Dedication

Tomybestfriend,partner,andwife,Angela.Justthethoughtofyoubringsmemore joy, more satisfaction, and more life than anything else I have everexperienced. You are my beloved, without reservation or qualification, as wedanceintoeternity.

Tomyheroesandparents,MaryRoseandRobert.AllthatIamisthankstoyourlove,example,andsupport.FromthedayIwasborn,andeverydayafter,youhavealwaysfoundawaytohelpandloveme.Ilive,hopingtoreturnthefavor.

Contents

DedicationForewordbyWilliamDavis,MDPrefacebyJoAnnE.Manson,MD

Introduction:TheSmarterScienceofSlim

PARTI:THECALORIEMYTHS

1.TheMythofCalorieMath

2.YourSet-PointWeight

3.HowYourSet-PointRisesandHowtoLowerIt4.EatingMoreDoesn’tMakeYouFat

5.ExercisingMoreDoesn’tMakeYouThin

6.TheMythThatAllCaloriesAreCreatedEqual

7.Calorie-QualityFactor1:Satiety8.Calorie-QualityFactor2:Aggression9.Calorie-QualityFactor3:Nutrition10.Calorie-QualityFactor4:Efficiency11.TheMythofModeration12.WheretheCalorieMythsCameFrom13.Low-Fat,Low-CholesterolConfusion14.WhyGoodHealthIsBadBusiness15.HowHumanityCanAchieveSANEity

PARTII:THESOLUTIONS

16.GoSANEwithYourDiet17.SANECarbohydrates18.SANEProteins19.SANEFatsandSweets20.TheTenPrinciplesofSANEEating

21.GetSmartwithYourExercise22.TheSixPrinciplesofSmarterExercise

PARTIII:THESANEANDSMARTACTIONPLAN

23.SmarterSubconscious24.FiveWeekstoCompleteSANEity25.SimpleSANECooking26.YourSmarterExerciseProgram

Conclusion:FightFatwithFactsAfterword:SpreadtheWord(andGetBonusContent!)

AcknowledgmentsAppendixA:ToDobeforeExercisingSmarterAppendixB:ProductsThatMakeGoingSANEMoreConvenientAppendixC:TheTopFourMostFrequentlyAskedQuestionsAppendixD:FurtherReadingNotesIndex

AbouttheAuthorPraiseforTheCalorieMythCreditsCopyrightAboutthePublisher

Foreword

Had“official”agenciesandothersourcesofconventionaldietaryadvicegottenthenutritionandhealthmessagerighttobeginwith,therewouldbenoneedtohavesomanybooksonthetopic.Buttheygotitwrong—colossallywrong.

Eversince theU.S.DepartmentofAgricultureand theU.S.DepartmentofHealth and Human Services issued the first U.S. Dietary Guidelines forAmericans in 1980, the dietary and health-care communities all synchronizedtheir message for nutrition and health: cut total and saturated fat, eat more“healthywholegrains,”watchcalories,andincreasephysicalactivity.

Theyadvisedus that thehumanbody isavessel thatbehavesaccording tothephysicallawsofthermodynamics:thehumanbodytransactsenergycurrencyjust like any other energy-consuming vessel—no differently, say, from anautomobileorfurnace.Wearetherebysubjecttophysicallawssuchas“Caloriesin, calories out,” regardless of whether those calories are in the form ofcarbohydrate, fat, or protein. According to this line of thinking, it does notmatterwhathormonalormetabolicenvironmentacalorieenters;theendresultisthesame.

Wewerealsotoldthatweightgainwasasimplematterofconsumingmorecalories than we burned. We were advised that weight loss would occur,predictablyandmathematically,whenwecutcaloriesinorburnedmorecaloriesout, thebasis for the“Eat less, exercisemore”mantra formaintaininghealthyweight.Bythislineoflogic,cuttingback,forinstance,onthe238caloriesin2tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in your salad while maintaining anunchanged level of physical activity should predictably yieldweight loss of 1pound every two weeks, or 25 pounds over a year. Alternatively, performinghousework, such as vacuuming and sweeping the house 30 minutes per day,withoutalteringcalorieintakeshouldburnintheneighborhoodof110calories,yieldingjustunder12poundslostoveroneyear.Easy,eh?

As the nationwide experience has demonstrated, this doesn’t work.Whilethere are surely people who are indeed gluttonous and lazy and could beillustrativeexamplesofthe“caloriesin,caloriesout”concept,thereareplentyof

people who have followed conventional advice to reduce fat, consume morewholegrains,etc.,yetnowholdanextra30,50,150poundsontheirframe.Iftherehasbeenamiscalculation,ithasbeenamiscalculationofepicproportions.Could the one in three Americans now obese and another one in threeoverweight all be gluttonous and lazy? Or is there something fundamentallywrongwiththeconceptofcaloriesin,caloriesout?

Theyear1980marksthisastoundingturnofeventsfortheAmericanpublic:the start of an unprecedented and dramatic increase in calorie intake, weightgain,andoverweightandobesity.Wenowhave theworstepidemicofobesityand all the diseases that accompany it, such as hypertension, diabetes, “highcholesterol,”degeneratingjoints,andotherconditions, inhumanhistory.Theresurelyhavebeenperiodsinourhistorywhenwidespreadillnessplaguedus,butthoseperiodswereduetomassstarvation,war,anddisease.Incontrast,wehaveourmodernepidemicduringaperiodofvirtuallylimitlessabundance.

Itdoesn’t takeanastutestudentofmodernculture tosee thatconventionalwisdom is not just inaccurate, but devastatinglywrong.Of course, the humanbody follows the laws of physics and energy, but not by the simplistic rulesofferedbyconventionaldietarythinking.

Anyonewhohashadsomefalsestartsandstopsinweightlosslearnssometough lessons acquired through the school of hard knocks. For one, cuttingcaloriesmakesyouhungryandmiserable,while—thoughyouarenotconsciousofthis—reducingyourlevelofphysicalactivity.Conversely,increasingphysicalactivitycreateshungerandincreasescalorieintake.Thecombinationofthetwo—decreasing calorie intakewhile purposefully increasing physical activity—isan especially unpleasant experience and an effort that requires monumentalwillpower to follow, as it generates ravenous, intensehunger.This last painfulstrategy, by theway, typically results in dramatic reductions inmetabolic rateandlossofmusclemass,bothofwhichfurtherbooby-trapanygenuineeffortatfatloss.

In The Calorie Myth, Jonathan Bailor presents the wealth of science wealreadyhavethat(1)shouldcauseustorejectthemiserablyincorrect“caloriesin, calories out” misconception; and (2) shows us how to use the very samesciencetounderstandtherealways thebodyresponds tocaloriesandphysicalactivity.Heeducatesreadersonwhythehumanbodyprotectsitsset-pointasafail-safe survival mechanism, explaining that the only effective, long-termweight-maintenance strategy is tomanage your set-point—not to eat less andexercisemore.

What ismagical aboutTheCalorieMyth is the easy-to-grasp, step-by-stepwayhetellsthestory,takingthereaderbythehandandshowinguswhythisonenutritional insight was misinterpreted and led to catastrophically misguideddietaryadvice,andhownewinsightscanbekeystounlockinghiddenwisdom.Hecreatesanewlanguageandframework thatallowreaders toput theirarmsaroundtheseconceptswithoutgettingboggeddowninscience,detail,ordogma.Knowledgeispower,andinthisinstance,theproperunderstandingofjusthowthe human body transacts energy empowers the reader to regain control overmetabolism,health,andweight,evenafteralifetimeofbeingledastray.

But there is much more here than an unemotional recounting of thenutritional science that makes the case against the myth that “a calorie is acalorie is a calorie.” Jonathan captures the essence of effective nutritionalarguments in his own clear, succinct, and uniquely cleverway. The same no-holds-barred, incisive thinking goes into Jonathan’s analysis of exercise,educating the reader on why “less is more” once the principles of hormonalcorrection and high-intensity bursts of exercise are understood using therevolutionaryinsightofeccentricexercise.

Thisbook is appropriately titled: itdoes indeedbash themythsunderlyinghow the human body manages energy. There is no hypothesizing or emptyprediction here; there is detailed analysis of the science underlying theseprinciples—principles that, when properly and consistently applied, achieveheightsoffunctioning,resultinweightloss,andproviderelieffromthemyriadhealthconditionsofmodernlife.

—WilliamDavis,MD,authorofthenumberoneNewYorkTimesbestsellerWheatBelly:LosetheWheat,LosetheWeight,andFindYourPathBacktoHealthandTheWheatBellyCookbook

Preface

Thedualepidemicsofobesityandtype2diabetesaretheloomingpublichealthcrisesof the twenty-first century.All aroundus today, in allwalksof life, arepeoplewhostrugglewithweightcontrol.Thegrowingprevalenceofobesityinthe United States and around the world, especially among children andadolescents, portends an enormous global burden of chronic disease in thefuture. The crystal ball shows not only more people with diabetes, but alsoenormousnumbersofpeoplewithhypertension,heartdisease,stroke,andevencancer.Althoughmedical researchhasmade strides in treatingandcontrollingsomeofthehealthconsequencesofobesity,thepreventionandmanagementofobesitytrulyholdthekeytoimprovedhealth.Ofparticularimportance,wenowknowthatpeoplesufferingfromoverweightorobesitycantakechargeoftheirhealth—iftheyarewillingtomakeevenmodestchangesintheirlifestyle.

Throughoutmycareerinpreventivemedicineandepidemiology,I,togetherwith my colleagues, have valued the importance of empowering the publicthrough information and shareddecisionmaking.Our researchhas focusedonpreventionofcardiovasculardiseaseanddiabetes,includingassessingtheroleoflifestylefactorsinreducingrisks.Wehaveexaminedthe“powerofprevention”in several large-scale clinical studies, including the Harvard Nurses’ HealthStudy,theWomen’sHealthInitiative,theWomen’sHealthStudy,theVITaminDand OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL), and other research projects. One of the majorfindingsfromourlargepopulation-basedstudiesisthattype2diabetesandheartdisease are largely preventable through lifestyle modifications, which arepowerful determinants of our risk of chronic disease. For example, we’vepublished papers from the Nurses’ Health Study indicating that at least 90percentofcasesoftype2diabetesandatleast80percentofheartattackscanbepreventedbylifestylechanges,includingbeingphysicallyactive,maintainingahealthyweight,andfollowingadietthatishighinfruits,vegetables,andwholegrainsandlowinsaturatedandtransfatsandrefinedcarbohydrates.

We’vemadeeffortstoinformthepublicofthesefindings,aswellasoftheworkofotherresearchersaroundtheworld,oftenwritingcolumnsinmagazines

and working closely with print and electronic media over the years. Yet thescientific findings of so many researchers and other dedicated individuals inacademiaremainlargelyunknownbythegeneralpublic.Partoftheproblemisthepervasiveandoverpoweringimpactofmassmarketingbythefoodindustry.Another problem is the often confusing and contradictory messages aboutnutrition and health on the Internet and variousmassmedia outlets. Even thedietaryguidelinesfromthefederalgovernmentmayseemconfusingandatoddswith some of the research studies that have attracted attention. How is thegeneralpublicsupposedtoknowwhichscientificstudiestobelieve?

That’s why Jonathan Bailor has performed an invaluable service with hisbookTheCalorieMyth.Jonathanhasstudiedthousandsandthousandsofpagesofacademic researchonhealthandweight lossandhehasput the results intotermsthattheordinarypersoncanunderstand.Wehavemadegreatstridesovertheyearsinunderstandinghowthebodyrespondstodifferenttypesoffood.Yetall too often a popular author cites the scientific evidence selectively,emphasizing only those aspects of the wide-ranging research that support thedietplanheorsheispromoting.Jonathan’sworkisfarfrom“justanotherdietbook.”

TheCalorieMythdismantlesthemythsthathavecontributedenormouslytothehealthandweightproblemsthatmanypeoplehaveandreplaces themwitheasy-to-understand facts that will change the way you think about eating andexercise.On the eating side, he showswhy changes in a person’smetabolismaffectweightgainandhowtogetyourmetabolismburningrather thanstoringbodyfat.Heprovidesasensibleformulaforeatingtherightkindsoffoodthatproducesatiety—thatfillyouupsomuchthatyouwon’thaveroomforthetypesof foods that are fueling the obesity and diabetes epidemics. He shows howbalanceisthekeytolong-termhealthandweightloss.Healsoclarifieswhatthescientific literature suggests are the best ways to exercise. Short bursts ofvigorousandforcefulactivitycanprovideallthestimulationneededtogetyourmetabolismbackontrack.Butmoderateexercisealsohasarole.

The scientific community now knows a great deal about how the humanbodyworks.Incullingtheliteratureandgatheringtheresultsofsomanyclinicalstudies,JonathanBailorpresentsaweight-lossprogramthatisbasedonrigorousscience. We can make the right choices that will help us to avoid becomingoverweightorobese.Asatreasuretroveofreliableinformationandsoundfacts,TheCalorieMythcanhelpyoutakechargeofyourdestinyandturnthetideonweightgain.

—JoAnnE.Manson,MD,MPH,DrPH,ProfessorofMedicineandtheMichaelandLeeBellProfessorofWomen’sHealth,HarvardMedicalSchool;Chief,DivisionofPreventiveMedicine,BrighamandWomen’s

Hospital

Introduction:TheSmarterScienceofSlim

Inotherfields,whenbridgesdonotstand,whenaircraftdonotfly,whenmachines do not work, when treatments do not cure, despite allconscientious efforts on thepart ofmanypersons tomake themdo so,one begins to question the basic assumptions, principles, theories, andhypothesesthatguideone’sefforts.

—ArthurJensen,UniversityofCalifornia1

Over thepast fewdecades,we’vebeen tryingharder andharder tobehealthyand fit. The result: we got heavy and sick.What’s going on here?When didhealthyandfitstartmakingusheavyandsick?Andwhyiseveryonecallinguslazygluttons?

If a doctor prescribes us a medication and it makes us worse, is that ourfault?No.However, it is up to us to stop taking it and to find a new doctor.Similarly,ifanarchitectbuildsusahouseanditcrumbles,isthatourfault?No.Butwe’dbetterfindagoodcontractorwhoknowshowtobuildsomethingsolidandsafe.

We have to apply the same logic to health and fitness.We’ve received somuch contradictory, damaging advice over the years—often resulting infrustrationandextrapounds. It’shigh timeforus tomakeabetterchoice.Butwhatotheroptiondowehavethanthedecades-oldcalorie-countingapproach?

Ihavegoodnewsandbadnews.Scientificandtechnologicaladvancementshavebeenjustasamazinginthehealth,fitness,andfat-lossarenasoverthepastforty years as they have been everywhere else. But here’s the bad news:nobody’stoldusaboutthem.Thefieldofmodernnutritionandexercisesciencehas provided a proven alternative, and it does not involve complex caloriecounting,confusingworkoutroutines,orothergimmicks.

Wecanthinkaboutthemodernapproachtoavoidingobesityanddiabetesaswe would the modern approach to avoiding lung cancer: No need to track

breaths in and breaths out—just enjoy clean air. Don’t avoid everything. Juststeer clear of things proven to poison your lungs. Similarly, no need to trackcaloriesinandcaloriesout—justenjoysomuchdelicioushealthful(whatIcall“SANE”)foodthatyouaretoofullfor the(“inSANE”)foodsthatpoisonyourbody.

We’vegottenworsewhile tryingharder becausewe’vebeenwritten a badprescriptionandgivenafaultyblueprint.Thetraditionalapproachtohealthandfitness is like attempting to avoid lung cancer by smoking light cigarettes andjogging.We’restilldestroyingourrespiratorysystem—albeitmoreslowly—andevensomewell-intentionedjoggingcannotundothatdamage.

Likewise,eatinglessofatraditionaldietanddoingmoretraditionalexercisedoes not prevent obesity and diabetes. It may delay them, but the diet stilldestroysourmetabolicsystem—albeitmoreslowly—andtheexercisedoesnotundo that damage. Fortunately, we have the solution: we can use simple andprovensciencetomake“healthy”healthyagain.

WECANLIVEBETTER

Startinginthe1970s,dietandnutritionexpertsreducedfoodandexercisedowntoalowestcommondenominator:calories.Theytoldusthatwejustneedtoeatfewercaloriesandexercisemoretoburnthemoff.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatweeat.“There are no bad foods,” they said, “only bad quantities. Everything inmoderation.”Inthissamespirit,manyexpertsclaimedthetypeofexercisewedoisirrelevant—aslongaswegetourheartrateupforacertainamountoftimesothatweburnalotofcalories.

This dual set of recommendations led to a world where nearly half of allwomenandathirdofallmenarefollowingadietplanwhilethefitnessindustryhasblossomedintoa$30billionbusinessthatemploysmorethanhalfamillionpeople. In other words, we trusted the experts and took the calorie-countingconcepttoheart.Hereiswhatthathasdonetoourhearts(andwaistlines):

USHEALTHANDWEIGHTTRENDS

MillionsofNonfatalHeartDiseaseIncidents

MillionsofHospitalDischargesforCardiovascularDiseases

PercentofAmericansatLeastOverweight

MillionsofAmericanswithDiabetes

Judging by these results, the calorie-counting approach is not effective.We’retrying,butit’snotworking—anywhere.Theworldwiderateofobesityhasmorethandoubledsince1980.Thenumberofpeoplewhoareoverweighttodayequals the total world population a century ago. Most disturbingly, David S.Ludwig,MD,PhD,directoroftheNewBalanceFoundationObesityPreventionCenter,BostonChildren’sHospital,reports,“ObesityissuchthatthisgenerationofchildrencouldbethefirstbasicallyinthehistoryoftheUnitedStatestoliveless healthful and shorter lives than their parents.”2 In the words of SusanWooley,cofounderoftheEatingDisorderClinicattheUniversityofCincinnatiCollegeofMedicine:“Thefailureof[overweight]apeopletoachieveagoaltheyseem towant—and towant almost above all else—must nowbe admitted forwhatitis:afailurenotofthosepeoplebutofthemethodsoftreatmentthatareused.”3

While this is heartbreaking, there is hope. The counterproductive resultsbroughtonbythemisinformationof thepasthaveledcontemporaryexperts—peoplewhospendtheirtimeinresearchlabs,notontelevisionorinmagazines—toseekoutanalternative.Theseexpertsknewwecouldn’tbegin tofind theansweruntilwewere ready to admit the fallaciesof thoseold theories. “Howmaythemedicalprofessionregain itsproper role in the treatmentofobesity?”AlbertStunkard,MD,chairmanoftheDepartmentofPsychiatryandfounderoftheCenter forWeight andEatingDisorders at theUniversityofPennsylvania,asks.“Wecanbeginbylookingatthesituationasitexistsandnotaswewouldlikeittobe....Ifwedonotfeelobligedtoexcuseourfailures,wemaybeabletoinvestigatethem.”4

This realizationwithin the scientificcommunityhasbeenwonderful forusbecauseitledtodecadesoftransformationalfatlossandwellnessresearch.Theonly issue is that this research, buried in dense medical journal articles andresearchpapers,hasnotyetfounditswayoutofacademiccircles.

YouandIaregoingtofixthat.Oncewesimplifythisscience,wecanescapethemythsattheheartoftheobesity,diabetes,andheartdiseaseepidemics.Wewillexperiencesomethingtrulyliberating:wewillseehowaccurateinformationmakesiteasytogetslimandbehealthy.

Doesthatsoundtoogoodtobetrue?Haveyouevermetanyonewhoeatsasmuchasheorshewants,doesnotexercise,andstillstaysskinny?Weallhave.So the question is not: “Is simple lifelong slimness possible?” Millions ofnaturallythinpeoplehavealreadydemonstratedthatitis.Thequestionis:“HowcanIburnfatautomatically,likenaturallythinpeople?”

Along the same lines, have you evermet anyonewho easily avoids foodsmostofuscrave?Again,weallhave.Thequestionisnot:“Isitpossibletoavoidfoods thatmanypeoplecrave?”Millionsofvegetariansdemonstrateeverydaythatit’spossibletoresistdrive-thruburgersforlife.Thequestionis:“Howcanweget ourminds to seeharmful foods in theway that vegetarians’minds seemeat?”

The modern science of health and fitness has revealed a surprising andencouraginganswer:Wedon’tneed toeat lessandexercisemore—harder.Wecaneatmoreandexerciseless—smarter.

Smarteristhekey.Thefocusshouldbeonfoodandexercisequalityinsteadofquantity.Byeatingplentyofhigher-qualityfoodanddoingless(buthigher-quality)exercise,weunconsciouslyavoidovereatingandprovideourbodywithauniquecombinationofnutritionandhormones,onethatreprogramsthebodytobehavemorelikeoneofanaturallythinperson.Likewise,psychologistshavepioneeredtechniqueswecanusetoreprogramthewayourmindperceivesfood.Ifwededicateafewhourstofreeingourmind,itcanfreeusfromthecravingsthatsabotageourefforts.

We’revirtuallydyingtoknowthefactsaboutfatlossandhealth,butwhohastime to examine thousands of pages of scientific studies? It took me over adecade of being sleep deprived, sending countless e-mails, and callingresearchers around the world to understand twelve hundred nutrition andexercisestudiesandintegratethemintothisbook.Thankfully,youwon’tneedadecadetoabsorbthisinformation—youjustneedafewhourstoreaditandfiveweekstoallowittochangeyourlife.

I’ve simplified my findings into a five-week plan to burn fat and shedpoundsquickly,anda flexible lifestyleprogramthat improvesyourhealthandhelpsyouslimdownpermanently.You’lllearn:

•Howsupposedly“healthy”foodscrippleourabilitytoburnfat•Howtoburnfatwhileeatingmorefood•Howtogetallthebenefitsofexerciseinatenthofthetime•Howeatinglesssetsusuptogainfatinthelongrun• Howafewminutesofanewformofexercise immunizeusagainst fatgain

•Howwefixtheunderlyinghormonalconditioncausingustogainfat

To start, let’s look at a point-by-point comparison of the 1970s calorie-countingtheoryandthe2010ssmarterscienceofslim.Ontheleftyouwillfindthe advice you’ve read dozens of times. Now look at the right-hand column.Thereisquiteadifference.

OUTDATED THEORY VERSUS MODERNSCIENCE

TheCalorieMythEat Less, Exercise More—Harder

TheSmarterScienceofSlimEatMore,ExerciseLess—Smarter

Focuses on calorie quantity andignorescaloriequality

Leverages calorie quality to take care of caloriequantity

Fights against our “set-pointweight”

Lowersour“set-pointweight”

Focusesonshort-termweightloss Focusesonlong-termfatlossandhealthSlowsdownourmetabolism SpeedsupourmetabolismIgnoreshormonalissues FocusesonhormonalissuesEnsures a profit motive for thedietandfitnessindustry

Keeps it all simple right from the start so you canhealyourbodyandbankaccount

Tobeclear,the“eatless,exercisemore”approachcanwork—justnotveryoften,easily,orenjoyably.Studiesshowthatcountingcaloriesdoesnotkeepoffbody fat over the long term, 95.4 percent of the time. To put that intoperspective, quitting smoking cold turkey has a 94.5 percent failure rate. Putthesetwofactstogether:wearemorelikelytogiveupthethirdmostaddictivesubstanceintheworld(trailingonlyheroinandcocaine)withoutanyhelpthan

we are to shedweight using the “gold-standard” advice you have been taughtyourwholelife(thegospelthatIwastaughtbackinmypersonaltrainerdays).

Themodern, smarter approach is not about better versusworse; it’s aboutsimple versus complex:Whenwe’re hungry,we eat smarter foods untilwe’refull.Whenweworkout,wedosmarterexerciseforashorterperiodoftime.

That’s it. Freed from hunger or complicated calculations about howmuchwe’re eatingor exercising,wecan spendour energyonourdreams, jobs, andfamilies. The calorie-counting model is so complex that there are reality TVshowsabout it,withcontestantsconstantlydoingfoodmathandspending life-draininghoursinthegym.Worriedabouthowmuchwe’reeatingorexercising,wehavelittletimeorenergyforanythingelse.

Bothapproachescangetyouto“theotherside.”Butwhilecountingcaloriesis like frantically zigzagging through aminefield, eatingmore and exercisingless—butsmarter—isasnaturalandlowkeyasstrollingthroughameadow.

ConsiderastudydoneatSkidmoreCollegecomparingatraditionalcalorie-counting“eatless,exercisemore—harder”programagainstasimpler“eatmore,exercise less—smarter”program.Let’s call thegroups in the study theHarderGroupandtheSmarterGroup.

The Harder Group ate a more conventional Western diet while doingtraditional aerobic exercise for fortyminutes per day, six days perweek. TheSmarterGroupateasmarterdietwhileexercisingonly60percentasmuch,butwithhigherquality.Thestudylastedfor twelveweeksandincludedthirty-fourwomenandtwenty-ninemenbetweentheagesoftwentyandsixty.

At the end of the study, the Harder Group ate less food and exercisedeighteen hoursmore than the Smarter Group. The Smarter Group focused onhigh-intensity cardio and resistance training, and ate more but higher-qualitycalories.Here’swhattheresearchersfound:

SMARTERVERSUSHARDER

Intrigued?Itgetsbetter.Theprogramin thisbooktakes thestrategiesusedbytheSmarterGrouptothenextlevel.

Wedon’tusethesamesurgicaltechniquesweusedfortyyearsago.Wedon’tusethesamecomputersweusedfortyyearsago.Andthere’snoneedtousethesamenutritionalandexerciseapproachesweusedfortyyearsago.Thousandsofstudies show a simpler, safer, and more sustainable way to trim off thoseunwantedpoundswhileimprovingeveryaspectofourhealth.It istimetofreeourselvesfromoutdatedCalorieMyths.Itistimetoenjoyasmarterscienceofslim.

THECALORIEMYTHS

Inthefirstpartofthisbook,we’llcoverthenewsciencethatlaysthefoundationfor theprogram.Itmaybe tempting toskip thissectionand jumpstraight intothe “how-to” information, but I would caution against that. Without thisfoundationalinformation,thepracticalstepslaterinthebookwon’tmakesensebecauseyouwon’thaveanycontextforunderstandingthem.Sopleasegivethescienceashot.We’vegiventheCalorieMythsdecadestoconfuseus.Let’sgivethesmarterscienceafewshorthourstoclearthingsup.

We’ll start by digging into research concerning the set-point—a range ofabouttenpoundsthatourbodyworkstokeepuswithin.We’llseethatprocessedfood creates a hormonal “clog” that raises our set-point weight and causeschronicfatgain.Wewillalsoseehowhealingourhormonesandloweringourset-pointweight,viahigh-qualitywholeplantandanimalfoods,keepsusslimas

reliably as our existing set-point keeps us heavy.Wewill free ourselves fromtrying tomanually regulate calories in and calories out—amaddening, never-ending task that’s justaboutas feasibleas trying tomanually regulateallyourbreathsinandbreathsout.

Next,we’llseehowthemessage“Acalorieisacalorie,soeatwhatever,justnot too much” is about as accurate as saying, “Liquid is liquid, so drinkwhatever, just not toomuch.”Wewill find that the quality of calories varieswildly and is determined by four factors: Satiety, Aggression, Nutrition, andEfficiency.

Satietyishowquicklycaloriesfillusup.Aggressionishowlikelycaloriesaretobestoredasbodyfat.Nutrition ishowmanyvitamins,minerals,essentialaminoacids,essentialfattyacids,etc.,caloriesprovide.

Efficiencyishoweasilycaloriesareconvertedintobodyfat.

Whetheracalorieishighqualityorlowqualitydependsonwhereitfitsonthe SANEity spectrum. High-quality calories are on the healthy end of theSANEity spectrum. They are nonstarchy vegetables, nutrient-dense proteins,whole-food fats, and low-fructose fruits. They are Satisfying, unAggressive,Nutritious,andinEfficient.TheseSANEfoodsfillusupquicklyandkeepusfullforalongtime.SANEfoodsprovidealotofnutrientsandfewofthemcanbeconvertedintobodyfat.Evenbetter,SANEfoodstriggerthereleaseofbody-fat-burninghormones,clearclogs,andlowerourset-point.ThemoreSANEfoodsweeat,thesimplerslimbecomes.

Low-quality calories are just the opposite. Starches and sweets are on theunhealthy end of the SANEity spectrum. They are unSatisfying, Aggressive,nonNutritious, and Efficient. When we eat these inSANE foods we have toovereattosatisfyourselves.TheseinSANEfoodsprovidefewnutrientsandtheyare easily converted into body fat. Triggering the release of body-fat-storinghormones,inSANEfoodscauseclogsandraiseourset-point.ThemoreinSANEfoodsweeat,themorecomplexslimbecomes.

Next,youandIwillwalkthroughresearchrevealingwhythequalityofourcalories is so important. We will discover how calorie quality controls thehormones that control our set-point. We’ll also see how the clogged-up andmyth-filled foodworld of today has a long history.One of the lowest-qualitysources of calories in the world is starch, but our government refuses to

recognizethisfact.Initspyramidandplate,starchesarepromotedvigorouslyasthoughtheyshouldbethecornerstoneofahealthydiet.We’llseehowbigfood,fitness, and pharmaceutical corporations exploit these government guidelinesandgraphicstokeeppeopleandprofitsfat.

THESOLUTIONS:GETSANEANDSMARTHere’swherewe’llgetpractical.YouandIwillcoverhowtoputthesciencewelearned into practice in our everyday lives to achieve long-term fat loss andhealth.WewillseethatSANEeatingisenjoyableandsustainable.Whenweeatan abundanceof high-qualitywhole food, our tasteswill change, our cravingswilldisappear,andwewillbetoofulltobetemptedwithprocessedlow-qualityfood.EatingmoreSANE food causes the quality of our diet to rise.This riselowers our set-point, and our body begins to work more like the body of anaturallythinperson.

We’ll also explore the wide disconnect between what we’ve been taughtaboutexerciseandwhatresearchershaveproved.We’llexplorehowexercisingto enable our body to burn fat for us long term is completely different fromexercisingtoburnafewcaloriesrightnow.Wewillseehowmovingourbodyslowly,safely,andforcefullyspeedsthemetabolichealingattheheartofmakingslim simple. We will see how, far from making us bulky, smarter resistancetrainingisthekeytostayingslimandhealthy.We’llthenwrapupbyexploringhowtoexercisesmarter.

THEFIVE-WEEKSMARTERSCIENCEOFSLIMPLANIn the last part of the book, I will offer you a complete five-week mental,nutritional,andphysicalplanthatwill foreverfreeyoufromyo-yodietingandoptimize your health. We’ll work through mental activities that enable us toovercome subconscious roadblocks that could impede our fat-loss effortsregardless of howmuch sciencewe know.We’ll discover psychological toolsthatenableustoeasilyeliminatethedesireforinSANEfoods.We’llseeexactlyhowmanyservingsofSANEfoodsweneedtoeattohealourmetabolismandhoweasyitistogroceryshop,cook,andeatoutSANEly.I’llarmyouwithmorethan thirty recipes, snacks, and substitutions that speed hormonal healing.Finally,we’llseesafe,smarterexercisesthatwecandoathomeoratagyminjusttwentyminutesperweek.(That’snotperday—that’sperweek.)

Thissmarterscienceofslimhasdramaticallyandpermanentlyimprovedthelivesofmanypeopleanditwilldothesameforyou.Let’sget themythsand

misinformation out of theway andmake slim simple again.Let’s eat smarter,exercisesmarter,andlivebetter.

aYouwillseewordsandexplanationsinsquarebrackets[likethis]inquotesfromresearchers.Idothistomakeacademicwritingeasytounderstandwhilemaintainingtheoriginalintentoftheresearcher.

THE

CALORIEMYTHS

Hippocrates[thefatherofWesternmedicine]wrotethattheobeseshould“eatonlyonceadayand...walknakedaslongaspossible.”Progressin[thefat-loss]areawill require thatwemovebeyondthis2,000-year-oldprescriptionandinsteaddevelopstrategiesthatarebasedontwenty-first-centuryscience.

—JeffreyM.Friedman,RockefellerUniversity5

TheMythofCalorieMath

The first of the three Calorie Myths at the heart of our fat-loss and healthstrugglesisthatcaloriecountingisrequiredtoavoidobesityanddisease.

CalorieMyth#1:WeightLoss=CaloriesIn–CaloriesOut

But reducing the human body to a simple mathematical equation doesn’twork. Just as a healthy body automatically balances blood pressure and bloodsugar within a normal range, a healthy body also automatically balances theintake and expenditure of calorieswithin a normal range.However,when thebody’s healthy balance mechanism is broken by low-quality foods, theseotherwise unconscious functions become conscious and complex.Wemanageblood pressure with prescriptions. We regulate blood sugar with insulininjections.Wetrackhowmanycaloriesweeatandhowmanystepswetakeeachday.Wetrytodecipherfoodlabels.

We continue to get heavier and sicker while trying harder because theweight-lossprescriptionwe’vebeenwritteniswrong.Theproblemisnotalackof calorie counting, pill popping, or insulin injections.Everyonewashealthierandslimmerbeforeanyoneheardofthosethings.Theproblemisthatsomethingisbreakingourbiologyand thatwe’re trying tostarve, stress,andmedicate toaddressitsconsequences,insteadoffixingthebiologicalbreakdownitself.

COMPLEXITYCOMESFROMMISINFORMATION

InJune2011,BarryPopkinandKiyahDuffey,doctorsattheUniversityofNorth

Carolina at Chapel Hill, made a startling discovery. They discovered that thenumber of calories consumedper personper day increasedby a jaw-dropping570 calories between 1977 and 2006. At first glance, it appeared that theydefinitively demonstratedwhatmany assumed to be the cause of our obesity,diabetes,andheartdiseaseepidemics:weareeatingtoomuch.

However, a second glance at their data reveals an even more startlingdiscovery.Iftheaveragepersonisconsuming570morecaloriesthannecessaryperdayandifthecalorie-countingmathwehearaboutdailyisaccurate,thentheaveragepersonshouldhavegained476poundssince2006.*

Isitpossiblethatinsteadofasking,“Whyarewegettingfatter?”weshouldbeasking, “Whydon’t allofusweigh sixhundredpluspounds?”What couldpossibly explain the huge disconnect between the quantity of calories we’reeatingandthequantityoffatwe’regaining?

Herearethreepossibleexplanations:

1.We’reeatingless.2.We’reexercisingmore.3.TheCalorieMathdoesn’taddup.

Let’s start with the first possible explanation: Did we avoid gaining 476poundsbecausewecutcaloriesdramaticallyafter2006?Obesityand lifestyle-related disease rates have continued their upward climb, so this doesn’t seemlikely.And ifwe lookat thepreceding fewdecades, thisexplanation just isn’tpossible.

Since the late 1970s, we have gradually worked our way up to eating anadditional570caloriesperpersonperday.Butlet’sestimatethatoverthosefewdecades,weeachateamoremodest300additionalcaloriesperday.Accordingtotraditionalcaloriemath,theaverageAmericanshouldhavegained907poundsof fat between 1977 and 2006.* It seems that we continue to consume morecalories,butwhateverpreventedthoseexcesscaloriesfromcausingeveryonetogain907poundsbetween1977and2006alsopreventedeachofusfromgaining476poundsbetween2006and2014.

Let’s look at the second possible explanation: Did we avoid a 476-poundweightgainbecauseour levelofphysical activity increaseddramatically from2006to2014?Thistheoryholdsuponlyiftheaveragepersonjoggedforoveranhourandahalfeverydayforthepasteightyears.That’senoughjoggingtocrosstheentireUnitedStateseleventimes.

Thatdidn’thappen.This possibility also suffers from the same challenge as the first. The

exerciseexplanationdoesn’tsolvethequestionofhowweavoidedtheprevious907-poundweightgainbecause,aswe’veallheard,we’veexperiencedadropinphysical activity that is actually believed to be a major cause of the obesityepidemic.

That leaves us with the third possible explanation—that we’re better offthinkingaboutweight in termsofbiology,notmath.We’vegainedonlya tinyfractionofthose476poundsbecauseourbodydoesn’tworklikeacalculator.

Researchers at the University of Washington cite the role of a complexcontrol system in the brain that adjusts the calories our body takes in andexpends,bothimmediatelyandoverthelongterm,toachievehomeostasisandkeepour“bodyenergystatus”—ourweight—stableover time.Similarly to thewaythebodyautomaticallyregulatesinsulinandbloodglucoseuntilthatsystemis overwhelmed and breaks down (leading to type 2 diabetes), the bodyautomatically regulates body fat until it is overwhelmed and breaks down(leading to overweight and obesity). Anotherway to think of it:Much asweexhalemorewhenweinhalemore,orweurinatemorewhenwedrinkmore,wealso burn more when we eat more and burn less when we eat less—automatically.Breathsinandbreathsout,waterinandwaterout,andcaloriesinand calories out are matters of established human biology, not mythicalmetabolicmath.

This “burnmorewhenwe eatmore” behavior explains howwe’ve gaineddramaticallylessthanwhatwouldbepredictedbycaloriemath.The“burnlesswhen we eat less” behavior explains why studies show traditional calorie-countingapproachesfailing95.4percentofthetime—andoftenprovokingevengreater rebound weight gain. When we put these two biologic behaviorstogether, we can see why every weight-loss study ever conducted shows thatwhenpeoplearegivenasurplusorshortageofcalories,theynevergainorlosethemathematically anticipated amountof fat.Thebody just doesn’twork thatway.

The math myth doesn’t work because it assumes our body doesn’t doanything to counterbalance our efforts to count calories. The fact is that ourgenes,brain,andhormonesworktogethertomaintainbalance,or—asweweretaught in our high school biology classes—homeostasis. When it comes toweight,ahealthybodyautomatically“countscalories”tomaintainaleveloffatthatisneithertoolownortoohigh.

“Theaveragehumanconsumesonemillion . . . caloriesayear,yetweightchangesverylittle,”saysJeffreyM.Friedman,MD,PhD,headoftheLaboratoryofMolecularGeneticsatRockefellerUniversityinNewYork.“Thesefactsleadtotheconclusionthatenergybalanceisregulatedwithaprecisionofgreaterthan99.5percent,whichfarexceedswhatcanbeconsciouslymonitored.”6Noone,nomatterhowmeticulousheorsheiswithafoodjournalandacalculator,couldgetthatclosetoperfect.

Losing weight—more specifically, losing fat—and keeping it off seemcomplex because common calorie-counting approaches fight this system.Traditional“starveyourwaytosuccess”strategiesmaymakeforgoodtelevisionandshort-termresults,butaresadlyineffectiveinthelongtermbecausewecan’twinbattlesagainstourownbiology.Forexample,justtrytokeepyourselffromsleeping.Whyiskeepingyourselffromeatinganydifferent?Ofcoursewecanshaveafewhoursoffoursleep,but that isn’tsustainableorhealthy.Wecouldalso temporarily loseweightbystarvingourselves,but that isn’tsustainableorhealthyeither.

As soon as we learn how our body works and how to heal it rather thantryingtooverrideitviacaloriecounting,medication,andspendinghoursinthegym,wewillneverhavetoworryaboutourweightagain.Achievingourhealthandfitnessgoalsonlyappearscomplexbecausewehavebeengivenawholelotofbadinformation.

SIMPLICITYTHROUGHBIOLOGY

Let’stakeonelastlookathowthemathmythbecameingrainedinourculture.Iliketocompareourlackofprogressonthenutritionfronttothelackofprogresswehadonthetobaccofrontjustafewdecadesago.Smokingisagoodexamplebecauseitreflectstherealworldintheearlytwentiethcentury—whenthepublicwas “educated” about cigarettes by the government and tobacco corporationsratherthanbythescientificcommunity.

Couldyouimaginehowcomplexitwouldbetoavoidlungcancerifweweretoldsmokingwasharmless?*Themodernworldofnutrition—wherethepublicis“educated”abouteatingandexercisebythegovernmentandfoodandfitnesscorporations rather than by the scientific community—is similar. Just asavoidinglungcancerismucheasieronceweknowtheprimarycause(smoking),avoidingobesity,diabetes, andheartdisease ismucheasieronceweknow the

cause(eatingthewrongfoods).However,noneofthisispossibleuntilsomeonetells us that cigarette smoke isn’t the same as fresh air, and that five hundredcalories of nonfat potato chips aren’t the same as five hundred calories ofspinachandsalmon.(Itwouldalsobeniceifsomeoneacknowledgedthateatinglessandexercisingmoretoavoidobesityislikeattemptingtoavoidlungcancerbyinhalinglessandexhalingmore.)

We’ve automatically avoided 98 percent of the weight we “should” havegainedaccordingtocaloriecountingbecauseourbodyisdesignedtobalanceusoutautomatically.* Itdoesn’t“want”tobeheavyanddiabeticanymorethanit“wants” lung cancer. And just as we can more easily avoid lung cancer byavoidingsmoking,wecanmoreeasilyavoidobesity,diabetes,andheartdiseasebyavoiding low-qualityfood.Whenweeata lotofhigh-qualityfood,ourset-pointtakescareofeverythingelseautomatically,justasithassuccessfullydoneforeveryothergenerationthathaseverlived.

THEFINALNAILINTHECALORIE-COUNTINGCOFFINIn his 2009 article in the journalCell Metabolism, Brent Wisse, MD, of theDiabetes and Obesity Center of Excellence at the University of Washington,noted,“Priortothediscoveryoftheadipocyte[fatcell]hormoneleptin,obesitywas thought to resultmore froma lackofwillpower thanfromanunderlyingbiological disorder. Now, 15 years after leptin’s discovery, a much differentpicture of how obesity occurs is beginning to emerge.”7 So, even beingconservative, we can say that the calorie-counting approach was consideredobsolete by scientists back in 2009.And that’s being generous.Actually,waybackin1990,WayneMiller,PhD,oftheDepartmentofKinesiologyatIndianaUniversity, ran a clinical a study of the relationship between body fat, energyintake, and exercise and came to the same conclusion: “There was norelationshipbetweenenergyintakeandadiposity[bodyfat].”8

The bottom line is that we don’t have to worry about regulating life-sustainingbodilyfunctions.That’sourbrain’sandhormones’ job.Theappetitecontrol center of our brain, the hypothalamus, regulates body weight bypreciselybalancingthefoodsweeat,theenergyweburn,andtheamountoffatonourbody.Wedon’thaveto“decide”toeatlessandexercisemore—infact,saysJeffreyM.Friedman, that simplisticnotion isatoddswith thesubstantialscientificevidencethattheset-pointis“apreciseandpowerfulbiologicsystemthatmaintainsbodyweightwithinarelativelynarrowrange.”9

To achieve long-term health and fitness, we need to lower the “relatively

narrow range” where Friedman tells us our “precise and powerful biologicsystem” operates. In order to do that, we need to find out what specificallycausestheset-pointtoriseandhowtolowerit.

YourSet-PointWeight

Think back to high school biology class.We all learned howwe pump bloodwithourcirculatorysystemandhowwebreathewithourrespiratorysystem.Butthere is anothermajor system thatdidn’tmake it intoourhigh schoolbiologytextbooks.Thissystem,attheheartofourweightandhealthstruggles,hasbeenwidely ignored by health and fitness experts. It is what scientists call thehomeostatic control system, lipostat, adiposity negative feedback system, ormoresimply,theset-point.

We already understand the idea of the set-point intuitively—we just call itmetabolism.Weseesomeonewhoeatsalotandlookslikeabeanpoleandsay,“Sam’ssoluckytohaveafastmetabolism.”Orwenoticethatwe’renoteatinganymoreorexercisinganylessbutseemtobegainingweightandthink,“Mymetabolism must be slowing down.” Little do we know that our intuition isreflectingthelastseventyyearsofbiologicalinvestigation.Whatwecallafastmetabolism iswhat researcherscalla“lowset-point”andwhatwecallaslowmetabolismiswhatresearcherscalla“highset-point.”

Simply put, our set-point is determined by a series of hormonal signalsreleasedfromourgut,pancreas,andfatcells,whichtraveltothehypothalamusinthebrain.Thebrainthenregulateshowmuchweeat,howmanycaloriesweburn,andhowmuchbodyfatwestorelongtermthroughvarioushormonesandneurotransmitters,suchasserotonin,leptin,andghrelin.*Our“set-pointweight”refers to the level of stored fat our body automatically works to maintainregardless of the quantity of calories we take in or burn off. Our set-pointexplainswhy it’s so hard to keep fat off through traditional diet and exercisetechniques. It alsoexplainswhyobesepeopledonotkeepgettingheavier andheavieruntiltheyexplode.

Iknowthatlastpartsoundssilly,butseriously—whydon’tobeseindividuals

gainweight forever? If theireatingandexercisehabitsgot them toweigh450pounds, why won’t they eventually weigh 4,500 pounds? These individualssomehow automatically stop gaining weight. How does that work withconventionalcaloriecounting?

Itdoesn’t.Long-termfatgainworkslikethis:aperson’shormonesgohaywire,causing

hisset-pointweight to rise,and thenhisbodyfights tokeephimstoringmorefat.“Obesityisnotadisorderofbodyweightregulation,”saysDavidS.Weigle,MD, of the University of Washington School of Medicine and HarborviewMedicalCenter.10Mostobesepeopleholdastableweightaroundtheirelevatedset-pointweight.Obesityissimplytheresultofthebodydefendingthiselevatedweight—butinaveryregulatedway.Aheavyperson’shigherset-pointpromptsthebody tostoremore fat in just thesameway thata thinperson’s lowerset-pointpromptsthebodytoburnmorefat.

Weallhaveaset-point—andthat’swhatdetermineshowslimorstockywearelongterm.Notcaloriecounting.

Iknowthisisahugedeparturefromwhatwe’vebeentoldoverthepastfewdecades,butlookwherethatinformationhastakenus.Keepinmindthatnobodyeven knew what a calorie was—let alone about counting them—until theconceptwas introduced to thechemistrycommunity in themid-1800s.Then itwasn’tuntil themid-1900s—ironically, justbeforethebeginningoftheobesityepidemic—thattheconceptofcaloriesmadeit intomainstreamdietandhealthliterature. If calorie counting is required for long-termhealth and fitness,whywere theratesofobesity,diabetes,andheartdiseasesomuch lowerbeforeweevenknewwhatacaloriewas?

The explanation is that up until a few decades ago we ate foods thatmaintained our body’s ability to balance calories automatically around a slimset-pointweight.Inotherwords,forthepastfortyyears,we’vebeentoldtoeatthings that preventourbody fromdoingwhat it did for the entiretyof humanhistory—stayhealthyandfit,automatically.

To be clear, this isn’t controversial. Only two things need to be tested toprove thatourbodyworks toautomatically regulateourbodyweightaroundaset-point:

1. If a healthy person eats less of her existing diet, does her bodyautomatically take steps to prevent fat loss? Most simply, does hermetabolismslowdown?

2. If a healthy person eats more of his existing diet, does his bodyautomatically take steps to prevent fat gain? Most simply, does hismetabolismspeedup?

Studies have consistently and clearly answered yes to both of thesequestions.Thebiochemical fact that thebodyunconsciouslyregulatesbody-fatlevels within a set range is no more debatable than the fact that the bodyunconsciouslyregulatesbloodsugarwithinasetrange.Thedaysoftheset-point“theory” are as long gone as the days of the “theory” that the earth revolvesaroundthesun.Wecannowovercomeobesitybyhealing—ratherthanfightingagainst—theprovenbiologicalsystemthatbalancesourweight.

Do calories count? Of course. But canwe really count them—even if wewantedto?AsRandySeely,PhD,directoroftheDiabetesandObesityCenteratthe University of Cincinnati, cleverly tells us: “You couldn’t find a scale[sensitiveenoughtocountcaloriesaccurately],andifyoudid, thecrumbsyouaccidentally dropped on the floor would completely throw off yourcalculations.”11

DoCaloriesCountorNot?

Caloriescount,butthatdoesn’tmeanyouneedtocountcalories.—EricWestman,MD,MHS,DukeUniversityMedicalCenter

Calories count. However, counting them can’t be necessary for health,considering that before most people knew what a calorie was about 90percent of the population avoided obesity and over 99 percent of usavoidedtype2diabetes.

Think about a sink. Ifwe dump buckets and buckets ofwater into asink at once, we’re going to have problems. Same thing goes with ourbody.Butnobodypoursgiantbucketsofhigh-qualitycalories intohisorherbody.

Calories count, but why not simplify your life and let your bodybalance them for youby eating asmuch as youwant,whenever you arehungry, as long as it’s high-quality food the body is designed to digest?When you do this, youwill drop your set-point, unconsciously consumethe appropriate number of calories, take in dramatically more nutrition,overflowwithenergy,andneverfeelhungry.

STARTLINGSET-POINTSTUDIES

In a seriesof fascinating studies testing the set-point,UniversityofCincinnatiresearcherssurgicallyremovedandaddedbodyfattovariousanimals.Animalswithbodyfat surgically removed then replaced“exactly themassof fatwhichwastaken.”12Animalswithbodyfatsurgicallyaddedautomaticallyburnedmorebodyfatuntiltheirbodyfatreturnedtoitsset-point.

In other studies, scientists had human subjects intentionally overeat. Theresults showed that the participants gained less weight than was predicted bycalorie math, stopped gaining weight completely at a certain point, and theneventuallyreturnedto theiroriginalweightwhentheystoppedovereating.Youcanseethepivotalrolethattheset-pointplaysinourmetabolism.

Knowing that our initial set-point is determined by our genetics (studiesshow40percentto70percentofweightisgeneticallydetermined),researchersalso tested twins toprove thepowerof the set-point. Identical twins share thesamegenesand therefore thesame initial set-point.Onestudy tested twosets:let’s call them the Smith twins and the Thomas twins. Given 1,000 excesscalories per day, would the Smith twins and Thomas twins all gain the sameamountofbodyfataspredictedbyconventional theory,orwouldtheset-pointfortheSmithsproduceaweightgaindifferentfromtheThomases’?

Different.Verydifferent.The Smiths both gained the same amount ofweight because they had the

same set-point. So did the Thomases. But weight gain varied by nearly fourtimesbetween the two sets of twinsbecause theyhaddifferent set-points.Forexample, while the Smiths each gained two pounds, the Thomas twins eachgainedeightpounds.

Exerciseworksthesameway.Instudieswherepairsoftwinsareputthroughthe same exercise program and have their diets held constant, each pair ofidenticaltwinsseesthesamechangesinbodycomposition,buttheamountoffatlostvariesbetweenthepairsthankstothevaryingset-points.Samediets,sameexercise,sameset-points,sameresults.Differentset-points,differentresults.

Ourset-pointdeterminesourlong-termweight.Ifourweightiselevated,it’sbecauseourset-pointiselevatedthankstowhatIcalla“hormonalclog.”

ANELEVATEDSET-POINTISLIKEACLOGGEDSINKWhenourhormoneschange,ourset-pointchanges.Thisiswhywegainweightasweage.Wearen’tbecominglazierandhungrierwitheachpassingyear(well,maybealittle).Asweageourhormoneschange.Thetechnicaltermforthisismetabolicdysregulation,butit’seasiertothinkofasahormonalclog.

Whenwebecomehormonally clogged,ourbodycanno longer respond tosignalsfromourhormonesandbrain thatotherwiseenableus toburnbodyfatautomatically.However,whenweincreasethequalityofoureatingandexercise,wecanhealourhormones, “unclog,” lowerour set-point, andgetourbody toburnfatinsteadofstorefat.

Aneasywaytounderstandhowthishormonalclogelevatesyourset-pointistothinkaboutyourbodyasbeinglikeasink.Whenasinkisworkingproperly,morewater poured inmeansmorewater drains out.Thewater levelmay risetemporarily, but the sink will automatically take care of that. The sink isbalancingwaterinandwateroutatalowlevel.Thesinkhasalowset-point.

Ahormonallyhealthybodyworkssimilarly,doing itsbest toautomaticallykeep excess fat from sticking around. That’swhywe each haven’t gained the1,333 poundswe should have gained since the 1970s. A healthy body, like a“healthy”sink,respondstomoreinwithmoreout,andtolessinwithlessout.Water builds up in sinks, and fat builds up in bodies, onlywhen theybecomeclogged.Thekeyquestionthenis:whatcausesclogs?

Sinksandbodiesbecomecloggedandbreakdownwhenthewrongqualityofthingsareputinthem.Thisiswhywedon’tworryaboutwashingourhandsasquicklyaspossible,butwedoworktokeephairoutofourdrains.Weknownoquantity of the rightqualitywill ever causeour sink to clog.Lowquality,nothighquantity,causesclogs.

Now,onceclogshappen,anyamountofwaterinwillcausethewaterleveltorise and stayhigh.Wehavea sinkwith anelevated set-point.Whatdowedonext?

Wecoulduselesswaterfor therestofour lives,orwecouldusethesameamountofwaterbutspendanhourortwoperdaybailingexcesswateroutofthesink. But why go through all that hassle when we could fix the underlyingproblembyuncloggingthesinkandletitbalancethingsoutforusautomaticallyaroundalowerset-point?

Thinkof our body the sameway.Whenweput thewrongquality of foodinto it, our body becomes hormonally clogged, causing it to automaticallybalance us out at an elevated level of body fat. Like a backed-up sink with

stagnantwatersittinginit,weendupwithabunchofstangnantfatsittinginourbody.Theseclogscaneventuallyleadtoobesityanddiabetes.

Oncewe’re clogged and our body is balancing us at an elevated set-pointweight,wecouldeatlessofourexistingdiet,andthatwouldtemporarilylowerour weight. But why struggle through starvation? That’s just like turning thefaucet down. It doesn’t actually fix anything and it’s tough to keep the faucetdownforever.Wecouldalsodomore traditionalcardiovascularexercisessuchas jogging. But why? That’s like bailing water out of the sink. It’s timeconsuminganddoesn’tfixanythinglongterm.Theunderlyingcauseofourfatgainpersists.

Consider a startling long-term weight-loss study published in the NewEngland Journal of Medicine. Fifty men and postmenopausal women forcedthemselvestoeatlessfortenweeksandlostweight.13Success!

Not so fast. We’ve all lost weight—the issue is losing it healthfully andkeeping it off practically. In response to the study participants’ attempts tooverridetheirbiology,thehormonesthatregulatetheirset-points*changed.Theresult? Their appetite increased and their calorie burn decreased.Biologywastryingtoreturnthemtotheirset-point.

Fascinating,butnotnovel—thisfindinghasbeendemonstratedinstudiesfordecades.Whatsetsthisstudyapartiswhattheresearchersdiscoveredoneyearafter the starvationdiet:manyof these alterations in appetite and calorie burnpersisted for twelve months after weight loss, even after the start of weightregain. Researchers suggest that the high rate of relapse among obese peoplewhohavelostweighthasastrongphysiologicalbasisandisnotsimplybecausetheywentback to theiroldhabits.Participantswhowerebelow their set-pointweightstillshowcasedabodyengagedinmultiplecompensatorymechanismstodoeverythingitcouldtorestoreitsset-pointweightafullyearafterthecalorie-counting “success.” Appetite was still increased and “greater-than-predicted”drops in energy expenditure were still observed—the body was “vigorouslyresisting”theweightlossandtryingdesperatelytoregaintheweight.14

Wecanavoid thisunnecessaryhassleandhungerbyhealingourhormonesandrestoringourbody’sabilitytobalanceusoutatalowerlevelofbodyfat.“Ifthe goal is substantial and sustainable weight loss . . . a more promisingapproachwouldbeonebaseduponastrategyofdirectlyaltering theset-point.. . .Thephysiologicadjustmentsthatordinarilyacttoresistweightchange. . .wouldinsteadfacilitatetheachievementandsubsequentmaintenanceofalowerweight.” says Richard Keesey, PhD, of the Department of Psychology at the

University ofWisconsin–Madison.15 By focusing our efforts on restoring thenatural set-point, we can stop obsessing over diet and exercise and allow thebodytodowhatcomesnaturally.

Lose 135 Pounds in Twelve Months without Counting Calories orBeingHungry:Robert’sStoryRobertwasfedup:“Ifyouthinkthemedicalissuesthatcomealongwithweighing 360 pounds are a challenge, they pale in comparison with theostracismandlowself-confidencethattagalongfortheride.”Roberthadbeen active and heavy his whole life. He was surrounded by slimmerfriendsandcoworkerswhoatemoreandexercisedlessthanhedid.

After countless attempts to get by on 1,200 calories per day, Robertswore off starvation dieting. He could no longer tolerate how terrible itmade him feel and the inevitable unhappy ending—after all, he couldtoleratebeinghungry, tired, anddepressed foronly so long. “Few thingsareworsethanbeingheavy.Starvationisoneofthem,”Robertsays.

WhenRobertfreedhimselffromtheCalorieMythsandembracedthesmarter science of slim, he immediately felt a sense of hope. “It didn’tseemtoogood tobe truebecause itwasn’tsayingeatmoregarbage.ButanyscientificallybackedapproachthatenablesmetoeatasmuchasIwantwheneverIwant,aslongasitis‘SANE,’seemsdoableandsustainable.

“One year after going SANE, I have lost 135 pounds, over a footaroundmywaist, and I feelbetter than Idid inmy twenties.My friendsand family can’t believe what they are seeing. Heck, I can’t believe iteither!Whatmakes it work is that I can eat. I don’t have to go aroundcountingeverycalorie;whenIamhungry,Ieat!IfIamhungry10timesaday,Ieat10timesaday!ThedifferenceisIameatingtherightstuff.”

For the first time indecades,Robert isexcitedabout the future.“I’mnothungryanymore, and theweight is stayingoff. I’vealsonoticed thatevenondayswhenIfeellikebeingnaughty,Iusuallydon’tfeellikegoingcrazy.Icanreallytellthatmyset-pointisreadjustingitself.Whenyoulookatapieceofstuffedcrustpizza,andgo‘Yeah, it looksOK,but,man,allthatbread...Yuck,’youknowsomethinghaschanged.”

HowYourSet-PointRisesandHowtoLowerIt

I like to think of our set-point weight as being like our set-point bodytemperature.While thenormmightbe98.6°F,yourset-pointbodytemperaturerisesandstayselevatedwhensomethingiswrongwithyourbody.Bothset-pointbodyweightandset-point temperaturecanbeforcibly loweredtemporarilyviaenergy deprivation (starvation for body weight and ice baths for bodytemperature), but since neither of these approaches addresses the root cause,bothdomoreharmthangoodoverthelongterm.

Butwhenwehealourbody, insteadof justattending to thesymptoms,ourbodyweightandbodytemperaturereturntoandstayathealthylevels.Ahealthybody automatically maintains a healthy weight in just the same way that itautomaticallymaintainsahealthytemperature.

When it comes to thismetabolic healing, there are two primary hormonesinvolvedwithourclog: insulinand leptin. Insulin isproducedby thepancreasandthroughits interactionwithourcellsandbrain,determineswhetherwearestoring or burning fat. Leptin is produced by our body fat and, through itsinteractionwithourgut,centralnervoussystem,andbrain,regulateshowmuchfoodweeat,howmuchenergyweburn,andtheamountofbodyfatspecifiedbyourset-point.

Let’sassumeweareunclogged.Whenourweightstartsrisingaboveourset-point, hormonal signals cause ourmetabolic rate to go up, our appetite to godown, and our body fat to get burned. This prevents excess fat from stickingaroundforlong.Westayataslimset-pointwithouttrying.

But when we feed our body low-quality foods, it becomes unable toeffectively respond to these hormones. Without those hormonal “burn fat”signals,themetabolicprocessesthatotherwisekeepusslimdonothappen.Onceourbody is not effectively responding tohormones like leptin and insulin,we

become insulin and leptin resistant, and our body starts overproducing thesehormones—causingahormonalclog.Forexample,someveryobesepeoplehavebeenshowntohaveuptotwenty-fivetimesmorethananormallevelofleptincirculatingintheirbodies.Chronicallyhighlevelsofthesehormonesmakeourbodythinkthatanabnormallyhighlevelofbodyfatisnormal.Sinceourbodydoes its best to balance us at a set-point it thinks is normal, it keeps us at anabnormallyhighlevelofbodyfat.Whenweeatpoorly,weraiseourset-point.

ANORMALSET-POINT

AFALLINGSET-POINT

ARISINGSET-POINT

HOWTOLOWERYOURSET-POINTWEIGHT

Youmaybethinkingtoyourself:“Thisset-pointscienceisallwellandgood,butwhat about peoplewho loseweight by eating less and exercisingmore?”Ourset-pointdoesn’tmean that it’s impossible to lowerourbodyweightbyeatinglessandexercisingmoreorthatit’simpossibletoraiseourbodyweightbydoingtheopposite.Wecandoallsortsofunhealthy things to temporarilystrayfromset-pointsintheshortterm.AsInotedearlier,wecouldsitinanicebathforaslong aswe can tolerate, and itwould temporarily lowerour body temperaturejust as starving as long as we can tolerate will temporarily lower our bodyweight.However, the set-pointwinsout over the long term. It showswhywehavesuchahardtimekeepingweightoffwhenwefocusoncaloriecounting.Wecan absolutely stray from our bodyweight set-point temporarily via food andexercisequantity,butwecannotadjustourset-pointitselfunlesswechangethequalityofourfoodandexercise.Thehigherthequality,thelowerourset-point.

Consider a nutritional study performed on rats conducted at Penn StateUniversitybyBarbaraRolls,PhD,chairofNutritionalSciences.16Theratsweredividedintotwogroups:

Low-QualityGroup:Ratswithaccesstounlimitedlow-andnormal-qualityfood.

High-QualityGroup:Ratswithaccesstounlimitedhigher-qualityfood.

As expected, the Low-Quality Group gained weight and the High-QualityGroup did not. But here is where the study gets interesting: After the Low-Quality Group became heavy, Rolls took the low-quality food (processedstarches and sweets such as such as chips, cookies, and crackers) away fromthem. Now both the overweight Low-Quality Group and the regular-weightHigh-Quality Group had access to the same food. The Low-Quality Group,though,stayedattheirheavyweight.

Waitasecond.Howcanthesamedietkeeponegroupofratsheavyandkeepanother group slim? Because the Low-Quality Group had changed their set-points.*

TheHigh-QualityGroup startedwithanormal set-point and remainedat anormal set-point, thanks to a diet of whole, nutritious foods, and thereforemaintainedanormalweight.TheLow-Qualitygroupstartedwithanormalset-point,increasedtheirset-pointthankstoalow-qualitydiet,andthereafterstayedat theirheavyweight.Rolls attributed thechange in theobese rats to“a long-lastingendocrineormetabolicchange.”17Inotherwords,hormonalclog.

Thestudygetsevenmoreinteresting.RollsthentookhalfoftheheavyLow-QualityGroupandfedthemadietofonlyhigher-qualityfood,butmuchlessofit. In otherwords, shemade the heavy rats eat less. Lowering thequantity offood caused the rats to temporarily lose weight. However, as soon as Rollsstopped starving the Low-Quality Group, they returned to the heavy weighttargetedbytheirrecentlyraisedset-point.Theydidnotreturntoastandardratweight.The low-quality food theyateat the startof the study raised their set-pointandputthemonapathoflong-termweightgain.

THEIMPACTOFLOW-QUALITYFOODINROLLS’SSTUDY

Rolls’sstudyshowsus thatasteadydietof low-qualityfoodcancauseourset-point to rise—which is unsettling news for anyone who’s been eating thestandardAmericandietforanylengthoftime.Buthere’sthegoodnews:studiesfrom all around the world offer evidence that the metabolic and hormonalconsequences of eating a low-quality diet are reversible.18 In their lead article“Neurobiology of Nutrition and Obesity” in the journal Nutrition Reviews,Pennington Biomedical Research Center researchers Christopher D.Morrison,PhD, and Hans-Rudolf Berthoud, PhD, noted that “diet-induced leptinresistance,” or the dysregulation of one of our key hormones in regulatingweightcontrol,“isfullyreversible”ingeneticallyidenticalmice.19UniversityofWashingtonresearchershavealsodiscoveredthatenjoyingmorewhole-foodfats—especiallynaturalfoodshighinomega-3fatssuchassalmon,flaxseeds,andchia seeds—in place of refined, processed vegetable oils found in starch-andsugar-basedjunkfood,reducestheinflammationinthebrainthatcontributesto

an elevated set-point.20 Additional studies go on to show that 80 percent ofindividuals with severe insulin resistance—another major factor of set-pointelevation—can reverse the damage caused by an overload of sugar andmaketheir cells more sensitive to insulin again by eating a higher-quality diet andexercising smarter.21 Finally, startling studies out of the Metabolism andNutritionResearchGroupat theUniversitéCatholiquedeLouvain inBelgiumprovethatwhenmicewerefedanutritiousdietthatrestoredtheirmicrobiomes,or healthy gut bacteria, the mice had “markedly improved glucose tolerance,reduced body weight and fat mass, and increasedmuscle mass,” without anychangesinthequantityofcaloriestheyconsumed.22

Ineachofthesestudies,theresearcherswereableresettheset-pointofmicebychangingthekindsoffoodsthemicewerefed—notthequantityofwhattheywerefed.Intheirownwords,theywereabletoreverse“diet-inducedmetabolicdisorders, including fat-mass gain, metabolic endotoxemia [inflammation],adipose tissue inflammation, and insulin resistance.”23 The data are clear: byincreasingthequalityofoureatingandexercise,wecanresensitizeourselvestofat-burninghormones, reduce inflammation,andenjoyametabolismmore likethatofanaturallythinperson.

We know from Dr. Rolls’s study that rats that were fed low-quality foodended up with higher set-points. But what about the impact of exercise?Wouldn’t rats that exercised more be able to lower even their elevated set-points?

TheUniversity ofUtah’sDr. JeffreyPeck devised a test similar toRolls’sstudy,dividinghealthyratsintothreegroups.24First,helookedattheimpactofdiet on set-point. Each group could eat an unlimited quantity of calories. Theonlydifferencewasthequalityofthecalories.

High-QualityGroup:Ratswithaccesstounlimitedhigh-qualityfood.Low-QualityGroup:Ratswithaccesstounlimitedlow-qualityfood.QuinineGroup:Ratswithaccesstounlimitedfoodwithabittersubstancecalledquinineaddedtoit.

As expected, the High-Quality Group maintained a standard weight, theLow-Quality Group gained weight, and the Quinine Group lost weight. Peckthen made each group of rats eat less of their type of food. All the ratstemporarilylostabout10percentoftheirbodyweight.

Peck then stopped starving the rats and they all went back to eating an

unlimitedamountof theirchosen food.TheHigh-QualityGroupautomaticallyreturned to their standard rat weight. The Low-Quality Group automaticallyreturnedtotheirheavierweight.AndtheQuinineGroupautomaticallyreturnedto their reduced weight. As in Rolls’s study, after eating less, all the ratsautomatically regainedweight,buthowmuch they regaineddependedon theirset-point,whichwasdeterminedbythequalityoftheirdiet.Inotherwords,foodquantity temporarily moved them away from their set-point, but food qualitydeterminedtheset-pointitself.

Next,Peckwantedtoexploretheeffectsofexerciseonthesethreegroups,sohehadhisfurrysubjectsburncaloriesbyshiveringawayalldayinaverycoldroom. All the rats automatically increased how much they ate to offset howmuch they exercised. Burning more calories simply made the rats eat morecalories.Theirset-pointwasun-changed.

Peck then freed the rats from the cold conditions, but continued theexperiment.Hekeptallthegroupsontheirrespectivedietswhilefeedingthemadditionalcaloriesthroughastomachtube.Hewantedtoseeifahigherquantityof thesamequalityofcalorieswouldhavean impacton the rats’ set-points. Itdid not. All the rats automatically adjusted the amount of high-quality, low-quality,orbitterfoodtheyateinordertomaintainthenormal,higher,orlowerweightstargetedbytheirset-points.

Eating less did not cause long-term weight loss. The set-point won.Exercisingmoredidnotcauselong-termweightloss.Theset-pointwon.Havingadditional calories pumped directly into the stomach did not cause long-termweightgain.Theset-pointwon.Theonlyfactorthatdidhaveanimpactonrats’long-term weight was the quality of their calories. That worked because itreduced inflammation, resensitized receptors, reregulated hormones, andtherefore changed their set-point. Fortunately, recent research reveals a moreenjoyableway of changing the quality of our diet and lowering our set-point.(No quinine-laced food for us.) Pablo J. Enriori, PhD, of the Division ofNeuroscience atOregonHealth and ScienceUniversity, has since published astudy in the journal Cell Metabolism (March 2007) showing that returningmammalsto thehigher-qualitydiet theyaregeneticallyadaptedtoreversesthecloggingandresultingraisedset-pointcausedbyalow-qualityeating.

Onemorestudyprovesthispoint.InNancyRothwell’sstudyatSt.George’sHospital Medical School in London, growing rats were divided into Low-QualityAmericanDietandHigh-QualityNaturalRatDietgroups.25Rothwellletallthegrowingratseatasmuchastheywantedforsixteendays.Keepinmind

thatbothgroupsshouldgainweight,astheyareyoung,quicklygrowingrats.Onthe seventeenth day the rats continued eating as much as they wanted, butRothwell switched the Low-Quality American Diet rats to the High-QualityNaturalRatDiet.Hereiswhathappened:

AUTOMATICFATLOSS

Theyoung rats thatwerebecomingobesequicklydropped all their excessweight automatically when the quality of their diet improved. The increasedquality of their food readjusted their hormones; decreased neurological,digestive, and nervous inflammation; resensitized cells; and lowered their set-point.Wecandothesameoncewestopfocusingonquantityandstartapplyingthescienceofquality.

Let’slookatthefourmajorproblemsofthetraditionalquantity-focusedfat-lossapproach:

1.Eatinglessdoesnotcauselong-termfatloss.2.Exercisingmoredoesnotcauselong-termfatloss.3.Exercisinglessdoesnotcauselong-termfatgain.4.Eatingmoredoesnotcauselong-termfatgain.

Inthenextfewchapterswe’lllookatwhatscientistshavetosayabouteachofthesestatements.Theyalreadyknowtheanswersandtheycanproveit.That’sgoodforus,becausebyknowingthefacts,wecanfinallystart toburnfatand

protectourhealthpermanently.

