Want Abs? Part 1

Introduction

Let’s face it, the one universal goal, whether we’re talking about a beginner fitness enthusiast or an elite athlete, is “the 6-pack.” There is extensive quality research to support the claims that a lean healthy body, relatively speaking, will be more energetic, and perform on a higher level (regardless of whether it is a playing field or an office). Most of us are now aware, or at least we should be, that there is no evidence to support the notion of “SPOT REDUCTION” (other than informercials!). Hence, after the skill has been taught, and the training has been done, if the ABS aren’t there, we’re left with… NUTRITION.

Any fitness and/or performance professional who has spent a decent amount of time in this industry has undoubtedly been tripped up by the mysteries of nutrition on at least a somewhat regular basis.

The guidelines we’ve been provided, by our government (I.E. the food guide pyramid), may have worked for a few, yet, seem to be more of a source of frustration for many trying to “lose weight,” or improve performance, and certainly for the professional trying to help. On top of that, add on the hundreds of “diet books,” “diet programs,” and “diet pills, drinks, & foods,” and we’ve got an undeniable mess that no one as yet has seem to sort out, right…? WRONG!

In the following series of articles, I will guide you through an outline of scientific rationale and methods - complete with research and resources - to learn how you and/or your clients, when taking a proactive approach, can learn how to customize your nutritional intake in order to become leaner, healthier, increase energy, and/or improve overall performance!

To begin with, we must learn how to ID and embrace valid research, and likewise, how to ID and reject bogus research. This is important, as you will discover that virtually all of the traditional beliefs you have about food and nutrition are false.

In the past few years, there has been a literal explosion of data in the nutritional sciences. Sometimes when addressing this data, we are put in the uncomfortable situation of realizing that today’s facts are rapidly becoming tomorrow’s fiction. However, by keeping an open mind and always questioning what we think we know, we will be able to provide ourselves with the best and most innovative information. (7a)

What everyone must understand is that learning how to “get ABS” is a mere BYPRODUCT of achieving OPTIMAL HEALTH. Therefore, it is my goal to teach all of you how to identify and stay away from “the hype” (I.E. big business, PR, the MEDIA, etc.), and learn how to CUSTOMIZE your own plan for vitality, improved quality of life, OPTIMAL HEALTH, and ultimately, getting “ABS.”

I only ask that you please keep an open mind. The information that follows is non-traditional, but, it is NOT NEW. By non-traditional I mean that it is unaffected, and untainted by big business, PR, and ultimately by OUR GOVERNMENT. The majority of the research that is contained within the scope of this article has been done by INDEPENDENT RESEARCHERS, and simply stated, is NOT INFLUENCED BY $$$.

The general public may be very unfamiliar with some of these concepts for any one of several reasons including:

• Those who’ve performed/provided this research/info (independent researchers), often times do not have the money to make it readily available to the general public. Likewise, those who have the money don’t want anything to do with it because there’s no money to be made in educating our society on TRUE HEALTH AND SELF-HEALING METHODS.
• If this research was popularized exponentially and made easily accessible to the public, certain industries would stand to suffer great financial loss (i.e. the traditional medical establishment, pharmaceuticals, the agricultural industry, the dairy industry, etc.).
• Resources will be provided in full. I invite readers to please follow up and CHECK MY STORY.

Hand-Delivered Traditional Perceptions of Nutrition

Rampton and Stauber reported that the first PR firms created in the early part of the last century, were the original fathers of “spin.” They made us think certain products were safe when they were dangerous. More importantly today, they have their hands in making us believe certain foods are healthy or harmless, when they’re actually making us all FAT & ILL. For years now, these corporate PR firms are responsible for masking agendas and creating illusions that deceive and misrepresent, for marketing purposes. (5, 7e)

There are literally countless examples of the effects of PR firms on our perceptions about nutrition. One such example involves GM (Genetically Modified) foods. The PR smoke screen surrounding GM foods was to claim that they are necessary to grow more food and to end world hunger, when the reality is that GM foods actually have lower yields per acre than natural crops. The grand design comes into focus when you do the research and realize that ALMOST ALL GM foods have been created by the sellers of herbicides and pesticides so that those plants can withstand greater amounts of… herbicides and pesticides. (5, 7e)

How about the classic campaign still running: “GOT MILK?” Our government heavily supports the dairy industry, at the expense of YOUR HEALTH! Please read “Milk, the Deadly Poison,” (10) by Cohen, as well as “The Curse of Louis Pasteur,” (9) by Appleton. Several other examples include: (7e)

• Pharmaceuticals restore health
• Vaccination brings immunity
• The cure for cancer is just around the corner
• When a child has a fever she/he needs Tylenol
• Hospitals are safe and clean
• America has the best health care in the world, and many more.

