For Myles and the others with an interest in firness, lifting, or bodybuilding

[Steve Lefkowicz]

This article was written by my nephew. He's become a big time advocate for 100% plant based diets. I'm not into either lifting or bodybuilding (though I was a hockey player, bicycle racer, hang glider pilot and aerobics instructor in my younger days). Just curious what your thought s on this might be.

[david k]

I don't believe that any diet can be a substitute for the right mind set, specially when you hit an age or have a metabolism that pounds accumulate easily. It all starts with a decision but it can only be achieved with will power, no matter what the diet you have to understand it and your body, persevere and continue long after the weight loss to keep it off.

[gatorjl]

Completely agree David. Started with Myles 15 yrs ago and the man has helped me find commitment and change my life. No replacement in my opinion for resistance training wherein you discover your body's potential is so, so much higher than thought, that metabolism can be improved, and that the whole experience is the body's ultimate antidepressant w/o side effects.

[MylesBAstor]

I could write a book on the matter. Suffice it to say, people eat plant based diets for many reasons (instead of vegetarian). Some are against killing animals. Others don't like the taste of meat. Yet others want to reduce their carbon footprint. And other eat a plant based diet for health.

The health portion of eating a plant based diet for me is debatable. For instance, when you look at the lipid profiles for plant based diets, one find lots of small lipoprotein particles that fall into the easily oxidable type, adding to the low levels of inflammation in the body (rememember many feel that low level of inflammation is responsible for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimers, etc.). Also, I don't think anyone should do this sort of diet willy nilly since people eating this way can easily put themselves into a serious nutritional deficiency. Remember that plant proteins are not complete proteins.

As Ken said, the key to the fountain of youth, maintaining or losing weight, quality of life, etc. is exercise and lifting weights to maintain or build muscle mass (we are not talking bodybuilders here either). As one doctor once said, if I could put exercise in a pill I would be a billionaire. Forget the HPA axis, forget the thyroid, muscle is to the first approximation what determines the rate at which your body burns foodstuffs (just like burning a log in the fireplace). It's all thermodynamics. Remember as we age, especially when humans enter the sixth decade of life, sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) becomes an important problem Whether it be related to strength or metabolism. Even diabetic benefit from resistance training since the increased muscle help "sop" up glucose from the bloodstream and help maintain a stable blood glucose level.

But the key thing to remember, is that maintaining ideal weight is a combination of factors:

Resistance training
Some cardiovascular
Nutrition
Sleep

Sleep is the factor that people think about the least but is extremely important. One of the biggest discoveries is that adipose (fat) tissue is not just garbage but an integral part of our endocrine system. (in fact, muscle has recently been also assigned to the endocrine system as new studies have shown muscle to secrete many hormonal factors needed by the body.) When we sleep, our body secretes at least 12 different hormones from our adipose tissue that affect how the brain regulates our body. Many of those have been talked about like Leptin, Ghrelin, etc. So getting that 8 hours of sleep is imperative not only for metabolism but it is also the time where the body removes all the waste products accumulated in the brain cells when we are awake.

[JackD201]

I wish we had trainers like you here Myles. I guess the general market isn't ready to pay for the expertise. The only guys that get the real trainers are the pro athletes not even the top NCAA and UAAP schools can afford the two or three of them.

[Mockingbird]

I tried vegan, but lost muscle mass, and my blood chemistry got worse. I wonder how much genetics plays a part. Why do African Americans have a higher rate of heart disease, diabetes and related? It's not all about income, though higher incomes can give you access to better food and healthcare. I think their genetics are a timebomb when consuming a northern european diet. My ancestors ate a lot more grains/carbs than the ancestors of my black friends. Has the human genome project revealed any genes that would point to a clue?

You have to work VERY hard to get proper nutrition from plants. We have eyes in front of our heads for a reason. We evolved as hunters. The best way of feeding yourself, 2,000 years ago, was to kill an animal and eat it. Instant nutrition, any time of year. You can't always wait for the harvest to come in.