EatingMoreDoesn’tMakeYouFat

Let’s imagineaworldwherecaloriecountingandeating lessof the traditionalWestern diet are actually the keys to long-term fat loss. Now let’s try anexperiment.We’lldivideagroupofpeopleinhalf.We’llfeedonehalf120fewercalories per day for eight years.Whatwould happen? Ifweightwas ruled byconventional calorie counting, the math would be pretty easy. Multiply 120fewercaloriesperdaytimes365daysinayear,timeseightyears,andthetotalequals350,400fewercalories.Takethatsumanddivideitbythe3,500caloriesinapoundofbodyfat,andmathtellsusthatthesepeopleshouldhaveavoidedgaining100pounds comparedwith theother group.Themath is easy, but it’sincorrect.

Instead,let’slookatareal-lifestudy:theWomen’sHealthInitiative,astudythat trackednearly49,000womenforeightyears.26 Just as inour experiment,thewomen in one group ate an average of 120 fewer calories a day than theother group. Remember, that adds up to 350,400 fewer calories. How muchlighterwastheaveragewomanwhoate350,400fewercalories?

Theanswer:0.88pound.Thatisnotatypo.Eating350,400fewercalorieshadlessthan1percentof

the impact predicted by caloriemath.Eating less of a traditionalWestern dietdoesnotcauselong-termfatlossbecausethisapproachincorrectlyassumesthattaking in fewer calories forces our body to burn fat. That has been clinicallyprovedtobefalse.Eatinglessdoesnotforceustoburnbodyfat.Itforcesustoburn fewer calories.That iswhydieterswalk around tired andcrabbyall day.Theirbodiesandbrainshavesloweddown.

Whenourbodyneedscaloriesandnonearearound, it is forced tomakeadecision:go throughall thehassleofconvertingcalories frombodyfator just

slow down on burning calories. Given the choice, slowing down wins. Evenworse, if we still don’t have enough energy, our body burns muscle, not fat.Studiesshowthatupto70percentofthenonwaterweightlostwhenpeopleareeating less comes from burning muscle—not body fat. Only after it’scannibalizedthismusclewillourbodyburnfat.

Wanttosetsomeoneuptobefatterandsickerinthelongrun?Slowdownhermetabolismand take awayhermuscle tissue.As soon as shegets tiredofbeinghungryandfeelingterriblealldayeveryday,shewillgobacktoeatinganormal amountof caloriesbutneed fewerof them thanks toher slowed-downmetabolismandmissingmuscle.Nowherbodyseeseatinganormalamountasovereatingandcreatesnewbodyfat.

IntheJournaloftheAmericanMedicalAssociation,GeorgeL.Thorpe,MD,a physicianwithin theAmericanMedical Association itself, wrote that eatinglessmakesusloseweight,not“byselectivereductionofadiposedeposits[bodyfat],butbywastingofallbodytissues...therefore,anysuccessobtainedmustbemaintainedbychronicunder-nourishment.”27Itisnotpracticalorhealthytokeep ourselves “chronically under-nourished,” sowe don’t. Instead,we yo-yodiet.Thestandardapproachtofatlosswe’veallbeentaughtsetsusupforlong-termfatgain,notfatloss.

Whydoesourbodybehavethisway?Whenwedonotprovideourbodywithenough essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty and aminoacids)ourbodygoesinto“starvationmode.”Whatdoesourbodywantmoreofwhenitthinkswearestarving?Storedenergy.Whatisagreatsourceofstoredenergy?Bodyfat.Sowhenourbodythinkswearestarving,doesitwanttogetridoforholdontobodyfat?Itwantstoholdon.Whatdoesourbodywantlessofwhenwearestarving?Itwantslessmetabolicallyactivetissue.Whattypeoftissueburns a lot of calories?Muscle tissue.Sowhenour body thinkswe arestarving,itgetsridofcalorie-hungrymuscletissue.

Theresearchisclear:ifwewanttoburnfatandboostourhealthforthenextsixtyyears asopposed to thenext sixtydays, let’snot starveourselves.Thinkaboutitlikethis:Imagineyou’rewatchingTVandyouseeacommercialforanewmedication.Thead tellsyou themedicationslightly improvesyourvisionas long as you keep yourself chronically sleep-deprived. At the end of thecommercial,aquietervoiceliststhemedication’slong-termsideeffects.Oneofthemisthatyourvisionwillbecomemuchworseifyouevergobacktogettingagoodnight’ssleep.Wouldyoueverusethatmedication?

Don’t the Laws of Thermodynamics Prove Eating Less Burns BodyFat?

The principle thatweight gain [depends only on calorie quantity]wouldviolatethesecondlawofthermodynamics.—RichardFeinman,PhD,professorofbiochemistry,StateUniversityofNewYorkHealth

ScienceCenter28

Weknowthetraditionalapproachtofatlossfailsmorethan95percentofthetime,yetcommonsenseseemstotellus,“Ifyoueatlessandexercisemore, you must burn body fat. Anything else violates the laws ofthermodynamics.”

Therearefourlawsofthermodynamics.Thetwothatapplytoburningbodyfatdonotprovethatreducingthenumberofcalorieseatenmakesthebodyburnfat.Theytellusenergycannotbecreatedordestroyed;energycanonlychangeforms.Whenpeopleeatless,thebodymustdosomething.That’s it. The applicable laws of thermodynamics prove nothing aboutwhatthebodymustdo.

Rememberhowitiseasierforyourmetabolismtoslowdownthantoburnbody fat?And rememberhow itmakesmore sense toburncalorie-hungrymusclethanitdoestoburnprotectivebodyfat?Putthosetwofactstogetherand,insteadofprovingthateatinglessequalslong-termfat loss,the applicable laws of thermodynamics prove that eating lessmakes thebodyslowdownandburnmuscle,whichleadstolong-termfatgain—notfatloss.

The relevant question isn’t “Can we manually regulate body fat byeating less and exercisingmore?” That’s like asking, “Canwemanuallyregulate blood sugar by injecting insulin?”Why is anyone talking abouttakingoverbasic functionswithinbrokenbodiesbeforeasking,“What isbreakingourbody?”Let’shealthebodyinsteadofstrugglingthroughlifewithabrokenone.

Ofcoursenot.Youcan’tgo through life exhausted.The temporarybenefitisn’tworththelong-termsideeffects.Sadly,millionsofpeoplefallvictimtotheexhaustingsideeffectsofstarvationdietingeveryday.

THESIDEEFFECTSOFEATINGLESSMyfavorite experiment that demonstrates the side effectsof starvationdietingtook place at the University of Geneva and involved three groups of rats alleatingthesamequalityoffood.

1.NormalGroup:Adultratseatingnormally2.EatLessGroup:Adultratstemporarilylosingweightbyeatingless3.NaturallySkinnyGroup:YoungratswhonaturallyweighedaboutasmuchastheadultEatLessGroupimmediatelyaftertheadultratswerestarved

Ifthestudywereconductedonhumans,theNormalGroupwouldbetypicalthirty-five-year-oldwomen. The Eat LessGroupwould be thirty-five-year-oldwomen cutting calories until they fit into their high school jeans. And theNaturallySkinnyGroupwouldbehighschoolgirlswhofitintosizefourjeanswithouttrying.

Forthefirsttendaysofthestudy,theEatLessGroupate50percentlessthanusualwhiletheNormalGroupatenormally.Onthetenthday

1.TheNormalGroupkepteatingnormally.2. The Eat Less Group stopped starving themselves and started eatingnormally.

3.TheNaturallySkinnyGroupatenormally.

Thiswentonfortwenty-fivedaysandthestudyendedondaythirty-five.Attheendofthethirty-five-daystudy,theNormalGrouphadeatennormally

for thirty-five days. TheEat LessGroup had eaten less for ten days and thennormally for twenty-five days. And the Naturally Skinny Group had eatennormallyfortwenty-fivedays.

SETUPOFTHEUNIVERSITYOFGENEVASTUDY

Whichgroupdoyou thinkweighed themost andhad thehighestbody fatpercentage at the end? TheNaturally SkinnyGroup seems like an easy “no,”sincetheseratsareyoungerandnaturallythinnerthantheotherrats.Traditionalfat-losstheorywouldsaytheEatLessGroupisaneasy“no”aswell,sincetheseratsate50percentlessfortendays.SotheNormalGroupweighedthemostandhadthehighestbodyfatpercentageattheendofthestudy,right?

Surprisingly,no.TheEatLessGroupweighedthemostandhadthehighestpercentbodyfat.

Eventhoughtheyatelessfortendays,theyweresignificantlyheavierthanthosewhoatenormallyallthewaythrough.Eatinglesscausedmetabolicadjustmentsthatledtheratstogain—notlose—bodyfat.

Herearethedata:

ASIDEEFFECTOFSTARVATION

Talk about side effects. Eating less was worse than doing nothing.Why?After our body survives starvation, its number one priority is restoring all thebodyfatitlostandthenprotectingusfromstarvinginthefuture.Itdoesthatbystoringadditionalbodyfat.Researcherscall this“fatsuperaccumulation,”andtheybelieveitisaprimarytriggerfor“relapsingobesity”—alsoknownasyo-yodieting.29

The most disturbing aspect of fat super accumulation is that it does notrequireustoeatalot.Allwehavetodoisgobacktoeatinganormalamount.TheEatLessGroupin thestudygainedamassiveamountofbodyfatquicklywhile eating the sameamount as theNormalGroup and theNaturally Skinny

Group.Why?Thebodywastryingtomakeupforthepastlosses.Eatinglessalsoslowedthemetabolism.Subjectaslowed-downmetabolism

to the exact same food and exercise and out comes more body fat. TheUniversity of Geneva researchers reported that the Eat Less Group’smetabolisms were burning body fat over 500 percent less efficiently and hadsloweddownby15percentbytheendofthestudy.

Foranotherexampleofstarvation’slong-termsideeffects,considerastudyconductedbyDr.RudolphLeibel,directoroftheDivisionofMolecularGeneticsin the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center.30 Agroupofpeopleweighinganaverageof335poundsstarvedthemselvesdownto220pounds.Aftertheperiodofextremecalorierestrictionended,theresearcherswantedtoseewhatimpacteatinglesshadonthe220-pounddieters’needtoburnbodyfat.Todothistheybroughtinpeoplewhowerethesameagebutnaturallyslim.Thisgavetheresearchersthreegroupsofpeopletocompare:

1.Nonstarved335-poundpeople2. Formerly 335-pound people who starved themselves down to 220pounds

3.Nonstarved138-poundpeople

JustasalargerSUVshouldneedmoregasolinethanasmallermotorcycle,thenonstarved335-poundpeopleshouldneedmorecaloriesthanthenonstarved138-poundpeople,right?

Yes.

CALORIESNEEDEDPERDAY

All thingsbeingequal,morebodyweightmeansmorecaloriesneededperdaytomaintainandmovemoremass.Soyouwouldthinkthatafterlosing115pounds,the220-poundpeopleslidrightdownthegraph.Right?

CALORIESNEEDEDPERDAY

Notnecessarily. Itdependsonhowthe115poundswere lost.Afterall,weknow that starvation burns calorie-hungry muscle while slowing down themetabolism. So, howmany calories did the 220-pound starvation dieters needafterhavingstarvedaway115pounds?

CALORIESNEEDEDPERDAYBY220-POUNDSTARVATIONDIETERS

Thankstostarvation’ssideeffects,themetabolismofthe220-poundsubjectssloweddowndramatically.Infact,theyneeded5percentfewercaloriesperdaythanthenonstarved138-poundpeople,eventhoughtheyhad82morepoundsofmasstomove.Thatisascarysideeffect.AndthatiswhyRichardKeesey,PhD,oftheDepartmentofPsychologyattheUniversityofWisconsin-Madison,says,“Disproportionately large declines in resting metabolism are seen in food-deprivedmen.”31

Similar resultswere gained from a test done as far back asWorldWar II.University of Minnesota researchers studied starvation to get a betterunderstandingofhowtohelpthehungryinwar-tornEurope.32Theresearchersrecruitedpeople in theUnitedStatesandhadthemrestrict theirdaily intaketo1,600 calories.* Subjects’ metabolisms responded by slowing down by awhopping40percent.At the same time their strength fell by28percent, theirendurancefellby79percent,andtheirratesofdepressionroseby36percent.

Let’s focuson themetabolism slowingdownby40percent for amoment.SayJillianneedsandeats2,000caloriesperday.ButnowJillianwantstodropafewpoundsforhervacationintwoweeks,soshereadsamagazinethattellshertostarveherselfandshecutsback to1,600caloriesperday.According to thisstudy,Jillian’smetabolismwouldslowdownby40percentandshewouldneedonly1,200caloriesperday.BeforeJillianateless,sheneeded2,000caloriesperdayandate2,000perday.Aftereating less,Jillianneededonly1,200caloriesper day but ate 1,600 per day.When she stops eating less, shewill eat 2,000

caloriesperdaywhileneedingonly1,200perday.That’snothelpful.Inadditiontobeingdeprivedof theirneedtoburnbodyfat,assoonas the

WorldWar II studysubjects stoppedeating less, thanks to their set-point, theyateanaverageof5,000caloriesadayuntiltheygainedalltheweighttheylostbackplus5percent.Thatisthegoodnews.Thebadnewsisthattheirbodyfatpercentagewas52percenthigher thanbefore they starved themselves.All themuscle they burned was replaced by body fat. They experienced fat superaccumulation.

THEMOREWE STARVEOURSELVES, THEWORSEOFFWEAREAttemptingtoeatlessofatraditionalWesterndietiscounterproductivebecauseit leads to yo-yo dieting, and yo-yo dieting increases our risk of heart attack,stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, immune system failure, eatingdisorders,impairedcognitivefunction,chronicfatigue,anddepression.Ifthat’snotbadenough,themoreoftenweyo-yo,theeasieritistoyo-yofortherestofourlives.“Itisonlytherateofweightregain,notthefactofweightregain,thatappears open to debate,” says David Garner, PhD, professor of psychiatry atMichiganStateUniversity.33

InaUniversityofPennsylvaniastudy,ratsyo-yoedup,down,backup,backdown,andthenbackup.34Thesecondtimetheratstriedtoloseweightbyeatingless, they lost weight 100 percent more slowly and regained the weight 300percentfasterthanthefirsttimetheyateless.Theratswhoyo-yoedthesecondtime stored food as body fat 400 percent more efficiently than rats whoconstantlyateafatteningdiet.

Doingnothing isbetter than justeating lessof the traditionalWesterndiet.Thisstudyshowsitis400percentbetter.

However,evenafterallthisevidence,therestillmaybeavoiceinthebackofyourheadsaying,“Nowholdon.Therehas tobesometruth in‘eating lessmeanslessbodyfat,’becausethat’swhateverybodysays.”Ifeltthesameway.ThenIdiscoveredaHarvardstudyof67,272people.35Theresearchersdividedthislargesampleintofivegroupsaccordingtothequantityofcaloriestheyateandfound that the lesspeopleate, themore body fat theyhad.This finding isshown in the following chart, where “BodyMass Index” approximates “bodyfat.”*

LOWERCALORIES,HIGHERBMI

Hunger is not healthy. Think about starving yourself to burn fat; it’s likedrinkingsaltwatertoquenchyourthirst.Bothseemasiftheyshouldbehelpfulandtheybothprovidesomereliefintheshortterm,butbothdomoreharmthangood in the long term.UniversityofCalifornia researcherssay,“There is littlesupportforthenotionthatdietsleadtolastingweightlossorhealthbenefits.”36University of Washington researchers say, “Energy-restricted diets are aphysiologicallyunsoundmeanstoachieveweightreduction.”37Starvationdoesnotmakeus thin. Itmakesusstocky,sick,andsad. It’sbadforhealthand it’sbadforfatloss.

EATMORE,BURNMOREEatingmore low-quality processed foods causes us to gain body fat. But thatdoesnotmeaneatingmorehigh-qualitywholefoodsproduces thesameresult.Interestinglyenough,eatingmoreoftherightfoodshasbeenclinicallyprovedtohelpusburnfatoverthelongterm.Considertheevidence:

• A study at theUniversity ofConnecticut found that people in the eat-more-high-quality-foodgroupate300morecaloriesperdayandburnedmorebodyfat.38

• Astudyat theUniversityofPennsylvania found thatpeople in theeat-more-high-quality-foodgroupateatotalof9,500morecaloriesoversixmonthsandlost200percentmoreweight.39

•AstudypublishedinObesityResearchfoundthatpeopleintheeat-more-high-quality-food group ate a total of 25,000more calories over threemonthswithoutgaininganyadditionalweight.40

•AstudypublishedintheJournalofAdolescentHealthfoundthatpeoplein the eat-more-high-quality-food group ate a total of 65,000 morecaloriesoverfourmonthsandlost141percentmoreweight.41

Howaretheseresultspossible?Researchsuggeststwomainreasons:First,acalorieisnotmerelyacalorie(moreonthatsoon).Second,moreinmeansmoreout—only as long as we’re unclogged. Let’s look at how hormonally healingourselvesenablesustorestoreournaturalset-pointandtoburn—insteadofstore—excesscalories.

Researchersat theMayoClinic fedpeople1,000extracaloriesperday foreightweeks.42A thousandextracaloriesperday foreightweeks totals56,000extracalories.Nobodygainedsixteenpounds—56,000calories’worth—ofbodyfat.Themostanyonegainedwasalittleoverhalfthat.Theleastanyonegainedwasbasicallynothing—lessthanapound.

Howcouldthatbetrue?Peopleateanadditional56,000caloriesandgainedbasicallyzerobodyfat?Howcan56,000extracaloriesadduptonothing?

That’sbecauseextracaloriesdon’thavetoturnintobodyfat.Theycouldbeburnedoffautomatically.ThemedicaljournalQJM reports,“Foodinexcessofimmediate requirements . . . can easily be disposed of, being burnt up anddissipated as heat. Did this capacity not exist, obesity would be almostuniversal.”43

Eatingmore and gaining less is possible because when we’re hormonallyhealthy,wehaveall sortsofunderappreciatedways todealwithcaloriesotherthan storing themasbody fat. In theMayoClinic study, researchersmeasuredthreeofthem:

1.Increasetheamountofcaloriesburneddaily.2.Increasetheamountofcaloriesburneddigestingfood.3.Increasetheamountcaloriesburnedviaunconsciousactivity.

Hereiswhattheyfound:

DailyResponseto1,000ExtraCalories

Thatishowsomepeopleate56,000extracaloriesandinsteadofstoringtheexcesscaloriesasbodyfat,gainedvirtuallynoweight.Alowerset-pointdoesitsbesttoautomaticallybalancemorecaloriesinwithmorecaloriesoutbyuppingthe calories we burn keeping ourselves alive and digesting food, and viaunconsciousactivity.

There is no shortage of proof. Take a study performed by researchers atHarvardMedicalSchoolandKing’sCollege,LondonUniversity.Studentsweredivided into two groups according to the “easewithwhich theymaintained arelativelyleanbodyweight.”44Theresearcherscalledthegroupthatmaintainedtheirweightwithouttrying“lean.”Icallthemunclogged.Theresearcherscalledthestudentswhostruggledwiththeirweight“postobese.”Icallthemclogged.

While participants in both groups were similar in age, gender, size, andactivity level, and all maintained a steady body weight throughout the study,their metabolic profiles varied in two major ways. First, the students whostruggled with their weight actually ate less than their effortlessly leancounterparts “by 30 percent per kilogram of body weight.” Second, theuncloggedstudentsautomaticallyburnedmore than500additionalcaloriesperdaycomparedwiththeircloggedpeers.Inotherwords, theuncloggedstudentsatesignificantlymoreandburnedsignificantlymore thanthecloggedstudents,allfactorsbeingequal.

The study doesn’t stop there.The researchers thenwent on to feed all theparticipants 300-calorie meals and discovered that “the overall thermogenic[calorieburning]responseofthe[clogged]subjectstothe300caloriemealwasonlyhalfthatmeasureinthe[unclogged]subjects.”Again,whentheyatemore,the unclogged participants automatically burned more and the cloggedparticipants automatically stored more. The researchers concluded, “Thesefindingsprovidefurtherevidenceforasubnormalthermogenic[calorieburning]

responsetofoodinthosewithapredispositiontoobesity.”Cloggedindividualsdonotgainweightbecausetheyeatalotandexercisetoolittle.Thisandmanyother studies show that overweight people eat significantly fewer calories andareasactiveasnaturallythinpeople.Thisisnotanissueofgluttonyorlaziness.Theissueisbiology:Theirbodieshavelosttheirnaturalabilitytostayslim,toburnmorewhentheyeatmore.It’snotamoralissue.It’snotawillpowerissue.It’sametabolicissue.

Weknowthattheweight-lossadvicewecommonlyreadinbooksandseeinthemediaisn’thelpingus.EatinglessofthestandardAmericandietanddoingmoreofatraditionalexerciseprogramdoesn’tcauselong-termweightloss.Sowherecanweturn?Theremustbeaninstitutionthatcanprovideuswithreliableinformation on health and weight loss. How about our own governmentguidelinesandregulations?

Sadly,theinformationcomingoutofgovernmentinstitutionsisn’tasreliableas youmight think. In fact, the very people responsible for teaching us abouteating and exercise—the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)—don’tseemtobeuponthelatestscience.Takethisexcerptfromchapter3oftheUSDA’sDietary Guidelines for Americans: “Since many adults gain weightslowlyover time,evensmalldecreases incalorie intakecanhelpavoidweightgain.”45

If“smalldecreases incalorie intake” lead togradualweight loss,does thatmean“smalldecreasesincalorieintake”willeventuallymakeusweighnothing?Ofcoursenot.Why?Becausewe’redealingwithbiology,notmath.Butifthatistrue, thenhowcana smalldecrease in calorie intakehelpuspractically avoidweightgainlongterm?

Itcan’t.The issue is not that our body wants us to weigh less but that too many

caloriesperdayareblockingit.Theissueisthatourbodydoesnotwantustoweigh less thanks to our elevated set-point. The same mechanism preventing“small decreases in calorie intake” frommakingyouweighnothing (your set-point)alsopreventsyourbodyfromburningoffexcessfateffectivelyrightnow.

When you think about how hard every living organismworks tomaintainbalance,ourset-pointweightmakesperfectsense.Whatdoesn’tmakesense isthe advice of many respected health institutions on this topic, such as theAmericanHeartAssociation,whichadvises,“Howcanyoumanageyourweightinahealthfulway?Theanswerissimple:balancethecaloriesyoutakeinwiththecaloriesyouburn.”46ThatadviceisespeciallytroublingsincetheAHAalso

published a piece in its journal, Circulation, noting, “Few reliable data areavailableontherelativecontributionstothisobesityepidemicbyenergyintakeandenergyexpenditure.”47If“fewreliabledataareavailable,”thenwhatisthebasisforitsrecommendations?

Here’swhatthedataactuallyshow.Harvardresearcherslookedattheeatingpatterns of more than 50,000 people, divided into fifths, according to thequantityandqualityofcaloriestheyate.48This largesampledemonstratedtwopoints:

1.Eatingmorecorrelatedwithlessbodyfat.2.Higher-qualityfoodcorrelatedwithlessbodyfat.

If we can escape the trap of old calorie-quantity (versus calorie-quality)myths,wewill never have toworry about ourweight again.Now let’s take alookathowwecanincreasethequalityofourexercisetostartburningmorefatinlesstime.

MOREFOOD,LESSBODYFAT

HIGHERQUALITY,LOWERBODYFAT

FromShort-TermWeightLosstoLong-TermHealth:JayandJenniferJacobs’sStoryJay and Jennifer Jacobs inspired a nation with their nearly 300-poundcombined weight loss while on NBC’s Biggest Loser. While they werethrilledwiththeresultstheygotfromdedicatingeveryhouroftheirlivestocaloriecountingandextremeexercise,JayandJenniferknewtheyhadtofindamoresustainableapproachonce their livesgotback tonormal.AsJayputit,“Ihavelost100poundsfivetimes.Weightlossdoesn’tseemtobetheissue.Thechallengeiskeepingitoff.That’sexactlywhatwefoundwhentheshowended.Itwaslikeourbodieswantedtoputthe300poundsback on.Almost like they had amind of their own.Little didwe know,theybasicallydo!It’sourset-point.”

Seeing thescienceandshifting theirmindsfrom“make thescaleandcrowd happy for the next show” to “make ourselves happy, slim, andhealthy forever,” Jay and Jennifer decided to go SANE. It was aparticularlyinterestingshiftforthembecausetheyknowfirsthandthatthebestwaytomakethescalesmileistostopeatingandtoexerciseallday.Butwhataboutmakingtheirset-pointsmile?Whatabouttheirhealthandwaistlinesfortherestoftheirlives?

“We knew something had to change, but we weren’t sure what.Weknew eating less and exercising more worked short-term, but we didn’tknow another option was available for the long term. This is whyunderstandingthesciencewassohelpfulforus.Afteralifetimeofhearing‘eat less, exercisemore’ it’s tough to try anything else unless you know

howit’sgoingtowork.Eatingmore,aslongasit’sSANE,issustainable,enjoyable,andresettingourset-point.Westillcan’tkeepourselvesoffthescalecompletely,butnowwe’refocusedontherestofourlivesratherthantherestofseason11,andcouldn’tbehappierwiththeresults.”

ExercisingMoreDoesn’tMakeYouThin

Wehaveseenthateatinglessisnoteffective.Butwhataboutdoingmoreaerobicexercise? From the perspective of our body, there is basically no differencebetweenthetwo.Morecaloriesoutiseffectivelythesameasfewercaloriesin.Everything thatmakes the “eat less” principle fail long termmakes “exercisemore”faillongtermtoo.

Now, I’m not saying that all exercise is pointless. What is ineffective istraditional high-impact and moderate-intensity exercise like jogging. Low-impactandlow-intensityactivitysuchaswalkingisphenomenalforourhealth.No-impact and high-intensity activity such as eccentric resistance training isinstrumentalinloweringourset-point.We’llcoverthatsciencelater,butfirstwehave to free our minds from the conventional “jog more to burn more”mythology.

Inthesamewaythatpeopledrinkmorewaterwhentheyexercisemore,theyalsoeatmorewhentheyexercisemore.Inhistextbook,ObesityandLeanness,HugoRony,MD,ofNorthwesternUniversity,notes,“Consistentlyhighor lowenergy expenditures result in consistently high or low levels of appetite.Thusmendoing heavy physicalwork spontaneously eatmore thanmen engaged insedentary occupations.”49 Jeffrey M. Friedman, MD, PhD, head of theLaboratoryofMolecularGeneticsatRockefellerUniversityinNewYork,makesasimilarpoint:“Exercisebyitselfhasnotbeenshowntobehighlyeffectiveintreating obesity because the increased energy use from exercise is generallyoffsetbyincreasedcaloricintake.”50

Compoundingtheproblem,manypeoplewhoexercisemoredonoteathigh-qualityfood;theygetthemajorityoftheircaloriesfromlow-qualitystarchesandsweeteners. Therefore, for most people, exercising more triggers the

consumption of more low-quality food. More low-quality food means morehormonalcloggingandahigherset-point.Far fromburningbodyfat,weburntimeandbuildupclogs.

Timothy Church, MD, MPH, PhD, who is with the Exercise BiologyLaboratoryatPenningtonBiomedicalResearchCenter,workedwithagroupofoverweightcollege-agewomen toburn2,000caloriesaweek throughexercisefor eighteen months and found that the women experienced no weight loss.Churchdividedthewomenintofourgroups:1.Nochangeinexercise

2.Exercisemore3.Exerciseevenmore4.Exercisewaymore

After six months, there was no statistically different change in body fatacrossthegroups.Churchnotesthatmoreexercisedidnotcausemorebodyfattobeburnedbecause“arelativelyhighdoseofexerciseresultsincompensatorymechanisms that attenuate [offset] weight loss.”51 He points out that mostexercise guidelines for weight loss recommend two hundred to three hundredminutesperweek,buttheyfoundthisamountofexerciseinducescompensationthat results in significantly less weight loss than predicted. Marathoner KimRainecapturesamoretypicalexperience:“I’veruneighteenmarathonsandIputonepoundonforeachone.Eighteenmarathonsandeighteenpoundsheavier.Itissomaddening.”52

Here is abest case “exercisingmore” scenario:Michellegoes for a thirty-minutejogandburns170morecaloriesthanshewouldhaveburnedbysittingathomeandreadingthisbook.Sheis tryinghardtocutcalories,soshedoesnotdrinkanysugarysportsdrinksandfightsthroughthehungerpangsafterherjog.AtdinnerMichelleunconsciouslydrinksanextraglassoflow-fatmilkthankstoherincreasedthirstandhunger.Thenetresultofherjogisthirteenmorecaloriesthanifshehadnotexercised.Thankstoherset-point,the13extracaloriesdon’tmatter,butifMichelleknewwhatwasreallygoingon,shecouldprobablyfindsomethingmoreproductivetodowiththatthirtyminutes.

30min.jog–170calories

12oz.milk

+183calories

Net+13calories

It’smucheasiertoeatcaloriesthanitistoburncalories,somorecommonly,peoplewillhaveasweetenedsportsdrinkwhilepoundingitoutonthetreadmill.Afterward, they easily overeat low-quality food. The net result is more low-qualityfoodandahigherset-point.

30min.jog–170calories

24oz.sportsdrink+189calories

Extra half serving of FettuccineAlfredo +390calories

Net+409 hormonally cloggingcalories

Thefoodindustryiswellawarethatexercisingmoreencourageseatingmorelow-quality food. The list below shows food companies who serve on theexecutiveboardoftheAmericanCouncilonFitnessandNutrition:

Coca-ColaCompanyPepsiCoHersheyFoodsCorporationSaraLeeCorporationKelloggCompany

KraftFoodsGeneralMillsCampbellSoupCompanyConAgraFoodsDelMonteFoodsGroceryManufacturersAssociationH.J.HeinzCompanyMasterfoodsUSANationalRestaurantAssociationUnileverUnitedStatesAmericanAssociationofAdvertisingAgenciesAmericanBeverageAssociationAssociationofNationalAdvertisers

Arethesecompanieseagertotellustoexercisemorebecauseitisgoodforfatlossorbecauseitisgoodforbusiness?TheNationalSoftDrinkAssociationadvisesusto“consumeatleasteightglassesoffluidsdaily,evenmorewhenyouexercise.Avarietyofbeverages,includingsoftdrinks,cancontributetoproperhydration.”53

But isn’t jogginggoodforourheart?Notwhencomparedwith thesmartertypesofexercisewewillcoverlater.TheAmericanHeartAssociationfoundthatjogginginjuresmorethanhalfofthepeoplewhodoit.Thishighinjuryrateisdueinparttothefactthateverymilewerun,ourfeethitthegroundabout900times.Let’ssayyouweigh150pounds.Thatmeansforeverymileyourun,youaresmashing135,000poundsofforceagainstyourjoints,ligaments,andeveryotherpartofyourbody.Youcouldsaythat’slikedroppingthirty-sevenToyotaCamrysonyourselfeverytimeyougoforajog.Joggingis“healthyexercise”inthesamewaythatboxingis“healthyexercise.”

But doesn’t traditional exercise help relieve stress andmakeus feel good?Maybe,butwe’ll see that thereareplentlyofotherways tode-stressand stayactivewithoutanyunhealthysideeffects.

The theory that we have an obesity epidemic because people are notexercisingenough isdisprovedby thedata. InaJuly2013report, the Institutefor Health Metrics and Evaluation found, “As physical activity increasedbetween 2001 and 2009, so did the percentage of the population consideredobese.”54 Other studies go on to show that obese people do about the sameamountofphysicalactivityasleanpeopledo.55

Theonly “weight versus activity” relationship that hasbeenproved is thatobesitymayleadtoinactivity.Considertheconclusionofa2004UniversityofCopenhagen study: “This study didnot support that physical inactivity . . . is

associatedwith the development of obesity, but . . . that obesitymay lead tophysicalinactivity.”56Morebodyfatmayleadtolessexercise,nottheotherwayaround.AsDr.BradMetcalf,aresearcher in theDepartmentofEndocrinologyandMetabolismatthePeninsulaMedicalSchool,concludedinhis2011study:“Physicalinactivityappearstobetheresultoffatnessratherthanitscause.Thisreverse causality may explain why attempts to tackle childhood obesity bypromotingphysicalactivityhavebeenlargelyunsuccessful.”57

It’shelpful tocompare the idea that“exercising lesscausesobesity” to theideathat“partyinglesscausesaging.”Peoplepartylesswhentheybecomeolder.Theydonotgetolderbecausetheyarepartyingless.Withagecomemetabolicchanges that make staying out until 3 a.m. harder. The same holds true withexerciseandobesity.Peoplemayexerciselessbecausetheyareobese.Theydonot become obese because they are exercising less. With obesity come deepmetabolicchangesthatmakeexerciseharder.

Also, common sense tells us that if exercising less is the cause of ourcollectiveweightissues,wemustbecollectivelyexercisingless.Arewe?

Notevenclose.The ideaofaerobicexercisedidnotevenexist in themainstreamuntil the

1968 publication of Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper’s book Aerobics. Pauline Entin,PhD, associate dean for academic affairs at Northern Arizona University,explainsthecommonviewbeforethen:“Inthe1930sand’40s...highvolumeendurance trainingwas thought to be bad for the heart. Through the ’50s andeven’60s,exercisewasnotthoughttobeuseful...andenduranceexercisewasthoughttobeharmfultowomen.”58DuringthatsameperiodthepercentageofobeseAmericanswasdramatically lower thantoday.Nowadays,Americansdomoreintentional“exercise”thanpeopleanywhereelseintheworldandmakeupthe sixth-heaviest population in the world. How could doing too little ofsomething that we did even less of before the problem existed cause theproblem?

Toillustratetheriseofaerobicexercise,between1972and2005health-club-relatedrevenueshaveincreasedanestimated15,000percentafteradjustingforinflation. The first BostonMarathon in 1964 had 300 runners. In 2009,morethan 26,000 people ran. The first New York City marathon in 1970 had 137entrants. In 2008, about 60,000 entered. As Eric Oliver, PhD, professor ofpolitical science at the University of Chicago, tells us, “[Americans] arevoluntarilyexercisingmorethanever....Whileitseemsperfectlyclearthatourlives are less physically demanding than they were in the 1950s, it’s not

necessarilythecasethatwearecumulativelyburningfewercalories.”59Some experts say that we are getting heavier because we are using

laborsavingdevices.Yetthatdoesn’tmatchthedataeither.Thevastmajorityoflaborsavingdevicesbecamecommoninhouseholdsdecadesbeforeobesityshotup.Useofdishwashers,washingmachines,vacuumcleaners,andallthemajorlaborsavingdevices increasedmostbetween1945and1965.However,obesityincreasedlittleduringthattimeperiod.Useofthesedevicesincreasedverylittlebetween1978and1998whileobesityratesshotup.Sohowcould laborsavingdevicesbethecauseofweightproblems?

Diggingintothedataandabandoningassumptionsaboutouractivitylevels,researchers likeNewYorkUniversity’sMarionNestle tellus that“theactivitylevelsofAmericansappeartohavechangedlittle,ifatall,fromthe1970stothe1990s.”60

WhataboutalltheTVwatching?That’sgottobethecause,right?Thattoodoesnotcorrespondwiththefacts.TsinghuaUniversityprofessorSethRobertsdeterminedthat“timespentwatchingTVincreasedby45percentfrom1965to1975, yet obesity increased little over that time; from 1975 to 1995, whenobesityshotup,TVwatchingincreasedonlyalittle.”61

Waitasecond.Wehavetobeburningfewercaloriesthanourhunter-gathererancestors, right? Unexpectedly, no. A landmark study was published in July2012 proving that “total energy expenditure is statistically indistinguishablebetween Westerners and Hadza foragers (one of the few remaining hunter-gatherer tribes).”62 The data show that hunter-gathererswere more physicallyactive,but“averagedailyenergyexpenditureoftraditionalHadzaforagerswasnodifferentthanthatofWesternersaftercontrollingforbodysize.”Howisthispossible?Howcouldhunter-gatherers “exercisemore”butburn the same totalnumberofcaloriesaswedo?

Thehunter-gatherers automatically burned lesswhen theywere inactive tomakeupforburningmorewhentheywereactive.Astheresearchersconcluded,theirresults“suggestthatphysicalactivitymaybeonlyonepieceofadynamicmetabolic strategy that is continuously responding to changes in energyavailability and demand.” What is a “dynamic metabolic strategy”? The set-point.

Finally,ifgeneralactivityleveldeterminedweight,thenthethinnestpeoplein the world would be manual laborers, while the heaviest would be deskworkers.Peoplewithmanualjobsare“active”atleastfortyhoursaweek,everyweek,at these jobs.Peoplewithdesk jobsare“inactive”at least fortyhoursa

week.Aremanuallaborersslimmerthandeskworkers?Let’s lookat the research.TheCenters forDiseaseControlandPrevention

(CDC) collected data from over 68,000 adults and found that obesity rises asincome falls andmanual labor—that is,work-related activity—rises. The datasuggest that,onaverage,activemanual laborersareheavier than inactivedeskworkers.Therefore,itseemsthatactivitylevelisnotagoodpredictoroffitness.

Nowthatwe’vedebunkedthefirstCalorieMythbyshowingthateatinglessandexercisingmoreisnotthewaytogethealthyandslimforthelongterm,let’slookathow thesecondCalorieMythconspires toundermineyourweight-lossefforts.

TheMythThatAllCaloriesAreCreatedEqual

Our secondCalorieMyth is one that is touted in diet books andon televisionshows,andusedintheformulasofmanypopularweight-lossprograms.

CalorieMyth#2:ACalorieIsaCalorie

Richard Feinman, PhD, of SUNY’s Health Science Center, said it best:“Attackingtheobesityepidemicwillinvolvegivingupmanyoldideasthathavenotbeenproductive.‘Acalorieisacalorie’mightbeagoodplacetostart.”63Inordertostreamlinecaloriecounting,we’vebeentoldthatallcaloriesarecreatedequal.Thinkaboutusingthiskindofequivocation—whichdoesn’ttakequalityinto account—with something else that’s essential to our health:water. If youwerethirsty,wouldyoustoptodrinkfromapollutedcreekoramuddypuddleinthemiddle of the road?Of course youwouldn’t—because the issue isn’t justabout quenching your thirst. You know that water quality matters a lot. Thesolution to thepuddleproblem isn’t to “drink lesswater,”but rather to “drinkhigher-qualitywater”;similarly,thesolutiontotoday’sobesityepidemicisn’tto“eatlessfood,”butratherto“eathigher-qualityfood.”

THEFOURCALORIE-QUALITYFACTORS

Beyondbattlingourbasicbiology,caloriecounting isboundtofailusbecausenotallcaloriesareequalinourbodies.

Calorie counting is rooted in the assumption that our bodies work like

balance scales. Balance scales do not measure quality. On a balance scale, apoundoffeathersweighsthesameasapoundoflead.Qualityisirrelevant.Soon a balance scale, 300 calories of vegetables is the same as 300 calories ofpasta.

Theproblemisthatthebodyisnotabalancescale.Let’slookattheissueanotherway.Breathinginpollutedairforthirtyyears

has a different effect on our respiratory system from breathing in the samequantityof freshair. In thesamefashion,putting2,000caloriesof low-qualityfoodintoourmetabolicsystemhasadifferenteffectonourweightfromputtinginthesamequantityofhigh-qualityfood.

Marshall University conducted a childhood obesity study in whichresearchersdividedobesekidsintotwogroups:

1.CutQuantity:Kidswentonconventionallow-caloriediets.2. Change Quality: Kids went on unlimited-calorie low-carbohydratediets.

After twomonths, theChangeQualitykids lostelevenpounds,but theCutQuantitykidsgainedfivepounds.Wedonothavetogoonalow-carbohydratediet,but thisstudy isagreatexampleofhowcriticalcaloriequality is.Peopleate as much as they wanted whenever they wanted and still burned body fatbecausetheychangedthequalityoftheircalories.

Sohowdoweknowwhata“quality”caloriesis?Thequalityofourcaloriescanbedeterminedbyassessingourfoodbasedonfourcriteria:

1.Satiety:howquicklythecaloriesfillusupandhowlongtheykeepusfull

2.Aggression:howlikelythecaloriesaretobestoredasbodyfat3. Nutrition: how many nutrients—vitamins, minerals, essential fattyacids,essentialaminoacids—thecaloriesprovide

4.Efficiency:howmanyofthecaloriescanbestoredasbodyfat

ThemoreSatisfying,unAggressive,Nutritious, and inEfficientacalorie is,the higher its quality.ThemoreSANE it is.Themore it heals our hormones,prevents overeating, and lowers our set-point. Conversely, the moreunSatisfying,Aggressive,notNutritious,andEfficientacalorieis,theloweritsquality.Themore inSANE it is.Themore it harmsourhormones, encouragesovereating, and raisesour set-point.Themoreweunderstand the four calorie-

qualityfactors,themoreclearlywewillseehoweatingmorehigh-qualitySANEfoodistheonlypracticalwaytoburnfatandboosthealthlongterm.

Illustrating the importance of calorie quality, in each of the studies thatfollow,allthestudyparticipantsatetheexactsamequantityofcalories(thesearecalledisocaloricstudies),butonegroup’scalorieswereofmuchhigherquality(weremuchmoreSANE)thanthoseoftheothergroups:

A review completed at the University of Florida analyzed eighty-sevenstudies and found that those people who ate SANE calories lost anaverageoftwelvemorepoundsofbodyfatcomparedwiththosewhoateanequalquantityofinSANEcalories.64

ResearchersatCornellUniversitysplitpeopleintothreegroups,eacheating1,800 calories per day, but at different levels of SANEity. The mostSANE group lost 86.5 percent more body fat than the least SANEgroup.65

IntheAnnalsofInternalMedicine, researchersat theClinicalInvestigationCenter, US Naval Hospital, compared a reduced-calorie inSANE dietwithareduced-calorieSANEdiet.AftertendaystheSANEdietburnedtwiceasmuchbodyfat.66

A review published in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism covered nineadditional trials demonstrating that peoplewho eatSANEcalories losemore weight than those who eat the exact same quantity of inSANEcalories.67

Let’slookateachofthefourfactorsofSANEeating.We’llstartwithSatiety(whichcomesfromthesamerootassatisfying).

ThePhilosophyofLong-TermFatLossandHealthThe eighteenth-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant proposed ahelpful theory for thinking about moral issues: We can tell whether anaction isgoodorbad if itmakessenseforeveryone todo itall the time.Forexample,isitokaytolie?No,becauseifeveryonealwayslied,societywouldfallapart.

His logic is evenmoreuseful in the fat-loss andhealth field.Wearetryingtobecomeslimandhealthyfortherestofourlives.Wedonotwanttolosebodyfatnowonlytogainitbacklater.Soifaprogramisn’tflexible

enoughforustofollowitforever,forgetit.Whateverwedo to losebody fat,wehave tokeepondoing itorwe

willgainall thebody fatback. It is likepushing theacceleratorpedal tomakeyourcargosixtymilesperhour.Assoonasyoustoppushingit,youwillslowdown.Similarly, ifyouchangethewayyoueatandexercisetoburn body fat and then stop eating and exercising that way, you willquicklyregainbodyfat.Forinstance,theAmericanJournalofPhysiologyreportedthatassoonasratsstoppedeatingless,theygainedweighttwentytimesfasterthannormaluntiltheyreturnedtoatleasttheiroriginalweight.

Nobody wants to gain body fat twenty times faster than normal, sobefore trying any diet or exercise program, be a philosopher and askyourself,“CanIdothisforever?”Iftheanswerisyes,doit.Iftheanswerisno,skipit.

Calorie-QualityFactor1:Satiety

Acalorieisnotacaloriewhenitcomestofillingusupandkeepingusfull.Evernoticehowasix-packofbeermakespeopleeatmorepizzawhile fivecansoftuna or thirty cups of broccoli—the same quantity of calories—would makethemuncomfortablyfull?Thecapacityofcaloriestomakeusandkeepusfulliscalled Satiety. The fewer calories needed to fill us up and the longer thosecalorieskeepusfull,thehighertheSatietyvalueofthefood.ThefirstmeasureofassessingtheSANEityofafoodisitsSatiety.

A study published in theAnnals of InternalMedicine followed ten obesepatientswithtype2diabetesfortwenty-onedays,andfoundthatthepeoplewhoateasmuchhigh-Satietyproteinandnaturalfatastheywanted,whileavoidinglow-Satiety starches and sweets, unconsciously avoided 1,000 low-qualitycaloriesperday.68Theseparticipants thenreportedfeelingassatisfiedasotherpeopleinthestudywhoate1,000morelower-Satietycalories.

Why is eating 1,000 fewer low-quality calories per day useful?Didn’twejustshowhowharmfulstarvationis?Yes,butwe’renottalkingstarvationhere.Whenweeathigh-Satietyfood,wetakeinmorefoodandmuchmorenutrition,but unintentionally become full faster, stay full longer, and thereforeautomatically avoid overeating. More food, more nutrition, more energy, andunconsciously avoiding excessive calories is entirely different from less food,lessnutrition,feelinghungry,andbeingtiredandcrankyallday.Thesurplusofnutritionandsatisfactionfromhigh-satietyfoodsavesusfromthesideeffectsofstarvation.

Theprimaryareasinourbraininfluencedbyhigh-Satietyfoodarethelateralhypothalamus and ventromedial hypothalamus. They tell us when we feelsatisfiedfromeating.Their“youaresatisfied”signalsthattellustostopeatingaredependentonthreefactors:

1.Howmuchdothecaloriesweareeatingstretchourdigestiveorgans?2. How much do the calories we are eating affect short-term Satietyhormones?

3.Howmuchdo thecaloriesweareeating stimulate long-termSatietyhormones?

Wecan eatmorehigh-Satiety foodby focusingon foods that containhighamountsofwater, fiber, andprotein.*Howmuchanygiven food stretchesourstomachandotherdigestiveorgansismostlydeterminedbytheamountofwaterand fiber in it. More water and fiber means bigger food, more stretch, andgettingfullerandstayingfullerlonger.Thatiswhy200caloriesofwet,fibrousceleryismorefillingthan200caloriesofdry,fiber-freegummybears.Caloriefor calorie, celery is about thirty times the sizeof gummybears, stretchesourstomach and other digestive organs much more, and is therefore much moresatisfying.

The amount of protein that food contains is also important. Harvardresearchershavefoundthattheamountofproteininfoodaffectstheothertwofactorsthatinfluencewhetherourbrainistellinguswearehungryorfull:short-and long-termSatietyhormones.Morecalories fromproteinmeanmore“full”hormonalsignalsbeingsenttoourbrain.

Thesescientificfindingshavebeenrepeatedinnumerousclinicaltrials:

InaUniversityofWashingtonstudy,participantsateanunlimitedquantityofcalories while having the proportion of protein in their diet increasedfrom 15 percent to 30 percent. They responded by unconsciouslyavoiding441excesscaloriesperdaywithoutfeelinghungry.69

In aUniversity of Sussex study, participants ate either a high-protein or alow-proteinmeal.Thehigh-proteinpeopleunconsciouslyate26percentless than the low-protein people at their next meal without feelinghungry.70

In a University of Leeds study, participants ate the exact same weight offood,butonegroupateahigherpercentfromprotein.Thehigher-proteingroupunconsciouslyateatleast19percentfewercaloriesthanthelower-proteingroupwithoutfeelinghungry.71

In a Karolinska Hospital study, participants ate more or less protein forlunch.Themore-protein group got full on 12 percent fewer calories atdinnerthantheless-proteingroup.72

Thescienceisclear:Morewater,fiber,andproteinmeanmoreSatiety.MoreSatietymeanswearetoofullforset-point-raisinglow-qualityfood.

Calorie-QualityFactor2:Aggression

Caloriesvaryinhowlikelytheyaretobestoredasbodyfat.Whenweeat,ourdigestivesystemactsabitlikeatrafficcopwhotellscalorieswheretogo.HowAggressivelycaloriesapproachthistrafficcopdeterminestheirchancesofbeingstoredasbodyfat.

Thetrafficcopdirectscaloriestorepair,fuel,orfattenus—inthatorder.Thecop first makes sure we have enough resources to rebuild anything that hasbrokendown.Next,thecopkeepsusdoingwhateverwearedoing.Last,thecopseekstoprotectusfromstarving.Aslongaswehaveacalmandconsistentflowofcaloriescomingintooursystem,thecopdoesagreatjobdirectingthem.

However, as with ordinary civil unruliness, our body does not do its bestwork when dealing with a bunch of Aggressive requests all at once. Whencalories approach the traffic cop Aggressively, the cop gets angry, throws itsclipboarddown,andlocksupthosecaloriesinfatcells.Rightafterweeataplateofpastaandabreadstick,amassivewaveofstarchstartsscreamingallatonceandthetrafficcopsays,“Oh,really?Tothefatcells...allofyou!”

To keep calories from being locked up in our fat cells, we don’t need toworry about eating less food. Our body is fine with a lot of food—it is theAggressive food that annoys it. Five hundred calm calories creeping into thebloodstreamovermanyhoursare less likely tobestoredasbody fat than fivehundredAggressivecaloriesrushinginallatonce.Anytimethebodyhasmorecaloriesavailable than it candealwithatone time, it stores themasbody fat.That iswhy theglycemic index andglycemic load have become all the rage.*Thesehandymeasuresofcalories’AggressionareliketheMostWantedsignsatthepostoffice—theyhighlightthemostdangerousAggressiveoffenders.

Tobestunderstandcalories’Aggression,glycemicindex,andglycemicload,wefirstneedtounderstandhowourbodyfuelsitself.Ourbodydoesn’trunon

the foodweeat—mostoften it runsonglucose,asugarourbodycreates fromthefoodweeat.Thatmayseemlikeameaninglessdistinction,butitisnot.

Body-fat storage is not causedby eating a lot of food.Body-fat storage istriggeredasaresponsetoeatingfoodthatcausesustohavemoreglucoseinourbloodstreamthanwecanuseatonetime.ThemoreAggressivecaloriesare,thefastertheyincreasethelevelsofglucoseinourbloodstream.Thefastercaloriesincreaseourglucoselevels,themorelikelywearetohavemoreglucosethanthebodycandealwithatonetime.That’swhenthe trafficcopshuttles theexcessintoourfatcells.

Thedistinctionbetween“a lotoffood”and“a lotofglucoserightnow” isimportant.Wecaneatpoundsandpoundsoffoodandavoidpoundsandpoundsofbodyfat if theglucosethefoodgeneratesdoesnotexceedtheglucoselevelour body can accommodate right then. That’s the primary reason why theglycemic index, glycemic load, and low-glycemic diets like the South BeachDietandtheAtkinsDietworkforsomanypeople.Thesetoolshelppeopleavoidexcessivelevelsofbloodglucose/bloodsugar,acommontrapthat’seasyforustofallinto,asourbodyneedssurprisinglylittleglucoseyetthenormalWesterndietisfulloffoodsthatspikebloodsugar.

ResearchersandauthorsStevePhinney,MD,PhD,andJeffVolek,PhD,RD,share a fascinating detail: our body has about40caloriesworth of glucose incirculation at anygiven time. “Thismeans thatwhenyoudigest . . . a cupofmashed potatoes or rice, most of the 200 calories of glucose entering thebloodstream...hastoberapidlyclearedtosomeplaceelsetokeepbloodsugarinthenormalrange.”73That“someplaceelse”isgenerallyourfatcells.Soifwewant tokeep those calories out of our fat cells,wewouldbebetter off eatingfoodsthatarelessAggressive.

Fortunately,wedon’tneedtoworryaboutmemorizingtheglycemicindexorglycemic load of foods because SANE eating prevents excess glucose fromgetting into our bloodstream. If we stick to increasing the amount of water-,fiber-, and protein-packed high-Satiety foods we are eating, we willautomaticallyeat low-glycemic-index foods,ensurea lowglycemic load, storelessbodyfat,and lowerourriskofcoronaryheartdisease,diabetes,unhealthycholesterollevels,andcardiovasculardisease.*

Calorie-QualityFactor3:Nutrition

TwohundredandfiftycaloriesofTwinkiesarenotthesameas250caloriesofbroccoli.CaloriesareclearlydifferentwhenitcomestodiscussingtheNutritionwe need to burn body fat and be healthy. So what is nutritious? As witheverythingelse,thekeytoNutritionisquality—butallweareevertoldaboutisquantity,thenutritionfactslabelsonfood.

Theinformationfoundonfoodlabels tellsusonlyhalfofwhatdeterminesNutritionquality:thequantityofnutrientsinthefood.Buttalkingmerelyaboutthe quantity of nutrients in food leads to a very fattening view of Nutrition.Consider the American Heart Association’s endorsement logos on boxes ofsugar-stuffed cereal because the cereal was “enriched.” A high quantity ofnutrientscombinedwithlow-qualitycaloriesisnotnutritious.Weknowthattendoughnutsarenottentimesasnutritiousasonedoughnut.

The other half of what determines Nutrition quality is the amount andcharacteristicsofthecalorieswearegettingalongwiththenutrients.Wehavetoconsidernutrientsrelativetocalories.

Determining nutrition quality is simple. We take the nutrient quantityinformationprovidedonnutritionlabelsanddivideitbythenumberofcaloriesin a serving of the food.This provides the food’s nutritionper calorie.Manynutrientspercalorie—providedbynonstarchyvegetables,seafood,high-qualitymeats and dairy, low-fructose fruits, and nuts/seeds—means high nutritionquality.Fewnutrientspercalorie,providedbystarchesandsweets,means lownutritionquality.*

Forexample,here’showonecupofenrichedwheatflourcompareswithonecupofspinachintermsofnutrientquantity.I’veshadedthecellofthefoodwith

moreofthegivennutrientwhenwemeasurebythecup.

NutrientQuantityofEnrichedWheatFlourversusSpinach(NutrientsperCup)

Lookingatquantity,enrichedwheatflourseemsmorenutritiousthanspinachin nutrients such as thiamin, niacin, folate, and iron. But here’s why that’smisleading:Onecupofenrichedwheatflourcontains495calories.Onecupofspinachcontains7calories.Lookingatquality—nutrientspercalorie—we seesomethingmuchdifferent—andmoreuseful.

NutrientQuantityofEnrichedWheatFlourversusSpinach(Nutrientsper250Calories)

When we make a fair comparison—comparing 250 calories of enrichedwheatflouragainst250caloriesofspinach,insteadofcomparing495caloriesofenriched wheat flour against 7 calories of spinach—we see that spinach isdramatically more nutritious than enriched wheat flour. Focusing on nutritionqualityallowsustohaveamoreaccurateviewofwhichfoodsareactuallygoodforus.

LikeSatietyandAggression,afood’sNutritiondependsonwater,fiber,andprotein.Waterandfiberhavenocalories,andproteincaloriesdonot“count”asmuchascarbohydrateorfatcalories(moreonthisinthenextchapter).Sinceafood’s nutrition quality is found by dividing the number of nutrients by thenumberofcalories,morewater,fiber,andproteinreducetherelativenumberofcaloriesinthefoodandtherebyincreaseitsnutritionquality.

Keepingwater, fiber, and protein at the top of ourmind in thinking aboutnutrition quality immediately gives us a dramatically different view of whichfoodsarenutritious.Consider cereal, bread,or “healthy”whole-grain starches.Theyarealldryandcontainlittleprotein,sotheyarestartingoutzerofortwo.Fiberistheironlyhope.

The companies that sell starchy foods typically saywe get a great deal offiberfromtheirwhole-grainproducts,butis thatactuallytrue?Thefourgramsoffiberin250caloriesofwhole-graincerealare100percentmorefiberthanthe

two grams of fiber in 250 calories of refined-grain cereal, but that is onlycomparing grains. We have to ask if grains are a good source of essentialnutrients relative tomorewater-and protein-packed foodswe could be eating.Sadly, whole grains are not good sources of essential nutrients relative tononstarches.

Whilewholegrainsarebetter thanprocessedgrains,onebrokenlegisalsobetter than two—being better doesn’t necessarily make something desirable.Look at the fiber per calorie in whole grains compared withmore water-andprotein-packedfoods:

GRAMSOFFIBERIN250CALORIES

Wholegrainsdohavesix timesmore fiber thandoughnuts,butnonstarchyvegetableshavenearlyfiftytimesmorefiber.Whole-graintoastisbetterthanadoughnut,but that isnotsayingmuchconsideringtheotherfoodswecouldbeeating.Forexample,ifweeat250caloriesworthofnonstarchyvegetables,wewill get about forty-six grams of fiber. To get the same amount of fiber fromwholegrains,wewouldhavetoeatnearly2,000caloriesworthofwhole-grainbread.Eatingwhole-grainbreadtogetmorefiberislikeeatingcarrotcaketogetmorevegetables.

Starch is an excellent example of how careful we have to be when we

considerthenutritivevalueoffood.Wecouldbeeatingallsortsofwhole-grainstarches thinking we are at the top of the nutrition mountain, while we areactuallyweigheddownandsittingatthebottom.FewessentialnutrientsplusalotofunSatisfyingandAggressivecaloriesarenotawinningcombination.

Fortunately for us, we do not need to do all sorts of math with nutritionlabels tomaximize the nutrition quality of our diets. Researchers at ColoradoStateUniversitydidthemathforus.TheyanalyzedthenutritionqualityofthemostcommonfoodsandfoundthatifwemaximizetheSatietyandminimizetheAggressionofourdiet—byeatingmorewater-,fiber-,andprotein-packedfoods—wewillgetthemostnutritionpercalorieautomatically.Ifyouwouldliketocalculate nutrition quality for yourself, the math is easy and informative. Forinstance,carefullycheckthefoodspeoplecall“goodsourcesofprotein,”suchasbeans, milk, and nuts. Are these foods good sources of protein per calorie?Dividethegramsofproteininaservingbythenumberofcalories.

Nutrition quality also affects whether we are burning body fat or slowingdownandburningmuscle.Whenweeatmorewater-,fiber-,andprotein-packedfood, we get more essential nutrients while avoiding overeating oroverwhelming the body with glucose. Combine more nutrients with lessovereatingandfewerglucosespikesandweburnbodyfatwithoutthenegativesideeffectsofstarvationdieting.Asurplusofessentialnutritionistheoppositeofstarvationandourkeytofatlossinsteadoffrustration.

GRAMSOFPROTEININA250-CALORIESERVING

Calorie-QualityFactor4:Efficiency

Lastbutfarfromleast,acalorieisnotacaloriewhenitcomestohowEfficientlyourmetabolism converts it into body fat. Themore inEfficient calories are atbeingstoredasbodyfat,thebetter.KeepingthescienceofSANEeatingsimple,fiberandproteinareentirelyinEfficient.ExplainingtheinEfficiencyoffiberiseasy. Fiber is not digested and therefore can never be stored as body fat. Thebody tries and tries to digest fiber, but then after burning a bunch of caloriestryingtobreakdownandabsorbfiber, itgivesupandpassesfiber throughthedigestivesystem—whichalsoexplainswhyfiberhelpstokeepusregular.

Explaining the inEfficiency of protein is a bit more involved, but quiteinteresting.Tostartwithlet’s talkaboutthecaloriesweburndigestingfood.Ittakes our body five to ten timesmore energy to digest protein than it does todigestfatorcarbohydrate.Infact,about30percentofthecalorieswegetfromproteinareburnedindigestingit.Protein’sinEfficiencydoesn’tstopthere.

Even after we burn 30 percent of protein calories during initial digestion,proteincannotbedirectlystoredasbodyfat.Incontrast,asuperhighwayisbusyshuttlingglucosetoourfatcells.Sowhenwehaveexcessproteinlyingaround,it is sent to the liver to be converted into glucose. The process of convertingproteinintoglucoseiscalledgluconeogenesis(gluco=sugar,neo=new,genesis= creation). This process burns 33 percent of the remaining protein calories.Takethe70percentofinitialproteincaloriesremainingafterdigestionandburn33 percent of that during gluconeogenesis, and we are left with a measly 47percentoftheoriginalproteincalories.aWhatstartedoffas,say,300caloriesofjuicy protein is reduced to 140 calories of glucose in the bloodstream.Convertingthatnewlyformedglucoseintobodyfatconsumes25percentoftheglucose calories. Sowhen everything is said anddone, only 35percent of theinitial calories we get from protein can be stored as body fat. You read that

correctly.Overtwo-thirdsofcaloriesfromproteinareburnedconvertingproteininto a compound that can be stored as body fat. If we followed the samedigestionprocessforstarch,wewouldfindthat211of300starchcaloriescanbestoredasbodyfat.Thatmeans70percentofcaloriesfromstarchcanbestoredasbodyfat.Inotherwords,caloriesfromstarcharemorethantwiceasEfficientatbecomingbodyfatascaloriesfromprotein.

This research doesn’t suggestwe should eat 100 percent protein. But it issuggestingthatwecaneatmoreandburnmorebyeatingmoreprotein-packed(andfiber-packed)food.Andtokeepthingssimple,thesametechniquesweareusing to increase Satiety, decrease Aggression, and increase Nutrition alsodecreasetheEfficiencyofourcalories.

HOWBODYFATISCREATED

WithallthistalkofcaloriesbeingmoreorlessEfficientatbeingstoredasbodyfat, let’squicklycoverhowbodyfatgetscreated.Theprocessofcreatingnewbody fat is called lipogenesis (lipo = fat and genesis = creation). And withgenesisinmind:inthebeginningtherewasfoodandfoodwasclassifiedbyitsdominantmacronutrient.

Assoonasourbodyisfedproteins,fats,orcarbohydrates,itturnsthemintoamino acids, fatty acids, or glucose, respectively. This first step is importantbecauseitprovidesanotherexampleofwhyacalorieisnotacalorie.Oncefatisconverted to fattyacids, if therearemore fattyacidsaround thanwecurrentlyneed,allofthemaresentofftobestoredasbodyfat.Theglucosewegetfromcarbohydrates does not work that way. Glucose cannot be stored as body fatwithoutthehormoneinsulin.AndthentherearetheinEfficientaminoacidsfromprotein.Amino acidsmust first be converted into glucose.Once they becomeglucose,theyneedinsulinortheycannotbestoredasbodyfat.

Now let’s assume the hormone insulin is making its rounds and we haveexcess glucoseon itsway to fat cells.At that point, glucose is converted intofattyacidsandweareonestepawayfromnewbodyfat.Duringthelaststepinthe process, all those fatty acids combine with a glycerol molecule to formtriglyceride—bodyfat.Thisiscalledesterificationanditisnotpossiblewithoutasubstancecalledglycerol-3-phosphate.

FROMFOODTOBODYFAT

Whyam I telling you about howour bodies create fat?Because once youunderstandthescience,therearethreeusefultakeaways:

1.Notallcaloriesare thesame,consideringthatproteinisfivecalorie-burningstepsawayfrombodyfat—convertintoaminoacids,converttoglucose,meetupwithinsulin,transformtofattyacids,andhookupwithglycerol-3-phosphate—whilefatisonlytwocalorie-burningstepsaway:convertintofattyacidsandhookupwithglycerol-3-phosphate.

2. It is impossible to store glucose as body fatwithout enough insulin.The more Aggressive a calorie is, the more insulin it triggers thepancreas to release. This can overwork the system and lead to cellsbecominginsulinresistant.Eventually,iftoomuchinsulinistriggeredtoooften,thepancreascanwearout,resultingintype2diabetes(we’llcover this inmore detail later).That is one of themajor reasonswewanttoavoidAggressivecalories.

3.Nobodyfatgetsstoredwithoutglycerol-3-phosphate.Wegetthemostglycerol-3-phosphate from inSANE starches and sweets.

Carbohydrates are not all bad—nonstarchy vegetables arecarbohydratesandtheyarethemostSANEfoodsaround.ButinSANEcarbohydrates from starches and sweets fuel overeating, set-pointdysregulation,andbody-fatformation.

PutthisalltogetheranditbecomesclearwhyeatingasmanySANEcaloriesasyouwantwillkeepyouatahealthybodyweightlongterm,whileeatinglessdoes not.When people eat less, their body believes they are still overeating,sincetheirmetabolismslowsdown.Additionally,theyhaveplentyofinsulinandglycerol-3-phosphatethankstotheinSANElow-qualitystarchesandsweetstheycontinue eating. Overeating plus insulin and glycerol-3-phosphate means newbodyfat.

Ontheotherhand,whenwegoSANE:

Weavoidovereatingthankstohigh-Satiety.Calories are released into our bloodstream slowly and they trigger little

insulinthankstolowAggression.Our bodies benefit from a number of essential nutrients thanks to high-

Nutrition.Weburnalotofcaloriesduringdigestionthankstolow-Efficiency.

EatingallthisSANEfoodmakesustoofullforinSANEstarchesandsweets.Byavoidingstarchesandsweets,wedonothaveasurplusofcalories tostoreandwedon’thaveenough insulinorglycerol-3-phosphate to fuelexcessbodyfatformation.Freefromtheneedorabilitytostorebodyfat,weeatmorefoodandslimdown.

Beforewedigdeeperintotheday-to-daydetailsofeatingmore—butsmarter—there is one more calorie myth we must free ourselves from: calories areeverything,somoderationisallthatmatters.

HowtoEatSANEasaVegetarian:Cristina’sStoryASANElifestyleiscompatiblewithplant-based,paleo,primal,low-carb,organic,local,vegetarian,kosher,halal,orvirtuallyanyotherlifestyle.It’sabouteatingSatisfying,unAggressive,Nutritious,andinEfficientfood.Ifyouwouldliketoaddothercriteria,that’snoproblem.

Forexample,CristinaisavegetarianwhowentSANEbydramatically

increasing her intake of nonstarchy vegetables, enjoying plant-basedprotein,andsavoringwhole-foodfatssuchasnutsandseeds.

HowdidSANEitizinghervegetarianlifestyleworkoutforCristina?Inherwords:

Ihaveplentytoeat.Iamnotstarving.Onthecontrary,Iamwell-nourishedandsatisfiedandfeelgreatallthetime.ThreemonthsofeatinglikethishasgottenmeoffadiabetesmedicationandreducedmyHbA1Cfrom8.3to5.7,renderingmediabetes-free.Ialsowasoncholesterolmedication,butafterI“SANEitized”myeating,mycholesterol went from 220 to 103, and I was taken off thatmedicationaswell.

Myhusband,who isnot avegetarianbuthumorsmeandeatswhatIeatinsidethehouseandordersleanmeatswhenwegoout,has lost 32 pounds, resolved his sleep apnea, and stopped havingmigraines.Webothstoppedhavingheartburn,whichformewasadaily and painful occurrence—no doubt, starch and sugar related.Andtotopitoff,Ihavelost45poundsinthreemonths!

There’sjustonemorething:Afterfiveyearsoftrying,Ifinallygot pregnant! I can’t tell youhowexcitedmyhusband and I are.Youbetterbelievewe’llbeSANEforlifenow.

SANEityisn’tabout“youmustdothis”and“youcanneverdothat.”Itis about using simple science instead of complexmyths to live better—whateveryourlifestyle.

aThemathhereisabitconfusing,soletmeexplainhowI’vearrivedatthesenumbers.Let’sstartwith100caloriesofproteinandconvertittoaminoacids;thisprocessburns30percentofthecalories,givingus70calories (or 70 percent of the original number). We then convert amino acids to glucose; this burns33percent of the 70 remaining calories, givingus about 47 calories (or 47percent of the original 100).Finallyweconverttheglucosetobodyfat; thisburns25percentoftheremaining47calories, leavinguswithonly35calories(or35percentoftheoriginal100).Forthe300caloriesgivenasanexampleinthetext,weget:70percentof300=210;then210−(210×0.33)=210−69.3=140.7;then140.7−(140.7×0.25)=140.7−35.2=105.7.Rounding,weget105.5asinthetable,andthatisabout35percentoftheoriginal300calories.

TheMythofModeration

The“classicaltheory”thatfatisdepositedintheadiposetissue[bodyfat]onlywhengiveninexcessofthecaloricrequirementisfinallydisproved.

—ErnstWertheimer,inPhysiologicalReviews74

Thefinalmythcomplicatingourlivesanddestroyingourhealthistheideathatcaloriesarethemostimportantconsiderationinourfoodchoices,sowecaneatanythingwe’d like as long aswe’re careful to analyze food labels for servingsizesandcalories.SohereisourthirdCalorieMyth:

CalorieMyth#3:AllFoodsAreFineinModeration

Mostdietssuggestthatwecaneatwhateverwewantandbefineaslongaswe monitor our portion sizes and don’t eat too many calories. But as we’vediscussed, caloriesarenotall thatmatter.Whatcomesalongwithcaloriescandisrupt our fundamental biology for generations.Sowhydowehear somuchaboutcaloriesandeating“everything”inmoderation?Onereasonisthatmanyoftheinstitutionsperpetuatingthismytharefundedbycompaniesthatproduceprocessed foods.These institutionscankeep their corporatebenefactorshappyand appear reasonable by preaching a message of moderation. (The “foods”aren’t bad—your willpower is! It’s your “personal responsibility” to resistthem!) Now anyone can sell anything and everyone is happy—except for theconsumerswhosebiologyisbeingbroken.

WHYHORMONESMATTERMORETHANMODERATIONWhen we are told to focus on calories and moderation instead of food and

biology, “healthy” quickly becomes a highly relative term. For example, apopularfastfoodchaincelebratesthehealthbenefitsofitsofferingsthatcontainless than400 calories.Nevermind thehigh-fructose corn syrup, refined flour,trans fats, and pink slime in these edible products we collectively refer to as“food,”they’relowcalorieandtherefore“smart”choices.

Weknowthisisabsurd.Weknowthatthenutritionalandhormonalimpactof calories matters immensely. But we can see why the calorie craze isperpetuated.Wanttosellanythingandcallithealthy?Convincepeoplecaloriesare all that matter. Then mix together the cheapest and most shelf-stableingredientsyoucanfindandcall itedible.Finally,shrinktheservingsizeuntilyoucan call it lowcalorie and therefore “healthy.”One-hundred-calorie snackpacksforeveryone!

