It’s always nice when studies can backup what many of us already know to be true from years in the trenches of real world work.

Over the years there have been several smaller similar studies, but this is the largest and longest term study of its kind to date.  The test subjects were split into 3 diet groups, a low fat diet, a low carb diet and a Mediterranean diet.

The Wall Street Journal sums it up quite nicely:

The study, which tracked 322 Israelis for two years, surprisingly found that a low-carb diet, often associated in the U.S. with high levels of meat consumption — was better than a low-fat diet in boosting blood levels of "good" cholesterol, or high-density lipoproteins associated with cardiovascular health benefits.

The only word I take issue with is "surprisingly".  I think those who were surprised have either not read or completely ignored research that has come to similar conclusions in the past.

Was it the fact the fat loss was greater or was it the drastic improvement in blood markers with the low carb dieters?

 
This guy used low carb to get ultra-ripped

In any event the winner is clear.  Low carb dieters lost an average of 12.3 lbs, the Mediterranean dieters lost 10.2, and the low fat dieters lost 7.7 lbs.

I will concede that these numbers are not mind blowing by any means.  But what is important is that it was an even playing field (and low fat got it’s ass kicked.)

You can read the full Wall Street Journal Article on the study Here.

If you are so inclined the full study (yawn) from the New England Journal of Medicine can be found HERE.

Plus, if Katie Couric says it, it must be true:

Let me give some free advice that will get you well on your way to better nutrition and accelerated fat loss. Here are the top 2 things you can do starting TODAY to get it done:

#1 Drop the Carbs
The study above is just the latest proof. So what are you waiting for? Step away from the pasta…

#2 Write it Down
I spoke to this point in a previous post: "Log of Food".  When dieters write down what they eat they lose more weight. How much more? Twice as much. No joke.

So let me break it down for you: Nutrition is not rocket science, and one diet does not "fit" all (get it? that was a pun).  But in most instances intelligent low carb nutrition will help people lose fat and improve health factors faster, and with better compliance.

And one last thing- nothing is written in stone.

Joshua Carter
http://carterfitness.com

Want to know the latest tips and tricks to take your fat loss to the next level? Do not hesitate to Contact Me.

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Not long ago (earlier today actually) I launched an evil and dastardly plot to make other nations fatter.  That way we Americans will seem less piggy in comparison.  Sinister right?

I am well aware I have very little influence one way or the other at this point, but at least I know Mr. T is on my side.

Well it seems Japan has started without me.

Not long ago Pizza Hut in Japan released the "Mega Pizza".

The Actual Mega Pizza - (If You Can Call It That)

This caloric monstrosity has 2 halves:  The "Gourmet" Half and the "Hamburger" Half, all surrounded by "double rolls" which are hot dog AND bacon wrapped in dough.

The Gourmet half includes  bell peppers, Ham, Bacon, Onion, Basil, Mushroom, Bacon bits, black pepper, sliced tomatoes, Italian sausages, and garlic chips.  I swear I see corn flakes in the picture too- that could just be me.

The Hamburger half has hamburgers (made from pork/beef), Green soybeans, corn, red bell peppers.

This Franken-pizza comes with generous sides of ketchup and maple syrup.  Take a second- read that again.  Uh, why?

The large version of this beast clocks in at almost 3000 calories, and I honestly think that is a conservative estimate.

 
At the top it says "Will Make you as Fat As Crazy American!"

Individually I like most of these ingredients, but this random assortment of culinary weirdness just nauseates me.

One taster commented "Its like they combined things that taste and feel like meat (but nothing was actual meat)."

I think it should be called the "WTF" Pizza.  As in when the Japanese Pizza Hut chefs were making it (possibly drunk) one guy said "should we sprinkle corn flakes on the top of the meat like patties?" and the other guy says "Sure, WTF."

In any event I applaud Japan for trying to catch up to the US’s 2/3 obesity rate.  A few more dietary disasters like this and they will be sure to catch up to us within 5 or 6 decades.

Keep up the good work, Japan.

Joshua Carter
http://carterfitness.com

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Speed walking just looks stupid.  I don’t even think it is debatable. But I’ll come back to that.

