Jennifer wrote back to me the next day. Again, I hope this information can help some of you who read this blog:
Hey
Fred,
I really appreciate you getting back to me. I must say that I was surprised and
thrilled that you were the one that actually emailed me back.
I
work for a lady who practices alternative nutritionally health through contact
reflex analysis. I’m not sure if you have heard of that. She sells Standard
Process whole food supplements of which I have been taking for about three
years now. I used to take about 7 different prescription medications and have
gotten off of all of them. Sandy, my boss, had the book Protein Power by the
Eads in the office and I read their book and that’s how I found out about you
and the Slow Burn technique. All of us in the office have read your book and
recommend the Slow Burn method to all of
Sandy
’s
clients. I knew that I should be following a low carb diet, but I was reluctant
to give up all of my grains until recently.
The
following is an example of my daily meals. Breakfast consists of a protein
shake (protein powder that I get from Sandy), made with almond milk, two to
three raw eggs, honey and a tablespoon of organic raw chocolate powder. I also
have three pieces of bacon. On the days that I work, which is only two days a
week, I usually take a salad with organic cheddar cheese, mushrooms, two boiled
eggs, ham, and topped with sunflower seeds. The days that I don’t work, I
usually have my protein shake later in the morning so I don’t always eat
“lunch.” Sometimes I will just have a protein bar (Standard Process). For
dinner, I have steak, chicken thighs, turkey kielbasa or some other type of
meat with a side, such as a baked sweet potato, broccoli sautéed in butter,
green beans, etc. I have given up rice, white potatoes, bread (even Ezekiel
bread), and pasta.
I
used to be a very active, athletic girl and have taken weight training classes
in college. I had to retrain myself on how to eat after years of dieting that
taught me to eat margarine and lowfat foods. I am now having to retrain myself
on how I approach exercise. I felt guilty last week for only working out two
days instead of the three that I usually work out. I know what you said in your
book about aerobic exercise, like the elliptical, but I am still struggling
with that one. I almost went and tried out for the Biggest Loser show a few
weeks ago, and I realized that I would never be able to conform to their
methods of eating and exercising. I found it interesting that you said that I should
do the elliptical machine after I do the Slow Burn on the weight machines
because I know that I would not be able to go 30 minutes. My legs are usually
shaking after I finish doing the Slow Burn. I will make sure that if I continue
to do the elliptical machine that I will do it last.
Once
again, I appreciate you answering my email. It was very encouraging. I decided
to take my measurements so that I may be able to track my progress in a better
way. I know that my body is changing. Even my boss told me that she can tell my
shape is changing, and I can actually see my triceps a little bit. I will keep
you updated on my progress, and who knows, I may be the first person to lose
200 lbs only exercising two days a week.
Jennifer
And my reply:
Morning Jennifer –
I’m more than
happy to personally help anyone interested in getting themselves back to, well,
themselves. My pleasure.
The fact that you
have finally gotten off the grains whole or processed is a HUGE benefit to your
fat loss goals. If you really stay off them, you’ll see much faster fat loss
results. But still, you must be patient. I am convinced that this is why you
only lost 7 pounds in 3 months. You could have lost more like 12-20 in that
same time on a very low carb diet. Still, 7 is not that bad! :) ‘Nothing to shake a stick at’ as they
say! And don’t forget (or I’ll get sore) that you are on a fat loss program not
a weight loss program. The scale records both fat loss AND muscle gains. Don’t
forget now!
As far as your
meals go, the only things that I saw that you might want to avoid (for now at
least) are the sweet potatoes. And check to see how many carbs there are in the almond
milk – it might be a lot. I’m just not sure. If so, use water and a couple of
table spoons of organic whole cream instead in your shake. It’ll still be tasty
and have zero carbs. You want ample fat in
your protein shakes and ZERO carbs.
Don’t feel guilty
about exercising less. Remember – exercise should stimulate a positive response
as in doing your strength workout. Your body needs time to respond to the
stimulus and provide you with more muscle fibers, bone, etc. Too much exercise
gets in the way of that process. Burning calories via exercise is a total and
complete myth. It is a bogus concept and does not work. You are better off
taking a nap or doing something better with that time like learning a foreign language
or a stress relieving exercise.
Funny about the
biggest loser – they have rejected me numerous times even though one of my
clients has serious influence over the casting. And why was I rejected? My take is they know that I will destroy
the other trainer’s results-wise with a low carb diet and 2X a week of 20 minutes of strength
training. The reason why so few people reach their goals on TBL is because what
Jillian Michaels and the other trainer are doing is FAR too much exercise and
incorrect eating. I feel SOOOOO sorry for those people whenever I hesitatingly
watch the show. Really sad. PLEASE do not go on that show.
You will indeed
lose the 200 pounds with only 1 hour of exercise per week. Please don’t forget –
fat loss is all about eating in a way that allows fat stores to be released and
not stored. The best way to do this is to keep the hormone insulin low. The best
way by far to do this is to eat a low carb diet. This oversimplifies it a bit, but it is essentially correct.
Exercise must be about
positive tissue adaptation. The very best way to achieve this is by weight
lifting (strength training) and allowing for adequate recovery.
Please keep me
posted Jennifer as to your progress and I’ll help you every step of the way.
To you,
Fred
There are tens of thousands of folks like Jennifer all over this fine country who are tortured by shows like The Biggest Loser and led astray by well-meaning but horribly misinformed registered dietitians and doctors. I and many other folks aim to change this.
Fat loss is not a numbers game (calories in vs. calories out). It is a hormonal game that is best won by low carb and strength training.
Let's cheer Jennifer on!