Review of The Carb Nite Solution

I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical about this program when I was told about it.  I'm an active member of a message forum that has a thread dedicated to fitness and nutrition, and I usually follow the advice of one of the gurus on this forum.  His name is Cormac, and you've heard me mention him before.  He is practically a genius when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, and he practices what he preaches.  

So when Cormac started talking up The Carb Nite Solution by John Kiefer, after only talking about the greatness that is Mark Sisson, I was hesitant to listen.  I had it locked in my mind that carbohydrates were pretty bad, and it was best to keep them under 100 grams a day, but the overall nutrition in my diet was the thing I needed to focus on.  

Kiefer's solution, however, is to focus almost solely on the carbohydrates and to keep them under 30 grams a day.  This is mostly acceptable to somebody so deep in the paleo-dieting world, until you find out that he also wants you to pig out (literally) one night a week.  For one night, every single week, you load as many carbs into your system as possible.  Cormac said that there was a lot of science behind it as to why it worked, but I had trouble believing him.  That was until he started talking about his overweight friend that was on it, and how much weight he had been losing with it.  He actually said, "It's funny to see the weight almost melting right off of him."

I decided to check it out for myself.  I went to the website, and started reading every little piece of information I could about it to see what Kiefer had to say for himself.  Naturally, the information on the website doesn't give away too much as to how it works or why it works, because Kiefer is selling his book that details the diet.  I took the plunge and bought it anyway, going in with an open mind ready to see what the guy had to say for himself.

What I liked about the book:

• John Kiefer is a physicist.  More importantly, he is a scientist.  This means that every single part of the book is explained with science as to why it works.
• There are so many references and citations to back up what he's saying that it is hard to refute it.
• The idea behind the plan in the book is simple, and following the diet he lays out is not a hard one.
• He explains and forewarns of EVERY thing that will happen to your body when you go on this diet.  The good, along with the bad, are laid out on the table.
• He explains that this plan is not a lifestyle-diet, like The Primal Blueprint, Weight Watchers, Atkins, or any of the others, but it is a power-diet.  This diet is meant for fat-loss, not weight-loss, and is only intended for up to 6 months of use at a time.
• The last part of the book has a layout of meal plans, recommended foods, and other things that will help you succeed on this diet.  It is all very detailed.

What I didn't like about the book:

• John Kiefer is a physicist.  More importantly, he is a scientist (yes, I did list that twice).  This means that there are a LOT of details and science facts in this book to explain why it works.  I'm taking college level biology classes right now and some of it was still over my head.  I considered it to be a necessary evil.
• I don't agree with some of the recommendations on the plan.  One major disagreement that I had was pertaining to exercise.  He doesn't actually recommend it, but says that it can be helpful.  He states that under any circumstance, no cardio should be performed while on this diet.  
• It almost sounds too good to be true.

Overall, I was impressed with the book and the diet detailed out in it.  I think the website looks a little shady, and that it might scare off some potential customers/clients.  I ended up paying $19.99 USD for an electronic version of the book that was instantly available to me, and I think it was worth it.

At the time of this writing, I am on day seven of the diet.  The first couple of days were harder than these last few, but the book has prepared me for all of that.  I can't say for sure whether or not this will actually work as I have spent so little time on it so far.  However, I am fairly confident that this will be effective for me.

After only seven days in to the diet, I am already noticing changes in my body.  That's crazy to me.

You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Review of the Primal Blueprint 90-Day Journal

I bought this journal at the end of October as a means of tracking my daily progress in health and exercise.  This book/journal didn't have a strong release from Mark Sisson like the original Primal Blueprint did, but is meant to be used as a companion to it.

This is the fourth product of Sisson's that I have bought, and I have to admit that while I love the application of the journal, I think it has it's flaws.  I'll weigh the pros and cons of owning this journal and what I've gotten out of it so far.

