Incidentally, for anyone interested in scientific literature but not willing to delve into the original research just yet, Science Daily is an excellent way to start reading material with for more credibility than the junk you find on websites like Shine, Prevention or the homepage of MSN.com.

In this particular study, researchers took 115 women and assigned them to one of three groups:

1. a calorie-restricted, low-carbohydrate group (2 days a week)
2. an ad-lib low carbohydrate diet (subjects could eat as much protein/healthy fat as they pleased 2x/week)
3. a standard, calorie-restricted, Mediterranean diet (7 days a week)

I always enjoy studies that include a group that involves some sort of “ad-lib” group, because I find it better represents eating conditions for free-living humans than do diet conditions with all kinds of artificial calorie restraints.

At the conclusion of the four month trial, researchers found that the two carbohydrate restricted conditions led to greater weight loss and fat loss (both groups lost an average of ~9 lbs vs. 5 lbs in the Mediterranean condition), as well as yielding superior benefits in decreasing the prevalence of insulin resistance (22% reduction in the low carb calorie-restricted, 14% reduction for the ad lib group and 4% reduction in the Mediterranean group).

Now to be fair, this is just the summary report from a conference presentation so I can’t exactly go through the methodology to see what kind of diets the two low-carb groups were following the other 5 days of the week. I also don’t know what their definition of “low carbohydrate” was (20 g/day, 50 g/day, <100 g/day, etc).

Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the participants in those two intermittent low carbohydrate groups actually ate fairly low carb for more than just those two days a week. If this were the case, then it would be impossible to say whether the positive outcomes were solely from the 2 days a week of deliberate low carbohydrate dieting, or the fact they reduced their carbohydrate consumption closer to 7 days a week…

But in any case, the important thing to note here is once again, we see evidence of superior body composition results as well as health outcomes when you consciously reduce (*note I did not say eliminate) the amount of carbohydrate you consume in your diet.

The Food Period of Champions

Obviously there are exceptions to this (I’ve written extensively on the subject previously), but the general theme emerges: adopting a lower-carbohydrate lifestyle, at least several days a week, can pay huge dividends in your weight loss and health improvement efforts.

Incorporating a few deliberate low-carbohydrate days into your regular routine can also be a fantastic way to avoid gaining a whack load of weight through the Holiday season, which is fast approaching. In fact, we can take the whole periodic, deliberate low intake philosophy one step further for really explosive results… but that’s a blog article for next week!

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

Related posts:

1. Carbohydrate Restriction: The Numbers Don’t Lie
2. Ladies, Cardio Sucks For Weight Loss
3. Carbs for Breakfast? Big Mistake

Actually check that. His 6-month weight gain period has ended and he’s packed on more than 70 lbs!

You can check out his progress (or regress I suppose) here: fit2fat2fit.com.

Now when I first heard about this, I couldn’t really believe that anyone would voluntary subject themselves to a diet replete with simple sugars and processed foods with the express purpose of packing on an excess 70 lbs of pure lard (193 –> 265 lbs)!

Of course, after flipping through his website for a bit, it becomes clear that he’s using this transformation to strengthen his coaching business, but more power to him if he pulls it off.

I can quite confidently say that I don’t have the balls to deliberately gain that much weight, even though I’m certain I can design programs to take the weight back off again.

It will be an interesting experiment for sure, even though there’s one major limitation of his transformation: he’s immediately launching his weight loss phase now that his 6-month weight gain is done.

Without spending several months being weight stable (allowing his metabolism and hormones to ‘re-set’ his norm at 260+ lbs), he’ll face a much easier time taking the weight off than would someone who’s been the same weight for years. That being said, losing 70 lbs is tough no matter what.

If you flip through Drew’s blog , it’s apparent he’s struggling with a number of aspects of steadily growing fatter. Not only has his health deteriorated significantly, but his home-life and his self-image have both suffered.

Although many fitness professionals were formerly overweight, terminally skinny or may have overcome an eating disorder, it’s rare that once we’ve turned our lives around that we’d be willing to give it all up and chronicle our descent publicly.

I for one will be following his journey as he works towards rebuilding his body. Not so much to see whether he can do it (I firmly believe he’ll drop the weight with little difficulty given his former love of healthy eating and working out), but rather because I’m interested in seeing how effectively he is able to inspire others to lose along with him.

Good luck to you Drew, may your project have greater positive repurcussions than you could have imagined!

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

Related posts:

1. 2010 Exercise Nutrition Symposium Review
2. Dumb things smart people do
3. Your Parents Made You Fat, Do Something About It

In fact, one potential issue people face when transitioning to a healthier diet is exactly that: what to make when inviting people over for dinner. On the one hand, you want to keep making healthy meals but on the other hand, you don’t want to offer your guests something they might perceive as bland ‘diet food’.

