Brad Pilon.com

Just a quick ramble to start your week.

The following is a basic tenant of Taoism:

Things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that can be spoiled when that simplicity is changed.

This principle seems to hold true in today’s world, where we seem to live a daily struggle of trying to force the square peg into the round hole.

Whether it’s food, your workout, or the people in your life, it’s good to always keep this principle in the back of your mind.

Now, the most obvious NUTRITION application/interpretation of this principle is that “natural unprocessed foods are best”. But, if we take it a step further, we also see the application/interpretation that we should not FORCE nutrition, and that ‘original simplicity’ can also be the foods that you like eating.

After all, forcing yourself to eat unprocessed, organic, raw foods all the time doesn’t really fit into the concept of ‘original simplicity’, unless this is something that you really like to do.

The same goes for working out.

The most obvious WEIGHT TRAINING application/interpretation of this principle is that “The basic lifts are the best”. But, if we take it a step further, we also see the application/interpretation that we should not force exercise.

So The point of this ramble is this, when you see/here/read principles such as this, it is important to remember that in order to make it truly work, you need to start from the inside and work out from there.

So start with your own original simplicity, what works for you, what is best for you when you are in your ‘natural state’ (not trying to be someone you are not)..then work from there.

A little ‘out there’, but hey, it’s the Monday after the Superbowl.

BP

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This morning was one of those ‘blank mornings’.

You know that feeling when you stare at the computer screen with so much on your mind that you don’t know where to start?

That’s where I was.

I wanted introduce my new project ‘phi-life.com’ but, the words just weren’t reaching my finger tips.

So I decided to take a break and answer a couple emails.

One thing led to another, and now I have a short story to share that’s a great introduction to phi-life.

Please see the emails below:

EMAIL FROM BART*****

Question for you.

In one of your blog posts you talked about the myth of starvation mode.  Yesterday I just read a different blog claiming starvation mode is a serious threat to weight loss.  Is this guy and his starvation modes stories another scam?

Am I correct in saying that the starvation mode only happens when you don’t eat for prolonged periods of time but not if you don’t eat for 4-5 hours?

thx

MY RESPONSE*********

‘Starvation mode’ DOES occur. But it only happens after the PROLONGED absence of food. At this point essentially used up your body fat stores and have no choice but to start consuming essential structures like your internal organs to just to stay alive.

BART’S RESPONSE*****

thanx,

I just cannot understand why well educated pros keep telling us that stuff!!! so stupid!!!

I am so happy that I found out about your site.

MY RESPONSE********

Well, Mostly these pros are decent people that are actually trying to help, unfortunately most of them really aren’t educated to the point where they can properly analyze scientific research. They might be experienced with helping people lose weight, but they’re usually not as educated as you might expect.

When you have the time you might find this podcast interesting ==>

http://www.phi-life.com/diet-and-fitness-fads-mixing-up-the-what-how-and-why/

END ********************

If you get the chance check out www.Phi-Life.com, a new weekly podcast where John Barban and I discuss a lot of the logic and fallacies behind health and nutrition.

This isn’t a scientific discussion as much as it is an exploration into all things ‘Health’ with the running theme of “Fitting it all together” while allowing John and I to have some fun with it all (We can’t be all science, all serious, all the time).

The audio on this first podcast is a bit temperamental, but I promise next weeks podcast will be nice and clear.

BP

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I’ve been trying to put into words what I learned at this past Septembers SENS conference (Big Anti-Aging conference) for months.

It has been unbelievably difficult to capture everything in one blog post.

Thankfully, I just read a blog post by John Barban that did this perfectly (John was at the conference with me)

This is definitely worth a read, it’s one that will make you think.

http://johnbarban.com/diet-and-exercise-as-simple-as-possible-but-not-simpler/

BP

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Because you asked….

Basically I eat well, in a way that fits into my schedule and allows me to eat foods I enjoy.

Here is a sample of a typical non-fasting week day:

I don’t usually eat right when I get up in the morning (around 7 AM), instead I normally wait until around 8:30 AM and eat with my son and daughter (my wife eats early).

For breakfast I typically have a little bit of what they are eating, so it’s usually some variation of some applesauce, a piece of toast, a glass of milk, and half a banana, other days it oatmeal with bananas and blueberries.