What I liked:

• This is a great companion to the Primal Blueprint.  The journal stays right in line with the teachings of the Primal Blueprint fundamentals and doesn't try to change anything up.  People who buy this journal are getting exactly what they need to help them keep track of their daily lifestyles.
• The journal pages are very detailed.  There is space provided to log dieting habits, daily measurements, exercise, personal details, and how the writer aligned himself to the primal lifestyle.
• There is space for periodic evaluations.  The journal provides pages to write down measurements, values, goals, and accomplishments at the beginning, end, and every 30 days of the journal so the writer can see how they've changed.  This is crucial for getting healthy because the results may not always show up on the scale.
• There is a wealth of reference material in the back.  Sisson doesn't bother reciting all of the values and ideas of the Primal Blueprint in the book like he has to for the original book or the 21-Day Transformation.  The back of the book has a quick reference section if someone needs to look at the primal eating pyramid or the primal essential movements.  This book is clearly meant for someone already familiar with the ideas and functions of the Primal Blueprint.

What I didn't like:

• It's not very portable.  For me personally, I like to be able to bring journals along with me.  I find it best to write down what I've eaten very soon after I've eaten it.  The same goes for logging exercise.  There are a few "travel" pages provided at the end, but those pages are limited and one would still have to come back to the book to log that information at some point.  This book weighs a few pounds and is pretty sizable   I have found that it's pretty easy to get left behind, and if it gets out of sight, it gets out of mind.
• Personal experiments were a bust.  Before the journal was released, Mark touched briefly on the idea of doing personal experiments on his website.  This may have lasted two months, but hasn't been mentioned since.  The idea was nice, but not executed very well, so it has a hard time being translated into this journal.
• May not have the detail you're looking for.  I found that I was unsatisfied with the section related to the diet.  That section basically just gives you an open paragraph to write down what you ate and mentions snacks.  It gives room for comments below, but it's not put together in a fashion where I believe it can be examined scientifically.  Getting healthy mostly includes changes to one's diet, so I would think this needs more attention.

The only other change I might make to this book would be adding an online/electronic version.  I see great potential in this book to become it's own website or app that user's could log daily values into and be able to review at a moments notice.  Everything is making a transition into some form of digital content, and this shouldn't be an exception.

Overall, I think this is a decent book to have.  Personally, I think Sisson should have waited to pull the trigger on the 21-Day Transformation and compiled it with this journal.  Giving people suggestions on what to do on a daily basis and giving them ample room to log it would might have been helpful.  However, if you're a person who likes a lot of structure in your diet with some wiggle room for interpretation, the Primal Blueprint 90-Day Journal may be the book for you.

The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Challenge

Hey Fatnicians!  I know it's been a while since I've said anything, and I'm sorry about that.  I've had some things come up in my everyday life that I had to deal with and they took some precedence over the blog.  Fortunately, Harrison has been doing a great job while I've been gone and now that I'm back, we'll be an unstoppable team!

My return to posting on the Fatnicians is going to start with something that could help all of us.  Harrison, Steven (who isn't a Fatnician yet, but he should be!) and I have a little over a month before it's time for us to run in the Tough Mudder in Maysville, Ky.  Hark and Steven have been working their butts off getting ready for the event, and I have been slacking.  It was completely convenient for me that Mark Sisson started the Primal Blueprint 21-Day Challenge up today!

For those of you who remember the challenge from last year, it's basically a month of trying to live, eat, and act out a primal (paleo) lifestyle.  Mark usually makes the challenge last 30 days, but he worked with his team and decided to shorten it to 21 days.  He believes that time-frame is enough to break any bad habits and help keep up new ones (of course, it does coincide nicely with his 21-Day Primal Blueprint Total Body Transformation book that debuted a few months ago).

Sisson is really going all-out this year and giving away lots of prizes for PB'ers who participate in the challenge.  The first prize to be given away is a $200 gift card to PrimalBlueprint.com to one lucky person.  All you have to do to enter is to share their status and post your goal for the challenge!

This should be fun!  I'm going to be updating weekly again and while the challenge is going on, I'll be talking about that as well.  Won't you join me in the challenge?

If you're interested, click here to learn more about it.

Book Review - The Primal Blueprint

The Primal Blueprint

by Mark Sisson

If you're new to the blog or just haven't caught on to this yet, I've been turned on to a new "diet" and "exercise" plan that should really be called a lifestyle plan titled The Primal Blueprint.  The creator of this almost-grassroots phenomenon is Mark Sisson.  

Mark is a highly respected fitness and health author and blogger.  He is also a former distance runner, triathlete and Ironman competitor. Sission finished 4th in the February 1982 Ironman World Championship.  Since mostly retiring from competitive sports, Mark has went on to change lives through his books and his website Marksdailyapple.com.  

