Thank you!

How are machine based circuits shit? I lost 40lbs doing just that – and it worked excellent for me. Additionally, a ton of MMA fighters do that exact same thing.

The goal of this site is to help people , and I feel bad you cant see that.

Very best,
Kelsey.

According to one blog Mat says to limit fructose intake on a daily basis, but what does this really mean- A handful of berries? Less? Same with nuts, while someone like Mark Sisson seems to advocate a more liberal approach to nuts and fruit. I’m coming from a health perspective, not neccesarily a performance one.

I understand that the Paleo diet is predicated on our ancestors hunter/ gatherer diet, but we as humans have evolved, and have eaten grains and starches for thousands of years.

Love Cross-Fit, just not how the Paleo diet is pushed so hard.

Mathieu, great presentation in Montreal by the way (you prob don’t remember but my girlfriend and I were at odds with our nutrition prof? we wanted to take on the canada food guide…)
Quick question, if this eventually comes your way: should I be at all concerned with oxalate inhibition of mineral absorption of brassica veggies, like kale and broccoli, etc? can’t remember where I read it, but I read somewhere that oxalates in these veggies impaired Ca++ absorption…

thanks,

Roelant

I stuck with the low-carb plan the whole time and did not use high-carb PWO meals.
Prolonged intense physical activity, caffeine, sleep deprivation, stress, and anxiety will increase cortisol secretion. As such, eliminating those long met cons was a good idea. Once a significant amount of work capacity has been developed, one could argue that even 20 minute AMRAPs are too long. Your current Mebb training looks pretty solid and so does the sleep schedule. If you are having a hard time leaning out with that program, I would try eliminating the post workout meal. It is not necessary if you only workout once or less per day. Keep in mind that food deprivation is a stress on the body and that your caloric intake needs to be adequate for your level of exercise. If you cut calories too low, your performance will suffer and your fat loss may be blunted. There are studies that show that some people can store body fat on severely calorie restricted diets if the diet is mostly composed of carbohydrate. Then, there is the possibility of losing muscle mass if you cut your calories too much and your body is not fat adapted. Caloric restriction and intermittent fasting are a stress on the body and can backfire if not used properly.

this is about to get long here, but I ask because I was down to 6% bf in the summer, then I dabbled with IF. It was a disaster and my bf shot up 2.5-3% (mostly in my abdomen) in two months. No change in diet except I threw in some sweet potatoes pw. everything else was low carb. LOTS of longer metcons, 4 or 5 days/week. I was doing workouts fasted and then not eating for an hour or two afterwards. I suspect this had ALOT to do with the elevated cortisol. Now I’ve gotten smarter with my training, doing 4 day/week MEBB (3 days strength w/ short metcon after and one day of 12-15 minute metcon) and I already feel better on my third week. I usually always get 8 hours sleep, and now trying to get it closer to 9. I’ve been taking vitamin C alot as I read this helps with cortisol issues. My insulin sensitivity is pretty good IMO. I recently dropped calories to 2000/day, carbs under 50, protein @ 180g and fat @ 120g. I just dont know if lower cals will mess with cortisol or not……I know this has been long, but I appreciate any insight.
thanks
Ian

Are you still rolling LC too?

I don’t think I did the OPT WOD on the weekend you are referring to. I switched to a Wendler 5/3/1 + CF type deal. I do strength twice a week using Wendler’s approach but combining shoulder press + deadlift and bench press + squat on the same day. I then do 2 met cons to complete my training. I try to cater to both strengths and weaknesses in the process.
I totally loved doing OPTs program but I just didn’t have the time to hit the gym more than once per day so I really couldn’t follow the program as prescribed and I felt like I couldn’t reap all the benefits as a result.

A cheat day once per week will not have a huge effect on your fat burning capacity. Adding a cheat day will take the plan closer to a cyclic low-carb approach, which is totally legit.

Does a “cheat” day 1x per week blow up the effects we are looking for on this program?

Thanks, CB

I was under the impression you thought 3 tablespoons of Nordic naturals fish oil was 40g of EPA+DHA. My bad. 3 tablespoons is 12.375 g of EPA+DHA and a total of 45 grams of fat. If you are a zoner, this fat does not get deducted from your daily fat blocks because you are making up for an absent nutrient.

I read plenty of times that the paleo diet maximizes testosterone and growth hormone output but I had never seen the effects until I went low-carb. Muscle mass is just increasingly easy to put on and maintain. I have been following OPTs WODs since I wrote this post so I don’t have any benchmarks to compare. Nevertheless, my appearance, mood, and performance couldn’t be any better.

calories in – calories out makes no sense in the absence of endocrinology. You can put someone who is insulin resistant on a starvation diet and they will mostly lose muscle mass because their fat stores are not accessible. On the ohter hand, if you are dealing with someone who has good insulin sensitivity and has cortisol under control, a slight caloric deficiency is all it takes for fat loss. Of course, the whole process works best on a low-carb plan.

