MACAFit Life on Blogspot (the old blog)

Wellness

Awesome UFC Spinning Session

Got a good spin in while watching UFC Chicago.  Will do it again soon so stay tuned.  The numbers don't lie!!

Dave

1425 calories!

Post workout nutrition....and yes...those ARE Buffalo Wild Wings!!

The Official MACAFitLife UFC Fight Night Spinning Workout in Observance of the Tour de France

Tour de France and Triathlon/Cycling Junkies: hone your cycling skills while watching one of the most exciting sports on the planet.

Main Card Starts at 5pm PST.  Join me!!!

I'll be doing a spin workout while watching tonight's UFC Main Card.  Kick your own ass while watching some serious ass kicking!!

Equipment Required:

• Bicycle
• Stationary Trainer: Magnet, Fluid, or Wind Resistance
• Stretch Band for Rows
  

Instructions:

• Pick at least 2 fights
• EZ warm-up spinning with little resistance during the media (commercials, commentary, etc.) before the first fight
• Spin with light to moderate resistance at 90-95 RPM during odd rounds (1,3,5)
• Mash a moderate to heavy gear while seated to simulate seated climbing during even rounds (2,4)
• Stand-Up and mash your heaviest gears between rounds. 

During the commentary and build-up between your first and second fight, perform this technique sequence and repeat until the next fight starts:

• 45 revolutions light to moderate resistance, single leg pedaling with R leg clipped in
• 45 revolutions light to moderate resistance, single leg pedaling with L leg clipped in
• 2 minutes light resistance, high cadence spinning (95-105 RPM) 
• 1 minute moderate resistance with high cadence while on drops (sprint simulation)

At the end of the fights when you're done riding and cooling down for 5 minutes, do the following resistance movements:

• 50 push-ups for knockouts
• 50 resistance band rows for submissions
• 25 push-ups, 25 rows, and 25 crunches for decisions  (you want finishes!!)
• 
  
• 

I'll be posting my total caloric expenditure at the end of the night so stay tuned!!!

DAVE

15-minute blog: Before you add that artificial sweetener...

Thousands of people use non-caloric artificial sweeteners (NAS) to ad a little flavor to their drinks but studies show they may want to use a more natural sweetener such as Stevia.

Lemme tell you why...

The gut is filled with bacteria that process much of the foods we eat.  These bacteria create byproducts that are absorbed through our gut and make their way into our bloodstream.  Some bacteria create byproducts that are good for us, and others create toxic byproducts that hurt us.  The foods we consume play a large role in determining which bacteria, good or bad, thrive in our guts.  The more bad bacteria we have in our guts, the more our bodies suffer from their harmful byproducts.

Apparently, NASs  changes the balance of bacteria in our guts and promote some pretty bad things.  A study published in the September 2014 Nature journal demonstrated how the intestinal microbiota (the variety of bacteria living in the intestines) of mice that consumed NASs was altered resulting in glucose intolerance.  Glucose intolerance is a pre-diabetic state of high blood sugar and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

The book Brain Maker by Dr. David Perlmutter goes pretty deep into detail about what foods are good and bad for our microbiota so if this stuff interests you, I suggest you go out and purchase his book.

I've been using Stevia to sweeten my foods for the past 12 years.  I think it took a little getting used to but now I can't even taste the difference between Stevia and sugar.  A 2010 Systematic Review of Stevia published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition stated the following:

"Stevia is likely to become a major source of high-potency sweetener for the growing natural food market in the future. Although Stevia can be helpful to anyone, there are certain groups who are more likely to benefit from its remarkable sweetening potential. These include diabetic patients, those interested in decreasing caloric intake, and children. Stevia is a small perennial shrub that has been used for centuries as a bio-sweetener and for other medicinal uses such as to lower blood sugar. Its white crystalline compound (stevioside) is the natural herbal sweetener with no calories and is over 100−300 times sweeter than table sugar."

A Stevia Plant: All Natural Sweetener

 The bottom line is that you should stay away from artificial sweeteners but if you can't, make it a point to ingest probiotics to promote the proliferation of 'GOOD' bacteria in your gut.  It blows my mind because many use these sweeteners to prevent glucose intolerance while ironically increasing their risk by using NASs.  Crazy, eh?