Just keep walking…

Let me start with some disclosure.  I was a fan of Mr. T in the 80’s.  The first time I saw the mohawked, verbose muscle man encased in gold chains was in Rocky III where he beat the crap out of Sly Stallone.

It was not long after that that he starred as "B.A" Baracs on the hit show "The ‘A’ Team".  I can still hear the the theme song…

"B.A." Stands for "bad attitude" if you were curious.  Side note: One Halloween, my mother, younger brother and step-father all dressed up as Mr. T.  They looked like dorks, if you were curious.

The One and Only Mr. T

Like many TV stars of the past, Mr. T has had his ups & downs. And a man has got to make a living.  So shooting a candy bar cannon at wusses sounds like a pretty decent gig.  Hell, I’d do it for free.

So there is a new ad campaign in England (the ads have not aired in the US) where Mr. T shoots Snickers bars through a machine gun at less than manly men, telling then to "Get Some Nuts."  That alone makes me snicker.

In the following spot Mr. T is targeting a speed walker.

Now I will admit that I believe speed walking is probably the stupidest looking sport there is.  It just looks absolutely ridiculous.  Some people might even argue it is the gayest looking sport around (some people would, certainly not me, I’m far to enlightened.)

I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m not even saying it is not a sport.  I’m saying if you choose to speed walk you are knowingly taking part in an activity that makes you look like a giant dork.  You are *asking* to be pelted with high velocity confections.

Anyway, I thought the ad was funny.  Not outstandingly hysterical, but funny.

Here it is:

Silly right?  Well apparently the folks at Snickers got 2 (yes two) complaints and then pulled the ad in fear that it could be seen as offensive towards gays.   I guess English gay rights groups got up in arms too.

This is making the HUGE leap that being a speed walking dufus somehow makes you gay.

Sister, please.

That would mean by extension that being gay makes you a dork. I have found quite the opposite to be true.  I am sure there are gay dorks out there.  Statistically they must exist, I have just never met one.

Now I know gays.  And I certainly know offensive.  I even know offensive gays. But that ad is not offensive.

Maybe the English are particularly sensitive to gay issues because most Americans can’t tell if and Englishmen is gay or just an Englishmen.

Anyway, here it is…

Whoever started with all this fuss needs to eat a Snickers and lighten up. That’s right, I said it - chomp down on that nutty, nougaty, chocolaty goodness you English girly man, whoever you are, and then chill the F out.

***You read it here folks- fitness boy Josh wants someone to eat a Snickers- many actually. But take note this is directed solely at Great Britain. This is just the start of my sinister plot to make other countries as fat as the US (making us look thinner in comparison).

Canada be ware, you are the target of my next volley.

If I have my way, Mr. T will be shooting a shotguns full of Reese’s Pieces in the Great White North very soon.

Joshua Carter
http://carterfitness.com

PS: Hey France, I have my eye on you…

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Damn Nintendo Wii.  Ruining everything.  I thought that I was on the cutting edge, delivering state of the art fat loss training and nutrition programs online and at my highly regarded Carter Fitness training facility in beautiful West Hills, Ca. But apparently that is not the case.

I saw this commercial and I just knew.  I knew I was glimpsing the future.

Who needs a highly educated, inventive, motivating trainer with over 15 years of in the trenches experience guiding you every step of the way?

Not you.  All you need is a video game.

Thank you, Nintedo Wii.

Joshua Carter
http://carterfitness.com

PS: If you do not feel comfortable entrusting the future of your health and fitness to the makers of Mario Brothers, feel free to contact me.  I now have online training, in person training and fat loss bootcamps the are specifcally desinged to help you reach your goals.  If you want I can whistle the theme to Donkey Kong while we train.

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I was checking out my friend Derek’s Blog, Cheek & Bluster and I saw a link to this site called The Blog Readability Test that rates Blog’s etc. and determines the level of education required to understand it.  So I gave it a shot.

Hmmm. I’m not sure how to take that.

It reminds me of a sitcom a while back (I can’t remember the name where the main character on the show had a Tivo.  Incase you did not know, Tivos can record show based on what it (the Tivo) thinks you would like. On the show the Tivo kept recording gay shows- the Tivo thought he was gay.  Hilarity ensued.

Apparently The Blog Readability Test believes I am dumb. This is not the first time it has been thought, but it is to the best of my knowledge the first time it has been thought by a non-living thing. I think I would prefer to be thought gay. 

