Overrated Supplements

Livestrong.com articles are usually fairly superficial, this one is interesting though.

http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/550744-the-20-most-overrated-supplements/

I'll stick to casein protein when I haven't eaten much meat on training days and BCAAs before working out.

Note: Written by Alan Aragon who used to be against intermittent fasting and is now a supporter of leangains.com.




Other Leangains links to read:


Bodybuilding celebrity Lee Labrada sets world record in nutritional ignorancehttp://bit.ly/s3ZmHT Read the truth here http://bit.ly/rO1Tqc

http://www.sixpacknow.com/ryan_reynolds_workout.html

Candy, Cocaine, Autism and Schizophrenia | Scientific American http://bit.ly/stNj2g

New study challenges the widely held assumption 'a calorie is a calorie'http://bit.ly/uOQkui Cooked and processed food yields more energy.


Posted this before, but i think it is really important, because i see that a lot people here want to go in a 30-40% deficit, thinking in optimal and faster fat loss, but things do not happen like this...
From Emma Leigh(google if you do not know who is she):

Many people grossly underestimate the time it is going to take them to reach their goal weight, which generally results in frustration, disappointment, and a fall from the diet wagon.
So I just wanted to point everyone to this: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/niod-nrm082511.php

It points out that a '3500 cal deficit' will NOT always = 1# weight loss... <-- this generic calculation fails to take into consideration the many differences seen in individuals (gender, age, race, starting weight, impact after prolonged dieting, etc).

I encourage you to check out the link, and take advantage of this funky timeline tool here: http://bwsimulator.niddk.nih.gov/ which should give you an understanding of realistic timelines associated with weight loss.

Be sure to use the 'advanced tools' when doing so, as these allow you to enter things like your RMR calculations and % carbs calories and bodyfat and what not. Also check out the visual stuff (easier to understand) - as it gives you lots of different options when assessing data (check out the different timeline graphs / tabulated data etc).

Even with that said - at the end of the day it is still just 'another prediction equation' that isn't always going to be accurate. There will always be people who fall outside of these results.
So remember to maintain some common sense


Effects of Resistance vs. Aerobic Training Combined With an 800 Calorie Liquid Diet on Lean Body Mass
http://www.jacn.org/content/18/2/115.abstract

to all LG'ers, who wonder im very lean but still cant see their abs, should i STILL CUT for more definition? here is ur answer, READ THIS:http://bradpilon.com/weight-loss/when-losing-fat-doesnt-work/

They are now doing Intermittent Fasting at Xtreme Couture MMA gym in Las Vegas. Check out Ray Sefo at 9.58mins. Martin your knowledge sure doe get around http://vimeo.com/31732243

Hollywood grade Fuckarounditis!
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kellan-lutz-built-like-a-greek-god.html?mcid=NL-NEWS07110611&rmid=november_newsletter_2011&rrid=1605672

Doctors don't know shit about diet, new study finds http://bit.ly/rzl4hT That people assume otherwise is unfortunate.


Workout tune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEEc12DqJKI

Worst spotter in the world:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSTWcMdkWMA&feature=related Bloody Idiot :P


Why does explaining why a cupcake is delicious make us love it less?http://bit.ly/szTqhi 


Japanese girl sets new world record in jumping rope - YouTubehttp://bit.ly/vJxUxp This is pretty crazy.


High-protein/high-dairy diet supports bone health during fat loss and exercisehttp://1.usa.gov/sBPIev New study for the vegans to chew on.

Glycogen Depletion

www.sagewoodwellness.com

Juice Plus + ® Provides the nutritional essence of 17 different fruits, vegetables and grains in a convenient capsule form. Click here to learn more.

It is a nice article but has a few misconseptions: "After a meal, some of the glucose not used immediately for fuel travels to the liver or skeletal muscles, where it is converted to a compound called Glycogen--through a process called glycogenesis--and stored for energy. Any excess glucose is stored in adipose tissue as fat." The convertion of glucose to fat in humans is a metabolical pathway not that easy, it needs days of overfeeding carbs to ocur. And it says that fatty acids need carbs in order to be oxided, not necesarily, i do not want to become a pro carb pro fat discution, but chech tha facts http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a4wOp8oPuDM/TSof7z0ukMI/AAAAAAAAAAU/mHcVbSkW66E/s1600/Ketosismetabolism.JPG

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/nutrient-intake-nutrient-storage-and-nutrient-oxidation.html

Forks Over Knives (2011)

www.imdb.com

Directed by Lee Fulkerson. With Joey Aucoin, Neal Barnard, Gene Baur, San'Dera Brantley-Nation. Examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.

