SHR

I had intended to keep doing what I've been doing through February and start to reduce bodyfat in March but I decided to get started now. I'm tipping the scales at 248 pounds right now and my goal is to strip as much fat as I can from now till my 58th birthday on June 11th. When I turned 50 I took the above picture. I was 212 pounds. I have added muscle in the past years. Not sure yet just how much, but I'm about to find out. Sleep issues and injuries last couple of years caused me many setbacks. But I have no excuses now.  I fasted for 24 hours and broke my fast on Thursday by eating some macadamia nuts, cheese and coconut oil. See where I'm heading? I have cut all carbs out except for residual amounts that occur in some foods. Today, Sunday 1/31, is my...

Dr. Jose Antonio has put out some truly novel research looking at high-protein diets. I’m not talking about the arbitrary 30% of calories that can vary widely depending on energy intake. Rather, I’m talking about grams per unit of bodyweight – as it should be. Previous research by Dr. Antonio had shown that taking a group of healthy resistance-training men and women and having them increase their protein intake from 2.3 to 4.4 g/kg (1 to 2 g/lb) had no effect on body composition. This study was followed up with another study that showed that consuming 3.4 g/kg (1.5 g/lb) had a more favorable effect on body composition than consuming 2.3 g/kg (1 g/lb) when combined with a structured resistance training program. This latter study also showed no signs of harmful effects from a basic metabolic panel. Now, Antonio et al have published the third study digging into this rabbit hole....

Brain regulation of satiety in twins The modern food environment is highly stimulatory to brain areas that regulate energy homeostasis and reward processing. Research using MRI imaging has shown that visual food cues evoke differential brain responses in obese than in lean individuals, but the genetic contribution has yet to be evaluated. This led Melhorn et al to use a study design involving 21 healthy monozygotic twin pairs (42 individuals) and integrated MRI to test if inherited factors contribute to individual differences in meal-induced satiety and the brain regulation of appetite. The study protocol is outlines in figure 1 above. The twin pairs included both men and women and were primarily white. There were 10 normal-weight pairs, one overweight pair, and 6 obese pairs. On average, twins consumed 51% of their estimated daily caloric needs at the buffet meal. Total caloric intake and the percentage of estimated daily needs showed consistent...

This was a traditional desert around the Christmas holiday when I was growing up. It’s rich and delicious and easy to make. Prep time 30 minutes Cook time 1 to 1 ¾ hours at 350 degrees Best served cold so expect to let cool and then refrigerate What you’ll need: 4 Pounds of whole milk ricotta cheese (I prefer Polly-O ricotta) 6 Eggs 2 Teaspoons of lemon zest 2 Teaspoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice 2 Teaspoons of real vanilla extract ¾ cup of sugar 25 Gluten-free ginger snaps (you can also use other cookies like vanilla or chocolate as a change-up) ¼ a stick of butter Large cheesecake spring pan Put ricotta cheese in a colander and allow it to drain off any watery excess. Usually bets to let it stand for about an hour. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (176.667 Celsius) Place ricotta cheese in large mixing bowl Using...

More fat, especially visceral, is associated with poor health Body fat distribution has been recognized as an important risk factor for cardiometabolic disease, with increased levels of visceral (abdominal) fat appearing to be particularly detrimental. Just take a look at a recent study by Shah et al, who analyzed fat quality and quantity and its relationship to metabolic syndrome in 6,814 community-dwelling, multi-racial individuals enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Fat imaging was determined with CT scans, and fat quality corresponded to the radiodensity of the fat tissue. As such, a greater fat quality means the tissue was denser. Since denser tissue means a greater amount of fat per unit of area, it is not surprising that there was a significant inverse correlation between fat quality and fat quantity (i.e. greater quality is associated with lower quantity) for visceral, subcutaneous, and intermuscular fat. After adjustment for age, sex, ethnicity,...