.
Nutrition Data (www.nutritiondata.com) Want to find out how many calories are in your favorite splurge meal or family recipe? Just use the "a.n.a.lyze Recipe" Nutrition Management Tool on this site to calculate the nutritional value of the dish. You can also save your recipes and share them with others. I use this site often, including for the calculations in this chapter. Want to find out how many calories are in your favorite splurge meal or family recipe? Just use the "a.n.a.lyze Recipe" Nutrition Management Tool on this site to calculate the nutritional value of the dish. You can also save your recipes and share them with others. I use this site often, including for the calculations in this chapter.
Thera-Bands (www.fourhourbody.com/thera) I started doing standing chest pulls with Thera-Bands (primarily gray), which are popular among physical therapists for rehab exercises. Once I got up to 75 reps per set without fatigue, I upgraded to the mini-bands below. I started doing standing chest pulls with Thera-Bands (primarily gray), which are popular among physical therapists for rehab exercises. Once I got up to 75 reps per set without fatigue, I upgraded to the mini-bands below.
Mini-bands (www.fourhourbody.com/minibands) I now use these for standing band pulls. Made famous by Louie Simmons of the Westside Barbell gym, these bands are often used by powerlifters to add resistance to deadlifts, bench presses, and squats in the upper ranges of motion. On a related note, think age is an excuse? Tell Louie. He squatted 920 pounds at age 50. I now use these for standing band pulls. Made famous by Louie Simmons of the Westside Barbell gym, these bands are often used by powerlifters to add resistance to deadlifts, bench presses, and squats in the upper ranges of motion. On a related note, think age is an excuse? Tell Louie. He squatted 920 pounds at age 50.
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End of Chapter Notes 6. Strange enough to begin with. Strange enough to begin with.
7. See "The Glucose Switch" for more on this. See "The Glucose Switch" for more on this.
8. It"s true that increasing the speed of gastric emptying can increase the glycemic index of meals; that makes it all the more important to blunt that response with a small dose of fructose. It"s true that increasing the speed of gastric emptying can increase the glycemic index of meals; that makes it all the more important to blunt that response with a small dose of fructose.
9. Again, see "The Glucose Switch" for more tricks along these lines. Again, see "The Glucose Switch" for more tricks along these lines.
THE FOUR HORs.e.m.e.n OF FAT-LOSS.
PAGG.
Without garlic, I simply would not care to live.-Louis Diat, First Chef de Cuisines of the New York Ritz-Carlton SUMMER 2007, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
The smoke wisped into the air amid the sounds of summer eating: laughter, beer bottles clinking, and the undeniable sizzle of tri-tip steak on three enormous outdoor grills. All was well in Willow Glen, San Jose, where my parents were visiting me. I was at home, but they had ventured out to explore downtown Lincoln Avenue on a beautiful afternoon, which led them to La Villa Italian restaurant.
My father was standing on the corner admiring the grill work when a thin homeless man sauntered up to his side. After a minute or two of silence and staring at meat and tongs, the homeless man made this opening: "You know how I lost all my weight? More than 100 pounds?"
My dad was 56 and almost 250 pounds at the time. Silence followed for several seconds, and my father-amused by the approach and more than a bit curious-finally relented: "How?"
"Garlic. Clove after clove. It"s that simple."
The homeless man didn"t want anything and never asked for anything. He was earnest. After sharing his advice, he just walked away.
As unusual as this encounter was, I had, in fact, been looking at garlic for some time. This was just the final anecdotal push I needed to begin experimenting at much, much higher doses. The homeless man"s contribution to my latest c.o.c.ktail made it all come together.
The final feedback from one guinea pig, a semiprofessional athlete with approximately 9% bodyfat at 200 pounds, was representative: "I"ve lost 6 pounds of fat in the last week. This is un-freaking-believable."
Allicin, one component of garlic, appeared to be the missing fourth ingredient in a supplement stack I"d been refining for two years: PAGG.
Before: ECA From 1995 to 2000, I experimented with a fat-loss c.o.c.ktail that comprised ephedrine hydrochloride, caffeine, and aspirin-the famed and research-proven "ECA" stack. This was the mixture I used three times per day when on the Cyclical Ketogenic Diet to produce veins on my abdomen for the first time in my life, all in less than eight weeks.
