This Sunday, Dallas and I are headed to CrossFit Boston for Robb Wolf's CrossFit Nutrition Certification. This makes Sunday pretty much the best day of my life. It's not just that I have a crush on Robb. I mean, I do. He's smart and funny and he called me a "hot little biscuit" on his web site, which made me straight-up giggle when I read it. (If you know me, you know I do not giggle.) But our relationship goes deeper than just clever banter and mutual flattery. I like Robb for his INFORMATION.
If you've read my blog, posts on the CrossFit Message Boards or emailed me to ask if you are, in fact eating enough... you're already familiar with Robb Wolf. In summary, Robb is The Man when it comes to diet, nutrition, rest, recovery and a whole host of other health and fitness topics. His articles and advice are based on both science and practical application. Plus he's got a style not unlike my own - irreverent and cheeky - and he brings the tough love like nobody's business. (Seriously - how many people have I emailed that linked post to? Raise your hands.)
I've had the good fortune of spending time with one of Robb's protégés, Harvard chemist and CrossFitter Mathieu Lalonde. I've been getting some of Robb's good stuff by proxy, with a healthy dose of Matt's unique brand of genius thrown in. Which also means I am a very lucky girl, because between these two and Dallas (my trainer/business partner), I've received a truly fantastic education in all things diet and nutrition. I've been able to apply that education to both my OWN program, and the programs of those I've been nutritional coaching. This weekend, however, I am excited to hear Robb's information in a more structured format, and have the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers based on my specific experiences, and those of my clients.
So I promise to take good notes, and share what I learned back here on the blog next week. And if you have any questions that you'd like me to consider while I'm there, post them to comments. Let's be clear, though... I will not, and Robb will not, analyze your diet block-by-block. There are a ton of resources out there to help you do that. But if you have something big picture, something theoretical, something science-y that's above my head... post to comments. If I get the opportunity to ask, I most certainly will.
Friday, June 12, 2009
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Well since you asked:
I only found this recently and after I attended Robb’s cert in Austin.
I've recently heard about the possibility that leptin resistance is what leads/kicks off/ (and or) amplifies insulin resistance.
But damn it I’m an engineer and physicist not a biochemist so: “Is this BS”?
Now I understand the paelo/zone prescription wouldn’t change but is this something I could truthful/ethically relay to clients and people I’m trying to get on board quanitiy and quality wise?
Feel free to geek out on this, I can take it.
Dear Penty,
I have no idea what you just said.
As such, I will print your question and just, like, hand it to Robb this weekend. Unfortunately, I probably won't understand his response, either. So I'll just write it down carefully.
Thanks for posting - get back to you on Monday.
Melissa
I've a lot of people talk about 'cheat days' and their relative necessity to staying sane while doing paleo/zone diets. However, I'm confused on how -often- to implement a cheat day, and should I cheat the -whole- day, or just one meal? I'm convinced I can see it on the scale the next day even when I just breakdown for a scoop of ice cream with chocolate sprinkles.
First time commentor - Love the blog!
I attended Robb's cert at CrossFit Fairfax a few weeks ago, it was awesome! This question occurred to me, of course, after the fact. We did a long section on PWO nutrition. Now I seem to remember in Mathieu's Science is hot blogpost, he recommended that some people should NOT have a PWO meal to maximize insulin sensitivity (along with some other science that went over my head). I would assume that the default would be to recommend a PWO meal for all clients. Could you ask Robb, when would he recommend to a client to NOT have a PWO meal, and what would be the criteria for determining this? Thanks so much!
~Karen
Chelsea - here's my personal take, but I'll ask Robb as well, because "cheats" are an interesting, and common, discussion.
Cheat meals serve zero - ZERO - health and fitness purpose. The whole idea of a cheat day "resetting your clock" or "confusing your body into burning fat" is bullshit. Cheat meals or days do NOTHING good for your overall health and fitness. Now, some people will say, "But I started eating ice cream before I went to bed, and I started dropping fat again!" Sure you did. Because you weren't eating enough, and the extra calories do you well in the short term. But (a) eventually ice cream every night won't be looking or feeling so hot, and (b) you'd have done yourself a whole lot better to have consumed those calories with better food choices, like more good fats.
However, most of us need cheats for mental sanity, and to maintain a healthy balance. If I'm out with friends and I want a martini, I'm damn well going to have a martini. So for that reason, I whole-heartedly support "cheats".
However, I've found (and my clients have found) that cheat "meals" throughout the week are more convenient to fit into your normal life, are far more satisfying AND are much easier to recover from than an entire dedicated cheat day. And I'll say this as well... if you don't feel like going off diet, if you don't see a need or feel the urge, then DON'T. You don't HAVE TO. If you want to, think about how to incorporate that into your diet... but it's not mandatory. At all.