Misguided recommendations around moderation are not new. Just a fewdecadesagoweweregivenamessageof smoking inmoderation,but then thesciencelinkingsmokingtoaddictionanddiseasebecameclear.ThelinkbetweeninSANE foods addiction and disease is now clear.AsYaleUniversity’sKellyBrownell puts it, “By 1964, therewas sufficient scientific evidence . . . [but]manyyearspassedandmanymillionsdiedbeforedecisiveactionwastakento[turnthetideagainstsmoking]....Repeatingthishistorywithfoodandobesitywouldbetragic.”75

Willasinglesodaorcandybareveryonceinawhilekillus?Ofcoursenot.Butneitherwillasinglecigaretteeveryonceinawhile.Thequestioniswhatweshouldberecommending.Themessageofmoderationandcalories is rooted inmoney, not science. Accurate recommendation would revolve around foodqualityandhormones,notcaloriecountandmoderation.

THESIMPLESCIENCEOFHORMONES

At the risk of being a little gruesome (I’d suggest putting down your fork ifyou’re reading this book while eating a SANE meal), let’s look at one wayscientists discovered the important relationship between hormones and health:through a procedure known as parabiosis. Parabiosis occurs when researcherscut two live animals open and then join them so they share the same bloodsupplyandhormones.Inotherwords,researcherscreateconjoinedtwins.

BEFOREPARABIOSIS AFTERPARABIOSIS

Whywould researchers create aFranken-ratwith one set of hormones buttwice as much of everything else? Because it allows them to investigate theimpact of hormones on human health. For example,when researchers join anobese rat to a lean rat, the lean rat gets leaner regardless of the quantity ofcaloriesiteats.Howisthatpossible?Thinkbacktohowtheset-pointworks.76

Theobeseratisproducingamassiveamountofbody-fat-burninghormonesinanefforttogetitselfbacktoanormallevelofbodyfat.Butbecausetheobeseratiscloggedandcannotrespondtothebody-fat-burninghormoneseffectively,itstaysheavy.However,theleanratisnotclogged.Theleanandclog-freeratisabletorespondtoallthosebody-fat-burninghormones.

Lots of body-fat-burning hormones + the ability to respond to them =burningbodyfatdespiteeatingthesamequantityofcalories.

Similarly,whenresearchersstitchanormalratandastarvedrattogether,thestarved rat’s body-fat-storing hormonesmake the normal rat get fatterwithouteatinganymorecalories.Thestarvedratisproducingbody-fat-storinghormonesinaneffort togetback to its set-point.Thesebody-fat-storinghormonesenterthenormalrat,anditdoesexactlywhatthehormonestellittodo:thenormalratstoresbodyfatwithouteatinganymoreorexercisinganyless.

Besides the horror of joining living animals together, these studiespowerfully demonstrate how any message regarding eating or exercise thatdoesn’t involvehormones isatbest incomplete.And that isonly the tipof theinvestigativeiceberg.

ResearchersattheVeteransAffairsPaloAltoHealthCareSystemgeneticallyalteredmicesotheywouldnolongerhaveaprimaryenzymeresponsibleforstoringbodyfat(hormone-sensitivelipase).Thesemiceatemoreand

gained 70 percent less than normal mice. In the researchers’ words,completely independently of calories, alteringmice’s hormones caused“adrasticreductioninlipogenesis[bodyfatcreation].”77

Researchers at theUniversity of Basel genetically alteredmice’s hormonelevelssothatthemicestayedlean,“inspiteofreducedphysicalactivity,”andwere“unaffected[by]caloricintake.”78

PeterHavelfromtheUniversityofCalifornia tellsus that“micewhichareunabletoproduceASP[ahormoneinvolvedintheformationofbodyfat]consume 30 percentmore food thanwild-typemice, yet have reducedadipose[bodyfat]massandareresistanttoweightgain.”79

Theseandhundredsofotherexperimentsshowthathormonesarethekeytoour set-point and therefore long-term weight gain or loss. The journalNeuroscience&BiobehavioralReviewscaptures the importanceofhealingourhormones before we are permanently free of body fat: “humans that becomeobesegainweight because they areno longer able to loseweight.”80Wegainweightbecauseourmetabolic system ishormonallybroken.Starvingabrokensystemwillneverfixit;there’sagoodchanceitwillmakeitworse.Wefixtheproblembyunderstandingandhealingourhormones.

HOWHORMONESINFLUENCEOURSET-POINTOurdigestivesystem,muscletissue,andfattissueareconstantlycommunicatingwithour nervous systemandbrainvia hormones.They are talking about howmuchfueltheythinkweneedtokeepusatourset-point.Iftheythinkweareatriskofrisingaboveourset-point,theyautomaticallydecreaseourcaloriesinandincreaseourcaloriesout,andviceversa.

When we eat SANE high-quality calories, this conversation goes well.Higher-qualitycaloriestriggerbody-fat-burninghormones.Therightamountofhormonesareusedandtherightmessageiscommunicated:“Burnbodyfat.”

However,whenweeatinSANElow-qualitycalories,communicationbreaksdown.Ourbodydoesn’thaveagoodideaofhowmuchfuelweneed,hormonesbecome“dysregulated,”81 and our body demandsmore food, since it does notknow what is going on and errs on the side of not starving. Thanks to thiscommunicationbreakdown,weovereat,becomehormonallyclogged,andgainweight.Youcancountcaloriesalldayandwillnotsetyourselfupforlong-termfatlossifyouareeatinglow-qualitycaloriesthattriggerexcessbody-fat-storinghormonessuchasinsulin.

Known in scientific circles as the most important hormonal factorinfluencingbodyfatcreation,insulinisactivatedonlywhenweneedtogetfuelinto our cells. Our body “hears” insulin in the bloodstream “communicating”thatwehaveenergyonitswaytoourcellsandthereforedonotneedtouseanystoredenergy—i.e.,burnbodyfat.Sothehormoneinsulin—notthecaloriesweate—blockstheburningofbodyfat.

Calories from inSANE starch and sweets trigger the release of ridiculousamountsofinsulin.Allthatinsulingetsthosecaloriesintoourcells,butthenwestill have insulin left over inourbloodstream.That excess insulin clogsusupandremovesourabilitytoburnbodyfatnomatterhowmuchtimewespendonthetreadmill.

Thingsgofrombadtoworseifwekeepthisupfortoolong.Notonlydoesalltheexcessinsulindestroyourabilitytoburnbodyfat,italsomakesourbodyresistanttoinsulin(meaningthatourpancreashastoproducemoreinsulintodothesamejob).Toquicklyunderstandhowthisworks,thinkaboutthisanalogy:becoming resistant to the effects of insulin is like becoming resistant to theeffectsofalcohol.Whenpeopledrinkalcoholinmoderation,everythingisfine.It takes relatively little alcohol to generate the desired effect, so people don’tdrinktoomuchof it.However, ifpeopledrinktoomuchalcohol, theybecomeresistanttoalcohol’seffectsandthentheyhavetodrinkmoretogetabuzz.Thisvolumeofalcoholeventuallydestroystheirliverandmakesthemsick.

Similarly,whenpeopleeatmostlySANEfoods,everything is fine. It takesjustalittleinsulintogetenergyintocells,sothebodydoesn’tproducetoomuchofit.Ifourinsulinlevelsremainlow,wedon’tgainweight—evenwhenweeatlarge amounts of food. Instead of being stored as fat, extra blood-sugar-increasing calories are burned off or eventually exit the body aswaste.But ifpeople eat a significant amount of starch and sweets, their bodies becomeresistant to insulin’seffects.Thentheirbodieshave toproducemore insulin togetenergyintocells.Thisvolumeof insulineventuallydestroystheirpancreasandmakesthemsick.Insulinresistanceisbecominganepidemicinourcountry.AtleastoneinfourAmericansisinsulinresistant.Allthisexcessinsulinformsthebackboneofourclogandcausesourset-pointtocreepup.Italsoincreasesthe rate at whichwe store body fat because excess insulin preferentially putscalories into our fat tissue. No matter how resistant other tissues become toinsulin,ourfattissueisalwaysreceptive.Whilethatistechnicallygoodbecauseit keeps insulin resistance from killing us (it prevents toxically high levels ofbloodsugar), itcanpreventusfromlosingweight.Weendupwithmorebody

fatandnoabilitytoburnit.

WHERETHEAVERAGEAMERICANGETSCALORIES

Insulin-spikingstarchandsweetenersmakeup43percentofwhatweeat.

Oncemostofthecaloriesweeatarebeingstoredinfatcellsbecauseinsulincannotgetthemintoothercells,internalstarvationhassetin.Weeatplentyoffoodbutstarveon the insidebecause insulincannoteffectivelyget thatenergyintoanycellsotherthanourfatcells.Withexcessinsulinshuttlingmostcaloriesinto fat tissue and eliminating our ability to burn body fat, the body has nochoicebuttoslowdown,burnmuscletissue,anddemandmorefood.

THEACTUALCAUSEOFOBESITY

MeetTerri.Sheis internallystarvingandneeds500caloriesofenergy.Terri isalsoayo-yodieterandhasalreadysloweddownhermetabolismandburnedasmuchmuscleasshecan.Needingsomecalories,Terrieats500calories.Insteadofthose500caloriesgettingintotheorgansneedingit,only250makeitinwhile

theother250areignored—thankstoinsulinresistance—andstoredasnewbodyfat.Terri still needs250calories.She cannot slowdownanymore.She cannotburnanymoremuscle.Andthankstoalltheexcessinsulinfloatingaround,shedoesnothavetheabilitytoburnbodyfat.Whatisheronlyoption?Overeat.Eat250extracalories.SoTerrisnackson250extracaloriestokeephercellsfromstarving. But now only some of the 250 caloriesmake it to the cells needingthemwhiletherestarestoredasbodyfat.Again,shemustovereatevenmore.ThisprocessofovereatingtokeepacloggedbodyfueledrepeatsitselfuntilTerrieats 1,000 calories to meet her need for 500 calories. Terri’s body is leakingcalories into her fat cells and has to compensate by taking in extra calories.Continuethis“overeattocompensatefortheclog”cycledayafterdayandTerrigainsbodyfat.Onthesurfaceitseemsthatsheisgainingbodyfatbecausesheiseating too many calories. But Terri’s high consumption of calories is not thecause of her weight gain. It is a symptom of the hormonal clog caused byinSANElow-qualitycalories.

Obesity is not caused by eating too many calories and it is not cured byeatingfewercalories.Overeatingisnotthecauseofobesity,saysHildeBruchatBaylor University. “It is a symptom of an underlying disturbance. . . . Thechangesinweightregulationandfatstoragearetheessentialdisturbances.”82

Problems are not solved by treating symptoms. That is why the CalorieMythsfailmorethan95percentofthetime.Basingyourdietoncaloriecountisliketakingamedicationthattreatsthesymptomsofanillness,butdoesn’tcurethe underlying cause. We can monitor our bodies all we want by trackingcalories in versus calories out, but if we’re not eating foods that fuel ourbiological processes and help to regulate our hormones, we’re not curing ourbodies.

INCORRECT CORRECT

Now thatwe’vewalked througheachof theCalorieMyths, Iwant to spendalittle time talking about how thesemythswere created in the first place.Whyhaven’t you heard about this science until now?Sadly, financialmotivation ispartoftheanswer.Moremoneycanbemadeoffsick,overweight,andunhappypeoplethanoffhealthy,fit,andhappypeople.Thebiggerweare,thebiggertheprofits of the $3.1 trillion food, $150 billion fitness, and $500 billionpharmaceuticalindustries.

Big food, big fitness, and big pharma want us to stay slim the way bigtobacco wants us to stop smoking. You can’t believe everything you hear.Especiallyifitiscomingfromapersonororganizationwhoseprofitsdependonyour continued weight and health struggles. As SUNY professor Jeffrey M.Friedmanexplains,“Whyhasthescientificevidencefromlong-standingobesityresearch not found its way into the minds of the public . . . ? Perhaps it isbecausetheseviewsareshapedbyaconstantbarrageofadvertisementsfromthedietindustrywhichhasamulti-billiondollarinterestinpromotingtheviewthatweightcanbecontrolledthroughvolition[willpower]alone.”83

Type2Diabetes:ProtectYourselfandYourChildrenType2diabetesislikerunningwaterintoahormonallycloggedsinkforsolong thatwateroverflowsall over theplace and the faucet breaksdown.Oncesomuchinsulinisproducedthatitisoverflowinginourbloodstreamand our ability to produce insulin has broken down, we develop type 2diabetes.

Thisbuildupandbreakdowncausepotentiallylethalhavocinthebody.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates peoplediagnosedwithdiabetesbytheageoffortydietwelveyearssooneriftheyaremaleandfourteenyearssooneriftheyarefemale.Wecanonlyimagine

theyearslostforchildrenwhoaresaturatedwithstarchesandsweets.Type2diabetesisterrible.Whatisevenworseisitsdisturbinggrowth.

In the late 1800s, one in every 4,000 peoplewas diabetic; today one inevery four people is diabetic or prediabetic. That is a 100,000 percentincreaseinonecentury,andresearchersestimatethatweareonourwaytoathirdofmenandnearlyahalfofwomenintheUnitedStatesbecomingtype2diabetic.Theworstisyettocome.

Exposure to a diabetic and hormonally clogged environment in uterowill impair a baby’s ability to regulate the set-point-related hormonesinsulin and leptin,while permanently adding fat cells to his or her bodyand increasing the child’s vulnerability to obesity, diabetes, and heartdiseaseoverthecourseofalifetime.Thesefindingsaremostcompellinglydemonstratedinstudiesinwhichresearcherslookatsiblingsofwhomonewas born before themother became insulin resistant or diabetic and theother was born after (this setup holds genetics constant and helpsresearchers to limit the variables).Related studies in animals are equallyscary.WhenpregnantanimalsarefedinSANEfood,thegeneticexpressionoftheiroffspringisalteredandcausestheoffspringtocravestarchesandsweetsmorethantheirparentsdo.

Wearefacedwiththefirstgenerationwithalowerlifeexpectancythantheirparents.AboutoneinthreeAmericanchildrenisoverweightorobese,andmore than 40million children under the age of five are overweightthanksinparttotheirexposuretohormonalhavoc,elevatedset-points,andinSANEcravingsbeforetheywereevenborn.AsUniversityofColorado’sassociatedeanforfaculty,DanaDabelea,MD,PhD,putsit,“Theeffectsofmaternaldiabetes . . .maybeviewedasaviciouscycle.Childrenwhosemothershaddiabetesduringpregnancyareat increasedriskofbecomingobese and developing diabetes at young ages. Many of these femaleoffspringalreadyhavediabetesorabnormalglucosetolerancebythetimetheyreachtheirchildbearingyears,therebyperpetuatingthecycle.”84

Asalarmingasthispictureis,westillhaveplentytobehopefulabout.Remember Cristina’s story? A series of more encouraging studies showthat the vast majority of type 2 diabetics can reduce or completelyeliminate their need for medication by going SANE, while significantlyreversinginsulinresistanceviasmarterexercise.

WheretheCalorieMythsCameFrom

Onewaytoclearupallthecalorieconfusionistostartatthebeginningandlookatthehistoryofeatingusingascaleofoneday.Say12:00a.m.wasthedawnofourfirstancestorsandrightnowit’sonesecondbeforemidnight.Upuntil11:57p.m. our ancestors stayed healthy and fit, eating only what could be founddirectly in nature—vegetables, seafood,meat, eggs, fruits, nuts, and seeds.At11:57p.m.peoplestartedfarming,became“civilized,”andbeganeatingstarchandasmallamountofsweets.Twosecondsago,peoplestartedeatingprocessedstarchesandsweets.Onlyrightnow—onesecondbeforemidnight—didpeoplestart getting most of their calories from genetically modified and highlymanufacturedstarch-andsweetener-basededibleproducts.

Thatmeans thediet recommendedby thegovernment’sDietaryGuidelineswas not possible—forget about healthy or slimming—for 99.8 percent of ourhistory.Ourancestorsdidnothuntorgatherpasta, rice,cereal,orbread.Theydidnot eatwholegrains.They ate nograins.Theydidnot cut backon addedsweeteners.Theydidnotknowwhataddedsweetenerswere.EmoryUniversityanthropologistS.BoydEaton,MD,tellsus,“DuringthelatePaleolithic[thevastmajority of human history], the great majority of carbohydrates was derivedfromvegetablesand fruit,very little fromcerealgrainsandnone fromrefinedflours.”85

Thisideaisinterestingtothinkaboutwhenitcomestoourhealth.Obesity,diabetes, and heart disease are called “diseases of civilization.” They did notbecomeissuesuntilagricultureenabledproductionofstarchesandsweetsabouttwelvethousandyearsago.Theydidnotreachepidemicstatusuntilstarchesandsweetsbecamehighlyprocessed,weregeneticallymodified,andmadeupmostof our diet. Colorado State University researchers found that a whopping 72percent of what we eat today was not eaten for at least 99.8 percent of our

evolutionaryhistory.86*

HowMuchofToday’sTypicalDietIsNotNatural?

Thedietweevolvedtoeathasbeenflippedonitshead.Isitanywonderourhealthandfitnesshavebeenflippedontheirheadsaswell?Over70percentofourdietismadeupofunnaturalfood.Over70percentofushaveunhealthyandinflatedwaistlines.Coincidenceorcommonsense?

Ofcourse,somepeoplemightobject:“Backthen,peopledidn’tliveaslongaswedonow.”Thatisanexcellentpoint.IfeltthesamewayuntilIdiscoveredresearchthatrevealsthreefactsabouthunter-gatherers:

1.Theyarefewandfarbetweentoday,buthunter-gatherertribesarestillaround,andscientistshavestudiedthemintensively.Thestudiesshowthattheyarefreefromobesity,diabetes,andheartdisease.

2.While their average age of death is lower than ours, many ancienthunter-gatherers lived beyond the age of sixty. Back toDr. S. BoydEaton:“Occasionallyonehearstheclaimthatprimitivepeoplealldied

too young to get degenerative diseases.This claim is simply false—many lived well into and through the age of vulnerability for suchdisorders,yetdidn’tgetthem.”87

3. Let’s take old age out of the equation entirely. Obese and type 2diabetic“civilized”childrenarerunningaroundallovertheplace.Thechildrenofhunter-gathererswerefreeofobesityanddiabetes.

It’snotacoincidencethatthedeclineinthequalityofourfoodhascoincidedwith thedecline in thequalityofourhealth.Wearenotdesigned todigest themajorityof foodswe’rebeing told to eat.WalterWillett, chair of theHarvardSchoolofPublicHealth,statesunequivocally,“TheUSDAPyramidiswrong.Itwasbuiltonshakyscientificground...[and]hasbeensteadilyerodedbynewresearch from all parts of the globe. . . . At best, [it] offers wishy-washy,scientifically unfounded advice.”88 The Journal of the American College ofCardiovascular Exerciselogy makes this connection: “The low-fat-high-carbohydratediet,promulgatedvigorouslyby the . . . foodpyramid,maywellhaveplayedanunintendedroleinthecurrentepidemicsofobesity...diabetes,andmetabolicsyndromes.”89MichaelF.Jacobson, thecofounderof theCenterforScienceinthePublicInterest,offersabluntassessment:“Goodadviceaboutnutritionconflictswith the interestsofmanybig industries, eachofwhichhasmorelobbyingpowerthanallthepublic-interestgroupscombined.”90

THESOURCEOFOURWEIGHTPROBLEMS

Decades of advanced dietary research have taken place alongside spikingobesityanddiseaserates.Thisresearchrecommendsadietmuchdifferentfrom

any version of the government’s Dietary Guidelines. For example, MarionNestle,PhD,MD,professorofnutrition,foodstudies,andpublichealthatNewYork University, notes how the scientific community has long criticized theUSDA’s Food Guide Pyramid’s failure to recognize that sugar and starch arebiochemically equivalent within the body. Starch has the same impact on ourbody as sugar, says Donald Layman, PhD, professor of nutrition at theUniversityofIllinois.“Allstarchesfromallofthegrainsaresimplyalongchainofsimplesugarsconnectedtogether.Thetermcomplexcarbohydratejustmeansalongchainofsugars.Assoonasafoodisdigestedandabsorbed,thebodydoesnotknowthedifferencebetweenasimplesugarandawholegrain.”91

Whydon’tthegovernment’sguidelinesreflectthisresearch?Whyisafoodthatis“biochemicallyequivalent”tosugarrecommendedinmassquantities?92

A great deal ofmoney is beingmade from our nutritional confusion. ThehistoryoftheUSDAguidelinesandgraphicsisnothingshortofshocking.

POLITICIANSPLAYINGPHYSICIANS

Detailingthedisturbinghistoryofthegovernment’sroleinourdietwouldtakeanentirebook. Ifyouwould like to findout thewhole story,youcan readanexcellentbookcalledGoodCalories,BadCaloriesbyGaryTaubes.Hereistheshortversion.

Theoriginal releaseof thegovernment’sDietaryGuidelines forAmericans—and subsequent Food Guide Pyramid and MyPlate graphics—came aboutbecause certain politicianswere playing physicians.Harvard School of PublicHealth Professor Walter Willett, MD, PhD, MPH, notes: “Somerecommendationsondietandnutritionaremisguidedbecausetheyarebasedoninadequateorincompleteinformation.Thathasn’tbeenthecasefortheUSDA’spyramids.Theyarewrongbecausetheybrushasideevidenceonhealthfuleatingthathasbeencarefullyassembledoverthepastfortyyears.”93IntheJournalofAmericanPhysiciansandSurgeons,publichealthscientistAliceOttoboni,PhD,adds:“ThereisconsiderableconcerntodaythatthedietthePyramidillustratesisresponsible for the current epidemic of cardiovascular disease.The concurrentepidemicsofobesityandtype-2diabetesareunintendedconsequencesthatcanalsobeattributedtothisdiet.”94

How did the government come upwith these dietary guidelines? In 1980,when the guidelines were first introduced, scientists did not have a good

understanding ofwhatwould happen ifmost people adopted these guidelines.The dietary guidelines and graphics were not drawn up by nutrition scholars.Theywere derived from a political document released in 1976 calledDietaryGoalsfortheUnitedStates.*DietaryGoalswasdesignedby theSenateSelectCommittee onNutrition andHumanNeeds to do two things.The firstwas toincrease carbohydrate consumption to account for 55 percent to 60 percent ofcalorie intake. The second was to reduce overall fat consumption from 40percenttoabout30percentofcalorieintake.

These goals and the rest of the document are more speculative thanscientific.Dr.StewartTruswell,professorintheSchoolofMolecularBioscienceattheUniversityofSydney,tellsus,“ThefirsteditionofDietaryGoals...tooknutritionistsbysurprise....[It]waswrittenbyagroupofpoliticallyinterestedactivistswithsmallknowledgeofnutrition....Thecollectedobjectionscanbesummarized very briefly: Too soon, more research needed, relationships notproved; politicallymotivated.”95 Even theAmericanMedicalAssociationwasworried whenDietary Goals was released, lamenting the potentially harmfuleffectsofsucharadicallong-termdietarychange.ScientistsattheUniversityofWisconsin–Madisoncalled thegoalsreport“notscientificallysound,”referringtoitas“apoliticalandmoralisticdocument.”96

Perhaps themost tellingobjectioncame from thepresidentof theNationalAcademyofSciencesinhistestimonytotheSenateinregardtoDietaryGoals:“What right has the federal government to propose that the American peopleconduct a vast nutritional experiment, with themselves as subjects, on thestrengthofsoverylittleevidencethatitwilldothemanygood?”97

But although Dietary Goals was unproved and controversial among thescientificcommunity, thegovernmentdeclared it “the truth”on thesegrounds:“We[thegovernment]liveinthepresentandcannotaffordtoawaittheultimateproof before correcting trends we believe to be detrimental.”98 With thatuneducated guess, a low-fat, low-protein, high-starch diet was declared“healthy.”Sadly,theresultshavebeenanythingbut.

To understand why the Senate Nutrition Committee gave us these dietarygoalsinthefirstplace,wehavetogobackafewmoredecades.Onemansingle-handedlyconvincedthecountrythatnaturalfoodsaredeadly.

PERCENTOFAMERICANSATLEASTOVERWEIGHT

MILLIONSOFAMERICANSWITHDIABETES

MILLIONSOFHOSPITALDISCHARGESFORCARDIOVASCULARDISEASESINTHEUS

MILLIONSOFNONFATALHEARTDISEASEINCIDENTSINTHEUS

FATFICTION

Inthe1950sAncelKeysexamineddietandheartdiseasetrendsin twenty-twocountries.Hewasapparentlymoreinterestedinheadlinesthansciencebecausehe then published a study that included data from only the six countries thatshowedafrighteninglinkbetweendietaryfatandheartdisease.Keysgarneredamassive amount of press and thenwent on tour armedwith themessage thateatingfatisdeadly.

HEARTDISEASEDEATHSPER1,000MEN

Here are the facts:When the data fromall twenty-two countries inKeys’sstudy are examined, they show no relationship between dietary-fat intake andheart disease deaths. Keys selectively picked data and designed a headline-

worthyconclusion.Inthewordsofafellowresearcher,“NoinformationisgivenbyKeysonhoworwhythesixcountrieswereselected.”99Furtherexposingtherandomness of Keys’s methods, those same researchers revealed that byselectivelychoosingsixdifferentcountriesfromKeys’sdata,theycouldcreateagraph suggesting that eatingmore fat decreases the risk of dying from heartdisease.

Finally, looking at Keys’s data a few years later, they concluded, “Theexaminationofallavailablebasicdata...show[s]thattheassociation[betweenfatandheartdisease]lacksvalidity.”100Theyalsodiscovered“astrongnegativeassociation...forbothanimalproteinandfatwithmortalityfromnon-cardiacdiseases.” Even the AmericanMedical Association spoke up in protest: “Theanti-fat,anti-cholesterolfadisnotjustfoolishandfutile...italsocarriessomerisk.”Nomatter.The“fatisevil”mythstartedanationwidecampaigntoreplacenatural foods containing fat with fat-free products and climaxed with thegovernment’s Dietary Guidelines, Food Guide Pyramid, MyPyramid, andMyPlate diets. Those diets are high in starch because starch is low in fat.Unfortunately,overabilliondollars’worthofstudieshavefailed toprove thatthegovernment’sguidelinesaregoodforanythingotherthanprofits.

HEARTDISEASEDEATHSPER1,000MEN

HarvardMedicalSchool’spositiononthegovernment’seatingguidelinesis

unambiguous:“Fewpublichealthmessagesareaspowerfulandaspersistentasthis one: Fat is bad. . . . The averageAmerican has substantially reduced thepercentageofcalories that sheorhegets fromfatover thepast threedecades....Butwearenotanyhealthierforallofthiseffort.Infact,weareworseoffforit.”101Numerousstudieshavehavebeenunabletofindalinkbetweendietaryfatandheartdisease.

When Patty W. Siri-Tarino, PhD, of the Children’s Hospital & ResearchCenterinOakland,examinedtwenty-onestudiesthatincludedatotalof347,747people,he found,“There isno significantevidence forconcluding thatdietarysaturated fat is associated with an increased risk of heart disease orcardiovascular disease.”102 The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institutefundedanenormoustrialdesignedtolinktheconsumptionoffoodscontainingfat to heart disease. The $115millionMultiple Risk Factor Intervention Trialtook12,866menwithhighcholesterol,splitthemintotwogroups,andfedonegroupthegovernmentguidelines’dietforsevenyearswiththehopeofloweringthe incidenceofheartdisease.Thegovernment’sdiet resulted in a7.1percentincreaseinheartdiseasedeaths.103

TheWomen’sHealthInitiativeoftheNationalInstitutesofHealthcompleteda$700millionstudyto test thefathypothesis.Awhopping48,835womenatetheirnormaldietorthegovernmentdietforabouteightyears.Attheendofthestudy, the regular-and government-diet women weighed the same and nodifferences were found in their health. The researchers concluded, “Dietaryinterventionthatreducedtotalfatintakedidnotsignificantlyreducetheriskofcoronaryheartdisease,stroke,orcardiovasculardisease.”104Asreportedinthestudy: “[This] trial is the largest long-term randomized trial of a dietaryintervention ever conducted to our knowledge, and it achieved an 8.2 percentreduction . . . in total fat intake. . . .No significant effects on incidence ofcoronaryheartdiseaseorstrokewereobserved.”OnFebruary8,2006,theNewYork Times ran the headline: LOW-FAT DIET DOES NOT CUT HEALTHRISKS,STUDYFINDS.

A massive study named MONICA involved 113 groups of scientists anddoctors in twenty-seven countries studying everything they thought couldcontribute to heart disease. They found little if any association between theaverage cholesterol level and heart-related mortality. In the Western ElectricStudy—knowninacademiccirclesasoneof“themostinformativeprospectivestudies to date”—researchers concluded, “Although the focus of dietaryrecommendations is usually a reduction of saturated fat intake, no relation

betweensaturatedfatintakeandriskofcoronaryheartdiseasewasobserved[intheirstudy].”105

Thegovernmentwas trying tohelpwith theguidelinesbut,sadly, it failed.HarvardMedicalSchoolProfessorofMedicineFrankHu,MD,MPH,PhD,tellsus,“Itisnowincreasinglyrecognizedthatthelow-fatcampaignhasbeenbasedon little scientific evidence and may have caused unintended healthconsequences.”106 Even worse, the horrible health consequences continue.Researchersknowitandthedatashowit.Inthenextchapter,we’lllookattheconfusionattheheartofthelow-fatandlow-cholesterolmyths.

It’sAllaboutResults:APragmatismPrimerPragmatistsareresults-oriented—theybelievesomethingisrightorwrongbasedonitsresults.Peoplecantryanythingtheywantandthetrueworthoftheprogramisrevealedbyitsresults.Ifitworks,itisright.Ifitfails,itiswrong.

When it comes to weight loss, the pragmatic assessment would bebased on the question: “Does theweight-loss program cause you to losebody fat and keep it off forever without compromising the rest of yourlife?” If so, then it is right. If not, then it is wrong. Unfortunately, thiscommonsense approach is not common practice. Despite the decades ofdata and tens of millions of overweight people that prove traditionalweight-lossprogramsarewrong,thosepeoplehavebeenbrainwashedintothinking that they failedbecause theydidn’t loseanyweight.But it’s theweight-lossprogramsthathavefailedthem.AsDr.HildeBruchofBaylorUniversity puts it, “The efficacy of any treatment of obesity can beappraisedonlybythepermanenceoftheresult.”107Andbythatmetric,wedon’thavemanyprogramsthataredoingsowell.

Low-Fat,Low-CholesterolConfusion

Sugar-ladenmuffins,nutritionallyneuteredtoast,andinsulin-explodingjuicearetoutedaspartofabalanced,nutritiousbreakfastbecausetheyarelowinfat.Welookatanynewfoodandaskourselves,“Isthislowinfat?”Iftheanswerisyes,wethinkitishealthy.Yetfoodsthatcontainfatarenotnecessarilyunhealthy.

Most researchers todayagree thatour total intakeof fat isnota riskfactorforcardiovasculardiseaseorcancer.Butdon’tlow-fatdietshelpusloseweight?The Harvard School of Public Health strongly disagrees. “The low-fat, high-carbohydratedietrecommendedbythe...USDAFoodGuidePyramidmaybeamongtheworsteatingstrategiesforsomeonewhoisoverweight....Peopleonlow-fat diets generally lose about two to four pounds after severalweeks, butthen gain that weight back even while continuing with the diet. Randomizedtrialsofweightlossusuallyshowlittlenetweightchangesafterayear.”108

Foods containing fat do not make us fat, but we’ve been led to think sobecause a gram of fat containsmore calories than a gram of carbohydrate orprotein.Fathas9caloriespergramwhileproteinandcarbohydratehaveonly4.But as you’ve learned in earlier chapters, calories are not the primary issue—fat’shigherquantityofcaloriesdoesnotmeaneatingfatcausesustostorebodyfat. That thinking is rooted in the calorie-counting theory, which we know iswrong. InternationalcholesterolexpertUffeRavnskov,MD,PhD,puts itwell:“The idea that you become fat by eating fat is just as silly as to say that youbecomegreenbyeatinggreenvegetables.”109

According to theNationalAcademyofSciences,HarvardMedicalSchool,Harvard School of PublicHealth, and dozens of otherwell-respectedmedicalorganizations,obesityitselfisnotassociatedwithdietaryfatineithernationalorinternationalstudies.Nosolidevidenceprovesthatdietaryfatorpercentageofcaloriesfromfatcausesweightgain.Thereisevenevidencethatlowerfatintake

correlateswithhigherobesityrates.Thisevidenceseemscounterintuitivebecausewe’vebeenledtobelievethat

eatingwhole-foodfatsencouragesovereating.We’vebeenmisinformed.Thinkback toSatiety.Water, fiber,andproteinplay thebiggest role in the

Satietyof foodandSatietydetermineshowmanycaloriesweeat.Noticehowthere isnomentionof fat there.Manywater-, fiber-,andprotein-packedfoodscontainfat.Forexample,seafood,meat,eggs,nuts,andseedsallcontainalotoffat.Butwhenwe focusoneating less fat,we replace thesehigh-Satiety foodswith low-Satiety but low-fat starches and sweets. Since low-Satiety foodsrequiremorecaloriestofillusup,thisswapcausesustoeatmore—notfewer—calories. So, far from discouraging overeating, avoiding SANE foods thatcontainfatencouragesovereatingandhormonalclogging.

LESSNATURALFOODSCONTAININGFAT,MOREOVEREATING

LESSNATURALFOODSCONTAININGFAT,MOREBODYFAT

Thelastfourdecadesofdatatellthesamestory.Weweretoldtoavoideatingfat,sowereducedourrelativeintakeoffat,increasedourintakeofstarchesandsweets,andwerelesssatisfied.TodealwithourincreasedhungerweincreasedourtotalinSANEcaloricintakeandendedupsickerandheavier—albeitonlyatiny fractionheavier relative towhatweshouldhavegained thanks toourset-point—asaresult.

HOWWEEATVERSUSOURINCIDENCEOFWEIGHTGAIN

HOWWEEATVERSUSOURINCIDENCEOFDIABETES

The government knows this too. The Centers for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC) reported, “During 1971–2000, a statistically significantincreaseinaverageenergyintakeoccurred....Theincreaseinenergyintakeisattributableprimarilytoanincreaseincarbohydrateintake.”110Eventheauthorsof the government’s guidelines—with the US Department of Agriculture(USDA)—have gone on record stating that since the 1970s themajor dietarytrend has been a greatly increased consumption of carbohydrates. They foundthat starch consumption had increased by nearly sixty pounds per person peryearandsweetenerconsumptionhadincreasedbynearlythirtypounds.Thatisninetyadditionalpoundsoflow-qualitylow-Satietyfood—everyyear.

In theUSDA’sDietaryReference Intakes forEnergy,Carbohydrate,Fiber,Fat,FattyAcids,Cholesterol,Protein,andAminoAcids(thedocumentonwhichall government and related organizations base their nutrition practices), thegovernment acknowledges: “Compared to higher fat intakes, low fat, highcarbohydratedietsmaymodifythemetabolicprofileinwaysthatareconsideredtobeunfavorablewithrespecttochronicdiseasessuchascoronaryheartdisease(CHD) and diabetes. . . . This metabolic pattern has been associated withincreasedriskforCHDandtype2diabetes....Insedentarypopulations,suchasthat of the United States where overweight and obesity are common, highcarbohydrate, low fat diets induce changes in lipoprotein and glucose/insulinmetabolisminwaysthatcouldraiseriskforchronicdiseases.”111

Soiflow-fat/high-carbislinkedtoeverythingwe’retryingtoavoid,whyisitbeingrecommendedtous?

New York University researchers remind us of the sad fact that “dietaryguidelinesnecessarily arepolitical compromisesbetweenwhat science tells us

aboutnutritionandhealthandwhatisgoodforthefoodindustry.”112The emphasis on low fat leads away from eating SANEwhole foods and

missesanimportantpoint.Long-termhealthandfatlossdonotresultfromdietslowinfat,carbohydrate,orprotein.Fat isnotevil.Carbohydratesarenotbad.Andprotein isnotdangerous.Thebestwaytoburnbodyfat is tobebalancedandSANE.

However,whenyoulookatthegovernment’spyramidandplate,balanceisnowheretobefound:

THEFOODGUIDEPYRAMID/MYPYRAMID MYPLATE

How are these balanced diets? They are high in carbohydrate and low ineverythingelse.Considerthehigh-fatAtkinsDiet.Itiscalled“high-fat”becauseit advises individuals to get 65 percent of their calories from fat. Look at theUSDA’spyramidandplatedietsthatadviseustoget65percentofourcaloriesfromcarbohydrate.Doesn’tthatmakethemhigh-carbohydratediets?ThiscouldbewhyUSATodaypokedfunatthe72percentofAmericanswhoclaimedtoeatabalanceddiet.Theimplication:“Howcould70percentofyoubeoverweightifyouateabalanceddiet?”113Wecouldeasilybeoverweightifthe“balanced”dietwearetoldtoeatbythegovernmentisactuallyoutofbalance.

This imbalance exists in other guidelines as well. The American HeartAssociation Nutrition Committee refers to a diet consisting of 40 percentcarbohydrate, 30 percent fat, and 30 percent protein as a “low-carbohydrate/very-high-proteindiet.”114Sincewhendoes40:30:30indicatethatanythingisveryhigh?

What could be the reason for this confusion? The answer lies in anothermyththathasbeenprovedfalse:eatingfoodsthatcontainfatleadstounhealthy

cholesterollevels.Thefactisthateatingtherightkindsofwhole-foodfatsiskeytoimprovingourcholesterol.

WHOLE-FOODFATHELPSCHOLESTEROL

Aswith other popular misconceptions about how our bodies work, confusionrunsrampantabouttheword“cholesterol.”AncelKeysplayedanimportantrolein creating this problem.Alongwith his other claims, he needed a scientific-soundingexplanationforhowfoodscontainingfatkillus.Lookingathisdata,Keysnoticedthatpeopleeatingmorefoodsthatcontainfatgenerallyhadhighertotal cholesterol. While there was—and still is—no proof that high totalcholesterolcausescardiovascular issues,Keyscalled it thecauseof theirheartproblems.

Even while Keys was touting his new findings, theFederal Register (theofficiallogofthefederalgovernmentoftheUnitedStates)wasonrecordwiththetruescientificdataatthattime:“Theroleofcholesterolinheartdiseasehasnotbeenestablished.Acausalrelationshipbetweenbloodcholesterollevelsandthese diseases has not been proved. The advisability of making extensivechangesinthenatureofthedietaryfat intakeofthepeopleofthiscountryhasnotbeendemonstrated.”115

Likewise, to this day, no studies haveprovenhigh total cholesterol causesheartdisease.TheAmericanJournalofMedicinereported,“Totalcholesterolperse is not a risk factor for coronary heart disease at all.”116 Researcher UffeRavnskov, MD, PhD, analyzed twenty-six randomized and controlled trials,which were designed to lower total cholesterol and, theoretically, the risk ofheart disease and of death from heart disease. Ravnskov’s analysis dividedpeopleintotwogroups:

TreatmentGroup: Peoplewho ate less food that contains fat and/or tookcholesterol-loweringdrugs.

ControlGroup:Peoplewhodidnoteat lessfoodthatcontainsfatanddidnottakecholesterol-loweringdrugs.

Acrossthestudies,thetotalnumberofheartattackdeathswasequalbetweenthegroups, andduring theperiodof the trialsmore peoplediedoverall in the

groupwhoatelessfatand/ortookcholesterol-loweringdrugs.

AverageOutcomesacrosstheTwenty-SixStudies

Ravnskovconcluded:“Loweringserumcholesterolconcentrationsdoesnotreducemortalityandisunlikelytopreventcoronaryheartdisease.”117

To prove that our government’s dietary recommendations are helpful, threepointsmustbeproved:

1.Eatingnaturalfoodsthatcontainfatleadstoriskylevelsofcholesterol.2.Theselevelsofcholesterolcauseheartdisease.3. The diet outlined by government’s guidelines improves thesecholesterollevels.

Noneofthesethingshavebeenproved.Eating whole foods containing fat has never been proved to lead to risky

levels of cholesterol.The effect of natural dietary fat on cholesterol has neverbeen proved to cause heart disease. Studies have actually shown the opposite.The high-starch, low-fat, and low-protein diet promoted by the government’sguidelines has been proved to worsen the type of cholesterol (high-densitylipoprotein,HDL)thatdecreasestheriskofheartdisease.Forexample,a2009studypublishedintheNewEnglandJournalofMedicinewentsofarastocallHDLcholesterol“abiomarkerfordietarycarbohydrate.”118 Inotherwords, themore “low-fat” carbohydrate we eat the lower our levels of the type ofcholesterolthatiscrucialtohearthealth.

Hereiswheretheconfusionaboutcholesterolcomesup:therearedifferenttypes of cholesterol and most of them are helpful or neutral. The two mostcommonly discussed are LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL. They arerequiredtoproducenewcellsandhormones.Becauseofthiscriticalrole,evenifweneverateanycholesterol,ourliverorintestineswouldproduceitasourbodyworks to keep us in balance.Much as unhealthy levels of body fat indicate adisorder in automatic energy balance and unhealthy levels of blood sugarindicateadisorderinautomaticinsulinbalance,unhealthylevelsofcholesterol

indicateadisorderinautomaticlipoproteinbalance.When it comes topredictinghearthealth, theAmericanHeartAssociation,

theInternationalDiabetesFederation,andtheWorldHealthOrganizationagreethatlowHDLcholesterol—nothighLDLcholesterol—iswhatmatters.Lookingat disease and death rates at various levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol,researchers have found that peoplewith low HDL run amuch greater risk ofheartdisease.

RelativeRiskofHeartDisease119(TotalCholesterolinParenthesis)

Thereare two things tonote.First, total cholesterol is irrelevant. Ifpeopletellyoutheirtotalcholesterolis185,whatistheirriskofheartdisease?Lookingattheprecedingtable,itiseitherveryloworhigh,dependingonhowmuchofthat 185 consists of HDL cholesterol. Similarly, if people tell you their totalcholesterol is 245, they either have a herculean heart or have a hemorrhagingheart,dependingontheirHDLlevels.

Second, note how increasingHDL cholesterol ismore important for hearthealththandecreasingLDLcholesterol.HighHDLcholesterolprotectsusfromheart problemsmore than dropping our LDL levels ever could. Heart-healthydiets are not about lowering total cholesterol. They are about raising HDLcholesterol.

ThemosteffectivewaytoraiseourHDLlevelsthroughdietis toeatmorewhole-foodfatandlessstarch.Whole-foodfatraisesHDL.StarchlowersHDL.

SincelowerHDLdoesmoreharmthanlowerLDLdoesgood,anydietthattells us to replace SANE sources of fat with inSANE starch worsens ourcholesterol.That’swhymanyexperts,fromresearchersatHarvardtoscientistsreportingintheJournaloftheAmericanMedicalAssociation,believeourfocuson eradicating fat (especially saturated fat) to try to reduceourLDLand totalcholesterolmaynotjusthavefailedtoreduceheartdiseaserisk—itmayactuallyhaveincreasedit,alongwithdecreasingourhealth,weakeningourbloodsugarcontrol,andincreasingtheprevalenceofinsulinresistanceandobesity.

Evensaturatedfats,aboutwhichsomuchhasbeensaid,arenotcholesterolcriminals. The American Heart Association found that no well-designedrandomizedcontrolledstudyinthegeneralpopulationhasshownthatloweringsaturated fat intake significantly decreases our risk of coronary heart diseasemortality.

Let’salsokeep inmind thecriticalbenefitsofwhole-foodfats.Ourbodiescan’t make much use of vitamins A, D, E, K, and quite a few other helpfulsubstances unlesswe eat fats. This is why yourmultivitamin instructs you to“take with a meal.” The manufacturers are hoping your pill will find somenaturalfatstohelpthevitaminsgetwheretheyneedtogo.Dietaryfatalsoplaysacriticalroleincellandhormoneproductionaswellasbrainfunction.Certainsaturatedfatsknownasmedium-chaintriglycerides(suchasthoseincoconuts)and polyunsaturated fats known as omega-3 fatty acids (such as those in fish,flaxseed, chia seeds, and grass-fed beef) are especially helpful for heart andbrainhealthandhavebeenshowntohelpusburnbodyfat.Weshouldseethesewhole-foodfatsashealthfoodsratherthanthecauseofarterialclogs.

Please disregard the performances on commercials and talk shows thatdemonstrate that saturated fats are solid at room temperature and tell you thatthisiswhytheygetcloggedinourarteries.Bythatlogicspinach,broccoli,andallothervegetablesalsogetcloggedinourarteries,astheyarealsosolidatroomtemperature.

Weknowthecauseofclogs.Theydonotcomefromwhole-foodfats.They

come from starches and sweets. The Journal of the American MedicalAssociationsummarizedthesciencebeautifully:“Theproportionoftotalenergyfrom fat appears largely unrelated to risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer,diabetes, or obesity. Saturated fat—targeted by nearly all nutrition-relatedprofessional organizations and governmental agencies—has little relation toheartdiseasewithinmostprevailingdietarypatterns.”120

What is the bottom line? The overwhelming evidence shows that any diettellingyoutoreplacewhole-foodfatswithstarchesisunhealthyandfattening.

Sadly, the government’s diet tells us to do exactly what science says weshouldavoid.

If you think this is troubling,wait until you seewhat happenedwhen bigbusinessjumpedontothegovernmentbandwagon.

WhyGoodHealthIsBadBusiness

WeallknowthatWashington,DC,ishometomanylobbyists.Noneofuslikehow much influence they have over our elected officials, yet we somehowoverlook the fact that some of the largest lobbying efforts in the country aremadebyfirmsrepresentingthefoodindustry.

Thedaysof family-run farmsgrowingourcropsare longgone.Todayourfood is grown by huge agribusiness concerns. According to a 2007 report bydoctorsMaryHendricksonandWilliamHeffernan,of theDepartmentofRuralSociology at the University of Missouri, 83.5 percent of beef, 80 percent ofsoybeans, and 55percent of flour are producedby the top four firms in thoseindustries. A single company supplies the seeds for 90 percent of geneticallymodifiedcornandsoybeans.

Orconsiderthedairyindustry.NotalldairyproductsareinSANE,buthowdid dairy products end up with their own food group while becoming a“required” part of a “balanced” diet? Might the $1.4 billion dollars spent onagribusinesslobbyinghaveplayedapart?

That’swhyweneedtowatchwherewegetournutritioninformation.Isthesourcedrivenbyscienceorprofits?Whentheanswerisprofits,wehearthingslike this from theGroceryManufacturers ofAmerica—the people responsiblefor ensuringgrocery stores are as profitable as possible: “Policies that declarefoods‘good’or‘bad’arecounterproductive.”121AsimilarplatitudeisofferedbytheNational SoftDrinkAssociation: “As refreshing sources of needed liquidsandenergy,softdrinksrepresentapositiveadditiontoawell-balanceddiet.”122

Noneofthesestatementsarebackedbyscience.Again,wewillnotbecomeclogged if we treat ourselves to starch and soda occasionally. But starch andsweets should never be recommended as part of a “balanced” diet. Foodcorporationsknowbetter thananyoneelsewhat the facts are, but theyarenot

goingtocondemnthemselves.Quitetheopposite.Foodcompaniesaggressivelyfightanyscientificinformationthatthreatenstheirbottomline.

Sadly, the crowding out of sound science by money doesn’t stop there.Nearly two thirds, or 64 percent, of the members of national committees onnutritionandfoodreceivecompensationfromfoodcompanies.DavidWillmanattheLosAngelesTimesreportedthat“atleast530governmentscientistsattheNational Institutes of Health, the nation’s preeminent agency for medicalresearch,havetakenfees,stock,orstockoptionsfrombiomedicalcompaniesinthe last fiveyears.”123Both the food industry andour government are paid tokeepprofitshigh,nottoteachusaboutnutritionalscience.Don’tforgettheoldadage,“Itishardtogetpeopletobelieveonethingwhentheyarepaidtobelieveanother.”

SWEETENERS: MORE PROFITABLE, COMMON, ANDDANGEROUSTHANEVERThemostcommonandpowerfulweaponinthefoodindustry’sarsenalisaddedsweeteners.Theproblemhasgottensobadthatattheturnofthemillenniumtheaverage American ate over 150 pounds of sweeteners per year because foodcompaniesaddthemtoatleastthefollowingproducts:bakedorprocessedfoodsalmostanythingnotrefrigeratedlow-caloriesnacks“weight-loss”productsbeveragesproteinbarslow-fatsaladdressingdairyproductscoughsyrups

Thankstothissweetsaturation,theaverageAmericaniseatingalittleunderahalfpoundofaddedsweetenersperday.Thatisacupofclogeverysingleday.Twocenturiesago,peopleateaboutone-tenthofthat.Duringtheprevious99.8percentofourevolution,ourancestorsatenone.

POUNDSOFSUGARCONSUMEDINTHEUNITEDSTATESPERPERSON,1820-2005

As early as the 1950s, Barry Popkin, PhD, of the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill, pointed out that the research “link between sugarconsumptionandcoronaryheartdisease...wasstrongerthanthelinkbetweenheartdiseaseandtheconsumptionofsaturatedfatsfromanimalfoods.”124Thiswork,however,wasignored.

ANoteaboutSweetenersWhen I talk about sweeteners, I am talking about sweeteners containingcalories thatareadded to foods:substances likesugar,high-fructosecornsyrup,evaporatedcanejuice,etc.Iamnottalkingaboutthesugarsalreadyfoundinnaturalfoodslikefruits.Thosearefineformanypeople.Iamalsonottalkingaboutnaturalcalorie-freesweetenerslikestevia.Thosearefine.I’m also not talking about artificial calorie-free sweeteners such asaspartame,sucralose,orsaccharin.Thosearenotgood,butarepreferabletosugarorhigh-fructosecornsyrup.

Howdid this inSANEityhappen?Food thathasall its fat removeddoesn’ttaste very good. It is hard to sell bad-tasting food. So food companies addsweetenerswhentheyremovefat.Combine thegovernment’s“foodcontaining

fat is evil” guidelines with $36 billion of “we have yummy low-fat food”marketing and the result is that nearly a fifth of the averageAmerican’s totalcaloriescomefromsweeteners.

The worst part is that we have no practical choice under the DietaryGuidelines regimen. If foods that contain fat are off the table, then almosteverythingelsehasbeenstuffedwithsweeteners.Asageneral rule, if it isnotcomingdirectlyfromaplantorananimal,thenithasbeensweetened.Evenifitdoesnottastesweet,ithasbeenalteredwithatleastoneofthefollowing:agavenectarbarleymaltbeetsugarbrownsugarbutteredsyrupcanecrystalscane-juicecrystalscanesugarcaramelcarobsyrupcastorsugarconfectioner’ssugarcornsweetenercornsyrupcorn-syrupsolidscrystallinefructosedatesugardemerarasugardextrandextrosediastaticmaltdiataseethylmaltolevaporatedcanejuicefructosefruitjuicefruit-juiceconcentratesgalactoseglucose

glucosesolidsgoldensugargoldensyrupgranulatedsugargrapesugarhigh-fructosecornsyruphoneyicingsugarinvertsugarlactosemaltsyrupmaltodextrinmaltosemaplesyrupmolassesmuscovadosugarpanocharawsugarrefiner’ssyrupricesyrupsorbitolsorghumsyrupsucrosesugarsyruptreacleturbinadosugaryellowsugar

Memorizing this list isn’t necessary—just know that any form of caloricsweetenercausesclogs.Ourbodydoesnotcarewherewegetcaloricsweeteners.Toourbody,apple juice isbasically thesameassoda,since theybothcontainabout thirty grams of sugar per cup.A “weight-loss” barwith thirty grams ofsweetenersinitcausesthesameclogasacandybarofthesamesizewiththirtygrams of sugar in it. And watch out for misleading “natural” marketing.Unnatural high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been rightfully demonized,owinginparttoitshighfructosecontent(42percent).However,thesupposedly

“healthy”naturalreplacementagavenectarcontainsmorethantwicetheamountof fructose (90percent).Sure the juice,bar, cereal, andagavemayhave someadditionalaccompanyingnutrients,butthatdoesn’tmakethesweetenersinthemany less harmful.Dissolving a vitamin pill in a can of soda doesn’tmake thesodahealthy.

High-fructose corn syrup is especially common in low-calorie and low-fatproductsand isespecially fattening.Combine thiswith therecommendation toavoid calories and foods containing fat, andwe end up unintentionally eating10,475percentmoreHFCSthanwedidin1970.

Eating all thatHFCS is particularly harmful.Rats and people fed fructoseconsistentlygetfatterandsickerthanratsandpeoplefedtheexactsameamountofother sugars.HFCSsabotagesour ability to feel satisfiedbyother foods aswell.HFCSdoesnothavelowSatiety—ithasnegativeSatiety.HFCSleavesushungrierthanifwedidnoteatit,alteringourbaselinelevelsofSatietyhormonesanddrivingus toeatmoreandmoreover time.HFCSconsumptionalsohasanegativeimpactoninsulinandleptinandcontributestoanelevatedset-point.

Sadly,itgetsworse.

ADDICTEDTOADDEDSWEETENERSExperts at major research institutions have been quickly amassing evidenceabouttheaddictivenatureofsugar.StudiesatPrincetonUniversityshowthatlabratsthatwererepeatedlygivenahigh-sugardietandthenhadittakenawayfromthem experienced behavioral and brain chemistry changes that mirrorwithdrawalfromdrugssuchasmorphineornicotine.Otherstudieshavefoundthatsugardependenceissimilartodependenceonamphetamines.Theevidenceispilingup:sweetenersareaddictive.

Seemlikeastretch?Considerthis:TheDiagnosticandStatisticalManualofMentalDisorders,editionIV(DSM-IV),definesusaschemicallydependentonasubstanceifweexperienceatleastthreeofthefollowingsymptomsintwelvemonths: Increased tolerance—needingmore for the same effectWithdrawal—significant negative impact if we stop Overuse—consuming more than isintended to be consumed Loss of control—having our behavior meaningfullyinfluencedbythesubstanceExceptionalefforttoobtain—goingbeyondwhatisreasonable toget itOverprioritization—allowing itsuse to interferewithmoreimportantactivitiesIgnoringnegativeconsequences—continuinguseregardlessofdisproportionatelynegativeconsequencesUsing thoseguidelines—haveanyofuseverexperiencedanyofthesesymptomsinconjunctionwithoursweetener

habits?

Withdrawal:Ever triedtogiveupcaloricsweetenersaltogether?Ifso,howdidthatfeel?Ifnot,giveitawhirlandyouwillexperiencehowdeeplythissubstanceaffectsyourbrain.

Overuse:AstheUniversityofWashington’sStephanGuyenet,PhD,tellsus,“in1822,weatetheamountofaddedsugarinone12ouncecanofsodaevery five days, while today we eat that much sugar every sevenhours.”125

Exceptional effort to obtain: Everwaited in line forway too long at yourfavoriteicecreamplaceorgoneoutofyourwaytoobtainasweettreat?

Overprioritization:EverbeenlatetoanappointmentormeetingsothatyoucouldruntoStarbucksandgetyourcaramelmochafrappuccino?

Commonsenseandscienceseemtoshowsugaraddictionquiteclearly,butcouldn’t we say the same thing for any type of food? The research says no.Nicole Avena, PhD, a professor at the University of Florida’s Center forAddictionResearchandEducation,tellsusthatstudiesshowcaloricsweetenersareuniqueintheirabilitytotrigger“aseriesofbehaviorssimilartotheeffectsofdrugs of abuse.”126 She continues: “These are categorized as ‘bingeing,’meaning unusually large bouts of intake, opiate-like ‘withdrawal’ indicated bysignsofanxietyandbehavioraldepression,and‘craving’measuredduringsugarabstinence as enhanced responding for sugar. There are also signs of bothlocomotorandconsummatory‘cross-sensitization’fromsugartodrugsofabuse(i.e., animals fed sugar are more likely to consume amphetamine, cocaine,alcohol).”

Thisuniqueandterrifyingbehaviorisduetocaloricsweeteners’distinctiveabilitytoactivateasetofbrainandhormonalresponsespreviouslythoughttobelimitedtohighlyregulateddrugs.AsCarloColantuoni,PhD,aninvestigatorintheBasicSciencesDivisionoftheLieberInstitute,tellsus,“Anopioid-mediated[morphine-like] dependence on sugar has been demonstrated at both thebehavioral andneurochemical level.”127University of Florida researchers add,“Basedon theobservedbehavioralandneurochemical similaritiesbetween theeffectsofintermittentsugaraccessanddrugsofabuse,wesuggestthatsugar,ascommonasitis,nonethelessmeetsthecriteriaforasubstanceofabuseandmaybe‘addictive’forsomeindividualswhenconsumedina‘binge-like’manner.”128PutplainlybyBartleyHoebel,PhD,professorofpsychologyintheProgramin

NeuroscienceatPrincetonUniversity,“Insummary,sugarhastheaddictive-likeproperties of both a psychostimulant and an opiate [common opiates includemorphine,opium,andheroin].”129

Idon’tmeantoscareyou,butformany,understandingandfreeingoneselffromsweeteneraddictionisliterallyamatteroflifeanddeath.Whenyouswitchto SANE eating, you will temporarily feel you are going through withdrawalbecauseyouare.Ittakesthebodyacoupleofweekstoovercomethechemicaldependence caused by the sea of sweetenerswehave been led to eat.But theswitchisworththeeffort.Afterall,whowantstobeanaddict?

SWEETENERS:THENEXTCIGARETTES?In1998Coca-Colaofferedschools$10,000toadvertiseCokediscountcardstotheirstudents.Deeplyinneedofthefunds,GreenbrierHighSchoolinAugusta,Georgia,invitedCokeemployeestolectureinclassesandaddedtheanalysisofCoca-Cola to its chemistry curriculum.The schoolwent on tomake all 1,230studentsdressinredorwhiteshirtsandtospell-out“Coke”whiletheysnappedphotostosendtoCokeexecs.

Consideringhowharmful andaddictive sweeteners are,whywas theCokestuntconsideredharmlessfunwhileitwouldbeillegaltodothesamethingwithotherharmfulandaddictivesubstances?CanyouimagineagroupofschoolkidsbeingaskedtocreatealivedepictionoftheMarlboroMan?

Researchershaveprovedthatsweetenersandtobaccoarebothharmfulandaddictive. They’ve proved that sweeteners are to diabeteswhat smoking is tolungcancer.Yetthepromotionoftheformerisencouragedwhilethepromotionofthelatterishighlyregulated.Therationalecannotbethattobaccoissomuchmore harmful. Tobacco kills only 8 percent more people. Both industries areevenrunbythesamecompanies:

ABRIEFHISTORYOFBIGTOBACCOANDTHE“FOOD”INDUSTRY

1970PhilipMorrisbuysMillerBrewing

1978PhilipMorrisbuys97percentofSeven-Up

1985 R.J.ReynoldsbuysNabiscoFoods

1985 PhilipMorrisbuysGeneralFoods

1988PhilipMorrisbuysKraft,Inc.

1990PhilipMorrisacquiresJacobsSuchard

1993PhilipMorrisbuysNabiscocereals

2000PhilipMorrisbuysNabiscoHoldings

Sweeteners and tobacco are even rationalized the same way by industryinsiders.Hereishowbothdescribethesafetyoftheirproducts:

Tobacco InSANEFoodProducts“Ibelievenicotineis

notaddictive.”—PhilipMorrisTobaccoCompanypresident130

Softdrinksdonotcausepediatricobesity,donotreducenutrientintake,anddonotcausedentalcavities.”

—NationalSoftDrinkAssociation131

Theysharethesamemarketingtactics:

Tobacco InSANEFoodProducts“Thebaseofourbusinessisthehighschoolstudent.”—LorillardTobaccoCompany132

“Wealways,alwayshavekid-relatedprograms.”

—VicePresident,McDonald’s133

Andfinally,onhealth:

Tobacco InSANEFoodProducts“Webelievetheproductswemake “Actually,ourproductisquitehealthy.Fluid

arenotinjurioustohealth.”—TobaccoIndustryResearchCommittee134

replenishmentisakeytohealth....Coca-Coladoesagreatservicebecauseitencouragespeopletotake

inmoreandmoreliquids.”—Coke’sCEO135

“Weacceptaninterestinpeople’shealthasabasicresponsibility,

paramounttoeveryotherconsiderationinourbusiness.”

“Thesoftdrinkindustryhasalongcommitmenttopromotingahealthylifestyleforindividuals—

especiallychildren.”

—TobaccoIndustryResearchCommittee136 —TheNationalSoftDrinkAssociation137

Since tobaccoandsweetenershavesomuch incommon, it seemsodd thatone of these is treated like the plaguewhile it is fine for the food industry tospendhundredsofmillionsofdollarsperyearadvertisingsweetstochildren—particularlywhenpsychologistshaveshownthatbeforetheageofeight,childrendonotseecommercialsasmarketing;theyseethemasfact.

ConsiderthestudyfromtheJournalofMarketingthatshowed70percentofsix-througheight-year-oldsbelievefastfoodsarehealthierthanfoodpreparedathome.KellyBrownell,PhD,formerdirectoroftheRuddCenterforFoodPolicyand Obesity at Yale University, reports, “A study of Australian children agesnineto tenindicatedthatmorethanhalfbelievethatRonaldMcDonaldknowsbest what children should eat.”138 Brownell’s research also reveals that theaverageAmericanchildseestenthousandfoodadvertisementseachyear,justontelevision.ChildrenwatchingSaturdaymorningcartoonsseeafoodcommercialevery fiveminutes. The vastmajority are for sugared cereals, fast foods, softdrinks,sugaryandsaltysnacks,andcandy.

What’s themoralof the story?Foodcompanies arenotgoing to stopwithsweeteners.Norcanwerelyonourgovernmentforhelp—itistheverysourceoftheguidelines that leaveusnopractical choiceother than tobe slatheredwithsweeteners.Let’stalkabouthowwecangetourSANEityback.

CanSANEEatingandSmarterExerciseSaveYourLife?Jim’sStoryThe storyof seventy-year-oldJim isnothing short of remarkable. InJim’swords:Itstartedin1959.Istoodatmyfather’shospitalbedsideand watched while he suffered a fatal heart attack. It was also mysister’sbirthday.Shewasonly11andmytwinbrotherandIwere16.Dad was only 39 and I feared I would have the same fate. That

memory still haunts me today. Don’t worry, this story has a happyending.

Fast-forward a few decades and I followed in my father’sfootsteps—suffering fromamajor heart attack at age 40.Then atage63,myheartdid itsbest to throw in the towel.However,mysurgeonperformedaquadruplebypassandmyelectrophysiologistinstalledaninternalcardiodefibrillator(ICD).TheunitrecordsallabnormalcardiaceventsandworkstokeepmealiveifandwhenIgo into fibrillation.Thathashappened two times since thedevicewasinstalled.

A year later at age 64, I went into heart failure and startedhavingdailyeventsof tachycardia. Ihad lowenergy,sleepapnea,and chronic events of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs)that could not be controlled. Drugs helped somewhat but alsocaused hypotension and my energy was nil. My heart wanted tostop,Ifeltit,butIwasn’treadytostop.

Knowing somethinghad to change and figuring I had little tolose,Idiscontinuedallmedicationsexceptbabyaspirin,prayedmydad was watching over me, looked for answers elsewhere, anddiscovered SANE eating and smarter exercise.Within two days Iwaseatingtenservingsofgreenvegetables;eatinghealthyproteinandfats;givingupgrains,starch,andsugar;andstartingeccentricandsmarterintervaltraining.

What happened next was nothing short of spectacular. I gotstronger than I’ve been in decadeswhile shedding 6 inches frommywaist.MyLDL cholesterol dropped from220 to 165 andmyblood pressure dropped from 150/90 to 110/70. The greatestimprovementwas a 90percent reduction inPVCs (as countedonmyICD)anda100percentcureforsleepapnea.Myenergyisthehighestithasbeenin30years.Ifeelfullyaliveforthefirsttimeindecades.

NowforthehappyendingIpromised.Duringarecentvisit,mycardiologist downloaded data frommy ICD and happily reportedmyeventsofventriculartachycardiawerezero.Ihappilysuggestedshe start SANE eating and smarter exercise as a cure for heartdisease; it certainlycuredmine.She respondedwitha resounding“Willdo!”

HowHumanityCanAchieveSANEity

HowdoweavoidallthisinSANEity?Weneedtobepragmaticandask:isthereanywayofeatingthatisproventokeeppeoplefreefromobesity,diabetes,heartdisease,andcardiovasculardisease—the“diseasesofcivilization”?

Yes.We can eat thewaywedid before civilization.We can eat thingswefinddirectlyinnature—vegetables,seafood,meat,eggs,fruits,nuts,andseeds—wecaneatwholefoodsrichinwater,fiber,andprotein.Itjustmakessense.Whywould anything or anyone “design” us to run on a low-fat/low-protein/high-starch diet that was not possible for 99.8 percent of our history? And if thissounds similar topaleoandprimaldiets, that’sbecause it is.Paleoandprimaldiets high in nutrient-dense vegetables and low in starches and sweets areextremely SANE and effective. Remember, SANEity is used to enhance ourexistinglifestyle,nottodoawaywithit.

Thecloserafoodistoaplantwecouldgatherorananimalwecouldhunt,themoreSANEit is.Andifanythingotherthancookingorcuttingisrequiredbetweentheplantoranimalandourstomach,thenitprobablydoesnotbelonginour stomach to begin with. This point has nothing to do with eating organicversusconventionalfood.UntilsomeonediscoversaCheeriostree,apastaplant,orabreadbush,conventionalblueberriesaremoreSANEthanorganicCheerios,pasta,orbread.Toquicklyillustratethisidea,lookatthechartbelowandcirclehowweobtaineachofthefoodslisted.Theanswersareinthetablefootnote.

Keepinmindthatthisisageneralrule.Thereareexceptions.Someincludelow-sugarproteinpowdersandbars,low-sugarjerkies,cottagecheese,andplainGreek yogurt.These foods are healthy sources of protein, so enjoy themeventhough theywerenotavailable toourancestors.Electricitywasn’tavailable toourancestorseither,butthatdoesn’tmeanwewouldbebetteroffwithoutit.Onthe other hand, even though starches such as potatoes, rice, and corn wereavailabletoourancestors,thesefoodsarebestavoided,owingtotheirrelativelylowwater,fiber,andproteincontent.*

Unless ourmetabolic system completely transformed itself in the last 0.02percent of our evolutionary history—the twelve thousand years since we firststarted farming—filling our system with substances that it is not designed todigestwillcauseaclog.Dr.JohnYudkin,oftheUniversityofLondon,notesthatsignificantevolutionaryadaptationsof thehumangenomerequirebetweenonethousand and ten thousand generations. “If there have been great changes inman’s environment thatoccurred in amuch shorter time,” saysYudkin, “therearelikelytobesignsthatmanhasnotfullyadapted,andthiswillprobablyshowitselfas thepresenceofdisease.”139More simply:Wedidnot change, but thequalityofourdietdid.Andthishasleftusheavy,diabetic,andsick.

AstudyfromtheUniversityofTexasSouthwesternMedicalCenteratDallasshowedthatourmoderndietincreasesnearlyalltheriskfactorsforthediseases

of civilization when compared with a pre-starch-and-sweetener diet. Similarwork at the Haimoto Clinic, Lund University, and Duke University MedicalCenter has shown a more natural diet to be the best diet available for clogclearing. In a University of Melbourne study, middle-aged Australian hunter-gatherersstartedoutleanandfreefromtype2diabetes,thenswitchedtoadietinspired by the government’s guidelines and became overweight and type 2diabetic.Thentheyrevertedbacktotheirnaturaldiet.Inonlysevenweeks,thetribesmenlostanaverageof16.5pounds.

The listof studiesproving thesame resultsgoeson,butEmoryUniversityresearchersgiveusthebottomline:“Followingadietcomparabletotheonethathumans were genetically adapted to should postpone, mitigate, and in manycasespreventaltogether,ahostofdiseasesthatdebilitateus.”140

Let’sturnnexttohowwecandothatindetail.

THESOLUTIONS

Toanywomanout therewhois fedupwith trying thesamethingoverandover,Iofferthissuggestion.Insteadofgettingbackonthetreadmill“onemoretime,”trythis.Alteryourdietsothatyoueatnograin-basedcarbohydrate:noflour,nosugar,nobread,nopasta,andnohigh-fructosecornsyrup.Thengotothegymandperformaworkoutoflegpress,pulldown,chestpress,rowandoverheadpress.Liftslowlyandsmoothlybutwithasmucheffortaspossible.Gotocompletefatigue,orasclosetoitasyoucantolerate.Workoutonce,oratmost,twiceaweek.Makesureyourworkouts lastno longer than20minutes.Thensitbackandwatchwhathappens.

—DougMcGuff,MD141

GoSANEwithYourDiet

Forthevastmajorityofpeople,beingoverweightisnotcausedbyhowmuch they eat but by what they eat. The idea that people get heavybecause they consume a high volume of food is a myth. Eating largeamountsoftherightfoodisyourkeytosuccess.

—JoelFuhrman,MD,EattoLive

A common assumption is that switching over to a healthier lifestyle meansspendingalotmoremoneyandtimeonfood.That’snottrue,atleastnotwhenyou enjoy a SANE lifestyle.We’ll focus on approaches that give us themostresultswith the least investmentof timeandmoneypossible.Wearegoing tofocusonsimplicityandpracticalityinsteadofperfection.

We can keep things simple by breaking down SANE eating into threecomponents:

1.NonstarchyVegetables=SANECarbohydrates2.Nutrient-DenseProteins=SANEProteins3.Whole-FoodFats/Low-FructoseFruits=SANEFatsandSweets

PleasealsokeepinmindthatSANEeating(andtheSmarterexercisewewillcovershortly)shouldbeseenasastartingpoint,notanendingpoint.Weallhaveuniquesituationsandmetabolismsandwhatworksforsomeofusmaynotworkforothers.Thekey ishaving the informationnecessary tocreatea sustainablelifestylethatkeepsushappyandhealthy.Thereisonerightdietjustasthereisonerightoutfit—thatis,thereisn’tone.