Ephedrine hydrochloride: 20 mgCaffeine: 200 mgAspirin: 85 mg The biochemistry was spot-on, and dozens of studies supported the effects. If E = 1, C = 1, and A = 1, the three combined have a synergistic effect of 1 + 1 + 1 = 610.10 Sadly, the ECA stack is not a free ride. The effects are beautiful and predictable, but there are prices to be paid: side effects.
Tolerance to the upper-like effects11 develops quickly and cessation can cause severe headaches. The withdrawal pains lead to a domino effect of stimulant use. Either people never stop taking ECA or they subst.i.tute in equally strong drugs to avoid chronic fatigue. I suspect there is an entire generation of strength and endurance athletes with ECA-induced adrenal fatigue who now depend on stimulants for normal everyday function. Some I know opt for 610 double espressos per 24 hours. Used in high doses or in high-humidity/high-heat conditions, ephedrine and ephedra have also both been a.s.sociated with heart attack and death. develops quickly and cessation can cause severe headaches. The withdrawal pains lead to a domino effect of stimulant use. Either people never stop taking ECA or they subst.i.tute in equally strong drugs to avoid chronic fatigue. I suspect there is an entire generation of strength and endurance athletes with ECA-induced adrenal fatigue who now depend on stimulants for normal everyday function. Some I know opt for 610 double espressos per 24 hours. Used in high doses or in high-humidity/high-heat conditions, ephedrine and ephedra have also both been a.s.sociated with heart attack and death.
I suffered so many sinus infections post-ECA that I visited a Stanford-trained specialist who, after reviewing a cranial MRI, asked without a second of hesitation: "Do you drink much caffeine or take other stimulants?" Almost all of my sinal cavities were completely blocked with compressed, dried matter. She was amazed that I was able to get out of bed in the morning.
From that point onward, I removed stimulants for brief but increasing periods, as painful as it was, until I had reestablished basic adrenal function. It was clear that another fat-loss approach was needed, something more sustainable.
I wanted to find a nonstimulant stack that used different pathways altogether.
After: PAGG The end result was PAGG.
Policosanol: 2025 mgAlpha-lipoic acid: 100300 mg (I take 300 mg with each meal, but some people experience acid reflux symptoms with more than 100 mg)Green tea flavanols (decaffeinated with at least 325 mg EGCG): 325 mgGarlic extract: 200 mg Daily PAGG intake is timed before meals and bed, which produces a schedule like this: Prior to breakfast: AGGPrior to lunch: AGGPrior to dinner: AGGPrior to bed: PAGG AGG is simply PAGG minus policosanol.
This dosing schedule is followed six days a week. Take one day off each week and one week off every two months. This week off is critical.
Let"s look at our new cast of characters.
POLICOSANOL.
Policosanol, an extract of plant waxes, often sugar cane, is the most controversial element in the PAGG stack. I originally experimented with policosanol at low and high doses to increase HDL cholesterol and decrease LDL cholesterol. Used in combination with time-release niacin, one orange before bed, and chromium polynicotinate (not picolinate) during the four-week "Geek to Freak" project detailed in later chapters, I lowered my total cholesterol from 222 to 147 while almost doubling HDL. picolinate) during the four-week "Geek to Freak" project detailed in later chapters, I lowered my total cholesterol from 222 to 147 while almost doubling HDL.
There was a pleasant side effect: an unintended but significant reduction in bodyfat. I isolated the policosanol over several weeks of further testing. The research studies are far from conclusive regarding policosanol"s effects on cholesterol; most show no effect whatsoever. This could be due to not dosing policosanol before peak cholesterol production between midnight and 4:00 A.M A.M. Regardless, the addition of policosanol (1025 milligrams before bed) to the PAGG (then AGG) stack produces, in my experience and that of my guinea pigs, far superior effects for fat-loss vs. AGG alone. This was tested with three brands and three dosages (10, 23, and 40 milligrams per day). I found 23 milligrams per day to be optimal for fat-loss, with little additional benefit from higher doses.
ALPHA-LIPOIC ACID (ALA).
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been proven to regenerate vitamin C and vitamin E; restore levels of intracellular glutathione, an important antioxidant that declines with age; and increase excretion of toxic heavy metals such as mercury.
It was first synthesized and tested in the 1970s for the treatment of chronic liver diseases. The intravenous interventions reversed disease in 75 out of 79 subjects.
