Like many academics in the nutrition and fitness field, Dr. Chris Mohr has all the typical fancy letters after his name. And like many of his colleagues, he speaks at lots of big conferences and sometimes pops up on TV shows as the go-to expert. (He's been on Montel Williams and the Discovery Health Channel, for example.)

And Dr. Mohr has also contributed to plenty of publications, including the NY Times Bestselling book, LL Cool J's Platinum Workout.

So what makes him different than any other academic out there? Well, he's a meathead, and I mean that in the nicest sense of the word. The guy actually practices what he preaches and would rather be grunting under a pile of iron than standing there giving a lecture on the Krebs cycle. That's refreshing, and it also means he has the practical experience to go along with all the book learnin'.

I had a chance to sit down with Dr. Mohr to discuss the best supplements, the obesity epidemic, and a number of other topics. Here's how it went down.

Testosterone Nation: We always like to hear what gets you academic, study-readin' types excited in this field. So, what's getting you pumped right now in the field of nutrition?

Dr. Christopher Mohr: There's always a ton going on in the world of nutrition, which is why I like it. You sit back for one day and there's new research you've missed. I love the low-carb/high-carb debates; it's like a ping pong match in the various scientific journals and lay publications.

And omega-3's get me all geeked up. Yes, that's what happens when you have a PhD: fish oil gets you excited. Sad, but true.

Nutrient timing is definitely interesting; we've known about recovery nutrition forever, but the research on pre and during workout nutrition is fairly new, even though those in the know have been practicing some of the strategies for years. Both are areas where you have to keep up with the research daily, otherwise you could miss some important information.

T-Nation: So what is the latest on pre, during, and post-workout nutrition? Anything cool?

Dr. Mohr: One of the problems with protein in a carbohydrate solution is the chalky aftertaste. It may not be a big issue with strength athletes in the gym, but try cycling for two hours with a "sticky" mouth when you never seem to be rehydrated.

Fortunately, there's a good amount of data suggesting all we need are the essential amino acids during this time vs. whole protein. This seems to help eliminate, or at least reduce, that chalky, "sticky" mouthfeel that's common and can definitely hinder performance. Again, not as much of an issue when hitting the weights, although it does bother some.

(Note: Dr. Mohr hasn't tried Biotest's Surge, which definitely doesn't have a chalky aftertaste.)

Tipton and others have shown that 35 grams of simple carbohydrates with 6 grams of essential amino acids are all that's necessary for protein synthesis. You get that amount of essentials in around 15-20 grams of a quality protein.

Some other cool data coming out of the UK by one of the leading carbohydrate researchers, Asker Jeukendrup, shows that a combination of carbohydrates is much more effective to improve the amount of carbs we can oxidize during activity. That's why Gatorade, as well as other products on the market, are made of a few different types of carbohydrates.

If you search pubmed.org for "Jeukendrup," you'll see a ton of very interesting data. And what makes it even better is that he's a great endurance athlete himself, not just a lab rat.

T-Nation: How about training? Any new research out there that has you excited?

Dr. Mohr: Even though I'm more of a "nutrition guy," my PhD is in exercise physiology and I've personally been lifting for about 15 years, so I love to talk training as well.

I love the data on interval training that's emerging. Again, like nutrient timing, athletes are often light years ahead of the science, but that's the nature of the game. Studies can't happen overnight, even though anecdotally we know things work (or don't).

A researcher from the University of New South Wales in Australia actually just sent some data from his lab showing how sprint intervals improved fat loss above and beyond steady state exercise. Now, don't jump down my throat yet saying "we've known this forever," because like it or not we need evidence-based science backing our recommendations.

Again, anecdotally, athletes have known this (look at the physiques of sprinters), but science is limited in this arena, but it is growing.

T-Nation: What do you think the "next big thing" in supplementation is going to be?

Dr. Mohr: The next big thing... that's the million dollar question, isn't it? I get similar questions from readers all the time, asking about product XYZ being the "next magical pill."

To be honest, this may be a boring answer, but omega-3's are the biggest thing in my mind. It's like, what else will they discover that these are useful for? And it's not just about disease prevention. There's very cool data with fish oil and weight loss, recovery, decreasing neck and back pain, mental acuity, etc.

For example, a recent study published in Surgical Neurology supplemented individuals with 1100 mg of EPA/DHA. Most patients had degenerative disc conditions (notice the carry-over for powerlifters or those who move some serious iron with potential overuse injuries). After 75 days of fish oil supplementation, 60% of respondents reported significant improvements, including reduction in overall pain, and 59% were able to stop taking other pain medicine!