SANEPYRAMID SANEPLATE

Finally,rememberthattheguidelineswewillcoverherearedesignedtohelppeople likeyoudevelopexcellenthealthalongwithaworld-classphysique. Ifyour goals are more modest, then you don’t need to follow these guidelinesprecisely.Dowhatworks for you.The key is letting the scientific facts guideyou.Inmyexperience,forthemajorityofus,effortisnottheissue.We’vetriedincredibly hard, but we’ve been given the wrong set of tools. Let’s work ongivingyoutherighttoolboxtomeetyourgoals.

ReviewtheSANErowofthetableabove.Iamnotsayingeatmoreforshockvalue.Researchersestimatethatpriortotheadventofstarchandsweeteners,ourancestorsateup to fivepoundsof foodperday.Thanks toall thewater, fiber,andprotein,SANEfoodsareliterallylargerinsizethanstarchesandsweets.Ourshoppingcarts,refrigerators,andplateswillbemuchfullerwhenwegoSANE.

No more tiny, sweet, starchy breakfasts. You can have luscious omelets

overflowing with nonstarchy vegetables and nutrient-dense protein, generousprotein-packed smoothies, and SANE cereals (see recipes in chapter 25). Nomoreflaccidsandwichesforlunchandsoggystarchfordinner.Enjoyadoubleservingofdelightfulseafoodorsucculentnutrient-densemeataccompaniedbyatripleservingofnonstarchyvegetables.Finishupwitha largechocolaty,nutty,creamy,orcrunchyservingofawhole-foodfat-richSANEdessertandyouwillbesatisfiedandslim.

SANECarbohydrates

Step one of going SANE: cover at least half of your plate with nonstarchyvegetables.Asageneralrule,nonstarchyvegetablesarethevegetablesthatyoucouldeatraw.Forexample,corn,potatoes,andmanyrootvegetablescannotbeeaten raw. They are starches. Spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, broccoli,mushrooms,carrots,onions,andgenerallythingsyoufindinsaladscanbeeatenrawandarenonstarchyvegetables.Evenmoregenerally,ifit’saplantandyoucan’t eat it raw (starchyvegetables, grains, and legumes), youare likely tobehealthier and slimmer swapping it for a plant you could eat raw (nonstarchyvegetables,fruits,nuts,andseeds).

Both fresh and frozen nonstarchy vegetables are excellent choices.Sometimesfrozennonstarchyvegetablescanbeevenbetteroptionsastheirfreshcounterpartsmaynotbefresh.Frozenvegetablesareoftenflashfrozenintheirprime.Thisisusefulbecauseregardlessofwhenyoueatthemyouwillenjoyanearly optimal amount of nutrients. Fresh vegetables in their prime arewonderful options; just make sure they are actually in their prime. (Don’t letthem rot in the fridge!) Bottom line: Fresh and frozen nonstarchy vegetablesshouldmakeupthemajorityofthefoodweeat.

Deep green vegetables such as spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, greens,broccoli, and so on are the best of the best when it comes to nonstarchyvegetables.Try toget thebulkofyournonstarchyvegetable intake fromdeepgreens.The “deeply colored” rule also applies across the rainbow.With a fewexceptions (such as cauliflower), the richer the color of the nonstarchyvegetable,thebetteritisforus.Forexample,lightgreeniceberglettuceisn’tashealthyasthedeepergreenromainelettuce,whichlagsbehindverydeepgreenssuchasspinachorkale.

What about cooking? Our top priority is eating at least ten servings of

nonstarchyvegetablesperday,sodowhateverisnecessarywithinreasontogettenplusservingsofnonstarchyvegetablesintoyourbody.(You’llfindmoretipson how to do that easily in chapter 25.) In an ideal world, most of yournonstarchy vegetables would be eaten raw to maximize nutrient and watercontent. But if you don’t like them raw, that’s fine. Again, raw is good, buteatingmoreofthemisevenbetter.

Withtheexceptionofleafygreenvegetables(spinach,kale,romainelettuce,etc.) a serving is about the size of your fist or what fits in an eight-ouncemeasuringcup.Aservingof raw leafygreens is twoor threecups. If cookingmakes the vegetables shrink (spinach,mushrooms, etc.), then a serving of thecookednonstarchyvegetablesisabouthalfthesizeofyourfistorhalfacup.

Here are some examples of a single serving of nonstarchy vegetables: 6asparagusspears8babycarrots5largebroccoliflorets1Romatomato4slicesofanonion5cherrytomatoes

5sticksofcelery

3cupsofrawleafygreenvegetables1⁄2cupofcookedspinachGroceryList:CommonNonstarchyVegetables(10+ServingsperDay)Note:Thisisnotanexhaustivelist.

alfalfasproutsartichokearugulaasparagusavocadobeansproutsbeetsbellpeppersbokchoybroccoflowerbroccolibrusselssprouts

cabbagecarrotscauliflowercelerychardchivescollardscucumberdandeliongreenseggplantendiveescarolegarlicgreensgreenbeanskaleleafamaranthleekslemongrassmixedgreensmushroomsmustardgreensonionparsleypepperspumpkinromainelettucesauerkrautshallotsnowpeasspinachsquashsugarsnappeastomatoesturnipgreenszucchini

ASANEAPPROACHTOCARBOHYDRATEAs you start going SANE, some uninformed individualsmight accuse you ofbeingonalow-carbohydratediet—asifthere’ssomethingwrongwithbeingonalow-carbdiettobeginwith.Thereisn’t.Andyouaren’t.

TheAmericanDiabetesAssociation,theNorthAmericanAssociationfortheStudy of Obesity, and the American Society for Clinical Nutrition made thefollowing joint statement in their 2004 study in the journal Diabetes Care:“Glycemic[bloodsugar/insulin]controlwasbetterwith low-carbohydrate thanwith low-fat diet therapy in subjects with type 2 diabetes.”142 Similarly, animpressive two-year studypublished in theNewEngland Journal ofMedicinefoundthatMediterraneanandlow-carbohydratedietsareeffectivealternativestothe low-fat diet for weight loss and appear to be just as safe as the low-fatdiet.143Notonly is theSANErapproach tocarbohydratessafe,but theexpertsfound itmoremetabolicallybeneficial than the typical low-fat approach.Let’scoverafewkeypointswhenthinkingabout“low-carb.”

Thesinglemost importantpartof livingaSANElifestyle iseatingno lessthan ten servings of nonstarchy vegetables per day.These typesof vegetablesarecarbohydrates.Now,itmightseemoddtocallalifestylewhosenumberonepriority is eatingasmuchof a certain typeof carbohydrate aspossible a low-carbdiet.Anditissimilarlyoddforpeopletoclaimthatavoidinganextremelyhigh-carbdietisalow-carbdiet.Whathappenedtomedium-carb?

Low-carbdietersusuallykeep their carbcount in theballparkof50gramsperday.AtypicalWesterndietcontainsaround300gramsofcarbohydrateperday. That’s an extremely high-carb diet. The only way to fit 300 grams ofcarbohydrateintothehumanbodyistoconsumeconcentratedandunSatisfyingsourcesofcarbohydrate,suchasstarchesandsweets.WhenyougoSANE,youwillbetoofullfortheseformsofcarbohydrateandwillunconsciouslyconsumebetween70and125gramsofcarbohydrateperday.Youwillavoidadiabetes-andobesity-inducing,extremelyhigh-carbdiet,butyourcarbohydratecountwillnotqualifyyouasalow-carbdieter.*

Muchofthiscarbohydrateconfusioncomesfromthefactthat90percentofwhatwefind in thegrocerystore isacarbohydrate.Definingcarbohydratesasfoodswithmostof theircaloriescomingfromcarbohydrate,fatsasfoodswithmostof theircaloriescomingfromfat,andproteinasfoodswithmostof theircaloriescomingfromprotein,weendupwith:

Forexample,thecaloriesinwholemilkcomefrom30percentcarbohydrate,21percentprotein,and49percent fat.Wholemilk ismostly fat, so it isa fat.The calories in skim milk come from 53 percent carbohydrate, 42 percentprotein, and 5 percent fat. Skim milk is mostly carbohydrate, so it is acarbohydrate.How about the so-called “good source of protein,” beans?Theyare76percentcarbohydrate,21percentprotein,and3percent fat.Beansareacarbohydrate.Broccoliisacarbohydratewith71percentofitscaloriescomingfromcarbohydrate.Soarebananas—93percentcarbohydrate.Grains,potatoes,rice, breads, pasta, beans, fruits, vegetables, and most dairy products arecarbohydrates. Almost anything that doesn’t need to be refrigerated or frozen(aside fromoils, seasonings, etc., andnutsandseeds)andall sweetdrinksarecarbohydrates. However, many people think of carbohydrates as limited tostarchesandsweets.Giventhisincorrectviewofnutrition,wecanseewhythesepeoplemaymistakenlycalluslow-carbdieters.

ThetruthisthatyouandIwilleattheSANEstcarbohydratesinmassjustaswe eat the SANEst proteins and fats inmass. That doesn’tmake us low-carbdieters.Thatmakesushealthyandslim.

THELOW-CONFUSION/HIGH-NUTRITIONDIETI’mnot fondofhigh-and low-labels.Theygenerallydomoreharmthangood.They polarize people who could be working together to help others avoidsweeteners, refined starches, and processed fats.But ifwemust slap a low-orhigh-dietlabelonourwayofeatinglet’scallitthelow-confusion/high-nutritiondiet.

Iarrivedatthattitleafterconsideringfourscientificfacts:1.VitaminsandMineralsAreEssential.Wemusteatvitaminsandmineralsorwegetsick.Forexample,ifyoudon’teatenoughvitaminB12(foundonlyinanimalproducts),youcandevelopaconditioncalledhypocobalaminemia,whichdeteriorates thespinalcordandbrain.

2.ProteinIsEssential.We’veallheardofessentialaminoacids.Aminoacids are what our body turns protein into during digestion. Someaminoacidsare“essential”becauseifwedonoteatthem,wegetsick.

3.FatIsEssential.We’veallheardofessential fattyacids.Fattyacidsarewhatourbodyturnsfatintoduringdigestion.Somefattyacidsare“essential”becauseifwedonoteatthem,wegetsick.

4. Carbohydrate Is NOT Essential. None of us have heard of anessential carbohydrate.That’sbecause there isno such thing.Duringdigestioncarbohydrate isconverted intoglucose. Ifweneverateanycarbohydrate, we would not necessarily get sick, because our bodywouldcreateglucosefromotherthingsweeat,suchasprotein.

I know that last fact may seem a bit controversial, but it’s not. Even thecarbohydrate-lovingUSDAnoteditinitsDietaryReferenceIntakesforEnergy,Carbohydrate,Fiber,Fat,FattyAcids,Cholesterol,Protein,andAminoAcids:*“Thelowerlimitofdietarycarbohydratecompatiblewithlifeapparentlyiszero,provided that adequate amountsofprotein and fat are consumed.”144 I amnotsurewhytheystucktheword“apparently”inthere,butohwell.Thepointisthatthere is no biological reason for a nonpower athlete (football player, sprinter,etc.) to eat carbohydrate unless it helps us to consume required vitamins,minerals,fat,orprotein.

Sowhynotforgetaboutthehigh-carb,high-fat,andhigh-proteinconfusionandenjoythefoodsthatgiveusthemostofwhatweneedandtheleastofwhatwedon’t, and that kept us free fromwhat ails us all longbefore anyone evenutteredthewordcalorie?Long-termfatlossandhealtharenotabouthigh-carb,high-fat, or high-proteindiets—they’re abouthigh-nutrition and low-confusioneating.

Also, we can forget about simple carbohydrates versus complexcarbohydrates. This distinction causes confusion. For example, SANE fruitscontain simple carbohydrates, while inSANE starches contain complexcarbohydrates.Ohno!Not so fast.The “healthy” complex carbohydrates rice,cereal, crackers, potatoes, and wheat bread are allmore hormonally harmful(theyall raiseourbloodsugarmore) than thesimplecarbohydratesugar.Let’savoid this complexity and enjoy more water-, fiber-, and protein-rich SANEplants and animals. The only form of carbohydrates in this category arenonstarchyvegetablesandlow-fructosefruits.

NONSTARCHY VEGETABLES: SANE CARBOHYDRATESUMMARY

•Coverhalfofyourplatewithnonstarchyvegetables.•Ifitcan’tbeeatenraw,don’teatit.•Stickwithfreshorfrozen.•Greensaregreat.•ThedeeperthecolorthehighertheSANEity.•Rawisidealbutnotrequired.•Aservingisaboutonetothreehandfulsdependingonhow“dense”thenonstarchyvegetablesare.

•Low-carbdietsaregreat,butyourSANElifestyledoesn’thavetobeone.•Ninetypercentofwhatyouseeinagrocerystoreiscarbohydrate.• Carbohydrate is nonessential, so focus on carbs that carry along withthemthemostessentialnutrientspossible.

SANEProteins

ThesecondsteptogoingSANEisfillingathirdofourplatewithnutrient-denseprotein.Thisratioshouldensureweget30to55gramsofproteinateachmeal.In general, a serving size will be about as large as two of your palms. Forexample,alargepieceofleanmeatorfish,acupandahalfofcottagecheeseorplainGreekyogurt, threeeggsandalargepieceofham,eighteggwhites,oracanoftuna.

It’simportanttoaimforaminimumservingofabout30gramsofprotein.Ifweconsumelessthanthisinasittingwewillnotenjoyallthebenefitsproteinhas to offer. That’s because when we eat 30 grams or more of protein, theconcentrationofaspecificaminoacidinourblood,calledleucine,becomeshighenough to cause our body to refresh and renew our lean tissue. The technicalterm for this is muscle protein synthesis—our body is rebuilding itself, andwithoutactivatingthismechanismatleastthreetimesaday,wearemissingoutonallsortsofmetabolicbenefitsandrisklosingabout5percentofourmuscletissueperdecade.Thiscondition isknownassarcopenia,canbe thoughtofasosteoporosisformuscles,andiseasilyavoidedifwetakeaSANEapproachtoprotein.

Wewillbeconsumingmorenutrient-denseproteinthanthecommonRDA,orrecommendeddailyallowance.ThisisbecausethecommonRDAiswhatweneed to eat if our goal is to avoid malnutrition. Our goal isn’t to avoidmalnutrition.Ourgoalistoenjoyrobusthealthandleannessthroughoutourlife.

Todothis,eat30-to55-gramservingsofproteinatleastthreetimesperday.Aim for a total of between 100 grams and 200 grams of protein per daydependingonyoursizeandactivitylevel.Afive-foot-tall110-poundsedentarywoman would be fine with about 100 grams, while a six-foot-tall 195-poundmanwhoexercises smarter should take in about 200grams. If you follow the

serving guides, tips, and recipeswe’ll cover, and enjoy nutrient-dense proteineverytimeyoueat,youwillachievethiseasilyandbesurprisedathowfullyouareandhowmuchbetteryoufeelandlooklongterm.ResearchersatMaastrichtUniversity in the Netherlands have found that additional protein consumptionresultsinasignificantlylowerbodyweightregainafterweightloss.*

Whenwetalkabouteatingprotein,manypeopleimmediatelythinkofmeat.Nutrient-dense meat is a great source of protein; however, seafood is also awonderfulsourceofprotein.Afloodofresearchsuggeststhatinadditiontoalltheprotein-relatedbenefitsalreadydiscussed,consumingseafoodfrequentlycandropourriskofthevastmajorityofdiseasesplaguingustoday.Doyourbesttoeat seafood daily. Not a few times per week. Daily. This is simple becausecooking seafood is a snap. Place some fish and some seasoning in a pan orbakingdishandheatit.Youwillbedelightedwhenyoueatit.Cannedseafoodoptions such as canned salmon, tuna, and sardines require no cooking andprovideinexpensiveportableprotein.

Whenconsideringproteinoptions,keepinmindthatjustbecauseafoodhassomeproteininit,thisdoesnotqualifyitasausefulsourceofprotein.Notallproteinsarecreatedequal,andmanyofthe“goodsourcesofprotein”wehearofareaboutasgoodatmeetingourproteinneedsasketchupisgoodatmeetingournonstarchyvegetableneeds.

Let’s define concentrated sources of protein as common foods that havemore calories coming fromprotein than from fat or carbohydrates, andwhoseproteincanbereadilyusedbythebody.

ConcentratedSourcesofProteinseafood:51%to94%proteineggwhites:91%(thisisn’taboutfearingfat;detailscoming)whitemeatwithorwithoutskin:51%to80%proteindarkmeatwithoutskin:~60%proteinlow-fatcottagecheese:60%to85%protein(samefatdisclaimerasabove)low-fatplainGreekyogurt:60%to70%protein (ditto) lean (ideallygrass-fed)redmeat:51%to75%protein(ditto)low-sugarcaseinorwheyproteinpowder: >70%proteinThere are also a few fairly concentrated sources ofprotein.Theyaregiventhatdesignationbecausequiteafewoftheircaloriescomefromfatorcarbohydrateand,fortheplantoptions,theydonotcontainanoptimalsetofaminoacidsandarenotasreadilyusedbythebody.Noneofthesethingsaredealbreakers.Especiallyifthecaloriesarecomingfromnaturalfats.Naturalfatsaregreatforus.Butlet’sbehonest.If63percentof

the calories in an egg comes from fat while only 35 percent comes fromprotein, eggs are not a concentrated source of protein. Again, that is fine.EggsareSANE.Butitdoesnotmakesensetocallsomethingthatismostlyfat or carbohydrate a concentrated source of protein. Pretty good isreasonable,though.

Fairly Concentrated Sources of Protein dark-meat poultry with skin:~45%proteinmoderatelyfatty(ideallygrass-fed)redmeat:40%to60%proteineggs:35%proteinsoybeans:33%proteinlow-sugar vegetarian protein powders (rice, pea, hemp): >50% proteinEverythingelseisnotevenclosetobeingaconcentratedsourceofprotein.Common dairy products other than those listed are mostly fat and sugar.Beans aremostly carbohydrate.Nuts aremore than 70 percent fat.Again,beingmostlyfatorcarbohydratedoesnotnecessarilymakethesefoodsbad;itjustmakesitinaccuratetocallthemconcentratedsourcesofprotein.Now,aboutthose“low-fat”disclaimersinthelistofconcentratedsourcesof

protein.Givenallthescienceshowingthatweshouldnotfearwhole-foodfats,some people get justifiably concerned when they hear anything about low-fatcottage cheese, low-fat plainGreekyogurt, lean cuts ofmeat, and eggwhites.Let’s clarify.When we’re talking about nutrient-dense proteins, we’re talkingaboutfoodswithasmuchprotein,vitamins,andmineralspercalorieaspossible.Ifyouhavetwoinstancesofafoodthatarethesameineverywayexceptthatonecontainsmorefatthantheother(forexample,fat-freeversusfull-fatcottagecheese),dividetheprotein,vitamins,andmineralsinaservingbythecaloriesina serving and the option with less fat is the more nutrient-dense source ofprotein. This is not to say that the full-fat versions of these foods should beavoided. It’s to say that if your goal is to pick a food thatmaximizes protein,vitamin,andmineralintake,thisisdonebypickingleaneroptions.Naturalfatsarewonderfulforus.Butwe’retalkingabouthowtoeatprotein,nothowtoeatfat.We’llcoverfatinamoment.

Speaking of nutrition-minded communities, some vegetarians and vegansmay have something to say to you about protein. We’ll cover the sciencepertainingtomeatshortly,butpleasekeepinmindthatvegetariansandveganscan enjoy a Satisfying, unAggressive, Nutritious, and inEfficient lifestyle asmuchasanyoneelse.Replacingstarchesandsweetswithnonstarchyvegetables,

nutrient-denseprotein,whole-foodfats,andlow-fructosefruitsisashealthyandslimmingforthosewhoeatanimalproductsasitisforthosewhoabstain.

Thewrinkle for vegetarians and vegans has to dowith a pointmentionedearlier: “Not all proteins are equal.”One of themajor reasonswe need to eatproteinisthatweneedtoeatcertainaminoacids.Notallproteinsarethesamewhenitcomestothequalityandquantityofessentialaminoacidstheyprovide.Animalproductsprovidemuchbetteressentialaminoacid“profiles”thanplantproducts.Animal sources of protein are alsomore easily utilizedby thebody.Again,itispossibletoconsumeaSANEquantityandqualityofproteinwithouteatinganimalproducts.However, it ismucheasier ifweenjoy seafood,organmeats, grass-fed red meat, poultry, lean conventional red meat, eggs, cottagecheese,andplainGreekyogurt.Ifthesehigh-qualityandhealthyoptionsareoffthe table, protein powders made from rice, pea, or hemp protein are goodsubstitutions. I also advise vegetarians to take a branched-chain amino acidsupplementtoaddressthesuboptimalaminoacidprofileofplants.

ASANEAPPROACHTOPROTEIN

Eatingat least three30-to55-gramservingsofhigh-qualityandnutrient-denseproteinperdayisthesecondmostimportantaspectofourlifestyle.High-Satietyproteinfillsusup,keepsusfull,andenablesourbodytopreservemuscletissueand burn fat instead of burning both. Finally, trading processed fats, starches,andsweetsfornutrient-denseproteinhasbeenshowninamountainofstudiestoimprovenearlyeveryaspectofourhealth.DonaldLayman,PhD,professorofnutrition at the University of Illinois, determined that protein-rich diets canpreserve muscle loss at less than 15 percent (or even zero, when the diet iscombinedwithexercise)duringweightloss.Increasingtheproportionofproteinto carbs especially helps women improve their body composition, theircholesterolandtriglyceridelevels,theirbloodsugarbalance,andtheirSatietyastheyloseweight.Finally,intheAmericanJournalofClinicalNutrition,Laymanlaid it all out: High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets have been found to havepositive effects on reducing risk factors for heart disease, including reducingserumtriacylglycerol,increasingHDLcholesterol,increasingLDLparticlesize,andreducingbloodpressure....High-protein,low-carbohydratedietshavealsobeeninvestigatedfortreatmentoftype2diabeteswithpositiveeffectson[bloodsugar control], including reducing fasting blood glucose, [post-meal] glucose

andinsulinresponses,andthepercentageofglycatedhemoglobin[HbA1c,or,asweknowithere,thehormonalclog].145

Butalas,thebettersomethingis,themorevocalthemisinformedextremistswho embody the immortal saying, “Weak point, yell loud.” And there iscertainlysomeweaklogicandloudyellingbythosewhoembracethetraditionalfoodpyramidviewofproteinconsumption.

For instance, some misinformed individuals claim that eating a SANEamountofproteinhurtsthekidneysandliver.Thisassertionisnotborneoutinrandomizedcontrolledtesting,sayexpertsfromHarvardtoFinland.Ontheotherhand, hundreds of studies show positive health benefits and body-fat lossstemming from the protein intake we’re discussing. A typical report fromColorado State University (atwww.catalystathletics.com/articles/downloads/proteinDebate.pdf) cites the largebodyofexperimentalevidencethatdemonstratesahigherintakeofleananimalprotein reduces the risk forcardiovasculardisease,hypertension,dyslipidemia,obesity,insulinresistance,andosteoporosiswhilenotimpairingkidneyfunction.Researchershaveshownthathumansevolvedtogetaboutathirdofourcaloriesfromprotein—whichmeanstheso-calledvery-high-proteindiets(30percentto40percent total energy) are closer to theconditions that spawnedourpresent-dayhumangenome.Howcouldabasicpartofhumanevolutionharmratherthanhelpus?EmoryUniversityresearchersmadethepointwellwhentheynoted,“Itwouldbeparadoxicalifhumans...shouldnowsomehowbeharmedasaresultofproteinintakehabituallytoleratedorevenrequiredbytheirnearrelatives.”146Rather than be helped, our healthmight actually be negatively affected if ourdietaryintakeofproteinfelloutsidethisrange.

Inspeakingaboutoneofthemostinformativeprospectivehealthstudiesofalltime,theNurses’HealthStudy,WalterWillett,chairoftheHarvardSchoolofPublic Health, shared a finding that the group of women who ate the mostproteinwere25percentlesslikelytohavehadaheartattackortohavediedofheartdisease—soclearly,“eatingalotofproteindoesn’tharmtheheart.”147

With such clear scientific data, why do some books and documentariescontinuetopaintableakerpictureofprotein?Manyoftheseresourcesconfuseproven health benefitswithmoral or environmental concerns.They also oftenmisrepresentdata from the largeobservational study theChina-Cornell-OxfordProject—popularizedbythebookTheChinaStudy.148Forexample,thedatainthis study show the consumption of nutrient-dense fish and meat, as well as

eggs, correlatingwith a lower incidence of heart disease,while starchy plantsthat cannotbe eaten rawcorrelatewith ahigher incidenceofheart disease. Infact,aHarvardMedicalSchoolresearcherwentsofarastonotethat“wheatwasbyfar themost toxicfoodfoundintheChinaStudy.”149Willettconcludes,“Asurveyof65counties in ruralChina,however,didnot findaclearassociationbetween animal product consumption and risk of heart disease or majorcancers.”150 Even T. Colin Campbell, the author of The China Study, whenreportingonhisobservationsconcerningfishconsumptioninChina,notedthat“it is the largelyvegetarian, inlandcommunitieswhohave thegreatestall riskmortalitiesandmorbidities.”151

Thepointhere isnot tocriticizeSANEplant-baseddiets. In fact, aSANElifestyle is plant-based. Our plates will be filled with mostly nonstarchyvegetablesanda largechunkofourcalorieswillcomefromplant fatssuchascocoa, coconut, avocado, flax, and chia. The point is thatwe’re talking aboutproven biology, not correlations, politics, or morality. Randomized controlledtrials—the studies that provide the most definitive proof possible—show thathealth and fitness are maximized by eating water-, fiber-, and protein-richfoods.*Thesefoodscomefrombothplantsandanimals.AsJoelFuhrman,MD,states elegantly in his article “What You Need to Know about Vegetarian orVeganDiets,”“Youcanachievethebenefitsofavegetariandiet,withoutbeingavegetarianoravegan.”152

Sohowdidthemyththatproteinisbadforusgetstartedinthefirstplace?Apparently, the myth arose from studies in which animals were fed extremeamountsof low-quality sourcesofproteinand thenexperiencedproblems.Butrather than proving protein is harmful, these studies led to the discovery thatuntilaninactivepersonexceeds2gramsofproteinperpoundofbodyweightperday, we will get only healthier and slimmer by enjoying additional nutrient-denseproteins.

To put 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight into perspective, aninactive 150-pound person would not enter the protein-risk zone until he ateelevenchickenbreastsperday,everyday.Thatwould total2gramsofproteinper pound of bodyweight andwouldmean that about 60 percent of his totalcalorieswere coming fromprotein. I thinkwe can all agree that’s not a goodidea.Badthingshappenifweeattoomuchofanything.

Luckily, it is impossible toconsistentlyeat toomuchwhole-food,nutrient-dense protein. Our stomach would explode before we did it. Worrying abouteating toomuchwhole-foodnutrient-denseprotein isabit likeworryingabout

drinkingtoomuchwater.Canitbedone?Yes.Willwedoit?No.Well,whataboutmeat—ifonelistenstothemainstreammedia,it’shardnot

tocometotheconclusionthatsomethingaboutmeatmustbeunhealthy.Whilesome might argue against eating meat for environmental or ethical reasons,scienceprovesthereisnothinginherentlyunhealthyaboutnutrient-densemeat.Infact,lowlevelsofanimalproteinhavebeenassociatedwithanincreasedriskof strokes.Nutrient-densemeatwas a cornerstone of our diet formost of ourevolutionaryhistoryandtherearenorandomizedcontrolleddatashowingthatitis unhealthy. Academic work that cautions against meat is referring to theinSANEheavilyprocessedmeat suchashotdogs,baloney,pinkslime,andsoon,ortodietsinwhichpeoplereplacevitamin-andmineral-richfoodswithnon-nutrient-densemeat. Theseworks are quite right—we should not do either ofthose things. We should eat the most nutrient-dense food possible—and thatincludesmanyformsofseafoodandmeat.Ifyouhaveanydoubts,considertheJournal of the AmericanMedical Association’s review of 147 diet and healthstudies.153 That review found zero correlation betweenmeat consumption andheartdisease.

Nutrient-dense meat is not unhealthy. In fact, it is a fantastic source ofessentialprotein, fat,vitamins,andminerals, and itpromoteshormonalhealth.According to researcher James O’Keefe,MD, at theMid America Heart andVascularInstitute,eatingagoodamountofleanproteinatregularintervalscanhelp you feel satisfied, increase yourmetabolic rate, improve your cholesterolratioandyour insulinsensitivity,andhelpspeedweight lossas it alsoensuresyouincreasethequalityofyournutritionwithmanyessentialnutrients.

Youmayhavealsobeenmisledbymythologysuggestingthatproteincausescancer.Thismisunderstandingcomesupbecausehigh-qualityproteinpromotesthe repair and growth of cells—all cells. Therefore, if a person already hascancer, excessiveproteincancause thosecells togrowalongwitheveryothercellinthebody.Doesthatmeanproteincausedthecancer?No.AsUniversityofIllinois nutrition researcherChrisMasterjohn, PhD, notes in his review of theresearch related to protein and cancer, “low-protein diets depressed normalgrowth,increasedthesusceptibilitytomanytoxins,killedtoxin-exposedanimalsearlier, induced fatty liver, and increased the development of pre-cancerouslesions.”154 The bottom line is that eating protein causes cancer the waywatering gardens causes weeds. Just as we don’t effectively avoid weeds bydeprivingour gardenofwater,wedon’t effectively avoid cancer bydeprivingourbodyofprotein.We’rebetterservedcultivatingasystemrobustenough to

ward off intruders. Fortunately, that’s exactlywhatwater-, fiber-, and protein-richSANEfoodsdo.

Last but not least, you may have heard the myth that protein promotesosteoporosis. This misinformation may spring from the fact that digestingproteinrequiresmorecalciumthanthedigestionoffatorcarbohydrates.Certainindividualsclaimthisfindingshowsthateatingalotofproteinwillsuckcalciumfromourbones—but in thecaseof theSANElifestyle, theseconcernsarenotvalid.

First,asmentionedearlier,wearenoteatingalotofprotein—weareeatingtheamounthumansevolvedtoeat.Second,withtheSANEeatingplan,wehavenoneedtograbcalciumfromourbones,sinceournonstarchyvegetableintakeprovides at least 150 percent more calcium than the typical US diet. (Forexample, leafy green vegetables are excellent sources of calcium. Calorie forcalorie, spinach provides nearly twice as much calcium as reduced-fat milk.)Third,proteindigestiondoesnotnegativelyaffectbonesifintakeofthemineralphosphorus is increased, and the SANE eating plan does that. Finally, whilemoreproteinincreasestheneedforcalcium,italsoincreasesthebody’sabilitytoabsorbcalcium.Whenmoreproteinistakenin,thebodyautomaticallymakesbetter use of calcium. Studies show that the amount of protein we’ll enjoyincreases bone density by raising levels of the protein IGF-1. Researchers atMaastrichtUniversitywho lookedat thequestionofprotein’s impactonbonesfoundnonegativeeffectsonnetbonedensityorcalciumstatus,regardlessoftheageof thesubject. In fact, they found thatdietaryproteineven increasedbonemineralmassandreducedincidenceofosteoporoticfracturesintheelderly.155

Theresearchisclear:Nutrient-denseproteinisacriticalcomponentoflong-termhealthandfitness.

GroceryList:CommonNutrient-DenseProteins(30-to55-gramservingsforatotalof100–200gramsperday)Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Themore essential nutrients packed intoeverycalorie,thehigheraprotein’sSANEity.

bisoncatfishchickenclamscod

cornishhencrabcroakereggwhiteseggselkcottagecheeseplainGreekyogurtgrass-fedbeefflounderhaddockhalibuthamhemp-proteinpowderherringlambleanconventionalbeefliverlobstermackerelmahimahimusselsoctopusorganmeatsoysterspea-proteinpowderperchpollockporkrabbitrice-proteinpowdersalmonsardines(andanchovies)scallopsseabassshadshrimpsnapper

solesquid(calamari)swordfishtilapiatofutrouttunaturkeyvenisonwhey-proteinpowderwhitefish

NUTRIENT-DENSEPROTEINSUMMARY

•Nutrient-denseproteinshouldcoverathirdofyourplate.•Eatproteinin30-to55-gramservingsevenlythroughouttheday.•Eatatotalof100to200gramsofproteinperday.•Eatproteineverytimeyoueat.• Eat seafood daily (ideally sources higher in omega-3s and lower inmercury,suchassalmon,sardines,anchovies,oysters,etc.).

•High-quality,nutrient-densesourcesofproteinarecritical.•Ifyouavoidanimalproducts,youcanstillbeSANE.

Now,let’slookatthefinaltwoimportantaspectsoftheSANEeatingplan:whole-foodfatsandlow-fructosefruits.

SANEFatsandSweets

ThefinalsteptogoingSANEisfillingtherestofourplatewithwhole-foodfatsandlow-fructosefruits.

You and I have already reviewed the research disproving that foods thatcontainfatarefattening,butlet’sputthatmythtorestonceandforall.

Whenweeatwhole-foodfatsinplaceofstarchesandsweets,ourbodiesstarttopreferburning fat for fuel insteadof sugar.AswegoSANEandgetSmartaboutexercise,webegintoburnmorecaloriesthanwe’retakingin—butwe’renothungryandourbodyisn’tslowingdown.Why?Becauseit’sfullofnutrientsandstillhasplentyof itspreferred fuel.Sure the fuel is fat sittingonourhipsinsteadofstarchthatjustpassedthroughourlips,butwhywouldthebodycare?Ithasenoughnutritionandenoughenergyonhandtokeepusatourbest.

Just the opposite happens when we regularly eat excessive starches andsweets.Ifweburnmorecaloriesthanwe’reeating,ourbodylooksaroundforitspreferredfuelsource(sugar),butdoesn’tfindany.Thisdeficitmakesitdemandmoresugarandstarch.Weexperiencethisascrazycarbcravings.Ifwe’reabletofightthroughtheseall-encompassingcravingsandhungerpains,we’veheardallaboutwhathappensnext:ourbodyburnsfewercalories.Butwhatifthere’sstillasugarshortage?Betterburnoffthatsugar-hungrymuscletissue.

Stillshortonsugar?OK,sure,we’lleventuallygettoburningbodyfat—butwhynot skip thewhole “feel hungry and terriblewhile our body cannibalizesourmuscles”partandjusteatdeliciouswhole-foodfatsothatourbodyprefersto burn fat in the first place? Far frommaking us fat, eatingwhole-food fatsinsteadofstarchesandsweetsenablesustohealthfullyburnbodyfat.

Ifwesetasidethemythswe’vebeentoldforthepastfortyyears,wehavenoreasontothinkthatfatisbadforus.Wholefoodscontainfat.Wholefoodsweretheonly thingourancestorsatefor99.8percentofourhistory.Howcould the

onlyfoodsavailabletousfor99.8percentofourhistoryharmus?Ifanything,wemust thrive on foods that contain fats. Furthermore, the theory that fat isfatteninghasneverbeenproved,despiteoverabilliondollars’worthofresearchattempting to prove it. Indeed, researchers have proved that some types of fathelp burn body fat and boost health. Finally, the topper: a decline in theproportionoffatinourdiethasbeenaccompaniedbythelargestspikeinobesityanddiseaseratesinhistory.

Countlessscientificstudiesshowthatworryingabouteatingwhole-foodfatis at best a distraction and at worst harmful and fattening. Research recentlydoneatHarvardMedicalSchoolblames thedecades-longemphasisondietaryfat reduction for having distracted us in the fight against the true causes ofobesity.Dietshighinfathavenotbeenlinkedtoexcessbodyfat,either in theUnitedStatesorinEuropeancountries—and,indeed,amongEuropeanwomen,thedatashowthatthemoredietaryfatwomeneat,thelessbodyfattheycarry.And any attempts to limit supposedly dangerous saturated fats by increasingcarbohydratesjustmakehealthmatterswayworse—increasingtriglyceridesanddecreasing healthy HDL cholesterol, raising glycemic load and insulin levels,and increasing the risk of diabetes and heart disease.TheHarvard researchersstress that thegreatest hope related to fats in thediet points not to decreasingthem but to increasing them: “Studies and . . . trials have provided strongevidencethatahigherintakeof[omega-3]fattyacidsfromfishorplantsourceslowersriskofcoronaryheartdisease.”156

Ifwewanttobemaximallyhealthy,wemusteatthreetosixservingsperdayoffatscontainedinwholefoods.WhenIsay“wholefoods,”Imeanfoodsthatarenotprocessed.Alloilsareprocessedderivativesofwholefood.Theycontainnowater,nofiber,andnoproteinandarethereforenotsubstancesweneedtogoout of our way to eat. For example, soybean oil—whose consumption hasincreasedabout116,300percentoverthepastcentury—isnotawholefoodandactually elevates our set-point. I recommend limiting your use of oils to thesmall amountneeded for cookingand,wheneverpossible, stickingwith stablenaturaloilssuchascoconutoil.

Butaren’twetoldoliveoilandcoconutoilaregoodforus?Yes,butthat’srelative tootheroils.Thinkabout this in thesamewayyou thingaboutwholegrains.Wholegrainsarebetter than refinedgrains,but thatdoesn’tmean theyaregood forus.Samethingwithoil:oliveoilandcoconutoilaremuchbetterforusthanotheroils(soybean,corn,vegetable,andsoon),butwholeolivesandwholecoconutsaredramaticallybetterforusthananyoil.Stablenaturaloilsare

fineforcooking,butwholefoodsarebestforeating.(Andanyonetellingyoutoeat a tablespoon of coconut oil per day rather than eatingmore coconutmeatmay be more interested in selling you coconut oil than in your health!Everythingusefulthatisfoundincoconutoilandmuchmoreisfoundinwhole-food coconut.) Common healthy sources of whole-food fats include seafood(salmon,sardines)andcertainplants(avocado,coconut,cocoa/cacao,flaxseeds,and chia seeds), unprocessed fatty cuts ofmeat (organicgrass-fedbeef), eggs,and full-fat but low-sugar dairy products (cottage cheese and plain Greekyogurt). Fatty fish, unprocessed fatty cuts ofmeat, eggs, and full-fat but low-sugardairyproductsareonetothreeservingsofwhole-foodfatsdependingontheir size and level of fat. A serving of plant fats such as nuts and seeds isgenerallyasmallhandfulorthreetablespoons.Ifthenutsaremashedintobutter(natural almond butter), a serving is the size of a Ping-Pong ball, or twotablespoons.

While there are many healthy sources of whole-food fats, some areespecially beneficial.We’ve already talked about seafood,which is one of thehealthiest sources of fat in the world. Also rising to the top are cocoa/cacao,coconut,chiaseeds,andmilledflaxseeds.Aswewillseelater,cocoa/cacaoandcoconutarewonderfulwaystoindulgeourcravingsforsweets,butbeyondtheirdeliciousness, these foods are health and fat-loss powerhouses. Natural andundutched* cocoa/cacao is one of the richest sources of antioxidants,polyphenols,andflavanols(hard-to-come-byhealthythings)intheworld.Cocoaisalsopackedwithfillingfiberandessentialvitaminsandnutrients.Coconutishome for a rare type of fat: medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which havebeenshowntoboostmetabolism.Flaxseedsandchiaseedsarerichsourcesoffiber,vitamins,andminerals,andareusefulsourcesofomega-3fats,extremelybeneficial fats that have been shown to benefit almost every aspect of humancardiac,metabolic,andneurologicalhealth.Keepinmindthatflaxseedsneedtobemilledintoaflourlikepowderinorderforourbodytobeabletomakeuseoftheirabundantnutrition.

LOW-FRUCTOSEFRUITS

Muchasscienceshowsthatweneedtoreevaluatewhole-foodfats,italsoshowsthatweneedtoreevaluatefruits.Aswitheveryothertypeoffood,notallfruitsare created equal. Some fruits, such as berries and citrus (like oranges and

grapefruit)containhealthierratiosofnutrientstosugarthancommonfruitssuchasapples,bananas,andgrapes.

Ifyouenjoyfruit,stickwithonetothreelow-sugarfreshorfrozenservingsperday.Aservingisroughlythesizeofyourfist.Forinstance,sixstrawberries,oneorange,halfagrapefruit,orthreequartersofacupofblueberries.Focusonthefruits,suchasberriesandcitrus,thatwillgiveyouthemostofwhatyouneed(nutrients)andtheleastofwhatyoudon’t(sugar).Ifyoucandowithoutfruits,thereisnobiologicalreasontoeat themaslongasyouareconsumingenoughnonstarchyvegetables.There’snothingessentialinfruitsthatwecannotget,andwithalotlesssugar,fromnonstarchyvegetables.

Please alsounderline the following: fruits andvegetables arenot one foodgroup.Whileeatingat least tenservingsofnonstarchyvegetablesperdaywilldonothingbutmakeyouhealthierandslimmer, the same thing isnot true forfruits,owingtotheirdramaticallyhighersugarcontent.Somefruitscontaintento twenty times as much sugar as some nonstarchy vegetables. For example,grapeshaveaboutnineteentimesmoresugarthanspinach.Inotherwords,youcouldeateighteenservingsofspinachandstillnothaveeatenasmuchsugarasisinasingleservingofgrapes.Stickwithzerotothreeservingsofberriesandcitrus and avoid counting any fruits toward your ten servings of nonstarchyvegetables.

A SANE APPROACH TO EATING WHOLE-FOOD FATS ANDLOW-FRUCTOSEFRUITSIt’s helpful to enjoy whole-food fats and low-fructose fruits along withnonstarchy vegetables and nutrient-dense protein instead of on their own. Formanypeople,eatingnothingmorethanacupofberriesorahandfulofwalnutsjustmakesthemwantmoreberriesandwalnuts.Thiscanleadtohunger,ifwefighttheurge,orovereating,ifwegiveintotheurge.Eatinganoptimalamountofnutsand fruits iseasy ifwemakesure theyarenotprocessed (e.g.,honey-roasted nuts and fruits canned in syrup are no good) and eat them alongwithnonstarchyvegetablesandnutrient-denseprotein.

My favoriteway todo this is to thinkofwhole-food fatsand low-fructosefruitsasscrumptiousSANEdesserts.We’llcoverrecipeslater,butthegististhatwecanusenuts,nutflours,seeds,seedflours,cocoa/cacao,coconut,andberriestomakeSANE cookies, fudges, pies, cakes, ice cream,milkshakes, and otherSANE treats thatwill satisfyanysweet toothafter anonstarchyvegetableandnutrient-denseprotein-richmeal.

Finally,keepinmindthatifyouhavestruggledwithyourweightforalongtime,studiesshowthatyouaremorelikelytoloweryourset-pointifyoufavorwhole-food fats over low-fructose fruits. For example, enjoy five servings ofwhole-foodfatsperdayandoneservingofblueberriesinsteadofthreeservingsofwhole-food fats, two servingsof blueberries, and ahandful of strawberries.Asageneralrule,theheavieryouare,thebetteroffyouarewithwhole-foodfatsinstead of low-fructose fruits. If you are extremely clogged, even the smallamountof sugar inberriesandcitruscan slowyour set-point-loweringefforts.Also,keepinmindthatthelesscarbohydrateweeatthemorefatweshouldeat.Ifyouchoosetolivealow-carbSANElifestyle(i.e.,eatingabout50gramsofcarbohydrateperday),youshouldeatthehigher-fatvariantsofprotein.

GroceryList:CommonWhole-FoodFats(3–6servingsperday)Note:This is not an exhaustive list.Themore essential nutrientsprovidedpercalorie,themorebeneficialthefat.

almondsavocadoBrazilnutscashewschestnutschiaseedscocoa/cacaococonuthazelnutshempseedskolanutmacadamianutsmilledflaxseedpecanspistachiospumpkinseedssesameseedssquashseedssunflowerseedswalnuts

GroceryList:CommonLow-FructoseFruits(0–3servingsperday)

Note:This is not an exhaustive list.Themore essential nutrientsprovidedpercalorie,themorebeneficialthefruit.

apricotsblackberriesblueberriesboysenberriescranberriescantaloupecasabameloncherriesgrapefruitguavahoneydewmelonlemonlimenectarinepapayapeachesraspberriesrhubarbstrawberries

WHOLE-FOOD FATS AND LOW-FRUCTOSE FRUITSSUMMARY•Whole-foodfatsareessential;low-fructosefruitsarenot.•Gooutofyourwaytoeatfattyseafood,cocoa/cacao,andcoconut.•Avoidunnaturalprocessedfats(mostoils)completely.•Ifneeded,usestable,naturalprocessedfatssuchascoconutoilforcooking.•Doawaywithprocessedfruits(cannedinsyrup)completely.• Pair whole-food fats or low-fructose fruits with nonstarchy vegetables andnutrient-denseproteinwheneverpossible.

•Whole-foodfatsandlow-fructosefruitsareSANEdessertsuperstars.•Ifyoureallystrugglewithyourweight,youwillbelikelytohavebetterresultsifyoufocusonwhole-foodfatsinsteadoflow-fructosefruits.

In the next chapter, we’ll cover ten specific tips—the Ten Principles of

SANEEating—tohelpusstaySANEintoday’sinSANEworld.

TheTenPrinciplesofSANEEating

PRINCIPLE1:FREEYOURSELFFROMCALORIECOUNTINGAnyonewhorecommendsthatwecountcaloriesisleadingusdownacomplexand counterproductive path for three major biological reasons. First, theunderpinningsofcaloriecountingworkontheassumptionthatweburnafixednumberofcalorieseveryday.Inotherwords,ifwenormallyburn2,000caloriesperdayand thencutback toeating1,500caloriesperday, it assumes thatweburn 500 calories’ worth of stored fat. This has been proved wrong in everystudythattestedit.

Second, we cannot accurately calculate how many calories we burn. TheInternet is full of basemetabolic rate (BMR) calculators, and gyms are filledwith“cardio”machinesclaimingtocountcalories.Thetruthis that thereisnoprogram or tool available to nonscientists that accuratelymeasures howmanycaloriesweburn.AndevenifWeb-basedBMRcalculatorsandcardio-machinecalculatorswereaccurate,wewouldstillbemissinghugecontributorstocaloriesoutsuchas:•Nonexerciseactivitythermogenesis(NEAT):caloriesburnedviainvoluntary movement (such as fidgeting and involuntary and unnoticeablemuscle movements) • Diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT): calories burnedduringdigestion(especiallywhenyoueatprotein!)•Muscleproteinsynthesis(MPS):caloriesburned in repairing lean tissue• Excesspostexercise oxygenconsumption (EPOC): calories burned in recovering from intense exerciseFinally,weknowthatfewercaloriesinormorecaloriesoutdoesnotinandofitself cause the body to burn fat. Studies have shown that extremelymetabolicallycloggedmicewillburnofftheirvitalorgansasfuelanddiebeforetheyburnoffalltheirbodyfatforfuel.We’llneverfaceanythingthisextreme,but if we starve ourselves we will become ravenously hungry, then our

metabolismwill slowdown, thenwe’ll burnmuscle, thenwe’ll burn fat, thenwe’llgiveintohunger,thenwe’llbefatterandsickerthanever.

Our smarter scientific approach is to recognize that our body alreadybalancescaloriesandtoenableittobalanceusataslimmerbodycomposition.

PRINCIPLE 2: SHIFT FROM SHORT-TERMWEIGHT LOSS TOLONG-TERMFATLOSSANDHEALTHAslongaswefocusonshort-termweightloss,oureffortswillnotworkoutlongterm.Weneedtokeepthiscriticalperspectiveinmindbecausecommonthingsthatdohelpusloseweightshorttermdonothelpusstayhealthyandslimlongterm.

Thesinglemostimportantstepyoucantaketoenablethismentalshiftistogetridoftoolsthatencouragestarvation—e.g.,yourscale—andtosetgoalsthatwill focus you on the long term. I know walking away from the scale isincrediblydifficult.Butuntilwefreeourselvesfromworryingaboutourweight,wewill riskrelapsingback intoouroldapproaches thatweknowdonotworkfor the long term. Focus on getting healthier, not lighter.Your bodywill takecareoftherest.

PRINCIPLE 3: SETMEANINGFULGOALSANDAREALISTICTIMETABLEIfwedonotdefinesuccessaccordingtoweight,thenhowdowedefineit?Swapyourscaleforameasuringtape.

The circumference of yourwaist is proved to bemuchmore indicative oflong-termwellnessandaestheticsthanweight.Measureyourwaistnomorethanoncepermonthanddoitonthesamedayoftheweekandatthesametimetoensure the most accurate measurement possible. Alternatively, find a pair ofjeans you cannot currently wear but would like to. Buy them. You will bewearingthosejeansinacoupleofmonthsand,muchmoreimportant,fortherestofyourlife.Finally,visityourdoctorandhavehimorhermeasureyour:•body-fatpercentage

•bloodpressure•heartrate•fastingglucose•triglycerides•cholesterol

Afterthis,pickoutyourtopthreeorfivegoalsfromthelistbelow.

•waistmeasurement•body-fatpercentage•clothestest•cholesterollevel•bloodpressure•sicklessoften•mentalsharpness•sleepwell•strength•energylevel•fitnesslevel•improvedmood•libidolevel•confidence•painreduction•athleticperformance

Nowfile thatawayanddon’t lookat it againuntilyou’vegoneSANEforthreemonths.Thanks to themisinformationwe’ve been given,we have spentmuch of our entire lives creating hormonal clogs and elevating our set-point.Nowwehaveachoicetomake:Willwestarveourselvesandendupworseoffthanwewerewhenwestarted?Or,willwebepatientwhileourbodyhealsitselfandthenkeepsusslimandhealthyfortherestofourlives?

Healingourbodyinthefundamentalwaywe’rediscussingheretakestime.Thinkofitlikethis:Youareaneliteathletewhojustbrokeyourankle.Nowyouhave to let your body heal itself for a few months. If you follow therecommendationsoftopmedicalprofessionals,yourbodywillfixitselfandyouwillhaveafullyfunctionalanklefortherestofyourlife.Butyouneedtohavepatiencetogetthebestresults.

Healing your metabolism is a similar process that requires a similar timeline.IwishIcouldprovideyouwithanexacttimetable,buteveryone’ssituationis unique. How quickly you unclog depends onmany factors, includingHowambitiousyourgoalsare.Moreambitiousgoalsmeanmoretimeisneeded.How frequently and vigorously you have yo-yo dieted. More yo-yoingmeansmoretimeneeded.

Howoldyouare.Moreyearsmeanmoretimeneeded.Howhealthyyouare.Moremedicalissuesmeanmoretimeneeded.Howslimyourparentsare.Heavierparentsmeanmoretimeneeded.Howyoulive.Morestress,morealcohol,andmorelatenightsmeanmoretimeneeded.

HowSANEyougo.Morestarchesandsweetsmeansmoretimeneeded.

Howshouldyoureactwhenyouhearyourfriendbragabouttheweightshelost in a fewweeks by following the latest quick-fix fad? Just smile andnod.Sadly,shewillnotbebragginginafewmonths.Hereffortsarelikestrappingabracearoundherbrokenankleandgoingdancing.Becausesheisfocusedontheshorttermshehasdonemoreharmthangood,buthopefullyshewillrealizethatbeforeherbodybecomesevenmoredamaged.

PRINCIPLE4:RETHINKNUTRITIONLABELSYou are already an expert in the general types of foods you can enjoy inabundance, butwhat about nutrition labels?How canwe use them to help usidentifySANEoptions?Herearesomequicktips:•Themorefiberthebetter.

•Themoreproteinthebetter.•Thelesssugarthebetter.•Thefeweringredientsthebetter.• The more vitamins and minerals per serving relative to calories perservingthebetter.

•Iftheingredientsincludeaddedsweetenersthatcontaincalories(seethelist provided earlier), hydrogenated anything, trans anything, starch(flour,corn,rice,barley,etc.),oranythingyoucannotpronounce,avoidit.

• Don’t pay toomuch attention to percentages. They do not reflect theactual Nutrition—nutrients per calorie—of the food. For example, it’seasy tobe led tobelieve thata“low-calorie”servingofsugar-saturatedcereal is “healthy” because it provides 25 percent of the of vitamin Cnecessarytoavoidmalnutrition.That’sincorrect.

•Don’tpayattentiontolabelsatall,sincethemostSANEfoodsavailable(nonstarchyvegetables,seafood,meat,rawnutsandseeds,low-fructosefruits, and so on) frequently don’t have nutrition labels on them. Youcouldevenimaginethatamajorreasonwhywehavenutritionlabelsatallisthatmuchofwhatwefindatthegrocerystorethesedaysissofar

from food that we have no way of knowing its health value withoutexplicitinstructions.

PRINCIPLE5:SAVEMONEY—BUYGROCERIESINBULKYoucancutthecostofgoingSANEinhalfifyoudoyourgroceryshoppingatbulkwholesalers likeCostcoandSam’sCluboratfarmers’markets.Ifyoudonot have access to these options, then buy enough nonstarchy vegetables andnutrient-denseproteinatyourconventionalgrocerystoretolastyouuntiltheygoonsaleagain.Frozenandfreezableoptionsarekeyinthisscenario.

PRINCIPLE6:MASTERSNACKINGANDON-THE-GOEATINGYouwillfindthatyouwon’tneedtosnackmuchbecauseyourmealswillbefullofSatisfyingfood.Asageneralrule,ifyouneedtosnack,you’reprobablynoteatingenoughSANEfoodsatmealtimesandshouldreassessthecompositionofthosemeals. But if you need a little energy boost or you’re simply craving asweet,salty,orcrunchytreat,herearemytoptengo-tooptions:Top10SANESnacksandTreats

1.hard-or soft-boiledeggs (tip:addhalfa teaspoonofbakingsodaperquartofboilingwaterandcool theeggs in icewaterafterboiling tomake peeling easy) 2. raw nonstarchy vegetableswith guacamole 3.SANE smoothies (see recipes in chapter 25) 4. low-sugar jerky orunprocessed lunchmeats 5. protein bars (make sure they contain atleast five times more protein than sugar—I recommend Quest bars,whichhaveagreaterthan10:1ratioofproteintosugar,aremadefromquality ingredients,andarehigh in fiber)6.berriesand/or low-sugarprotein powder mixed with plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese 7.SANEtreats,likefudge,cake,pie,cookies,pudding,oricecream(seerecipesinchapter25)8.bakedkalechips

9.nutsorseeds10.sugar-freedrinkswithasfewchemicalsinthemaspossible(ideallythesewouldbesweetenedwithanaturalnoncaloricsweetenersuchasstevia)Theseoptionscanalsocomeinhandywhileyou’re traveling.Also note that freezing food, putting it in an insulated bag, andenjoyingitafteritthawsisanotherusefuloption.Ifyouareeatingout,avoidpastadishes,andaskyourserverto“holdthestarch,doublethevegetables.”Asian restaurants are easy: eat thewholemaindish and

skipthericeinsteadofeatinghalfofthemaindishandabunchofrice.Ifburgersareyouronlyoption,getagiganticgrass-fedorleanoneandenjoyitwithoutthebun.

PRINCIPLE7:SIMPLIFYWITHGREENSMOOTHIESWhile blending is not required, eating ten or more servings of nonstarchyvegetablesperdayismucheasierifyouuseagoodblendertomakenonstarchyvegetableandlow-fructosefruitsmoothies.Don’tuseajuicer.Itremovesfiberandhealthynutrients.Useablenderandcustomizethisgeneralformula:1.Packas much spinach as you can into a good blender (Vitamix and Blendtec areexcellent;Ninjasarequitegoodandlessexpensive).

2.Addoneortwohandfulsoffreshorfrozenstrawberriesoranorange(optional:alongwithsomeof thenaturalnoncaloricsweetenersteviaorxylitol).

3.Add30gramsofvanilla-flavoredlow-sugarproteinpowderandalittlecinnamon.

4.Addwaterandicecubes.5.Blendcompletely.6.Adjusttheamountoflow-sugarfruit,cinnamon,water,andicecubestomakeyourperfectgreensmoothie.

Theneatthingaboutthesesmoothiesisthatbyfollowingtheseinstructions,youwillbeabletoconsumetwotofiveservingsofnonstarchyvegetablesrawwhiledrinkingsomethingthattasteslikeastrawberryororangeCreamsicle.It’shardtobelieveuntilyoutryit,butthetasteofthespinachiscompletelymaskedby the low-fructose fruits and vanilla. And talk about convenience. You canmakeafewoftheseatatime,enjoythemonthegothroughouttheday,andtakecareofyournonstarchyvegetablegoalwithouthavingtocook.

As you get more advanced with your green smoothies, you will findnonstarchyvegetablecombinationsthatwillprovideyouwithmorenutritioninaquick and portable smoothie than most people consume in a week. Greensmoothiesmayseemscaryatfirst,butafter tryingthemforaweekandseeinghowyoulookandfeel,youmayfindthatlivingwithoutthemstartstofeelevenscarier.

PRINCIPLE 8: PROTECT YOUR SANEITY AT EVENTS ANDHOLIDAYS

Starchesandsweetsareeverywhereduringtheholidays.ThekeytopreservingyourSANEityisgoingtosoundfamiliar:keepyourselfsosatisfiedwithwater-,fiber-,andprotein-richfoodsthatyouaretoofullforthesesugarbombs—oratleastsoyoucanenjoyabiteandwalkawaysmiling.Ifyouknowyouareaboutto step into a starch-and sweet-saturated situation, theneat a lotofnonstarchyvegetables, nutrient-dense protein, and whole-food fats before you get to thepartyorwalkintothelounge.

Of course, it’s fine to splurge occasionally, especially when we splurgeintelligentlybyfocusingonfattyratherthansugaryorstarchytreats.Ifyouhavetopicksomethingfromthecheeseandmeatplatterorthecookieplatter,splurgeonthefattycheesesandmeats.Naturalfatsareawonderful treatbecausetheyfillusupwhilekeepingourfat-storinghormonesatbay.Sugarystarchesdojusttheopposite.Splurgeonfattoavoidstoringfat.

Finally,manyof thesesituationsactuallymakestayingclog-freesimple,asbuffetsofferanarrayofnonstarchyvegetables, fruits,cheeses,meats,seafood,nuts,starches,andsweets.Fillhalfyourplateupwithnonstarchyvegetables;fillmostof theotherhalfwithseafoodandmeat; fill in thegapwith low-fructosefruits,nuts,andcheeses;andenjoy.Stillhungry?Repeat thefirstplate.Asweknow,thekeytolong-termsuccessisn’tavoidingfood.Hungerisunhealthy.

PRINCIPLE9:ENJOYLOTSOFWATERANDGREENTEAYour body requires at least eight glasses of water per day to burn body fateffectively.Moreisbetter.Drinkingalotofwaterdecreasestheconcentrationofvarioussubstancesinourblood,andthisincreasesourbody’sabilitytoburnfat(this iscalledhypo-osmolality).Additionally,continuouslydrinkingcoldwaterraisesourmetabolicrate.Studiesshowweburnabouttwoadditionalcaloriesforeveryounceofcoldwaterwedrink.

Ifyoururineisnotclear,ifyouareeverthirsty,orifyouhaveroomtodrinkthingsotherthanwater—orgreentea—thenyoucouldbeslimmerandhealthierbydrinkingmorewater.

The easiestway todrink anoptimal amountofwater is to fill up a gallon(128-ounce) jug in themorningand tomakesure it isempty twohoursbeforeyougo tobed.Anothergreatway toboostyourwater intake is to fall in lovewithgreentea.

Greenteacomesfromthesameplantasblacktea(theteamostcommoninthe United States and Europe) but it is processed differently. Its uniqueprocessingleavesgreenteawithalargeamountofsubstancescalledpolyphenols

—especially EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). From a health perspective, thepolyphenolsingreenteahavebeenshowntohelpprevent:weightgaincancerhypertensioncardiovasculardiseasedentalissuesinsulinresistancevirusinfectionsboneissuesParkinson’sdiseaseAlzheimer’sdiseasekidneystoneseyeissuesatherosclerosislow-HDLcholesterolinflammatoryboweldiseasediabetesliverdiseasebacterialissues

The body fat burned by green tea well outweighs the body-fat-burningeffectsofthesmallamountofcaffeineinit(whichisone-fifththecaffeineinacupofcoffee).Researcherssuspectgreentea’suniquefat-burningeffecthastodo with the interaction of this tea’s polyphenols, caffeine, and the hormonenoradrenaline.Tomaximizeall thebenefitsgreenteahastooffer,aimtodrinktenbags’worthofitperday.

Nowyoumaybethinking,“Tenbagsofgreenteaontopofallthatwater?I’mgoingtospendalldayinthebathroom,I’llbereallyjittery,andIwon’thaveanymoneyleft.Isn’tthattoomuchfluid,toomuchcaffeine,andtoomuchmoney?”Not ifwe’resmartabout it:HYDRATION:All thegreen teawedrinkcountstoward our water goals. If you drink ten eight-ounce cups of green tea, thatcountsasteneight-ouncecupsofwater.Also,youcanbrewalotofgreenteaina little water. For example, I brew eight bags of green tea at a time in eightouncesofwater.Iletitsitforafewminutes,addice,andthendrinkitquickly.Dothatonceinthemorningandonceintheafternoonandyouaregoodtogo.

CAFFEINE:Decafgreenteaisashealthyandhelpfulasregulargreentea.

Youcanchoosedecaffeinatedgreenteaandgetthesamehealthbenefits,butifyoucravecaffeinelikeme,neverfear:abagofregulargreenteacontainsonlyabout 30 milligrams of caffeine. Compare that with a cup of brewed coffee,which can contain up to 150milligrams of caffeine.Most doctorswill advisethat up to 300milligrams of caffeine per day (the equivalent of two cups ofcoffee) is safe. Ten bags of green tea deliver roughly the same amount ofcaffeinetoyourbodyastwocupsofcoffee.

8oz(UnlessOtherwiseNoted) Caffeine(mg.)1max-strengthNoDozpill 200brewedcoffee 1501bagblacktea 80Monsterenergydrink 80Rockstarenergydrink 80

1.5ouncesespresso77

RedBullenergydrink 76FullThrottleenergydrink 721baggreentea 30decaffeinatedcoffee 71bagdecafgreentea 3

COST-EFFECTIVENESS: It ischeapandeasy tobuyregularordecafgreenteainbulk.Ibuyitonlineinbulkeachmonthandthecostcomesto$0.08perbag—includingshippingandhandling.Thatislessthanadollaradaytogetallthebenefitsgreenteahastooffer.

Also keep inmind that there is a big difference between drinking tea forenjoymentanddrinkinggreenteaforhealth.Teaislikewine.Justasthereis$5wineand$500wine,thereis$0.08greenteaand$8.00greentea.Ifyoualreadyenjoymoreexpensive tea,keepitupandadddrinkingat least tenbagsof lessexpensivegreenteatoyourday.

Ifyoudon’tenjoyhottea,addiceanddrinkitcold.Ifyouprefernottodrinkcaffeine,trydecaf.Ifyoudon’twanttostainyourteeth,drinkitthroughastraw.Ifyoudon’tlikethetaste,drinkitwithsomethingSANEyoudolike,suchasagreensmoothie.Andsticktosippinggreenteainsteadofswallowinggreenteasupplements.Studiesshowthatmostgreenteasupplementsarenotasgoodfor

usasnaturalgreentea.Ifyouareinterestedinoptimizinggreentea’shealthbenefits,studiessuggest

thatyouwouldbebest servedblendingmatchagreen teawithapeeled lemonandwaterfortwominutes(oruntilthelemoniscompletelyliquefied).

Finally,drinkingmorewaterandgreen teamakes it easier toavoid sugarybeverages. If it is not water, green tea, or something else calorie free—e.g.,coffee without cream or sugar—or something you personally blended fromSANEfoods,drinkingitwillraiseyourset-pointfastandfuriously.

PRINCIPLE 10: FORGET PERFECTION. COMMIT PUBLICLY.GETSUPPORT.It is reasonable to reach thispoint and say, “I can’t do all of that”or “I don’twant to do all of that.” No problem. This isn’t about being perfect. In fact,pursuingnutritionalperfection isstressful, isbadforyourhealth,and iscalledorthorexia (orthos = correct or right, orexis = appetite). Avoid becomingorthorexic.Focusongettingthebigthingsrightmostofthetime.Armyourselfwith the informationnecessary to lookand feelgoodandapplyasmuchoraslittleofitasyoulikedependingonhowmuchbodyfatyouwanttoloseandhowmuchbetteryouwanttofeel.

Whatmostpeoplefindisthattheystartdoingthebasicsoutlinedhere,lovetheresults,andthenwanttogofurther.Again,SANEeatingfavorspracticalityoverperfectionandyoucanburnas littleorasmuchbodyfatasyouwant to.Wanttoburnuptotwopoundsofbodyfatperweek?EatsomuchSANEfoodthatyouaretoofullforinSANEfoodandexercisesmarter.Havemoremodestgoals?EatlessSANEfoodandsomeinSANEfood.Youmakethedecision.Themorenonstarchyvegetablesandnutrient-denseproteinyoueat,theslimmeryouwillbe.

Thetablebelowdetailsaspectrumofeatingandlifestylechoices,andgivesyouanindicationoftheresultsforeachsetofbehaviors.Takeabrieflookandidentifywhereyoufiton thisspectrumcurrently,andwhereyouwould like toendup.Pleasenotethatthisandeverythingelselikeitaregeneralguides.Iurgeyou not to get bogged down in details, as slim really is simple oncewe haveaccess to the correct information. Eat so many nonstarchy vegetables andnutrient-dense proteins that you are too full for starches and sweets, exercisesmarterforafewminutesperweek,giveyourbodyafewmonthstohealitself,and youwill achieve a previously unimaginable level of lasting slimness andhealth.

HOWFOODANDLIFESTYLECHOICESADDUP

AFormulaforObesity

•Avoideatingnutrient-denseprotein.•Eatmostlystarchandsweets.•EatinSANEdessertallthetime.

•Drinkanythingotherthanwaterorgreentea.

Whichamountstoeatingthisdaily:

>12servingsofstarchorsweets 0servingsofnutrient-denseprotein 0servingsofnonstarchyvegetables 0servingsofwhole-foodfats 0servingsoflow-fructosefruits 0ouncesofwater/0bagsofgreentea

Getlessthansixhoursofundisturbedsleeppernight.

A Formula forBeingOverweight

•Eatatleast30gramsofnutrient-denseproteinwithlunchanddinner.

• Trade starch and sweets for nutrient-dense protein andnonstarchyvegetablesatmostdinners.

• Eat inSANE dessert sometimes and SANE desserts at othertimes.

•Drinkwaterandgreenteaoccasionally.

Whichamountstoeatingthisdaily:

9servingsofstarchorsweets

One30-to55-gramservingofnutrient-denseprotein

2servingsofnonstarchyvegetables 1servingofwhole-foodfats 0–1servingoflow-fructosefruits 32ouncesofwater/2bagsofgreentea

Getsixhoursofundisturbedsleeppernight.

AFormulaforBeingTypical

•Eatatleast30gramsofnutrient-denseproteinwithlunchanddinner.

• Trade starch and sweets for nutrient-dense protein andnonstarchyvegetablesatlunchanddinner.

• Eat inSANE dessert once per week, and SANE desserts acoupleoftimesperweek.

•Activelytrytodrinkmorewaterandgreentea.

Whichamountstoeatingthisdaily:

6servingsofstarchorsweets

Two30-to55-gramservingsofnutrient-denseprotein

5servingsofnonstarchyvegetables 2servingsofwhole-foodfats 0–2servingsoflow-fructosefruits 64ouncesofwater/5bagsofgreentea

Getsevenhoursofundisturbedsleeppernight.

AFormulaforBeingFit

•Eatatleast30gramsofnutrient-denseproteinwithbreakfast,lunchanddinner.

• Almost always trade starch and sweets for protein andnonstarchyvegetables.

•EatSANEdessertsacoupleoftimesperweek.

•Drinkwaterandgreenteaoften.

Whichamountstoeatingthisdaily:

3servingsofstarchorsweets

Three30-to55-gramservingsofnutrient-denseprotein

8servingsofnonstarchyvegetables 3servingsofwhole-foodfats 0–3servingsoflow-fructosefruits 96ouncesofwater/8bagsofgreentea

Geteighthoursofundisturbedsleeppernight.

AFormulaforBeingaFitnessModel

• Eat at least 30 grams of nutrient-dense protein with at leastbreakfast,lunch,anddinner.

• Alwaystradestarchandsweetsfornutrient-denseproteinandnonstarchyvegetables.

•EatSANEdessertsoccasionally,notbecauseyouaredeprivingyourself,butbecauseyouareoftentoofullfordessert.

•Drinksomuchwaterandgreenteathatyoudon’thaveroomtodrinkanythingotherthanunsweetenedcoffee.

Whichamountstoeatingthisdaily:

0servingsofstarchorsweets

Three to six 30-to 55-gram servings of nutrient-dense protein(100–200gramstotal)

>10servingsofnonstarchyvegetables 3–6servingsofwhole-foodsfats 0–3servingsoflow-sugarfruit

128ounceswater/10+bagsofgreentea

Geteightormorehoursofundisturbedsleeppernight.

Regardlessofyourindividualgoals,committothem.Publicly,ifpossible.E-mailthosegoalstofamilyandfriends.Postthemonyoursocialnetworksandinthisbook’sonlinesupportgroup.Drawsupportandmotivationfromthosewholoveyouandotherswhoareenjoyingasimilarlifestyle.

Whenpeopleaskyouhowmuchweightyouhavelost,tellthemyouhavenoidea,butyouarewearingjeansyoucouldn’tzipupthreemonthsago,haveanabsurdamountofenergy,arefallingasleeptheminuteyourheadhitsthepillow,are free frommedical conditions previously plaguing you, and are playing asmuch tennis asyoudid inhigh school.Youwillnotbebragging.Youwill besettinganexampleofwhathealthandfitnesssuccessreallymeans,andyoumaychangetheirliveswhilechangingyourown.