Yes, 1 Tablespoon=3 teaspoons

Thanks for the article. I’m in my 4th week of following this; all positives so far. Not crashing in the afternoon has been a welcome change.

I didn’t catch the mistake the first time but three tablespoons of Nordic Naturals Fish Oil is 12.375 grams (or 12.4 g) of fat, not 40.

Thanks!

That is correct. If you are a Zoner, you should not count those 40 grams of fat.

Thanks for the article!

I noticed Mat didn’t eat for awhile after his workouts. I work out fasted (usually 14 hours) and was wondering if I could get away with the same. My clinicals are 12 hour days and if I work out at 5am and eat right after I’ll either be done eating around 1 or 2 for the day or I’ll be starving all day if I spread the food out….

I know Mat already said that he didn’t WAM, but then he answered a question about the math and in it he assumed 17 blocks to start with. Is 17 blocks really enough for the kind of strength / muscle gains that he got or do you think he might have been consuming more?

A few months ago I started working with an O-lifting coach on strength building and a month ago he was surprised I hadn’t put on more muscle. As we talked about nutrition he suggested I increase my protein to 2g / 1kg body weight (that puts me up to about 23 protein blocks). I increased my protein and over the next two weeks put on 4 pounds of muscle. Unfortunately, I also put on 4 pounds of fat. I was hoping the increased muscle mass would lead to lower BF%. I’m not sure whether to stick with this longer to give my body more time to adjust or start tinkering / making adjustments now. Any suggestions?

In this same time I have cut my carbs back and increased my fat blocks to compensate based on reading this post from Mat. I also cut out almost all fruit in favor of veggies. Since I haven’t been doing AMRAPs and such during my strength-building focus, I wasn’t eating sweet potatoes for a while (used to eat them PWO). But, I’m running into the same problem I’ve had before whenever I try to be very strict with my food quality. My energy is high, my skin is clear, but my stomach gets gassy and upset and I end up quite the opposite of the person who asked about constipation. Adding sweet potato back in helps a bit. Crossing the paleo line to add some oatmeal and such helps a lot. Once things are settled again, sweet potato tends to be enough starch to maintain stomach happiness. I’m curious if any of your clients or any other readers have encountered this.

Also, with the decreased amount of veggies in Mat’s Low Carbing, any concern about not getting enough vitamins and minerals from food?

As always, I really appreciate all the help and information! Thank you both very much!

I went to your nutrition seminar a year ago and found it very helpful. My problem for a few months is weight loss. I do CF 4 x a week and run 3-4 times as well ( 2-5 mile runs).

I am so frustrated with a lack of weight loss. We went through a very stressful family event back in May and I put on 8 pounds over night it seemed. Now, I can’t loss it no matter what. I’m on 10 blocks, switched to Paleo challenge 30 days ago and gained a pound! I’m getting enough sleep most nights, the big stress is over, but my body won’t let go of this new muffin top. The only think I can figure is I’m still eating too much nuts. I don’t know what else to do. I’m very frustrated.

Any thoughts, comments, suggestions?

I was above 10% body fat when I started and now I am below 10%. I measured body fat before and after the experiment, which took 2 months to complete. I leaned out gradually as I conducted the experiment but I did not take any measurements until the end.
I do in fact drink a whole can of coconut milk in one sitting but it is the light stuff. The regular stuff is hard to drink but easy to eat with a spoon. I don’t think I could consume an entire can of regular coconut milk in one sitting.
100% chocolate, whether it is cacao nibs or from the French producer François Pralus, is mostly fat and it is loaded with antioxidants. I did not weigh or measure anything. I just whatever foods I wanted from the given choices while limiting my carbohydrate intake to vegetables.

Thank you,
Carlos Madero
CMAD

Read my reply to chris a few posts above.

Following up on my little experiment eating fewer blocks of protein and a ton of fat blocks (about 6P, 4C, 30 to 45F). This isn’t much more than base zone calories….

That ol’ time of the month approaching, and perhaps my dietary tinkering, has sent me into a full-scale cheese craving. So far, my performance in workouts has not suffered, but I’m a little tired at other times of the day. Granted, my dairy sources are all raw, grass fed, and the cows were probably also meditating while they were being milked…but yeah, I’m not a football player and don’t wish to look like one. I’m already pretty lean and want to stay that way

I don’t know if it is my body wanting the usual 10 blocks of protein again, or some difference in how my body responds to the insulin effects of dairy as my progesterone levels drop with my cycle.