Post Workout Dairy: Yoghurt or Milk?

Recently my Paleo diet has been loosened to include dairy. This is partly due to reaching a good weight, and partly due to needing to get more calories in on workout days. I've always tried to eat all of my calories, but it's quite hard to get them all in when you are eating clean. I find it easier to not eat much food on rest days, as opposed to eating over maintenance calories on training days. A litre of milk or yoghurt is worth 800 and 1000 calories respectively, after drinking that you're well on your way to the training day's total. It's also a great mix of protein fat and carbs in a post workout drink. It's in liquid form too, so it quickly get's to the places where recovery is needed, and to where muscle synthesis takes place.

From looking at the charts it looks like milk is much better. It has a good balance of protein fat and carbs.
However post workout we need an insulin spike and lots of protein. Yoghurt contains more protein, and more carbs, I.e. more of what we want.


The sugar in milk is lactose, which is a disaccharide derived from the condensation of galactose and glucose. This requires the intestinal villi to secrete the enzyme called lactase in order to break down the lactose into the simple sugars glucose and galactose, which can in turn be absorbed. In most mammals the production of lactase gradually decreases with maturity due to a lack of constant consumption. So the older you get, the harder it is for your body to deal with milk.


Yoghurt is fermented milk. Bacteria uses the lactose in milk to produce lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yoghurt its texture and different taste. Most of the lactose in milk is converted to lactic acid by the bacterial culture, this process also creates lactase, meaning that the body has less lactase to make itself during the absorption process.

Glycemic Index in Milk & Yogurt

The G.I. food list below shows the Glycemic Index score for many different milks and Yoghurts. The G.I score for each food will dictate the speed at which the sugar will be absorbed. A low Glycemic index means the sugar will be absorbed slowly. The higher the G.I score the quicker the sugar is absorbed into the blood. Usually it is desirable to go for low G.I. index foods to avoid energy crashes, sugar craving and falling asleep at the desk after lunch. However, to take advantage of the 30-45min post workout window, eat high glycemic index foods to spike insulin and shuttle as many nutrients to the muscle sells as possible. After the immediate requirement for nutrients is satisfied, protein synthesis eases off, and starts to ramp up again 3-4 hours and tapers off over a 24 hour period.

The G.I. list also shows the carb content for each item as this is related somewhat to Glycemic load for the G.I. diet. However it does not necessarily mean that a food with a high carbohydrate content will automatically mean a high G.I. score.

All foods on the G.I table is based on 100g of product. The portion size doesn't change the Glycemic Index value, but it does count towards the quantity of sugar (carbs) for the item; the bigger the portion the more sugar you would be consuming.

This standard portion size simply enables you to make a sugar comparison with other products in the same group, and the different foods listed on other G.I. tables. This means you can see which foods are high or low in carbohydrate content.

Conclusion
Yoghurt contains 20% more protein than milk
Yoghurt is easier to digest than milk
Yoghurt & milk both spike insulin fast, but milk is good because it does the job with less carbs.
(The G.I. index of natural yoghurt is about the same as milk)
Yoghurt contains gut healing bacteria
Yoghurt is good for internal fungal infections
I'm going to go for yoghurt over milk from now on because of the protein and digestion factors.


Further Study
Milk is harder for the body to process so how can it have the same glycemic index as yoghurt?

What are Legumes not allowed on the Paleo diet?

Beans are Bad for a few reasons:
They are acidic and throw off the acid / base balance.
Their lectins promote gut permeability.
Their lectins promote bad gut flora.

Scary article from Loren Cordain on Legume lectins:
Because dietary lectins are able to cross the gastrointestinal barrier rapidly and enter the circulation intact (Pusztai et al. 1989), they may also be able to interact directly with synovial tissues. Although not a characteristic model of RA with all of its symptoms, a rabbit model of arthritis has shown that the direct injection of legume-derived dietary lectins into the knee joint induces the development of severe arthritis. Specifically, single injections of Lens culinaris lectin (derived from lentils), Pisum sativum lectin (derived from peas), or the lectin concanavalin A derived from the jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) were able to induce severe arthritis characterized by an amplification of the initial inflammatory response due to T-lymphocyte stimulation (Brauer et al. 1985). Source: "Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis,"

How Many Carbs am I Eating?