Perhaps as my fellow Blogger Derek points out I have been dumbing it down for my intended audience.  Sadly, I know this not to be true (dammit).

In any case to The Blog Readability Test - I think you are way stupider than me.

So there.

Joshua Carter
http://carterfitness.com

4 Comments »

WARNING: First few paragraphs contain adolescent humor and should be skipped by un-funny people as you will not laugh and simply think I am an idiot.

I am a still a kid on the inside. I think stupid things are funny. For instance farts are a riot.  My eldest son recently learned the never-gets-old “pull my finger” gag and I could not be more proud.

I would venture that most men are still this way to a certain degree.  A certain high powered executive I know still giggles like a school boy if you mention the word “duty” in a sentence, and truth be told so do I.  Don’t even get me started on the funniest word there is: “Diarrhea”- always hysterical. (Try this, when someone asks you a question, just answer “diarrhea”. They might not laugh at first, but you will.)

The above childish mentality is why I still think it is funny when people talk about a “food log”. All I can think of is literally a log of food.  It just sounds like something that Hickory Farms gives out samples of during the holidays. And just like Homer Simpson I begin to think “Mmm, food…”

Josh on the inside

Calling it a “food diary” simply leads to the aforementioned world’s funniest word, so that wont work either. I think a better and more accurate term is “nutrition journal.” But realistically at this point if someone said to me “nutrition journal”  I think I would just say “You mean food log?”

Let’s move on…

The reason I bring up the “food log” is a recent study. Kaiser Permanente recruited 1700 participants and tracked their progress as they embarked on a weight loss journey.  This moderate weight loss plan involved both exercise and a healthy diet.

It turns out that the dieters who kept a daily journal (or food log ) of every single thing they ate lost TWICE as much weight as those who did not.

Now the fact that loggers lost more weight does not surprise me in the least.  But losing double what the others dieters did is simply astounding.

It comes back to a point I constantly harp on: Accountability. Keeping track of your eating habits keeps you accountable for what you consume. The majority of Americans  vastly underestimate the amount of food they actually consume.  The proof is in the waistline.  When you write it down everything is right there in black and white.  Hidden habits are uncovered, and nutritional missteps come to light.

“It had a very big impact,” one study participant noted. “If I was walking through the kitchen and wanted to grab a cookie or a brownie, I would think twice because I knew I had to write it down.”

I require all Carter Fitness clients keep a food journal. The ones that actually keep track make better progress every time, without fail.  I tell them they can use the PDF I give them, send me an email, write it in a spiral notebook or write it on a napkin with a crayon - it just doesn’t matter.  So long as it gets written.  You can download the journal I give my clients HERE.

Keeping track of what you eat is one of the easiest secrets to fat loss success I can think of. If it makes you think twice about what you are consuming than it is worth it.

Call it a nutrition journal, or a food log it just doesn’t matter - make it your duty.

Diarrhea.

Joshua Carter
http://carterfitness.com
4 Minute Fat Loss Online

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A few years back a movie grabbed America’s attention. The movie I am refering to is “Super Size Me“:

Super Size Me is an Academy Award-nominated 2004 documentary film, directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. It follows a 30-day time period (February 2003) during which Spurlock subsists exclusively on McDonald’s fast food and stops exercising regularly. The film documents this lifestyle’s drastic effects on Spurlock’s physical and psychological well-being and explores the fast food industry’s corporate influence, including how it encourages poor nutrition for its own profit. During the filming, Spurlock dined at McDonald’s restaurants three times per day, sampling every item on the chain’s menu at least once. He consumed an average of 5,000 calories (the equivalent of 9.26 Big Macs) per day during the experiment.

In the experiment he gained 24.5 pounds of fat, and overall health declined so rapidly that doctors begged him to discontinue his experiment. You can actually view an full length educational version of the film for free HERE

As shocking and thought provoking as Super Size Me was, I believe there is something even bigger (yes, that’s a weak pun) on the horizon: Killer at Large.

Here is the trailer.

I haven’t seen it yet - but I will the first time it comes to town.  For more information visit: http://www.killeratlarge.com/

Joshua Carter
http://carterfitness.com

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