Happy eating and hope this helps,

DAVE

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Ketogenic Diet Day 34: FAT is key.....

Calories Down and So Is Appetite...

Today's Breakfast:  2x eggs over easy (hidden under the salad)- 160, shrimp sauteed in whole butter- 220, salmon-187, Avocado-111, and Ceasar Dressing-90 calories.  Just under 800 calories total.

...and STILL pink!

I shifted from All-You-Can-Eat to a Calorie-Conscious Ketogenic diet 4 days ago; the numbers on the weight scale are changing and I'm not feeling any different.  In all the studies I've read (search Ketogenic diet on the side bar for relevant posts), the ratio of fat calories to protein and carbohydrates is what's responsible for increased levels of satiety.  The amount of fat I consume in the morning keeps me satisfied for the next 6-10 hours and I can do physical work without craving anything but fluids.  My morning calories are between 700 and 1000 calories when they originally varied between 1300-1500 calories.  Dinner, my second meal, has the same macronutrient ratios and calories as breakfast (70% fat-20% protein-10% carbs) to address my macronutrient needs; I don't want neglect my daily protein requirements or shift my body into a state of starvation.

Daily caloric expenditure is a steady 3000 calories on my non-workout days and 3600 on the days I train therefore I am at a consistent deficit.

I continue to remain in a state of ketosis despite having some Mexican Albondigas and an 11 oz. Stella Artois; the Albondigas had white rice mixed into it and for a moment I thought the carbs might take me out of ketosis.  This morning's urine test showed pink and I am happy.

A 2008 study showed how a diet rich in long chain Omega-3 fatty acids controlled appetites among obese subjects.  I take my fish-oil and flaxseed (fat pills) supplements every morning and am sure they may contribute to my satiety.

The bottom line: Go Keto, Eat Fat, and Get Skinny

Hapy Eating,

DAVE

15-minute Blog: SMART High Intensity Training

I had my time on the high-intensity training wagon, preaching TABATA and telling my endurance buddies to stop wasting their time with their distance training.  And then I stepped back and saw the big picture: there's a time to do high intensity, a time for low intensity, and life is better when you do BOTH in moderation.

I jumped on the  High-Intensity wagon initially because of it's success for fat reduction and time efficiency.  The only downside to high intensity training is fatigue and discomfort.  I recently saw a forum thread entitled HIIT (high-intensity interval training) burns 9-times more fat than regular cardio.  This thread cited the infamous TABATA protocol of 7-8 bouts of 20 seconds of high intensity work followed by 10 seconds of recovery.  It blew my mind when I saw some of the subsequent forum posts suggesting the WORST modes of exercise for this protocol.

FACT: Most if not ALL the studies on  high intensity interval training and its dramatic rate of fat loss and cardiovascular gains were performed on ergometers A.K.A. STATIONARY BICYCLES.

• The TABATA protocol required one to push at 120% of their VO2 max. for 20 seconds at a time.  Remember that VO2max is the maximum work output one can do aerobically, and 120% of it means that one is going significantly anaerobic.  120% of one's VO2 max is pretty damn exhausting and the national caliber speed skaters in the original TABATA study were wiped out after the 20 minute protocol (includes warm-up and cool-down).  My point is that these people generated ridiculous amounts of fatigue to perform the protocol correctly and that the bicycle ergometers  allowed for high levels of fatigue without increased chance of injury.  There were idiots on the forum thread bragging about doing the protocol with heavy and technical lifts!  Try and do a technical or heavy lift (snatch, clean, deadlift, etc.) under tremendous fatigue and I guarantee form will suffer.  Try and push through such exercises with compromised form and the likelihood of injury goes through the roof!

The moral of this post is to be smart when selecting your mode of high intensity interval training.  Pick an exercise where the likelihood of injury remains low even if your form goes to shit.  I would recommend the stationary bike, the elliptical machine, a rower or any other exercise machine that allows one to bail out quickly, and that doesn't require a whole lot of technique.  Get fit, save time, but don't get hurt.