Given its impressive effects, the most remarkable feature of ALA is its apparent lack of toxicity in humans.12 It"s NOAEL (No Observable Adverse Effect Level) is 60 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight, which would make up to 4,091 milligrams per day safe for a 150-pound person. Our dosing will be 300900 milligrams total per day. It"s NOAEL (No Observable Adverse Effect Level) is 60 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight, which would make up to 4,091 milligrams per day safe for a 150-pound person. Our dosing will be 300900 milligrams total per day.
Though lipoic acid naturally occurs in some organ meats and vegetables, including spinach and broccoli, the amounts are trace. I didn"t want to consume 10 tons of liver for 30 milligrams of lipoic acid, so I began using synthetic alpha-lipoic acid in 1995.
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[image]I began taking ALA for its impressive impact on glucose uptake and reduced triglyceride production.
First and foremost, I wanted to increase muscular absorption of the calories (and supplements) I consumed, and ALA turned out to be the perfect force multiplier. More calories absorbed into muscle meant fewer calories deposited as fat and faster strength gains.
ALA accomplishes this, in part, by recruiting GLUT-4 glucose transporters to the muscular cell membrane. This both mimics insulin and increases insulin sensitivity, and ALA is therefore being explored as an "insulino-mimetic" that can be used to treat type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Not only does ALA increase glucose and nutrient absorption, but it also demonstrates triglyceride inhibition and-through extrapolation-fat storage. Here is an abstract from a 2009 article from the Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics that drives the point home: that drives the point home: Livers from LA [lipoic acid]treated rats exhibited elevated glycogen content, suggesting dietary carbohydrates were stored as glycogen rather than becoming lipogenic substrate.[image]
In one sentence, here is why alpha-lipoic acid is kick-a.s.s for our purposes: ALA helps you store the carbohydrates you eat in muscle or in your liver as opposed to in fat. ALA helps you store the carbohydrates you eat in muscle or in your liver as opposed to in fat.
GREEN TEA FLAVANOLS (EGCG).
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a catechin and flavanol found in green teas.
It has been researched for a wide range of applications, including decreasing the risk of UV-induced skin damage, inhibiting cancer growth, and reducing mitochondrial oxidative stress (anti-aging).
I tested green tea and EGCG, once again, for the underreported "off-label" benefits. Specifically, two related to body recomposition:
* Much like ALA, EGCG increases GLUT-4 recruitment to the surface of skeletal muscle cells. Of equal interest, it inhibits GLUT-4 recruitment in fat cells it inhibits GLUT-4 recruitment in fat cells. In other words, it inhibits the storage of excess carbohydrates as bodyfat and preferentially diverts them to muscle cells.
* EGCG appears to increase programmed cell death (apoptosis) in mature fat cells. This means that these hard-to-kill b.a.s.t.a.r.ds commit suicide. The ease with which people regain fat is due to a certain "fat memory" (the size of fat cells decreases, but not the number), which makes EGCG a fascinating candidate for preventing the horrible rebounding most dieters experience. Super cool and important.
Human studies have shown some potential fat-loss with as little as a single dose of 150 milligrams of EGCG, but we will target 325 milligrams three to four times per day, as the fat-loss results seem to "hockey-stick"-go from a mild incline to a sharp rise-between 900 and 1,100 milligrams per day for the 150- to 200-pound subjects I"ve worked with. I suggest decaffeinated green tea extract pills as the source, unless you want to be stuck to the ceiling and feel ill. Using tea leaves and steeping cup after cup is too imprecise and too caffeinated.
If you are undergoing cancer treatment, please consult your doctor before using EGCG, as it can increase the effects of some drugs (the estrogen antagonist tamoxifen, for example) while decreasing the effects of others,13 such as the drug Velcade such as the drug Velcade, to which it binds. If you are undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma or mantle cell lymphoma, likewise avoid EGCG.
GARLIC EXTRACT (ALLICIN POTENTIAL, S-ALLYL CYSTEINE).
Garlic extract and its const.i.tuent parts have been used for applications ranging from cholesterol management to inhibiting lethal MRSA staph infections.