To achieve OPTIMAL HEALTH, we must learn how to identify PR & corporate sponsored “research” as it applies to health and nutrition. O’Shea identified 6 primary “Characteristics of Propaganda” that these firms use with chronic regularity. Easy to identify, they are as follows: (7e)

• Dehumanize the attacked party by labeling and name calling.
• Speak in glittering generalities using emotionally positive words (EX: chocolate can be good for you).
• When covering something up, don’t use plain English; stall for time; distract.
• Get endorsements from celebrities, churches, sports figures, street people – people who may have little or NO expertise in the subject at hand (Soft Drinks & Athletes).
• The “plain folks” ruse: “us billionaires are just like you.”
• When minimizing outrage, don’t say anything memorable, point out the benefits of what just happened, and avoid moral issues.

Keep this list. Start watching for these techniques. They’re not hard to find. Look at today’s paper or tonight’s TV news. See what they’re doing, THESE GUYS ARE GOOD!

What it boils down to is this: There are approximately 1,500 food manufacturing “scientists” currently in this country… 75 of them are independently funded! This means that 1,425 of these “scientists” and their “research” are BOUGHT & PAID FOR by big business and PR. (1)

The fundamental concept to understand here is that “real” scientists are seeking the truth because THEY DO NOT YET KNOW WHAT THE TRUTH IS. Accordingly, the TRUE scientific model goes as follows: (7e)

• Form hypothesis
• Make predictions for that hypothesis
• Test the predictions
• Reject or revise the hypothesis based on the research findings

However, contrast this with PR and its corporate sponsored research, whether it’s in the area of chemistry, GM foods, or drugs, it begins with PREDETERMINED CONCLUSIONS. It is the job of the “scientist” then to prove that these conclusions are true, because of the ECONOMIC UPSIDE that proof will bring to the industries PAYING FOR the research. Hence, research has become just another commodity, something to be bought and sold. So, our rule of thumb may be stated very bluntly: “IF EVERYBODY BELIEVES SOMETHING, IT’S PROBABLY WRONG.” Today, valid research and knowledge about nutrition takes an effort to find. (7e)

Kaplan put together a simple list that may aid in determining truth from fallacy entitled “SIFTING THROUGH THE FITNESS FADS - 5 tips on how to sort the fads from the facts.” (6)

1. Is the person endorsing the product or program an expert with any credential in fitness or nutrition?
2. Has that person been responsible for personally helping people like you achieve the results you strive to achieve, and if so, where is the evidence?
3. Does the product or program ask you to have concern for the three synergistic components that must be present in an effective positive technology of physical change - the right nutrition, moderate aerobic exercise, and a concern for muscle?
4. If it’s a nutritional product, are you being encouraged to eat supportive foods complete with complex carbohydrates, high quality proteins, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids?
5. Is there actual published peer reviewed research that is available for examination

Eating According to Your Metabolic Type

The bulk of this portion of information will be coming directly from “The Metabolic Typing Diet,” by Wolcott and Fahey, (unless otherwise cited), which I recommend making a reading priority. Other publications covering metabolic typing concepts that will be coming out in the near future are “Flatten Your Abs Forever,” by Paul Chek, (1) (which promises to be an incredible “holistic” resource), and, “The No Grains Diet,” by Dr. Joseph Mercola. (19)

There have been countless fad diets that have hit the markets in recent past. Yet few have provided any answers or results, and even fewer have provided results that are permanent. The reasons these “ONE SIZE FITS ALL” diets have and will continue to fail, are as follows: (2)

• They are concerned with losing “weight” rather than the correct approach of reducing bodyfat.
• They strip off vital muscle which is the major body component that burns fat in the first place.
• They take off weight far too fast, there by throwing the body into a defensive, fat-preserving condition. Research has suggested a healthy rate of weight loss to be between .5-1.5 pounds per week.

Metabolic typing is based on the fact that over thousands of years of evolutionary history, people in different parts of the world developed very distinct nutritional needs in response to a whole range of variables, including climate and geography and whatever plant and animal life their environments had to offer. As a result, people today have widely varying nutrient requirements, especially with regard to MACRONUTRIENTS – the PROTEINS, CARBOHYDRATES, and FATS that serve as the fundamental dietary “building blocks” – essential to sustaining life. We all need a full spectrum of nutrients. But, different people have genetically programmed requirements for different amounts of various nutrients. It is these differing genetically based requirements that explain why a certain nutrient can cause one person to feel GOOD, have NO EFFECT on another, and cause a third person to feel WORSE.

Believe it or not, obesity is often a sign of MALNOURISHMENT. Overweight people are literally starving for the right kinds of foods and nutrients to satisfy their hunger and NORMALIZE THEIR METABOLISM. Hence, “One man’s food, is another man’s poison!”