To me, that's cool data. Sure, performance is fantastic, but so is the ability to continue to move well past your 30's.

It took the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) a long time to finally suggest all adults should take a multivitamin. I have a feeling fish oil will follow in those footsteps. Of course, whole fish provides a ton of other nutrients as well, above and beyond supplementation alone, so I encourage you to get a nice chunk of your protein from fish like wild Alaskan salmon and other cold water fish.

And speaking of wild salmon, I recently came across one of my favorite products on the market — salmon jerky. It's an amazing source of protein and omega-3's — so take that, beef jerky. Don't get me wrong, I love beef jerky as much as the next guy, but if I can get the same protein and omega-3's, sign me up!

So, omega-3's are the "next" big supplement in my mind.

T-Nation: So if you could choose only one supplement, would it be fish oil?

Dr. Mohr: You're trying to back me into a corner, huh? First it would be a multivitamin/mineral, then next would be fish oil. But I consider both "baseline" supplements that I believe everyone should consume.

Of course, make sure you understand drug/nutrient interactions and that fish oil could interact with blood thinning medications, aspirin, and other antiplatelet aggregates. So much amazing data with those omega's, though, it's very powerful.

T-Nation: Now, you worked with LL Cool J on his book, LL Cool J's Platinum Workout. What was your role there?

Dr. Mohr: I was the nutrition consultant for the book. I wrote the chapter on nutrition and I created the meal plans for the book to match LL's dietary choices.

I was also interviewed to answer some nutrition basics that are throughout the book. I was honored to be asked to work on the project and it's been very exciting watching it climb the charts. It peaked at number five on the NY Times Bestseller list!

T-Nation: LL has a great physique, but does he really eat well?

Dr. Mohr: He does, and they brought me on board to ensure his plan works and make sure it's scientifically sound. He's not in great shape solely because of genetics.

Of course people often accuse him of this and also give him flack because "it's easy when you have all that money to buy a trainer, chef, and nutritionist." Well, the fact of the matter is that all the money in the world doesn't buy dedication.

People often make themselves feel better by trying to push off their lack of dedication on someone else who's had success. I've seen plenty of multi-millionaire CEO's who could also buy anything they wanted; fitness and health were just not priorities, but LL makes it his.

I was on business in California when he happened to have a concert out there, so we went to the concert and spent some time chatting before and after the show. After it was over, instead of staying out and partying until the next morning, he hit the gym at 1 AM because there wasn't any other time during the day when he could fit it in. That's dedication.

Another time we were in New York. When we all went to lunch, he did what anyone looking to fine tune his physique would do: he ordered a lean cut of red meat and substituted the mashed potatoes for steamed veggies, with a cup of unsweetened green tea as his drink.

It's not rocket science, but making simple changes like that on a daily basis is what it takes for success. The foods he eats and his training are in the book. He was involved in reviewing everything to ensure that it was true to him, his lifestyle, and his beliefs. That's the reason it was a bestseller — it's not just a bunch of fluff with a celebrity endorsement.

T-Nation: Good to know. Now, when it comes to diet, everyone argues about which is best, low-carb, low-fat, etc. What does the research say?

Dr. Mohr: Well, we can debate this forever, and that's already been done a lot on this very site. I know folks talk about the thousands of low-carb studies showing they're better than low-fat, but since I always remind people to take everything with a grain of salt and do their own research to explore, the same goes for this topic. If you do some literature searches on low-fat diets, there's actually a ton more studies supporting their efficacy over the long haul!

First, when folks talk about low-carbohydrate diets, the first thing they need to clarify is "what is low-carb?" Way too often I hear people tell me they're on a low-carb diet, which gives them the freedom to live off pepperoni, bacon, sausage, steak, pork rinds, shortening, etc., as long as there are no fruits, grains, or veggies.

There's a difference between low-carbohydrate and just plain ignorance. And if you're an athlete training multiple hours throughout the day, you need a nice chunk of those calories from carbs if you want to perform well.

When looking at carbs vs. fat for weight loss, let's look at some of the research. First, any reduced calorie diet is necessary for weight loss, whether that reduction comes from carbs or from fat. I understand that there are some intricacies with each, so I'm not recommending a blind reduction in calories, as long as it's a reduction. I'm all about nutrient quality and would rather have folks focus on eating a high nutrient diet rather than looking for anything that remotely resembles a carbohydrate and acting as if it's kryptonite.

Now, there are data supporting both lower carbohydrate approaches and lower fat approaches. That basically means whatever you want to believe in can work — and there's data to support it. However, what's most important, and this data has been shown most recently in a publication in JAMA, is adherence to a program. It's not as much about carbs or fat as it is about you following something... anything!