Happy Training,

DAVE

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Exercise: Forget Training Core, Train Posture

My Favorite Therapist to Patient Dialogue

Physical therapist:  So the doctor recommended we do core training to alleviate your back pain. 

Patient:    Core training?  Whaddya mean core training?  I train my core every day in the gym.  I do crunches, hanging leg raises, twists,... shit,...I even do the kipping pull-ups that my coach says are more core than anything else!  Look at these abs!!! 

"Look at these abs!!"

Most injuries to the lower back occur because of poor movement and/or lack of stabilization.  Healthcare professionals often recommend core strengthening for injury prevention and to treat back issues.  Unfortunately, many attempt to train the core with exercises that involve spinal movement when really, core training is more about conditioning the spine NOT to move.

My clients easily grasp the concept of core stabilization when I tell them that they're really training postures and conditioning the body to maintain them against external forces.

A Little About Neutral Spine (posture)

A neutral posture is one that can absorb, generate, and support the most amount of force possible (in most cases).  As a result, a neutral spine allows for optimal power, injury prevention, and decreased wear on vertebral joints.  So who wouldn't want to practice maintaining neutral?

Click on Image for Extensive Description of Neutral Spine

The following are some posture training exercises along with questions I tell clients to ask themselves while performing them.  

The Prone Plank

• can I hold neutral posture while gravity attempts to pull my belly and head down?  I often reinforce the idea that the neck is part of the body's 'SYSTEM' so its positioning is as important as what's happening about the trunk and pelvis.
  

The Side Plank

• can I hold neutral posture while gravity works to bend me laterally?
  

Supine Leg Lifts

• Can I hold neutral posture from my head to my tailbone without allowing gravity's force on my legs to arch my back?
  

Running (now things are getting complicated!)

• Can I maintain neutral posture and minimize any rotation or lateral sway while moving my arms and hips in opposition?
  

I could post a ton more pics but I figure you get the point.  The moral of the story is that core (stability) training makes more sense if you go from the perspective of training to maintain certain postures rather than focusing on building specific muscles.

Happy training and hope this gives you some perspective,

DAVE

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Ketogenic Diet Day 30: Decreased consumption

I took AD LIBITUM to another level:

Teriyaki Hawaiian Chicken-180 cal., Avocado-364 cal., Butter (on veggies) 140 cal., and Cheese-150 cal.  Total is approximately 934 calories counting the cup of coconut milk I drank.  

...and now I'm gonna fix it!

AD LIBITUM (adjective) - in accordance with one's desires.  In the world of nutrition, it means as much as one feels like eating.

 If you've been keeping up with my food posts, you've probably seen the high-volume and high-calorie breakfasts (between 1300-1500 calories) I've consumed over the past month.  I'm at exactly 30 days of being on this diet and have steadily lost weight but not enough, at least in my mind.

A 2008 study involving obese men on a high protein Ketogenic diet had subjects losing approximately 14 pounds (6.34 kg) over the course of 4 weeks, all while eating as much as they wanted.  Granted, I'm not obese, but I expected to lose more than the 3.5 pounds I've lost this past month.

The one point I wanted to get across in my posts was that I've been eating to my heart's content; I haven't made any effort to limit my calories this whole month and have been losing instead of gaining weight.  I think I might have done too much to make that point.  You see, I would practically force myself to finish the food I prepared in each post (but c'mon, you gotta admit it was some tasty food!)  It pains me to admit that there were even times when my stomach would actually hurt from eating so much!

Another study published in 2003 compared the effects of a low carbohydrate diet vs. a low fat diet on overweight adolescents and it showed subjects that consumed a low-carb diet (ad libitum) losing an average of 21.78 pounds over 12 weeks, that's 7.26 pounds per month and over double what I've lost!

My clothes fit me better, I've maintained my strength, and my fitness levels have improved so I'm happy but I could afford to lose more fat.

My plan now is to decrease (NOT LIMIT) my breakfast calories.  Today's total was approximately 600 calories less than what I've been eating (934 instead of 1500) and I still felt full after eating it.  I'll continue to focus on eating 1-2 meals a day with occasional snacks.  Race day is exactly 2 months from yesterday so I've gotta get leaner faster.  #RippedbySeptember

I'll keep you posted.