Nowthatwe’vecoveredhowtogoSANEwithyourfoodchoices,we’regoingtolookathowyoucangetSmarterwithyourexerciseroutine—andittakesonlyabout twentyminutes a week. A little smarter exercise clears hormonal clogsmoreeffectivelythanalotoftraditionalexercisethankstoitshighpotency.Let’slookathowtomakeitworkforyou.

FromPastryCheftoSANEGourmet:Carrie’sStoryCarrie started her career as one of the best pastry chefs inEngland. Shealso started her life as a naturally thin person. She could enjoy all theinSANE treats she liked while staying slim and without even thinkingaboutjoiningagym.

Thenshehitherlatethirties.Nothingaboutherlifestylechanged,buther body did. She watched in horror as the same body that hadautomaticallykeptherslimforoverthreedecadesbecameherenemy.

Now Iknow that just like everyoneelse’s,myhormonesand set-pointwerechangingwithage.But,Ihadnoideaaboutthisat the

time and got depressed.Myworstmoment involved a trip to thedoctor.

I visited my doctor to get help with my weight issues. Mydoctor told me to drink only weight-loss shakes and exercise asmuch as possible for twoweeks.He said thiswould prove that Icouldcontrolmyweight.Whatfollowedweretwohorribleweeks.Iwasableto“find”15hoursperweektoexercise,buttheycameatthe expense of relationships and my career. I was constantlyhungry,tired,andinamentalfog.Youcanimaginetheimpactonmypersonalandprofessionallife.But,doctorsknowbest.

Aftertwoweeksofmisery,Iwentbacktomydoctorandhitanall-time lowwhen I foundoutmyweighthadn’t changedat all. Ifiredmydoctorandstartedtolookforalternatives.

SANEeatingappealedtomebecauseitwasdiverseenoughthatIcouldcontinuetomakedeliciousdishes,anditwasfoodfriendlyenoughthatIcouldswearoffhungerforever.Smarterexercisewasa no-brainer, as anything more than 30 minutes of exercise perweeksimplydoesn’tworkwithmyschedule.

InjustafewmonthsIwasbacktomyslimselfdespitehavingcrossed the 40-year mark. I’m still creating culinary treats withsimpleSANEsubstitutions.I’mneverhungry.MyfriendshavenoideahowIeatsomuch,exercisesolittle,andstaysoslim.MyLDLcholesterolalsofell100points.

I’mnowdedicatingalargepartofmylifetosharingdeliciousSANEdisheswitheveryoneIcan.Iknowfirsthandthateatinglotsofdeliciousfoodandbeinghealthyandslimdoesn’thavetobeaneither/ordecision.Iknowthatnoteatinganddoingalotofexercise“works”forsomepeople,butI’mnotoneofthem.

GetSmartwithYourExercise

Aboutalmostanysubject,therearethefacts“everyoneknows”andthentherearetherealones.

—ErnestG.Ross

Traditional exercise programs require a commitment of at least ten hours perweek.Thisrequirementaloneaccountsformuchof their long-termfailurerate(whichisaround95percent).Whohasthatmuchsparetime?

Fortunately, scientists have discovered a smarter alternative. A safer andmorepotent formofexercise thatunclogsus in just ten to twentyminutesperweek.Howcanitpossiblydosomuchinsolittletime?“Smarter”exercise,asIlike to call it, does something much different from traditional exercise. Itexercisesallourmusclefibers,includingatypeofmusclefiberthatisespeciallyhormonally helpful and has probably never been activated in your entire life!Contrast this with traditional exercise that activates only the one leasthormonally helpful type of muscle fiber. By working additional and morepowerful muscle fibers we can exercise less—but smarter—and create a set-point-loweringresponsethatisimpossibleviaanytraditionalexercise.

Let’s quickly compare traditional exercise with this smarter alternative.Traditionalexerciseisrootedinthefalsecalorie-countingtheory.Itaimstoburncaloriesandisdonefrequently,foralongtime;usesalittleresistance;andoftenleadstoinjury(thinkjogging.)Ontheotherhand,smarterexerciseisrootedinproven physiology. It aims to clear our hormonal clog and is done lessfrequently,forashortperiodof time;usesalotofresistance;andisextremelysafe. Smarter exercise is done as eccentric resistance training and no-impactinterval training, and it’s one of themost exciting things I have to sharewith

you.Not only does exercising smarter give you all the benefits that traditional

exerciseprogramsclaimtoprovide,butitisalsotheonlyactivitythathasbeenprovedtoreverseaginginhumansatthemolecularlevel.ScientistsattheBuckInstituteforAgeResearchdiscoveredthataftersixmonthsofresistancetraining“the transcriptional signature of aging wasmarkedly reversed back to that ofyounger levelsformostgenes thatwereaffectedbybothageandexercise.”157Presentedwiththefindingsfromthisstudy,Dr.DougMcGuff,authorofBodybyScience, remarked, “Nothing else in human history has shown a functionalreversingofageinhumansatamolecularlevel.”158

Bestofall,smarterexerciseissimple.You’llnoticeasyoureadthissectionthat I spenda lot less time talkingaboutexercise than Idocoveringnutrition.That’snotbecause Idon’tvalue the roleof exercise in ahealthy lifestyle, butbecause exercising for long-termhealth and fat losshasbeenovercomplicatedandSANEeatingaccountsforatleast90percentofourlong-termsuccess.AsauthorTimCaulfieldbrilliantlystates,“Whenyouhearsomeonesay‘Iworkoutso Icaneatwhat Iwant,’youshouldknow thathe isdeludedunless (a)he istrainingashardasaTourdeFrancecyclistbutdoesn’tcareabouthisweight;or(b)‘eatwhatIwant’meanstheunbridledconsumptionofbroccoli,celery,water,andair.”159

Smarter exercise is a wonderful and required complement to a SANElifestyle, but much the way exercise cannot undo the damage done to ourrespiratory system by smoking, the same is true for the damage done to ourmetabolicsystembyinSANEfoods.Byfocusingprimarilyoneatingmorebutsmarter, and secondarilyonexercising lessbut smarter, youcan simplifyyourlifewhileenjoyinglong-termresultsyouneverthoughtpossible.

WILLSMARTEREXERCISEMAKEMEBIGGER?Before we change our minds, bodies, and genes long term with the SixPrinciplesofSmarterExercise,let’saddressthecommonfearthatusingweight-resistance-based exercise makes women look like men and men look likebulldogs.Thebestwaytoaddressthisfearistounderstandourbiology.

Thelevelsoftestosteroneneededtodevelopbulkymusclesarefoundinonlya small percentage of men. Most women have about the same level oftestosteroneasaten-year-oldboy.WeallalsohaveagenecalledGDF-8,anditcontrols a substance called myostatin, which further regulates the amount ofmuscle we have and how much it develops naturally. The base levels of

hormones,myostatin, andmuscle in nearly allwomen andmostmenmake itimpossibleforthemtonaturallybuildbulkymusclesusinganyformofexercise.

Thinkofmusclesizeasbeinglikemusclespeed.Fewpeoplearefastbecausefew people have “fast-muscle genes.” Nomatter howmuchmost people run,theywillnevergetfasterthantheirgenesallow.However,ifpeopledohavethegenes for speed, they will naturally be faster than most people without evertraining.

Similarly, few people can become bulky because few people—particularlywomen—have “bulky-muscle genes.”Nomatter howmuch resistance trainingmost people do, they will never developmoremuscle than their genes allowthem to.AsWilliamKraemer, PhD, the editor of the Journal of Strength andConditioningResearch, tells us, “Women have been sold amyth of becomingbig.Theydonothavethegenetics.”160

Also keep in mind that body fat is bulky, not muscle. This is why sometrainerswill tellyou,“Muscleweighsmorethanbodyfat.”Whilemuscledoesnotweighmore than body fat—one poundofmuscleweighs the same as onepound of fat, whichweighs the same as one pound of feathers—muscle doestakeuplessspace.Thisiswhymostfemalefitnessmodelsareaboutfivefeetsixinchesandweigh140pounds.Welookatthem,andjudgingbytheirsize,thinktheyweigh110pounds.Theydonot.Seethosetonedlegs?Thatisquiteabitofmuscletissuetakingupalittlespace.

Farfromcausingaproblem,developingcompactmuscle tissueviasmarterexerciseisoneofourmosteffectivetoolstoboosthealthandburnbodyfatlongterm. In fact,Yasuhiro Izumiya,MD,PhD, amolecular cardiologist atBostonUniversity,foundthatdevelopmentofthespecifictypeofmusclefiberstargetedby smarter exercise “can regress obesity and resolve metabolic disorders inobese mice.”161 Notably, Izumiya doesn’t mention “burning calories” or“workingupasweat,”butrathermentions“resolvingmetabolicdisorders.”Thelatterisallaboutthelongterm.Allthoseotherthingsfocusontheshortterm.

Izumiya went on to describe how these muscle fibers cleared clogs byimproving“insulinsensitivityand[causing]reductionsinbloodglucose,insulin,andleptinlevels.”Mostencouragingly,henoted,“Theseeffectsoccurreddespiteareductioninphysicalactivity.”

Wewillgetmoreforless,andwewillseethatfarfrombeingtoogoodtobetrue,onceweunderstandourphysiology,smarterexercise is tooobvious tobefalse.

Layingthe“ExercisetoBurnCalories”MythtoRestOnceandforAllFreeing ourselves from thinking about exercise in terms of calories isn’teasyaftera lifetimeof incorrect information.However, itbecomeseasieroncewelearnhowtraditionalexerciseisterribleatburningcalories.Thirtyminutesofjoggingconsumesonly170morecaloriesthanwewouldhaveburnedspendingthirtyminuteswithourfamilyandfriends.

Toput 170 calories intoperspective, our liver burnsover three timesthatamountperday.Inotherwords,wewouldhavetodoninetyminutesofconventionalcardiovascularexerciseeverydaytoburnasmanycaloriesasour liverdoeseveryday.Three-quartersof thecaloriesweburneverydayhavenothingtodowithmoving,letalonetraditionalaerobicexercise.

Infact,remembertheguideline“eatthreetosix30-to55-gramservingsof protein per day to activate muscle protein synthesis” in our earlierdiscussion?ResearchersattheUniversityofIllinoishavefoundthatwhenweeataSANEquantityandqualityofprotein,wecantriggerthecreationofabout250gramsofnewtissuewithinourbodyperday.Thisprocesscancost awhopping30percentof the total caloriesweburn inaday (about540 to720 calories). It is so calorically costly, that it causesour cells togenerate more mitochondria (metabolic power plants)—a reaction oncethoughtpossibleonlyviaintenseexercise.Ibringthisupbecauseitshowsthat even if our goal was to burn calories, eating a SANE quantity andquality of proteinwould cause our body to burnmore calories than anynormalpersonwouldeverburnviaaerobicexercise.

Aswewillcovershortly,beingactiveiswonderfulforourhealth.Weshoulddoasmuchlow-impactrestorativeactivitysuchaswalking,yoga,etc., as possible. However, even if we fell back into the calorie myths,traditional aerobic exercises such as jogging still wouldn’t effectivelyfurther thosemisdirectedgoals.AsEricOliver,PhD,at theUniversityofChicago tells us, “For Americans to begin losing weight through[traditionalcardiovascular]exercise, thecurrentUSDAexerciseguidelinewouldhavetobeincreasedbyalmost200percent. . . .Americanswouldneedtostartexercisingatleasttwohoursaday,sixdaysaweek.”162

Forgetcalories.Focusonhormones.Loweryourset-point.Burnbodyfatforever.

TheSixPrinciplesofSmarterExercise

Gradually,weightlifting[resistancetraining]changedthewayIlooked.Thealterationwasnotdramatic,butIlovedit.Mybackbecamebroader,which makes my hips look smaller; my arms and legs are firmer andmoreshapely.Inevergrewbigmuscles,buttheyaredefined;youcanseetheiroutlines.Ifeeldifferent,too,moreconfidentofmybody’sstrengthand of my ability to do almost any movement in daily life with littleeffort.

—GinaKolata,NewYorkTimes163

PRINCIPLE 1: EXERCISE MORE MUSCLE TO GET MORERESULTSWhydopeoplerideabiketoburnbodyfatinsteadofdrawingpicturesofbikestoburnbodyfat?Afterall,bothactivitiesexercisemuscles.Wechoosetorideabike because doing so exercises more muscle (the large leg muscles) thandrawingbikes(thesmallhandmuscles).Themoremuscleexercised,thebetterourresults.Traditionalexercisehas thatmuchright.However,wecandoa lotbetter.

Justaswegetbetterresultsinlesstimebyworkingmoremuscleswithinourbody,wegetevenbetterresultsinevenlesstimebyconcentratingoureffortsonexercisingmoreof the the individual fibers thatmakeupourmuscles.BostonUniversityresearchersfoundthatwhenweengageinexercisethatworksmoremusclefibers,weexercise theuniquelyclog-clearingmusclefiberscalled type2b muscle fibers, which have “a previously unappreciated role in regulatingwhole-bodymetabolism[unclogging].”164Becauseof that role, the researchers

concluded that strength trainingmight be evenmore important to overweightpeople.

So how do we activate these and all the rest of our muscle fibers? Theanswer may surprise you. The best strategy is to exercise less—but smarter.Here’showthisworks.Justaswehavedifferentmusclestododifferentthings—ourbicepshelpmoveourarmsandourhamstringshelpmoveourlegs—wealsohave different muscle fibers to perform different roles within the tissue thatmakesupourmuscles.Forinstance,thetype1(slow-twitch)fibersinourarms,ourlegs,andeveryothermusclegroupenableustomovewithalittleforceforhours. They keep uswalking around all day.On the other hand, type 2 (fast-twitch) fibers enable us tomovewith a lot of force forminutes and seconds.Theyenableus to lift furniturebriefly and they come in three forms: type2a,type 2x, and type 2b—each getting progressively stronger, larger, andhormonallyhelpful(I’lldigintohormonesinaminute).

Just as our stronger, larger leg muscles help us burn more fat than oursmaller, weaker handmuscles, our stronger, larger type 2 fibers help us burnmore fat than our weaker type 1 fibers. Similarly, much as we engage moremusclegroupswhenweliftaheavyobject(weliftheavyboxeswithour legs,back,andarms,whileweliftlightboxeswithonlyourarms),wealsousemoremusclefiberstheheaviertheobjectwemove(weusetype1andalltype2fiberswhenwedosmarterexercise,whileweuseonlyourtype1fiberswhenwejog).

Whenweputallofthistogether,wearriveatasurprisingandencouragingconclusion.Themore resistanceweuse, themoremuscle fiberswework, themoreenergyweuse,thefasterwerunoutofenergy,themoresoreweget,andtherefore,thelessexerciseweneedtodointermsofbothduration(exercisefor

abouttenminutesatatime)andfrequency(onceortwiceperweek)toburnfatandboostourhealthlongterm.Forinstance,wecan’tholdaheavybox(alotofmuscle fibers worked) as long or as often aswe can hold a light box (a fewfibersworked).

Thismeansthechoicebetweenexercisingmore,butwithlessresistance,andexercising less, but withmore resistance, is clear. If we choose to follow thetraditional guidance and to exercise more, we have to pick an exercise thatrequiresalittleforce,engagesfewmusclefibers,andrequiresalittleenergy.Wethendothisexerciseforalongtimebeforewerunoutofenergyandwegetlittlehormonal benefit. Further, it does not make us particularly sore so we arecompelledtodoitfrequently.However, ifwechoosetoexercisesmarter—i.e.,with more resistance—we pick an exercise that requires a lot of force, manymusclefibers,andalotofenergy.Wethenrunoutofenergyinashorttimeandweachievedramatichormonalbenefits.Wealsogetquitesoreandareunabletodo it frequently. In short, we get more results in less time. As Dr. RalphCarpinelli,oftheHumanPerformanceLaboratoryatAdelphiUniversity,clearlystates,“Thereislittlescientificevidence,andnotheoreticalphysiologicalbasis,tosuggest thatagreatervolumeofexerciseelicitsgreaterincreasesinstrengthorhypertrophy[muscledevelopment].”165

Is this strategy awayof cutting corners? I don’t think so.Whenwe thinkabouttheclassgeniuswhoaceshertestinhalfthetimeittakesotherstogetaC,wedon’tsayshe’scuttingcorners.Wecallhersmart.

Sowhydomanyotherprogramssuggest thatweworkfewermusclefibersforalongerperiodsoftime(viaconventionalcardio)?Forthesamereasonssomanydiet programs suggest starvingourselves:They are rooted in the caloriemyths. They are focused onmythicalmetabolismmath andmanually burningmore calories. They fight against our set-point and therefore rarelywork longterm.

Finally, it’s important to note that exercisingwithmore resistance doesn’tmeanthatyouhavetoputmorestressonyourjoints.Thetechniquesthatfollowwillallowyoutoincreaseresistanceandmaximizetheresultsofyourworkoutwithout increasing the impactonyourbody.Theseexercisesaresafer than thehigh-impact cardio activities many people embrace, such as running. So let’sfocusonincreasingyourresultswhiledecreasingtheamountoftimeyouspendatthegym.

PRINCIPLE 2: FOCUS ON HORMONES INSTEAD OFCALORIESTraditionalexerciseisallabout“burningcalories.”Incaseyouhaven’tnoticed,researchrevealstraditionalexerciseisallwrong.

Smarterexerciseignoresthequantityofcaloriesburnedduringthe1percentof your life spent exercising. It focuses on how you exercise,which is to saywhatmusclefibersyouengage,andontriggeringmoreclog-clearinghormones.Allyouneedtoharness thesehormonesis toapplythefirstprinciple:exercisewithmoreresistancetoworkmoremuscletogetmoreresults.

Whyshouldwefocusonhormonesinsteadofcalorieswhenexercising?Oneofthereasonsourbodyslowsdownandburnsmusclebeforeitburnsbodyfatisthatburningbodyfat ishard.Untilweget therightcombinationofhormones,we are not burning through anything meaningful other than time and muscletissue.Theotherreasonisthatourbodydoesnotwanttoburnfatunlessithasnootheroption.Itisunfortunateforourwaistlines,butitmakesperfectsurvivalsense.Ourbodystores fat toprotectus fromstarving. If itburns fat, itcannotprotectus.

“Hardtodo”plus“donotwanttodo”generallyequals“it’snothappening.”Thatis,unlessourbodyhasnootheroption.Thewaytoachievethisissimple:require it to expend a huge amount of energy quickly. Use more resistance.Exercisesmarter.Workallmusclefibers.

Aswe know, when our body needs a lot of energy it can do four things:Make us eat more. Slow down. Burn muscle. Burn fat. However, when weexercisewithalotofresistance,weeliminatethreeoftheseoptions.Makinguseatmorewillnotworkbecausedigestiontakesalongtime.Itistoolatetoslowusdownbecausetheenergydemandshavealreadybeenmade.Burningmuscleis out of the question, since smarter exercise stimulates muscle rather thandestroyingit.Leftwithnootheroption,ourbodyisforcedtoproducehormonessuchasepinephrine,adrenaline,noradrenaline,growthhormone,etc.,whichfree

upenergystoredasbodyfat.Please keep in mind that increasing the frequency or duration of exercise

doesnotyieldthesameresultsasincreasingtheresistanceofourexercise.Morefrequent or longer workouts are akin to a martial artist trying to break fourprogressivelythickerboardsbygentlytappingonthemmore.Breakingthroughthe boards is about higher quality (force), not higher quantity (duration andfrequency).Withone focused,quick, safe, and intense strike, themartial artistwill achieve something no quantity of lower quality could ever accomplish.Similarly,withone focused,quick, safe, and intenseworkout,wewill achievesomethingnoquantityoflowerqualityevercould.Wewillbreak—inahealthyway—eachof our progressively stronger types ofmuscle fibers and achieve aset-point-loweringreactionnoquantityoflowerqualityevercould.

PRINCIPLE 3: INCREASE RESISTANCE AND REDUCEFREQUENCYTOINCREASERESULTSIfwe havemore hair cut offwhenwe get a haircut,we can get haircuts lessoften. That is not some too-good-to-be-true gimmick. That is common sense.Themorehairwehavecutoff,themoretimeneededtogrowitback.Similarly,ifwe exercisemoremuscle,we can exercise less often, becausemore time isrequiredtorecover.

How long our muscles take to recover is a great way to tell if we areexercisingsmarter.IfweareabletoexerciseonMondayandthendothesamethingadayortwolater,wearenotactivatingallourmusclefibers.IfMonday’sworkoutusedenoughresistance toexerciseallourmusclefibers, theywillnotbe ready to go again one, two, three, four, or even five days later. Type 2bmusclefibersneedatleastsixdaystorecover.

Ifweareexercisingfrequently,eitherwearenotexercisingsmarterorwearenotgivingourclog-clearinghormonesenoughtimetodo their job.Eitherwaywe are spending more time exercising and burning less body fat long term.Enough of that. Let’s do a little smarter exercise and then let our uncloggedbodiesdotherest.

PRINCIPLE4:LOWERWEIGHTSTOLOWERYOURWEIGHTSmarter exercise does not require lifting weights. We are going to focus onloweringweights.

Every resistance training exercise has two parts: lifting the resistance (forexample,standingup)and lowering theresistance(forexample,sittingdown).

Liftingtheresistanceiscalledtheconcentricportionoftheexercise.Concentricis when the muscle contracts. Lowering the resistance is called the eccentricportionoftheexercise.Eccentriciswhenthemuscleextends.Liftingweights—the concentric action—getsmore attention inmusclemagazines.But loweringweights—theeccentricaction—getsmoreresultsinstudies.

While liftingweightshelpsboys feel likemen, safelyandslowly loweringweightsenablesus touseup to40percentmoreresistance.Thatenablesmoremuscle fibers to beworked andmore clog-clearing hormones to be triggered.That means more results in less time. For example, Marc Roig, PhD, of theDepartment of Physical Therapy at theUniversity ofBritishColumbia, foundthat “eccentric training performed at high intensities was shown to be moreeffectiveinpromotingincreasesinmuscle.”166

Focusing on the eccentric—lowering—portion of resistance trainingworkssowellbecauseitsafelyallowsourmusclestogeneratemoreforce.Totestthisprinciple,walkupaflightofstairsandthenwalkbackdownthem.Noticehowthetripdownwaseasier?Thatisbecauseyourmusclesarestrongerwhiledoingeccentric—lowering—actionsonthewaydown.Orifyouwanttotakethistestonestepfurtherandeliminatetheinfluenceofgravity,hopontoaseatedroworchest press machine (or any exercise that moves horizontally), and select aweightthatyoucannotliftwithonearmbutcanlifteasilywithtwoarms.Liftitwith two arms and cautiously relaxone armandobservehowyou are able tolowertheresistancewithonearm.Youcouldn’tlifttheweightwithonearm,butyoucould lower itwithonearmbecause,asNeilReeves,PhD,ofManchesterMetropolitan University, tells us, “Muscles are capable of developing muchhigher forces when they contract eccentrically compared with when theycontractconcentri-cally.”167

Once we understand this principle, we can see why it is less effective tofocusonliftingresistance.It’sabit likewritingwithournondominanthand.It“works,”butweknowhowourbodyoperatesbest,sowhynotleveragethattodobetterworkinlesstime?We’llcoverhowinpart3.

PRINCIPLE5:REDUCETIMEEXERCISINGTOREDUCEBODYFAT

Thisnovel time-efficient trainingparadigmcanbeusedasastrategy toreduce metabolic risk factors in young and middle-aged sedentarypopulations who otherwise would not adhere to time-consuming

traditionalaerobicexerciseregimes.—Dr.JohnBabraj,Heriot-WattUniversity168

Aswecoveredearlier,themoremuscleweexercise,themoreenergyweuseandthe less exercise we can do. This point is extremely important and is worthrephrasingandrepeatingbecauseallweeverhearis“exercisemore.”

Wehavealimitedamountofenergy.IfexerciseYtakesfiveminutestouseupourenergybutexerciseXtakesanhourtouseupourenergy,thenexerciseYusesmuchmoremuscleandismuchmoremetabolicallybeneficialthanexerciseX.Wewillbedoingsmarterexercise for justa fewminutesperweekbecauseit’sphysicallyimpossibletodoalotofsmarterexercise.Werunoutofenergyandthebodyshutsdown,whetherwelikeitornot.

The best way to exercise smarter is the eccentric training that we justcovered and will dig deeper into momentarily. However, if you enjoy usingcardiomachines such as stationary bikes or ellipticals to exercise, you can dothose smarter—usingmore resistance—aswell. Let’s call this smarter intervaltraining. Experts at Pennington Biomedical Research Center have found thatinterval training stimulates the body to improve insulin sensitivity more thanlow-quality/high-quantity cardiovascular exercise. In order to tap into thatsmarter cardio response, we have to update the way we think aboutcardiovascularexercises.169

Contrary to popular belief, cardiovascular exercises and resistance trainingexercises are not completely different. Traditional cardiovascular exercises areresistance-trainingexercisesthatrequirelittleforceandworkonlyourweakestmusclefibers.

Saywegetonaleg-pressresistance-trainingmachine,addnoresistance,andmoveourlegsupanddownforthirtyminutes.Didwedoresistancetrainingorcardiovascularexercise?Ourhormonesdon’tcare.Ourmusclesdidnothavetogeneratemuchforce,sowedidnothingtolowerourset-point.Orsaywegetonastair-steppercardiovascularexercisemachine,addnoresistance,andmoveourlegs up and down for thirty minutes. Did we do resistance training orcardiovascularexercise?Ourmusclesdon’tcare.

Now let’s saywegetona stationarybike, increase the resistance somuchthattheonlywaywecangenerateenoughforcetomovethepedalsistostandupaswe pedal. Let’s saywe then pedal as hard aswe can for thirty seconds, at

whichpointwehavetostopbecauseweareoutofenergy.Didwedo

1.Resistancetraining?2.Cardiovascularexercise?3.Neither?4.Both?5. It does not matter—our muscles had to generate a lot of force andthereforewetriggeredthehormonalreactionwe’reafter?

Answer: 5—IT DOES NOT MATTER. Our body does not care aboutresistancetrainingorcardiovasculartraining.Itrespondsintermsofhowmanymusclefibersanexerciseworks.Sothequestionthenbecomes:“Howdoweusemoremusclefiberincardiovascularexercise?”

Easy.Giveyourmusclesmoreresistance.Performsmarterintervaltraining.That’showexercisinglessleadstofatlossandcardiovascularhealth.

BrianIrving,PhD,oftheUniversityofVirginia,tooktwogroupsofwomenand had them do traditional cardiovascular exercise or smarter cardiovascularexercise.Thetwogroupsburnedthesamenumberofcaloriesexercising,butthesmarter-exercise group spent significantly less time exercising, while losingsignificantlymorebellyfat.170

MartinGibala,PhD,ofMcMasterUniversity,separatedpeopleintosmartercardiovascularexerciseandtraditionalcardiovascularexercisegroups.Overthecourseof the two-week study, theSmarterGroupexercised for two-and-a-halfhourswhilethetraditionalexercisegroupexercisedforten-and-a-halfhours.Attheendofthestudybothgroupsgot thesameresultseventhoughthesmarter-exercise group spent 320 percent less time exercising than the traditionalexercisegroup.Gibalaputitlikethis:“Wethoughttherewouldbebenefits,butwedidnotexpectthemtobethisobvious.Itshowshoweffectiveshortintenseexercisecanbe.”171

Manymorestudiesshowthesameencouragingresultsandfurtherprovethathours spent exercisingperweekareunnecessarywhencomparedwith smarterexercise.Considerthissmallsample:

• A study at Harvard University found that “vigorous activities areassociated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, whereasmoderate or light activities have no clear association with the risk ofcoronaryheartdisease.”172

• A study at StanfordUniversity found that “the intensity of effort wasmore important than the quantity of energy output in deterringhypertensionandpreventingprematuremortality.”173

• AnotherstudyfromHarvardfoundthat“there isan inverseassociationbetweenrelativeintensityofphysicalactivityandriskofcoronaryheartdisease.”174

•TheAmericanHeartAssociationnotedthat“vigorous-intensityactivitiesmay have greater benefit for reducing cardiovascular disease andprematuremortalitythanmoderate-intensityphysicalactivities.”175

• Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technologydiscovered that “exercise training reduces the impact of the metabolicsyndrome [the clog] and that the magnitude of the effect depends onexerciseintensity[quality].”176

Even day-to-day cardiovascular benefits, like not being out of breath afterwalking up a few flights of stairs, are achieved faster with smarter exercise.EdwardCoyle,PhD,intheDepartmentofKinesiologyandHealthEducationattheUniversityofTexas,foundthatintervaltrainingproducedamarkedincreaseinaerobicenduranceamonguntrainedpeople,servingas“adramaticreminderof the potency of exercise intensity.”177 Vigorous intensity exercise has beenshown to increase aerobic fitness more effectively than moderate intensityexercise,andthisfacthintsatitsgreatercardio-protectiveeffectsaswell.Ifyoulikedoingcardio,thensmarterintervaltraininghasclearlyemergedasthebestwaytospendyourtime.Youcantradequantityforqualityandgetmoreforlessbyincreasingtheforceofyourexercise.(Again,wewillcoverexactlyhowtodothisinpart3.)

PRINCIPLE6:HEAL—DON’THURT—YOURSELFGiven how little time eccentric and smarter interval training takes, a commonreactiontothisnewapproachtoexerciseis:“Soundsgood.I’ll justaddthattomy existing routine.” That might not necessarily be a bad approach, but toensurethatwespendourtimehealingratherthanharmingourselves,itiscriticaltokeepfourthingsinmind:

1. Unless it is a very-low-intensity and low-impact activity such aswalkingoryoga,moreisn’tbetter;it’sworse.

2. Spare time is best spent on sleep, increasing the SANEity of your

eatingprogram,andthenonrestorativeandrecreationalactivities.3.Thesafestandmostsustainablewaytoincreaseintensityistoincreaseresistancewhiledecreasingspeed.

4.Protectyourtime,money,andmind.

MOREISN’TBETTER;IT’SWORSEImagineyourecentlyhadmajorsurgeryandhavebeenprescribedacutting-edgeprescriptiontohelpyouheal.Yoursurgeontellsyoutotakeonedoseperweek.Atonedoseperweekthisprescriptionwillmakeyouquitesore,butwillbenefityouinwaysthatarehardtobelieveuntilyouexperiencethem.Shetheninformsyouthatbecauseofitshighpotencyitiscriticalnottoincreasethedose.Yougetit.Youkeepyourrecoverysimple.Youstaypatientwhileyourbodyhealsitself.Andyouenjoyahealthier andhappierversionofyourself for the restofyourlife.

Smarterexerciseissimilar.Owingtoitshighpotency,moreisnotbetter;it’sworse.Therearefewareasinlifewherewehavetheopportunitytodolessandgetmore.Pharmacologyandphysiologyaretwoofthem.Takeadvantageofthisopportunity. You have access to the world’s most powerful physiologicalprescription for hormonal healing. Take it as prescribed. Keep your recoverysimple.Staypatient.Letyourbodyheal itself.And thenenjoyahealthierandhappierversionofyourselffortherestofyourlife.

SPARE TIME IS BEST SPENT ON SLEEP AND ENJOYABLEACTIVITIESIfyouwanttousethesparetimefreedupthankstoexercisingless—butsmarter—onyourhealth,youwouldbebestservedspendingit(inorderofbenefit):

1. Sleepingmore. I know this seems like common sense, but consideroneof themost frequentlyprescribedmethods toburn fat andboosthealth:sleepless,exercisemore.Hormonallyclogged,sleep-deprived,andoverstressedindividualsaretoldtowakeupearlytofurtherstresstheirbody.Thisworsenstheirhormonalclog.Tellingustowakeupat4:00a.m.andjogforanhourisliketellingsomeonewhojustbrokeanankletostopicingitandtogojumpupanddownonit.

Remember, a brokenmetabolism really is like a broken ankle: itheals itself when we put less stress on it—not more. Sleeping lessincreases stress. Traditional exercise increases stress. Starvation

increasesstress.That’swhywe’regoingtoeatmoreandexerciseless—butsmarter—andtakethetimewesaveandspenditsleeping.We’regoingtofigurativelyrest,ice,elevate,anddoalittlephysicaltherapytoenableourbrokenmetabolismtohealitself.

2. Increasing the quality of your eating. Think of creative ways tomaximizeyourintakeofexceptionallySANEfoodssuchasdeepleafygreens, seafood, grass-fedmeats, cocoa/cacao, coconut, acai berries,gojiberries,greentea,etc.Remember,thequalityofthefoodweeatisatleast90percentofthelong-termhealthandfitnessequation.

3. Enjoying very low-intensity and low-impact restorative and relaxingactivities such as walking, recreational bike riding, yoga, Pilates,stretching,taichi,meditation,qigong,etc.Movingmoreiswonderfulforyouaslongasitreducesstress.Doaboutahalfhourofeccentricand smarter interval training perweek and then focus on restorativeactivities.

4.Doingexercise-relatedhobbiessuchasjoggingorgoingtoanaerobicsclasswith friends inmoderation. If amoderateamountof traditionalexercise helps you reduce stress and makes you happy, then by allmeansenjoyit.However,pleasedonotletithaveanegativeimpactonyoursmarterexercise,SANEity,sleep,oremotionalstate.

Here’swhatnottodo.Sleeplesssothatyoucanjogfortwohoursonhardpavement while breathing in car exhaust. Quench your thirst with a “sportsdrink”whoseprimaryingredientishigh-fructosecornsyrup.Eataplateofpastaandbreadsticksbecauseofyourpostjogstarchy-carbcravings.Treatyourselftosome ice cream, since you “deserve it” for jogging. Sleep even less the nextnight because of the insomnia those inSANE foods caused.Wake up the nextdayfeelingterrible,skipyoureccentricsbecauseyouaresore,bingeoninSANEsweetsbecauseyouareoverstressed,andthenmaxoutyourcreditcardbuyingpills,powders,andpotionsthatpromisetomakeeverythingbetterbecauseyoufeelthatdespitetryingharder,youaredoingworse.Youarenotbroken.The“eatless,thensleeplesssoyoucanexercisemore”approachisbroken.Gosmarter,notharder,andyouwilltransformyourlifemoresimplyandaffordablythanyoueverthoughtpossible.

INCREASERESISTANCEWHILE

DECREASINGSPEED

Everyfewyears,anewat-home“extreme”workoutvideowillcomeout.Theseworkoutsattempt to increase intensityby increasing the speedofexercise.Wejump,wesprint,weflailaround,andweworkupasweat,butwedonotworkallourmusclefibers,andwedosetourselvesuptogetseriouslyinjured.

Whenyouexercisesmarter,youwillbecompletelyexhaustedinamatterofseconds.That’s intense.Youwilldo thatbymoving inanextremely slowandcontrolledmanner.That’ssafe.Youwillputzero impactonyour joints.That’ssustainable.Youwillbesoreforseveraldaysafterasingleshortworkout.That’seffective. Smarter exercise actually doeswhat these videos claim to do and itdoessodramaticallymoresafelyandsustainably.

It may be helpful to think of these videos and other extreme forms ofexerciseasabitlikecuttingyourhairwithachainsaw.Itmaysortofwork,butitalsocarriesalongwithitexcessiveandunnecessaryrisk.Also,iftheseexerciseswereaspotentastheyclaim,whywouldweneedtodothemfivetosevendaysperweek?Thinkabout thepotencyofexerciseasbeing like thepotencyofaningredientinarecipe.Wedonotneedalargequantityofpotentthings—andifweneedalotofsomething, it isnotpotent.Eccentricexercise,doneforafewminutesonceperweek,actuallyispotentexercise.

Tobefair,quiteafewyoungathleticpeopleswearbytheseextreme-exerciseregimens. If you enjoy extreme exercise and can do it safelywithout cravingstarches and sweets or skimping on your eccentrics, then by allmeans, enjoy.Let’s justmakesurewe’redoingwhat’sbest forourhealthand fitness for therestofourlives.

When it comes to evaluating the long-term efficacy of exercise, there arethreeprimarycriteriatolookat(inpriorityorder):

1.Safety2.Sustainability3.Resistance

SAFETY: If an exercise technique isn’t safe, it’s counterproductive.Let’s sayTom slips a disk in his back while powerlifting and can’t resistance-traineffectivelyfor therestofhis life.Somepeople like tosay,“Pain is temporary,pride is forever.” As someone who was part of a state championship Ohiofootball teamandalsoblewhiskneeout twiceplaying football, I can tellyou

thatprideistemporary,painisforever.Talkingaboutmyhighschoolsuccessesgrewoldmanyyearsago,butmykneestillhurts.

SUSTAINABILITY: If an exercise technique isn’t sustainable, it risks beingcounterproductive.Backinmyfootballdays,wedidworkoutsat6:00a.m.andthenagain in theafternoon.Bothof theseworkoutsmademainstreamextremeworkouts look relaxing.Vomitingandpassingoutwerequite common.Today,justabouteveryoneofmy teammatesand Ino longer trainevenclose to thatway either because we got hurt doing it or because it was so absurd that itspoiled exercise for us. This is one of the reasons why some former athletesbecome obese. Unsustainable approaches can lead to burnout and completeexerciseavoidancelongterm.

RESISTANCE:Increasingexerciseresistance(versusdurationorfrequency)isthekeytohormonalhealing.Ifanexercisetechniquedoesn’tallowustoeasilyaddresistance, theonlyway to increase intensity is todo themovement fasterand that is a recipe for injury.This iswhy running isn’t as good as stationarybikingwhenitcomestosmarterexercise—it’squitedifficulttosafelyaddalotofresistancewhilerunning.

Before you try any new exercise program, I recommend asking yourselfthreequestions:

1.Doesthisputsafetyfirst?2.CanIdothisfortherestofmylife?3.CanIincreaseresistancewithoutincreasingrisk?

If you answer no to any of these questions, you may want to stick witheccentricsandsmarterintervals.

Ifyoutakenothingelsefromthisbook,pleaserememberthisstatement:

There is no pill, product, or service that comes close to providing thehealth and physique benefits you will get from eating so manynonstarchyvegetables,nutrient-denseproteins,andwhole-foodfats thatyouaretoofullforstarchesandsweets.

WhydoIsaythis?Atleast95percentofpeopleavoidedobesityandover99percentavoideddiabetesforallhumanhistorybefore(insertnameofnewpill,

product, or service) existed.Remember, slim is simple, but there is amassiveamountofmoneytobemadeinconvincingusotherwise.

Untilweachievebaselinehealthandfitness,anythingoranyonewhomakesavoidingobesityanddiseaseseemmorecomplex thaneatingmorebuthigher-quality food, and doing less but higher-quality exercise, should be ignored.Otherwise,wewillendupheavier,sicker,andwithlessmoneyinthelongterm.

Of course if we are already healthy and fit and now want to achieveunnaturally low levels of body fat or world-class athletic performance, weshould absolutely get our credit cards out and get ready for some complexity.But if our goal is to be slim and healthy for the rest of our lives, the mosteffective way to do that is to keep things simple, SANE, eccentric, andinexpensive.

We’velearnedthescienceoftheset-point.We’veseenhowwecaneatmore—butsmarter—bygoingSANE.Andwe’vediscoveredhowwecanexerciseless—butsmarter—bygettingeccentricandbydoingsmarterintervals.Nowthatweknowhowwemakeourbodytransformitselfbyeatingandexercisingsmarter,it’stimetomakeourmindtransformitselfbythinkingsmarter.

Just as putting high-quality food into our body dramatically enhances ourability to reach our goals, putting high-quality thoughts into our minddramaticallyenhancesourabilitytoreachourgoals,too.Part3coversaspecificfive-weekplanthatwillcreateabeautifulmindalongwithabeautifulbodyandempoweryoualongalifetimeofpreviouslyunimaginablevitality.

THE

SANEANDSMART

ACTIONPLAN

Thoughtisthesculptorwhocancreatethepersonyouwanttobe.—HenryDavidThoreau

SmarterSubconscious

Everythingiseasierwhenoursubconsciousisonourside.A24/7/365internalmonologue affirming that we will reach and maintain our wellness goals iscriticaltosuccess.Asthesayinggoes:“Sowathoughtandyoureapanaction;sowanact andyou reapahabit; sowahabit andyou reapacharacter; sowacharacterandyoureapadestiny.”

The first stepwecan take todevelopasmarter subconscious is to think interms of utilitarianism. Utilitarians are focused on pleasure and pain. Theybelievesomethingisgoodtotheextentitprovidesthemostpleasureandavoidsthemost pain for themost people. They alsomake a distinction between thevarious types of pleasure. Compare the pleasure of watching a loved oneaccomplish a long-sought-after goal versus the pleasure of taking a nap.Utilitarianismandcommonsensetellussomepleasuresbringdeeperandlonger-term joy than others. While pleasures of the senses—tastes, touches, smells,sounds,andsights—arenice, theyarenotasgoodaspleasuresof themindorspirit: spending time with friends and family, solving a complex problem,reachingagoal,andsimilarsoul-nourishingendeavors.

This framework is a helpful starting point to shift our subconscious as itshows howSANEity provides uswith themost pleasure and avoids themostpain.ConsiderthesetwoversionsofSally.

SANE Sally eats more and exercises less—but smarter—while treatingherself to sweets and starches once a week. Sally feels and looks great. Thisgivesheradeepandlong-termsenseofsatisfactionandaccomplishment.Thisradiates in every aspect of her life. Her demeanor, energy level, mentalsharpness,andbodyconfidencenotonlymakeherfeelgreatbutalsoareobviousandimpressivetothosearoundher.

InSANESallyeatsmostlystarchesandsweetsandisinactive.Whileeating

thiswaydoesbringhersomebriefpleasure,shefeelsterribleformostofthedayandshedoesn’tfeelgoodaboutherself.Sheisborderlinedepressed,constantlyfeelssick,suffersfrommysteriousachesandpains,haslittleenergy,can’tthinkclearly,andisn’taspleasantwithherfamily,friends,andcoworkersasshecouldbe.Thiscausesher,andthosearoundher,significantdistress.

From the utilitarian standpoint, being SANE and smart is the mostpleasurable option available to us. We trade shallow short-term pleasure thatcausesdeeplong-termpainformoremeaningfullong-termpleasure.

Next,wecan leverage the techniquepopularizedbyDr.NathanielBrandenknownas sentencecompletion.Allwedo iswritean incomplete sentenceandthenaddaseriesofdifferentendings.InhisbookTheSixPillarsofSelf-Esteem,Brandenwrites,“Sentence-completionworkisadeceptivelysimpleyetuniquelypowerful tool for raising self-understanding, self-esteem, and personaleffectiveness.Itrestsonthepremisethatallofushavemoreknowledgethanwenormallyareawareof—morewisdomthanweuse,morepotentialthantypicallyshows up in our behavior. Sentence completion is a tool for accessing andactivatingthese‘hiddenresources.’”178

Forexample,considerthefollowingincompletesentences:

Herearethesamesentences,eachcompletedafewtimes.

WhenIslimdownandtoneup,Iamexcitedtobuysassynewclothes.WhenIslimdownandtoneup,Iamexcitedtoseetheexpressiononmyfriends’faces.WhenIslimdownandtoneup,Iwillfeelmoreconfident.WhenIslimdownandtoneup,Iwillfeelproudofmyself.When I have more energy, my relationship with my partner will improvebecauseIwon’tbecrabbywhenIgethomefromwork.WhenIhavemoreenergy,myrelationshipwithmyfriendswillimprovebecause

I’llbeabletospendmoretimewiththem,sinceI’llgetmyworkdonequicker.When Ihavemore energy,mykids’ liveswill improve because I’ll beable toplaywiththemoutside.WhenIhavemoreenergy,mylifewillimprovebecauseI’llperformbetteratmyjobandgetthatraiseIdeserve.

Consistently completing sentences like this is powerful because it changeswhatoursubconsciousperceivesaspleasurableandpainful.

Seem like a stretch? Have you ever noticed how it’s not only easy butenjoyable for vegans to avoid all animal products? Most people would findforgoingallanimalproductsterriblypainful,butmostvegansfinditpleasurable.Howdotheydothis?

When someone sets a steak in front of them, their mind quicklymakes apro/conlistthatisheavilystackedinfavorofstickingtotheirprinciples.Seetheillustrationbelow.

Vegans effortlessly skip the succulent steak because doing so is the mostpleasurableoption.

Whatifwecouldmakeourmindsworkinthesame,effortlessway,butforinSANE food instead?What if we got more pleasure from avoiding inSANEfoodthanwegotfromeatingit?ThenitwouldfeelmuchbettertosavoraSANEpeanut butter mousse dessert (see Recipes, in chapter 25) than eat a box ofdoughnuts.Sohowcanwegetourmindstoworkthisway?

Sentencecompletion isoneuseful tool. Ithelpsusdevelopa subconsciouspacked fullof reasons that“meaningful long-termpleasurecomes fromSANEfoods” while “meaningful long-term pain comes from inSANE starches andsweets.”As theweeks of SANE eating and smarter exercise roll by and yourbody,mood, health, and energy levels dramatically improve, your resultswillspeakforthemselves,andwillserveaspositivereinforcement,makingiteasytostayontrack.

SmarterSentenceCompletion,Part1Think of sentence completion as a simple do-it-yourself version of thevisualization exercises elite athletes are coached through. By deliberatelyrehearsingsomethinginourmind,wecanrestructureourbrainwithouthavingto physically accomplish the action. This neurological restructuring not onlygivesus theconfidenceandmotivation to reachourgoalsbutalsohelpsus todevelop sustainable habits much more quickly. Long term, I recommendsprinkling in a few minutes of sentence completion once per week. To getstarted,spendnomorethanfifteenminutescompletingthefollowingsentencestentimeseach.Theonlyrequirementsarethatyouspendamaximumoffifteensecondsoneachsentence,avoidcensoringyourself,andcompletetheexerciseinone undisturbed sitting at the very start or end of your day. Think of it as awrittenmeditation.Letyourthoughtsflowfreely.Enjoytheexercise.

Shortterm,workthroughthesentence-completionexercisesinthenexttwosections in half-hour chunks. I think that you’ll find these exercises to be apowerfultoolforcreatingalifestylethatishappierandhealthier.

SmarterSentenceCompletion,Part2Ifyoujustfinishedsomesentence-completionexercises,skipaheadtothenextchapter. Do the sentence-completion exercises in this section and the nextsectionoverthenexttwodays.It’sbestifyoudon’tspendmorethanahalfhourperdayonsentencecompletion.Remember tocompleteeachof the followingsentences ten times quickly. We want to rely on our subconscious, not ourconsciousmind.Spendamaximumoffifteensecondsoneachsentence.

SmarterSentenceCompletion,Part3

OngoingSmarterSentenceCompletionAt the end of each of your fiveweeks to SANEity (see the next chapter), setasidetwentyminutestodoafreshbatchofthesesentence-completionexercises.

FiveWeekstoCompleteSANEity

Earlierweapplied the teachingsof theeighteenth-centuryGermanphilosopherImmanuelKanttofatlossandhealth.Wecoveredhowanythingwedotoboostwellnessmustbecontinuedorourhealthwillsuffer.Therefore,weshouldskipanywellnessprogramthatwecannotkeepupforever.Aseven-daycleansemaybechallenging,butwhathappensondayeight?

WithKant’sphilosophyinmind,we’regoingtoeaseourwayintoournewlifestyle.“Calm,gradual,andpatient”istherightformulaforthelongterm;all-or-nothingapproachesaredoomedtofailure.Comparetryingtobemoreactivebyattemptingtoruntenmilesrightnowversuswalkingfivemoreminuteseverydaywhileslowlyaddingpeptoyourstep.Whichismorelikelytohelpyoubemoreactiveinthelongterm?Remember,we’refocusedonthenextthirtyyearsandbeyond,notthenextthirtydays.

Withalifetimeoffitnessinmind,we’regoingtomakesimplechangestothewayweeatandexerciseoverfiveweeks.Eachweekwewillswapafewmorestarches and sweets for a few more nonstarchy vegetables, nutrient-denseproteins, whole-food fats, and low-fructose fruits, and we’ll add a little moreresistance to our smarter exercise. We’ll use a simple food tracker to keepgeneral tabs on what we’re eating (see the table below). The black squaresrepresent a serving of a food we need to lower our set-point. Gray squaresrepresentaservingofafoodwecaneatifwewouldliketo.Theemptysquaresarewhatwecheckoffwhenweeat.

Itmaybehelpfultomakecopiesofthefoodtrackersoyoucancheckofftheboxes day by day. Also keep in mind that it is OK to eat more nonstarchyvegetables.The tracker showsdailyminimums for nonstarchyvegetables.Themorenonstarchyvegetablesweeat,thehealthierandslimmerwewillbe.

Also keep inmind that just aswewant to avoid hunger,we alsowant toavoidfeelinguncomfortablyfull.Usethis trackerasaguide,but listentoyourbody. If you are not hungry and are on track to eat at least three 30-gramservingsofproteinandatleasteightservingsofnonstarchyvegetablesandsomeessential fats, you do not need to make yourself uncomfortably full. Use theserving-size guidelineswe outlined earlier for nonstarchy vegetables, nutrient-denseprotein,whole-foodfats,andlow-fructosefruits.Inafewpageswe’lllookat some additional guidelines to help determine howmany serving boxes youshould check each time you eat. Also, note that the serving-size informationgiven on food labels is generally accurate. To see this for yourself, look at acontainerofyourfavoritestarchorsweetandnotehowtinyaservingsizeis.

Keepinmindthateverythingrelatedtoservingsizesandnumberofservingsthatwecoverhereisageneralguideline.Itiseasytogetmiredindetailsandtocomplicatethingsintalkingaboutservingsandservingsizes.Let’sstayfocusedonthebigpictureandusetheseguidelinestoestimateourintakeasaccuratelyaswe can. Nobody is overweight because of calculating servingswrong. Peoplebecomeoverweightbecausetheygotcloggedfrombadinformationthatleadstochronicconsumptionofthewrongqualityoffood.

As a general rule,most peoplewildlyunderestimate their starch, sweets,oil,andcheeseintake.Abagelisatleastfourservingsofstarch,notone.Abigbowlofenrichedsweetenedcereal is fourservingsofstarchandfourservingsofsweets,notoneservingofstarch.It’seasytoeatfourservingsofpastainasinglesitting.

Ontheotherhand,your intuitionofaboutaservingofnutrient-denseproteinandnonstarchyvegetablesisprobablyquiteclose.

Noneedtobuyafoodscale.Justincreaseyourestimatesofservingsofstarches,sweets,oils,andcheeses.

ADDITIONALSERVING-SIZEGUIDES

LEGUMES:Aservingisthesizeofaloosefistor1cup.

OTHERFRUITS:Aservingisthesizeofafist,1cup,or1medium-sizefruit.

1banana2plums15grapes1apple1peach

MOSTDAIRY:A serving of butter is the size of the tip of your thumb (oneteaspoon).Aservingofcheeseisaboutthesizeofyourthumb.Aservingofmilkorhigh-sugaryogurtis1cup(eightounces).Mostpeoplecouldeasilyeatfourservings of butter or cheese but only a serving or two ofmilk or yogurt in asitting.Bakedgoodscansaturateyouwithbutterbeforeyouknowit.Everytimeyoueatpizza,youarelikelytobeeatingoverfourservingsofcheese.Butterandcheeseareeasytoovereat.

OTHERFATS:An extremely fatty cut of conventionalmeat the size of yourpalmistwoorthreeservings.Oneteaspoonofoilisalsoaserving.Asidefromafewguys trying toprovesomething,mostpeoplewouldstopeating fattymeatnaturally at two or three servings in a single sitting.However, it is extremelyeasytoovereatoil.Eatanythingfriedandyouwilleasilyconsumeatleastfourservingsofoil.

STARCHYVEGETABLES/STARCH: Serving sizes vary. The key point isthat a serving of starch is small. For example, a bag of popcorn can easilycontaineightservings.Starchesareextremelyeasytoovereatbecausetheyaredry and low in fiber and protein. Most people overeat starch daily withoutknowing it. When ranchers want to fatten livestock, they stop feeding themnonstarchyplants (grass)andstart feeding themstarch(generallycorn). Ifyoudonotwanttofattenyourself,avoidstarch,especiallyinthesecommonexcess

quantities.

bagel atleast4servingsmuffins atleast3servingsbakedpotato atleast3servingsfrenchfries atleast4servingsatraditionalportionofpastaorrice atleast4servingsatraditionalbowlofcereal atleast4servingsbakedgoods atleast4servings

SWEETS/SWEETENED DRINKS: Ten grams of “sugar” (anything withcalories that isadded to food tomake it sweeter) is a serving.Sweets are theeasiestfoodtoovereat.Somesweetenersaren’tevenrecognizedasfoodbythebodyandnevertriggerafullfeeling.Thisiswhyyoucantakeinthreeservingsof sweets by drinking a soda and still have plenty of room for a pink slimeburger and fries cooked in toxic trans fats. Traditional portions of sweets andsweeteneddrinkscontainthreetoeightservings.Thefastestwaytogainfatanddamageyourhealthistoeatanddrinksweeteners.

canofsoda atleast3servingsdessertsat least4servingsatraditionalbowlofsweetenedcereal atleast4servingsfruitjuice atleast3servings

ASAMPLEDAYBeforewemoveontothesmarterexerciseprogram,let’slookatatypicaldayonaSANEeatingprogram,withtypicalfoodsandservingestimationsforwhatyou’ll be eating. Again, note that the serving sizes are intentionallyapproximations.Pleasedon’tsweat thesmallstuff.AsDr.JohnYudkin,of theUniversityofLondon,puts it, “There isnopoint inworryingabout imaginarydangers.Ifyoudo,youwillbelikelytogoonoverlookingtherealdangers.”179Dedicate all your attention to healing your bodywith at least ten servings ofnonstarchyvegetables, 100 to 200gramsof protein in at least 30-gramdoses,whole-food fats, low-fructose fruits, and smarter exercise. Your body ismiraculous—itwilltakecareoftherest.

WhatIAteToday: SMARTTranslation:Breakfast:2eggsand6eggwhitesscrambledwitha

lotofvegetablesandham,greentea 1.5 nutrient-denseprotein, 3nonstarchy

Lunch: Stir-fried chickenwith a lot of vegetables,greentea

1.5 nutrient-dense protein, 1otherfat,3nonstarchyvegetable

Optional snacks: SANE pancakes, raw-sugar snappeasandbabycarrots,greensmoothie,drinkinglotsofwater

1 whole-food fat, 1 nutrient-dense protein, 4 nonstarchyvegetable

Dinner:A lot of baked salmon, grilled vegetables,decafgreentea,SANEpeanutbuttermousse

2 nutrient-dense protein, 3nonstarchyvegetables,3whole-foodfats

Wewill cover a fullweek of SANE recipes and how to simplify cookingshortly,butfirstlet’sexploreoursmarterexerciseprogram.

IsSANEEatingtheSameforChildrenandAdults?Yesandno.Yes,inthatthesamefoodsareSANEforchildrenandadults.No, in that eating Satisfying, unAggressive, Nutritious, and inEfficientfoodismoreimportantforchildrenbecause

•Childrenrequiremorenutritionthanadults.•Childrenaremoresusceptibletofood-relatedbehaviorproblems.•Fatcellsnevergoaway.•Thehabitschildrenformaffectthemforever.

ChildrenRequireMoreNutritionThanAdultsWater-, fiber-, and protein-rich foods contain more nutrition per caloriethananyotherfoods.ASANEchildisoptimizinggrowthanddevelopmentwiththemostessentialvitamins,minerals,proteins,andfatspossible.

Somechildrenmayalsorequireanabundanceofcalories.Theresearchclearly shows thatwe’rebestoff supplyingextracaloriesviawhole-foodfatsratherthanstarchesorsweets(thisappliestoathletesaswell).Thiscanbe done deliciously by enjoyingmore of the SANE dessertswe’ll covershortly,orsimplybyaddingcocoa/cacao,coconut,avocado,flaxseeds,orchiaseedstosmoothies.

ChildrenAreMoreSusceptibletoFood-RelatedBehaviorProblemsStarchesandsweetsaredramaticallymoreAggressive thanSANEfoods.They release a short burst of energy into the body. This causes a briefenergyhighfollowedbylonger-lastinglethargy.Stilldevelopingmentallyandemotionally,childrenaredoublyaffectedbythesehighsandlows;thatiswhytheystartbouncingoffthewallsandhaveahardtimeconcentratingaftereatingstarchesandsweets.

SANEr eating has long been “prescribed” to aid children said to besuffering from ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), as itensuresaslowandsteadysupplyofenergyandenablesoptimalmoodandbehavior.

FatCellsNeverGoAwayOnce fat cells aremade,we cannot get rid of them;we can only shrinkthem. This is why helping our children avoid excess body fat is soimportant and why childhood obesity is so heartbreaking. Once a childdevelopsnewfatcells,hewillhaveahardertimestayingslimfortherestofhislifebecausethosefatcellswillnevergoaway.Theycanbeshrunk,butwillforeverpredisposethatchildtostoringexcessbodyfat.Infact,theAmerican Heart Association found that 70 to 80 percent of overweightchildrenremainoverweighttheirentirelives.180

TheHabitsChildrenFormAffectThemForeverThehabitswelearnaschildrenstickwithus.Whenweteachourchildrenhealthyhabits,wemakeitdramaticallyeasierforthemtokeepthemselvesfitandhealthyfortherestoftheirlives.

SimpleSANECooking

At the end of this chapter we’ll review a full week of recipes that includesoptionsforbreakfast,lunch,dinner,snacks,anddessert,butbeforewegotherelet’skeepSANEcookingsimplebycookinginbulkandsavoringsubstitutionsforstarchesandsweets.

COOKINBULK

Just as buying nonstarchy vegetables, nutrient-dense protein, whole-food fats,andlow-fructosefruitsinbulkwillsaveyouthousandsofdollarsoverthecourseofayear,cookinginbulkwillsaveyouhundredsofhoursoverthecourseofayear.Iliketotalkaboutcookinginthesamewaythatwetalkedabouttea.Muchas there is $4 per bag tea and $0.04 per bag tea, we can spend three hourscooking a single meal or we can spend twenty minutes cooking a deliciousSANEdishthatwecanenjoyfivetimes.Wearegoingtofocusonthelatter.Ifyouenjoytheformer,keepitup,andstaySANEbymakingthestarchandsweetsubstitutionswe’llcoverinamoment.

Given our goal of preparing scrumptious SANE food as time-and cost-efficiently as possible,we’re going to need some big bowls and some storagecontainersbecausewe’regoingtobemakingbigbatchesandfreezingalotofit.Attheveryleast,everytimeyoucook,preparetwomeals:oneyouwilleatnowandoneyouwill eat later.Manypeople take this two steps further and createfourmealseverytimetheycook:onethattheyenjoyimmediately,anotherthatthey enjoy the next day, and twomeals’worth that they freeze and enjoy thefollowing week. By following this routine we can significantly reduce theamountoftimewespendinthekitchen.

SAVORSUBSTITUTIONSFORSTARCHESANDSWEETSStayingSANE isn’t about deprivation. It’s about enjoying somuchgood foodthatwe’retoofullforthesickeningstuff.Evenbetter,therearealotofdeliciousfoods that aren’t starches or sweets. In fact, studies show the chocolate is themostcravedfoodintheworld,andtheingredientthatputsthe“c”inchocolate—cocoa/cacao—isspectacularlySANE.

Keepingthe“substitutionratherthandeprivation”principleinmind,wecancookandeatalmostanythingbymakingsomesimpleswaps.Whiletheseswapswill taste slightly different, they will also make us look and feel completelydifferent—atrade-offthatyouwillverymuchenjoylongterm.ThecheatsheetbelowwillgetyoustartedSANElyswappingyourwaytoslimness.

IrefertoaspecificproductcalledUMPmadebyBeverlyInternationalinsome of the charts and recipes in this chapter. I am in no way beingcompensated by this company for this recommendation. I mention thisspecific product because I have not found another protein powder thatcooksaswellasthisproductdoes.Ihighlyrecommendstickingwiththisspecificproductifyouchoosetoenjoytherecipesthatrefertoit.ThinkofitasSANEflour,cakebatter,pancakebatter,etc.

SANESWAPCHEATSHEET

inSANE

SANE

pastaandrice •spaghettisquash/Squoodles •zucchininoodles/Zoodles •shiratakinoodles •shreddedcabbage •shavedbrusselssprouts •beansprouts •peashoots

•cauliflowerrice

• broccoli and carrot slaw (premade in groceryproducesection)

potatoes •mashedcauliflower •turnips •eggplant •squash •zucchini

bread, cookies, cakes, pies,waffles, pancakes, andtortillas

• baked goods made using golden flaxseed meal,coconut flour, almond meal, almond flour, andothernutflours

• low-carb and diabetic breads, tortillas, etc., thatcontainasfewingredientsaspossible,UMP

hotandcoldcereal • SANE cereals made with ground flax, nuts, andchia.(Seerecipesinthenextsection.)

pretzelsandchips •nuts •seeds •bakedkalechips

ONEWEEKOFSANEEATING

RemembertheformertopEnglishpastrychefturnedSANEchefwemetearlier?HereisafullweekofSANErecipesandsnacksfromCarrieBrownherself.

For many of the recipes that follow you will find SANE and SANEstversions.Ifeatingfoodsthattasteasgoodaspossibleisyourprimarygoalandburningfatandboostinghealtharesecondary,stickwith theSANEoptions. Ifburningfatandboostingyourhealthasquicklyaspossibleareyourprimarygoalandenjoyingdeliciousfoodissecondary,gowiththeSANEstoption.Ormixitup.Orcustomizetherecipestobestfityourgoals.Dowhatworksbestforyou.

TheSANEdessertsareoptionalbutdelicious.TheSANEstversionsofthemaresohealthythattheycanalsobeusedassnacksormealsaslongaswemakesurewegetournonstarchyvegetableselsewhere.Thesnacksarealsooptional.Theonlythingtokeepinmindisthe30-grams-of-proteinthresholds(ifyouareliving a low-carbSANE lifestyle, it is fine to use full-fat low-sugar dairy andwholeeggs).It’smoremetabolicallybeneficialtoenjoy30gramsofproteininasinglesittingthan15gramsintwoseparatesittings.

You will find both simple and more elaborate recipes here to reflect thediversityofoptionsavailabletous.Ifyouliketokeepthingssimple,youcanusethis general formula: choose lots of nonstarchy vegetables and seafood ornutrient-dense meat, and some whole-food fats and/or low-fructose fruits asdessert.Forexample,lotsofgrilledasparagusandeggplantalongwithagrass-fed steak or salmon followed up with SANE chocolate peanut butter fudge.Drinkatleastsixteenouncesofwaterorgreenteawiththemeal.

Do your best to eat onlywhen you are truly hungry.You can test this bydrinkingtwelveouncesofwaterorgreentea,waitingfiveminutes,andseeingifyouarestillhungry.Yourbodywillbefuelingitselfwithyourstoredbodyfatsoyouwillbesurprisedathowlittlehungeryoufeelbetweenmeals.Ifyoucannotcomfortably eat the number of servings of SANE nonstarchy vegetables,nutrient-denseprotein,andwhole-foodfatsoutlinedearlier, it isOKtoeat lessonlyifyounevergethungryandifyouarenot“savingroom”forstarchesandsweets. If at the end of a day you have eaten eight servings of nonstarchyvegetables,three30-gramservingsofnutrient-denseprotein,andthreeservingsofnaturalfatsandarecompletelyfullandsatisfied,that’sfine.However,ifthiscausesyoutocravestarchesandsweetsinbetweenmealsandafter9p.m.,theneatmoreSANEfood.

Whenyoudoeat,enjoyyourself.Eatuntilyouarecompletelysatisfiedandthenstop.Asimplewaytodothisistoeatslowlyandtopauseandrelaxforfiveminutes when you start to feel satisfied. You should never feel hungry oruncomfortablyfullwhilelivingSANEly.

Here’sasamplemenuforoneweekofeatingSANEly:

MONDAY

BreakfastStrawberry–Chia Seed Cereal Strawberry-Avocado Green SmoothieLunch

Broccoli and Red Pepper Miniquiches Cinnamon and Raisin “Rice”PuddingDinner

TurkeyandMushroomStroganoffSquashNoodles

DessertPeanutButterMousse

TUESDAY

BreakfastGrain-FreeGranolaSuperYogurtOrangeCreamsicleGreenSmoothieLunchLargedarkgreensaladwithtwohard-boiledeggsDinnerTurkeyandAlmondStir-FryDessertMintChocolatePudding

WEDNESDAY

BreakfastVanillaAlmondHotCerealStrawberry-AvocadoGreenSmoothieLunchLeek and Cauliflower Soup Cottage cheese mixed with diced ham orturkeyDinner

PrawnandMushroomStir-FryDessertChocolate-CoveredBerryCream

THURSDAY

BreakfastGermanChocolatePancakesOrangeCreamsicleGreenSmoothieLunchPeanutButter–ChickenSalad,servedoverspinachDinnerLasagna

DessertChocolate–PeanutButterFudge

FRIDAY

BreakfastAlmondPearCerealStrawberry-AvocadoGreenSmoothieLunch

LargedarkgreensaladwithsalmonburgersCreamyCucumberSoup

DinnerChickenCarbonara

DessertCaramel-Orange-SpiceCashews

SATURDAY

BreakfastHamandEggsBakeSpinachorkale,onions,mushrooms,andpeppersstir-friedincoconutoilLunch

SmokedSalmonandBeanSproutSautéDinnerPorkChopswithBaconandCabbageZucchiniandCherryTomatoSaladDessert

Orange-CranberryScones

SUNDAY

BreakfastOmelet filled with as much of your favorite nonstarchy vegetables aspossibleLunch

Chicken,Avocado,andWalnutSaladDinnerSalmonwithOrangeandFennelMixedgreensaladAlmondParmesanSquashDessertDarkChocolate–EspressoCookies

SANESNACKS

Ifyouarehungry,youmaysnackwheneveryouwish.HerearesomeexamplesofSANEsnackchoices:•handfulofrawnuts+unprocessedlunchmeatand/orrawnonstarchyvegetables•30gofproteinworthofhardboiledeggsandeggwhites (example:5wholeeggs,8eggwhites,2wholeeggsand5eggwhites,

etc.) • 1 to3cups rawnonstarchyvegetables suchas sugar snappeas,celery,carrots,cucumber,broccoliwithplainGreekyogurtdip•30gofproteinworthofunprocessed lunchmeat • 30gofproteinworthofbeef, turkey,or salmonjerky•30gofproteinworthofcottagecheese(aheapingcupfull)mixedwith¾ cup berries • 30 g of proteinworth of plainGreek yogurt (a heaping cup)mixedwith¾cupberries•proteinbarwithatleast30gproteinandlessthan8gsugar(example:oneandahalfQuestbars)•30gofproteinworthofSANEpancakes,Germanchocolatepancakes,“rice”pudding,peanutbuttermousse,orsuperyogurt• 30gofproteinworthofsardines (example:approximately twopackagesdependingonthebrand)•Greensmoothie

THERECIPES

Breakfast

AlmondPearCerealMakes2servings

SANESANEst

2 large, firmpears, coredand roughlychopped

NoChange

⅔ cup lightcoconutmilk

NoChange

1 cup almondmeal

NoChange

¼ cup groundflaxseed

NoChange

⅔ cup vanillacasein orwheyproteinpowder

NoChange

¼ cupunsweetenedrawshreddedcoconut

NoChange

• Put intoanelectricblender thepears,coconutmilk,almondmeal, flaxseed,andcaseinorwheypowder.

•Blendonlowspeeduntiltheingredientsarecompletelycombinedandtherearenolargechunksofpear,butthemixturehasacoarsetexture.

•Addthecoconutandblendjustuntilthecoconutisincorporated.•Serveimmediately.

GermanChocolatePancakesMakes2servings

SANESANEst

6eggwhites NoChange2eggs NoChange1cupwater NoChange1 cup nonfatGreekyogurt

NoChange

1 cupchocolateproteinpowderblend (I useUMP)

NoChange

½ cupunsweetenedrawshreddedcoconut

NoChange

1 cup rawunsweetenedcocoa

NoChange

powder (notdutch-processed)

6 tbsp Xylaxylitol

NoChange

Cinnamon, totaste

NoChange

Coconut oilspray

NoChange

•Putalltheingredientsexceptthecoconutoilsprayintoablenderintheorderlisted.

•Blendonhighuntilthemixtureiscompletelysmooth.•Sprayaskilletwithcoconutoilandplaceovermediumheat.•Heattheskilletfor2minutesandpourthebatterintotheskillet.•Cookfor2to3minutes.Gentlylifttheedgeofthepancakewithaspatulatocheckforbrowning.Oncetheundersideis lightlybrowned,flip thepancakeandcookfor20to30secondsuntilcookedallthewaythrough.

•Serveimmediately.

Grain-FreeGranolaMakes8servings

SANESANEst

1cupcashews,roughlychopped

½cupcashews,roughlychopped

1 cuphazelnuts,roughlychopped

½cuphazelnuts,roughlychopped

1 cup sliveredalmonds

1cupsliveredalmonds

1 cupunsweetenedshreddedcoconut

2cupsunsweetenedshreddedcoconut

8 tbsp wholeflaxseed

8tbspwholeflaxseed

6 tsp groundnutmeg

6tspgroundnutmeg

⅔ cup sugar-free vanillasyrup (suchasTorani’s)

⅔cupsugar-freevanillasyrup(suchasTorani’s)

2 tbsp meltedcoconutoil

2tbspmeltedcoconutoil

•Preheattheovento300°F.•Inalargebowl,mixthenuts,coconut,flaxseed,andnutmeguntilcombined.•Addthesyrupandoilandmixwell,ensuringthattheingredientsareevenlycoated.

•Onafoil-coveredbakingsheet,spreadthemixtureevenlyinahalf-inchlayer.• Bake on the middle rack of the oven until deep golden brown, stirringoccasionallytoensureevencoloring.

•Coolcompletely.Storeinanairtightjar.

HamandEggsBakeMakes2servings

SANESANEst

1 tbspbutter

½tbspcoconutoil

6 tbspheavycream

n/a

4ozcubedham

6ozcubedham

2tspdriedparsley

2tspdriedparsley

Salt andfreshlygroundpepper

Saltandfreshlygroundpepper

4eggs 4eggs

•Preheattheovento350°F.•Grease2smallramekinswiththebutteroroil.•Pour2tbspofthecream(ifusing)intothebottomofeachramekin.•Spreadthehaminthebottomoftheramekinsandseasonwithparsleyandsaltandpeppertotaste.