After reading an interesting article on MarksDailyApple about how many carbs a Primal eater should be eating per day, I started wondering about how close I was getting to me training plan's figures. So I tracked for 10 days to see how my food guessing is going.

The tracking site I used: Livestrong.com recommends to eat 300g of carbs per day.
My training plan goes for up to 350 carbs on days containing exercise and less than 150 carbs on days containing no exercise.

Mark from Mark's Daily Apple is a total low carber, and his recommendations are much lower. He has a six-pack, I do not.

Chart above shows 4 training days and 6 rest days out of a 10 day test period.

Interesting to see that Livestrong's recommendation is in Mark's "Danger Zone". And even though I am not putting on weight, I spend many days in Mark's "Insidious weight gain" zone. hahaha!

By eating sensibly I can see I am able to keep within my training plan carb ranges, so I'll carry on with the way I am eating/living.

PWO: Fruit or Vegetables with Your Protein?

Post workout eating ice cold watermelon tastes great when you're absolutely exhausted. In doing that am I just filling my liver with glycogen while my muscles cry out for replenishment? Is the protein that accompanies the watermelon banging on the door of the muscle because the insulin hasn't arrived yet?

I was under the impression that fruit only contains the sugar fructose. However fruits have fructose and glucose in different proportions:

PREWORKOUT
These fruits provide higher fructose than glucose for sustained fuel
that won't block fat burning. Eat one or two servings.


FRUIT TOTAL SUGARS* FRUCTOSE* GLUCOSE*
Pear (1 medium) 16 11 5
Watermelon (1 wedge) 18 12 6
Apple (1 medium) 14 9 5
Cantaloupe (1/2 melon) 22 12 10
Grapes (1 cup) 24 13 11
Strawberries (2 cups) 14 8 6
Raspberries (2 cups) 10 6 4


MORNING
These fruits provide equal or nearly equal fructose and glucose to
restock liver and muscle glycogen to help halt muscle breakdown. Eat two
or three servings.


FRUIT TOTAL SUGARS* FRUCTOSE* GLUCOSE*
Pineapple (1 cup diced) 13 7 6
Honeydew melon (1 wedge) 13 7 6
Orange (1 medium) 12 6 6
Banana (1 medium) 18 9 9
Blueberries (1 cup) 14 7 7
Nectarine (1 medium) 10 5 5
Kiwi fruit (2 medium) 12 6 6


POSTWORKOUT
These fruits provide more glucose than fructose for restocking muscle glycogen and enhancing muscle growth. (The last five fruits from the morning fruit category are also decent choices postworkout, for their ability to fill glycogen stores.) Eat one or two servings along with white bread, baked potatoes or a carb drink.


FRUIT TOTAL SUGARS* FRUCTOSE* GLUCOSE*


Cherries (1 cup) 14 6 8
Peach (1 medium) 8 3 5


* Quantities are in grams.

That's all very well and good, but post workout does a sweet potato beat them all?


The Pathway Of Fructose
When you consume fructose from the foods you eat, first it gets digested and then immediately gets directed to the liver where it is stored as liver glycogen. This is much different than when it goes into the muscle cells and gets stored as muscle glycogen because the body is not going to be using this liver glycogen for fuel – at least not the nearly the same degree as it does muscle glycogen.

So, by consuming large amounts of fructose in the diet you are actually shorting yourself on the energy-deriving potential from your diet, as well as decreasing the amount of fuel that the muscles have to build new tissue with and help you see a good weight gain.


Applying This To The Post-Workout Period In Bodybuilding
So, looking at this from a bodybuilding perspective, when consuming the post-workout meal, the main objective is to shuttle as many carbohydrates into the muscle cells as they can possibly handle so they can then use this energy to build new tissues and get BIGGER.

If some carbohydrates come from fructose, this is not going to happen. Some muscle glycogen re-synthesis will occur, but it won't be maximised.

Conclusion
So, time to re-think fruit as part of the post-workout meal. Definitely do not cut the fruit out – as it’s very healthy and should be eaten, but just move it to another part of the day instead. Use starchy carbs like sweet potatoes post workout, unless I want to go all psycho on this and start supplementing with Maltodextrin/Dextrose. Let's keep it paleo eh?

