Dying for sugar

Remember the book, “The Shangri La Diet”, which came out a couple of years ago and created quite a bit of buzz in the health and fitness community? I bought a copy. In the book, the author espoused drinking a 16 oz glass of water, several times per day with a teaspoon of Light Olive Oil in it, or a teaspoon of sugar.

According to the author, this was supposed to make us less hungry and therefore lose weight. The book sold millions of copies. I doubt seriously anyone still follows this plan.

The correct answer to the following question will shock you.

Would you survive longer on a diet of just water OR on a diet of water and refined sugar?

The answer: You would survive longer on just water.

“Steve, you’ve lost it boy! You’re just crazy!”

Really? Let’s look at five sailors who were ship wrecked in 1793.

The ship was filled with refined sugar and therefore allowed the marooned five a diet of sugar and water. Nine days after being marooned, they were finally rescued and were found to be in a wasted condition due to starvation.

The French physiologist Francois Magendie heard the story of the five sailors, grew intrigued by it and began to conduct a series of experiments in which he fed dogs a diet of sugar. All of the dogs died.

With this study Magendie proved that as a steady diet, refined sugar is worse than nothing.

“Wait a minute, bro…how can sugar be worse than nothing?”

Apparently and quite obviously based on this research, refined sugar is an anti-nutrient.

What starts life as sugar cane, goes through an extensive refining process that destroys all of the enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals. What we're left with are empty, naked and deadly calories.

Here’s the kicker: our bodies require the enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals that were taken out in the refining process in order to metabolize sugar and use it as energy. Since refining doesn’t leave any, those nutrients are taken from your own body to complete the process.

(This would make a great horror story: “The Thing that Leaches the Body Dry!”)

Think about it…while you are enjoying that chocolate bar, sugar is sucking vital nutrients from your body. Kind of like a sugar tick. Yumm!

And it doesn't end there…

• Sugar produces false hunger which makes you overeat. This is a result of the insulin rush and then ensuing plummet in your blood sugar levels. What happens then is a constant struggle with your weight where you never seem to achieve your ideal size.
• Sugar advances aging. This is caused by advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, that occur when insulin levels are consistently elevated as a result of eating too much sugar. Sugar, by some, is called “the negative fountain of youth.”
• Sugar weakens your bones. This makes you vulnerable to osteoporosis, and weakens your teeth, which increases the likelihood of cavities, both due to the calcium being pulled from your bones and teeth in order for your body to process sugar.
• Sugar in excess is stored as fat. In my humble opinion, all sugar is excess…but that’s me, the rebel. You see, after your liver has no more room to store it, sugar is converted to fat and deposited on your belly, thighs, hips and the backs of your arms. Wheee!
• Sugar can inhibit and impair brain functioning. This is a result of depleted B-vitamin production.

Still need more reasons to avoid the sugar? O.K….

Here are some more maladies tied to sugar and overconsumption: varicose veins, constipation, hormonal imbalances, ADD and ADHD, increased emotional instability, depressed immune system, increased risk of cancer and degenerative diseases.

On average, people consume 46 teaspoons of sugar every day. That equals something like 175 pounds of sugar each year. 175 POUNDS!

Why doesn’t this surprise me? Look at all of the ads for sugary drinks and sodas! It’s big business. These companies sneak sugar into any product that they can.

Right now, go through the foods in your home and you'll see that sugar has been added to everything from ketchup and spaghetti sauce to crackers, oatmeal, peanut butter and even ‘healthy' items like weight loss bars.

“So, where does this leave me, Uncle Steve?”

Well my friend, you may be in unchartered waters for the first time in your life. It’s what we call “a unique position.” As one of my favorite authors, Dr. Edwin Louis Cole, wrote years ago in his wonderful book, “Treasure”, “We each have the power to choose, but once the choice is made we become a servant to that choice. To what are you willing to become a servant?”

Your personal judgment and preference will determine the foods that you eat and the foods that you avoid. It is my sincere wish that you now see sugar with “fresh” eyes.