Typically I leave the house around 9, run some errands and get into the office by about 10.

From 10 until maybe 12 I’m typically answering emails..I’ll usually have a water or maybe a Pellegrino during this time.

At around noon I’ll have a handful of nuts, maybe an apple or an orange, whatever is in the fridge at the office…

Around 2 its time to get out of the office..I’ll grab a book and hit a restaurant or a Starbucks. If Starbucks I’ll get a Grande Americano and an Espresso Brownie.  Guaranteed. Every time.

If I feel like more of a meal than a snack I’ll go to a restaurant. it’s cold in Canada right now so I’d go for a soup and sandwich combo, usually opting for a half-sandwich. During the summer it would probably be a salad and sandwich combo.

I’ll leave the office around 5, get home and start making dinner for the Family. This can be anything… Spaghetti and meatballs, Chicken and sweat potato, Steak and veggies, Omelets, home-made pizza. Basically what ever the kids are eating that week, that’s what we’re serving. After dinner I may snack on a handful or two of the kids snacks…Teddy Grahams,  Gold Fish, your basic parent thievery. We have some really ripe pears in the house right now, so I’d probably have one of those too.

Kids are in Bed by 8 pm, so I’ll probably have some toast with peanut butter and honey and a glass of almond milk (can’t get enough of that stuff)

Then depending on my day, I’m either done eating, or if I’m training (I workout late at night), I may have a snack after my workout… whatever is in the house… some yogurt, some applesauce, more fruit, whatever. Or If I’m not working out I may have a Guinness or a Scotch.

When I get a craving for chocolate it’s the occasional Cadbury’s Dairy Milk..this will happen typically mid day, if it happens later in the day, I’m a fan of the Lindt Dark Chocolate, especially the stuff with the Chili in it.

We don’t really eat out often (two kids under 3 years of age) but when we do we typically go for higher end restaurants as opposed to fast food…

On weekends my days aren’t quite as structured. There may be a couple cups of Tea on the weekends in place of the coffee, and I might graze a bit more then I do on weekdays. We also do some baking on the weekends (keeps the kids entertained) so I might have muffins or cookies, depending on what was made.

That’s basically it, no magic…just some basic eating. I don’t do the classic fast-food places like McD’s or BurgerK’s, In fact, I don’t do much fast food at all. However, I have been known to opt for a Subway sub in place of Dinner when I don’t feel like cooking, or I’m running late and the kids have already eaten.

So basically I fast once or twice a week, then do my best to eat responsibley, not overeating, yet still enjoying my food and eating in a way that fits my lifestyle.

I don’t argue with people about their food belief systems. You can be Paleo, a Vegetarian, or follow the Zone..I don’t care as long as this style of eating makes you happy. If you are lean and enjoying the style you have chosen you are doing great. I’ve always found the Internet infatuation with what OTHER people eat to be a bit odd. (On-line people are more likely to tell you the billion reasons why YOU shouldn’t drink milk, then to simply tell you that THEY  have chosen not to drink milk).

So I’ve posted what I eat, but I don’t expect you, nor will I try to convince you to eat like me….

BP

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I’m about to make the leap from nutrition-help to self-help.

Only, it’s not actually a leap…it’s barely a hop.

Let’ start with a generalization:

I’m guessing that you would like to have a bit less body fat, a bit more money and a lot more time.

Maybe you want to have a LOT less body fat, a LOT more money and a LOT more time.

The key is- there’s a RELATIONSHIP between these three things.

And it’s a big one.

Here’s a personal fact that plays into this story ==> I spend as much money on snacks, lunches and coffee’s away from my home as I do on gas for my car every month.

And I won’t be vague….I spent $311.22 in November on ’snacks, lunches and coffees’ eaten or drank away from my home.

Doesn’t seem like that big a deal until you consider the fact that I fast twice a week, don’t take any supplements and typically try to eat responsibly (IE eat a little less).

I think that most of us spend much more money on foods and drinks then we think we do.

I don’t have research to prove this, but let’s assume its true.

So here’s the irony…we want to be leaner and the cause of our extra body fat is how much we eat; and how much we eat directly takes away from how much disposable money we have and how much free time we have.

Here is an ironclad fact – If you are overweight, you’ve spent more money on food than you needed to.