•Carefullycrack2eggsintoeachramekinovertheham.•Pour1tbspofcream(ifusing)overtheeggsineachramekin.• Place the ramekins in a small baking dish.Addwarmwater to the dish tocomehalfwayupthesideoftheramekins.

•Bakefor15minutes,oruntiltheeggsarejustcookedthrough.

PancakesMakes2servings

SANESANEst

½ tsp purevanillaextract

NoChange

4eggwhites NoChange2eggs NoChange1 cup nonfatGreekyogurt

NoChange

½cupwater NoChange1 cup vanillaUMPproteinpowderblend

NoChange

½ cupunsweetenedrawshreddedcoconut

NoChange

Cinnamon, totaste

NoChange

Fresh berriesof yourchoice

NoChange

Optional:sugar-freevanillasyrup, toserve

NoChange

Coconut oilspray

NoChange

•Placealltheingredientsexceptthesyrupinablenderintheorderlisted.•Blendonhighuntilthemixtureiscompletelysmooth.•Lightlysprayalargeskilletwithcoconutoilandplaceovermediumheat.• Pour thebatter into thehot skillet.Cook for2 to3minutes.Gently lift theedge of the pancake to check for browning. Once the underside is lightlybrowned,flipthepancakeandcookfor20to30secondsontheotherside.

•Serveimmediatelywithfreshberriesandsyrupontop,ifdesired.

SuperYogurtMakes2servings

SANESANEst

2 cups low-fat Greekyogurt

NoChange

⅔ cupvanillacasein orwheypowder

NoChange

⅔ cupwalnuts,chopped

NoChange

Cinnamon, NoChange

totaste

•Placealltheingredientsinabowlandmixwell.•Serveimmediately.

Strawberry–ChiaSeedCerealMakes4servings

SANESANEst

1⅓ cups lightcoconutmilk

1¾cupswater

⅓ cup chiaseeds

⅓cupchiaseeds

1 lb nonfatGreekyogurt

1lbnonfatGreekyogurt

½ lb frozenstrawberries

¼lbfrozenstrawberries

⅔cupstrawberrycaseinorwheypowder

•Pourthecoconutmilk(orwater)intoalargebowl.• Add the chia seeds and stir immediately to stop the seeds from stickingtogether.

•Addtheyogurtandmixwell.Addthefrozenstrawberries.•Coverandrefrigerateovernight.• In the morning, add casein or whey powder (if using) and mix well untilcompletelycombined.

•Serveimmediately.

VanillaAlmondHotCerealMakes2servings

SANESANEst

2 tbsp chiaseeds

2tbspchiaseeds

2 tbspsunflowerseeds

1tbspsunflowerseeds

4 tbspunsweetenedshreddedcoconut

7tbspunsweetenedshreddedcoconut

2 tbsp groundflaxseed

2tbspgroundflaxseed

4 tbsp almondmeal

2tbspalmondmeal

2 tspcinnamon

2tspcinnamon

⅔ cup vanillacasein orwheypowder

⅔cupvanillacaseinorwheypowder

1 cup boilingwater

1cupboilingwater

½ tsp purevanillaextract

½tsppurevanillaextract

2 tsp Xylaxylitol,ortotaste

2tspXylaxylitol,ortotaste

2 oz freshberries

2ozfreshberries

• Place the chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and coconut in a coffee grinder andgrindtoafinemeal.Takecarenottoovergrindtoapaste.

• Pour the ground mixture into a bowl. Add the flaxseed, almond meal,cinnamon,andcaseinorwheypowder.Mixwelluntilcompletelyblended.

•Addtheboilingwaterandmixwell.Setasidefor1minutetothicken.•Mixagain,addingmoreboilingwaterifyoupreferarunniercereal.•Addthevanillaandxylitoltotaste.•Servewiththeberries.

Strawberry-AvocadoGreenSmoothieMakes1serving

SANESANEst

1 cup lightcoconutmilk

1cupcoconutmilk

4 cups freshspinach

6cupsfreshspinach

1 smallavocado,peeled androughlychopped

1smallavocado,peeledandroughlychopped

⅔ cupstrawberrycasein orwheypowder

½cup(2scoops)strawberrycaseinorwheypowder

1 cup frozenstrawberries

½cupfrozenstrawberries

1 cup boilingwater

1cupboilingwater

•Placeallingredientsinablenderintheorderlisted.•Blendonhighuntilcompletelysmooth.•Serveimmediately.

OrangeCreamsicleGreenSmoothieMakes1serving

SANESANEst

½ cupcoconut

½cupcoconutmilk

milk¼ cupnonfatGreekyogurt

¼cupnonfatGreekyogurt

6 cupsfreshspinach

8cupsfreshspinach

2 peeledoranges

2peeledoranges

Zest of ½orange,chopped

Zestof½orange,chopped

1 cupvanillacaseinor wheypowder

1cupvanillacaseinorwheypowder

½tsppurevanillaextract

½tsppurevanillaextract

½tspguargum

½tspguargum

•Placeallingredientsexcepttheguarguminablenderintheorderlisted.•Blendonhighuntilcompletelysmooth.•Removetheblenderlidstopper.Whiletheblenderisstillrunning,shaketheguargumin.

•Blendfor10secondsmore(butnolonger).•Serveimmediately.

Lunches

BroccoliandRedPepperMiniquichesMakes3servings

SANESANEst

3 oz redpepper,finelychopped

4ozredpepper,finelychopped

4 ozbroccoli,chopped

5ozbroccoli,chopped

2 oz sharpCheddar,grated

6oznonfatcottagecheese

10eggs 11eggwhites1 tsp driedparsley

1tspdriedparsley

¼ cup 2%Greekyogurt

n/a

Freshlygroundpepper

Freshlygroundpepper

•Preheattheovento375°F.•Place12siliconebakingcupsinamuffinpan.•Inalargebowl,mixtheredpepper,broccoli,andCheddarorcottagecheeseuntilwellcombined.

•Dividethevegetablemixtureevenlyamongthe12cups.•Placetheeggs(orwhites),parsley,Greekyogurt(ifusing),andpeppertotasteinabowlandwhiskwelltocombine.Pourtheeggmixtureintoapitcher.

•Carefullypourtheeggmixtureoverthecheesemixtureineachcuptillalmostfull.

•Carefullyplacethemuffinpanonthemiddlerackoftheoven.•Bakefor30minutes(35ormoreminutesforSANEstrecipe)untilpuffyandgoldenbrown,andaskewercomesoutclean.Thequicheswillrisewellabovethecups.

•Removethepanfromtheovenandcarefullyremoveeachquichefromitscup.•Serveimmediately.

Note: If you wish to make these in advance, allow the quiches to coolcompletelyandstoreinanairtightcontainerintherefrigerator.

CreamyCucumberSoupMakes6servings

SANESANEst

2 tbspcoconutoil

2tbspcoconutoil

1 mediumonion,chopped

1mediumonion,chopped

3 largeEnglishcucumbers,chopped

3largeEnglishcucumbers,chopped

1½cupslightcoconutmilk

1½cupslightcoconutmilk

1tbspsalt 1tbspsalt½ cupchoppedchives

½cupchoppedchives

2 smallavocados,peeled androughlychopped

2smallavocados,peeledandroughlychopped

2 tbsp heavycream

2tbsp2%Greekyogurt

1 tbsp whitewine

n/a

•Inalargestockpot,meltthecoconutoilovermediumheat.Addtheonionandsautéuntiltransparent.

•Addthecucumber,coconutmilk(orwater),andsalt,andcoverthepot.Cookuntilthecucumberistender,about10minutes.Removefromtheheat.

•Workinginbatches,carefullytransferthecucumbermixturetoablenderandblendonhighuntilverysmooth.

•Tothelastbatch,addthechives,avocado,creamoryogurt,andwhitewine,if

using.Blenduntilcompletelyincorporated.•Returntheblendedsouptothestockpotandstirwell.Gentlyrewarmoverlowheatifnecessary.

•Serveimmediately.

Chicken,Avocado,andWalnutSaladMakes4servings

SANESANEst

2 headsromainelettuce

NoChange

4 tbspextravirginoliveoil

NoChange

1½ tbspXylaxylitol

NoChange

2 tbspwhitewinevinegar

NoChange

1 tbspchoppedparsley

NoChange

¼tspdriedoregano

NoChange

Salt andfreshlygroundpepper

NoChange

2avocados NoChange2 ozwalnuts,roughlychopped

NoChange

1 lbcookedchickenbreast,cut intobite-sizechunks

NoChange

•Tearthelettuceintolargepiecesandplaceonalargeservingdish.•Whisktheoliveoil,xylitol,vinegar,parsley,andoreganoinasmallbowluntilcompletelyblended.Seasonwithsaltandpeppertotaste.

•Peel,halve,andslicetheavocados.•Addtheavocadostothedressingandcarefullyturntocoateachslice.•Spoontheavocadosevenlyoverthebedoflettuce.•Sprinklethewalnutsandchickenevenlyoverthesalad.•Drizzletheremainingdressingoverthesalad.•Serveimmediately.

LeekandCauliflowerSoupMakes6servings

SANESANEst

4 cupschickenstock

5cupschickenstock

¾ cup whitecookingwine*

n/a

2 lb thinlyslicedleeks

2lbthinlyslicedleeks

1 mediumcauliflower,cut intosmallpieces

1mediumcauliflower,cutintosmallpieces

1 tsp driedrosemary

1tspdriedrosemary

2 tsp driedmint

2tspdriedmint

1tspsalt 1tspsalt¼cupmeltedbutter

n/a

• Pour the stock and (if using) thewine into a large stockpot andplace overmediumheat.

•Addtheleeks,cauliflower,rosemary,mint,andsalt.•Coverandcookuntilthecauliflowerisjusttender,about15minutes.•Workinginbatches,putthevegetablemixtureinablenderandblendonhighuntilcompletelysmooth.Addthebutter(ifusing)tothelastbatch.

•Returntheblendedvegetablestothestockpotandstirwell.•Gentlyreheatifnecessary.•Serveimmediately.

PeanutButter–ChickenSaladMakes4servings

SANESANEst

1 tbspcoconutoil

NoChange

2lbschickenbreastssliced intosmallstrips

NoChange

4 mediumcarrots,peeledandsliced intothinsticks

NoChange

1 largeEnglishcucumber,sliced into

NoChange

thinsticks8 greenonions(scallions),thinlysliced

NoChange

1 lb beansprouts,rinsed anddrainedwell

NoChange

6 oz saltedroastedpeanuts,roughlychopped

NoChange

¼ cupnaturalcrunchypeanutbutter

NoChange

½ cupchickenstock

NoChange

4 tsp soysauce

NoChange

4 tbsp extravirginoliveoil

NoChange

Freshlygroundpepper

NoChange

5 handfulsfresh babyspinach

NoChange

• In a large skillet overmedium heat,melt the coconut oil.Add the chickenstripsandsautéuntilgoldenbrown.

•Removethechickenstripsfromtheskilletanddrain.Setasidetocool.•Placethecarrots,cucumber,onions,andbeansproutsinalargebowl.•Add4ozofthepeanuts.

•Inasmallbowl,whiskthepeanutbutterwiththechickenstockandsoysauce.•Slowlyaddtheoliveoil,whiskingwelluntilcompletelyincorporated.•Seasonwithpeppertotaste.•Pourthepeanutsauceoverthevegetablesandaddthecooledchickenstrips.•Tosstheingredientsuntilwellcoatedinthesauce.• Place the spinach on 4 plates; spoon a quarter of the chickenmixture ontoeachplate.

•Sprinkletheremaining2ozofpeanutsoverthesalads.•Serveimmediately.

SmokedSalmonandBeanSproutSautéMakes2servings

SANESANEst

2 tbspcoconutoil

NoChange

1 lb leeks,thinlysliced

NoChange

5 ozsmokedsalmon(lox),slicedinto thinstrips

NoChange

½ cup 2%Greekyogurt

NoChange

Freshlygroundpepper

NoChange

4 oz beansprouts

NoChange

•Inalargeskillet,meltthecoconutoilovermediumheat.

• Add the leeksandsautéuntil soft, about10minutes.Donotallow them tobrown.

•Addthesmokedsalmonandyogurt;stirwell.•Addthebeansproutsandstiruntilevenlydistributedthroughthemixture.•Cookjustlongenoughtowarmthrough,about2minutes.•Seasonwithfreshlygroundpepperandserveimmediately.

Dinners

ChickenCarbonaraMakes4servings

SANESANEst

2 tbspcoconutoil

2tbspcoconutoil

1½ lbschickenbreast,cut intothinstrips

2lbschickenbreast,cutintothinstrips

8 ozuncookedbaconslices,chopped

8ozuncookedbaconslices,chopped

3 lbs Napacabbage,shredded

3lbsNapacabbage,shredded

4eggs 4eggs½ cupheavycream

½cupheavycream

Salt andfreshlyground

Saltandfreshlygroundpepper

pepper

•Inalargeskillet,heatthecoconutoilovermediumheatuntilmelted.Preheatthebroilerto500°F.

•Sautéthechickenstripsintheskilletuntilgoldenbrown.• Removethechickenwithaslottedspoonandplaceinanovenproofservingdish.Coverwithfoiltokeepwarm.

•Addthebacontotheskilletandcookuntilcrisp.• Add the cabbage to the skillet and stir-frywith the bacon for twominutes,turningfrequently.

• Inasmallbowl,beattogethertheeggsandcream(oralmondmilk).Seasonwithsaltandpeppertotaste.

• Reduce theheat to its lowestsetting.Addtheeggmixture to thebaconandcabbagemixture.

• Stir constantly untilwellmixed and the eggmixture thickens, about 2 to 3minutes.

•Stirinthechickenstrips.Spoonthemixtureintotheovenproofservingdish.•Broiluntilthetopbubblesandturnsgoldenbrown,2to3minutes.•Serveimmediately.

LasagnaMakes8servings

SANESANEst

2 mediumeggplants,cutlengthwiseinto into¼-inchslices

2mediumeggplants,cutlengthwiseintointo¼-inchslices

2 tbspmeltedcoconutoil

2tbspmeltedcoconutoil

Freshly Freshlygroundpepper

groundpepper

2 lb grass-fedgroundbeef orturkey

2lbgrass-fedgroundbeeforturkey

1largejar(1lb 8 oz)all-naturaltomatobasilsauce(no sugaradded)

1 large jar (1 lb 8 oz) all-natural tomato basil sauce (no sugaradded)

1 tspxanthangum

1tspxanthangum

n/a 6handfulsfreshspinach1 lb 2%cottagecheese

1lbnonfatcottagecheese

12 ozshreddedmozzarella

8ozshreddedmozzarella

½ cupParmesan,finelygrated

n/a

•Preheattheovento400°F.• Brush theeggplantsliceswithoilandseasonwithpepper to taste.Placeonfoil-coveredbakingsheets.

•Bakefor20minutes,turningeggplantslicesafter10minutes.•Reducetheoventemperatureto375°F.•Inalargeskilletovermedium-highheat,brownthebeeforturkey.• Add the tomato sauce to the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and simmeruncoveredfor20minutes.

• While quickly stirring the meat sauce, sprinkle the xanthan gum over thesurfaceandcombinewell.

•Spread½cupofthemeatsauceonthebottomofalargebakingdish.•Place6slicesoftheeggplanttocoverthebottomofthedish.Layeronhalfof

thespinach,ifusing.•Spreadhalfoftheremainingmeatsauceovertheeggplant.•Spreadhalfofthecottagecheeseoverthemeatsauce.•Spreadhalfofthemozzarellaoverthecottagecheese.•Placetheremainingeggplantontopofthemozzarellatocoverit.Layerontheremainingspinach,ifusing.

• Repeat the layers with the remaining meat sauce, cottage cheese, andmozzarella.

•EvenlysprinkletheParmesan(ifusing)ontopofthemozzarella.• Bake for 20minutes, rotating the dish after 10minutes, or until the top isgoldenandbubbling.

•Serveimmediately.

PorkChopswithBaconandCabbageMakes4servings

SANESANEst

2 tbspcoconutoil

2tbspcoconutoil

4largeporkchops

4largeporkchops

Salt andfreshlygroundpepper

Saltandfreshlygroundpepper

1 headgreencabbage(2½ lb),cutinto8wedges

1headgreencabbage(2½lb),cutinto8wedges

8 stripsuncookedbacon,sliced

4stripsuncookedbacon,slicedinto½-inchpieces

into ½-inchpieces

1 mediumonion,chopped

1mediumonion,chopped

2 tbspgarbanzobeanflour

2tbspgarbanzobeanflour

3cupslightcoconutmilk

3cupschickenstock

•Preheattheovento400°F.•Setalarge,heavyroastingpanacrosstwoburnersovermediumheat.Addtheoilandmelt.

• Season the pork chopswith salt and pepper to taste. Place in the pan andbrown on one side, about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn and brown the other side.Transfertoaplate.

•Placethecabbagewedges,cutsidedown,intheroastingpanandcookuntillightlybrowned,about6minutes.Turnandcookuntilslightlytender,about3minutes.Transfertotheplatewiththeporkchops.

•Placethebaconinthepan.Cookuntilgolden,about5minutes.Addtheonionandcookuntilsoftened,about5minutes.

•Inasmallbowl,mixthegarbanzobeanflourwithatablespoonofthemilk(orstock)tomakeasmooth,thinpaste.

•Addtheremainingmilk(orstock)tothepanwiththebaconandonions.•Addthegarbanzobeanpastetothemilkinthepan.Stirthesauceconstantlyuntilthickened,about4minutes.

• Season themixturewithsaltandpepper to taste, thenreturn theporkchopsandcabbagetotheroastingpan.

•Transferthepantothemiddlerackoftheoven.• Bake until the pork is cooked through, about 10minutes, and the sauce isbubblingandgoldenbrown.Ifusing thickbone-inchops,cookforabout15minutes.

PrawnandMushroomStir-Fry

Makes2servings

SANESANEst

1 tbspcoconutoil

NoChange

1 large leek,sliced

NoChange

4 ozmushrooms,sliced

NoChange

12 oz cookedprawns,tailsremoved

NoChange

⅓ cup 2%Greekyogurt

NoChange

Juiceofhalfalemon(about 2tbsp)

NoChange

Lemonpepper,sugar-freeseasoning

NoChange

•Inalargeskillet,meltthecoconutoilovermediumheat.•Addtheleekandsautégently,stirringoften,for5minutesoruntiltender.•Addtheslicedmushrooms.Cookfor1minute.•Addtheprawnsandcookjusttoheatthrough,about2minutes.•Addtheyogurtandtosswiththeprawnmixtureuntilevenlycoated.•Stirinthelemonjuice.•Seasonliberallywithlemonpepper.•Serveimmediately.

SalmonwithOrangeandFennelMakes4servings

SANESANEst

2 largeoranges,peeled andsegmented,juicereserved

NoChange

1 smallfennelbulb, verythinlysliced

NoChange

¼ cup pittedgreenolives,halved

NoChange

2 tbsp freshlemonjuice

NoChange

1 tsp oliveoil

NoChange

Kosher saltandfreshlygroundpepper

NoChange

2tspcoconutoil

NoChange

4 skinlesssalmonfillets

NoChange

•Inabowl,combinetheorangesegments,reservedjuice,fennel,olives,lemonjuice,andoliveoil.Seasonwithsaltandpeppertotaste, tossgently,andsetaside.

•Inalargenonstickskillet,meltthecoconutoilovermediumheat.• Add the salmon fillets, flat side down, and cook until browned, about 3minutes.

• Turnandcookuntilopaque throughout,1 to3minutesmore,dependingon

thickness.• Placethesalmonfilletsinaservingdishandspoontheorangemixtureovereachpiece.

•Serveimmediately.

TurkeyandAlmondStir-FryMakes2servings

SANESANEst

1 tbspcoconutoil

NoChange

6 ozbroccoli-carrotslaw

NoChange

⅓ cupsliveredalmonds

NoChange

7 oz freshsmokeddeliturkey,cut intostrips

NoChange

1 tsp driedrosemary

NoChange

¼ cup 2%Greekyogurt

NoChange

1 tbspbalsamicvinegar

NoChange

Salt andfreshlygroundpepper

NoChange

•Inalargeskillet,meltthecoconutoiloverhighheatuntilsteamstartstorise.• Add the broccoli-carrot slaw and almonds. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, stirringconstantly.

•Reducetheheattomedium.•Addtheturkey,stir,andcookfor1minute.•Addtherosemaryandgentlystirintheyogurt.•Addthebalsamicvinegarandstirwell.Seasonwithsaltandpeppertotaste.•Serveimmediately.

TurkeyandMushroomStroganoffMakes4servings

SANESANEst

2 lb groundturkey orchicken

3lbgroundturkeyorchicken

8 ozmushrooms,sliced

8ozmushrooms,sliced

2 cupschickenstock

4cupschickenstock

1 cup fat-freemilk

n/a

2 tbspgarbanzobeanflour

3tbspgarbanzobeanflour

Salt andfreshlygroundpepper

Saltandfreshlygroundpepper

Driedoregano Driedoregano2 tbsp whitewinevinegar

n/a

•Inalargeskilletovermediumheat,brownthegroundmeat,stirringfrequently

tobreakitup.•Addthemushroomsandcookfor1minute.• Add the chicken stock, stir well, and heat just until the mixture starts tobubble.

•Reducetheheattolow.•Inasmallbowl,slowlymixthemilk(orsomestockfromtheskillet)intothegarbanzobeanflourtomakeathickpaste.

•Addthepastetothemeatmixture,stirringconstantlyuntilthesaucethickens.•Simmerthemeatsaucefor10minutes.•Seasonwithsalt,pepper,andoreganototaste.Addthevinegar,ifusing,andstirwell.

•ServethesaucespoonedoverpilesofhotSquashNoodles(below).

SideDishes

AlmondParmesanSquashMakes6servings

SANESANEst

2tbspbutter 2tbspcoconutoil2 lbszucchini,cut into¼-inch-thickslices

2lbszucchini,cutinto¼-inch-thickslices

1 mediumonion,coarselychopped

1mediumonion,coarselychopped

Salt andfreshlygroundpepper

Saltandfreshlygroundpepper

¾ cupheavy

½cup2%Greekyogurtmixedwith¼cupalmondmilk

cream½ cupalmondmeal,plusmore forgarnish

¼cupalmondmeal,plusmoreforgarnish

½ cupgratedParmesan,plusmoreforgarnish

¼cupgratedParmesan,plusmoreforgarnish

•Preheattheovento450°F.•Inalargeskillet,heatthebutterorcoconutoilovermediumheatuntilmelted.• Addthezucchiniandonionandseasonwithsaltandpepper to taste.Sauté,turningoccasionally,untilthevegetablesarecrisp-tender,about5minutes.

•Pourthecreamoryogurtmixtureoverthevegetablesandstirgently.•Cookuntilthickened,about5minutes.•Removetheskilletfromtheheatandgentlystirinthealmondmeal,andthentheParmesan.

•Spoonthevegetablemixtureintoabakingdish.•SprinkleadditionalalmondmealandParmesanevenlyoverthemixture.• Bakeon themiddle rackof theoven for10minutesuntil the top isgoldenbrown.

•Serveimmediately.

SquashNoodlesMakes4servings

SANESANEst

1 tbspcoconutoil

NoChange

1 largeleek,

NoChange

verythinlysliced

4 largeyellow(summer)squash,julienned

NoChange

2 largezucchini,julienned

NoChange

•Inalargestockpot,meltthecoconutoilovermediumheat.•Addtheleekandsauté,stirringfrequently,untilitwilts,about3minutes.•Reducetheheattolow,addthesquashandzucchini,andtosswiththeleek.Cookuntilthesquashiswarmedthrough,about1minute.

•Serveimmediately.

Note:Youcanjuliennevegetableswithajuliennepeeleroramandoline.

ZucchiniandCherryTomatoSaladMakes4servings

SANESANEst

8 oz cherrytomatoes,halved orquartered

NoChange

¼ cupchoppedrawwalnuts

NoChange

2 tbsp freshbasil, torninto smallpieces

NoChange

2 tbsp extra NoChange

virginoliveoil

1 zucchini,slicedpaper thinwith avegetablepeeler ormandoline

NoChange

•Mixthetomatoes,walnuts,basil,andoilinabowl.•Seasonwithsaltandpeppertotasteandleavetostandfor20minutes.•Addthezucchini,toss,andgarnishwithbasil.•Serveimmediately.

Desserts

Caramel-Orange-SpiceCashewsMakes8servings

SANESANEst

1eggwhite NoChange¼ cupTorani’ssugar-freecaramelsyrup

NoChange

1 tsp purevanillaextract

NoChange

½ tsporangeextract

NoChange

1 lbcashews

NoChange

½tspsalt NoChange

3 tspcinnamon

NoChange

Zest of 2oranges,finelychopped

NoChange

•Preheattheovento350°F.•Inalargebowl,whisktheeggwhite,syrup,vanilla,andorangeextractuntilfrothy.

•Addthecashewsandstiruntilthenutsarewellcoated.•Addthesalt,cinnamon,andorangezestandtossuntilthecashewsareevenlycoated.

•Spreadthenutsoutonafoil-coveredbakingsheet.•Bakeonthemiddlerackoftheovenfor25minutes,stirringevery5minutestoseparate,untilthenutsareadeepgoldenbrown.

•Coolcompletely.Storeinanairtightjaratroomtemperature.

Chocolate-CoveredBerryCreamMakes2servings

SANESANEst

2 cups frozenmixedberries,thawed

NoChange

4 tbspunsweetened,undutchedcocoapowder

NoChange

2 cups nonfatGreekyogurt

NoChange

4 tsp Xylaxylitol

NoChange

• Place the berries in a bowl and sift the cocoa powder over them. Stir untilcompletelycoated.

•Stirintheyogurtandxylitol.•Serveimmediatelyorstoreinaliddedcontainerintherefrigerator.

Chocolate–PeanutButterFudgeMakes4to6servings

SANESANEst

1 cup naturalpeanutbutter

NoChange

2 cupschocolateproteinpowderblend (I useUMP)

NoChange

2 cupschocolatecasein orwheypowder

NoChange

1 cupunsweetened,undutchedcocoapowder

NoChange

Cinnamon, totaste

NoChange

Xylaxylitol, totaste (startwith ateaspoon)

NoChange

Water asneeded, forconsistency

NoChange

•Placethepeanutbutterinamixingbowl.Microwavefor30secondsuntilitis

softened.•Addtheremainingingredients(exceptwater)andmixwell.•Addwaterasneededtoachievethedesiredconsistency.

Cinnamon-Raisin“Rice”PuddingMakes1serving

SANESANEst

1 cup low-fatcottagecheese

1cupnonfatcottagecheese

⅓ cupvanillacasein orwheypowder

⅓cupvanillacaseinorwheypowder

¼ cupraisins

n/a

1 tspcinnamon

Cinnamon,totaste

•Placealltheingredientsinabowlandmixgentlyuntilcombined.•Serveimmediately.

Note:Forvariety,substitute½cupGreekyogurtfor½cupofthecottagecheese.

DarkChocolate–EspressoCookiesMakes32servings

SANESANEst

8 ozunsweetened

NoChange

100%chocolate

¾cupcoconutoil

NoChange

9 oz Xylaxylitol

NoChange

2eggs NoChange1 tsp purevanillaextract

NoChange

6 oz almondflour

NoChange

2 oz rawunsweetenedcocoapowder

NoChange

3 tsp instantespressopowder

NoChange

2 tsp bakingpowder

NoChange

½tspsalt NoChange1½tspxanthangum

NoChange

⅓ cup lightcoconutmilk

NoChange

•Preheattheovento325°F.•Meltthechocolateinaheatproofbowlsetoverapanofsimmeringwater.Setasidetocool.

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the coconut oil and xylitol until they arecompletelyblendedandresembleveryfinebreadcrumbs.

•Addtheeggsandvanillaandbeatuntilfullyincorporated.•Addthemeltedchocolateandstiruntilcombined.• In another bowl, whisk the almond flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder,bakingpowder,salt,andxanthangumuntilcombined.Addtotheeggmixtureandfoldinuntilcombined.

•Addthecoconutmilkandmixuntilcombined.

• Roll 32 golf-ball-sized pieces of dough and place on foil-covered bakingsheets,2inchesapart.Flatteneachballintoadisk½inchthick.

•Placethebakingsheetsonthemiddlerackoftheovenandbakefor10to12minutes.Thecookieswilllookdrybutwillbestillbesoftinthecenterwhentheyaredone.

•Removethecookiesfromtheovenandleaveonthebakingsheetuntilcooltothetouch.Carefullymovethecookiestoaracktocoolcompletely.

•Storeinanairtightcontainer.

MintChocolatePuddingMakes4servings

SANESANEst

13 oz avocadoflesh (3small or 2medium)

13ozavocadoflesh(3smallor2medium)

½ cup cannedcoconutcream

¾cuplightcoconutmilk

1 cupunsweetened,undutchedcocoapowder

1cupunsweetened,undutchedcocoapowder

Pinchsalt Pinchsalt¼ tsp purepeppermintextract

¼tsppurepeppermintextract

½ cup plus 3tbsp Xylaxylitol

Xylaxylitol,totaste

n/a ⅓cupchocolatecaseinorwheypowder2 tbsp cocoanibs

2tbspcocoanibs

•Placetheavocadofleshandcoconutcreamormilkinablenderandblendon

highuntilsmooth.•Addthecocoapowder,salt,peppermintextract,andxylitolandblendonhigh.•Addthecaseinorwheypowder,ifusing,andblendonlowuntilcompletelymixed.

• Spoon into 4 glasses or dishes and refrigerate for at least 30minutes untilchilled.

•Sprinklewiththecocoanibsandserve.

Note:Youwillneedtostoptheblenderandstirtheingredientsregularly,asthisisverythick.Itwillbehardworkforeventhebestblenders.

Orange-CranberrySconesMakes8servings

SANESANEst

9 oz almondflour

NoChange

2 tbsp Xylaxylitol

NoChange

2 tsp bakingpowder

NoChange

1 tspxanthangum

NoChange

½tspsalt NoChange2 oz (4 tbsp)butterr

NoChange

3 oz driedcranberries,chopped

NoChange

Zest of 1orange,finelychopped

NoChange

1egg,beaten NoChange3tbsporangejuice

NoChange

1 additionalegg,beaten, forbrushing

NoChange

•Preheattheovento425°F.•Placethealmondflour,xylitol,bakingpowder,xanthangum,salt,andbutterinafoodprocessorandpulsethemixtureresemblesfinebreadcrumbs.

• Pour into amixing bowl, add the cranberries and zest, andmix gently tillcombined.

•Beattheeggwiththeorangejuiceandaddtothedryingredientsinthebowl.•Mixjustuntiladoughforms.•Kneadthedoughlightly(2or3turns)onanalmond-flouredsurface.•Rolloutthedoughto½-inchthickness.Cutout8sconeswithaflutedcutter.• Place scones 1 inch apart on a foil-covered baking sheet and brushwith abeatenegg.

• Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until goldenbrown.

•Servewarm.

PeanutButterMousseMakes6servings

SANESANEst

2 cupsnonfatGreekyogurt

NoChange

1 cupnaturalpeanutbutter

NoChange

1 cupvanillacaseinor whey

NoChange

powder3 eggwhites

NoChange

½ tspcreamoftartar

NoChange

⅓ cupxylitol

• Ina largebowl,beat together theyogurtandpeanutbutteruntil completelyblended.

•Mixinthecaseinorwheypowder.•Inaseparatebowl,beattheeggwhitesandcreamoftartaruntilstiff.•Addhalfofthexylitolandwhiskinuntilwellcombined.Addtheremainingxylitolandwhiskuntiltheeggwhitesarestiffandglossy.

• Gently fold the eggwhites into the peanut buttermixture until completelyblended.

•Spooninto6dishesandchillintherefrigeratorbeforeserving.

YourSmarterExerciseProgram

The smarter exercise programcanbe summedup in sevenwords (inspiredbyMichaelPollan):

ExerciseForcefully.NotTooOften.MostlyEccentric.

Thesmarterexerciseprogramtakesatmost twentyminutesperweek,soitcannot be complex. All it takes is four eccentric exercises performed for tenminutes,onceperweek,alongwithtenminutesofsmarterintervaltrainingonceperweek(thiscanbedoneathomeoratagym).PleasereadAppendixA:ToDobeforeExercisingSmarterbeforestartingthisprogram.

THEWEEKLYPROGRAM

•Day1:10minutesofeccentrictraining•Day2:Relaxandrecover•Day3:Relaxandrecover•Day4:10minutesofsmarterintervaltraining•Day5:Relaxandrecover•Day6:Relaxandrecover•Day7:Relaxandrecover

After our discussion about needing a week to recover from eccentricexercise,youmaybewonderingwhyyouwoulddobotheccentrictrainingandsmarterintervaltrainingeachweek.Twosmarterworkoutsperweekmakesenseonly for people new to smarter exercise because safety ismost important andyouneed toeaseyourwayintosmarterexercise.Becauseof this itwill takea

whilebeforeyouareabletosafelyuseenoughresistancetoworkyourmusclescompletely.Sinceyourmostbeneficialtype2bmusclefiberswillnotbegettingexercisedrightfromthestart,twosmarterworkoutsperweekarefine.Onceyouare comfortable using the amount of resistance necessary to work all yourmusclefibers,youcanskipthesmarterintervaltraining.

Hereishowyoucantellwhentocutbacktoonesmarterworkoutperweek:

1.Doeccentric trainingandwritedown theamountof resistanceused.Forexample:“Didsixeccentricshoulderpresseswith20pounds.”

2.Restfortwodays.3.Dosmarterintervaltraining.4.Restforthreedays.5.Doeccentrictrainingwiththesameresistanceusedlasttime.

If steps three and five are possible, you are not exercising your type 2bmusclefibersyet(thatis,youarenotusingenoughresistanceforyoureccentricshoulderpress)andshouldstickwithtwosmarterworkoutsperweekuntilyouarecomfortableaddingmoreresistance.Ifyouwereusingenoughresistancetoactivateyour type2bmuscle fibers, your smarter interval trainingwouldhavegonebadly.Your still exhausted type2bmuscle fibers inyour legswouldnothaveworkedwell.Ifyousomehowdraggedyourexhaustedmusclesthroughthesmarter interval training, they would then be unable to meet the demands ofeccentrictrainingthreedayslater.

TENMINUTESOFECCENTRICTRAINING

Ifyouarefamiliarwithresistancetraining,youarefamiliarwithsetsandreps.Ifyou are not familiar, you are better off because sets and reps are irrelevant.Musclefibersdonotcarehowmanysetsorrepswedo.Dr.RalphCarpinelli,oftheHumanPerformanceLaboratoryatAdelphiUniversity, tellsus, “Therearefifty-seven studies . . . that show no statistically significant difference in themagnitudeofstrengthgainsormuscular[development]asaresultofperformingagreaternumberofsets.”181

Allourmusclefiberscareaboutishowmuchforcetheyneedtogenerate.Solet’sfocusonmakingasmanymusclefibersaspossiblegenerateasmuchforce

aspossible,doingwhicheversetofthefollowingexerciseswewouldlike,onceperweek.*

HomeExercises GymExercisesEccentricSquats EccentricLegPressesEccentricPull-Ups EccentricPull-UpsEccentricPush-Ups EccentricChestPressEccentricShoulderPress EccentricShoulderPress

Moreexercisesprovide little ifanyvalue.Youcan thinkaboutdoingmoreexercisestomakeyourset-pointlowerjustasyou’dthinkaboutheatingboilingwatertomakeithotter.Inbothcaseswearejustwastingenergy.

Specific instructionsonhowtodotheseeccentricexercisesarecomingup.Also,mostgymswillgiveyouonefreepersonal-trainingsessioninwhichyoucan ask the trainer to show you how to do the traditional versions of theseexercises. On your own you can then apply the Six Principles of SmarterExerciseandbeallsetwithoutspendinganymoney.Bestofall,there’snoneedtobeintimidated.Ifyouhaveeversatdown,openedadoor,pushedsomething,orliftedanythingaboveyourhead,youaremostofthewaytobeinganeccentricexerciseexpert.

Keepinmindthatwhilethesmarterworkoutissimple,itisnoteasy.Wearetrading quantity for quality and that is hard. For example, go back to thestaircaseyouusedearliertoseehowmuchstrongeryouareeccentrically.Walkupitnormallyandnotehowyoufeel.Nowwaitafewminutesandwalkupthesamestaircasetwostepsatatime.Noticehowthatismoretiring?Inbothcasesyou did the samequantity of exercise, but taking two steps at a time requiresmoreforceandworksmoremusclefibers.

Tenminutesofeccentrictrainingshouldbelikewalkingupadozenstairsatatime.Youwillgeneratemoreforceandworkmoremusclefibersthanyoueverdidbefore.Attheendofeachexerciseyouwillbeexhausted.Itwillnotbefun,but the results are incredible. Think of it as being like an immunization.Youaccept safe and short-term discomfort now to avoid life-threatening and long-termdiscomfortlater.Plus,itisencouragingtoknowthatyouhavetodoitonlyonceperweekfortenminutes!

WHATABOUTMYARMSANDABS?Youdonotneedtodoarm-andab-specificexercises.Ifyouenjoydoingthem,

that’sfine,butpleasedothemafterthefoureccentricexercisesjustlistedandbesuretheydonotcompromiseyourabilitytoperformthoseprimaryexercises.

Our goal is to work as muchmuscle as possible and arm-and ab-specificexercisesworkalittlemuscle.Besides,ourfourexercisesworkourarmsandabsalongwith a bunch of othermuscles, and the hormonal impact of these “big”exercises benefits our arms and abs more than biceps curls or crunches evercould.

Inmy favorite study of all time, researchers at theUniversity of SouthernDenmark divided people into two groups. The first group trained only one oftheirarms.Thesecondgrouptrainedonlyonearmexactlythesamewayasthefirstgroup,butalsotrainedbothlegs.Withthiscreativesetup,researcherscouldsee what affected people’s arm muscles more: direct arm training or thehormones triggered by all themuscle fibersworked using leg exercises. Theycould answer the following questions:Howmuch stronger does an arm get ifpeople

Donottrainit? [untrainedarm+untrainedlegs]Trainonlyit? [trainedarm+untrainedlegs]Donottrainit,butdotraintheirlegs? [untrainedarm+trainedlegs]Trainitandtraintheirlegs? [trainedarm+trainedlegs]

Herearetheresults:

Clearlytraininglegsalongwitharmsisourbestbet,butthefunpartisthemiddletwobars.Resistancetrainingonlythelegsincreasedarm strengthmorethanresistancetrainingonlythearms.Why?Legtrainingworkedmoremuscleand therefore triggered more whole-body-transforming hormones than armtraining. All those hormones benefit seemingly unrelated muscles more thanexercisingthosemusclesdirectly.Thatiswhywewillworkourbiggestmusclegroups (legs,back,chest, andshoulders)directlyandour smallmusclegroups

(arms,abs,etc.) indirectly.Byfocusingon thebig thingsdirectlyand the littlethingsindirectly,wewill takecareof the little thingsbetter thanwecouldanyotherway.

But seriously, what about our abdominal muscles? Don’t we want a flat,tonedtummy?Absolutely.Butdoingabdominal-onlyexercisesbeforewelowerourbodyfatpercentagetothemidteensislikeworryingabouthowshinyaringlookswhilewearing a boxing glove over it. The fastestway to “get abs” hasnothing todowithexercisingourabdominalmuscles.Wehave touncoverourabdominalmuscles—thatis,unclogandlowerourset-point.

Important Note: Make sure that you eat one of your at-least-30-gramservings of protein as soon as possible after yourworkouts.This aids inrecoveryandmagnifiesmanyofthemetabolicbenefitsofsmarterexercise.If you enjoy protein shakes, there is no better time to enjoy one thanimmediatelyafteryourworkouts.

HOWTOEXERCISEECCENTRICALLY

Exercisingeccentricallyissimple:

•Warmupbywalkingbrisklyorridingabikeforafewminutes.•Pickaresistanceyoucannotliftwithonearmoroneleg—dependingonthe exercise—but can easily liftwith both armsor both legs.Let’s saytwentypounds.

•Lifttheresistancewithbotharmsorbothlegs.Eacharmorlegliftshalftheweight—10poundsinthisexample.

•Lowertheresistancewithonlyonearmoronelegfortenseconds.Eacharm or leg lowers all the weight—twenty pounds in our example—slowly.

•Repeatuntilitisimpossibletolowertheresistancewithonlyonearmoronelegfortenseconds.Ifthistakesmorethansixrepetitions,graduallyaddresistanceuntilittakesonlysixrepetitions.

With this technique, you can exercise eccentrically in the comfort of your

own home and bend many resistance-training machines at your local gym toyoureveryeccentricwhim.Butbeforewegeteccentric,therearetwoimportantrulestokeepinmind.

First,ifwechoosetoexerciseeccentricallyonresistance-trainingmachines,thenweshoulduseonlymachinesthatworkbothofourarmsorbothofourlegstogether.Thisistheonlywaytohavelessresistanceonthewayupandmoreonthewaydown.Ifwepickmachinesthatworkourarmsandlegsindependently,wewill lift and lower the same amount of resistance. That defeats thewholepurpose.Thinkaboutitthisway.Sayyougrabagallonofmilkineachhand,liftbothjugsaboveyourhead,andthendroptheoneinyourrighthandtoincreasethe resistance foryour lefthand.Thatdoesnotworkbecause liftingmilk jugsworksyourarmsindependently.However, ifyou liftedonemilk jugwitheacharm,butthenloweredbothjugswithonlyyourleftarm,youwouldlowermoreresistance with your left arm than you lifted with your left arm. Resistancetrainingmachinesthatworkbothofourarmsorbothofourlegstogetherdothesamething.

Second, exercise eccentrically only when little, if any, balance is needed.Justasyouwouldnotpickupagiantflat-screenTVwithtwohandsandthenletgowith one, you should exercise eccentrically onlywhenminimal balance isneeded.

Let’sputthetworulestogether.Wecould:Doapush-upwithourkneesonthefloor(toreducetheresistance),andthenliftourkneesandlowerourselves(to increase the resistance).Our armswork together to lift a shared source ofresistance (our body), and little if any balance is needed. Similarly,we couldstandupandthendoabody-weightsquatdown—whilehangingontosomethingforbalance—withonelegandthenstandbackupusingbothlegs.

HOWTOEXERCISEECCENTRICALLYATHOMERemember two key points when you start exercising eccentrically. First andforemost, nothing is more important than safety. The quickest way tocompromise clog-clearing is to get hurt. Eccentric training is designedspecifically tominimize injury—it is slow and controlled, it requiresminimalbalance,andyoucanspotyourself—butyoustillneedtoeaseintoitandtokeepperfectform.

Second, once you have the hang of safely executing these exercises, youhave to push yourself as hard as you safely can.You are trading quantity forquality, so it is particularly important that you maximize the quality of these

exercises. If you do not, you will have thrown quantity and quality out thewindow.Thatisnotexercisingless—smarter.Thatisjustexercisingless.

Please push yourself as hard as you safely can and then continue to pushyourself more and more by gradually adding resistance at least every otherworkout. As you improve the quality of your health and fitness, you mustimprove thequalityofyourexercise tokeepprogressing.Thinkabout trainingyourbodyasyouwould thinkabout trainingyourmind.Oncewe’vemasteredourmultiplicationtables,wehavetomoveontosomethingmorechallengingtomaximizeourmentalcapacity.Samethinggoeswithourbody.Wehavetokeepaddingresistanceandchallengingourselvestomaximizeourphysicalcapacity.

HOW TO INCREASE THE RESISTANCE OF AT-HOMEECCENTRICSYoucanincreasetheeffectivenessofyoureccentricexerciseinfivesafeways,onceyougetthehangofit:

•Safelyaddresistanceuntilit“lowersitself.”•Squatdownlower.•Holdthemostchallengingpartofthemovement.•Buyresistancebandsandaweightvest.•Onceyoumasterat-homeeccentrics,joinaninexpensivegym.

SafelyAddResistanceuntilIt“LowersItself”When you first start with eccentrics, you should consciously lower moderateresistance for ten seconds to get the hang of the movement. This will seemchallenging, but not too bad. Once you feel that you have mastered themovement, add resistance and you will be surprised to see that you can stilllower it for ten seconds. When you are completely comfortable with themovement,continuetoaddresistanceuntilyounolongerhaveto“try”tolowertheresistance.Youwilldoallthatyoucantostaystill,butthecorrectlevelofresistancewillforceyoudownoverthecourseoftenseconds.

SquatDownLowerSquattingdownfourincheswillnotgetuswherewewanttogo,butweneedtostartsomewhere.Aswegetstrongerandmoreconfidentwiththelegexercisesweshouldincreaseourrangeofmotion.Forsquatsandlegpresses,wegraduallyworkourwaytobendingatthekneeuntilourthighsareparallelwiththeground

(forsquats)andplatform(forlegpresses)orafewincheslower.

HoldtheMostChallengingPartoftheMovementForsquatsandlegpresses,wesquatdownatamodestspeeduntilourthighsareat least parallelwith the ground/platform.We then hold thatmost challengingpart of the movement for ten seconds rather than holding the top of themovement(theleastchallengingpartofthemovement)formostofthetime.

BuyResistanceBandsandaWeightVestThese are inexpensive substitutes for dumbbells and barbells at home. Put theweightvestonduringyoursquats,pull-ups,andpush-upstoincreaseresistance.Wraptheresistancebandsaroundsomethingsturdyandusethemtoincreasetheresistanceofyourshoulderpresses.

OnceYouMasterAt-HomeEccentrics,JoinanInexpensiveGymAt some point you will get into such great shape that your body weight,resistancebands,andweightvestsnolongerprovideenoughresistancetoworkallyourmusclefibers.Atthispoint,ifyouwanttoimproveyourfitness,you’llneedtousethemachinesatagym.

Keepinmindthatthemostbasicandinexpensivegymwilldothetrick.Youneedonlythefourmachinesoutlinedinthenextsection.Unlessyouareaneliteathlete,protectyourselffromthecomplexitythatmanygymstrytosellyou.Themorecomplexagymtriestomakeexercisesound,thefasteryoushouldrunintheotherdirection.Actualfitnessexpertsknowthat99percentofthepopulationcanachievealltheirgoalsusingaleg-presstypeofmovement,apull-uporrowmovement,andchest-andshoulder-pressmovements.Everythingelseshouldbeseenas“extendedwarranties.”Thepersonselling it toyouwillmake it soundwondrous,butitisgenerallyuselessforeveryoneexceptthesalesperson.

“How hard do I need to push myself to get the best results?” Think ofeffort as a scaleof1 to10where1 is sleepingand10 isgivingbirth. Ifyour goals are ambitious, your effort needs to be ambitious.Aim for tenminutesperweekofeffortasclosetolevel10aspossible,alwaysputtingsafety first. Ifyourgoal ismoremodest,youreffortcanbemoremodesttoo.

HOWTOEXERCISEECCENTRICALLYATHOME

AssistedEccentricSquats

MuscleGroupsWorked:LegsandGlutes

• Standwith your feet shoulder-width apart in front of something sturdy thatyoucanholdontowithbothhands.Iusearailingoradoorknob.Putachairbehindyou.

•Grabthesturdythinginfrontofyouandleanbackuntilyourarmsarefullyextended.Standwithallyourweightononeofyourheels.Makesuretokeepyourheadandshouldersbackwhilestickingyourchestandbuttout.

•Keepingallyourweightononeofyourheels,andkeepingyourselfbalancedbyholdingontothatsturdythinginfrontofyou,sitdownusingonlytheonelegyouputallyourweighton.Useyournon-weight-bearinglegtokeepyourbalanceand toensure thatyoucan loweryourself slowlyand safely for tenseconds.Ifyoucanloweryourselffor longer thantenseconds, thenyouareusingyourotherlegtoomuch.Ifyoucannotloweryourselffortenseconds,thenyouarenotusingyourotherlegenough.

•Makesurethatyourkneesneverstickoutfartherthanyourtoeswhileyouareloweringyourself.

• Stop loweringyourselfwithone legonceyourbutt touches thechair.Keepholdingontothesturdythinginfrontofyou.Standbackupusingbothlegs.

•Repeatthisfivemoretimesandthendothesamethingwithyourotherleg.• As you get stronger, remove the chair and try to squat down as far as youcomfortably can without your heel lifting off the ground or your kneesstickingoutfartherthanyourtoes.

AssistedEccentricPull-Ups

MuscleGroupsWorked:BackandArms

•Findsomethingsturdytohangfrom.Itshouldbenolowerthanyourchinifyou are standing on the ground and no higher than your chin if you arestanding on a chair. Common options include: jungle gyms/swing-sets, treebranches,oraninexpensivepull-upbaryou’veinstalledinyourhome.

•Standonthegroundoronachairsothatyourchinisslightlyabovethethingyouaregoingtohangfrom.

• Withyourarmsslightlywider thanshoulder-widthapart,putyourhandsontopofthethingyouaregoingtohangfrom.Gripitastightlyasyoucan.Stickyourchestoutandsqueezeyourshoulderbladestogether.

• With a firm grip, start to bend your legs so that you begin to hang fromwhateveritisyouareholdingonto.Themoreyoubendyourlegs,themorechallengingitwillbetohangon.

•Bendyourlegsenoughthatyoucannothangonforlongerthantenseconds.Ifyou can hang on for longer than ten seconds, bend your legsmore. If you

cannot hang on for ten seconds, bend your legs less. Depending on yourstrengthlevel,youmaynotneedtouseyourlegsatall.

• While you are hanging on, your back and armswill get tired and youwillslowly lower down until your arms are fully extended. If your arms fullyextendinlessthantenseconds,youareusingyourlegstoolittle.Ifyourarmsfullyextendinmorethantenseconds,youareusingyourlegstoomuch.

• While your arms are extending and you are lowering down, keep yourshouldersback,keepyourchestout,lookup,andkeepyourarmsasevenwithyourtorsoaspossible—thatis,donotletyourarmscreepoutinfrontofyou.

•Afteryourarmshavefullyextended,keephangingonandstanduptogetyourchinbackabovethebar.

•Repeatfivemoretimeswithoutresting.

AssistedEccentricPush-Ups

MuscleGroupsWorked:Chest,Shoulders,andArms

•Liefacedownonacleanfloorandputyourarmsouttoyoursidessothatyourhandsareevenwithyourupperchestandslightlywiderthanshoulder-widthapart.

•Keepingyourkneesonthefloor,pushyourselfupthroughthepalmsofyourhandsuntiljustbeforeyourelbowslock.Youwillnowhaveonlyyourkneesandyourhandstouchingthefloor.

•Liftyourkneesoffthefloorandshiftyourweighttoyourtoes.Youwillnowhaveonlyyourtoesandhandstouchingthefloor.

•Withyourshouldersbackandyourchestout,slowlyloweryourselfuntiljustbeforeanyotherpartofyourbodytouchestheground.Holdthatpositionfortenseconds.Makesureyoukeepyourbodyinastraightlinethroughoutthemovement.Donotletyourchestorhipsbowdown.

•Aftertenseconds,putyourkneesbackonthefloorandpushyourselfbackupas you did originally. Once you have lowered yourself six times—for tensecondseachtime,withoutrestinginbetweentimes—youaredone.

•Ifyoucannotloweryourselfsixtimes—fortensecondseachtime—putyourkneesbackontheflooruntilyoucan.

•Ifyoucanloweryourselfmorethansixtimes—fortensecondseachtime—donoteverletyourkneestouchthefloor.Alwayshavejustyourhandsandtoestouching thefloor. If that isstill tooeasy,putyour toesonsomethingsix totwelve inches off the ground. If that is still too easy, put your toes onsomething six to twelve inches off the ground and put something heavy onyourback.

AssistedEccentricShoulderPress

MuscleGroupsWorked:ShouldersandArms

•Findsomethingthatyoucansafelyliftaboveyourheadusingbotharms.Youshould also be able to safely hold it above your head with one arm. Thismeansitshouldbesmall.Ideallyyouwoulduseadumbbell.Holditinbothhands.

• Lift itaboveyourheadusingbothhands.Youshouldnowbestandingwithyourshouldersbackandyourchestout,holdingsomethingaboveyourheadwith both arms extended as much as they can be without locking at theelbows.

•Verycarefullyreleaseonehandbutkeepitclosetowhateveryouareholdingaboveyourheadtohelploweritifneeded.

•Keepthearmsupportingtheresistancetoyourside—thatis,donotletitcreepin front of you—and slowly lower the resistance for ten seconds, alwayskeepingyourotherhandcloseby.

•Ifyoucanlowertheresistanceformorethantenseconds,youneedsomethingheavier. If you cannot lower the resistance for ten seconds, you needsomethinglighter.

• Repeat this fivemore times—without resting—and then do the same thingwithyourotherarm.

HOWTOEXERCISEECCENTRICALLYATAGYMBefore you get eccentric at your local gym, keep inmind that every brand of

exercisemachineisslightlydifferent.Readtheinstructionsonthemachinesyouwill be using to learn specifically how to lower the resistance, raise theresistance,positiontheseat,andpositionthehandles.

EccentricLegPresses

MuscleGroupsWorked:LegsandGlutes

• Sit on the leg pressmachinewith your back against the pad.Make sure tokeepyourheadandshouldersback,whilestickingyourchestout.Thinkabouthowmilitarypersonnelstandatattention.Dothatwithyourhead,shoulders,andbackwhile sittingon themachine.Thisprotectsyourback from injury.Never,ever,roundyourbackforwardduringanyexercise.

• Putyour feeton theplatform.Spaceyour feet slightlywider thanshoulder-widthapart—whateverismostcomfortableforyou.Makesureyourfeetarehighenoughontheplatformthatyourtoesstayhigherthanyourkneeswhenyoulowertheresistance.

•Whenyoulowerandraisetheresistance,makesureyourkneesstaylinedupwithyourfeet.Donotbowyourlegsinorout.Makesureyourkneesneverstickoutfartherthanyourtoes.

•Alwayspushontheplatformthroughyourheels,whilekeepingyourabstightandyourbackagainstthepad,withyourshoulders,back,andchestout.

•Lowertheresistancefortensecondswithoneleg,aslowasyoucomfortablycan without your back coming off the pad or your heels lifting off the

platform.•Whenyoulifttheresistance—withbothlegs—avoidlockingyourkneesatthetop of the movement. Right before you begin to lock your knees, startloweringtheresistancewithonelegagain.

• Repeat this fivemore times—without resting—and then do the same thingwithyourotherleg.

EccentricRows

MuscleGroupsWorked:BackandArms

• Sit on the rowmachine and put your chest against the pad, if there is one.Eitherway,makesuretokeepyourbackperpendiculartothefloorwithyourhead and shoulders back, while sticking your chest out. Imagine trying topinchaplaying cardbetweenyour shoulderblades.Do thatwithyourbackandshoulderswhileyouliftandlowertheresistance.

• Putyour feet flaton the flooror flaton themachine’splatform.Keep themthere.

• Whenyouliftand lower theresistance,keepyour torsostill.Useonlyyourback and arm muscles to lift the resistance. Do not move your torso togeneratemomentumtohelpyourbackandarms.

• Liftwithbotharms, then lower the resistance for tensecondswithonearmuntilyourarmextendsasfarasitcan,withoutcausingyoutoroundyourbackortolockyourelbow.Repeat“shouldersback,chestout”inyourmindduring

thisandallotherexercises.• Just before your elbow begins to lock, use both arms to lift the resistanceagain.

• Repeat this fivemore times—without resting—and then do the same thingwithyourotherarm.

EccentricChestPress

MuscleGroupsWorked:Chest,Shoulders,andArms

•Sitonthechestpressmachinewithyourbackagainstthepad,asyoudidwiththelegpressmachine.Makesuretokeepyourheadandshouldersback,whilestickingyourchestout.

• Putyour feet flaton the flooror flaton themachine’splatform.Keep themthere.

• Whenyou lowerand lift the resistance,makesureyoukeepyourshouldersandheadback, abs tight, and chest out.Donot lift your lowerbackoff thepad.

•Whenyoulifttheresistancewithbotharms,extendyourarmsasfarastheywillgowithoutlockingyourelbowsormovingyourshouldersforward.Justbeforeyourelbowsbegintolock,startslowlyloweringtheresistance.

• Lower the resistance for ten secondswithonearmuntilyourhand is aboutevenwithyourribcage.

• Repeat this fivemore times—without resting—and then do the same thing

withyourotherarm.

EccentricShoulderPress

MuscleGroupsWorked:ShouldersandArms

•Sitontheshoulderpressmachinewithyourbackagainstthepadasyoudidwith the chest press machine. Make sure to keep your head and shouldersback,whilestickingyourchestout.

• Putyour feet flaton the flooror flaton themachine’splatform.Keep themthere.

• Whenyou lowerand lift the resistance,makesureyoukeepyourshouldersandheadback, abs tight, and chest out.Donot lift your lowerbackoff thepad.

•Whenyoulifttheresistancewithbotharms,extendyourarmsasfarastheywillgowithoutlockingyourelbowsormovingyourshouldersup.Justbeforeyourelbowsbegintolock,startslowlyloweringtheresistance.

• Lower the resistance for ten secondswithonearmuntilyourhand is aboutevenwithyourshoulders.

• Repeat this fivemore times—without resting—and then do the same thingwithyourotherarm.

HOWTODOSMARTERINTERVALTRAINING

Theefficacyof ahigh intensity exerciseprotocol, involvingonly~250kcal[calories]ofworkeachweek,tosubstantiallyimproveinsulinaction[unclog]inyoungsedentarysubjectsisremarkable.

—Dr.JohnBabraj,Heriot-WattUniversity182

Sinceyoualreadyknowhowtopedalonanuprightstationarybikeyouarereadyforsmarterintervaltraining:

1.Hopontoanuprightstationarybike.Thisis thetypethat looksmorelikearegularbikeandlesslikearecliner.

2. Get warmed up by pedaling at a moderate pace with moderateresistance.

3.Increasethebike’sresistancesothatyoucanpedalonlybystandinguponthepedalsandpushingdownonthemashardasyoucan.

4. Pedal like that for thirty seconds. If you can pedal for longer thanthirtyseconds,increasetheresistanceuntilyoucannot.

5.Restfortwominutes.6.Repeatsteps4and5threetimes.

We’renotdoingsmarter intervaltrainingifwegetonanuprightstationarybikeandflailarounduncontrollablyforthirtyseconds.Soundssilly,butthat isexactlywhatwillhappenifwedon’taddalotofresistance.Assumingyouarenot a highly trained athlete—moving your body very quickly will eventuallyleadtoaninjury.However,afteryouaddresistance,youcanmoveatanormal,controllable,andsaferate,whileworkingasforcefullyasyoupossiblycan.Asageneralruleofthumb,smarter interval training isnotaboutmovingfaster. It’saboutmovingmoreresistance.

Keepinmindthatyoudon’thavetouseanuprightstationarybike,butyoudo need to use a low-impact machine that will provide you with enoughresistancetoexhaustyourselfinthirtysecondswithouthavingtomovequickly.This means you cannot do smarter cardio on a treadmill, as that would beextremelyhighimpactandthereisnowaytosafelyaddsufficientresistance.

Remember,foreccentrictraining,startslowandaddresistanceonceyoucanlower the resistance you have now for ten secondsmore than six times.As ageneralrule,youwillknowyouhavearrivedattherightresistanceandintensitylevelswhenyoustopquestioninghowthisoneworkoutperweekleadstolastingfatlossandstartquestioninghowyouwillwalkupstairsfortherestoftheweekgivenhowsoreyouare.

Forsmarter interval training,addresistanceonceyoucanpedalagainst theresistancelevelformorethanthirtysecondsatatime.

Finally, if someone tells you that you must do different exercises to seeresults,thatpersondoesnothaveallthefacts.Itis100percenttruethatwemustcontinuetochallengeourmusclesifwewanttocontinuetoimprove.However,thisismosteffectivelydonebyaddingresistance,notbyaddingcomplexity.

Conclusion:FightFatwithFacts

True scientists put the solution to amedical problem first and not thepreservation of their own hypothesis, no matter how clever thehypothesis may seem or how proud of themselves they may be forcreatingit.

—UffeRavnskov,MD,PhD183

If twobillionpeoplecanbeselectiveaboutwhattheyeat,socanwe.TakethedietaryrestrictionsoftheIslamic,Hindu,andJewishreligions;adddiabeticsandvegetarians;assumeathirdofthesepeopleskiptherestrictions;andweendupwithabouttwobillionpeopleworldwidewhoeatinawaythatismuchtougherthanSANEity.Thesebillionsofpeoplearenot“better”thanweare.Wetoocanbe intentional aboutwhatweput into our bodies.Also,most people spend anaverage of over twenty-four minutes per day driving to and from work.Everyonehas tento twentyminutesperweek tospenddrivinghormonalclogsfromthebodyviaeccentricexercise.Wehavealldonemoredifficultand lessbeneficialthingsthaneatingmoreandexercisingless—butsmarter.Now,armedwith theright information,wehave theability to feelbetterandburnbodyfatforever.

As you start seeing dramatic improvements in your health, appearance,energylevels,andmood,peoplewillaskquestionsthatmasktheirenvy.“Don’tyou like food?” isacommon remark.Our lifestyle is theoppositeofdislikingfood.Weareeatingmorefood.Ourdisapprovingpeersaretheonestryingtoeatless of it. Sure,we are selective aboutwhatwe eat, but to say thatmeanswedislikefoodislikesayingthatbeingselectiveaboutwhatwelistentomeanswedislikemusic.JustrememberDr.Seuss’stimelessadvice:“Thosewhominddonotmatterandthosewhomatterdonotmind.”

Beyondspecificfood-relatedjabs,theenviouswillgenerallytrytobringyouback to “normal.” The best way to deal with the constant coaxing is to keep

some simple logic in mind: if you do not want what everyone else has, youshould not do what everyone else does. Put differently: if you do not wanttypicalresults,youshouldnotdowhatistypicallydone.

Aswehave seen throughout thisbook,ourapproach isbasedon scientificfindings,notonopinion.Itisnotanopinionthatourbodyregulatesourweightautomatically. Calories do have different qualities. Hormones are important.Starches are more harmful than helpful. Added sweeteners are addictive andtoxic. Protein and fat are essential while carbohydrate is not. Nonstarchyvegetables, nutrient-dense protein,whole-food fats, and low-fructose fruits aretheSANEstfoods.Anditisnotanopinionthatwegetbetterresultsmoresafelybyexercisingmoremuscleslowly.

Let’sreviewthekeypointsofoursmarterscienceofslim:

• Tellinghormonallycloggedpeopletoeat lessandexercisemoreis liketelling depressed people to frown less and smile more. Both casesconfuse temporarily suppressing symptoms with addressing theunderlyingissue:low-qualityinputs.

• Our set-point automatically regulates our body fat levels long term.Chronicbodyfatgainistheresultofahormonalclogthatraisesourset-point.

•Long-termfatlossandhealthcomefromclearingthisclogandloweringourset-point.Long-termfatlosscomesfrommakingourbodyworklikethe bodies of people who eat whatever they want and do not get fat.Long-termfatlosscomesfromimprovingourbasicbiologicalfunctionsrather than fighting against them.We improve them by increasing thequalityofcaloriesweeatandthequalityofexerciseswedo.

•Temporaryweightlosscomesfromignoringourclogwhilefiddlingwiththe quantity of calorieswe take in and exercise off.Temporaryweightloss comes from making our body think it is starving. This approachcausesustoslowdown,holdontobodyfat,burnmuscle,andgainbackmorebodyfatthanwelost.

•Studiesshowthatthecaloriemyths—countingcalories,believingthatacalorieisacalorie,sayingthatcaloriesareallthatmatter,andtherest—failbecause theyignore theset-point,caloriequality,andourhormonalclog.Thecaloriemythsignoreallthefactorscontrollinglong-termhealthandfatloss.Thatiswhystudiesshowtheyfailmorethan95percentofthetime.

• By focusing on calorie quality, we eat as much SANE—high-Satiety,low-Aggression, high-Nutrition, and low-Efficiency—food as possible,andsitbackwhileourbodytakescareofitself.Ourhormonesgethealed,our clog clears, our set-point drops, and we burn body fat all day,automatically.

• EatingSANE food is simple.Weeat naturalwhole foodspackedwithwater,fiber,protein,andessentialfats.Weeatthewayourancestorsatefor99.8percentofourhistory.Weeatthewaypeopleatebeforeobesityandallitsrelateddiseasesbecameaproblem.

• Sadly, our government promotes disproved, imbalanced, and unnaturaldietaryguidelinesthatencouragetheinSANEeatingthatcausesobesity,diabetes,andheartdisease.

• Big food, fitness, andpharmaceutical corporationspileon the inSANE“food” and spreadmisinformation because theworsewe do, the bettertheydo.

•Wedonotburnmorebodyfatbyexercisingmore.Weburnmorebodyfat by unclogging. We unclog by working more muscle fibers andtriggering clog-clearing hormones. This type of smarter exercise isperformed by moving forcefully, briefly, infrequently, and safely.Exercisehelpsusburnbodyfatforeverwhenwedolessofit—smarter.

•Eatinglessandexercisingmoretomanuallybalancecaloriesiscomplexandcounterproductive.Eatingmoreandexercisingless—butsmarter—toenableourbodytobalancecaloriesforusmakesslimsimple.

• Eating more SANE food provides the unique combination of morenutrients,moresatisfaction,andmoreclogclearing,whilepreventingusfrom overeating. Add in smarter exercise and we stimulate our clog-clearinghormones.Morenutrientspluslessovereatingandlesscloggingquicklyconvinceourbodytolowerourset-pointandburnbodyfatforusautomatically. Sincewewill heal ourmind alongwith our bodywhileeatingmoreandexercisinglessthanever,wecaneasilykeepthisuplongterm.

Thescienceissimple.Thelifestyleiseasy.Theresultsareamazing.Here’sto a lifetime of fighting fatwith facts instead of getting frustrated by fat-lossfiction.

Afterword:SpreadtheWord(andGetBonusContent!)

Wecannot solveproblemsbyusing thesamekindof thinkingweusedwhenwecreatedthem.

—AlbertEinsteinInthepast,the“truth”aboutourdietandfitnesshasbeendeterminedbyanumberoffactors,includingmarketforces.Thisno

longerhastobethecase.Thetruthcanbedeterminedbyscience.YouandIsimplyneedtogetthewordout.Ifeveryoneofusspendsafew

secondssharingthisscientificnews,wecancreateahealthierandhappierworld.

—JonathanBailor

Free Recipes, How-To Videos, Personalized Support, and More Getdelicious recipes, daily tips, and personalized support atwww.BailorGroup.com/FreeProgram.And join the millions who laugh and learn with us atwww.SmarterScienceOfSlim.com/RadioShow.

Acknowledgments

Thisbookistheresultofmorethantwelveyearsofcollaborationwithhundredsofbrilliantandinspiringresearchers.Toeveryonewhohelpedbringthisscienceto the surface: I cannot thank you enough for your time, insight, and support.Togetherwewillmaketheworldahealthierandhappierplace.

Tomy agent, LindaKonner: you have exceededmywildest expectations.Thankyouforhelpingmakemydreamscometrue.Thankyoutothetremendousteam at HarperCollins and beyond for facilitating this once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity.Tomyexecutiveeditor,JulieWill,yourpassionandcommitmenttothis project were obvious and inspiring from day one. Thank you for yourunwaveringsupportandtrustandfortheimmeasurablevalueyouaddedtothisproject.Youexceededexpectationseverystepoftheway.ToMariskavanAalst:whatyoudowithwordsisnothingshortofmagical.Thankyouforwavingyourwondrous wordsmithing wand my way. To marketing director KatieO’Callaghanandmypublicist,KateD’Esmond:modernnutritionandexercisescience is only as helpful as it is available to the public. Thank you for thepassionandcreativityyoubringtomakingthislifesavingresearchaccessibletoeveryone.

ThankyoutothemostincrediblepersonIhaveevermetinmylife.Mybestfriend,my partner,my everything,mywife,Angela. Every day I’mmetwithwondermentastohowIamsoluckytospendmylifeandmyforeverwithsuchan angelic being.This book and the broader dream it reflectswould not existwereitnotforyourremarkablesupportandcollaboration.

Thank you to Scott, Zeyad, Mike, Kevin, Cameron, and Branden; mydelightful sister, Patty; my loving in-laws, Terry and Carolyn; and my bigbrotherandbestman,Tim.Youaresuchtreasures.Thankyouforbeingwhoyouare,andthankyouformeaningsomuchtome.

Thank you to my dazzling podcast cohost and SANE chef Carrie Brown.You bring somuch joy on somany levels to somany people. Thank you forbeingthegemthatyouare.

Thank you to my enlightened mentor and business partner, Joshua

Pokempner.Youareanangelineverysenseoftheword.Thankyouforgivingsomuchofyourselftosuchanoblemission.

Thank you to my amazing support group moderator, brilliant contentprovider, and medical adviser Dr. Catherine W. Britell. Thank you for yourconsistentanddependabletime,insight,andcaring.

Thank you to Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, Dr. Theodoros Kelesidis, and Dr.WilliamDavis for your life-changing research and collaboration.And to TomNaughton, Lisa Johnson, Jimmy Moore, Sean Croxton, Mark Sisson, LynnColwell, Corey Colwell-Lipson, Jade Teta, Able James, Ben Greenfield, JJVirgin,LauraDolson,DaveAsprey,PilarGerasimo,A.J.Jacobs,CaseyCarey,JohnCarey,BrianJohnson,DavidMoldawer,MichaelKarsh,JeskaDzwigalski,ElizabethMadariaga,Dr.JoshAxe,NicholasRobinson,Dr.MarkHyman,AnneMcLaughlin,Dr.ChristianeNorthrup,DianeGrover,Dr.DanielG.Amen,Dr.MichaelMoreno,Dr. JohnBerardi,Dr.LaurenStreicher,DaryaRose,MelissaHartwig, Dr. David L. Katz, Dr. Barry Sears, Robert Goodman, DianeSanfilippo, Adam Bornstein, Dietitian Cassie, SteveWright, Becca Borawski,Dr.SaraGottfried,KateFerguson,LawrenPulse,Dr.StephanGuyenet,MareyaIbrahim,Mira and JaysonCalton, Nell Stephenson, RichardNikoley, Dr. RayHinish, Monica Reinagel, Dr. Fred Pescatore, Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, and theteams at the Huffington Post, en*theos, Quest Nutrition, BeWell Radio, andcreativeLIVE, foryour insightfulwork,foryourdedication tomaking“healthy”healthyagain,forhelpingmefindmywayintheworldofsocialmedia,andforsupportingmeeverystepoftheway.