I've never performed, looked or felt better than during my recent 30 day no-cheat super strict Paleo experiment. You couldn't pay me enough to have a 'cheat day' after that.
I'd love to check that out, however there's a SOLID chance I would be immediately struck by lightning just walking into that room. That would be akin to Beelzebub himself strolling into st. Peters basillica for a Sunday service.
Although, I didn't eat a single cookie or have any ice cream this week. OK....I was all out, but still!...Hopefully that helps my performance tomorrow at the CFNE affiliate cup try out.
All the same, I look forward to your witty commentary and excellent information as per usual.
Question from Melissa to Rob:
"Rob, What is the exact diet Brandon can follow specifically, to have his knees stay in place, joints to work properly, get to lowest body fat % that i need to be as powerful and lean as possible, maintain weight so i dont have to cut too much, and have ridiculous strength gains"
make sure you right down the response for me (wink)
Penty,
not sure if it helps but I just read this the other day on Dr. Eades blog:
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/cardiovascular-disease/gary-taubes-responds/
Gary Taubes (Good Calories, Bad Calories) responds to some common questions, the second one down is about leptins. This is the first paragraph:
Q:What is your opinion on leptin in the grand scheme of obesity and fat storage?
"I mostly ignore leptin in the book because I think leptin is primarily a signaling molecule and so a downstream effect. In other words, leptin is secreted from the fat cells; it doesn’t regulate directly the amount of fat that accumulates. Moreover, if the primary regulator of fat storage is insulin, which it is, and leptin is secreted in proportion to the amount of fat stored, which it is, then insulin has to regulate leptin."
I'm not a scientist/trainer/expert of any kind, but Gary seems pretty clear cut on the issue. I hope this helps!
-Simon
cool, i'll be there Sunday also! can't wait to hear all the things i'm probably doing wrong with my diet!
seeya
Melissa, i've been very confused by Cordain's stance on "acidic" vs. "akaline" foods. I feel like i'm getting conflicting information. From the paleo diet website, it has a chart of foods and their acidity (acidic being bad, basic being good).
I've heard from a number of smart CF people that walnuts are the "best" paleo nut for you, yet that chart has it super acidic.
I feel like i'm reading the chart wrong, or just don't fully understand the role of acidic foods and why they're bad...
can Robb shed some light on that aspect of the paleo diet?
Hi Melissa,
I hope you have fun at the cert. It is very nice of you to offer to pass along questions.
Mine is regarding hormones that bugger up fat loss for women which are on birth control or have had a hysterectomy? He doesn't have to geek out on it just some guidance to readings or research would be great.
And how a bio-identical hormone doc will help me figure things out with my client who has had a hysterectomy.
Thanks a lot! Have fun!
:raises hand:
Excited to see what you learn! Just tell him I say "hi," hah :)
Renee,
Check this bit from my first interview with Matt Lalonde:
"Matt: I also disagree with Dr. Loren Cordain (author of “Paleo for Athletes”) on a few points. He recommends that we eat walnuts and macadamia nuts and that we consume oils such as flaxseed oil and canola oil because they contain more omega 3 fatty acids. There is a huge problem here! These plant sources of omega 3 fatty acids contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) almost exclusively. The omega 3 fatty acids that you really need are EPA and DHA. The body can transform ALA into EPA and DHA, but the process is really inefficient. And during that process, the excess ALA spills over into pathways that synthesize bad hormones. Clinical studies have shown that too much flax seed supplementation causes cancer (amongst other problems). Eat walnuts, macadamia nuts, and flax seeds if you want to, just don't overdo it."
I'm not sure the reasons someone would recommend walnuts as the "best" nut source, but Matt's viewpoint is that there are other, better, fatty acid choices.
I will say something else - at dinner last month, Matt and I talked a lot about the whole "acid/base" topic. I'd been toying with the idea of cutting egg yolk from my diet, because of their acidifying effect. Matt's response? If your diet is high in vegetables and fruits and you're avoiding grains and dairy... then you really don't have to worry about your acid/base balance. Eat the yolk. Or, in this case, the walnuts.
I will bring this up with Robb this weekend, however. It's a pretty common topic of confusion.
Melissa
Melissa, The 603 site looks awesome. Great job. Haven't been around in a while, so just wanted to say hi.
Jack
So basically the H/FO scale is your way of allowing 'cheats' without making it an official day. I like that. I had been missing my chai lattes anyways. Thanks Melissa :)
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