It is true that all other foods offer you caloric energy as well as some nutritional benefit. Sugar does not. It has, for all intents and purposes, no redeeming qualities. Sugar is simply caloric energy with a sweet habit forming taste, and a hoard of health risks. In the book “Ortho-Molecular Nutrition” the authors demonstrate, rather convincingly, that sugar is more addictive than cocaine. Studies have shown that babies, when given a choice of a variety of foods, will eat from various foods to obtain all the nutrition they need. But when a sugary food is introduced, they no longer choose from the other sources and eat the sugary choice exclusively.

I beg you, use your discernment wisely and eliminate, or strictly limit your sugar consumption, both for yourself and your children. You’ll do yourself and them a huge favor in low sugar living.

And one more thing, should you ever find yourself ship wrecked with nothing more than sugar and water for consumption…go for the water and throw the sugar overboard.

Various Names for Sugar

Next time you’re at the store shopping and want to make sure you purchase the best for your family, remember these names and then put the item back should you see it in the ingredient list:

• Sucrose
• High fructose corn syrup
• Fructose
• Lactose
• Organic sugar
• Maltose
• Dextrose
• Glucose

If your goal is overall health and/or fat loss the absolute BEST thing you can do is eliminate, or at least severely restrict, the amount of sugar in your diet.

Steve

Your Prograde Pro

Why won't they listen?

Sometimes I swear I want to scream until I'm hoarse. Sometimes I, like radio and T.V. talk show host Glenn Beck, need a roll of duct tape to wrap around my head in order to keep it from exploding.

Why?

Aerobic exercise.

I was at the gym a few days ago and overheard a trainer tell one of his clients, "Well, in order to get really lean you've got to do more aerobic training." This female client of his has not lost an inch since she started with him over a year ago. In fact she's gained size and weight. How do I know?

I was eavesdropping. . . remember?

No big surprise to me, but then again . . . I don't SUCK as a trainer.

Here are some numbers for you:

In January of 2007 a SIX MONTH clinical trial concluded wherein two (count 'em, 2) different groups were tested.

Group "A” followed a strict diet.

Group "B" followed the same diet AND added 50 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 times per week.

50 minutes . . . 5 times per week!

You know what happened?

NO DIFFERENCE!

Nada. Nix. Nill. Bupkis!

Each group lost an equal amount of fat and the addition of the aerobic activity made no difference in fat loss.

Now personally, if I'd been a member of this study and had just spent 250 minutes a week (that's over 4 hours) for 26 weeks doing aerobic activity for effectively no additional gain, I think I'd need to be held back from ripping someone’s arm off.

Same goes if I was the client of this other trainer.

So what works?

1) Increased meal frequency of whole, real foods followed to 90 percent compliance.

2) A reduced carbohydrate diet. I suggest a low Glycemic Index diet to reduce insulin.

3) Interval training.

4) Resistance training.

5) Supplement with fish oil, CLA and possibly casein.

Oh, and don't hire trainers who stink at what they claim to be able to do for you.

Steve

What came first the big butt or the scooter?

So I’m at the mall for the first time in years and I’m blown away by A) the number of truly obese individuals, and B) the number of these same people riding around in little motorized scooters.

Humans by nature are inherently lazy. We are drawn to the path of least resistance. Hence the saying, "Never stand when you can sit; never sit when you can lie down. Never run when you can walk; never walk when you can ride."

In my opinion, the majority of people I see who use these motorized devices are those who are not themselves incapacitated from some deleterious cause or genetic defect, rather they have succumbed to the "American" way of life. I do not say that lightly, or with the slightest hint of disdain for my country. They are a product of their environment. They have, in other words, done it to themselves; either by neglect, slovenliness or some other means of self destruction.

As for our way of life, here is what I mean: Because we as a nation have been so blessed, we have lost sight of our responsibility to maintain the first line of defense: our very health. We have become a country of "convenience" seekers. A remote control for the over-abundance of television channels has eliminated the need to walk across the room to switch the station.