Thankfully, it is possible to make healthy food taste great and today’s recipe satisfies the bill. The recipe du jour is a chicken curry recipe, one that just tastes fantastic!

Although the original version calls for sour cream, I swapped that out for 2% mf Greek Yogourt. This bumps up the protein content, drops the caloric impact significantly and does nothing to detract from the original taste.

Don’t allow the large number of spices this recipe calls for to dissuade you, it’s well worth the effort. Plus if you make a large enough batch, toss your extras into some freezer-safe glass containers and you’ll have grab-and-go ready meals for your week.

Low Fat Chicken Curry
(makes 6 servings)
Low Fat Chicken Curry download

 Ingredients

• 2 cup chopped onions
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 cups canned tomato
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp ginger
• 1 tbsp coriander
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 4 cups mushroom
• 6-7 chicken thighs (bone-in works best)
• 1 cup Greek yogourt (2% mf)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp cayenne (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Dice onions and toss into pan. Once onions are translucent, add in garlic and cinnamon and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.

2.  On medium heat, add tomato, salt, pepper, ginger, cumin, coriander, garam masala and mushrooms to the pan. Heat for several minutes.

3. Clean chicken thighs with water and lemon juice, then add into pan. Cooked until chicken is browned on the outside.

4. Reduce heat and add water and yogourt. Simmer mixture for 30-45 minutes.

5. Remove chicken from mixture. Scrape the meat from the bone. Add the meat back to the mixture, discard the skin and bones. Continue cooking for 10-15 minutes.

Nutrition info (per serving):  300 kcal, 10 g fat, 17 g carbohydrates, 38 g protein.

As you can see this is the type of meal that packs a flavourful punch, without have to blow your day’s calorie load to do it. To make it even more physique friendly, go right ahead and serve this curry on a bed of steamed cauliflower or spaghetti squash… adding more vegetables to your daily routine is never a bad thing as far as your waist line and health are concerned.

So there you go, yet another way to make good food, taste great.

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

Related posts:

1. Healthy Ideas for the Lazy: Vegetables in a Bag
2. Coconut Classics
3. Protein Pancakes: The World’s Best Breakfast

The most exciting aspect of LIVE360° for me is how everything we are doing is with one goal in mind: providing a better experience for every member. And much of this improved client experience has to do with some of the systems we’ve implemented from a results and coaching perspective.

I suppose you could say our unofficial motto is: “your success is our business“.

In fact, one of my inaugural projects at LIVE360° has been to help the station manager of a local radio station, Brad Gibb from FM96, get himself into shape.

Brad works a very stressful job and as such, his health (and body) have gone into the tank over the past 3 years. But with the support (aka daily harassment) of the hosts of FM96′s morning show, Brad has decided to take action and spend 10-weeks overhauling his life.

As part of Brad’s 10-week transformation, he’s been training down at LIVE360° three times a week and I’ve been helping him out with making some diet changes. Documenting his progress from week to week is a film crew, and you can watch Brad and I from the video from last week:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Although we are only 4 weeks into his transformation, Brad is totally rocking it! He’s down almost 15 lbs and has dropped nearly 3″ off his mid-section!

But more importantly that the weight-loss, Brad is finding himself starting to love exercise and healthy eating once again, factors which encourage me about his long-term prospects more than anything else.

As someone who has spent the better part of the past 5 years coaching clients through a variety of weight loss efforts, I know the struggles many clients face trying to get themselves back into shape. Making a lifestyle change isn’t easy and people often feel as though they are “going it” alone.

Making matters worse, there are so many weight-loss programs and gadgets on the market touting all kinds of ridiculous claims, that it’s no wonder most people are frustrated and confused about how to take back control over their lives.

Although many weight-loss programs exist, the one thing common to all successful programs is that they provide people with both the tools and the support necessary to succeed.. and that is why I’m so excited about LIVE360°. 

I’m finally working at a place where the training (programming + support staff) is on par with the nutrition coaching that I deliver. Although I’ve been doing group weight-loss coaching for the past few years, I’ve never been able to pair my nutrition coaching with an in-person workout experience… until now!

In fact, we are launch a brand-spanking new 8-week transformation challenge this week (Info session: Thursday, October 13th @ 7:30 PM, challenge begins Monday, October 17th) called:

 360º of Transformation

It’s really a one-of-its-kind type of program in that you get:

• 2 personal training sessions a week
• unlimited conditioning classes
• small group nutrition seminars
• daily coaching feedback and progress monitoring
• pre- and post- body composition assessments
• the chance to win 3-months of free personal training

And here’s the kicker, the program comes with a guarantee that you’ll succeed!