DAVE

15-minute Blog: Keta Salmon as an inexpensive source of lean protein and Omega-3s

KETA SALMON

The salmon is there in the top R hand corner of the plate.  I couldn't help but devour the skin before taking the picture.

I scored some Keta salmon fillets at the local Ralph's grocery store this morning; they were just $4.99 per pound so purchased a pound.  I seasoned them with a combo of  with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and Tony Cacciatore's salt-free seasoning, and sauteed them in some bacon grease for 5 minutes. They came out excellent!  I ate a quarter of it and saved the rest for later.

WHY SO CHEAP?

I did some research on an Alaskan Outdoors Forum and found that according to many, Keta salmon don't taste as good as the popular Sockeye salmon.  Keta salmon are also called Chum salmon and Dog salmon as the Alaskan natives used to feed the salmon to their sled dogs.
An interesting thing I read was that the Keta salmon flesh tastes fine as long as the fish don't reach fresh water.  One author stated that they wouldn't touch the meat with a 10-foot pole once the fish had reached fresh water.
One thing thread authors agreed with was that the Keta meat tastes fine if prepared fresh while the meat is still relatively orange.  They said that the older the meat, the less orange and 'mushier' it is.

COMPARISON

An article on Livestrong.com compared Keta to Sockeye in terms of nutrition.  They stated that though Keta has less calories (Keta 101 kcal, Sockeye 121 kcal), Sockeye salmon has more Omega-3s and protein per serving.
Keta has 17g of protein per serving while Sockeye has 18g, and Keta has .9g omega-3s while Sockeye has 1.1g.

MY CONCLUSION

I will take the $4.99/lb Keta salmon any day over the $8.99/lb Sockeye salmon as long as it's sold fresh, and the meat's orange and firm.  I'm already taking Omega-3 supplements and eat other sources of protein so that will more than compensate for what the Keta salmon has less of.


Happy Eating,

DAVE

Quality of Urine Ketone Test Strips: Name Brand vs. Store Brand

I've been using urine ketone test strips for the past month to make sure I'm maintaining a state of nutritional ketosis.  I started off with the Walgreen's store brand test strips, 100 strips for $17. 

 

I ran out of my Walgreen's test strips and figured I could replenish my supply at the UCLA Medical Center Pharmacy today.  They only carried the popular Bayer Brand Ketostix and the cost was double what I paid for at Walgreen's; it was $18 for 50 test strips.

This got me wondering if there is a difference in quality between the two brands, so I did a little research.  I performed a scholarly article search on UCLA's public library WiFi and searched the following terms and phrases:

• Brand comparison for urine ketone test strips
• Accuracy of urine ketone test strips
• Quality of urine ketone test strips
• Inconsistent results for urine ketone test strips
• Ketostix vs. Generic

...and I found nothing.

My next step was to perform a regular online Google search using the same search phrases.  I found a low-carb forum thread that put out the question if all strips were equal BUT there weren't any substantial replies.

Then I did what any other smart researcher would do and compared store and Amazon.com reviews to see what consumers thought about them.  

I looked at the Bayer Ketostix reviews on Amazon.com and the lowest review was a 3/5 star rating where the consumer was satisfied with the product but complained that her local drug stores didn't carry the Bayer brand.  Such a review makes me think that the Ketostix are pretty legit.

I looked at the reviews for the Walgreen's brand strips on their own store site.  The lowest rating was  1/5 stars and it was because the consumer compared the results of both strips on the same sample of urine (Ketostix vs. Walgreen's store brand). The store brand strip was significantly less sensitive to the presence of ketones; the shade of pink was much lighter on the store brand strip while the Bayer Ketostix was dark pink.  

MY OWN COMPARISION

I used the Ketostix strips the day I purchased them and saw that my shade of pink was darker than what I had witnessed with the Walgreen's brand.  (I would have posted the pic but I was in a public restroom with a bunch of other dudes...no camera allowed)  I didn't have any left to compare on the same urine sample but there was something to be said about the very dark pink result.  This got me to think that the Ketostix are a bit more sensitive to the presence of ketones because my diet and activity have been consistent for the month.