Keyless entry systems for our vehicles have allowed us to eliminate having to struggle to find the keyhole and, heaven forbid, exert ourselves and turn a key. Speed dial for the phone so we don't have to work so hard to dial Pizza Hut. We've even found a way to remove mental stress and strain by watching, on average, seven hours of television a day, thereby eliminating the need think for ourselves. Rather than read a book, thanks to IPod we can have someone else tell us what to think, or simply watch others working out on the tube.

Improvements in sanitation, nutrition, and medical science have been responsible for steady increases in longevity throughout modern history. This has been the case for virtually every country on earth, and it's a trend that's likely to continue - except in the United States. According to a University of Illinois study published in the New England Journal of Medicine the average American's lifespan could decrease by as much as five years in the coming decades. In the words of the author of the study, S. Jay Olshansky, "This is not based on speculation ... or unforeseen events, it is based on the future of American health that we can observe today among the very people who will express the health and life expectancy of the future: today's children."

But, how could this be? After all, the U.S. leads the world in the development of "wonder" drugs, high-tech surgeries, and technology for the early detection of disease.

It's because we're too fat.

More than 60% of adults and 30% of children are overweight or obese, putting themselves at a higher risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and a variety of other illnesses. And it is having an impact on folk’s mobility, so rather than train hard and eat right, just get a little motorized cart. That way you don't have to change your life, you can cruise your way, in comfort, ease and style, to an early, morbidly obese death.

Overcoming this phenomenon is not likely to happen. People, like I said before, are inherently lazy. Working out, eating right and maintaining your health takes effort, consistency, determination and discipline. Sadly, most of those qualities are far from inherent in the bulk of the population.

And children today, fortunately and yet sadly, do still learn what they see.

Steve

The Ten Immutable Laws of Effective Fat Loss

The following Ten "Commandments" of Effective Fat Loss are absolutes when one is attempting to drop body fat. There is no room for compromise, no exceptions and certainly no substitutions. If you will follow these commandments then there is little doubt that you will reach your fat loss potential.

There is no room for “yeah but” or “I have no time for this” or even, “I’m afraid this won’t work for me”. They are weakness displayed as lame excuses because I personally know quite many extremely busy people who’ve made the time and have been enormously successful.

I have trained individuals with slow metabolisms and a sluggish thyroid; I’ve worked with clients over 60, both male and female, and have seen them achieve massive, measurable and positive results when these Commandments were properly adhered to. Time and again, over a huge spectrum of people, these 10 “laws” have held strong and worked in every instance they were properly applied. Consequently they will work for you.

Therefore, if you are truly serious about fat loss…here are the ten commandments to live by.

Commandment #1 – You shall eat a fruit or veggie with a lean protein each and every time you eat. That is five to six small meals throughout the day. By doing this you will ensure that you to get enough protein AND enough fruits and veggies to satisfy your muscles and your body’s need for quality nutrients. Proteins and vegetables have the highest thermogenic effect and fruits add much needed vitamins and minerals helping your body recover adequately.
Calories counting becomes a thing of the past when you follow this commandment as you will feel full longer and more satisfied with each meal, but this isn’t a green light to go hog wild, there is a measure of self control involved here.

Commandment #2 – You shall exercise supportively 4 to 5 times per week. Exercising supportively means performing weight training three to four times per week and performing interval based cardio training two to three times per week. Weight training for fat loss involves short rests and medium repetitions and moderate weight which will translate to high intensity. Circuit based training works well in this format (one set of one exercise then to another after minimal rest, etc).
Interval based cardio training will burn 9 times more fat than steady state cardio AND is time efficient. Interval cardio is alternating high intensity work periods with low intensity recovery periods. A typical work to rest time would be 30 to 45 seconds of work and 60 to 90 second recovery. Think of sprinting and walking as a good method of interval cardio (but this can be done over a broad spectrum and modes of exercise)

Commandment #3 – You shall create a support system with friends, neighbors, family, co-workers and others that will REALLY support your effort. Surround yourself with people that will participate with your or at very least support your efforts entirely. Lean on these people often for help and guidance through the mentally difficult times. Surrounding yourself with unsupportive people is a recipe for disaster and you will eventually give up. Accountability is a tool for success, so use it.

