Carb Nite Solution: Carb Nite

I'm at the tail-end of my first "Carb Nite."  When someone first starts the CNS (Carb Nite Solution), they go for almost 10 whole days of eating under 30 grams of carbohydrates a day.  At the end of the 10th day, Kiefer tells them to go all-out on carbs.

It's really weird that he has been able to tell me exactly how I would feel each step of the way on the diet.  And, as he foretold, I feel stuffed even though I didn't eat more tonight than I used to on a regular night.  Also, I have this warm and fuzzy feeling all over my body, like I've crawled into a fleece-lined sleeping bag for a nice nap.  The only difference is that I've been feeling this way while I'm awake!  Right now, it's a love/hate feeling.  I love the warm and fuzzy feeling, but I hate the overstuffed feeling that I have as well.

As for the previous 9 full days on CNS, it started out pretty roughly.  I barely got in under 30 grams of carbs the first day, the second day I barely ate any carbs because of not knowing what was safe, and the third day was fine because I was eating some carbs but not too many, but I had some pretty severe hunger pains while my body tried to persuade me into eating more carb-rich foods.  Days four through seven left me with a cloudy mind, but I was still able to function pretty normally.  After that, I settled into the diet and felt comfortable with what I was eating.  

Now, I'm simply curious to see what tomorrow is going to feel like!

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.

Step 3: Get in some Exercise

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to give out some details for what I'm doing to kick the weight I put on from the holidays.  It's all going to be simple stuff that should get me (and you, if you do the same) back on track!

Step 3: Get in some Exercise

We're all nearly a week into our New Year's Resolutions.  I say all of us, because I don't know of many people who don't make the resolution each year to lose weight or get in shape.  Hopefully by this point the short detox period and the changes in your diet are making you feel better and you're possibly already losing weight!

The third step in the weight-loss plan involves getting physically active.  I still stick with the Mark Sisson, Primal Blueprint idea of hanging on to the basics:

•  Try to spend at least 20 minutes a day doing low-level cardiovascular exercise.  This means just going for a walk, housework, or anything that gets you moving.  You don't have to break a sweat, but make sure it isn't anything too low that it doesn't even count.  The idea here is to get moving.
• Do some strength training 2-3 times a week.  If time is a factor for you, stick to the basic muscle groups of the chest, back, and legs.  All of the other stuff will naturally follow.  You don't have to have a gym membership either, as push-ups, pull-ups, planks, and squats can all be performed in the comfort of your living room.
• Once a week, have an all out cardio session that last for no more than 10 minutes.  You want to be at 50-75% of your maximum heart rate.

You would be surprised how easily these tasks can be accomplished.  Go for a short walk every day, or park at the back of the parking lot when you go to a store.  Do some yoga, stretching, or tai-chi in your living room.  If you really want to, go to the gym and sweat it out there.  The important thing is not where you do it, but that you do it at all.

Quick Update from Andy

I'm using this as a final excuse to delay going to the gym, so while you are enjoying reading this, also put some shame on me for not being where I need to be.

I just finished reading a new book called the Carb Nite Solution by John Kiefer.  After a couple of months of talking it up by a friend and how awesome it was, I decided to look into it and see what the idea and concepts of it are.  I'll write a review about it later, but I just want to throw out there that I think the author is really on to something here and I'm going to give it a shot.

The past few months, like most of you know, have been a struggle for me with diet and exercise.  I fluctuate from taking excellent care of myself to not taking care of myself at all.  I like myself better when I take care of me, but it's really easy to just not.

I've got two things keeping me motivated to get things done.  The first is that I'll be running in the Tough Mudder again this year, providing I don't have to drive more than 6 hours to get to it.  The second thing is that I'm finally putting myself back out there with women.  It's been just Madix and I for the last year and a half, and frankly, I need someone to talk to and someone to care about me in an affectionate kind of way.  Yeah, I know how it sounds, but since I'm delaying the inevitable, I might as well be brutally honest.

That's all I have for today.  Thanks for sticking with me.

-Andy

Step 2: Change the Diet

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to give out some details for what I'm doing to kick the weight I put on from the holidays.  It's all going to be simple stuff that should get me (and you, if you do the same) back on track!

Step 2: Change the Diet

It's New Year's Day.  Drink some coffee and clear up that hangover, if you've got one.  For me personally, I didn't do any partying last night.  Instead, I put my son to bed at 9:00 p.m. and started watching episodes of the Classic Doctor Who series on Netflix (and I have decided that Tom Baker is now one of my most favorite Doctors).  I didn't even know that I was in a new year until a friend sent me a text message 15 minutes after midnight!

The next step in the weight-loss plan will be changing up what constitutes as "normal" in our everyday diets.  Getting rid of the bread and sugary sweets will be a must.  Meats and veggies from here on out.  

Most people think that the beginning of a new year means wiping the dust off last year's resolution and reclaiming it as something new.  This also means our local gyms will be flooded and healthy foods will start to fly off the shelves at the supermarket.  It's not necessarily a bad thing, unless you really needed that asparagus for your dinner tonight or had planned on using the treadmill today.  What I'm suggesting though, is not to drive directly to the gym, but to get our affairs in order at home first.  What good is it going to do if we work out for an hour and then go home and eat a whole pizza?

Step 1: Detox

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to give out some details for what I'm doing to kick the weight I put on from the holidays.  It's all going to be simple stuff that should get me (and you, if you do the same) back on track!

Step 1: Detox

It's the day after Christmas, and I woke up this morning to a home that looked like it had been used for a holiday frat party.  Unfortunately, this frat party lasted way too long.  There is wrapping paper all over my house, toys scattered from one end to the other, and my son and two cats are having the best time ever.  Under every pile of crap, there is some new adventure just waiting to happen!

Worst of all, there is a pile of food on my kitchen table and more of it stocked in the pantry that any sensible paleo dieter would go green in the face just looking at.

The first step in getting rid of my holiday fatty fun is detoxifying my body.  The protein powder is coming out of the pantry and the vitamin organizers are getting filled up again.  Aside from delicious coffee with a little cream and sugar, and an emergency no-carb-no-sugar energy drink, my intakes of choice are going to be protein shakes and water for the next three days.  This will get my body back into requiring only the things it needs to stay healthy.

This is a good time to do a holiday purge.  Candy canes, fruit cakes (if anybody actually even gets those anymore), pastries, and other sugary carb-loaded foods need to go!

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.