The instructions on the containers of both brands instruct you to immediately close the container after removing the test strip because the remaining test strips can be affected by moisture.  That being the case, I noticed that the Ketostix had a desiccant inside the container while the Walgreen's brand didn't.  I also saw that the Ketostix container had a screw-on top while the Walgreen's brand had a snap-on top.  I know that the combination of a screw-on top and a desiccant pack makes for a better job at keeping moisture out of the container and maintaining the quality of the strips.

One characteristic I found to be interesting was that the Bayer Ketostix strip was significantly longer than the Walgreen's brand.  This means less chance of one getting urine on their hands if using the strips while in the act of urinating.

MY FINAL CONCLUSION

If you're just starting out on this Ketogenic diet, I recommend you pay the extra couple of dollars and purchase the Bayer Ketostix.  They seem to be more sensitive and definitely have higher quality packaging.  One needs the sensitivity because decreased sensitivity could result in a negative reading when ketones are truly present.  I don't recommend the cheaper Walgreen's store brand strips until you have mastered the Ketogenic diet and simply need a little reinforcement to make sure things are going your way.

Hope this helps,

DAVE

Keto Diet Update Day 26: 2 meals a day with decreased appetite

This was yesterday's breakfast at 11am

Aidell's Sausage-180 cal., Small Avocado-322 cal., Almond Butter-202 cal., Macadamia Nuts-203 cal., Eggs-160 cal., berries- 70 cal., and Goddess Dressing- 80 cal.  We're looking at about 1300 calories.

This was yesterday's dinner at 9pm

Roasted Chicken Quarter- 220 cal., Avocado-165 cal., Cheese slice- 100 cal., Butter-107 cal., and Goddess Dressing 80 cal.  Total was around 600 calories.

What you see is yesterday's total consumption.  The two remarkable things about yesterday's intake were the total caloric value (for both meals) and the large gap of time between meals.  My total intake was approximately 2100 calories (counting  a serving of coffee w/cream) while my expenditure was 2744 calories according to my Polar activity tracker.  Yesterday was a rest day without any formal exercise and despite that, I was still able to generate a deficit of approximately 600 calories.

It's day 26 and I've been following my Ketogenic diet pretty religiously.  There's been evidence of excess ketones in my urine (a pink test strip) since day 3, and that's even with the occasional consumption of beer and liquor!!

My weight continues to drop at a slow but consistent rate but what I really want to mention are the steady energy levels and decreased hunger.

It's crazy!!  I don't get the spikes or drops in energy and I don't get hungry until later in the evening.  If my wife hadn't ordered Greek food last night, that 220 calorie leg quarter would have been a 180 calorie sausage and my caloric deficit would be even greater!

The absence of starchy carbohydrates keeps my blood sugar from spiking so my energy levels remain consistent; I haven't had the afternoon 'crash' since starting the diet.

My appetite has significantly decreased and I find myself only eating two meals a day.  The amount of food you see is what I eat ad libitum meaning that I stack the plate with as much as food as I want and measure calories after.

SOME REAL SCIENCE

A 2014 systematic review and Meta-analysis (the highest level of research) was performed by Australian researchers to determine if Ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets really do suppress appetites.  The result of the study was a resounding YES and they mentioned the following:

"Although other contributory factors cannot be ruled out, ketosis appears to provide a plausible explanation for the suppression of appetite during adherence to a ketogenic diet."

The research is there ladies and gentlemen.  I eat as much as I want, I don't feel hungry throughout the day, AND I don't carb crash like I used to.  The moral of the story is that nutritional ketosis does well at suppressing one's appetite and if you ask me, it's worth the initial few days of discomfort.

I know that one day I'm going to indulge in some bread, a fresh bagel, a Danish, or even a doughnut but for the moment, I don't have the urge or desire to.

Happy eating,

DAVE

Exercise: Spinal Stabilization during the Quadruped Hip Extension (QHE)

...NOT!!! (you'll know why soon!)