The bottom line is this: Unless you acquire all the nutrients for which you have a genetically programmed need (i.e. your metabolic type), your cells’ ability to perform their functions (i.e. burn fat, achieve optimal health, get ripped, WHATEVER), will be impaired! When you eat according to your own unique hereditary requirements, as opposed to following some universal dos and don’ts or randomly prescribed dietary advice, it’s entirely possible to:

• Prevent and reverse degenerative disease
• Strengthen you immune system
• ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN YOUR IDEAL WEIGHT
• Optimize physical energy and mental clarity
• Overcome mood swings and depression
• Enhance athletic performance and endurance

It is important to understand that if you’re overweight, you’re bound to have other physiological problems and nagging ailments of one kind or another. They may not be as noticeable or as bothersome as your weight, but they’re every bit as significant. The truth is, there’s only one way to achieve lasting weight loss, and that is within the context of building health.

Metabolic typing is based on the synergy of nine fundamental homeostatic control mechanisms, which regulate all the biochemical reactions taking place in the body at any given moment. All chronic diseases have one thing in common – they involve an imbalance in one or more of these control mechanisms. Metabolic typing is used to uncover and correct imbalances in these regulatory mechanisms (see diagram below).

NOTE: This diagram is referenced from “The Metabolic Typing Diet” by Wolcott & Fahey, pp. 67, and has been slightly modified for the sake of this article.

Wolcott explains how research has shown the most influential of these to be the OXIDATIVE system. Thus, a 65 question self-quiz was developed to aid in determining which of the THREE BASIC METABOLIC TYPES one might be:

• SLOW OXIDIZER= Require low-protein, low-fat, high carbohydrate diets.
• FAST OXIDIZER= Require high-protein, high-fat, low carbohydrate diets.
• MIXED OXIDIZER= Require relatively equal amounts of proteins, fats, & carbs.

What needs to be made very clear, is that if one makes a decision to become healthy, weight loss just naturally follows. There’s no single greater influence on your health than the food you eat several times a day, every single day of your life. Weight normalization is simply a component or a side effect of a much broader picture, involving balanced and efficient metabolism at every level, (i.e. cells-->Tissues-->Organs-->Systems), within the body. That is why the real secret to staying thin is no different from the secret to staying healthy. What you need to do first is to identify the specific raw materials that will support your body’s unique biochemical requirements, and then supply them in the right combinations. Then, simply step aside and let your body repair, rebuild, and regulate itself!

NOTE: This diagram is referenced from “The Metabolic Typing Diet” by Wolcott & Fahey, pp. 289, and has been slightly modified for the sake of this article.

In “Want ABS?” Part 2, I will be covering concepts on the MACRONUTRIENTS, the importance of a healthy DIGESTIVE SYSTEM, and a CONCLUSION.

REFERENCES & RECOMMENDED READING

1. Chek, P. (2001). Flatten Your Abs Forever. C.H.E.K Institute, CA. Video-Lecture, (book forth-coming).
2. Colgan, Dr. M. (1993). Optimum Sports Nutrition.
3. Netzer, C. T. (2000). The Complete Guide of Food Counts.
4. Dufty, William F. (2002). The Sugar Blues.
5. Rampton, S., & Stauber, J. (2002). Trust Us, We’re Experts!
6. Kaplan, P. (2001). Sifting Through the Fitness Fads. (www.PTontheNET.com).
7. Mercola, Dr. J. (www.mercola.com).
8. Brasco, J. Md. (2002). Low Grain and Carbohydrate Diets Treat Hypoglycemia, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Cancer, and Nearly ALLChronic Illness.
9. Crayhon, R. MS. (2002). The Paleolithic Diet and Its Modern Implications.
10. The Gaurdian. (2002). Dangerous Grains.
11. Mercola, Dr. J. (2002). Lower Your Grains & Lower your Insulin Levels! A Novel Way To Treat Hypoglycemia.
12. O’Shea, Dr. T. (2002). The Doors Of Perception: Why Americans Will Believe Almost Anything.
13. Rosedale, R. MD. (2002). Insulin and Its Metabolic Effects.
14. Thiessen, Dr. D. (2002). The Awful Truth About Eating Grains.
15. Appleton, N. PhD. (2002). 78 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health.
16. Wolcott, W. (2002). To Succeed at Any Diet, You Must Know Your Metabolic Type (parts 1 &2).
17. Wolcott, W. L; Fahey, T. (2000). The Metabolic Typing Diet.
18. Appleton, N. PhD. (2002). The Curse of Louis Pasteur. (www.nancyappleton.com).
19. Cohen, (1998). Milk, The Deadly Poison.
20. Cordain, L. (2001). The Paleo Diet.
21. Price, W.A. (1997). Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. 6th Ed.
22. Rivera, R. & Deutche, RD (1998). Your Hidden Food Allergies are Making You Fat.
23. Ross, J. (2000). The Diet Cure.
24. Simopoulos, A.P. (1999). The Omega Diet.
25. Waterhouse, D. (1999). Outsmarting the Female Fat Cell.
26. Waterhouse, D. (2001). Outsmarting Female Fatigue.
27. Williams, R. J. (1998). Biochemical Individuality. 2nd Ed.
28. Mercola, Dr. J. (2003). The No Grains Diet.