Commandment #4 – You shall plan your exercise and meals ahead of time. Planning and preparation are two very important components of success. I won’t lie, it takes work and it isn’t easy. As one of my colleague’s states, “Fat loss is easy once you realize how difficult it is.” When you shop, chop, and cook your meals in advance you set yourself up for success by eating supportively…especially when life gets hectic. Set aside two hours on Sunday (or your day of choice) to shop, and then prepare your meals for the week. This also means setting a menu for the week and keeping it on your refrigerator so you can easily follow it. This also provides clarity as it gives you one less thing you have to think about during the chaos that is your typical week.
Exercise is no different. Schedule your time for exercise and keep that schedule like you would a doctor’s appointment or any other appointment. Don’t let anything else get crowded into that spot. Prioritize your time and stick to it. The old cliché’s are true for a reason; “Failure to plan is planning to fail.”

Commandment #5 – You shall remain consistent 90% of the time. You should be eating at least 35 meals per week (5 meals a day for 7 days). Of those 35 meals you must eat supportively 32 out of those 35. That means only three times can you eat an unsupportive meal, cheat, or miss a meal (yes missing a meal counts against you). If you are 90% compliant you WILL get results. The key here is to remain CONSISTENT.

Commandment #6 – You shall take in at least ½ your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. But since you are exercising for fat loss you may need to drink a bit more, so think .6 to .7 ounces per pound of bodyweight of water per day. Dehydration shuts the body down, which includes the metabolism, and will prevent your full effort in your workouts. This is because your muscles consist of mainly water. Consider carrying a stainless water bottle (not plastic) with you and drinking from it consistently throughout the day.

Commandment #7 – You shall take in a quality multivitamin and Omega 3 every single day. Even if you are not on a fat loss program this is a must. Multivitamins fill the gaps to any discrepancies in your nutrition plan. And even though you are eating at least five fruits or veggies a day on your fat loss program, you need 7-10 servings of fruit AND veggies per day to satisfy all the vitamins and minerals you need.
Select a quality multivitamin based in whole foods. Prograde VGF25+ for men and for women is a high quality multivitamin that will give you what you are looking for. I also take and personally recommend Prograde EFA Icon as a great source of Omega 3’s.
Commandment #8 – You shall have a strong powerful goal or reason for taking on this project. If you just want to get in shape then stop reading because this isn’t for you. Your goal has to be much broader and far reaching than just getting into shape. Your goal, when you read it should get you fired up and excited. Write down your goal and read it every single day so that your subconscious mind will take over and help you.
Spend a lot of time on this commandment because this will ultimately determine your success. Start with the end goal and work backward so you can set up some midrange goals and several short term goals. Once you have this mapped out and read it every day you have essentially set up a roadmap for your success and all you have to do is hit those mini milestones to keep the motivation burning hot. If you need a map for goal setting, this is a good start.

Commandment #9 – You shall have a realistic approach. Let’s get clarity: You will not succeed with your goals in one day. You will also not succeed by taking some pill or by exercising extra in one week. You will not succeed long term by eating perfect one week and eating great half the time the next. You must be realistic with your approach and understand that this is a journey, not a destination. Achieving your ultimate fat loss goal is your destination but the journey is making it a lifestyle and incorporating new habits that will stay with you forever. Results are only as good as long as they stay results. If you revert back to old habits after reaching your goal, you haven’t achieved anything. Implement strategies that are realistic and that will allow you to KEEP off the fat you are working so hard at losing.

Commandment #10 – You shall not give up if you fall down. Mistakes are going to happen, especially when you are trying to make changes to long established habits. Understand that it may take several attempts before you succeed at just one of these commandments, but when you do others will get easier. It is quite acceptable to be less than perfect, and console yourself in the knowledge that you are working on it and will do better the next time. The more perseverance you have the much more likely you will be to succeed.

There you have it. If you will make a decision to follow these commandments I am positive that you will absolutely be successful in your fat loss goals.

Steve