Though I had given up on instant oatmeal years ago, something about the Quaker Real Medleys Cherry Pistachio Oatmeal said “try me, you know you want to!”

I think it was something about the flavor. I’d never have thought of melding cherry and pistachio together. Heck, I never even considered adding pistachios to oatmeal in the first place!

And let’s not forget the subconscious thought that comes from seeing food that can be stored, cooked, and eaten from the same container, making it that much more convenient than the standard packets!

I opened it up and wow! It smells incredible! It looks great, too, since it’s packed with whole cherries and pistachio chunks! The hearty looking rolled oats and almond slices finish off the “I may cook fast, but I’m a real bowl of oatmeal” vibe.

The only strike against it is that the cup is barely half full, but since you don’t want it to boil over when cooking, and not everyone likes a 1,000 calorie bowl of oatmeal, I’ll let it slide.

It’s so easy to make. You just add water, stir, microwave for 45 seconds, let it cool, stir again, and eat!

It’s very important you do let it sit for 1-3 minutes after microwaving. But not just for safety purposes. The oatmeal comes out looking watery still, but it thickens up nicely after sitting.

Once it’s ready to eat, it just gets better! The smell, taste, and texture are all amazing! Cherry and pistachio definitely make a great blend of flavors. Same with all the differing textures – they end up very complementary. You’ve got your thick and chewy oats, crunchy nuts in different shapes, and then the different type of chewiness from the cherries. Wow!

What shocked me the most was how filling it was, given the small size. How did they pull that off? Let’s check the ingredients…

INGREDIENTS: WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, DRIED SWEETENED CHERRIES (CHERRIES, SUGAR), MULTI GRAIN BLEND (WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, ROLLED BARLEY, WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED RYE), BROWN SUGAR, PISTACHIOS, ALMONDS, NONFAT DRY MILK, WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED WHEAT, NATURAL FLAVOR, SALT.

And breaking down the macronutrient figures:

Calories 290
Total Fat 8g
Sodium 130mg
Carbs 49g
Fiber 5g
Sugars 19g
Protein 9g

So I’d say the added fat and protein from the nuts is what makes it so filling.

I’m less thrilled to say, the sugar content is a bit high. The dried cherries are sweetened with sugar, and the oatmeal has brown sugar as one ingredient. I’d probably enjoy it more with a little less sugar. Go ahead and keep the brown sugar, but do the cherries really need sweetened? Dried cherries are so sweet to begin with!

For whatever reason, this oatmeal makes me think of the McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal, which happens to have a similar profile. It sports 290 calories, 4g fat, 58g carbs, 5g fiber, 32g sugar, and 5g protein. (The differences in fat and carbs can be attributed to the high fruit content in the McDonald’s oatmeal vs the high nut content in the Quaker product.)

Note: The Read Medleys line also includes Peach Almond, Apple Walnut, and Summer Berry flavors, if you want something more traditional.

Last but not least, you can enjoy a very easy clean up thanks to the self-contained bowl! Just toss in the trash or recycling bin if possible.

At an Amazon.com price of just over $2 each (as part of a 12-pack,) this oatmeal seems like an expensive homemade breakfast. But it’s probably one of the healthiest instant oatmeals you can buy!

My final verdict is…

This was really, really good! But it was a little too sweet for my tastes, and too expensive to eat everyday, so I’ll stick with making my own oatmeal (which I’ll now be making in a cherry pistachio flavor!)

Official website: www.QuakerOats.com

Buy online: www.Amazon.com

It’s time for a Greek yogurt showdown! Today is a three-way match pitting Dannon Oikos vs Chobani vs Fage, with Great Value and Trader Joe’s brands available for alternates in case of injury.

I’ll introduce the challengers and get into a comparison, but before we begin, what’s so special about Greek yogurt in the first place?

Why Greek Yogurt?

There’s a problem with yogurt. The vast majority of them are either full of sugar or artificial sweeteners (or both.) Not only is that a waste of calories, it’s a health hazard. That junk feeds the bad bacteria in your gut, while also killing off the good bacteria… which completely defeats the purpose of eating yogurt for the probiotic benefits!

Even plain yogurt is a bit high in sugar for all the more protein it contains. (And be careful because “vanilla” is one of the flavors with added sugar!)

Greek yogurt, on the other hand, is ridiculously high in protein. A cup of Greek yogurt has about the same protein content as a full scoop of whey protein powder! It’s filling, too.

Sure, the flavored Greek yogurts are still loaded with sugar, almost defeating the purpose of Greek yogurt. So I’m only including the plain yogurt today.

Without further ado, let’s meet the challengers…

Challenger #1: Dannon Oikos

Dannon Oikos is an easy-to-find, moderately priced Greek yogurt. It is priced higher than Wal-Mart’s Great Value brand, but a little less than Fage and Chobani.

For this battle, I got two 32oz tubs – the “Traditional Greek Yogurt” made with whole milk and the “Fat Free Greek Yogurt” made with nonfat milk (as seen below.)

Ingredients for full fat:
Cultured Grade A Milk.

Ingredients for 0% fat:
Cultured Grade A Non Fat Milk.