Do a YouTube search for Quadruped Hip Extension (QHE) and you'll see a ton of both good and bad demonstrations and explanations for the exercise. Good instructors make it a point to mention that the lower back remain still throughout the exercise and some even exhibit strategies or tricks to promote a stable lumbar spine.  But one deficiency I've seen in ALL the demonstration/explanation videos I've viewed is that they don't explain WHY the spine should be stabilized.
There are movements we do during exercise and activities of daily living where we want the spine to stay as still as possible for the purpose of efficiency, power, and injury prevention.  Studies show that when the spine moves too much or is what I call 'loosey goosey', the hips lose power.
Exaggerate lumbar movement when walking and you'll  expend significantly more energy.

 Allow the spine to twist excessively when running and the same thing happens, the activity becomes less efficient and your top-end speed also decreases.
Hinge from the lower back during exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and olympic lifts, and you may find yourself sidelined with injury.

Spinal stabilization is the act of minimizing or eliminating movement in the spine.  The QHE exercise is one of the most BASIC exercises one can do to practice stabilizing the spine during hip extension.  The goal is to generate muscle contractions in both spine and hip, but also to disassociate movement between the joints; the lumbar contraction is ISOMETRIC for the purpose of keeping the spine still, while the hip contraction is CONCENTRIC and ECCENTRIC to create movement through the hip joint.

TIPS FOR A PROPER QHE

• Neutral Spine From Neck to Tailbone
• The spine should be held in such a manner where if one were to position the spine vertically, the tenets of good posture would be displayed:
• Chin tucked
• Long Neck
• Normal curvature in neck, upper and lower back, no excessive arching or rounding
• Stable Lumbar Spine
• No movement in lower back: no arching, bending, rounding, or twisting
• Wrinkling in one's skin or clothing around their lower back suggests movement and compromised form
• Slow and Controlled Movement
• Movement is slow and isolated through the hips
• This is a strength and activation exercise; there are other more fitting exercises for speed

So the moral of story is that it is VERY IMPORTANT to stabilize the lumbar spine during the QHE.  The QHE activation and sequencing translates into bigger and more complex movements where one risks a loss of power, decreased efficiency, and even injury if the spine is not stabilized.
Going back to the first picture on this post, you'll notice the increased arch in the model's lower back.  That my friends, is NOT stabilization and the picture screams "I'm going to make sure my lower back moves every time my hip pushes back!"  Such a sequence is a formula for back strains and other injuries, and really not something one should promote.  Some might attempt to argue that the amount of lumbar extension (arching) depicted in the diagram is so small that it's negligible.  Ask anyone who has ever thrown their back out how much movement was involved and you'll realize that the smallest of movements can cause injury.

I'll leave the following video so you can practice using your critical eye for the QHE.  I didn't make it through the entire video but you might see one or two sequences done correctly.

(...and people use these videos for instruction!!)

Happy training,

DAVE

Fitness Science: Endurance Training Decreases Bellyfat for Us Older Folks

There are benefits to using free Wi-Fi at major universities; I get access to most of UCLA's free library articles.  I did a scholarly article search for Endurance Training and came across an interesting 2015 article from the Public Library of Science where Japanese researchers compared the effects of an 8-week endurance cycling protocol on both younger (approx. 21 y.o.) and older people (approx. 67 y.o.).  There were 14 subjects in each age group. Subjects in the EXERCISE groups bicycled for 45-minutes at 60-70% of their VO2 max, 3x per week, while control subjects did not.
The study observed blood concentrations of Irisin in all groups.  Irisin is a controversial substance that's supposed to mediate beneficial exercise effects on human metabolism.  Studies as recent as March 2015 suggest that such a substance is a myth, so I won't discuss it further.

The significant result was that the older subjects lost more abdominal visceral fat than the younger ones.  A MRI of the abdomen was performed to measure the cross sectional area of abdominal visceral fat and the younger subjects lost an average of 2.5 square cm. while older subjects lost an average of 15.2 square cm., about six times more than their younger counterparts!!
The sample size of this study was relatively small so I wouldn't give it too much credibility...yet.  I'm a middle aged endurance junky so you bet I'm going to post things to promote what I'm doing.  The bulk of my training is for endurance but I make it a point to include at least two days of strength training per week to enhance and support athletic performance.
The moral of the story is that endurance training may be a better way to decrease bellyfat among middle-aged and older individuals.