Sisson's most popular book, The Primal Blueprint, has changed many people's thinking (including my own) about their approach to fitness.  He proposes that we model our lives, in terms of diet and exercise, after our primal ancestors.  He often references one he affectionately calls "Grok".  

Grok doesn't eat bread.  He doesn't drink soda.  He doesn't replace meals with Slimfast.  He doesn't use caffeine as a crutch.  Grok also doesn't take spinning classes.  He doesn't lift weights five days a week.  

Grok survives.

In the book, The Primal Blueprint, you will learn Sisson's 10 Primal Laws that we can all live by:  

1. Eat lots of plants and animals
2. Avoid poisonous things
3. Move frequently at a slow pace
4. Lift heavy things
5. Sprint once in a while
6. Get adequate sleep
7. Play
8. Get adequate sunlight
9. Avoid stupid mistakes
10. Use your brain

In each chapter, Mark discusses each one of these laws and how we can apply them to our daily lives.  He goes into detail about the benefits of eating mostly plants and animals and avoiding what he calls "Chronic Cardio."  Sisson also gives examples of how to enact these laws into daily life and gives pretty easy examples of each one.

I have to say that if there was ever a book I wanted to recommend to somebody wanting to get their health in check, this would be it.  The knowledge passed down by Sisson in this book is as valuable as gold to me as I have already started to apply it to my life.  I already feel better, and have more natural energy than I ever thought that I could possess.  

If you would like to purchase The Primal Blueprint, you can buy it online at PrimalBlueprint.com ($26.99 USD), Amazon.com ($15.94 USD), or BarnesandNoble.com ($15.94 USD).  You can also buy it in eBook format for the Kindle ($8.79 USD) and Nook ($9.99 USD).

Book Review - Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals

Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals

by Mark Sisson and Jennifer Meier

For those of you that don't know, I've been turned on to a new "diet" and "exercise" plan that should really be called a lifestyle plan titled The Primal Blueprint.  The Primal Blueprint is written and maintained by a man named Mark Sisson.  Mark is also the creator Marksdailyapple.com.  The idea behind Mark's book and website, along with his cookbooks, is that today's modern man (and woman) should model their diet and exercise routine after our primal ancestors.  

For Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals, this means cutting out grains, sugars, salts, and most dairy.  If you already follow a Primal or Paleo eating style, this will not be too much of a change at all for you.  If you're not on this type of diet yet and you have conditions like gluten or lactose intolerance, let me persuade you to "come to the dark side".

This is the second cook book from Mr. Sisson; the first one was The Primal Blueprint Cookbook.  I admit, I haven't read this one yet, and I haven't finished Mark's original book, The Primal Blueprint.  But I am convinced enough with what I have read so far.

In this book, you're going to find some delicious recipes.  Sisson and Meier mash out some great things like:

• Primal Hot Cereal
• Pizza Frittata
• Broccoli Quiche
• Breakfast Burrito
• Bacon Soufflé Frittata
• Orange Olive Chicken
• Creamy Basil Pesto Coleslaw
• Grilled Taco Salad
• Pork Fried Cauliflower Rice
• Creamy Sauerkraut and Sausage Soup
• Halibut in Butter Sauce
• Bacon and Mushroom Dip
• Spiced Nuts
• and many more!

One thing to keep in mind about this cookbook, and about Primal Blueprint eating in general, is that a lot of these recipes are going to call for things that normally don't make it into your shopping cart.  Not to fret though, because for every odd item that Mark and Jennifer call for, they also call for hearty bacon, steak, chicken, broccoli, onions, peppers, and occasionally cheese!

If you're looking to get in touch with your wild side and eat just a little more healthy than you're used to, then I would definitely recommend going out and getting Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals today!

P.S. I understand if some of you clicked the link to the Primal Blueprint site and saw the price listed ($29.99 USD) and turned green for a moment.  Don't fret, you can get the hard copy cheaper at Amazon ($18.99 USD) or buy the ebook edition for Amazon Kindle or Barnes and Noble Nook for a little cheaper ($9.99 USD).  If you get it for the Nook Color (like me) then you get all the full-color photos along with the recipes! 

Explanation of Absence

I don't know that anyone reads this but me, and Josh.  Josh reads it because I set up the blog to email him and myself every time a new post goes up.  Sorry bro!