Now I’m not saying I wish that the 300 dollars I spend on coffee etc was actually zero dollars.

After all,  I REALLY enjoy my coffee, and I REALLY prefer my coffees out. I like the atmosphere and the break provided by the 3 or 4 different coffee houses I visit each week.

The point isn’t self denial, the point is that responsible eating can also allow you be fiscally responsible (ie more money in your pocket).

Between groceries I didn’t really need and a couple extra coffees or lunches I didn’t really need, I figure that monthly I have about 200 dollars that could be spared.

This is 200 dollars worth of food not contributing to my waistline, and its 200 dollars that could be divided up evenly…100 bucks extra against my morgage, 100 bucks extra dong something fun with my family.

And it’s not just money, it’s your time.

I spend about a half hour in the morning and a half hour before bed doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Granted I’m doing dishes for four, but we’re not exactly a 6 meals a day family, and Heather and I both fast….I can only imagine what kind of time people who have 4 kids and who are overweight must spend in the kitchen.

Dishes…what a collosal waste of time, but…they need to get done.

So here’s the point to this ramble: Food is a very important part of your life…and there’s more than the reason of ‘weight loss’ to really be responsible with how you eat and what you spend your money on.

The facts are, you probably need your car, and the gas you buy to get to and from work. You need gas, electricity etc for your house. You HAVE to pay taxes and your mortgage…so food is one of the few expenses that you can control.

Learn to eat a little less and you:

A) lose weight

B) save money

C) gain time.

Perfect.

So here are 6 tips that have worked for me:

Lunch meetings – Order coffee or tea instead of lunch. For some reason if you order a water or diet soda people look at your funny like you are doing something wrong, but coffee or tea is OK. I don’t know why this is, but I know it works.

Groceries – Once a month take one week and don’t buy anything. Try your best to work your way through what is in your fridge and pantry. Get creative.

Out of home expenses – Set up simple rules that fit into your life that limit times you can eat out of your home. I try my best to never eat in my car. This works for me.

Dishes - Look, if you are trying to lose weight it means at some point you’ve eaten more than you wanted to. so to add some balance AND save time in the kitchen this try this technique…towards the end of the day, clean your kitchen, once it’s clean the kitchen is now ‘closed’. You are not going to go hungry, your kitchen stays clean, you eat less, you don’t spend time doing dishes again… (Obviously if you have young children this only half works)

Dining out – In this day and age there is simply no shame in sharing a meal. Besides, most restaurant meals have at LEAST double the calories you need anyways. Split a personal Pizza AND a dessert. You get way more flavour and probably less calories than if you ordered your own Entre.

Finally – Fast. Once or twice a week.

BP

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Just received a message alert from AM 640 Radio (local Toronto station) that read:

“Mark McGwire admits using steroids when he broke baseball’s home run record in 1998. Sent 3:13pm

Makes for an interesting prelude to the Olympic games.

BP

False Advertising or just perpetuating a myth?

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“Always start beginners with body weight exercises”

Sounds good in theory…However something just dawned on me…

More precisely, something nearly crushed me.

I was just in my basement doing a workout consisting mostly of weighted pushups.

I had about 100 pounds of chain wrapped around me and I was struggling to get ten good solid reps.

Then it dawned on me – I weight 175 pounds, with the chain I weigh 275 pounds.

So this crushing feeling I have of BARELY making it to ten reps on my third set..this would be what simple BODY WEIGHT push-ups would feel like to a man or women who weighs 275 pounds.

SO WHY WOULD YOU EVER START AN OBESE PERSON ON BODY WEIGHT EXERCISES?

Just doesn’t make sense to me.

A good guideline but NOT a rule

I’m OK with average weight or slightly heavy people starting with body weight work, but use some common sense.

If you are more than 50 or so pounds over your ideal weight and just starting into wieght training…maybe start with dumbbells.

BP

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I thought you might enjoy the conversation I had over the holidays. Great questions from Andrew who really helped me spell out my theories on muscle building.

BP

………

Hey Brad, I’m a big lover of Eat Stop Eat, and a massive proponent of many of your thoughts and theories, so don’t take any of this as confrontational or second guessing in nature, I just wondered which variables you would manipulate in order to gain LBM most effectively whilst following the ESE lifestyle?