I’m going to back away slowly from the cheese plate, eat as much protein and coconut as I feel I need, and see if that helps…

My situation just might dictate a very different eating pattern week to week, not necessarily workout to workout.

Things are still light years ahead of where I was just weeks ago, so I’m just fine-tuning here. All this good fat and I’m not the cranky bitch I used to be. Yay!

I’d recommend sticking with the 17 blocks, 4xfat while using only veggies as your carb source. Don’t count the carb blocks if you do this, it really doesn’t matter if you stomach 5,6,7, or 8 blocks of carbs from veggies during the day. If you absolutely want a little bit of carbohydrate after a WOD, I recommend an individual serving of coconut water. Clocks in at just under 2 blocks of carbohydrate and has plenty of electrolytes.

I have never tried the paleo+dairy approach but it seems that a lot of peeps on the CrossFit Football program are doing fine with it. The approach does come with a risk of insulin resistance. I think Robb had a problem with increased insulin resistance during his mass gain experiment where he was consuming goat milk post WOD.
I’d recommend giving a low-carb paleo approach a try for a couple of months to see where that takes you.

I just went back to carbs PWO about two months ago (mashed sweet potatoes and applesauce), half my days blocks of carbs (I delete the rest). I had my bf% taken today and found that it had gone up from 6.5 to 8.5. I am looking to lean up just a bit. I am on 17 blocks, 4x fat with half carbs deleted right now. I was going to drop down to 3x fat.

Do you think I should up my fat to 5x though and cut the carbs PWO per an earlier post I saw? Is it necessary to take all 5 blocks of carbs (via vegetables ) PWO or can it be spread throughout the days meals.

thanks for all the info and keep up the good work guys….

Great post. I am trying to gain some serious strength and have been told to drink (lots) of raw milk. I’m guessing this would elicit a huge insulin response, but maybe it could fit in your low-carb paleo world??

Thoughts? Many Thanks, Chris

Robb,

A while back there was some debate about what to eat after workouts and sweet potatoes and applesauce and all that stuff came up. Then after that you mentioned an article that convinced you to switch to thai coconut milk and whey protein post workout. Are you still on the thai coconut protein shake and did you find that it worked well for you? Or have you gone to no food post workout? And what about the 30 min window and all these Barry Sears vids?

Sears does use useable carbs in his block amounts, he takes fibre off, (Specifically taught in his Zone certification course). However not all his blocks are 100% accurate when it comes to vegetables .

In our country (New Zealand) the nutrition labels are different. For example labels have total usable carbs and list the fibre separately. Makes it easier to figure out blocks or carb amounts.

Coconut is truly awesome food. The medium chain triglycerides it contains has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and cholesterol profiles. In addition, the amino acid content of coconut protein is interesting in that it contains some arginine (15% of the protein in coconut meal). Arginine is important for the synthesis of nitrogen monoxide, a chemical messenger in the body that is responsible for vasodilation and increased blood flow.

The capsules often contain fish oil of lower purity. In addition, the manufacturers will often add glycerin or other crap in the capsules. I just don;t want to deal with it so I go with the liquid.

Robb and I are the yin and Yang of coffee. Robb loves it and approves of its consumption in large quantities. In fact, he often admits to being unsuccessful at committing suicide with caffeine.
I recommend no more than one cup per day. Coffee does trigger a ‘Fight or Flight” response from the body and may very well allow one to burn out faster. If you;re tired during the day, take a nap. It has been shown that a 20 minute nap can pack in some high quality sleep cycles.

I can’t perform oly lifts in the school gym so I don’t have any data there. My numbers in 20 minute AMRAPs and any workout below 20 minutes improved. My numbers for longer workouts stayed the same. As Robb will tell you, I’m mostly built of type II muscle. Endurance is my weakness.

I was eating fruit at every meal and I would religiously eat 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes with cinnamon and 2 hard-boiled eggs after every workout.

Like Robb said, slow long distance relies heavily on fat for fuel. Being fat adapted should be advantageous for endurance athletes.

Did you sign up with Chestnut Farms or Chestnut Hill Farms? Either way, I’m sure the meat will be excellent. Enjoy!

I tried to cut a 1RM back squat short and ended up tweaking my sacroiliac joint. Nowadays, if I can’t do a full squat (way below parallel) with the weight, I don’t lift it.
I did a lot of bodyweight workouts and gymnastics during recovery. Stretching was really important. I have tight hips and glutes and that may have set me up for injury in the first place. I replaced heavy back squats with light overhead squats. Robb recommended some sled work and that was also really good. Once the back healed a little bit, I started incorporating a lot of light kettlebell work. I was then able to move back to light squats and deadlifts. My injury was almost completely healed when I started this experiment.

