Bodybuilding's Dr. House applies his nutritional knowledge and insight to cure a lifter who's lost his will to lift.
When your diet stalls, should you decrease calories or increase exercise? Dr. Lowery has the answer.
Target your lower abs and love handles with this freaky method of spot reduction!
How to use the Pulse Fast to build mountains of muscle without all the fat gain.
Dr. Lowery white-knuckled his way around the country to get the first word about the research that could change the way you train.
The high-fructose corn syrup people are telling you their product is the same as sugar, but they're lying mo-fo's.
The Warrior Nerd battles the evil dietary establishment in a protein battle to the death.
All dietary fats supply caloric density for supporting the energy-costly process of protein synthesis. This is a boon for thin, ectomorphic guys trying to gain weight. But since we Americans consume far too many trans fats and omega-6 type fatty acids, an increased focus on monounsaturated fatty acids (e.g. olive oil) and omega-3 fatty acids like flax and fish oils are even better.
The average American consumes just 5 to 15 grams of fiber daily. This is paltry and not well understood by our ancient DNA. New 2005 DRI Guidelines suggest 38 grams of total fiber per day for men and 25g daily for women. That's more than double what most people consume. In fact, 9 out of 10 Americans fall short. There's solid and growing evidence that higher fiber intakes offer lower risk of fat gain, partly by lowering the insulin and glycemic effects of a meal. So get more fiber!
I love beef in a big bloody way, but as a society we've taken cattle off their natural diet (grass) and served them up copious quantities of corn. Grass-fed beef is far superior to corn-fed beef. The fatty acid composition is much better suited for hardcore bodybuilders and health conscious folks alike.
Although learning to be lazy can actually be a good thing for ectomorphs trying to gain weight, the opposite is true for any of us wondering why we can't lose that extra fat despite our workouts and dietary practices. Most of our kcal burning day is spent outside the gym. If you hate cardio, take a look at your non-exercise physical activity (NEPA). Stuck on a fat loss plateau? Take a look at your NEPA. Afraid to cut your calories any lower? Take a look at your NEPA.
Eating a big breakfast has been shown to result in lower daily calorie intake. This result, which could be related to less evening bingeing, might sound good to those who have a tough time staying away from after-dinner munchies. The effect is small, at just 100 kcal less per day, but it's nonetheless welcome to many dieters. Rather than a late-day satiating effect, the general increase in overall fiber intake among breakfast-eaters could be what's helpful. In any case, the 100 kcal reduction could add up over time. Don't skip a big healthy breakfast!
Can't lose fat? Can't figure out why? Well, can you answer simple "yes" or "no" questions? Of course you can! And that's all Dr. L's nifty little algorithm requires. You should have the answer to your fat-loss dilemma in no time and soon be well on your way to buffdom.
Eat 30-40 grams of fiber daily, mostly from fruits and vegetables. For reasons similar to protein, getting in 5-10 grams of fiber per meal prevents consumption of less desirable foods. This is because it's filling and offers metabolic advantages. Are you getting enough fiber?
Eat on a schedule regardless of hunger! Simply divide the number of needed daily macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat) by six meals and that's what's needed every two to three hours. Eat them or be a shrunken flabby-man. Period!
Are your bulking phases, or just the act of eating like a bodybuilder, shortening your athletic career or your life? It's possible, but Dr. L's got a plan and it involves "calorie restriction mimetics." Read, learn, live long and prosper.
Buy whole grain or flax pasta (Hodgeson Mill has one with 500 mg linolenic acid and 6 g fiber) and cook it Sunday night. Then run hot water over it at mealtime. This is an old restaurant trick and makes pretty good — and instant — pasta. Mixing pasta 50/50 with nuked frozen veggies dilutes the carbs and kcal. Add in pre-cooked or canned chicken if you're swamped for time!
"No one in this world can you trust: not men, not women, not beasts... this you can trust." — Conan's father
Should morning cardio be performed on an empty stomach or not? Well, here's what I like to do: Add a half-scoop of protein to a cup of java an hour before mild to moderate morning cardio. This will help you attack stored fat directly, before the lingering protective effects of insulin get involved. The small amount of protein (about 10 grams) may actually help combat cortisol (a potential morning problem especially when coffee is involved) and preserve muscle mass without jacking your insulin too high.
Did you know that enough sleep deprivation in rodents causes death? Or that there's a nearly linear relationship between hours of sleep and body mass index (a crude marker of obesity in non-athletes)? Or how about the fact that sleep debt contributes to carb intolerance and fat gain over time? Of course this is to say nothing of immune dysfunction, altered physical performance, and mental clarity. Lesson: Lack of sleep could be why your progress in the gym has stalled.
Two studies suggest an endocrine benefit of eating breakfast that could extend to more muscle mass and less downtime from training. The first investigation concluded that eating breakfast reduces circulating cortisol. The second suggests fewer severe upper-respiratory tract infections among breakfast eaters. And we can appreciate how annoying and distressing a head cold can be when it interferes with lifting well or even lifting. Moral: Don't skip breakfast!
If you haven't heard of the wonders of broccoli, you may want to relocate out from under your rock. With bountiful phytochemicals, including cancer-fighting indoles (also found in cabbage and cauliflower), this is great stuff. Remember that cruciferous veggies provide indole-3-carbinol which has been shown to be anti-estrogenic. And let us not forget the soluble fiber and very few kcal that make broccoli a filling, satisfying boon for dieters.
If you haven't heard of the wonders of broccoli, you may want to relocate out from under your rock. With bountiful phytochemicals, including cancer-fighting indoles (also found in cabbage and cauliflower), this is great stuff. Remember that cruciferous veggies provide indole-3-carbinol which has been shown to be anti-estrogenic. And let us not forget the soluble fiber and very few kcal that make broccoli a filling, satisfying boon for dieters.
Eating well doesn't have to mean eating expensively. Yes, low-fat and low-carb specialty goodies are pricey, but these shouldn't be staples anyway! Canned salmon and tuna are cheap protein. Skim milk or even powdered milk is great on multiple levels such as high quality protein, potassium, vitamin D and calcium for fat loss, etc. Frozen fruits and vegetables are very comparable to fresh in quality and can be bought cheaply in one-pound bags. Dried beans are dirt-cheap. Lower-cost 18 packs of eggs are also a great, high-protein post-workout meal with toast (say, one or two whole eggs and six to eight egg whites with four pieces of toast and jam).