Correct me if I’m wrong but I’m sure I’ve seen you comment that you don’t believe eating much above your BMR is necessary, neither is excessive protein intake or mega dosing your peri-workout nutrition. So I guess my real question is, if you HAD TO gain say 5-10lbs of skeletal muscle as quickly as possible, naturally, and assuming you’re already training using a program with built in progressive overload, which nutritional variables would you tweak? Would love to know exactly how you would go about it. Thanks for reading, and have a great New Year!

Great Question! If I had to gain 5-10 pounds of Skeletal muscle as quickly as possible, I’d be screwed. I’m 32 and have been training for over 15 years. Without drugs, I’m not putting on another ten pounds of skeletal muscle. Another ten pounds would put me well above the normal range for my height. Now, I can put on 10 pounds of lean mass…I could do that in an hour or two…add ten pounds to my bench/squat/deadlift/clean…I could do that too..maybe over the course of a year, but ten pounds of actual muscle, not happening.

B

OK, apologies. Allow me to rephrase the question if you will. What if you were 21, 180 lbs @ 5′9” and had all the time in the world to eat, sleep and train? How would you then optimally add actual muscle, whilst adhering (possibly the wrong word, I don’t even see ESE as something you need to adhere to, it’s so easy!) to Eat Stop Eat?

Ah…Ok that’s way more fun.

I’d do stuff you can do for high volume, that is taxing on the big muscles and that doesn’t break you down. I would workout in the gym 2-3 times a week working the muscles but not blowing myself apart. But that wouldn’t be the big stuff, the big stuff would be 2 times a week outside with a couple of buddies doing a combination of sled dragging and farmers walks. Each session would be two to three hours long. The goal wouldn’t be to burn out, or to be a sweaty mess, but just to do lots of work.

At 21 I wouldn’t rule out ‘eating big’ since their is probably still some juvenile muscle growth going on…but I would still ‘temper’ it with Eat Stop Eat.

I’m still not convinced that a 5?9? frame can add 10 more pounds of straight muscle (depending on how long you’ve been training for), but based on my experience this would be how I’d try to get there.

Thanks for the response. Great advice, much appreciated!

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Why do I eat so much?

It’s a question we’ve probably all asked ourselves at one point or another.

After all, eating too much is what is keeping most of us from having the bodies we want.

Sure there are a lot of different answers, ones that make it sound like it’s not our fault (hormones like ghrelin and adiponectin), some that make it sound like its ALL our fault (complete lack of will power), and a bunch that are somewhere in between.

So here’s a list of 5 little known reasons why you may be eating more than you want to…some are blunt, but it may help if we finally open up and consider these as possibilities.

1 . You are thirsty - Lots of us mistake thirst for hunger.

• Quick fix - Drink some water first…can’t hurt.

2. You are covering for something – OK…honesty time…most of us eat because we need the stimulation. Think of it this way – If a person is skydiving for the VERY FIRST time, and finally makes the decision to step out of the plane the thing going through their head is not “Gee, I could really go for a muffin right now”. If you find you are constantly eating, it may be time to look at your life? Are you bored at work? In your relationship? with your friends? More stimulation may mean less food.

• Quick fix – When eating at work ask yourself “am I hungry, or bored?”, if bored is the consistent answer, instead of eating, pass the time by fixing your resume and looking for a new job.

3. You are trying too hard to be healthy - Let’s face it, if we ate ALL the foods that we’re supposed, we’d be overeating. Take your standard low calorie diet, but then add in some almond butter, some goji juice, coconut oil, maybe a organic-fair trade-wheat grass shake, and you can see how the numbers start to sneak back up on you.

• Quick fix – Ignore any lists of ’super foods’. If you do want to try a new food, replace an old one, don’t just add it in..

4. You are being mindless - Ever sit down in front of the TV with a plate full of food, then reach for the food only to find you plate empty? It might be tempting to blame the cat, but chances are you ate the food and didn’t even realize it.

• Quick fix - Don’t eat in front of the TV or Computer.

5. Your paying too much attention to your pre, -during, -and post workout nutrition – Look, I know the theories and ’science’ behind the magic that eating during your workout, our before your workout or right after your workout can cause, but if your goal is weight loss…these meals could be keeping your from reaching your goal.

• Quick fix - cut back on your ‘around workout’ meals and see what happens.

BP

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