ThankyoutotheamazingteambehindournonprofiteffortsatBlareMediaand beyond: Mike Rich, Justin McAleece, Johnny Soto, Jason Wada, andJenniferBarnett.Your generosity and brilliance have improved the lives of somanysodeeply.

Thankyoutotheeditorsofthefirsteditionofthisbook:JohnPaine,HillelBlack,MaryRoseBailor,andRobertBailor.Iconsideryoumagiciansmorethaneditors.Yourbrillianceisexceededonlybyyourkindness.

ThankyoutotheamazingteamsatDigiPowersInc.,KruppKommunicationsInc.,andSarahWilsonBusinessCommunications.RolfKaiser,JacobWaldman,CoreyMcCraw,BrianToomey,AaronMandelbaum,KenReid,AlexBorsody,Brian Bason, Julia Miller, JimMiller, Heidi Krupp, SarahWilson, andMarkFortier:yourcreativityanddiligencehaveenabledustomake“healthy”healthyagainatawholenewlevel.

Thank you to my marvelous Microsoft management team: Tristan Davis,

ScottStiles,JeanneSheldon,MichelleTatom,StaceyLaw,SamaraDonald,andJessicaZahnforenablingmetoliveoutmydreamsofsimplifyingandapplyingtechnology and biology for the betterment of humanity.Your ongoing supportforthisscienceisnothingshortofamazing.

Thank you to Robert, Jay, Jennifer, Cristina, Char, Jim, and Carrie forsharingyourSANEsuccessstoriesandforsettingsuchaninspirationalexample.

ThankyoutoSheriAckerman,JohnCoss,CaitlinAshley-Rollman,LeAnneMarshall,AngelaStreiff,RobbyReining,RobertBailor,AngelaBailor,MelindaKnight, Alan Hukle, Craig Stephans, Cherie Hill, Julie Spiegel, Bill Cashell,Lydia Allen, Angie Boyter, John Roberto, Tara Hopwood, Michael DavidMcGuire, and AndrewWarner for your substantial and insightful feedback. Ihopethistextlivesuptoyourinspiringexpectations.

Finally, thank you to every member of the Smarter Science of Slim andCalorieMyth communitiesworldwide.The support youhave shown fromdayonehasconsistentlycausedme toget tearyeyed.Youhave thecourage toeatandexercisesmarter.Youhavetakentheroadlesstraveledanditwillmakeallthedifference.

AppendixA:ToDobeforeExercisingSmarter

BYCATHERINEW.BRITELL,MD

Starting a new exercise program is exciting. You can look forward to gettingstronger, havingmore energy, and looking better. However, if you have someuncertainty about your cardiovascular health, you may have well-foundedconcernsaboutwhetherit’ssafetobeginanewexerciseprogram.

Ifyouhavehadsymptomssuchaschestpainor irregularheart rhythm,orhad a heart attackor a coronary artery stent or bypass, youmust consultwithyour doctor before trying any new vigorous exercises. In addition, consultingwithyourphysicianisespeciallyimportantifyou:

•Areoverforty•Havediabetes•Smoke•Havehighbloodpressure(above140systolicand/or90diastolic)•HavehighLDLcholesterolandtriglyceridesandlowHDLcholesterol• Have a waist circumference greater than 32 inches in women and 37inchesinmen

•Aresedentary

The good news is that both high-intensity interval training and eccentricstrengtheninghavebeenshowntobeexcellentwaysforindividualswithcardiacproblemstobecomehealthierandstronger,ifstartedandmonitoredcarefullyinasupervisedprogramofcardiacrehabilitation.

The bottom line: see your doctor before starting any kind of new exerciseprogram, andbring alonga conciseoutlineof the exercisesyouplan todo. Ifyou have cardiovascular risk factors, a cardiology consultation and possiblecardiac stress testing are the best way to ensure your getting into your newexercise program safely. If you have cardiac abnormalities, high-intensityinterval training and eccentric strengthening may be very effective, provided

theyaredonewithappropriatecardiacmonitoringon recommendationofyourcardiologist.

AppendixB:ProductsThatMakeGoingSANEMoreConvenient

Everydayweseesomenew“musthave”pillorpowderpromisingtotransformourhealth.Everydayweneedtoremindourselvesthatnoneoftheseproductscouldpossiblyberequiredtoavoidobesity,diabetes,andheartdisease.Noneofusareoverweightorsickowingtoapillorpowderdeficiency.Howcouldwebe?Theseproducts didn’t exist until recently andneither did rampant obesity,diabetes, and heart disease.Obesity and disease are caused by a deficiencyofSANEfoodsandasurplusofinSANEedibleproducts.Everythingessentialforhumanhealth is foundwithinSANEwhole foods—to theextent that ifweeatmoreofthemwewillavoidobesityanddiseasewithouttrying.

Thatsaid,therearesomeproductsthatmaymakestayingSANEandgettingeccentric easier.The brands that I use and trust can be found onTheSmarterScienceofSlimwebsite.Note that I amnot receivinganycompensation fromanyone for these recommendations. None of them are required. They simplysavesomepeopletimeandmoneyinthelongterm.

MEMBERSHIP AT A BULKWHOLESALE STORE:With the cash-back“executive”membershipsmanyofthesestoresoffer,youcanendupgettingpaidtobecomeamember.MywifeandIreallylikeCostco.

HIGH-QUALITYBLENDER:Ifyouwanttomakesmoothies,agoodblendercostsbetween$300and$400.Ifyoublendfrequently,cheapblenderscostyoumoreoverthelongrunbecausetheyhavetobereplacedfrequently.

You will also find that high-quality blenders are significantly better atmakingtastysmoothies.Cheapblendersbreakfoodintosmallchunks,anditisnofundrinkinggrainy,chunkysmoothies.High-qualityblenderscreatesmoothanddelightfulsmoothies.Forexample, ifyouputspinachintoa$100blender,youwillgetbitsof spinach.However, ifyouput spinach intoa$350blender,youwillgetsmoothspinachjuice.Orconsiderwholeflaxseed.Cheapblendersmixthisupandleaveyouwithwholeseeds.High-qualityblendersliquefyit.Ifyouhadagrainy,chunky,andoverallbadexperiencewithblendinginthepast,

blametheblenderandgivesmoothiesanothershotwithabetterblender.Iusea refurbishedVitamixblender,whichcostsa littleunder$350.There

areothergreatonesoutthere.IchosetheVitamixbecauseithasanimpressiveseven-yearwarrantyandcomeswithalargejar—toblendalotatonce—andahandyplunger, topushfooddownin theblenderwithoutsplatteringitallovertheplace.Ifyourtimeisscarce,Ithinka$350blenderisworththeinvestment.Ifitlastsyousevenyears—whichitwillifithasaseven-yearwarranty—thatis$50ayear.

BULK UNSWEETENED AND UNDUTCHED COCOA/CACAO: If youlike chocolate, buying unsweetened cocoa/cacao in bulk is a great cost saver.Unlikechocolate,purecocoa/cacaoisoneofthemostSANEfoodsintheworld.

INDOORGRILL:Amust-haveforeasymeatandseafoodpreparation.GeorgeForeman’s is the most common. There are other great ones. My onlyrecommendationistogetonewhereyoucandetachthegrilling“plates”foreasywashing.

SHAKERBOTTLES:Thesearehelpful for enjoyinggreen smoothieson thego.

PULL-UPBAR:Thesecostlessthan$50,canbeinstalledinanydoorway,andmakeat-homeeccentricbackexercisessimple.

LIFTING GLOVES AND STRAPS: These protect your hands and wristswhile enabling you to grip resistance more securely when exercisingeccentrically.

HEAVYRESISTANCEBANDS:Theseareinexpensive,portable,andversatilewaystoaddresistancetoat-homeeccentricexercise.

ADJUSTABLEWEIGHTVEST:This isanotherwaytoaddresistancetoat-homeeccentricexercises.

SUGAR-FREE POWDERED “SUPER FOODS”: These offer a convenientbut horrible-tasting way to get nonstarchy vegetables and low-fructose fruitswhenwhole-foodoptionsaren’tavailable.

LOW-SUGAR PROTEIN BARS: These should contain at least five times

moreproteinthansugar.Also,thefeweringredients,thebetterthebar.Notethatthe vastmajority of bars out there containmore sugar than anything else andshouldbeavoided.

CASEIN OR WHEY PROTEIN POWDER: Many supplement companiesadvertisethattheirwheyproteinisbest.Donotbelievethehype.Justmakesureyourproteinpowderdoesnotcontainabunchofextraingredients.Anyproductwith more than two grams of sugar per twenty-five grams of protein is low-qualityandshouldbeavoided.

Whenchoosingflavors,thinkabouthowyouaregoingtoeattheprotein.Ifyou plan to blend it with fruits and vegetables, then I recommend vanilla,strawberry,orsomeotherfruitflavor.Otherflavorsareriskywithlow-fructosefruits and nonstarchy vegetables. If you plan onmixing the proteinwith onlywater,ice,andwhole-foodfats,getwhateverflavorsoundsappealingtoyou.

Ifyouplantousethepowderbeforeandafterworkouts,gowithwheygivenits rapid rate of digestion. Otherwise, stick with casein, as it is the lessAggressiveofthetwo.

Ifyouprefertoavoiddairy,andaslongasyouarenotusingthepowdertoaddflavor,powderedeggwhitescanalsobeusedgiventheircasein-andwhey-likerichandcompleteaminoacidprofile.

MANDOLINE: This will save you a lot of time chopping nonstarchyvegetables.

SLICING GLOVES: These will save your fingers while you are choppingnonstarchyvegetables.

STAND-ALONEFREEZER:IfmanypeopleinyourhousearegoingSANE,astand-alone freezer is helpful. All this freezer space allows you to buynonstarchyvegetables,meats,seafood,andfruitsinbulk,andsavesyoumoneyandtime.

AppendixC:TheTopFourMostFrequentlyAskedQuestions

1.ISMOREEXERCISEBADFORME?Thequickansweristhatitdepends.

Thecompleteanswerinvolvesclarifyingwhatwearetalkingaboutwhenwesay “exercise.” To do this, let’s think about the intensity (number of musclefibers worked) and impact (amount of bad stress put on our joints etc.). Forexample,considerthesimplifiedtablebelow:

Lower-Impact Higher-ImpactHigher-Intensity

SmarterExercise

ExplosiveAthletics

EccentricTraining

PowerLifting

SmarterIntervalTraining

Boxing

ResistanceTraining

Sprinting

Lower-Intensity

RestorativeActivities

TraditionalExercise

Yoga

ExtremeAerobics

Walking

Jogging

Gardening

Aerobics

We already know thatwewant to do a little higher-intensity/lower-impactsmarterexercisetohelpusburnfatandboosthealthlongterm.Researchisalsoclear that lower-intensity/lower-impact restorative activities are wonderful forourhealth.However,everythingelsecancausemoreharmthangood.Explosiveathleticsexposeyou toahighriskof injury.Traditionalexercisedrivesyou toeat inSANEfoods; injuresyou; takesupyour timeandmoney; suppresses theproductionofthethyroidhormone,T3(akeyhormoneindeterminingwhetheryour body “burns more” or “stores more” when faced with excess calories),especially in women; and compromises your ability to exercise smarter.Additionally, whatever the net metabolic and health benefits explosive andtraditional exercises provide, they are dwarfed by those offered by smarterexerciseandrestorativeactivity.

Backtothequestionathand.Ismoretraditionalexercisebadforlong-termhealthandfatloss?Yes.Isitagoodideatoenjoyasmuchrestorativeactivityasyoucanwhileexercisingless—butsmarter?Yes.

P.S.: If you share this with people and they immediately and violentlydisagree, ask yourself if they have a vested interest in your doing moretraditionalexercise.

2.DOESN’TOBESITYDISPRTOVETHESET-POINT?Someindividualswhoarenotfamiliarwiththescienceoftheset-pointwilltellyou that it is obviously incorrect. Why? Their response: “If the bodyautomaticallykeptusatahealthyweight, thennobodywouldbeobese.That’sthewholepointofa‘set-point,’right?It’saweightthatdoesn’tchange.”

Theshortanswer:“Doesthefactthatyourhomeistoowarmprovethatyoudon’thavea thermostat?”No.Givenmodernarchitecture, it’smore likely thatyouhavea thermostatwhich is turnedup,broken,oroverwhelmed.Similarly,thefact thatyourbodyistoofatdoesn’tprovethatyoudon’thaveaset-point.Givenmodernscience,it’smorelikelythatyouhaveaset-pointwhichisturnedup,broken,oroverwhelmed.

The longer answer: The confusion here is similar to the confusion aroundwhethermoreexerciseisbadforus.It’seasilyclearedupwhenwespeakabitmoreprecisely.Set-pointskepticsaredefiningtheset-pointlikethis:“Thebodyautomatically keeps us at a healthyweight.” The set-point is actually defined

likethis:“Thebodyworkstoautomaticallykeepusataparticularweightgivena particular hormonal balance.” This distinction is key because it makes thedifferencebetweenadefinitionthatisfalse—theset-pointmakesitimpossibletogainfat—andadefinitionthathasbeenproved:theset-pointtriestomaintainaparticularlevelofbodyfatgiventhequalityofoureatingandexercise.

To demonstrate the importance of this distinction, it’s helpful to compareobesitytodiabetes.Forexample,itisanundisputedfactthatthebodyworkstoautomatically regulate blood sugar. In other words, everyone accepts that wehave a blood-sugar set-point. At the same time we all know that the wrongqualityof foods (inSANEstarchesandsweets) cancause thisbloodsugar set-point to rise.We call this type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. Do the one in fourAmericanswho are diabetic or prediabetic disprove the blood-sugar set-point?No. They prove that thewrong quality of food can raise the blood-sugar set-pointviathesefoods’negativeimpactonourhormones.

Similarly,do the twooutof threeAmericanswhoareoverweightdisprovethebody-fatset-point?No.Theyprovethatthewrongqualityoffoodcanraisetheblood-sugarset-pointviathesefoods’negativeimpactonourhormones.

3.WHATDOYOUEATANDHOWDOYOUEXERCISE?Theshortanswer:Intermsofvolume,Ieat...

• nonstarchygreenvegetables suchas spinach,kale,and romaine lettuce•othernonstarchyvegetablessuchasbroccoli,cauliflower,mushrooms,cabbage, onions, garlic, and carrots • wild nutrient-dense sources ofprotein such as salmon, clams, grass-fed beef and beef liver, and eggwhites•fibrousandwhole-foodfatssuchascoconut,cocoa,macadamianuts,avocado,flax,chia,etc.

• all-natural marinara sauce and salsa as a delicious complement tonutrient-denseproteinandnonstarchyvegetables•lemonsintheformoflemon water with my green tea • berries before and after eccentricexercise• pickles and oliveswhen I’m in themood for a salty snack• low-sugar casein andwheyproteinpowders I exercise once aweek,eccentrically.Ialsodofifteenminutesofyogastretchingafterward.

The longeranswer is that Ihave foundmySANEity. I eat inaway that isrootedinprovenscience,practicalhistory,andcommonsense;thatissimpleandenjoyable; and that enablesme to reach all my goals (i.e., not just looking acertainway)overthelongterm.WhyamIgettingphilosophical?Borrowingan

analogyfromStephenCovey,thinkofmydietandexerciseroutineasbeingabitlikemyeyeglassprescription.Alleyesandeyeglassesfollowthesamebasicsetofprovenbiologicalprinciples.However,ifyourvisionisnotclear,puttingmyglasses on may not clear things up. That doesn’t mean that my glasses areineffective;itjustmeansthattheyarenotyourglasses.Thereisapairofglassesthatwillclearthingsupforyou,andyourglasseswillsharethesameunderlyingcharacteristicsasmine,butuntilyou takeownership for findingyourpersonalperfectprescription,thingsaregoingtoremainblurry.

Whenitcomestofindingourindividualprescriptionforeatingandexercise,theunderlyingbiologicalprinciplesareuncontroversialanduniversal,butsincewe all have different goals, histories, and circumstances, the practices arepersonal.*

4.WHATABOUTDIET,EXERCISEROUTINE,ORSUPPLEMENTX?Ifpeople findout thatyouaregoingSANEandgettingeccentricand theygetdefensive with questions in this general format, the response is simple: Ifwhatevertheyaredoingisworkingforthem,excellent!Keepitup.Ontheotherhand, if theyaredissatisfiedwiththeir long-termresultsor theamountoftimeandeffort theyarespending, theymayenjoyeatinga lotof themostnutrient-densefoodanddoingalittleofthemosthormonallyhealingexercise.Therearetoomanyrealproblemsinlifetospendenergyarguingaboutdiets,workouts,orsupplements.

Ifyouareconsideringtryingadiet,exerciseroutine,orsupplementthatwehaven’tdiscussed,itisagoodideatotheextentthatitbringsyouclosertotheuniversal principles discussed in the third FAQ. For example, should youbecomeavegetarianpurelyforhealthreasons?Ifitmeanseatinglessprocessedjunk food, then it would be helpful. If it means eating dramatically morenonstarchyvegetableswhilefindingSANEsourcesofplant-basednutrient-denseprotein and enjoyingwhole-food fats and low-fructose fruits, then itwouldbehelpful.However,ifitmeanseatingalotmoreplant-basedinSANEstarchesandsweets,thenitwouldbeharmful.

There is enough complexity in life. Simplify.Let the little things go, stickwithprovenbiologicalprinciples,andgoenjoyyournewlife.

AppendixD:FurtherReading

The resources listed here reflect a wide array of lifestyles that have helpedmillionsofpeoplelivebetter.Asyouenjoythediversityofeatingandexercisestrategiesfoundinthislist,pleasekeeptheprovenscienceandsimpleprincipleswe’ve covered inmind.Most important, remember that theworldwide rate ofobesityhasmore thandoubledsince1980, therateofdiabetesandprediabeteshasincreased100,000percentinonecentury,andmorethan40millionchildrenunder the age of five are overweight. Nobody working to help others eatnutrient-dense food instead of manufactured edible products is our adversary.We’re here to be healthy and to enjoy our lives, not to argue over ideology.Biologyisn’tamatterofopinionanyway.

Let’s focus our time on health, happiness, helping others, and celebratingsimilarities rather than demonizing differences. Together we can turn the tideagainsttheworsthealthcrisisthemodernworldhaseverseen.Andwemust.Itisamatteroflifeanddeath.

Note:Sincewebsiteschangebutbooksdon’t,listedbelowarethenamesofauthors, bloggers, broadcasters, and otherswho have influencedme. To enjoytheirmostrecentwork,typeanyofthenames,surroundedbyquotationmarks,intoyourfavoritesearchengine.

A.J.JacobsChefAJ

AbelJames

AdamBornsteinAdamKosloffAglaéeJacob

AlexandraJamiesonAmyMac

AndreaBeamanAndrewS.RockoffAranGoyoaga

ArsyVartanianAshleyBorden

AshleyKoff

BartonSeaver

BeccaBorawskiBenCoomber

BenGreenfieldBrandiKoskie

BrendaWollenbergBrettKlikaBridgitDannerBrierleyWrightCarolSalva

CaroleCarson

CarynHartglassCarynTalty

CateRitter

CatherineHoleckoCharlieHoehnChrista Orecchio Christie Johnson Christine Biswabic Corey Colwell-LipsonCynthiaPasquellaDanAriely

DanMillman

DaphneOz

DaveAsprey

DavidBarrDebra-LynnB.HookDeeMcCaffreyDeniseMestanza-TaylorDianeSanfilippoDickBolles

DietitianCassieDonnaGates

DougCookDr.AliceD.DomarDr.AndreasEenfeldtDr.BarbaraNatterson-HorowitzDr.BarrySearsDr.BradBlantonDr.CarolS.DweckDr.ChristianeNorthrupDr.ColinChampDr.DanielAmenDr.DanielKalishDr.DaryaRoseDr.DavidL.Katz Dr. Drew Ramsey Dr. Dwight Lundell Dr. Edmund J. Bourne Dr. FredPescatoreDr.GeorgePrattDr.HollyLucilleDr.JacobTeitelbaumDr.JadeTetaDr.JayWortmanDr.JeffryN.GerberDr.JeffryS.LifeDr.JimNicolaiDr.JoelFurhman Dr. John Berardi Dr. John Gottman Dr. John J. Ratey Dr. JonnyBowden Dr. Kelly Austin Dr. Kelly Starrett Dr. Larry Dossey Dr. Lauren F.StreicherDr.LoriL.ShemekDr.MaoShingNiDr.MarkHymanDr.JosephM.Mercola Dr.Michael Terman Dr.MikeMoreno Dr.Mike Young Dr. NatashaTurner Dr. Neal Barnard Dr. Nicole M. Avena Dr. Nina Savelle-Rocklin Dr.PeterAttiaDr.RallieMcAllisterDr.RayHinishDr.RichardJohnsonDr.RickHenriksenDr.Robert J.DavisDr.RonRosedaleDr. SaraGottfriedDr. SarahBallantyne Dr. Srdjan Ostric Dr. Stephan Guyenet Dr. T. Colin Campbell Dr.Terri Orbuch Dr. TerryWahls Dr. Tom O’Bryan Dr. Vera Ingrid Tarman Dr.Walter Willett Dr. Wayne Westcott Dr. Will Tuttle Dr. William Davis EliseBallard

ElliottHulse

EricCressey

EstherBlum

EstherHornFitBuffBrandonFrancesLargeman-RothGaryNoreen

GaryTaubes

GeorgeBryant

GeorginaRyan

GingerVieiraGretchenRubinGunnarPetersonGuyKawasaki

HowardJacobsonJackCanfield

JackieEbersteinJayJacobsJaysonandMiraCaltonJenniferBrightReichJenniferKnye

JennipherWaltersJeremyHendon

JillEscher

JimmyMoore

JJVirginJoeandTerryGraedonJoelHarper

JohnKiefer

JohnLittle

JonathanHaidtJoyHouston

JoyceRichey

JuliaCameron

JustinSmith

KarenAsp

KateFerguson

KateFinley

KathrynBudig

KathyFreston

KathySmart

KatyBowman

KeriGans

KevinCannKevinCarrollKatalystKimberlyHartkeKrisGunnarsKristaScott-DixonLauraDolson

LawrenPulse

LesleyAldermanLierreKeith

LindaMelone

LindsayVastolaLisaCain

LisaJohnson

LisaLillienLizWeissandJaniceNewellBissexLizWolfe

LyndaScottLyn-GenetRecitasLynnColwell

MareyaIbrahimMarkSisson

MarkSpurbeck

MayaNahraMeghannDouglasMelissaHartwigMelissaJoulwanMichaelBoyle

MichelleCurtisNorrisMicheleSimon

MichelleFagoneMikeReinold

MonicaReinagelNeelyQuinn

NellStephensonNiaShanks

NickEvansNickiAndersonNickieCochranNinaPlanck

NoraGedgaudasPaulJaminetPeggyKotsopoulosPerryRomanowskiProf.GaryL.WenkProf.HamiltonM.StapellProf.TimothyNoakesRachelCosgroveRayAudette

RebeccaRider

ReedDavisReinhardEngelsRichardNikoleyRobertGreene

RolfDobelli

RoryFreedman

SamFeltham

SamFeltham

SeanCroxton

SeanHysonShawnStevensonShirleyBradenStacyToth

StanleyFishmanSteveKambSteveWrightandJordanReasonerStuartMcRobertSuzaneBowenTalBen-ShaharTanaAmen

TaraGrant

TedSpikerTheaH.SingerTimothyCaulfieldTomNaughton

TonyGaskinsTonyGentilcoreTriciaGreavesNelsonTroyCaseyVinnieTortorichWayneParcelleWilliamJ.Broad

Notes

This book is the simplification and application of more than twelve hundredacademic studies. The complete list of supporting scientific literature can befound broken down into the following six subjects onTheCalorieMythBook.com:

•Set-Point:HomeostaticRegulationofBodyWeight•ACalorieIsNotaCalorie:SANECalories•WhyHormonesMatter:TheModerationMyth•CalorieCountingIsUnnecessaryandIneffective•SANEEating:EatingMore—Smarter•SmarterExercise:ExercisingLess—Smarter

The sources for key studies and direct quotations in the text are providedbelow.1. Jensen, AR. “HowMuch CanWe Boost IQ and Scholastic Achievement?”Harvard Educ Rev 39(1969):1–123.

2.Belluck,Pam.“Children’sLifeExpectancyBeingCutShortbyObesity.”TheNewYorkTimes,June3,2012,http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/17/health/17obese.html.

3. Wooley, SC, and DM Garner. “Dietary Treatments for Obesity Are Ineffective.” BMJ 309(6955)(1994):655–56;PubMedPMID:8086992;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC2541482.

4. Stunkard, A, and M McClaren-Hume. “The Results of Treatment for Obesity: A Review of theLiteratureandaReportofaSeries.”ArchivesofInternalMedicine103(I)(1959):79–85.

5. Friedman, JM. “Modern Science versus the Stigma of Obesity.” Nat Med 10(6) (2004): 563–69;review;PubMedPMID:15170194.

6.Ibid.7.Wisse,BE,andMWSchwartz.“DoesHypothalamicInflammationCauseObesity?”CellMetab10(4)(2009):241–42;PubMedPMID:19808014.

8.Miller,WC,AKLindeman,JWallace,andMNiederpruem.“DietComposition,Energy Intake,andExerciseinRelationtoBodyFatinMenandWomen.”AmJClinNutr52(3)(1990):426–30;PubMedPMID:2393005.

9.Friedman.“ModernScienceversustheStigmaofObesity.”10.Weigle,DS. “HumanObesity: Exploding theMyths.”West JMed 153(4) (1990): 421–28; review;

PubMedPMID:2244378;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC1002573.11.Roberts,Paul.TheEndofFood.Boston:HoughtonMifflin,2008.12.Weigle, DS. “Appetite and the Regulation of Body Composition.”FASEB J 8(3) (1994): 302–10;

review;PubMedPMID:8143936.

13.Sumithran,P,LAPrendergast,EDelbridge,KPurcell,AShulkes,AKriketos,JProietto.“Long-TermPersistenceofHormonalAdaptationstoWeightLoss.”NEnglJMed365(17)(2011):1597–604;doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1105816;PubMedPMID:22029981.

14.Ibid.15.Keesey,RE, andMDHirvonen. “BodyWeight Set-Points:Determination andAdjustment.” JNutr

127(9)(1997):1875S–83S;review;PubMedPMID:9278574.16.Rolls,BJ,EARowe,andRCTurner.“PersistentObesityinRatsFollowingaPeriodofConsumption

of aMixed,HighEnergyDiet.” JPhysiol 298 (1980): 415–27; PubMed PMID: 6987379; PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC1279126.

17.Ibid.18.Everard,A,VLazarevic,MDerrien,MGirard,GGMuccioli,AMNeyrinck,SPossemiers,AVan

Holle, P François, WM de Vos, NM Delzenne, J Schrenzel, and PD Cani. “Responses of GutMicrobiota and Glucose and Lipid Metabolism to Prebiotics in Genetic Obese and Diet-InducedLeptin-ResistantMice.”Diabetes60(11) (2011):2775–86;doi:10.2337/db11–0227;EpubSeptember20,2011;erratuminDiabetes60(12)(2011):3307,Muccioli,GiulioM(correctedtoMuccioli,GiulioG);PubMedPMID:21933985;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC3198091.

19.Morrison,CD, andH-RBerthoud. “Neurobiology ofNutrition andObesity.”NutrRev 65(12 pt 1)(2007):517–34;review;PubMedPMID:18236691.

20. Interview with Stephan Guyenet, June 4, 2013; his blog is athttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09218114625524777250.

21.Asamplingofsupportingresearch includes thefollowingstudies:Westman,EC,WSYancyJr,MDHaub, and JS Volek, “Insulin Resistance from a Low-Carbohydrate, High Fat Diet Perspective.”Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders 3 (2005): 3–7; Boden, G, K Sargrad, C Homko, MMozzoli,andTPStein,“EffectofaLow-CarbohydrateDietonAppetite,BloodGlucoseLevels,andInsulinResistance inObesePatientswithType2Diabetes.”AnnInternMed142(6) (2005):403–11;Nielsen, JV, and EA Jönsson, “Low-Carbohydrate Diet in Type 2 Diabetes: Stable Improvement ofBodyweightandGlycaemicControlduring22MonthsFollow-Up.”NutrMetab (Lond)3(1) (2006):22; Eaton, SB, L Cordain, and PB Sparling, “Evolution, Body Composition, Insulin ReceptorCompetition, and Insulin Resistance.” Prev Med 49(4) (2009): 283–85, Epub August 15, 2009,PubMedPMID:19686772;Craig,BW,JEverhart,andRBrown,“TheInfluenceofHigh-ResistanceTrainingonGlucoseToleranceinYoungandElderlySubjects.”MechAgeingDev49(2)(1989):147–57, review, PubMed PMID: 2677535; Miller, WJ, WM Sherman, and JL Ivy, “Effect of StrengthTraining on Glucose Tolerance and Post-Glucose Insulin Response.”Med Sci Sports Exerc 16(6)(1984):539–43,PubMedPMID:6392812.

22.Everardetal.“ResponsesofGutMicrobiota.”23. Everard, A, C Belzer, L Geurts, JP Ouwerkerk, C Druart, LB Bindels, Y Guiot, M Derrien, GG

Muccioli,NMDelzenne,WMdeVos,PDCani.“Cross-TalkbetweenAkkermansiaMuciniphilaandIntestinalEpitheliumControlsDiet-InducedObesity.”ProcNatlAcadSciUSA110(22)(2013):9066–71;doi:10.1073/pnas.1219451110;EpubMay13,2013;PubMedPMID:23671105.

24.Peck,JW.“RatsDefendDifferentBodyWeightsDependingonPalatabilityandAccessibilityofTheirFood.”JCompPhysiolPsychol92(3)(1978):555–70;PubMedPMID:98538.

25. Rothwell, NJ, and MJ Stock. “Energy Expenditure of ‘Cafeteria’-Fed Rats Determined fromMeasurementsofEnergyBalanceandIndirectCalorimetry.”JPhysiol 328 (1982):371–77;PubMedPMID:7131317;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC1225664.

26. Howard, BV, JE Manson, ML Stefanick, SA Beresford, G Frank, B Jones, RJ Rodabough, LSnetselaar,CThomson,LTinker,MVitolins, andRPrentice. “Low-FatDietaryPattern andWeightChange over 7 Years: The Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial.” JAMA 295(1)(2006):39–49;PubMedPMID:16391215.

27. Thorpe, GL. “TreatingOverweight Patients.” J AmMed Assoc 165(11) (1957): 1361–65; PubMedPMID:13475044.

28.Feinman,RD,andEJFine.“ ‘ACalorieIsaCalorie’ViolatestheSecondLawofThermodynamics.”NutrJ3(July28,2004):9;PubMedPMID:15282028;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC506782.

29.Young,EA,MMHarris,TLCantu, JJGhidoni,andRCrawley.“HepaticResponse toaVery-Low-EnergyDietandRefeedinginRats.”AmJClinNutr57(6)(1993):857–62;PubMedPMID:8503353.

30.Leibel,RL,andJHirsch.“DiminishedEnergyRequirementsinReduced-ObesePatients.”Metabolism33(2)(1984):164–70;PubMedPMID:6694559.

31.Keesey,RE,andTLPowley.“TheRegulationofBodyWeight.”AnnuRevPsychol37(1986):109–33;PubMedPMID:3963779.

32.Garrow,JS.“TheSafetyofDieting.”ProcNutrSoc50(2) (1991):493–99; review;PubMedPMID:1749815.

33. Garner, DM, and SCWooley. “Confronting the Failure of Behavioral and Dietary Treatments forObesity.”ClinPsycholRev11(1991):729–80;doi:10.1016/0272–7358(91)90128-H.

34.Blackburn,GL,GTWilson,BSKanders, LJ Stein, PTLavin, JAdler, andKDBrownell. “WeightCycling:TheExperienceofHumanDieters.”AmJClinNutr49(5Suppl)(1989):1105–1109;PubMedPMID:2718940.

35. McCullough, ML, D Feskanich, MJ Stampfer, BA Rosner, FB Hu, DJ Hunter, JN Variyam, GAColditz, andWCWillett. “Adherence to theDietary Guidelines for Americans and Risk of MajorChronicDiseaseinWomen.”AmJClinNutr72(5)(2000):1214–22;PubMedPMID:11063452.

36.Mann,T,AJTomiyama,EWestling,AMLew,BSamuels, and JChatman.“Medicare’sSearch forEffectiveObesityTreatments:DietsAreNottheAnswer.”AmPsychol62(3)(2007):220–33;review;PubMedPMID:17469900.

37.Weigle,DS. “HumanObesity: Exploding theMyths.”West JMed 153(4) (1990): 421–28; review;PubMedPMID:2244378;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC1002573.

38.Volek,J,MSharman,AGómez,DJudelson,MRubin,GWatson,BSokmen,RSilvestre,DFrench,andWKraemer. “Comparison of Energy-Restricted Very Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets onWeightLossandBodyCompositioninOverweightMenandWomen.”NutrMetab(Lond)1(1)(2004):13;PubMedPMID:15533250;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC538279.

39.Samaha,FF,N Iqbal, PSeshadri,KLChicano,DADaily, JMcGrory,TWilliams,MWilliams,EJGracely,andLStern.“ALow-CarbohydrateasComparedwithaLow-FatDietinSevereObesity.”NEnglJMed348(21)(2003):2074–81;PubMedPMID:12761364.

40. Greene, P,WWillett, et al. “Pilot 12-Week FeedingWeight Loss Comparison: Low-Fat vs. Low-Carbohydrate(Ketogenic)Diets”(abstract).ObesRes11(2003):A23.

41. Sondike, S., et al. “The Ketogenic Diet Increases Weight Loss but Not Cardiovascular Risk: ARandomizedControlledTrial.”JournalofAdolescentHealth26(2000):91.

42. Levine, JA, NL Eberhardt, and MD Jensen. “Role of Nonexercise Activity Thermogenesis inResistancetoFatGaininHumans.”Science283(5399)(1999):212–14;PubMedPMID:9880251.

43.Lyon,DM,andDMDunlop.“TheTreatmentofObesity:AComparisonoftheEffectsofDietandofThyroidExtract.”QJM1(1932):331–52.

44. Dulloo, AG, CA Geissler, T Horton, A Collins, and DS Miller. “Normal Caffeine Consumption:InfluenceonThermogenesisandDailyEnergyExpenditureinLeanandPostobeseHumanVolunteers.”AmJClinNutr49(1)(1989):44–50;PubMedPMID:2912010.

45. “Chapter 3: Weight Management.” Health.gov, Your Portal to Health Information from the U.S.Government, http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter3.htm(accessedJune11,2010).

46.AmericanHeartAssociationCompleteGuidetoWomen’sHeartHealth:TheGoRedforWomenWaytoWell-Being&Vitality.NewYork:ClarksonPotter,2009.

47. Haskell,WL, IM Lee, RR Pate, KE Powell, SN Blair, BA Franklin, CAMacera, GWHeath, PDThompson, and A Bauman; American College of Sports Medicine; American Heart Association.“PhysicalActivityandPublicHealth:UpdatedRecommendationforAdultsfromtheAmericanCollegeofSportsMedicineandtheAmericanHeartAssociation.”Circulation116(9)(2007):1081–93;Epub

August1,2007;PubMedPMID:17671237.48.McCullough,ML,DFeskanich,EBRimm,ELGiovannucci,AAscherio,JNVariyam,DSpiegelman,

MJStampfer,andWCWillett.“AdherencetotheDietaryGuidelinesforAmericansandRiskofMajorChronicDiseaseinMen.”AmJClinNutr72(5)(2000):1223–31;PubMedPMID:11063453.

49.Rony,HugoR.ObesityandLeanness(London:LeaandFebiger,1940).50. Friedman, JM. “Modern Science versus the Stigma of Obesity.” Nat Med 10(6) (2004): 563–69;

review;PubMedPMID:15170194.51.Church,TS,CKMartin,AMThompson,CPEarnest,CRMikus,andSNBlair.“ChangesinWeight,

Waist Circumference, and Compensatory Responses with Different Doses of Exercise amongSedentary,Overweight PostmenopausalWomen.”PLoSOne 4(2) (2009): e4515;EpubFebruary 18,2009;PubMedPMID:19223984;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC2639700.

52.Caulfield,TimothyA.TheCureforEverything:UntanglingTwistedMessagesaboutHealth,Fitness,andHappiness.Boston:BeaconPress,2012.

53. National Soft Drink Association. “Soft Drinks: Balance, Variety, Moderation.”http://www.nsda.org/softdrinks/CSDHealth/1layout.pdf.

54.Dwyer-Lindgren, L,G Freedman,REEngell, TD Fleming, SSLim,CJMurray, andAHMokdad.“PrevalenceofPhysicalActivityandObesity inUSCounties,2001–2011:ARoadMapforAction.”PopulHealthMetr11(1)(2013):7;Epubaheadofprint:PubMedPMID:23842197.SeealsoInstituteforHealthMetrics and Evaluation (IHME). “Obesity Continues to Rise inNearlyAll Counties butAmericansBecomingMorePhysicallyActive,Too,”http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/news-events/news-release/obesity-continues-rise-nearly-all-counties-americans-becoming (accessed July 10,2013).

55.Whitehead,SaffronA.,andStephenNussey.Endocrinology:AnIntegratedApproach.Oxford:BIOS,2001,122.

56. Petersen, L, P Schnohr, andTI Sørensen. “Longitudinal Study of theLong-TermRelation betweenPhysical Activity and Obesity in Adults.” Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 28(1) (2004):105–12;PubMedPMID:14647181.

57.Metcalf,BS,JHosking,ANJeffery,LDVoss,WHenley,andTJWilkin.“FatnessLeadstoInactivity,butInactivityDoesNotLeadtoFatness:ALongitudinalStudyinChildren”(EarlyBird45).ArchDisChild 96(10) (2011): 942–47; doi: 10.1136/adc.2009.175927; Epub June 23, 2010; PubMed PMID:20573741.

58. Entin, Pauline. “History of Exercise Science.” Northern Arizona University, http://www2.nau.edu,http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/pe/exs190web/exs190history.htm(accessedFebruary10,2011).

59.Oliver,J.Eric.FatPolitics:TheRealStorybehindAmerica’sObesityEpidemic.Newed.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,2006.

60. Nestle,M, andMF Jacobson. “Halting the Obesity Epidemic: A Public Health Policy Approach.”Public Health Rep 115(1) (2000): 12–24; PubMed PMID: 10968581; PubMed Central PMCID:PMC1308552.

61.Roberts,Seth.TheShangri-LaDiet:TheNoHungerEatAnythingWeight-LossPlan.Chicago:PerigeeTrade,2007.

62.Pontzer,H,DARaichlen,BMWood,AZMabulla,SBRacette,andFWMarlowe.“Hunter-GathererEnergeticsandHumanObesity.”PLoSOne7(7)(2012):e40503;doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040503;EpubJuly25,2012;PubMedPMID:22848382;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC3405064.

63.Feinman,RD,andEJFine.“ ‘ACalorieIsaCalorie’ViolatestheSecondLawofThermodynamics.”NutrJ3(2004Jul28):9.

64.Krieger, JW,HSSitren,MJDaniels,andBLangkamp-Henken.“EffectsofVariation inProteinandCarbohydrateIntakeonBodyMassandCompositionduringEnergyRestriction:AMeta-regression1.”AmJClinNutr83(2)(2006):260–74;PubMedPMID:16469983.

65.Young,CM,SSScanlan,HSIm,andLLutwak.“EffectofBodyCompositionandOtherParametersinObeseYoungMenofCarbohydrateLevelofReductionDiet.”AmJClinNutr24(3)(1971):290–96;

PubMedPMID:5548734.66.Benoit,FL,RLMartin,andRHWatten.“ChangesinBodyCompositionduringWeightReductionin

Obesity:BalanceStudiesComparingEffectsofFastingandaKetogenicDiet.”AnnInternMed 63(4)(1965):604–12;PubMedPMID:5838326.

67.FineEJ,FeinmanRD.“ThermodynamicsofWeightLossDiets.”NutrMetab(Lond)1(1)(2004Dec8):15;.PubMedPMID:15588283;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC543577.

68.Boden,G,KSargrad,CHomko,MMozzoli,andTPStein.“EffectofaLow-CarbohydrateDietonAppetite,BloodGlucoseLevels,andInsulinResistanceinObesePatientswithType2Diabetes.”AnnInternMed142(6)(2005):403–11;PubMedPMID:15767618.

69.Weigle,DS,PABreen,CCMatthys,HSCallahan,KEMeeuws,VRBurden,andJQPurnell.“AHigh-ProteinDietInducesSustainedReductionsinAppetite,AdLibitumCaloricIntake,andBodyWeightDespiteCompensatoryChangesinDiurnalPlasmaLeptinandGhrelinConcentrations.”AmJClinNutr82(1)(2005):41–48;PubMedPMID:16002798.

70. Booth, DA, A Chase, and AT Campbell. “Relative Effectiveness of Protein in the Late Stages ofAppetiteSuppressioninMan.”PhysiolBehav5(11)(1970):1299–1302;PubMedPMID:5524514.

71. Hill, AJ, and JE Blundell. “Macronutrients and Satiety: The Effects of a High Protein or HighCarbohydrateMealonSubjectiveMotivationtoEatandFoodPreferences.”NutrBehav3(1986):133–44.

72. Barkeling, B, S Rössner, and H Björvell. “Effects of a High-Protein Meal (Meat) and a High-Carbohydrate Meal (Vegetarian) on Satiety Measured by Automated Computerized Monitoring ofSubsequentFoodIntake,MotivationtoEatandFoodPreferences.”IntJObes14(9) (1990):743–51;PubMedPMID:2228407.

73.Volek, Jeff, andStephenD.Phinney.TheArt and Science of LowCarbohydrate Living:AnExpertGuide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable.Lexington,KY:BeyondObesity,2011.

74.Wertheimer,E,andBShapiro.“ThePhysiologyofAdiposeTissue.”PhysiolRev28(1948):451.75.Brownell,Kelly,andKatherineBattleHorgen.FoodFight.1sted.NewYork:McGraw-Hill,2004.76.Asamplingofsupportingresearchincludesthefollowingstudies:Harris,RB,andRJMartin,“Specific

Depletion of Body Fat in Parabiotic Partners of Tube-FedObese Rats,”Am J Physiol 247(2 pt. 2)(1984): R380–86, PubMed PMID: 6431831; Harris, RB, and RJMartin, “Influence of Diet on theProductionofa‘Lipid-Depleting’FactorinObeseParabioticRats,”JNutr116(10) (1986):2013–27,PubMed PMID: 3772528; Harris, RB, and RJ Martin, “Metabolic Response to a Specific Lipid-Depleting Factor in Parabiotic Rats,”AmJPhysiol 250(2 pt. 2) (1986): R276–86, PubMed PMID:3511738; Havel, PJ, “Update on Adipocyte Hormones: Regulation of Energy Balance andCarbohydrate/Lipid Metabolism,” Diabetes 53 suppl. 1 (2004): S143–51, review, PubMed PMID:14749280; and Parameswaran, SV, AB Steffens, GR Hervey, and L de Ruiter, “Involvement of aHumoralFactorinRegulationofBodyWeightinParabioticRats,”AmJPhysiol232(5)(1977):R150–57,PubMedPMID:324294.

77.Kraemer,FB,andWJShen.“Hormone-SensitiveLipaseKnockouts.”NutrMetab(Lond)3(2006Feb10):12;PubMedPMID:16472389;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC1391915.

78.Polak,P,NCybulski,JNFeige,JAuwerx,MARüegg,andMNHall.“Adipose-SpecificKnockoutofRaptorResultsinLeanMicewithEnhancedMitochondrialRespiration.”CellMetab8(5)(2008):399–410;PubMedPMID:19046571.

79.Havel,PJ.“UpdateonAdipocyteHormones:RegulationofEnergyBalanceandCarbohydrate/LipidMetabolism.”Diabetes53suppl1(2004):S143–51;review;PubMedPMID:14749280.

80.LeMagnen,J.“IsRegulationofBodyWeightElucidated.”NeurosciBiobehavRev8(4)(1984):515–22;review;PubMedPMID:6392951.

81. Havel, PJ. “Dietary Fructose: Implications for Dysregulation of Energy Homeostasis andLipid/CarbohydrateMetabolism.”NutrRev63(5)(2005):133–57;review;PubMedPMID:15971409.

82.Bruch,Hilde.TheImportanceofOverweight.NewYork:Norton,1957.

83. Friedman, JM. “Modern Science versus the Stigma of Obesity.” Nat Med 10(6) (2004): 563–69;review;PubMedPMID:15170194.

84.Dabelea,D.“ThePredispositiontoObesityandDiabetesinOffspringofDiabeticMothers.”DiabetesCare 30 suppl 2 (2007): S169–74; review; erratum inDiabetesCare 30(12) (2007): 3154; PubMedPMID: 17596467. The one-in-three statistic is fromhttp://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/Overweight-in-Children_UCM_304054_Article.jspand http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@fc/documents/downloadable/ucm_304175.pdf.

85. Eaton, SB, SB Eaton 3rd, and MJ Konner. “Paleolithic Nutrition Revisited: A Twelve-YearRetrospectiveonItsNatureandImplications.”EurJClinNutr51(4)(1997):207–16;review;PubMedPMID:9104571.

86.CordainL,SBEaton,ASebastian,NMann,SLindeberg,BAWatkins, JHO’Keefe, and JBrand-Miller.“OriginsandEvolutionof theWesternDiet:Health Implications for the21stCentury.”AmJClinNutr81(2)(2005):341–54;review;PubMedPMID:15699220.

87.Boyd,S,MelvinKonner,MarjorieShostak,andMDEaton.ThePaleolithicPrescription:AProgramofDietandExerciseandaDesignforLiving.NewYork:HarperCollins,1989.

88. Skerrett, PJ, andWCWillett.Eat, Drink, and BeHealthy: TheHarvardMedical SchoolGuide toHealthyEating.NewYork:FreePress,2005.

89.Weinberg, SL. “TheDiet-HeartHypothesis:ACritique.” JAmCollCardiol 43(5) (2004): 731–33;review;PubMedPMID:14998608.

90.Jacobson,MichaelF.NutritionScoreboard.NewYork:AvonBooks,1975.91.E-mailcorrespondencewithDonaldLayman,October3,2012.92. Nestle, Marion.Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. Rev. and

expandeded.CaliforniaStudiesinFoodandCulture.Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2002.93.SkerrettandWillett.Eat,Drink,andBeHealthy.94.Ottoboni,A,andFOttoboni.“TheFoodGuidePyramid:WilltheDefectsBeCorrected?”JAmPhysSurg9(2004):109–13.

95.Truswell,AS.“EvolutionofDietaryRecommendations,Goals,andGuidelines.”AmJClinNutr45(5suppl)(1987):1060–72;review;PubMedPMID:3554965.

96. Harper, AE. “Dietary Goals—A Skeptical View.” Am J Clin Nutr 31(2) (1978): 310–21; review;PubMedPMID:341685.

97.Truswell.“EvolutionofDietaryRecommendations.”98. Council for Responsible Nutrition. “Resolution Endorsing Dietary Goals for the United States

PresentedtoMembersoftheSenateSelectCommitteeonNutritionandHumanNeeds.”May12,1977.CommNutrInstWeeklyReport7,no.21(1977):4.

99.Yerushalmy,J,andHEHilleboe.“FatintheDietandMortalityfromHeartDisease:AMethodologicNote.”NYStateJMed57(14)(1957):2343–54;PubMedPMID:13441073.

100.Enig,MaryG.,andSallyFallon.EatFat,LoseFat:TheHealthyAlternativetoTransFats.NewYork:Plume,2006.

101.SkerrettandWillett.Eat,Drink,andBeHealthy.102. Siri-Tarino, PW, Q Sun, FB Hu, and RM Krauss. “Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

Evaluating theAssociation of Saturated Fat with Cardiovascular Disease.”Am J Clin Nutr (2010);Epubaheadofprint,January13,2010;PubMedPMID:20071648.

103.MultipleRiskFactorInterventionTrialResearchGroup.“MultipleRiskFactorInterventionTrial:RiskFactorChangesandMortalityResults.”JAMA248(12)(1982):1465–77;PubMedPMID:7050440.

104.Howard,BV,LVanHorn,JHsia,JEManson,MLStefanick,SWassertheil-Smoller,LHKuller,AZLaCroix,RDLanger,NLLasser,CELewis,MCLimacher,KLMargolis,WJMysiw,JKOckene,LMParker,MGPerri,LPhillips,RLPrentice,JRobbins,JERossouw,GESarto,IJSchatz,LGSnetselaar,VJStevens,LFTinker,MTrevisan,MZVitolins,GLAnderson,ARAssaf,TBassford,SABeresford,HRBlack,RLBrunner,RGBrzyski,BCaan,RTChlebowski,MGass,IGranek,PGreenland,JHays,

DHeber,GHeiss,SLHendrix,FAHubbell,KCJohnson,andJMKotchen.“Low-FatDietaryPatternandRiskofCardiovascularDisease:TheWomen’sHealth InitiativeRandomizedControlledDietaryModificationTrial.”JAMA295(6)(2006):655–66;PubMedPMID:16467234.

105.Willett,W.“ChallengesforPublicHealthNutritioninthe1990s.”AmJPublicHealth80(11)(1990):1295–98;PubMedPMID:2240291;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC1404889.

106.Hu,FB,JEManson,andWCWillett.“TypesofDietaryFatandRiskofCoronaryHeartDisease:ACriticalReview.”JAmCollNutr20(1)(2001):5–19;review.

107.Taubes,Gary.GoodCalories,BadCalories:Challenging theConventionalWisdomonDiet,WeightControl,andDisease.NewYork:AlfredA.Knopf,2007.

108. Skerrett, PJ, andWCWillett.Eat, Drink, and BeHealthy: TheHarvardMedical School Guide toHealthyEating.NewYork:FreePress,2005.

109.Ravnskov,Uffe.FatandCholesterolAreGoodforYou.N.p.:GP,2009.110.CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC).“TrendsinIntakeofEnergyandMacronutrients—

United States, 1971–2000.”MMWRMorbMortalWkly Rep 53(4) (2004): 80–82; PubMed PMID:14762332.

111.DietaryReferenceIntakesforEnergy,Carbohydrate,Fiber,Fat,FattyAcids,Cholesterol,Protein,andAminoAcids.Washington,DC:NationalAcademiesPress,2005.

112. Nestle, Marion.Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. Rev. andexpandeded.CaliforniaStudiesinFoodandCulture.Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2002.

113.Carey,AnneR., and Paul Trap. “Stretching theTruth.”USAToday, January 13, 2011,USATodaySnapshots,1.

114.StJeor,ST,BVHoward,TEPrewitt,VBovee,TBazzarre,andRHEckel;NutritionCommitteeoftheCouncilonNutrition,PhysicalActivity,andMetabolismoftheAmericanHeartAssociation.“DietaryProteinandWeightReduction:AStatementforHealthcareProfessionalsfromtheNutritionCommitteeof theCouncilonNutrition,PhysicalActivity,andMetabolismof theAmericanHeartAssociation.”Circulation104(15)(2001):1869–74;PubMedPMID:11591629.

115.“StatusofArticlesOffered to theGeneralPublic for theControlorReductionofBloodCholesterolLevels and for the Prevention and Treatment ofHeart andArteryDisease under the Federal Food,Drug,andCosmeticAct.”FederalRegister,December12,1959.

116.Gordon,T,WPCastelli,MCHjortland,WBKannel,andTRDawber.“HighDensityLipoproteinasaProtectiveFactoragainstCoronaryHeartDisease:TheFraminghamStudy.”AmJMed62(1977):707–14.

117. Ravnskov, U. “Cholesterol Lowering Trials in CoronaryHeart Disease: Frequency of Citation andOutcome.”BMJ 305(6844) (1992 Jul 4): 15–19; erratum in BMJ 305(6852) (1992 Aug 29): 505;PubMedPMID:1638188;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC1882525.

118.Sacks,FM,GABray,VJCarey,SRSmith,DHRyan,SDAnton,KMcManus,CMChampagne,LMBishop,NLaranjo,MSLeboff,JCRood,LdeJonge,FLGreenway,CMLoria,EObarzanek,andDAWilliamson. “Comparison of Weight-Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, andCarbohydrates.” N Engl J Med 360(9) (2009): 859–73; doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0804748; PubMedPMID:19246357;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC2763382.

119.Castelli,WP,“CholesterolandLipidsintheRiskofCoronaryArteryDisease—TheFraminghamHeartStudy.”CanJCardiol4(1988):5A–10A;Gordon,T,WPCastelli,MCHjortland,WBKannel,andTRDawber, “High-Density Lipoprotein as a Protective Factor against Coronary Heart Disease—TheFraminghamStudy.”AmJMed 62 (1977): 707–14;Gordon,DJ, JLProbstfield,RJGarrison, et al.,“High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Cardiovascular Disease—Four Prospective AmericanStudies.”Circulation 79 (1989): 8–15; Sharrett, AR, CM Ballantyne, SA Coady, et al., “CoronaryHeart Disease Prediction from Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels, Triglycerides, Lipoprotein(a),ApolipoproteinsA-IandB,andHDLDensitySubfractions—TheAtherosclerosisRiskinCommunities(ARIC)Study.”Circulation104(2001):1108–13.

120.Mozaffarian,D,andDSLudwig.“DietaryGuidelinesinthe21stCentury—aTimeforFood.”JAMA

304(6)(2010):681–82;doi:10.1001/jama.2010.1116;PubMedPMID:20699461.121.http://www.gmabrands.com/publicpolicy/docs/Correspondence.cfm?DocID=1123&.122.SoftDrinksandNutrition.Washington,DC:NationalSoftDrinkAssociation,n.d.123. “The National Institutes of Health: Public Servant or Private Marketer?” Los Angeles Times,

http://articles.latimes.com/2004/dec/22/nation/na-nih22(accessedApril28,2010).124.Popkin,Barry.TheWorld IsFat: TheFads, Trends,Policies, andProducts ThatAreFattening the

HumanRace.NewYork:Avery,2008.125.Guyenet,Stephan.“WholeHealthSource:By2606,theUSDietWillBe100PercentSugar.”Whole

Health Source. http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2012/02/by-2606-us-diet-will-be-100-percent.html(accessedFebruary19,2012).

126.Avena,NM,PRada,andBGHoebel.“EvidenceforSugarAddiction:BehavioralandNeurochemicalEffectsof Intermittent,ExcessiveSugar Intake.”NeurosciBiobehavRev 32(1) (2008): 20–39;EpubMay18,2007;review;PubMedPMID:17617461;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC2235907.

127.Colantuoni,C,PRada,JMcCarthy,CPatten,NMAvena,AChadeayne,andBGHoebel.“EvidenceThat Intermittent,ExcessiveSugar IntakeCausesEndogenousOpioidDependence.”ObesRes 10(6)(2002):478–88;PubMedPMID:12055324.

128.Avenaetal.“EvidenceforSugarAddiction.”129.Hoebel, BG,NMAvena,MEBocarsly, and PRada. “NaturalAddiction:ABehavioral andCircuit

Model Based on Sugar Addiction in Rats.” J Addict Med 3(1) (2009): 33–41; doi:10.1097/ADM.0b013e31819aa621;PubMedPMID:21768998.

130. “Tobacco CEO’s Statement to Congress.” UCSF Academic Senate.http://senate.ucsf.edu/tobacco/executives1994congress.html(accessedJuly18,2010).

131. National Soft Drink Association website. Available athttp://www.nsda.org/softdrinks/CSDHealth/Index.html.

132. “Daily Doc: Lorillard, Aug 30, 1978: ‘The Base of Our Business Is the High School Student.’ ”Tobacco.org:Welcome,http://www.tobacco.org/Documents/dd/ddbasebusiness.html(accessedJuly18,2010).

133.Horovitz,B.“McDonald’sRediscoversItsFuturewithKids.”USAToday,April18,1997.134. “Jan. 4, 1954: TIRC Announced.” Tobacco.org: Welcome,

http://www.tobacco.org/History/540104frank.html(accessedJuly18,2010).135Hays,CL,andDGMcNeilJr.“PuttingAfricaonCoke’sMap.”NewYorkTimes,May26,1998,D1.136.“Jan.4,1954:TIRCAnnounced,”http://archive.tobacco.org/History/54010frank.html.137.NationalSoftDrinkAssociationwebsite.138.Brownell,Kelly,andKatherineBattleHorgen.FoodFight.1sted.NewYork:McGraw-Hill,2004.139.Yudkin,John.SweetandDangerous.WashingtonDC:NationalHealthFederation,1978.140.Boyd,S,MelvinKonner,MarjorieShostak,andMDEaton.ThePaleolithicPrescription:AProgram

ofDietandExerciseandaDesignforLiving.NewYork:HarperCollins,1989.141. McGuff, Doug. “Body by Science—Especially for Women.” Body by Science,

http://www.bodybyscience.net/home.html/?page_id=301(accessedFebruary12,2012).142.Klein,S,NFSheard,XPi-Sunyer,ADaly,JWylie-Rosett,KKulkarni,NGClark;AmericanDiabetes

Association; North American Association for the Study of Obesity; American Society for ClinicalNutrition.“WeightManagementthroughLifestyleModificationforthePreventionandManagementofType 2Diabetes: Rationale and Strategies: A Statement of theAmericanDiabetesAssociation, theNorth American Association for the Study of Obesity, and the American Society for ClinicalNutrition.”DiabetesCare27(8)(2004):2067–73;review;PubMedPMID:15277443.

143.Shai,I,DSchwarzfuchs,YHenkin,DRShahar,SWitkow,IGreenberg,RGolan,DFraser,ABolotin,HVardi,OTangi-Rozental,RZuk-Ramot,BSarusi,DBrickner,ZSchwartz,ESheiner,RMarko,EKatorza, J Thiery, GM Fiedler, M Blüher, M Stumvoll, and MJ Stampfer; Dietary InterventionRandomized Controlled Trial (DIRECT) Group. “Weight Loss with a Low-Carbohydrate,Mediterranean,orLow-FatDiet.”NEnglJMed 359(3) (2008): 229–41; erratum in:NEngl JMed

361(27)(2009):2681;PubMedPMID:18635428.144.DietaryReferenceIntakesforEnergy,Carbohydrate,Fiber,Fat,FattyAcids,Cholesterol,Protein,and

AminoAcids.Washington,DC:NationalAcademiesPress,2005.145.Layman,DK,PClifton,MCGannon,RMKrauss,andFQNuttall.“ProteininOptimalHealth:Heart

Disease and Type 2Diabetes.”Am J Clin Nutr 87(5) (2008): 1571S–75S; review; PubMed PMID:18469290.

146. Eaton, SB, SB Eaton 3rd, and MJ Konner. “Paleolithic Nutrition Revisited: A Twelve-YearRetrospectiveonItsNatureandImplications.”EurJClinNutr51(4)(1997):207–16;review;PubMedPMID:9104571.

147. Skerrett, PJ, andWCWillett.Eat, Drink, and BeHealthy: TheHarvardMedical School Guide toHealthyEating.NewYork:FreePress,2005.

148.Campbell,T.Colin,andThomasM.Campbell.TheChinaStudy:TheMostComprehensiveStudyofNutritionEverConductedandtheStartlingImplicationsforDiet,WeightLoss,andLong-TermHealth.Dallas,Tex.:BenBellaBooks,2005.

149.Jaminet,Paul,andShouJaminet.PerfectHealthDiet:RegainHealthandLoseWeightbyEatingtheWayYouWereMeanttoEat.NewYork:Scribner,2012.

150.Hu,FB,andWCWillard.“ReplytoTCCampbell.”AmJClinNutr71(2000):850–51(letter).151.Wang,Y,MACrawford,JChen,JLi,KGhebremeskel,TCCampbell,WFan,RParker,andJLeyton.

“Fish Consumption, Blood Docosahexaenoic Acid and Chronic Diseases in Chinese RuralPopulations.”CompBiochemPhysiolAMol IntegrPhysiol136(1)(2003):127–40;review;PubMedPMID:14527635.

152. Fuhrman, Joel. “What You Need to Know about Vegetarian or Vegan Diets.” DrFuhrman.com,http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/article5.aspx(accessedMay12,2012).

153.Hu,FB,andWCWillett.“OptimalDietsforPreventionofCoronaryHeartDisease.”JAMA288(20)(2002):2569–78;review;PubMedPMID:12444864.

154.Masterjohn,Chris.“TheCuriousCaseofCampbell’sRats—DoesProteinDeficiencyPreventCancer?”TheWestonA.PriceFoundation, http://www.westonaprice.org/blogs/2010/09/22/the-curious-case-of-campbells-rats-does-protein-deficiency-prevent-cancer(accessedDecember17,2011).

155. Westerterp-Plantenga, MS, A Nieuwenhuizen, D Tomé, S Soenen, and KR Westerterp. “DietaryProtein,WeightLoss,andWeightMaintenance.”AnnuRevNutr29(2009):21–41;review;PubMedPMID:19400750.

156.Hu,FB,JEManson,andWCWillett.“TypesofDietaryFatandRiskofCoronaryHeartDisease:ACriticalReview.”JAmCollNutr20(1)(2001):5–19;review;PubMedPMID:11293467.

157.Melov,S,MATarnopolsky,KBeckman,KFelkey, andAHubbard. “ResistanceExerciseReversesAginginHumanSkeletalMuscle.”PLoSOne2(5)(2007):e465;PubMedPMID:17520024;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC1866181.

158.McGuff,Doug,andJohnR.Little.BodybyScience:AResearchBasedProgramtoGettheResultsYouWantin12MinutesaWeek.NewYork:McGraw-Hill,2009.

159.Caulfield,TimothyA.TheCureforEverything:UntanglingTwistedMessagesaboutHealth,Fitness,andHappiness.Boston:BeaconPress,2012.

160. Kolata, Gina Bari.Ultimate Fitness: The Quest for Truth about Exercise and Health. NewYork:Farrar,StrausandGiroux,2003.

161.Izumiya,Y,THopkins,CMorris,KSato,LZeng,JViereck,JAHamilton,NOuchi,NKLeBrasseur,and K Walsh. “Fast/Glycolytic Muscle Fiber Growth Reduces Fat Mass and Improves MetabolicParametersinObeseMice.”CellMetab7(2)(2008):159–72;PubMedPMID:18249175.

162.Oliver,J.Eric.FatPolitics:TheRealStorybehindAmerica’sObesityEpidemic.Newed.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,2006.

163.Kolata,GinaBari.UltimateFitness:TheQuestforTruthaboutExerciseandHealth.NewYork:Farrar,StrausandGiroux,2003.

164.Izumiya,Y,THopkins,CMorris,KSato,LZeng,JViereck,JAHamilton,NOuchi,NKLeBrasseur,

and K Walsh. “Fast/Glycolytic Muscle Fiber Growth Reduces Fat Mass and Improves MetabolicParametersinObeseMice.”CellMetab7(2)(2008):159–72;PubMedPMID:18249175.

165. Carpinelli, RN, and RMOtto. “Strength Training: Single versusMultiple Sets.” SportsMed 26(2)(1998):73–84;review;PubMedPMID:9777681.

166.Roig,M,KO’Brien,GKirk,RMurray, PMcKinnon,BShadgan, andWDReid. “TheEffects ofEccentricversusConcentricResistanceTrainingonMuscleStrengthandMass inHealthyAdults:ASystematic Review with Meta-Analysis.” Br J Sports Med 43(8) (2009): 556–68; doi:10.1136/bjsm.2008.051417;EpubNovember3,2008;review;PubMedPMID:18981046.

167.Reeves,ND,CNMaganaris,SLongo,andMVNarici.“DifferentialAdaptationstoEccentricversusConventionalResistanceTraininginOlderHumans.”ExpPhysiol94(7)(2009):825–33;EpubApril24,2009;PubMedPMID:19395657.

168. Babraj, JA, NB Vollaard, C Keast, FM Guppy, G Cottrell, and JA Timmons. “Extremely ShortDuration High Intensity Interval Training Substantially Improves Insulin Action in Young HealthyMales.”BMCEndocrDisord9(2009Jan28):3;PubMedPMID:19175906;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC2640399.

169.Earnest,CP.“ExerciseIntervalTraining:AnImprovedStimulusforImprovingthePhysiologyofPre-Diabetes.”MedHypotheses71(5)(2008):752–61;EpubAugust15,2008;PubMedPMID:18707813.

170. Irving,BA,CKDavis,DWBrock, JYWeltman,DSwift,EJBarrett,GAGaesser, andAWeltman.“Effect ofExerciseTraining IntensityonAbdominalVisceralFat andBodyComposition.”MedSciSports Exerc 40(11) (2008): 1863–72; PubMed PMID:18845966; PubMed Central PMCID:PMC2730190.

171.McGuff,Doug,andJohnR.Little.BodybyScience:AResearchBasedProgramtoGettheResultsYouWantin12MinutesaWeek.NewYork:McGraw-Hill,2009.

172.Sesso,HD,RSPaffenbargerJr,andIMLee.“PhysicalActivityandCoronaryHeartDiseaseinMen:TheHarvardAlumniHealthStudy.”Circulation102(9)(2000):975–80;PubMedPMID:10961960.

173.Paffenbarger,RS,Jr,andIMLee.“IntensityofPhysicalActivityRelatedtoIncidenceofHypertensionandAll-CauseMortality:AnEpidemiologicalView.”BloodPressMonit2(3)(1997):115–23;PubMedPMID:10234104.

174.Lee, IM,HDSesso,YOguma,andRSPaffenbargerJr.“RelativeIntensityofPhysicalActivityandRiskofCoronaryHeartDisease.”Circulation107(8)(2003):1110–16;PubMedPMID:12615787.

175. Haskell,WL, IM Lee, RR Pate, KE Powell, SN Blair, BA Franklin, CAMacera, GWHeath, PDThompson, and A Bauman; American College of Sports Medicine; American Heart Association.“Physical Activity and Public Health: Updated Recommendation for Adults from the AmericanCollegeofSportsMedicineandtheAmericanHeartAssociation.”Circulation116(9)(2007):1081–93;EpubAugust1,2007;PubMedPMID:17671237.

176.Haram,PM,OJKemi,SJLee,MØBendheim,QYal-Share,HLWaldum,LJGilligan,LGKoch,SLBritton,SMNajjar,andUWisløff.“AerobicIntervalTrainingvs.ContinuousModerateExerciseintheMetabolicSyndromeofRatsArtificiallySelectedforLowAerobicCapacity.”CardiovascRes 81(4)(2009): 723–32; Epub December 1, 2008; PubMed PMID: 19047339; PubMed Central PMCID:PMC2642601.

177.Coyle,EF.“VeryIntenseExercise-TrainingIsExtremelyPotentandTimeEfficient:AReminder.”JApplPhysiol98(6)(2005):1983–84;PubMedPMID:15894535.

178.Branden,Nathaniel.TheSixPillarsofSelf-Esteem.NewYork:Bantam,1994.179.Yudkin,John.SweetandDangerous.WashingtonDC:NationalHealthFederation,1978.180. American Heart Association. “Understanding Childhood Obesity.”

www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/Overweight-in-Children_UCM_304054_Article.jsp.181.Carpinelli,RN.“BergerinRetrospect:EffectofVariedStrengthTrainingProgrammesonStrength.”

BrJSportsMed36(5)(2002):319–24;review;PubMedPMID:12351327;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC1724552.

182. Babraj, JA, NB Vollaard, C Keast, FM Guppy, G Cottrell, and JA Timmons. “Extremely Short

Duration High Intensity Interval Training Substantially Improves Insulin Action in Young HealthyMales.”BMCEndocrDisord9(2009Jan28):3;PubMedPMID:19175906;PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC2640399.

183.Ravnskov,Uffe,andJoelM.Kauffman.FatandCholesterolAreGoodforYou.N.p.:GP,2009.

Index

Thepagenumbersinthisindexrelatetotheprintedversionofthisbook;theydonotmatchthepagesofyourebook.Youcanuseyourebookreader’ssearchtooltofindaspecificwordorpassage.