T-Nation: Wasn't there a recent study touting the superiority of low-carb diets that all the lay press picked up? What was that all about?

Dr. Mohr: Yes, that study compared four diets: Atkins (low-carb), Zone (moderate carb), LEARN (food pyramid approach), and Ornish (low-fat).

While it appeared from the final data that the Atkins group did significantly better than the lower fat group, what was interesting was that the Atkins group wasn't even close to an Atkins diet! By the end (12 months) they were eating 35% of total calories from carbohydrates. On the other hand, the Ornish group was consuming approximately 30% of their calories from fat, which, according to Dr. Ornish, should only be around 10%.

Now, how can anyone draw the conclusion from that study that Atkins is better? A diet that provides 35% of its calories from carbohydrate is far from Atkins and vice versa for Ornish.

And even though the lower carbohydrate group did do "better" with their weight loss, total weight loss at the end of one year was only around 7 pounds. If you were trying to lose fat or working with a client who was, how long would you last on a program if all you lost was just over a half a pound per month?

It's not as easy as simply telling folks "stop eating carbohydrates (or fat)." The key is teaching people what behavioral strategies can enhance success and, ultimately, fat loss maintenance.

T-Nation: Behavior modification seems to be the password here for long term results.

Dr. Mohr: There's no way around it; behavior modification is the most important component of any fat loss program.

In an earlier study that compared those same four diets (except they used Weight Watchers instead of LEARN), also published in JAMA, the researchers found that at the end of one year, 50% of the people in the Atkins and Ornish groups dropped out of the program. I don't care if you're a low-carb or low-fat person, both Atkins and Ornish are extremes and difficult to maintain for life.

You can absolutely lose fat on both, but can you maintain that loss for life? Why do you think people lose and gain the same 10 pounds year after year after year? The authors in that study concluded that it didn't matter what "diet" they followed; it mattered that they adhered to the program.

And that's the underlying issue for any fat loss plan, which is why planning and moderation are important. Unless you're getting ready to step on stage in your skivvies, folks don't need to count every single ounce of nutrients they put into their bodies. We need to be realistic with our approach.

I agree that most people don't need a ton of carbohydrates, unless you're an endurance athlete who exercises a great deal and then you do need a hefty dose. Focus on quality of all nutrients. I'd love it if 80-90% of your carbohydrates came from colorful fruits and vegetables.

It kills me when people talk about limiting fruits in particular because they "cause insulin spikes and make you fat." Please find me one person who has gotten fat from eating too many fruits and vegetables. Americans eat an average of two to three per day — a far cry from what's recommended. All this dietary confusion can lead to people just throwing their hands up and giving up.

T-Nation: Back to supplements. I saw you speak at the last ACSM Summit and you had some interesting info about hoodia, which seems to be the most popular weight loss supplement out there right now, at least with the housewife market. Why is it popular and does it really work?

Dr. Mohr: Hoodia is interesting. What's actually most interesting is that someone looked at this Hoodia cactus from the desert in Southern Africa, determined that the Bushmen tribesman are thin because they feed off this cactus and have no appetites, and all of a sudden Anna Nicole Smith was touting its efficacy for Trim Spa.

Let's look at the facts. Hoodia is sold as a "secret" of a population that never experienced the problem America is attempting to resolve. While components of Hoodia may have appetite suppressing properties, a mild appetite suppressant won't cure obesity. It doesn't tackle any of the underlying issues that caused the disease in the first place (goes back to the behavior issue I mentioned earlier).

Here's the data. The component of the Hoodia cactus that has the appetite suppressing properties is called P57. Pfizer was working to create an appetite suppressant drug using the P57 compound, but have since abandoned their mission, meaning we're reliant on dietary supplements that supposedly contain "pure Hoodia extract."

However, an investigation into how much Hoodia is actually contained in the products on store shelves revealed very little, if any, actual Hoodia was in the products that suggest it is a "scientifically sound, research driven formula."

I have a hunch that "scientists" at many of these supplement companies aren't importing actual extracts from the Hoodia gordonii cacti in Africa. Very simply, leave it on the shelf.

T-Nation: What about the thermogenic properties of green tea? We hear about that a lot, but don't you have to drink a dozen cups a day to get the mild effect?

Dr. Mohr: Now this is a bit more interesting, with real research to actually support it (but also some to refute it). Green tea extract has recently seen a surge in popularity and even green tea as a beverage has surged in popularity as it's the most widely consumed beverage in the world, second only to water.