You can check out the article by clicking on the following link:

Endurance Training-Induced Increase in Circulating Irisin Levels Is Associated with Reduction of Abdominal Visceral Fat in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Happy training and remember to consult your physician before you start slamming miles of endurance training.

DAVE

Nutrition: Getting the Skinny on Bacon

If you ever go to San Francisco, you gotta check this place out!!

2 months ago, I went to the Sweet Maple Restaurant in San Francisco for my niece's graduation lunch and had the privilege of tasting their Millionaire's Bacon.  The stuff was delicious and the best bacon I had ever tasted...even better than the Honey Baked Ham apple-smoked bacon.

It was so good that I was compelled to get a hold of not one but two restaurant T-shirts.

This server hooked it up; 2 shirts for the price of one.  Hope I don't get this guy in trouble.

That occasion re-kindled my relationship with the meat-candy that has long had a bad rap for fat and cholesterol.  My bacon consumption has increased to approximately 3/4 pound (uncooked weight) per week and I use it as a moderate to low source of protein for my Ketogenic diet.
I thought it would be a good idea to see what bacon consumption PROS there are other than great taste so I Google-searched BENEFITS OF BACON CONSUMPTION and found the following pro-bacon sites: (click to access sites)

• Top 10 Reasons Bacon is Actually HEALTHY for you

• 10 Reasons to Eat MORE Bacon

• Surprising FACTS to why bacon is good for you

I looked over each of the websites, found some resounding bacon PROS, and did my own research to find out if their claims are supported.  The following is a list of some of their claims and the results of my research:

• Bacon has Choline, an essential nutrient that is categorized with the B-complex Vitamins.  It's necessary for normal membrane function.
• A 2003 article in the Journal of Nutrition listed bacon as a high Choline food source that has 1.25mg Choline per gram of bacon.  The food source with the highest Choline concentration was beef liver with 4.18mg Choline per gram.  This is a definite POSITIVE for bacon!
• Bacon has Omega-3's
  
• A December 2014 article in Food Science and Nutrition suggested that pigs fed diets high in Omega-3s had increased levels of Omega-3s in their tissue.  But in order to get this benefit, you have to purchase Omega-3 enriched bacon and as far as I know, there hasn't been any marketing to promote Omega-3 enriched pork.  I searched Omega-3 enriched bacon and found nothing.  Because of this, I rate their Omega-3 statement as SHADY.
• Bacon is high in vitamins and minerals
• The BaconToday.com website (the first one listed) mentioned that a serving of bacon has 65% of the recommended daily value (DV) of Thiamine, 47% Niacin, 38% B-12, and 36% DV of Zinc.  The information I found on an independent nutrition site (nutritiondata.self.com) said different.  Nutritiondata reported that a 4oz. serving of bacon has 28%  DV for Thiamine, 56% Niacin, 28% B-12, and 28% DV for Zinc; the values stated on this site were almost consistently lower than what was mentioned on the BaconToday website.  The lower values lead me to suspect that the authors performed a little nutritional inflation.  I consider their vitamin and mineral claims to be PARTLY SHADY.
• Bacon increases satiety
• I Google-searched the terms BACON and SATIETY and found a recent article in a 2012 issue of Obesity where the majority of 46 women were able to maintain lean body mass, control satiety, and lose weight on a high-protein diet that consisted of 40% pork products.  Bacon is pork, right? So I guess one could say that this study MODERATELY SUPPORTS bacon's ability to increase satiety.  
  

If you're like me and eat bacon primarily for the taste and texture, the inconsistencies presented won't change your mind on bacon.  At least you now know that you'll be contributing to better membrane function with all that Choline! (...we all could use a little extra Choline, right?)

And lastly, the health care provider in me is obligated to encourage you to moderate your consumption of this meat candy; too much of a good thing can be really bad.

Happy eating,

DAVE

July 2015 PSA: Don't Thrash Your Knees!!

"Force is equal to mass times acceleration, and acceleration is gravity's 9.8m/sec./sec..  Gravity remains constant so the greater your body mass, the greater the resultant force on your joints...heavier people have LARGER forces on their knee joints and it's those forces that contribute to premature joint wear."