References
"Supplements composed of glucose or glucose polymers are the most effective for replenishment of muscle glycogen, whereas fructose is most beneficial for the replenishment of liver glycogen."

Int J Sports Med. 1998 Jun;19 Suppl 2:S142-5. Glycogen resynthesis after exercise: effect of carbohydrate intake. Ivy JL.

"glucose polymer drink after exhaustive exercise promoted a more rapid storage of carbohydrate during the first 2 h of recovery than did consumption of an isoenergetic sucrose drink, both in the whole body and in skeletal muscle."

L. Bowtell, K. Gelly, M. L. Jackman, A. Patel, M. Simeoni, and M. J. Rennie “Effect of different carbohydrate drinks on whole body carbohydrate storage after exhaustive exercise”. Appl Physiol 88: 1529-1536, 2000;

"Fructose and fructose-containing are not optimal for glycogen storage because they are less insulinogenic than glucose, and because fructose needs to first be transformed in the liver before it can be released into the circulation as glucose and taken up by the muscle."

Nutrition and recovery of muscle energy after exercise, Décombaz, Sportmedizin und Sporttraumatologie, 2003.

Home Made Gymnastics Rings

 

Last night I might home made gymnastics rings. So easy to make and they are really good. Bring on the muscle-up practice!

My oven is only 60cm diagonally across so I decided to go for some horse-shoe shapes on my first attempt at these PVC rings. I went to Nakano home centre and bought a 1m length of PVC, some sand, plastic funnel from tokyu hanz, I had some tape left from the parallettes, and I have loads of Costco aluminium foil.

1. Cut the PVC in half
2. Foil one end, tape it up tight
3. Use the funnel to fill with sand
4. Foil and tape the other end
5. Into the oven at 200C for 10 minutes.
6. Use oven gloves to wrap it round a cooking pot with a 60cm circumference.
7. Hold for 5 minutes
8. Run under cold water for 5 mintues.
9. Unwrap and empty out the sand
10. Apply "Pete Sampras" tennis racket tape.
11. Feed through cargo belt

12. Test

Spaghetti Bolognaise - Paleo Style Part II

I'm not one for trying to imitate neolithic foods that I miss on the Paleo diet, I love the paleo diet for what it is; clean eating of meat and veggies. But after Gav started eating Paleo and asked me what he could eat instead of spaghetti I did a bit of research into alternatives. Then after realising they sell shirataki noodles in any shop in Japan I decided to give them a go and made some spag-bol paleo style. The shirataki was tasteless so I'll not be doing that again. Good to know though.

I was cycling back to the office at lunch time in the sweltering heat and noticed they had 金糸瓜 (kinshi uri) on display in the local fruit shop. I know the guy from when I kept buying his apples out when I was doing the 3 day apple detox. After a quick chat I found out that he'll have them in that shop up until the end of August. They're 380 yen a pop, and are about the size of a honeydew melon.

There are lots of ways to cook a spaghetti squash, most western websites recommend either pricking it with a skewer and cooking it for an hour in the oven, or cutting it in half and cooking it for 28-35 minutes in the oven. Japanese recipe websites recommend boiling it, and you can also quickly microwave it, or crock pot it for 10 hours. Spag-bol recipes on the net go for the oven option, so I decided to go for two halves on a baking tray.

I got the bugger home and went at it with a knife, SOLID AS A ROCK!  Vegetable knife was no good so I had to saw along the equator with a bread knife.









Finally got it cut into two halves and scooped out the seeds and crap. You can roast the seeds and eat them but I couldn't be bothered with that. It's summer and it's hot.







After scooping out I laid it out on the baking paper on an oven dish.








Checked up on it after 25 minutes and I could pull strands of spaghetti off the flesh so it didn't need the full 35 minutes recommended.











Let the two halves stand for a while.









Pulled out all the spaghetti from one of them, and served it on a plate with bolognaise.









The other one got bolognaise poured over the top of it.






The flavour is not very strong, but I like it. Fills you up, is a good vehicle for eating meat, contains folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene. It is low in calories, averaging 42 calories per 155 grams and it makes a great cold bento!

Folic acid is known to prevent anemia.