Anyway, I've been really busy these past couple of weeks trying to get things put together for a weekend vacation with my wife.  Tomorrow is our fourth anniversary, and we never went on a honeymoon, so we like to take advantage of every moment we get together!

As far as my health goes, here's a short update.

I haven't been to the gym this week because my wife has been out of town so much for work.  When she's away, I stay at home with our son and take care of him.  We can't afford a daycare on what we currently make, so we make due with what we have.  My gym, unfortunately, isn't child friendly so I don't get to go when I'm home with him.  However, I have been outside a lot on the nicer days playing with my son and enjoying the sunshine.  My diet is doing as good as always.  I've noticed a few changes recently in my eating habits.  Changes like me not being hungry as often, and not craving food like I used to.  These things are only for the best!

I did get a chance to buy myself a new pair of shoes that I can't wait to tell you about!  I'm also going to be doing another supplement trial.  This time the trial will be for Mega-T Green Tea Fat Burning Supplement with Acai.  This one was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm willing to give it a shot.  I'm also reading a book called The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson.  I've just gotten started on it, but I'll be sure to review it when I'm finished.

In the meantime, be sure to keep checking back for updates!  Also make sure you're telling your friends about the EMF!

Try the Local World Gym - FOR FREE

So you just can't make it out to the gym in town.  The prices are too high, the people are snobs, and the business hours are crap.  It could be worse than that, and you may not have a gym in your town at all.  The nearest gym may not be worth the drive and you might just not have the time to get there and back.

I think a lot of people have a lot of excuses for not going to the gym.  I know that I did for too many years.  Were my excuses valid?  Of course not.  I was afraid of going in and looking like a fool.  I mean, who wants to be the fat guy at the gym?  I never had the right clothes, never owned an MP3 player, or drove the right car.  Besides, those prices were too damned high.

Of course, I had to have a reality check a while back, and that changed my perception of the gym.  I guess when you scare yourself after getting off of a scale as badly as I did, things like clothes, MP3 players, fitness freaks, and looking good before I went in the doors didn't matter as much.

Still yet, there are those of us who do have valid excuses for not having a gym membership.  But not to fret, because there is still one gym that gives out a free membership.  They're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, although there are some months where those hours may not be so appealing.

I welcome you to the Local World Gym.


You may think that I'm crazy, but I promise you that I'm not.  You want to work out your back?  Do some pull-ups on a low hanging branch or the beam of a swing set.  Pump your chest with some push-ups.  Grab something heavy and do some squats to work your legs and core.  Sprint through a field or down your road.  Burn some quick calories by doing step-ups on any platform.  It isn't going to cost you a dime.

No, that's not me.

  

If you're in a park, look around some of the trails, or better yet hike them, and you might find an actual outdoor gym built for joggers.  A lot of city parks have also started to build them for their residents.

An example of an outdoor gym at a park

Whatever you do, do something!  And remember that the world is our playground.

Go-Go Paleo!

In the past, dieting has always been a difficult thing to achieve.  For me; I had better chances of wiping a panther's butt with sandpaper than sticking to a diet.  And no diet was a stranger to me.  I've did Atkins, Weight Watchers, calorie counting, and  everything in between.

After discussing diet and exercise with some friends, I came to a simple conclusion; we don't know what it means to diet.  When you think of the word "diet," what do you think of?  Probably something like, "A diet is what I go on after Christmas or when I want to get back into those favorite jeans of mine.  It's what I do to lose weight."  But what if we're all wrong?

Diet, as defined by Dictionary.com goes like this:

1.

food and drink considered in terms of its qualities,composition, and its effects on health: Milk is a wholesomearticle of diet.

2.

a particular selection of food, esp. as designed or prescribedto improve a person's physical condition or to prevent ortreat a disease: a diet low in sugar.

3.

such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eatsfor reducing weight: No pie for me, I'm on a diet.

4.

the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: Thenative diet consists of fish and fruit.

5.

food or feed habitually eaten or provided: The rabbits werefed a diet of carrots and lettuce.