Without turning up the nerd factor too much, here it is in a nutshell. The particular extract in green tea that is of importance is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). EGCG is one of four catechins found in green tea. However, it's not only the EGCG that appears to be relevant in green tea, but also the naturally occurring caffeine. They seem to be synergistic in the process of increasing thermogenesis.

Basically, the normal hormonal response to increase thermogenesis is short lived. EGCG and caffeine appear to have the ability to prolong the normally transient effect. Very simply, if this can happen, we can burn more calories. Seems fantastic, huh?

One study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that 270 mg of EGCG significantly increased resting metabolic rate over a 24 hour period when compared to caffeine and placebo. But not all research is promising. A more recent study didn't shown such promise.

This study provided overweight women with green tea extract (1125 catechines) + caffeine (300 mg) or placebo in conjunction with a lower calorie diet. The authors found that there were no significant differences between fat mass or fat free mass between groups or placebo.

They concluded that there was no significant effect of treatment over time with the green tea extract supplement above and beyond the placebo group. Again, that's why I say take everything with a grain of salt and you can find support for whatever your cause (within reason).

What I think is most interesting is that green tea as a beverage has a ton of supportive research. In fact, tea as a beverage is correlated to lower body weight and body fats, so drink up! Hint: Herbal teas don't have the same benefit — it's all in the white, green, or black teas.

T-Nation: Good to know. Now, I've always been fascinated with the fact that we know more today about how to lose fat and be healthy than ever before, yet we as a population are getting fatter and fatter. Why? And what's the solution?

Dr. Mohr: Unfortunately it's not as easy as pointing a finger at just one thing. Here's a list that just scratches the surface.

1. The fact that many Americans take zero responsibility for themselves and their actions and expect everything to be handed to them. No one is entitled to anything; we need to work every day to achieve our goals and reach a level of success.

2. Decreased leisure time physical activity over the years since most people have sedentary jobs. Even those who spend 60 minutes in the gym every day spend those other 23 hours being inactive.

3. Increasing number of calories available for each of us to eat on a daily basis.

4. Eating out at restaurants more often than we used to.

5. Not making time for ourselves.

6. Not planning our meals.

7. Increase in fast food consumption.

8. Increase in portion sizes.

9. Reliance on processed junk foods with less and less of our diet focused on real, whole foods.

10. Eating too few fruits and vegetables.

11. Eating too little fiber.

I could go on forever. Notice I said nothing about eating a high carbohydrate diet or high fat diet. It's a lot more than that — there are too many other underlying issues that are important.

If diets were successful, there wouldn't be so many. It's about simple changes, not drastic overhauls causing you to turn your life upside down.

T-Nation: Now let's flip the script a bit. Forget regular people. What about those who want to build slabs of pulsating muscle? How do we overeat to gain muscle and not end up as an obesity statistic?

Dr. Mohr: From one former fat boy to the next, Chris, this is definitely something I've tried to figure out myself. It's not as easy as ramming everything down your gullet as long as it's not nailed down, unless you want to go back to the days of "having more rolls than a bakery."

You need to have a methodical approach to your diet and your training. Of course, I'm assuming you're training properly and getting adequate rest. Then, with your nutrition, I typically determine calorie needs and add 500 calories to that number for weight gain.

I'd rather start small and add calories as necessary vs. a general recommendation to add 1000s of calories and then cut back once you realize that your distended stomach isn't muscle.

I also didn't say start with supplements. These can be considered once your nutrition and training are in order, but too many people take endless lists of products and wonder why they're not gaining, yet don't focus at all on their diets.

To begin, stick to the basics. Additional calories should come from a balance of nutrients — some whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. It's very easy to add 500 calories. Have a handful of raw almonds or walnuts, mix some fruit into plain, nonfat yogurt, and you're pretty much set.

And this is why it's so easy to overdo it: 500 calories isn't a lot. If you don't notice small changes in about two weeks, add more calories in small doses. Just like weight loss shouldn't happen overnight, neither should weight gain. Slow and steady will yield better, more sustainable results that can last.

T-Nation: Good info, Chris. Where can T-Nation go to find out more about you and your services?

Dr. Mohr: First, check out my website, www.MohrResults.com, to learn more about us. For info about my meal planning software, go to www.mealplans101.com.

Finally, I co-authored a fat loss manual with T-Nation's own Alwyn Cosgrove where we lay out a 99 day training and nutrition plan for you: www.humaninferno.com.

T-Nation: Cool, thanks for the chat!

Dr. Mohr: Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. You guys do a great job and are solid providers of state of the art training and nutrition info!