Now we realize that many people throw out the term “guarantee” pretty loosely but we mean it. In fact, we mean it so much that if you do our program and still do see the kind of meaningful results you’d expect, we’ll refund you your entire purchase price!

Think about it, it truly is a no-lose situation: either you crush your goals or you get 8 weeks of training and nutrition coaching on our dime!

Seriously though: you’ll crush your goals. We don’t do failure

Oh, I haven’t even mentioned the best part of this program (well, obviously the best part of the program is that you get coached by yours truly): you get all the training and coaching for only $299/month.

So if you are someone who has been looking to kick-start your weight loss efforts and are looking for an entire team dedicated to helping you along the way, your journey begins this Thursday, October 13th.

Click Now to Join: 360º of Transformation

It’s a decision that’ll impact the rest of your life!

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

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1. Scale Subterfuge: Does Body Weight Matter?
2. Your Parents Made You Fat, Do Something About It
3. Have You Hugged A Farmer Today?

Now to be fair, I have yet to read the book so can only comment on some general points raised in the the article itself. Although I found Dr. Davis’ position a little extreme, I do believe his message of “ditch wheat for better health” is the right one.

As any regular reader of this blog will realize, I’m no big fan of bread myself. This isn’t to suggest I don’t think bread tastes great (because it does) but I think there are way better foods to put in our mouths if we are interested in optimizing our health or performance.

That being said, I don’t view bread as “evil” or an equivalent societal ill on par with cigarettes (sorry Dr. Davis).

I can count on one hand the number of clients I’ve worked with where increasing their wheat intake led to superior outcomes. The common thread for these three individuals: they were young, still growing males who needed a ridiculous number of calories in a day (4000+).

Bagels are some serious mass builders…

And as Dr. Davis alluded to, bread does seem to have the ability to allow people to consume quite a few calories in a day.

Conversely, for almost any other client I’ve worked with, dramatically better body composition and health results have come from limiting (or downright avoiding) wheat products.

Now I don’t think superior health outcomes from limiting wheat occur because “wheat will kill you”. According to our general scientific consensus, only about 1% of North Americans has coeliac disease (a severe gluten-allergy).

However, just because eating wheat might not cause your airway to close or lead to the sudden onset of crippling stomach pains, there is similarly no compelling scientific or health reason to centre a diet around wheat-based products. In my experience (take it for what it’s worth) I think a lot of people do show signs of gluten-intolerance (general malaise, fatigue, skin issues), signs that resolve when you pull gluten from the diet.

Yes gluten intolerance is highly subjective, so I’m not about to debate this with anyone who cares to argue. You have your opinions, I have mine.

To date there is ample published literature showing that human health improves after 1. eating more vegetables, 2. eating more protein, 3. eating more fruit, 4. eating more of the right kinds of fat, and 5. eating more legumes.

So essentially, if you aren’t eating any (or enough) of the following, adding these foods to your diet typically leads to better results.

Whereas the data on whole grains is always “eating more whole grains in the place of refined grains” leads to better health outcomes. This is not at all the same thing as saying that going from eating zero whole grains wheat to some whole grains wheat leads to superior health…. because that data doesn’t exist.

Better DOES NOT equal good!

Unfortunately, just because whole grain bread does less damage to your health, it still doesn’t make it a great choice.

Of course, just because something isn’t actively promoting health, doesn’t mean you can’t eat it. We are adults and can make our own decisions. Not everything foodstuff we eat needs to represent the pinnacle of health.

However, wheat is definitely something I think works best showing up in 10% or fewer of someone’s weekly meals (i.e. treating wheat more similarly to junk food or as a treat).

Unfortunately, I’m still in the minority as there continue to be a mind-blowing number of “health” experts who continue to  recommend bread (and bagels, cereals, muffins, pitas) as staple foods, which literally makes ZERO sense.

1. Humans cannot readily digest wheat in it’s natural state, therefore, wheat (like many grains) requires substantial milling to release the nutrients contained within. This doesn’t means humans should never eat wheat, but it’s strongly suggestive that the human genome isn’t designed to predominantly fuel itself with wheat-based calories…
2. And wheat does seem to have an addictive quality about it. It’s rare that I hear a client suggest that “oh, I could eat 4 cups of rice or quinoa no problem” or “man, oh man – those baked potatoes, I just had 6!”. But when it comes to wheat-based foods the number of times I’ve been told something along the lines of “I just couldn’t help myself, I ate the entire loaf of french bread…”

Basically, my advice on bread consumption is simple: if you are currently struggling to portion control your consumption of wheat-products, given that bread is not necessarily for survival, you are probably better off ditching it from your diet.

No amylopectin A, gliadin, or small particle LDL reasons necessary… just common sense.

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

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1. 8 Wildly Overrated Health Foods
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