I think any type of diarrhea is dangerous over time. Aside from the obvious effect of dehydration, nutrient stores can be severely depleted and electrolyte balance can be affected if the condition persists for days. If it ever happens, I recommend a little bit of coconut water to hydrate and load up on lost electrolytes.
Robb might be more insightful on the whole constipation dealio. I’ve never had any problems of that sort.

Thanks for getting back to me. I go the Kirkland brand because you have said that it’s legit when it comes to purity. But do you recommend one Kirkland over the other?

180 Softgels – 648 mgs of EPA/DHA – roughly 75mgs of EPA/DHA per penny

OR

400 Capsules – 300 mgs EPA/DHA – roughly 123 mgs EPA/DHA per penny

I’m very concerned about purity, and was wondering if you “endorse” one over the other.

Also, as a side note, refrigerating my fish oil completely fixed the “fishy burp” problem. So thank you for that easy fix.

What works for me:
Lots of raw especially dark green leafy salads, like spinach or mixed greens (not lettuce – it’s not as effective). 3- 4 cups day at least, has minimal carbs so no issue here.
Ground flaxseed, 2 – 3 tablespoons a day – I have it with breakfast.
Kiwifruit, 1 – 2 per day proven to work in studies.
Take a course of probiotics, and use other probiotic foods like saurkraut.
Take lots of fish oil.

Thanks for the detailed food log and the links. I’ve experimented last few WODs with not taking in any food right afterward; the DeVany link was especially persuasive.

So, a few days ago I cut down about half my carb blocks to 5-6 per day and replaced with add’l fat blocks (up from 10 to about 25). Protein is the same at 10 blocks. I’m making a point to use coconut oil and unsweetened shredded coconut. I cut out the grains.

I have noticed improvements in recovery and I feel like I am just sailing through the metcons. Is this some kind of happy pill?

Also, as to the coconut specifically – when I eat a little coconut a couple hours before the WOD I find I don’t feel the need to immediately refuel after the WOD like I used to, and I don’t feel as cooked.

I do eat some quality dairy. Another future experiment might be removing the dairy but I am not going to immediately introduce another variable. So far without grains, so good. Unlike months ago I have had no ill effects or adjustment period cutting out the grains and lowering the carbs overall. I think the difference this time is where the fat is coming from and the amount of it (more coconut and fish oil; no nuts).

I’m curious too about long distance running with this low-carb approach and will check back….

Thanks again for all the great info guys!

Quick question on the fishoil. Robb I know you recommend the Kirkland product. But Mat, I see you prefer taking the liquid straight. Any thoughts/explanations on the preference. Specifically to Robb: do you take the Kirkland capsules that have about 300mgs of EPA/DHA or the ones that have 68X mgs of EPA/DHA? I ask only because the 300mg capsules are technically cheaper if you calculate milligrams of EPA/DHA per penny. Of course, taking those would also mean pounding about 30 capsules a day. Just wondering…

Starting tomorrow – low carb/paleo – looking forward to the fitness…

Good question. I typically really don’t care much for Zone Block Calculations but I’m on the bus back to Boston with nothing better to do. I’m a medium male, which would put me at approximately 17 blocks. The carbohydrate calculation is the trickiest because I think the zone counts fiber as carbohydrate where the ‘useable carbohydrate’ does not take fiber into account. 5 to 6 blocks of carbohydrate is good if fiber is not taken into account in the block system (5 blocks x 9 grams of carb/block= 45 grams of carb. Since, 17-5=12, I need to replace 12 carb blocks with 3×12 fat blocks (I’m assuming you’ve read Robb’s ’42 Ways to Skin the Zone’ article). So I need to add an extra 36 fat blocks to my prescription. I can see my abs so I use the athlete’s zone on 5 times fat. So that gives me a total of (5×16)+(3×12)=116 blocks of fat. Given that I’m using gluconeogenesis for glycogen replenishment, my protein intake probably needs to be higher than 17 blocks. I think anything between 18 and 20 blocks of protein would be good. The final tally would be something like 18–20 blocks protein, 5 blocks carbohydrate from vegetables, 116 blocks fat. I know the fat seems really high but keep in mind that it is the source of energy driving the process of gluconeogenesis.

@Mat Lalonde
Thanks for posting your results.

@Robb
Just pointed 2 students in my course this last week towards your blog. One was a Celiac and the other a Type 1.

It includes fitness tips, and teaches you getting in shape. Weight loss should not be done using extreme diets or related things like that! Getting in shape should be much easier. Find a fitness buddy and guide each other the path down low body fat today!

Do visit http://www.threesixtyhealth.com

Cheers,

Kelsey.

The Bitter Truth video was great. It wasn’t until about halfway through that I realised that the presenter was the same guy I read in an interview transcript from 2007 – here it is btw: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/healthreport/stories/2007/1969924.htm Lustig is great; a very engaging presenter.