That's my politically correct and sensitive spiel for when my heavy brethren ask me why their knees hurt when and after running.

An article in a 2005 issue of the Journal of Arthritis and Rheumatology stated that there is a 1:4 pound relationship between one's weight and the forces sustained in the knee joints when walking...and that's just WALKING!  High-impact exercises such as jumping and running can subject your knees to forces up to 7x your body's weight.  My point is that it doesn't pay to participate in high-impact activity when you have excessively more weight than you need on your body.

A 2012 publication in the Journal of Inflammopharmacology concluded the following on the relationship between obesity and knee osteoarthritis:

"Recent prospective studies demonstrate obesity as a primary risk factor for incident knee osteoarthritis. The potential mechanisms to link obesity and knee osteoarthritis, as both a biomechanical and metabolic condition are strongly linked."

When it comes to exercise, there are many non-impact exercises one can do to burn calories and lose weight.  When I see weight-loss programming that utilizes high-impact movement as its main mode of exercise (for obese individuals), stupidity and ignorance come to mind.  The sad part about joint wear and arthritis is that the onset of symptoms is pretty abrupt; many don't know until it's too late.  Patients have told me that up until the moment their knee blew up like a grapefruit, they never felt any symptoms. Younger people can go a long way before feeling symptoms but I've seen enough patients in their 40's and early 50's suffering from arthritis that I know everything one does during their youth eventually catches up!

SOLUTIONS

I'm all about solutions so the following is a list of some light and zero-impact exercises one can do for strengthening and weight-loss:

• Chair or Table Push-ups 
• 1/2 Squats
• Inverted Rows
• Walking
• Low Impact Aerobics
• Water Exercise/Aerobics 
• Conventional Dumbbell and Stretch Band Exercises (squats, shoulder press, biceps curls, etc.)
• Suspension Training (TRX)
• Stationary Heavy Ropes
• Upright or Recumbent Bicycling
• Elliptical Machine
• Rowing Machine

There are always exceptions and special situations.  If one is categorized as obese but has a single digit or low body-fat percentage, high impact exercises can be indicated.  If an obese individual is suffering from a serious illness that trumps arthritis, and high-impact activity is their favorite or only mode of exercise, then more power to them...they can jump and sprint until the sun goes down!  If one is clinically heavy and doesn't have any compelling reason for high-impact exercise, I suggest they select low-to-no impact exercises.  Their knees will thank them for it.

Happy training,

DAVE

My 2015 Race Schedule and Nautica Malibu Triathlon Training Volume

Dave's 2015 Race Schedule

• September 20, 2015  Nautica Malibu  Triathlon  1/2-mi. S/18-mi. B/4-mi. R

• season primer: I want to beat my 2012 time of 1:45:30 but I also want to get into the rhythm of training consistently.  I plan on being lean and mean by this race; I should be at least 13-weeks into my ketogenic diet and burning fat more efficiently

• October 11, 2015  JetBlue Long Beach Marathon  26.2 mile run

• This is an A-priority race and I plan to PR (personal record) on my marathon.  I should already be a lean-mean-fat-burning-machine by the time I start this race

• HITS Palm Springs Half-Ironman  1.2-mi. S/56-mi. B/13.1-mi. R

• An end-of-season A-priority race.  I plan on getting a half-ironman PR at this race and beating my 5:51 that I got at half-Vineman and half-Ironman CA in 2006

I've got lofty goals for this season but despite being older, I'm 10x  smarter.

Nautica Malibu Tri Plan

I'll run a base-style training block where the priority is consistency.  The only high-intensity training I'll do is during my strength training and everything else will be long-slow-distance intensity.  My goal volume is the following:

• 20 swims
• 20 strength and core training sessions
• 30 bricks ( bike to run)
• 10 race simulations

Training Guidelines 

• No Sleep, No Train
• Maintain Ketogenic Diet
• 15 minute stretching daily
• Technique drills during all workouts except for simulations

I'll be updating my training plan with details on my strength training routine, biking drills, running drills, and swimming drills.  Stay tuned.

Dave