Pagenumbersofillustrations,charts,andgraphsappearinitalics.

adipositynegativefeedbacksystem.Seeset-pointaerobicexercise,55,59,177–78,185,190,275conventionalcardio,181,185–86

Aerobics(Cooper),59agavenectar,118,119Aggression(howlikelycalorieswillbestoredasfat),9,63,69–71,71nglycemicindex/glycemicloadand,

70,70ninsulinand,81starches,sweets,and,209wholegrainsand,76

agingreversal,175agouti-relatedpeptide,23nagribusiness,115alcohol/alcoholicbeverages,88,95,161,226n

almondsAlmondParmesanSquash,234AlmondPearCereal,218TurkeyandAlmondStir-fry,232–33

AmericanCouncilonFitnessandNutrition,connectiontofoodindustry,57–58AmericanDiabetesAssociation,low-carbohydratedietsvs.low-fatdietsand,137

AmericanHeartAssociationendorsementlogosonsugaryfoods,72faultyinformationonhowtoloseweight,52HDLcholesterollevelsand,112imbalanceddietrecommendedby,109onjoggingandinjury,58onoverweightchildren,210saturatedfatsriskand,xivsmarterexerciseandloweredheartdiseaserisk,187

AmericanJournalofClinicalNutrition,Layman’sstudyofhigh-proteindiets,146AmericanJournalofMedicine,oncholesterolascoronaryheartdiseaseriskfactor,110

AmericanMedicalAssociationonanti-fat,anti-cholesterolfad,102concernsaboutU.S.DietaryGuidelines,99

AmericanSocietyforClinicalNutrition,low-carbohydratedietsvs.low-fatdietsand,137aminoacids,80,142,145supplement,145

AMPK,23namylin,23n,28nAngpt14,23nAnnalsofInternalMedicine,studyonsatiety,66

antioxidantsincocoa,155NutrientsProvidedbySANEEatingvs.theTypicalUSDiet,133

appetite.Seealsohungerexerciseand,55hypothalamusand,20orthorexiaand,168satietyand,67set-pointsand,28,31“youaresatisfied”signals,67

ARCPOMCneuron,23nART,23nASP,87asparagus,73nservingsize,136

AtkinsDiet,70,109Avena,Nicole,120–21avocado,136,148,209,277Chicken,Avocado,andWalnutSalad,225–26CreamyCucumberSoup,224–25aslow-fructosefruit,157MintChocolatePudding,238–39rawnonstarchyvegetableswithguacamole,163Strawberry-AvocadoGreenSmoothie,223whole-foodfatsand,154

Babraj,John,185,258

baconChickenCarbonara,228–29PorkChopswithBaconandCabbage,230–31

bagel,underestimatingservingsize,206bakedgoodssubstitutions,213bananas,138basemetabolicrate(BMR)calculators,158beansprouts,136,212PeanutButter-ChickenSalad,227SmokedSalmonandBeanSproutSauté,228

beef,114,115,151,217,277Lasagna,229–30whole-foodfatsand,154

berries,132,155,156,157,189,277.SeealsostrawberryChocolate-CoveredBerryCream,236GreenSmoothie,164snacks,163,217,218VanillaAlmondHotCereal,222

Berthoud,Hans-Rudolf,35beverages,165–66.Seealsogreentea;wateratmealtime,214sportsdrinks,190sugar-freedrinks,163sweeteneddrinks,servingsize,207

BiggestLoser(TVshow),53–54bloodsugar(bloodglucose)body-fatstorageand,70dietaryfatsand,113inSANEsugarsandstarchesand,276numberofcaloriesincirculationatanygiventime,70–71set-pointandregulationof,24

BMI(BodyMassIndex),48nHarvardstudyofcalorierestrictionandhigherBMI,48,48

BodybyScience(McGuff),175bombesin,23nBostonUniversity,ontype2bmusclefibersandstrengthtraining,179–80

brainhypothalamus(appetitecontrolcenter),20,22,67inflammationandset-pointelevation,35

Branden,Nathaniel,198bread,75,76,94,127,129,138,190.Seealsocarbohydratesashormonallyharmful,140substitutionsfor,213

breakfast,134non-grainsubstitutions,213recipes,218–23

Britell,CatherineW.,269broccoli,73n,135,138BroccoliandRedPepperMiniquiches,224servingsize,136

broccoli-carrotslaw,pre-madefromgrocery,212TurkeyandAlmondStir-fry,232–33

Brown,Carrie,213Brownell,Kelly,85,123BuckInstituteforAgeResearch,onresistancetrainingandagingreversal,175Bruch,Hilde,90,104

cabbage,136,212,277ChickenCarbonara,228–29PorkChopswithBaconandCabbage,230–31

caffeine,167amountincommonbeverages,167

calciumnonstarchyvegetablesassourceof,150proteinconsumptionand,150

calories,9Aggression(howlikelytheywillbestoredasfat),9,63,69–71,71n“allfoodsarefineinmoderation”

myth,84–91Americanincreasedintakesince1980,x“bodyenergystatus”and,17–18burning,variouscontributorsto,ix–x,158–59conceptof,23–24,25counting,1,4,6,7,24,25,90–91,105,158–59,174,263dailyrequirementandstarvationdieters,44–46,45,46Efficiency(easeofconversionintobodyfat),78–82extraandlittleornoincreaseinbodyfat,49–50,50infats,ix,105fourqualityfactors,9,63–64,263(seealsoSANEeating)homeostasisand,17,18HowMuchofToday’sTypicalDietIsNotNatural,95increaseddailyintake,1977to2006,16–17,16n,17n,20nisocaloricstudies,64low-quality,9,10,33–35marketedasallthatmatter,85mythofallcaloriesasequal,62–64,263mythorigins,94–104,263myths,8–10,182(seealsospecificmyths)Nutrition,72–76,73,74,77OutdatedTheoryvs.ModernScience,6restriction,x,18,28,29,39–47,46n,48restriction,sideeffects,x,42–49,43,45,46,48,65SANEqualitiesof,9,10,63,66–83typeof,andeffectonbodyfat,19,25weightlossand,conventionalwisdom,ix–x,2,7–8,8WheretheAverageAmericanGetsCalories,89

“caloriesin,caloriesout”myth,ix,xi,2,9,15–21,52,91,182howitbecameingrainedintheculture,19–20

Campbell,T.Colin,147–48

cancerobesityand,xiiiproteinconsumptionand,149–50yo-yodietingandrisk,47

Caramel-Orange-SpiceCashews,235–36carbohydrates.Seealsosweetenersbody-fatstorageandinsulin,80CaloriesfromProteinvs.CaloriesfromStarch,79CDConincreaseof,108foodclassifiedas,80,138,138governmentpromotingof,98GramsofFiberin250Calories,75HowWeEatvs.OurIncidenceofDiabetes,108HowWeEatvs.OurIncidenceofWeightGain,107TheImpactofFatandStarchonCholesterolandHealth,113increasedconsumptionofstarchesandsweetsperperson,108,116–17LessNaturalFoodsContainingFat,MoreOvereating,106low-fat,high-carbohydratediets,105low-fructosefruitsas,9mashedpotatoesorrice,amountofglucoseinbloodstreamand,71asnonessentialindiet,139–40nonstarchyvegetablesas,9NutrientQualityofEnrichedWheatFlourvs.Spinach,74NutrientQuantityofEnrichedWheatFlourvs.Spinach,73NutrientsProvidedbySANEEatingvs.theTypicalUSDiet,133Paleolithichumansand,94PoundsofSugarConsumedintheUnitedStatesperPerson,1820–2005,117refined,avoiding,xivSANECarbohydrateSummary,141SANEeating,gramsperday,137SANEeatingguide,135–41starchesandsweets,asinSANE,9,19n,56,73,76,81,88,89,89,95,113,114starchestoavoid,127substitutionsfor,212–13sugarandstarchasbiochemicallyequivalent,97sweets/sweeteneddrinks,servingsize,207

Carpinelli,Ralph,181,242–43carrots,73n,135,136,208,217,277PeanutButter-ChickenSalad,227servingsize,136

cashews,157Caramel-Orange-SpiceCashews,235–36Grain-FreeGranola,219–20

Caulfield,Tim,175cauliflower,73n,136,212,213,277LeekandCauliflowerSoup,226

celery,67,136,217servingsize,136

CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)dataonwork-relatedactivityandobesity,61onincreaseofcarbohydrateintake,108

cerealAlmondPearCereal,218Grain-FreeGranola,219–20SANEcereals,213servingsize,207Strawberry-ChiaSeedCereal,221–22underestimatingservingsize,206VanillaAlmondHotCereal,222

chiaseedshealthbenefitsof,154,155Strawberry-ChiaSeedCereal,221–22whole-foodfatsand,154

chicken,151Chicken,Avocado,andWalnutSalad,225–26ChickenCarbonara,228–29PeanutButter-ChickenSalad,227

childrenADHD,SANErfoodsfor,209–10bodyfatand,210fastfoodand,123foodadvertisingaimedat,123overweight,aslifelong,210SANEeatingfor,209

China-Cornell-OxfordProject,147,148nChinaStudy,The(Campbell),147–48

chocolateChocolate-CoveredBerryCream,236Chocolate-PeanutButterFudge,236–37DarkChocolate-EspressoCookies,237–38GermanChocolatePancakes,219MintChocolatePudding,238–39

cholecystokinin,23n,28n

cholesterolAverageOutcomesAcrosstheTwenty-sixStudies,111example,Jim’sstory,124–25HDL(high-densitylipoproteins)levelsandhearthealth,111–13heartdiseaseandtotalcholesterol,110–11TheImpactofFatandStarchonCholesterolandHealth,113LDL(low-densitylipoproteins),112obesityand,xRelativeRiskofHeartDisease,112whole-foodfatsand,110–13

Cinnamon-Raisin“Rice”Pudding,237ClinicalInvestigationCenter,USNavalHospital,isocaloricstudy,64Coca-Cola,121–22cocoa/cacao,154n,212buyinginbulk,272Chocolate-CoveredBerryCream,236Chocolate-PeanutButterFudge,236–37DarkChocolate-EspressoCookies,237–38GermanChocolatePancakes,219healthbenefitsof,154–55MintChocolatePudding,238–39whole-foodfatsand,154

coconut(wholefood),154Grain-FreeGranola,219–20healthbenefitsof,154,155medium-chaintriglyceridesand,155VanillaAlmondHotCereal,222whole-foodfatsand,154

coconutoil,154Colantuoni,Carlo,121

ColoradoStateUniversityanalysisofnutritionqualityoffoods,76,95reportonhealthbenefitsofleananimalprotein,146–47research on what we eat today vs. earlier in human history, 95, 95, 95n Cookies, Dark Chocolate-

Espresso,237–38Cooper,KennethH.,59CornellUniversity,isocaloricstudy,64cottagecheese,127Cinnamon-Raisin“Rice”Pudding,237Lasagna,229–30asproteinsource,144servingsize,142assnack,163,217whole-foodfatsand,154

Covey,Stephen,277Coyle,Edward,187Cranberry,Orange-,Scones,239cravings,5,152CreamyCucumberSoup,224–25cucumber,136,217CreamyCucumberSoup,224–25

Dabelea,Dana,92dairyproducts,73,138asproteinsource,144SANEityrating,133servingsize,206skimmilk,138whole-foodfatsand,154wholemilk,138

dairyindustry,115DarkChocolate-EspressoCookies,237–38Davis,William,ix–xi

depressioncalorierestrictionand,46yo-yodietingandrisk,47

desserts.SeeSANEdessertsdiabetes(Type2)Aggressivecaloriesand,81AnnalsofInternalMedicinestudyonsatietyand,66as“diseaseofcivilization,”95,128epidemic,xiii,92“hormonalclog,”elevatedset-point,and,26–28,31HowWeEatvs.OurIncidenceofDiabetes,108inSANEstarchesandsugarsand,276low-carbohydratedietsvs.low-fatdietsand,137low-fat,high-carbohydratediets,effectof,108maternal,effectsof,92–93MillionsofAmericanswithDiabetes,3,100asnon-existentamonghunter-gatherers,96obesityand,xprediabetes,276preventionthroughlifestylefactors,xiiiprotectingyourselfandyourchildren,92–93reducingoreliminatingbygoingSANE,93SANEeatingandloweringrisk,83shortenedlifespanand,92sweetenersand,122traditionalapproaches,2USDAFoodPyramidand,96,98yo-yodietingandrisk,47

DiagnosticandStatisticalManualofMentalDisorders,editionIV(DSM-IV),119–20DietaryGoalsfortheUnitedStates,98,98nDiet-inducedthermogenesis(DIT),159dietindustry,91dinner,134recipes,228–35

Duffey,Kiyah,16DukeUniversityMedicalCenter,studyonbenefitsofanaturaldiet,128

“eatless,exercisemore”myth,ix,6,54,55,61,65,185,262Eaton,S.Boyd,94EattoLive(Fuhrman),131eccentricresistancetraining,175agingreversaland,175armsandabs,244–45,245bodyfatreductionand,176concentricvs.,184–85equipmentfor,272fearsofgettingbiggerand,175–77Home-GymExercises,243,243nhormonalhealingpotential,181,182–83howto,athome,247–54howto,atthegym,249,254–57howto,basics,246–47increasingresistanceofat-homeeccentrics,248–49levelof,choosing,249

loweringset-pointand,178asno-impact,high-intensity,55proteinservingafterworkout,245reducingexercisetimetoreducebodyfat,185SixPrinciplesofSmarterExercise,179–93timeinvestment,174,181,183–84,185–88,189,242–44warmup,246TheWeeklyProgram,241whatitmeans,184whyitworkstoburnfat,182–83WorkOutChart,259

eccentricresistancetraining:exercisesAssistedEccentricPull-Ups,251–52AssistedEccentricPush-Ups,252–53AssistedEccentricShoulderPress,253–54AssistedEccentricSquats,250EccentricChestPress,256–57EccentricLegPresses,254–55EccentricRows,255–56EccentricShoulderPress,257

ECGC(epigallocatechingallate),166Efficiency(easeofconversionofcaloriesintobodyfat),78–82CaloriesfromProteinvs.CaloriesfromStarch,79fiberand,78protein,78–79

eggplant,136,213,214Lasagna,229–30

eggs,106BroccoliandRedPepperMiniquiches,224ChickenCarbonara,228–29HamandEggsBake,220PeanutButterMousse,240asproteinsource,144servingsize,142assnack,163,217tipforhard—orsoft-boiled,163whole-foodfatsand,154

Einstein,Albert,265

EmoryUniversityonbenefitsofanaturaldiet,128onhigh-proteinintake,147

Enriori,PabloJ.,37Entin,Pauline,59esterification,81Excesspostexerciseoxygenconsumption(EPOC),159exercise,ix-x,xiv-xv,2,5,10,52,55–61,174–93,241–59,263,269.Seealsoeccentricresistancetraining;

SixPrinciplesofSmarterExerciseaerobics,55,59,177–78,181,185–86,190,275appetiteandincreasedeating,55–56author’sexerciseroutine,277bikeriding,189consultingwithaphysician,269“eatless,exercisemore”myth,ix,6–7,54,55,61,65,181–82,185,262,263engagingmoremusclegroupsasoptimal,179–80evaluatingthelong-termefficacy,191–92excesspostexerciseoxygenconsumption(EPOC),159“exercisetoburncalories”myth,177–78extremeforms,avoiding,190–91howtotellwhentocutbacktoonesmarterworkoutweekly,242intensity-impactchart,275intervaltraining,185–88,189,258,259jogging,55,56–57,58,174,177–78,180loweringset-pointand,55low-impact,low-intensity,benefits,55,177,188,275–76manuallaborersvs.deskworkers,60–61marathons,56,59moreisn’tbetter,x,188–89,275–76mythofAmericansandloweredphysicalactivity,59–61obesityand,17,58OutdatedTheoryvs.ModernScience,6Pilates,189qigong,189recoverytime,183,241–42SixPrinciplesofSmarterExercise,179–93SkidmoreCollegeweightlossstudy,7–8,8smarter,187smarter,timeinvestment,174,181,183–88smartercardio,186–87,188smartermeansmoreresistance,181smarterresistancetrainingandhighermetabolicrate,10,35,171–72soremusclesfollowing,190stationarybikesorellipticals,185–86stretching,189summary,241taichi,189traditionalvs.smarter,174–75twin-studiesandfatloss,26walking,55,177,188,189TheWeeklyProgram,241

weightincreaseand,56,57weightlossand,36–38whatnottodo,190WorkOutChart,259yoga,177,188,189,277

fastfood,85,123fat,body,4Aggressionofcaloriesand,69–71,71nAutomaticFatLoss(studyresults),37,37–38bulkinessof,176burning,76,152,153,165,166,176,263caloriesand,20,49–50,50,79dietaryfatsand,80,81,152eatingmoreofhigh-qualitywholefoodsandloss(studyresults),49Efficiencyofcaloriesand,78–82esterificationand,80exerciseandnoreductionin,56fatcellsareforever,210“fatsuperaccumulation,”44glycerol-3-phosphateand,80homeostasisand,17–18“hormonalclog”and,8,26–28,31,263–64hormonesand,85–87,88,89hypo-osmolality,165inSANEfoodsandcreating,81,82insulinand,88,89isocaloricstudiesonlosing,64LessNaturalFoodsContainingFat,MoreBodyFat,107lipogenesis,79–80,81,87losingbellyfat,186metabolicrateand,xiv,5,31morefood,lessbodyfat,52,53musclemassand,176naturallythinpeople,5,10,30–31NormalSetPoint,31NutrientsProvidedbySANEEatingvs.theTypicalU.S.Diet,133processedfoodsand,49proteinand,78–81,79,146–47qualityoffoodand,33–38,49,52,53set-pointand,23,30–31,32,33–38,262SkidmoreCollegeweightlossstudy,7–8,8smarterexerciseandreducing,176,185–88starchconvertedto,79,79starvationdietingorcalorierestrictionandretainingorincreasing,40–41,43,44–49,45,46,48,48sweets/sweeteneddrinksasfastestwaytogain,207triglyceridesand,80

fat-freeproducts,102fats,dietaryAverageOutcomes[offatalheartattacks]AcrosstheTwenty-sixStudies,111benefits,113–14

body-fatburningand,152,153body-fatstorageand,80,81caloriesin,ix,105carbohydrateintakeand,156cholesteroland,110–13asessentialindiet,139evolutionaryhistoryand,153factsonheartdiseaseand,101–4“fatisevil”myth,102foodsclassifiedas,80,138GroceryList:CommonWhole-FoodFats(3–6servingsperday),157healthbenefitsof,154–55healthysources,154–55high-Satietyfoodscontaining,106HowWeEatvs.OurIncidenceofDiabetes,108HowWeEatvs.OurIncidenceofWeightGain,107TheImpactofFatandStarchonCholesterolandHealth,113Keys’sstudyon,101–2LessNaturalFoodsContainingFat,MoreBodyFat,107LessNaturalFoodsContainingFat,MoreOvereating,106medium-chaintriglycerides,114,155NutrientsProvidedbySANEEatingvs.theTypicalUSDiet,133obesityorweightgainand,105–6,113omega-3,xiii,35,114,153,155plant-based,148polyunsaturated,114SANEeatingand,131,152–57SANEityrating,132,133Satietyand,106saturated,xiv,113,114servingsize,206–7servingsperday,153summary,157trans,avoiding,xivasunAggressive,71nU.S.DietaryGuidelines and, ixwhole-food fats, 9, 35, 83, 106, 110–14,131,134, 145,151,152–57,

167,169,170,171,192,203,205,208,209,214,262,273,277fattyacids,80Feinman,Richard,41,62Fennel,SalmonwithOrangeand,232fiber,67nGramsofFiberin250Calories,75asinEfficient,78NutrientsProvidedbySANEEatingvs.theTypicalUSDiet,133nutritionqualityofcaloriesand,74–75satietyandcontentoffoods,67wholegrainsand,75–76

fish.Seeseafoodfitnessindustry,10,91,263revenueincreasein,59

FiveWeeksSaneandSmartActionPlan,10–11,203–9FiveWeekstoCompleteSANEityandaLowerSet-Point(foodtracker),204–5sampleday,208–9servingsizeawareness,206–7TotalNutritionfortheDay,208–9

flaxseed,35,114,157,209,271–72AlmondPearCereal,218Grain-FreeGranola,219healthbenefitsof,154,155whole-foodfatsand,154

foodindustry,263advertisingaimedatchildren,123“allfoodsarefineinmoderation”mythand,84AmericanCouncilonFitnessandNutritionand,57–58caloriemythcreationand,91fat-freeproducts,102goodadviceonfoodinconflictwithinterestsof,96impactonwhatweeat,115–23influenceonnationalcommitteesonnutritionandfood,116low-fatproductsandaddedsweeteners,118profitsandbodyfat,10sweetenersand,116–19tobaccoindustryand,121–23unhealthyfoodchoicesand,xivU.S.DietaryGuidelinesand,109

Friedman,JeffreyM.,13,18,20,55–56,91fruits,xiv,155GramsofFiberin250Calories,75juicesasequivalenttosoda,119,207SANEityrating,133servingsize(high-fructose),206

fruits,low-fructose(SANEFatsandSweets),9,73,131,155.Seealsospecificfruitsberries,155citrusfruits,155GreenSmoothie,164GroceryList:CommonLow-FructoseFruits(0–3servingsperday),157aSANEapproachtoEating,156SANEityrating,132servingsperday,155assnack,163,217summary,157

Fuhrman,Joel,131,148

galanin,23nGarner,David,47gastricinhibitorypolypeptide,23n,28nGermanChocolatePancakes,219ghrelin,23,23n,28nGibala,Martin,187GLP–1,23nglucose,70,80,139body-fatstorageandinsulin,80

low-fat,high-carbohydratediets,effectof,109mashedpotatoesorrice,amountofglucoseinbloodstreamand,71numberofcaloriesinbloodatanygiventime,70–71proteinconversionto,78–79

glycemicindex/glycemicload,70,70n,71glycerol-3-phosphate,80,81GoodCalories,BadCalories(Taubes),98Grain-FreeGranola,219–20grains,whole,ix,97,138,154fiberand,75–76GramsofFiberin250Calories,75healthylifestyleand,xivhistoryofhumanuse,94nutritionqualityofcalories,75SANEityrating,133substitutionsfor,213

GreenSmoothierecipe,164assnack,218

greentea,165,166addingtosmoothie,168amountpermeal,214amountrecommendeddaily,166cost-effectiveness,167decaf,167ECGCin,166hydrationand,166–67matcha,168polyphenolsin,166

grocerylistsCommonLow-FructoseFruits(0–3servingsperday),157CommonNonstarchyVegetables(10+ServingsperDay),136–37CommonNutrient-DenseProteins,151CommonWhole-FoodFats(3–6servingsperday),157

GroceryManufacturersofAmerica,115gutbacteria(microbiomes),35Guyenet,Stephan,120

HaimotoClinic,studyonbenefitsofanaturaldiet,128HamandEggsBake,220

HarvardUniversityMedicalSchool,positionongovernment’seatingguidelines,102MedicalSchoolresearchondietaryfatandobesity,153Nurses’HealthStudy,xiiiresultsofmassivesampleofeatingpatterns,52,53SchoolofPublicHealth,chair’sstatementonUSDAFoodPyramid,96,98studyofcalorierestrictionandhigherBMI,48,48studyonexerciseintensityandheartdiseaserisk,187studyonsatietyandproteincontentoffood,67studyon“smarter”exercise,187studywithKing’sCollege,Londononmaintainingleanweightwithouttrying,50–51

Havel,Peter,87

heartdiseaseandcardiovasculardiseaseAverageOutcomesAcrosstheTwenty-sixStudies,111carbohydratesand,111–12cholesteroland,110–13dietaryfatsand,101–4,110–14,153as“diseaseofcivilization,”95,128exerciseintensityandrisk,187–88findingsonproteinintakeandhearthealth,147HDLcholesterollevelsand,112–13HeartDiseaseDeathsper1,000Men,101,102low-fat,high-carbohydratediets,effectof,108meatconsumptionand,149MillionsofHospitalDischargesforCardiovascularDiseases,3,100MillionsofNonfatalHeartDiseaseIncidents,3,100obesityand,xiiipreventionthroughlifestylefactors,xiiiRelativeRiskofHeartDisease,112SANEeating,Jim’sstory,124–25sugarconsumptionlinkto,117–18yo-yodietingandrisk,47

Heffernan,William,115Hendrickson,Mary,115high-fatdiets,109high-fructosecornsyrup(HFCS),118,119Hippocrates,13Hoebel,Bartley,121homeostaticcontrolsystem.Seeset-pointhormones,5,20,88–90.Seealsoinsulin;leptinbodyfatand,8,9,

85–87,86complexcarbohydratesasharmful,140five-weekplan,benefits,6“hormonalclog”andelevatedset-point(weight-gain),6,26–28,30,31,50,52,56,89,90,262inSANEfoodsanddysregulation,9,87–88low-qualityfoodsandoverproductionof,31,35,37meatconsumptionandhealth,149moderationvs.impactof,85overeatingassymptom,90parabiosisstudiesand,85–86,86processedfoodsandchronicfatgain,8ARisingSetPoint,32SANEeatingand,64SANEfoodsand,9,10,87Satietyand,67set-pointand,22–23,23n,28,28n,31,32,87–90smarterexercise,healingpotential,177,179–80,181,182–83,192

HowFoodandLifestyleChoicesAddUp,169–71HowMuchofToday’sTypicalDietIsNotNatural,95HowWeEatvs.OurIncidenceofDiabetes,108HowWeEatvs.OurIncidenceofWeightGain,107Hu,Frank,104hunger,7,156calorierestrictionand,x,28,29,159

cuttingbackonfatsand,107–8exerciseandincreased,xHFCSandnegativeSatiety,119hypothalamusand,20listeningtoyourbodyand,204–5mealtimesand,214SANEeatingand,214asunhealthy,48universalprinciplesfor,277nhunter-gatherers(Paleohumans)amountoffoodeatenperday,133dietof,94,126healthandlongevityof,96SANEeatingand,126,263today’sdietdifferingfromdietof,95,95

hypertension(highbloodpressure),x,xiii,47hypo-osmolality,165

immunesystemfailure,yo-yodietingandrisk,47ImpactofFatandStarchonCholesterolandHealth,113inSANEfoods,2,64addictionto,anddisease,85alcoholicbeveragesas,226nbody-fatstorageand,82ascauseofobesity,90–91,91effectontheunborn,92effortlessskipping,199–200,200glycerol-3-phosphatein,81hormonedysregulationand,87–88,90TheImpactofFatandStarchonCholesterolandHealth,113insulinreleaseand,88starchyvegetables,73ninsulin,23n,30,80,81exposureinutero,92fat-storingand,88HFCSimpacton,119high-intensityexerciseand,258inSANEfoodsandreleaseof,88internalstarvationand,90intervaltrainingandstimulating,185low-fat,high-carbohydratediets,effectof,109resistance,31,88,89,113resistanceandset-pointelevation,35WheretheAverageAmericanGetsCalories,89

internalstarvation,90InternationalDiabetesFederation,HDLcholesterollevelsand,112intervaltraining,185–88,189,258,259Irving,Brian,186“IsItActuallyNatural?”Quiz,127Izumiya,Yasuhiro,176–77

Jacobson,MichaelF.,96Jensen,Arthur,1jerkies,low-sugar,127,163,217

JournalofAdolescentHealth,studyonhigh-qualityfoodandweight,49JournalofMarketing,studyonchildrenandfastfoods,123JournaloftheAmericanCollegeofCardiovascularExerciselogy,onUSDAFoodPyramid,96JournaloftheAmericanMedicalAssociation,40,113,149dietaryfatsandheartdiseaseasunrelated,114reviewofdietandhealthstudies,149

junkfood,35

kale,73n,135,136,277kalechips,163,213KalolinskaHospital,studyonsatietyandproteincontentoffood,68Kant,Immanuel,65Keesey,Richard,28,46Keys,Ancel,101,110Kraemer,William,176

Lasagna,229–30Layman,Donald,97,146leafygreens,73n,135servingsize,136

leeks,136LeekandCauliflowerSoup,226PrawnandMushroomStir-Fry,231SmokedSalmonandBeanSproutSauté,228SquashNoodles,234–35

legumes(beans,peas,lentils),138asproteinsource,144SANEityrating,133servingsize,206

Leibel,Rudolph,44leptin,20,23,23n,28n,30exposureinutero,92HFCSimpacton,119resistance,31,35

LessNaturalFoodsContainingFat,MoreBodyFat,107LessNaturalFoodsContainingFat,MoreOvereating,106leucine,142

lifestylechoicesexercise,175five-weekprogram,benefits,6HowFoodandLifestyleChoicesAddUp,169–71“powerofprevention,”researchand,xiii–xivrecommended,forhealth,xivreducingtheriskofdisease

and,xiiireprogramthewayourmindperceivesfood,5U.S.DietaryGuidelinesand,ixlipase,87

lipoproteins,109,112lipostat.Seeset-pointlow-carbohydratediets,137,138n,140n,146HowSANEityComparestoCommonDiets,140

low-fat,high-carbohydratediets,105HowSANEityComparestoCommonDiets,140U.S.DietaryGuidelinesand,109

Ludwig,DavidS.,4lunch,134recipes,224–28

lunchmeat,163,217LundUniversity,studyonbenefitsofanaturaldiet,128

MaastrichtUniversity,Netherlandsonproteinandlowerbodyweightregainafterweightloss,143protein’simpactonbonesstudy,150

MarshallUniversity,studyonchildhoodobesity,63Masterjohn,Chris,149MayoClinic,studyoneatingmorehigh-qualityfoodandweight,49Mc4rreceptors,23nMcGuff,Doug,129,175meats,high-quality,73,106healthand,149–50asproteinsource,143,144Satietyand,149servingsize,142whole-foodfatsand,154

medium-chaintriglycerides(MCTs),114,155melanocytehormones,23n

menusdaily,214–17oneweekofSANEeating,213–14

metabolism,xiv,22.Seealsoset-pointageandmetabolicdysregulation,26body’sregulationofweightdespitefoodintakeand,24“burnmorewhenweeatmore,”18drinkingcoldwaterand,165Efficiencyofcaloriesand,78–82,81evolutionaryhistoryand,127failureofcaloriecountingand,18healingdysregulation,30howtoloweryourset-pointweight,33–38lawsofthermodynamicsand,41low-fat,high-carbohydratediets,effectof,108“starvationmode”(calorierestriction)andslowed,x,40,41–49,43,45,46,46n,152smarterexerciseandincreasing,xiv–xv,10,185–88weightgainand,xiv,44,87yo-yodietingandslowed,90

Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium study ofmicrobiomerestoration,35

Metcalf,Brad,58Miller,Wayne,20MillionsofAmericanswithDiabetes,3,100MillionsofHospitalDischargesforCardiovascularDiseases,3,100MillionsofNonfatalHeartDiseaseIncidents,3,100MintChocolatePudding,238–39moderation,mythof,84–91MONICAstudyonheartdisease,103Morrison,ChristopherD.,35mTOR,23n

musclemassbodyfatvs.,sizeand,176calorierestrictionandloss,x,40–41,47,152–53,159lossof(sarcopenia),142muscleproteinsynthesis(MPS),142,159,177myostatinand,176proteinandpreservingduringweightloss,146proteinneeds,142resistancetrainingandfearsofgettingbigger,175–77type1(slow-twitch)fibers,180,180,181type2(fast-twitch)fibers:type2a,2x,and2b,180,180,181,242type2bmusclefibers,strengthtrainingand,179–80type2bmusclefibers,timeneededtorecover,183

mushrooms,73n,135,137,277PrawnandMushroomStir-Fry,231servingsize,136TurkeyandMushroomStroganoff,233

NapacabbageChickenCarbonara,228–29

NationalHeart,Lung,andBloodInstitute,trialonfat-heartdiseaselink,103NationalInstitutesofHealth,compensationfromfoodcompaniesand,116NationalSoftDrinkAssociation,58,115–16Nestle,Marion,60,97Neuroscience&BiobehavioralReviewsarticleonobeseweightgain,87

NewEnglandJournalofMedicineHDLcholesterollevelsandcarbohydrates,111long-termweight-lossstudy,28Mediterraneanandlow-carbohydratediets,137

Nonexerciseactivitythermogenesis(NEAT),158norepinephrine,23nNorthAmericanAssociationfortheStudyofObesity,low-carbohydratedietsvs.low-fatdietsand,137NorwegianUniversityofScienceandTechnology,smarterexerciseandhormonalhealing,187NPY,23n“NeurobiologyofNutritionandObesity”(MorrisonandBerthoud),35Nurses’HealthStudy,findingsonproteinintakeandhearthealth,147NutritionandMetabolism,isocaloricstudy,64Nutrition(qualityofcalories),72–76,77GramsofProteinina250-CalorieServing,77NutrientQualityofEnrichedWheatFlourvs.Spinach,74NutrientQuantityofEnrichedWheatFlourvs.Spinach,73water-,fiber-,protein-contentoffoodand,74–75,76

nuts/seeds,73,106AlmondParmesanSquash,234AlmondPearCereal,218Caramel-Orange-SpiceCashews,235–36Chicken,Avocado,andWalnutSalad,225–26Grain-FreeGranola,219–20asproteinsource,144servingsize,154assnack,163,213,217TurkeyandAlmondStir-fry,232–33VanillaAlmondHotCereal,222whole-foodfatsand,154

obesityAnnalsofInternalMedicinestudyonsatietyand,66BMIand,48ncaloricintakeand,17–18,20causeof,90–91,91,153,262childhoodobesityand,4,63,92dietaryfatsand,105–6,113,153diseaseand,x,xiiias“diseaseofcivilization,”95,128epidemic,x,xiii,4,22exerciseand,17,20,58failureofweight-lossprograms,104“fatsuperaccumulation,”44healingbiologicalregulationofset-pointandovercoming,24,30higher-qualityfoodandsolutionto,62hormonesand,26–28,31,35,85–87,276HowFoodandLifestyleChoicesAddUp,169LessNaturalFoodsContainingFat,MoreBodyFat,107longevityreducedand,4low-carbohydratedietsvs.low-fatdietsand,137low-fat,high-carbohydratediets,effectof,109mythofAmericansandloweredphysicalactivityascause,59–61asnon-existentamonghunter-gatherers,96PercentofAmericansatLeastOverweight,3“postobese,”51“relapsingobesity,”44set-pointweightand,23,262,276smarterexerciseandregressionof,176TheSourceofOurWeightProblems,97traditionalapproachestoweightlossand,2,19–20TVwatchingand,60USDAFoodPyramidand,96,98

ObesityandLeanness(Rony),55ObesityResearch,studyoneatingmorehigh-qualityfoodandweight,49O’Keefe,James,149oliveoil,154Oliver,Eric,178omega-3s,xiii,35,114,153,155onions,73n,135,137,277servingsize,136

oranges,155Caramel-Orange-SpiceCashews,235–36Orange-CranberryScones,239OrangeCreamsicleGreenSmoothie,223SalmonwithOrangeandFennel,232

orthorexia,168osteoporosis,150Ottoboni,Alice,98OutdatedTheoryvs.ModernScience,6

overeatinghormonedysregulationand,88inSANEcarbohydratesand,81LessNaturalFoodsContainingFat,MoreOvereating,106SANEeatingandpreventing,64sweets,207assymptom,90,91whole-foodfatsand,106

paleoandprimaldiets,126

pancakesbasicrecipe,220–21GermanChocolate,219

pancreas,insulinresistanceand,89pancreaticpolypeptide,23nparabiosisstudies,85–86,86pasta,138substitutions,212

peanutbutterChocolate-PeanutButterFudge,236–37PeanutButter-ChickenSalad,227PeanutButterMousse,240

Pear,Almond,Cereal,218Peck,Jeffrey,36PenningtonBiomedicalResearchCenter,onintervaltraining,185peppers,73n,136,137BroccoliandRedPepperMiniquiches,224

peptideYY,23n,28nPercentofAmericansatLeastOverweight,3,99pharmaceuticalcorporations,10,263caloriemythcreationand,91

Phinney,Steve,70Pollan,Michael,241Popkin,Barry,16,117PorkChopswithBaconandCabbage,230–31portionsize.Seeservingsizepotatoes,73n,127,135,138,140glucoseinbloodstreamand,71TheImpactofFatandStarchonCholesterolandHealth,113servingsizeand,207substitutions,213

PoundsofSugarConsumedintheUnitedStatesperPerson,1820–2005,117PrawnandMushroomStir-Fry,231PrincetonUniversity,studiesonsugaraddiction,119,120processedfoods,84,94,126–27bodyfatgainand,8,49meats,149oilsas,153–54one-hundredcaloriesnackpacks,85SANEityrating,133set-pointand,8

productsandequipmentforgoingSANE,271–73adjustableweightvest,272blender,high-quality,271–72caseinorwheyproteinpowder,272cocoa/cacaoinbulk,272heavyresistancebands,272indoorgrill,272liftingglovesandstraps,272low-sugarproteinbars,272–73mandolin,273membershipatabulkwholesalestore,271pull-upbar,272shakerbottles,272slicinggloves,273stand-alonefreezer,273sugar-freepowdered“SuperFoods,”272

protein,nutrientdense(SANEproteins),9,76,131,142–51aminoacidsand,145

body-fatstorageand,78–81,79CaloriesfromProteinvs.CaloriesfromStarch,79cancerand,149–50ConcentratedSourcesofProtein,144Diet-inducedthermogenesis(DIT)and,159digestionof,78–79asessentialindiet,139evolutionaryhistoryand,147FairlyConcentratedSourcesofProtein,144foodclassifiedas,80,138gluconeogenesisof,78–79GramsofProteinina250-CalorieServing[ofvariousfoods],77gramsperdayrecommended,143,146gramsperservingrecommended,142,143,146GroceryList:CommonNutrient-DenseProteins,146–50healthbenefitsof,146,147healthysources,127,143,144–45asinEfficient,78LessNaturalFoodsContainingFat,MoreOvereating,106muscleproteinsynthesisandmusclerenewal,142,177NutrientsProvidedbySANEEatingvs.theTypicalUSDiet,133nutritionqualityofcaloriesand,74–75,76osteoporosisand,150plant-based,145safetyofincreasedintake,146–47,148SANEapproachto,146–50SANEityrating,132Satietyand,67–68,146servingafterworkout,245servingsize,142summary,151

proteinbars,127buying,272–73assnack,163,218

proteinpowders,127buying,273Chocolate-PeanutButterFudge,236–37Cinnamon-Raisin“Rice”Pudding,237GreenSmoothie,164PeanutButterMousse,240asproteinsource,144UMP,212

puddingCinnamon-Raisin“Rice”Pudding,237MintChocolatePudding,238–39

quicheBroccoliandRedPepperMiniquiches,224

Quiz:“IsItActuallyNatural?,”127

Raine,Kim,56Ravnskov,Uffe,106,110–11,261recipes.Seealsospecificingredientsbreakfast,218–23desserts,235–40dinner,228–35lunch,224–28SANEandSANEstversions,213

Reeves,Neil,184–85RelativeRiskofHeartDisease,112resistancetraining.SeeeccentricresistancetrainingRoberts,Seth,60Roig,Marc,184Rolls,Barbara,33–34romainelettuce,73n,135,136Chicken,Avocado,andWalnutSalad,225–26

Rony,Hugo,55Ross,ErnestG.,174Rothwell,Nancy,37

saladPeanutButter-Chicken,227ZucchiniandCherryTomato,235

salmon,143gramsofproteinin,143nSalmonwithOrangeandFennel,232SmokedSalmonandBeanSproutSauté,228

SANEcooking,211–13.Seealsomenus;recipeschocolateand,212cookinginbulk,211–12productsandequipment,271–73SANESwapCheatSheet,212substitutionnotdeprivationprinciple,212

SANEdesserts,134,156,213asoptional,213recipes,235–40Top10SANESnacksandTreats,163

SANEeating,10,126–28,131–34,263.SeealsorecipesadvicefromDr.Seuss,262Aggressionoffoodsand,69–71,71namountoffoodeatenperday,133–34author’sdiet,277benefits,82carbohydrategramsperday,137children’sversion,209Efficiencyoffoodsand,78–82,81exceptionsforacceptablefoods,127fourcriteria,9,63–64,66–83HowSANEityComparestoCommonDiets,140hunter-gathererdietand,126,263“IsItActuallyNatural?”Quiz,127keypointsof,262low-carbohydrateversion,138naslow-confusion/high-nutritiondiet,139–40loweringyourset-pointand,10,64meals,134menusforoneweek,213–17NutrientsProvidedbySANEEatingvs.theTypicalUSDietand,133Nutritionoffoodand,72–76,73,74,77paleoandprimaldietsand,126plant-baseddietsand,148productsandequipmentfor,271–73proteinand,78–79proteingramsperdayandperservingrecommended,142–43,146qualityoffood,increasing,189quicktips,162real-lifestories,29,53–54,83,124–25,172–73reducingoreliminatingdiabetesand,93sampleday,208–9TheSANEityofFoodGroups,132–33SANEPlate,132SANEPyramid,132Satietyand,9,63,64,65,66–68,106servingsize,142,205

TenPrinciples,158–66threecomponentsof,131

SANEfoods,2,9,189.SeealsogrocerylistsConcentratedSourcesofProtein,144dairy,73FairlyConcentratedSourcesofProtein,144fat-burninghormonesand,87fatsandlow-fructosefruits(SANEfatsandsweets),71n,73,131,132,152–57insulinand,88meats,high-quality,73nonstarchyvegetables(SANEcarbohydrates),9,72–73,73n,131,132,135–41nuts/seeds,73proteins,nutrientdense(SANEproteins),77,131,132,142–51seafood,73starchestoavoid,127,127nwater-,fiber-,protein-contentoffoodand,71,74–75,76,78–79

SANEPlate,132SANEPyramid,132SANEsnacks,217–18listofsuggestions,217–18asoptional,213substitutionsforpretzelsandpotatochips,213Top10SANESnacksandTreats,163

SANESwapCheatSheet,212sardines,143,151,154,218Satiety,9,63,65,66–68AnnalsofInternalMedicinestudy,66HFCSandnegativeSatiety,119high-Satietyfoods,106hormonesof,67hypothalamusand,67low-Satietyfoods,106–7scientificfindingson,68water-,fiber-,protein-contentoffoodand,67–68,71,106,146whole-foodfatsand,106

Scones,Orange-Cranberry,239seafood,73,106cannedoptions,143healthbenefitsof,143,154PrawnandMushroomStir-Fry,231asproteinsource,143,144SalmonwithOrangeandFennel,232sardines,143,151,154,218servingsize,142SmokedSalmonandBeanSproutSauté,228tuna,66,142,143,151whole-foodfatsand,154

Seely,Randy,24sentence-completiontechnique,198–202serotonin,22–23servingsize,84,205AdditionalServing-SizeGuides,206–7

commonexcessquantities,207low-fructosefruits,155nonstarchyvegetables,136,141nutrient-denseprotein,142plantfats(nutsandseeds),154rawleafygreens,136underestimatingstarch,sweets,oil,andcheeseintake,206,207

set-point,xi,21,22–38,23ndefined,8,276dysfunction,inSANEfoodsand,81eccentricresistancetrainingandlowering,55,178AFallingSetPoint,32FiveWeekstoCompleteSANEityandaLowerSet-Point(foodtracker),204–5foodsthatmaintainaslimset-point,24geneticsand,25–26HFCSimpacton,119“hormonalclog”andelevated,26–28,30,31,50,52,56,89hormonesand,22–23,23n,28,28n,30,87–90howitmaintainsbodyweight,30–31hunter-gatherersand,60inSANEfoodsandraising,9keypoints,262lowering,9,10,20,25,32,55,64,178,156low-qualityfoodsandraisingof,31,33–38,33n,34,37,154NormalSetPoint,31obesity,raisingand,276–77OutdatedTheoryvs.ModernScience,6processedfoodsand,8ARisingSetPoint,32

Siri-Tarino,PattyW.,103SixPillarsofSelf-Esteem,The(Branden),198SixPrinciplesofSmarterExercise,179–93,2431:ExerciseMoreMuscletoGetMoreResults,179–822:FocusonHormonesInsteadofCalories,182–833:IncreaseResistanceandReduceFrequencytoIncreaseResults,183–844:LowerWeightstoLowerYourWeight,184–855:ReduceTimeExercisingtoReduceBodyFat,185–886:Heal—Don’tHurt—Yourself,188

SkidmoreCollege,weightlossstudy,7–8,8sleep,5,19,42,160,169,170,171,188,189,190healingand,189

sleepapnea,83,124SmokedSalmonandBeanSproutSauté,228

smoothiesaddinggreenteato,168GreenSmoothie(basicrecipe),164OrangeCreamsicleGreenSmoothie,223Strawberry-AvocadoGreenSmoothie,223

soupCreamyCucumber,224–25LeekandCauliflower,226

SourceofOurWeightProblems,The,97SouthBeachDiet,70soybeanoil,154soybeans,asproteinsource,144spinach,73n,135,136calciumcontent,150GreenSmoothie,164NutrientQualityofEnrichedWheatFlourvs.Spinach,74NutrientQuantityofEnrichedWheatFlourvs.Spinach,73OrangeCreamsicleGreenSmoothie,223servingsize,136Strawberry-AvocadoGreenSmoothie,223

SquashNoodles,234–35standardAmericandiet,34HowSANEityComparestoCommonDiets,140researchonratsand,37

StanfordUniversity,studyon“smarter”exercise,187starvationdieting,40,41–42increasedbodyfatand,43–44Leibel’sstudyof,andslowedmetabolism,44–46,45,46sideeffects,42–49,43,45,46,48slowedmetabolismand,40,43–44UniversityofGeneva,studyonside-effects,42–44,43

strawberryGreenSmoothie,164Strawberry-AvocadoGreenSmoothie,223Strawberry-ChiaSeedCereal,221–22

strokeinadequateproteinand,149obesityand,xiiiyo-yodietingandrisk,47

Stunkard,Albert,4subconscious,smarter,197–202long-termvs.short-termpleasures,197–98,200sentence-completiontechniquefor,198–202utilitarianismand,197

summersquashSquashNoodles,234–35

SuperYogurt,221sweeteners(sugar,high-fructosecornsyrup,evaporatedcanejuice),117addedtofoodproducts,116addictionto,119–21Americanconsumptionperyearandperday,116–17bingeingand,121diabetesand,122heartdiseaselinkedto,117–18historyofhumanuse,94listofproductsusedas,118“natural”marketingof,119overeating,reasonfor,207PoundsofSugarConsumedintheUnitedStatesperPerson,1820–2005,117asprofitableanddangerous,116–19SANEityrating,133withdrawalfrom,121

sweeteners,artificial,117sweeteners,calorie-free,117sweetpotatoes,127n

Taubes,Gary,98TenPrinciplesofSANEeating:1:FreeYourselffromCalorieCounting,158–592:ShiftfromShort-TermWeightLosstoLong-TermFatLossandHealth,1593:SetMeaningfulGoalsandaRealisticTimetable,158–614:RethinkNutritionLabels,1625:SaveMoney—BuyGroceriesinBulk,1626:MasterSnackingandOn-the-GoEating,1637:SimplifywithGreenSmoothies,1648:ProtectYourSANEityatEventsandHolidays,1659:EnjoyLotsofWaterandGreenTea,165–6810:ForgetPerfection.CommitPublicly.GetSupport.,168–71

testosterone,176TheCalorieMythBook.com,265Thoreau,HenryDavid,195Thorpe,GeorgeL.,40thyroid,23n,275

tomatoesLasagna,229–30servingsize,136ZucchiniandCherryTomatoSalad,235

traveling,SANEgo-tooptions,163TRHneuron,23ntriglycerides,81Truswell,Stewart,98–99tuna,66,142,143,151

turkeyLasagna,229–30TurkeyandAlmondStir-fry,232–33TurkeyandMushroomStroganoff,233

UniversityofBasel,rodentstudyonhormonesandbodyfat,87UniversityofCincinnati,studiesontheset-point,25UniversityofConnecticut,studyon“eatmore,burnmore,”49UniversityofCopenhagen,studyonobesityandinactivity,58

UniversityofFloridaisocaloricstudy,64studiesonsugaraddiction,121

UniversityofGeneva,studyonside-effectsofstarvationdieting,42–44,43UniversityofIllinois,studyonproteinandcreationofmuscle,177UniversityofLeeds,studyonsatietyandproteincontentoffood,68UniversityofMelbourne,studyonhunter-gatherers’diet,128

UniversityofPennsylvaniastudyonhigh-qualityfoodandweightloss,49studyonyo-yodieting,47

UniversityofSouthernDenmark,studyonexercisingarmmuscles,244–45,245UniversityofSussex,studyonsatietyandproteincontentoffood,68UniversityofTexas,SouthwesternMedicalCenter atDallas, studyofmoderndiet and increaseddisease

risk,128UniversityofWashington,researchon“bodyenergystatus,”17

UniversityofWisconsinconcernsaboutU.S.DietaryGuidelines,99studyoncalorierestriction,46–47,46n,68

U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture (USDA).SeealsoU.S.DietaryGuidelinesDietaryGoals for theUnitedStates and, 98, 98nDietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids,Cholesterol,Protein,andAminoAcids,108,139–40,139nfaultyinformationonhowtoloseweight,51–52

historyofguidelinesandgraphics,97–99onincreaseofcarbohydrateintake,108

U.S.DietaryGuidelines,ix,51,94,97,98–99,98n,102,263TheFoodGuidePyramid/MyPyramid,96,97,98,98n,102,105,109foodindustryand,109HowSANEityComparestoCommonDiets,140HowWeEatvs.OurIncidenceofDiabetes,108HowWeEatvs.OurIncidenceofWeightGain,107MyPlate,98n,109

VanillaAlmondHotCereal,222vegetables,nonstarchy,xiv,9,72–73,73n,155deepgreentypes,135“deeplycolored”rule,135–36freshvs.frozen,135GramsofFiberin250Calories,75GroceryList:CommonNonstarchyVegetables(10+ServingsperDay),136–37NutrientQualityofEnrichedWheatFlourvs.Spinach,74NutrientQuantityofEnrichedWheatFlourvs.Spinach,73rawvs.cooked,136SANECarbohydrateSummary,141SANEeatingand,131,135–41SANEityrating,132servingsize,136servingsperday,136,137assnack,163,217

vegetables,starchy,73n,113,127,135,138servingsize,207

vegetarians/vegans,5,83,145,148,278aminoacidsupplementfor,145stickingtoprinciples,199,200

VeteransAffairsPaloAltoHealthCareSystemrodentstudyonhormonesandbodyfat,87VITaminDandOmegA-3TriaL(VITAL),xiiivitaminsandminerals,139NutrientsProvidedbySANEEatingvs.theTypicalUSDiet,133

Volek,Jeff,70

water,165–68amountpermeal,214amountrecommendeddaily,166hydrationand,165nutritionqualityofcaloriesand,74–75satietyandcontentoffoods,67

weightgainageand,26Americans,since1980,xcalorierestrictionand,28,36,40,41,65conventionalwisdom,ixeatinglessisworsethandoingnothing,43,43,44–49geneticsand,25“hormonalclog”andelevatedset-point,26–28,30,31,50,52,56,89HowFoodandLifestyleChoicesAddUp,169–70HowWeEatvs.OurIncidenceofWeightGain,107long-term,howitworks,23lossofmuscleand,40,41low-fat,high-carbohydratediets,effectof,109low-qualityprocessedfoodsand,49PercentofAmericansatLeastOverweight,3,99reboundeffectand,18set-pointandhomoeostasis,17–18,17n,20n,23,36,40slowed-downmetabolismand,40–49sweets/sweeteneddrinksasfastestrouteto,207unnaturaldieteatentodayand,96

weightloss,5,7calorie-countingapproach,failurerate,6–7,18caloriecountingvs.smarterprogram,7–8,8calorierestrictionand,x,18,19,39–40,40“caloriesin,caloriesout”mythand,ix,xi,2,9,15–21,52,91,182conventionalwisdom,ix-x,19–20,38eatingmoreofhigh-qualitywholefoods,36–37,38,49“eatless,exercisemore”mythand,x,ix,6,54,55,61,65,185,262eccentricresistancetrainingand,179–80FiveWeeksSaneandSmartActionPlan,10–11,203–9FiveWeekstoCompleteSANEityandaLowerSet-Point(foodtracker),204–5HowFoodandLifestyleChoicesAddUp,170–71howtolosetwopoundsaweek,168howtoloweryourset-pointweight,33–38isocaloricstudieson,64long-term,28,262,264musclelossand,40–41,47,146OutdatedTheoryvs.ModernScience,6pragmatismand,104proteinconsumptionand,143,146–47real-lifestories,29,53–54short-term,262–63USDAfaultyguidelineson,51–52

Weigle,DavidS.,23Wertheimer,Ernst,84Westman,Eric,25“WhatYouNeedtoKnowaboutVegetarianorVeganDiets”(Fuhrman),148WheretheAverageAmericanGetsCalories,89Willett,Walter,96,98,147Willman,David,116Wisse,Brian,20

womenmyostatinand,176proteinincrease,benefitsof,47resistancetrainingandfearsofgettingbigger,175–77testosteroneand,176thyroidhormoneandtraditionalexercise,275

Women’sHealthInitiative,xiiieffectofrestrictedcaloriesonweightloss,39–40fathypothesisand,103

Women’sHealthStudy,xiiiWooley,Susan,4WorldHealthOrganization,HDLcholesterollevelsand,112

yogurt,plainGreek,127Chocolate-CoveredBerryCream,236PeanutButterMousse,240asproteinsource,144rawnonstarchyvegetableswithdip,217servingsize,142assnack,withberries,163,218SuperYogurt,221whole-foodfatsand,154

yo-yodieting,40,44,47,90healthrisks,47UniversityofPennsylvaniastudy,47

Yudkin,John,127–28,208

zucchini,73nAlmondParmesanSquash,234SquashNoodles,234–35ZucchiniandCherryTomatoSalad,235

AbouttheAuthor

PhotobyBalaSivakumar

JONATHAN BAILOR is a nutrition and exercise researcher and a formerpersonal trainer who specializes in using high-quality food and exercise tosimplify health and fitness. He has registered more than twenty-five patents,inventedthemarqueefeatureinMicrosoftWord2010,startedthreecompanies,and authored the internationally acclaimed Smarter Science of Slim series ofbooks.BailorservesasaseniorprogrammanageratMicrosoft,hostsapopularsyndicated radio show, blogs for the Huffington Post, and consults fororganizations around the world. A summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappagraduate of DePauw University, Bailor lives outside Seattle with his wife,Angela.LearnmoreatTheBailorGroup.com.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favoriteHarperCollinsauthors.

PraiseforTheCalorieMyth

“TheCalorieMythisaprovenandpracticalguidetofightingthebigproblemofobesity. Simplifying a bunch of biology while making decades of academicobesityresearchaccessibletoeveryone,Bailorgivesacompleteandcaptivatingexplanationofthescienceoflosingweightpermanently.”

—Dr.TheodorosKelesidis,DivisionofEndocrinology,Diabetes,andMetabolism,HarvardMedicalSchool,UCLASchoolofMedicine

“Brilliant. The Calorie Myth is a masterful compilation of nutritional andexercise science disproving the archaic fat-loss theory of ‘eat less, exercisemore.’Bailorpersuasivelypackagesawealthofresearchalongwithhispersonaland professional experience into an easily understood and applied frameworkthat will change the way you live, look, and feel. For all those who feel leftbehindinthenutritionalbattlesandexercisegimmicksofthelasttenyears,looknofurther.Bailorwillendyourconfusiononceandforall.”

—Dr.WilliamDavis,NewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorofWheatBelly

“InTheCalorieMyth, Bailor demolishes the dietary and nutritional nonsensethathascontributedtotheepidemicsofobesityanddiabetesinourcountry.Initsplace he erects a simple program anyone can follow that is based on solidscienceandcommonsense.TheCalorieMyth is likely tobe the lastdietbookyouwilleverneedtobuy.Unlessyouenjoyfaileddiets,dotherightthing—thehealthything—andreadthisbook.”

—Dr.LarryDossey,NewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorofReinventingMedicine

“Whenitcomestothemostimportantpartofyourlife,yourhealth,Bailorhaswrittenabookthatisamust-readforknowingthetruthaboutevaporatingbodyfat.Iamafirmbelieverinachievingthebodyyouhavealwaysdreamedof,andBailoropenstheblackboxoffatlossandmakesitsimpleforyoutoexplorethefacts.Readthisbooktodayinordertoliveyourbestlife.”

—JoelHarper,Dr.OzShowfitnessexpert;celebritypersonaltraineratjoelharperfitness.com

“TheCalorieMythrevealssomeofthelatestandbestscientificresearchonthereal story of diet, exercise, and their effects on us. Bailor’s concept of high-

quality exercise is rapidly gaining support in themedical community and hasrepeatedly delivered clinical resultswhich seem almost too good to be true. Iheartilyrecommendthisbooktopeoplewhowanttotakeresponsibilityfortheirownhealth.”

—Dr.JohnJ.Ratey,ClinicalProfessorofPsychiatry,HarvardMedicalSchool;authorofSpark:TheRevolutionaryNewScienceofExerciseandtheBrain

“TheCalorieMyth sheds light on the surprising discrepancybetween thewayhealthynutritionhasbeenpresentedtothepublicandthesciencethatunderliesit. The idea that fat in the diet translates into fat on the body has dominatednutritionaldiscussions fordecades.Thisworkchallenges thiscentral idea,andofferscluesaboutwhydiabeteshasbeenontherise,andwhysomanypeoplewho are intent on losing weight have found it so difficult to do so. It is animportantwork.”

—Dr.AnthonyAccurso,JohnsHopkinsBayviewMedicalCenter

“Assomeonewhotakesfitnessandhealthseriouslyandhaswrittenextensivelyon this topicoversome thirtyyears, Iamgenerallyunderwhelmedwhenever Isee a new how-to book enter the marketplace. The Calorie Myth representssomethingdifferent.Strikinglydifferentinfact.JonathanBailorhasthatraregiftofbeingabletotakehighlytechnicalscientificdataandinterprettheminawaythattheaveragepersoncanunderstandinstantly.Butmostimportant,heisableto take that mountain of scientific data and divine the practical and simpledirection it ispointing to in termsofadvancinghumanhealthand fitness.Thebookyouareholdinginyourhandscanbesaidtorepresentthethinkingperson’sguidetoexerciseanddietinthetwenty-firstcentury.Nofads.Nogimmicks.”

—JohnLittle,authorofMaxContractionTraining;coauthorofBodybyScience

“Revolutionary. Thoroughly researched, rigorously simplified, and down-rightfun,Bailor’sworkstandsheadandshouldersabove themassoffat-lossmythsliningbookstoreshelves.Inhissurprisingandscientificallysoundexposéofthemodern fat-lossmythology,Bailor reveals the sourcesofour fat-loss strugglesand provides straightforward, practical solutions. Everyone, and I meaneveryone,willlearnandlaughalotwhilereadingTheCalorieMyth.”

—Dr.JanFridén,DistinguishedProfessor,UniversityofGothenburg,Sweden

“WOW! This book will blow your mind and is a must-read for anyone whowants to learn how to be healthy the twenty-first-centuryway. InTheCalorieMyth, Bailor exposes the dietary myths of why we as a nation are stilloverweight despite years of bestselling diet books. Calories, fat, exercise, and

hormones—itisall inthisbookandfinallysomeonegotitright.Thediabesityepidemicstopshere.”

—Dr.FredPescatore,bestsellingauthorofTheHamptonsDiet

“TheCalorieMythredefinesandupdatesthescienceofweightlossandbravelytakes on long-held beliefs about body change. This book provides agroundbreakingparadigmshiftforallofthosewhohavestruggledwithweightloss.Ihaveusedthisscienceinmyclinicforyears.Itgetsresultsandchangeslives.”

—JadeTeta,ND,CSCS;authorofTheNewMEDiet

“InTheCalorieMyth,Bailorentertainsasmuchasheeducates.Simplifyingandintegrating an amazing amount of important scientific and clinical research,Bailor presents a well-conceived, well-researched, and well-written book, inadditiontoaverysensible,practical,andsuccessfulapproachtolosingfat.Thisbookwillundoubtedlychange thewayyou thinkand look,whilekeepingyousmilingallalongtheway.”—Dr.WayneWestcott,DirectorofQuincyCollegeFitnessResearch;authorofGetStronger,FeelYounger

“The Calorie Myth is the go-to source for all that is practical, realistic, andeffectivewhenitcomestoweightloss.Bailorbrilliantlybringstogetherall theoutdatedmyths(eatless,exercisemore)anddispelsthemoneatatimeinafun,easy-to-understandway.Thisbookchangesthefutureofpermanentweightlossforever!”

—CynthiaPasquella,CHLC,CWC;boardcertifiedclinicalnutritionist

“This isnot justanotherdietbook.Bailorhasassembledawealthofscientificevidenceshowinghowour‘healthy’dietandexerciseobsessionaremakingusfatandsick.TheCalorieMythisascientificallybacked,paradigm-shifting,andentertainingexposéthatdisprovesourbasicideasofeatingandexercise.Ifyoubuyonehealthbookthisdecade,makeitTheCalorieMyth.”

—MarionG.Volk,MHSc;obesityresearcher

“TheCalorieMythisbothfunandinformative.Itchallengesthecentraldogmaofdietandweightcontrolandprovidesasensiblealternativetothecurrent‘lessfood,moreexercise’strategy.Bailorprovidesacompelling,simple,andpracticalsolutiontothechallengeofobesity.”

—Dr.SteveYeaman,DeputyDirectoroftheInstituteofCellularMedicine,NewcastleUniversity

“Jonathan Bailor does an excellent job of explaining why losing weight andachieving a healthy lifestyle are not all about counting calories. His simple

approach lends itselfwell to a broad range of readers, from those just gettingstartedintheireducationabouthowfoodsnourishus(ordon’t)tothosewhoarewellversed innutritionandhealthy living,andwhowill findhisbook tobeavaluablemust-haveadditiontotheirlibrary.”

—NellStephenson,authorofPaleoistaandcoauthorofThePaleoDietCookbook

Credits

WorkoutillustrationsdesignedbyAlexMcVeyCoverdesignbyAmandaKain

Copyright

Thisbookiswrittenasasourceofinformationonly.Theinformationcontainedinthisbookshouldbynomeansbeconsideredasubstitutefortheadviceofaqualifiedmedicalprofessional,whoshouldalwaysbeconsultedbeforebeginninganynewdiet,exercise,orotherhealthprogram.Alleffortshavebeenmadetoensuretheaccuracyoftheinformationcontainedinthisbookasofthedatepublished.Theauthorandthepublisherexpresslydisclaimresponsibilityforanyadverseeffectsarisingfromtheuseorapplicationoftheinformationcontainedherein.

THECALORIEMYTH.Copyright©2014byJonathanBailor.AllrightsreservedunderInternationalandPan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted thenonexclusive,nontransferablerighttoaccessandreadthetextofthise-bookon-screen.Nopartofthistextmay be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into anyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,inanyformorbyanymeans,whetherelectronicormechanical,nowknownorhereinafterinvented,withouttheexpresswrittenpermissionofHarperCollinse-books.

PreviouslypublishedinadifferentformasTheSmarterScienceofSlimbyAaviaPublishingin2012.

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDatahasbeenappliedfor.

EPubEditionJANUARY2014ISBN:9780062267351

Version01242014

ISBN:978-0-06-226733-7

1415161718OV/RRD10987654321

AboutthePublisher

AustraliaHarperCollinsPublishers(Australia)Pty.Ltd.

Level13,201ElizabethStreetSydney,NSW2000,Australiahttp://www.harpercollins.com.au

CanadaHarperCollinsCanada2BloorStreetEast-20thFloorToronto,ON,M4W,1A8,

Canadahttp://www.harpercollins.ca

NewZealandHarperCollinsPublishers(NewZealand)LimitedP.O.Box1

Auckland,NewZealandhttp://www.harpercollins.co.nz

UnitedKingdomHarperCollinsPublishersLtd.

77-85FulhamPalaceRoadLondon,W68JB,UKhttp://www.harpercollins.co.uk

UnitedStatesHarperCollinsPublishersInc.

10East53rdStreet

NewYork,NY10022http://www.harpercollins.com

Footnotes

*570caloriesperpersonperdaytimes365daysinayearequals208,050calories.Multiplythisby8yearsandweendupwith1,664,400excesscaloriesperpersonbetween2006and2014.Divide1,664,400bythe3,500caloriesinapoundoffatandweget476poundsoffatperperson.

*300caloriestimes365daysinayearequals109,500extracaloriesperpersonperyear.Multiplythatby29years we get 3,175,500 excess calories consumed per person between 1977 and 2006. 3,175,500 extracaloriesdividedby3,500caloriesinapoundoffatequals907poundsoffat.

*Afterhearingthisanalogyonemaythink,“Funcomparison,butwhilewecanstopsmoking,wecan’tstopeating.” This interpretation is a bit off. The scientists aren’t telling people to “stop breathing.” Theyidentifiedsomethingthatwewouldbebetteroffnotbreathing:cigarettesmoke.Thesamethinggoeswithfood.Scientistsaren’tsaying,“Stopeating.”Theyhaveidentifiedsomethingsthatwewouldbebetteroffnoteating:starchesandsweets.

*The average American gained about twenty pounds during a time period when Americans consumedenoughextracaloriestogainoverthirteenhundredpounds.

*Thebiologicalfactorsinvolvedinourset-pointincludeleptin,insulin,Mc4rreceptors,amylin,melanocytehormones,NPY,peptideYY,galanin,norepinephrine,ART,bombesin,GLP–1,serotonin,urocortin,CRF,agouti-relatedpeptide,ghrelin,mTOR,AMPK,TRHneuron, the thyroid,ARCPOMCneuron,Angpt14,gastricinhibitorypolypeptide,cholecystokinin,pancreaticpolypeptide,andmuchmore.Maybethisiswhywehaven’theardaboutit.

*Leptin,ghrelin,peptideYY,cholecystokinin,amylin,gastricinhibitorypolypeptide,andmore.

*Note:Wearegoing to cover a lot of rat ormouse studies.These studies areusefulbecause theyallowresearcherstodothingstheycouldneverdoonhumansandbecausetheyenableustoeliminatevariableslikeemotionsandsocialpressure.Whenweobserveanimalmodels,we’relookingatmammalianbiologyplainandsimple.

*Sixteenhundredcaloriesperdayisconsideredgenerousbytoday’s“eatless”advocates.

*FromtheCenters forDiseaseControlandPrevention:“BodyMassIndex(BMI) isanumbercalculatedfromaperson’sweightandheight.BMIprovidesareliableindicatorofbodyfatnessformostpeopleandisused to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems.” (Source:http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi.)

*Fiber: “Dietary fiber, alsoknownas roughageorbulk, includesallpartsofplant foods thatyourbodycannotdigestorabsorb.Unlikeotherfoodcomponentssuchasfats,proteinsorcarbohydrates—whichyourbodybreaksdownandabsorbs—fiberisn’tdigestedbyyourbody”(MayoClinic,“DietaryFiber:Essentialfor a Healthy Diet,” MayoClinic.com, www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033, accessed March 20,2011).Takingup space inourdigestive systemuntil it “keepsus regular,” fiberkeepsus full for a longtime.

*Glycemic index: A measure of foods’ Aggression. The higher a food’s glycemic index, the moreAggressiveitis.Glycemic load:Ameasure that is similar toglycemic indexbut alsoconsidersquantity.Theglycemic

loadmeasuresafood’sAggressioncombinedwiththecaloriesinaportionofit.

*ThefatinfoodiscompletelyunAggressive.Itdoesnotincreasetheamountofglucoseinthebloodstreamatall. Infact, fatslows thereleaseofglucose into thebloodstream.That iswhyfoodscontainingfatareoftenlessAggressivethanfat-freefoods.Thatsaid,foodsmadeupofnothingbutfat—oils,butter,creametc.—arenotparticularlySANEbecausetheyarenotespeciallySatisfying,Nutritious,orinEfficient.Theyarefineinmoderation,butdon’tgocrazywiththem.We’llcoverdietaryfatindetaillater.

*Nonstarchyvegetables:ThemostSANEvegetables.Thinkoftheseasthevegetablesyoucaneatrawandgenerally find in salads such as spinach, romaine lettuce, kale, any green leafy vegetable, broccoli,mushrooms, peppers, onions, zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus,etc.Basically anything other thancorn,potatoes,turnips,yams,parsnips,radishes,etc.Corn,potatoes,yams,andotherstarchyfoodsarenotSANE.

*When Iuse the term“evolution”please feel free to read“humanhistory” if thatbetter fitswithinyourlifestyle.Ifyouprefertoread“humanhistory,”pleasealsoread“99.8percent”as“95percent”ashumanhistoryisashorterperiodoftimethanevolutionaryhistory.

*FirsttherewasDietaryGoals(1976),thencametheDietaryGuidelines(1980),theFoodGuidePyramid(1992), MyPyramid (2005), and finally MyPlate (2011). Additionally, since the release of the originalDietaryGuidelines,thegovernmenthasrereleasedthesamebasicguidanceeveryfiveyears.

*Oneortwoservingsofsweetpotatoesperweekarefine.

*Note:Thisisnottoimplythatwell-formulatedlow-carb/high-fatdietsareunhealthy.Quitetheoppositeistrueaswewillseelater.Itispossibleandhealthytogolow-carbSANE,but“out-of-the-box”SANEeatingdoesnotqualifyaslow-carb.

*Thedocumentonwhichallthingsnutritionalinthegovernmentandrelatedorganizationsisbased.

*Note:When thinking about grams of protein keep inmind that—for example—a 200-gram serving ofsalmoncontainsabout40gramsofprotein.LikemostSANEfoods,salmonismostlywater.Weareaimingfor between 100 and 200 grams ofprotein, not 100 to 200 grams of foods containing protein;we’ll beenjoyingfarmoredeliciousfoodthanthat.

*Observational studies such as the China-Cornell-Oxford Project provide us only with correlation, notcausation.Forinstance,increasedusageofsunglassescorrelateswithsunnydays.Thatdoesnotprovethatwearingsunglassescausesthesuntocomeout.

*Dutchedordutch-processedcocoa/cacaohasbeentreatedwithchemicalsandhaslostmuchofitshealthbenefit.

*Caloriesprovidedby thevastmajorityofalcoholicbeveragesare inSANE.Thatdoesn’tmeanwemustavoid all alcoholic beverages. It means that given our goal of minimizing inSANE calories, the bestalcoholicbeveragesarethosewiththeleastcalories.Forexample,choosewineinsteadofbeer,chooseclearliquorversusbrownliquor,andcompletelyavoidsugar-saturatedmixers(forexample,fruitjuiceorsoda).

*Note: Both sets of exercises are basically the same. The gym options are performed onmachines thatenableus to addmuchmore resistance safely.Thesemachines are required for advanced individuals, astheywillotherwisenotbeable tosafelyuse theamountof resistanceneeded toactivateall theirmusclefibers.

*The universal principles: If you are hungry, slowly eat nonstarchy vegetables, nutrient-dense proteins,wholefoodfats,and low-fructosefruits, in thatorder, fromunadulteratedsources,untilyouare full,andstayhydrated,rested,andactivewhileenjoyingshortburstsofsafeandintenseexercise.