Three out of those five possible definitions describe a diet as the food somebody eats.  Simply put, a diet is the food we eat on a regular basis.  Therein lies the problem of the diets I have tried in the past.  They weren't meant for the long term.  I don't want to confuse anyone by saying weight-loss plans like Weight Watchers or Atkins are bad, but they're not practical for long term diets.  Does anyone really have the stamina to stop their lives every time they eat food to research it and then make notes about it, and then tally up totals and reflect on it at the end of the day for the rest of their lives?

I know I don't.  And this fact sent me on a search to find what I was missing with my eternal diet.

The words Paleo and Mediterranean kept popping up in my search, until I finally had to stop and look at them.  These diets are like two brothers from a different mother distant relatives.  They want simple things.  Here is an outline from the diet section at About.com:

What to eat on a Paleolithic Diet

by Laura Dolson

These are the foods that are recommended to approximate a Paleolithic Diet. Note that authors disagree on a few details. I have mainly used the books of Cordain (The Paleo Diet) and Audette (NeanderThin) in compiling the list, but other sources are available as well. One thing that authors agree on is that there is no way that we can exactly replicate the food of the Paleolithic period, so substitutions must be made in some cases. This accounts for many of the differing choices of the authors. 

Meats and Eggs 

Meats (including seafood) and eggs are perhaps the most important components of the Paleolithic Diet. Ideally, the animals from which the eggs and meat come from are fed a natural (to the animal) organic diet. That is, chickens have access to greens, insects, etc, as well as grain. Cattle eat grass and other pasture greenery. Fish should come from the wild, or at least be fed what wild fish eat. 

In any case, meats should be free of breading of any kind. 

Loren Cordain (The Paleo Diet) believes we should seek out low-fat meat sources, while others disagree. His reasoning is that today's meats are much higher in saturated fat so we should seek out low fat meats and then supplement with fats from other sources. 

Vegetables 

Vegetables are encouraged, although some versions of the diet except green beans and peas as they are legumes. Some versions simply say that if it can't be eaten raw, don't eat it (though this doesn't mean that it must be eaten raw, only that it should be able to be eaten raw). Potatoes and other starchy tubers (e.g. cassava) are not allowed. 

Fruits 

Fruits are generally allowed. Audette (NeanderThin) advises that people who need to lose weight should limit consumption of high sugar fruits. He allows juices in limited quantities. Cordain suggests avoiding juices altogether and limiting dried fruits. 

Nuts and Seeds 

Nuts and seeds are generally allowed, though Cordain suggests that those who want to lose weight limit them to four ounces per day. Note that peanuts are legumes and NOT allowed. Audette doesn't allow cashews since they can't be eaten raw. Unsweetened almond milk and coconut milk are often used as substitutes for dairy. 

Oils 

Though authors vary on recommended oils, basically the consensus seems to be that the oils from allowed plants are fine. Olive oil, nut oils, and flax seed oil are universally endorsed. Cordain recommends canola oil, but not coconut oil. Fish oil supplements are often recommended. 

Beverages 

CordainAudette. With Audette, it's water and tea, and limited quantities of juice - specifically no coffee and no alcohol. Cordain anything other than water should only be drunk in moderation, with the following recommendations. 

• Diet soda (very controversial in the Paleo community from what I can tell) 
• Coffee 
• Tea  

Also, although in one place Cordain says alcohol "should be limited to an occasional glass of wine, beer, or spirits", in another place in the book he defines moderation as: 

• Wine - 2 4 oz glasses 
• Beer - 1 12 oz serving 
• Spirits - 4 oz (which is more than is recommended by anyone else, Paleo or not)

 Note that the diet condemns the use of refined sugars, salts, grains, starchy food, legumes (nuts and beans), fatty meats, and dairy.  The last one is the only part I'll be breaking on a regular basis.  Dairy is something I consider to be important to a diet, and I plan to consume it daily, but in moderation of course.  As far as the other foods that are condemned, I don't plan to intentionally add them to my foods, but of course they are going to find their way in from time to time.

This diet is solid, and almost a no-brainer.  I've felt better over the last few days as I've slowly adjusted into this food plan.  It's also exciting because I'll get to start eating and trying a lot of foods that I had previously kept myself away from because I couldn't find them in the chip or cereal isles at the grocery store!

For more info on the Paleo diet, try some of these helpful sites:
Paleoplan.com
Thepaleodiet.com
Paleodiet.com
Marksdailyapple.com - Definitive Guide to Primal Eating