Strangely, test subjects and I have had the best fat-loss results with extracts designed to deliver relatively high doses of allicin. Allicin, if delivered in a stable form, appears to have the ability to inhibit fat regain. The reason our results were "strange" relates to the "stable form" bit. Most research indicates that allicin should have almost zero bioavailability more than six days after extraction from garlic cloves, particularly after exposure to stomach acid. Our confounding results could be due to a combination of other organic components, most notably one precursor to allicin: S-Allyl cysteine (alliin). S-Allyl cysteine exhibits outstanding oral bioavailability, near 100% in large mammals.14 Until further research concludes otherwise, I suggest using an aged-garlic extract (AGE) with high allicin potential that includes all const.i.tuent parts, including S-Allyl cysteine.
I"ve tried consuming it fresh, chomping on cloves, and it isn"t kind to your digestive tract. If you are going the whole-food route, use it in your cooking to prevent stomach self-destruction.
For precision and convenience, I use supplements to reach my target baseline in dosing, and I use extra garlic in food for delectable (but not necessary) insurance above that baseline.
Warnings Ensure adequate consumption of B-complex vitamins while using PAGG and consult your doctor before use if you have a medical condition (e.g., hypertension, hypoglycemia, diabetes) or are taking any medications. In particular, blood-thinning medications (e.g., warfarin, aspirin, etc.), thyroid medications, or anti-anxiety drugs like clozapine.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, do not use PAGG. Blood-thinning compounds ain"t for babies.
TOOLS AND TRICKS.
I currently use the following products. I have no financial interest in any of them: Vitamin Shoppe-Allicin 6000 Garlic, 650 mg, 100 caplets (www.fourhourbody.com/garlic) Mega Green Tea Extract (decaffeinated), 725 mg, 100 capsules (www.fourhourbody.com/greentea) Vitamin Shoppe-Alpha-Lipoic Acid, 300 mg, 60 capsules (www.fourhourbody.com/ala) Nature"s Life-Policosanol, 60 tablets (www.fourhourbody.com/policosanol)
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End of Chapter Notes 10. The ephedrine increases cAMP levels, the caffeine slows cAMP breakdown, and the aspirin further helps sustain increased cAMP levels by inhibiting prostagladin production. The ephedrine increases cAMP levels, the caffeine slows cAMP breakdown, and the aspirin further helps sustain increased cAMP levels by inhibiting prostagladin production.
11. In over-the-counter drugs, ephedrine is generally mixed with guafenesin (an expectorant), as it can otherwise be freebased with basic lab supplies into methamphetamine. In over-the-counter drugs, ephedrine is generally mixed with guafenesin (an expectorant), as it can otherwise be freebased with basic lab supplies into methamphetamine.
12. Except for those predisposed to Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome (IAS). Except for those predisposed to Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome (IAS).
13. If you"re a male bodybuilder, this effect on tamoxifen can be a good thing, but watch your HDL, which can drop like a stone. If you"re a male bodybuilder, this effect on tamoxifen can be a good thing, but watch your HDL, which can drop like a stone.
14. Though S-Allyl cysteine (SAC) is an easier molecule to get into your bloodstream and has been implicated in minimizing the damage of glycation and free radicals in diabetes, it would be premature to label this the single component responsible for lipid changes or fat-loss. The fat-loss could well be due to several synergistic compounds in garlic that activate phase I and II detoxification enzymes. Though S-Allyl cysteine (SAC) is an easier molecule to get into your bloodstream and has been implicated in minimizing the damage of glycation and free radicals in diabetes, it would be premature to label this the single component responsible for lipid changes or fat-loss. The fat-loss could well be due to several synergistic compounds in garlic that activate phase I and II detoxification enzymes.
Advanced
ICE AGE.
Mastering Temperature to Manipulate Weight Don"t tell me it"s impossible, tell me you can"t do it. Tell me it"s never been done...the only things we really know are Maxwell"s equations, the three laws of Newton, the two postulates of relativity, and the periodic table. That"s all we know that"s true. All the rest are man"s laws.-Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway and recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Lemelson-MIT Prize "Michael Phelps eats 12,000 calories a day..."
That was all Ray Cronise heard from across the room. He jerked his eyes up from the spreadsheet and reached for the TiVo to pause the television.
Twelve thousand calories.
Ray Cronise had been a high-ranking material scientist at NASA for almost 15 years, and his specialties included biophysics and a.n.a.lytical chemistry. He"d been in mission operations and seen-h.e.l.l, helped produce produce-research the public wouldn"t see for decades.
But spending half of his life behind a computer had taken its toll. The creeping two to four pounds per year had added up and left him weighing 230 pounds at 59.