It took a while to find a workout partner. I started lifting and walking, in earnest, mid-January, and had dropped my cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure from high (or borderline high), to normal, in five weeks. One hour, every other day, split between cardio and lifting, as hard as you can go. Minimum 45 minutes. Maximum 90 minutes. Also dropped 17 pounds on the scale (bigger difference in body shape).

I did cut out a lot of refined carbs, which seems to do more damage than anything else. I ate many many many locally produced eggs from a coworker (cageless, free range). You wouldn't believe the difference in the size and color of the yolks, comparing store bought to "real" eggs. It's like MP3 versus LP. Anyway, with all that added cholesterol, probably 3~4 times what I was taking in, my cholesterol dropped. Getting off your ass and walking hard, until you are about to faint or hyperventilate, does the trick. My knee can't handle jogging, so I use a treadmill that can go up to a 15% incline. It's more like low impact hiking. I have a long way to go before I am at my ideal weight. Five years ago, I was at 325. I'm at 278 today. I'm 6'3".

I cannot burn fat without doing 30~45 minutes of cardio every other day.

Back to protein sources. I think if you make sure you are getting enough essential fatty acids, you don't need animal protein. But, the cost and flavor are crap. You can't be sure that the fatty acids aren't tainted somehow. I trust the local birds and the bugs they eat. Tastes good too.

My brain functions much better on a diet rich in lipids and proteins.

I have to avoid fructose. It causes gout in my family. Not beer, beef, etc.. but fructose.

If you are interested in sharing supplements and such, and why we take them, that would be more fascinating than audio (audio is easier to understand than genetics, fitness, aging, and so on).

[Steve Lefkowicz]

I'm hoping to start some weight /strength training this summer. Right now we use our gym membership strictly for cardio (alternating nightly between swimming and use of an elliptical trainer, keeping my heart rate just below the 85% mark for between 30 to 45 minutes). Had a major "cardiac event" in September, which was a hell of a wake up call to change both my eating and exercise habits. The doc said it would have been a major heart attack if I hadn't gotten medical attention as quickly as I did. I have lost about 20 pounds since then (my goal is to drop 30 more), and haven't felt this good in years.

My back issues (stage 2 spondylolisthesis, pars defects, and some other stuff, though surprisingly no disc issues) limit my ability to twist or lift, so I'm waiting to work up an exercise plan with someone who can give me some real advice about not screwing my back up even worse. Stepping wrong off a curb three years ago left me bedridden for over six weeks. A badly anchored sneeze a few years earlier and a similar outcome. Felt like I'd been shot in my lower back when that happened.

Regarding the diet, Haven't gone vegan or 100% plant based, but I have eliminated about 99% of my red meat intake, increased my oily fish intake (salmon mostly, though some other recommended fish too). and use mostly chicken or the occasional bit of pork. I hear goat is quite healthy, but it's hard to find in stores out here. Lots of veggies, nuts, other other plant based food of course, keeping fat level low, and seriously keeping track of cholesterol and sodium intake. Fortunately, my wife is a master in the kitchen, and constantly comes up with good tasting meals that keep all our numbers within limits.

[Mockingbird]

Spondylolisthesis? That's a painful sounding word.

Try these:
Alpha Lipoic Acid, plus N-Acetyl Cysteine, plus E, plus C
I started using that combination to protect my hearing. It wound up doing that, plus radically improving my arthritis, diverticulitis and year round allergies. After 18 months, I had dropped 15 pounds, no longer suffered from severe sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome or diverticulitis. The combination did such a good job at fighting inflammation, that I could breathe at night, improving my sleep, with better memory and energy, then weight loss.

The only other thing I found that actually helped my degenerative arthritis (L Knee, hips, lower back, knuckles) was Hyaluronic Acid. I buy it in bulk and make my own capsules.

For about 20 years, I had 2 or 3 upper respiratory infections per year, and I missed some work from hospitalization for the diverticulitis, plus back spasms and sciatica. If I stop the supplements, the problems come back. I used to get 2~3 shots of prednisone per year.

All of these should be taken with meals. Some will give you apocalyptic heartburn if you take them on an empty stomach. A couple pieces of bread will do.

[mkuller]

I've read that by age 70 you lose 30% of your muscle mass and strength if you don't work out.