Both varieties have a mild flavor which makes them very versatile, and the smooth creaminess of the whole milk version can’t be found elsewhere.

Challenger #2: Chobani

Chobani is probably the most popular authentic brand of Greek yogurt. They have a rich history, good looking containers, and a high price – just under $6 for the 32oz tub.

Ingredients:
Cultured Pasteurized Nonfat Milk, Live And Active Cultures: S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus And L. Casei.

It definitely has a strong, tart taste. I’d even call it sour. I couldn’t eat it plain – it was actually too potent for me! So there’s no confusing this with the other brands!

Challenger #3: Fage

The most expensive choice at over $7 per 35.3oz tub, Fage offers both a rich Greek heritage and a great taste.

Ingredients: Grade A Pasteurized Skimmed Milk, Live Active Yogurt Cultures (L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei).

Quite simply, Fage tastes awesome! It has a great, rich flavor with almost no tartness. And you wanna talk about Greek yogurt being thick? This is THICK! It’s like scooping out ice cream!

Alternate #1: Great Value

At about $3.98 per container, Wal-Mart’s private label brand is the best value in Greek yogurt.

Ingredients: N/A

It tastes pretty good; it’s not tart and it’s definitely not sour. Actually, it tastes like plain yogurt, just thicker. This makes it a great way to transition into eating Greek yogurt.

Alternate #2: Trader Joe’s

At $4.99 for the 32oz container, Trader Joe’s brand is slightly cheaper than name brands, while still providing a great product.

Ingredients: Grade A Pasteurized Nonfat Milk, Live And Active Cultures: S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei. Cultured After Pasteurization.

It’s a very good yogurt that seems extra smooth, but still thick, not runny. It practically melts in your mouth! (So it’s like experiencing the whole milk Oikos without the fat.)

There’s certainly a hint of that trademark Greek yogurt tartness, but just enough to tell you what it is. It’s pleasantly “tart” without being sour.

Nutrition Facts Table

Here’s a direct comparison of the macronutrient breakdowns between each brand:

Though most of these are very similar, there are a few key points to talk about.

There is only one option with fat – Dannon Oikos Traditional.  Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of a few grams of protein. It is also significantly higher in calories than the rest.

If you want less sugar, Trader Joe’s is the choice for you. It has lower sugar and carbs, while still remaining high in protein.

Otherwise, all of them are essentially the same when it comes to calories, fat, carbs, and protein.

Taste and Texture Comparison

Now here is where the choice is really made!

Dannon Oikos Nonfat

This tastes quite a bit like plain yogurt, with very little tartness. It’s a little thicker than normal yogurt, but not thick at all in terms of Greek yogurt.

It’s equivalent to or even less potent than Great Value, so it tastes nothing like Chobani, and it’s certainly not as thick as Fage. I consider this the best option if you’ve never had Greek yogurt before and want to start.

Eaten plain: OK.
Mixed with ground flax seed: Excellent.
Mixed with flax and berries: Good.
In a peanut butter banana smoothie: Excellent.

Dannon Oikos Traditional

This is the thick and very, very creamy yogurt with a little bit more potent, yet still tame, flavor.

Eaten plain: Potent, but enjoyable, since it’s so creamy.
Mixed with ground flax seed: Good.
Mixed with flax and berries: Excellent.
In a peanut butter banana smoothie: Very good.

Chobani

Some people might prefer this, but I found it so sour that it was a chore to eat! Fortunately you can overpower it with some fresh fruit (especially when mixed in a fruit smoothie,) but with just the flax seed, that didn’t mask the overly tart yogurt flavor. The tartness also proved problematic when mixed in a peanut butter banana smoothie.

Eaten plain: Almost unbearable.
Mixed with ground flax seed: Not good.
Mixed with flax and berries: Pretty tasty.
In an orange banana smoothie: Very complementary. Delicious.

Fage

Fage has quickly become my #1 choice in Greek yogurt! Oikos is a distant second place, Great Value is a distant third, and Chobani is last.

It’s thick (like scooping out ice cream) and it tastes awesome!

Eaten plain: Good.
Mixed with ground flax seed: Very good.
Mixed with flax and berries: Incredibly good!
In a peanut butter banana smoothie: Pretty good.

Trader Joe’s

This is another very good choice. It’s extra smooth, but still thick, not runny. It melts in your mouth!

It tastes great, so I like it plain or mixed with stuff. There’s certainly a taste of that Greek yogurt tartness, but just enough to tell you what it is. It’s “tart” but not sour. It’s most similar to the Dannon Oikos.

Eaten plain: Good, but a bit tart.
Mixed with ground flax seed: Not very good (it’s too smooth, making the flax seem grainy.)
Mixed with flax and berries: A very good, complementary flavor, love the smooth texture.
In a banana smoothie: Good, but mostly unnoticeable (since it won’t thicken it up much.)

Great Value

The taste is pretty good, but plain, with an average texture. The good news is, it’s not tart at all (and definitely not sour.) It tastes like yogurt, just thicker.

Eaten plain: Alright.
Mixed with ground flax seed: Pretty good.
Mixed with flax and berries: Good.
In a peanut butter banana smoothie: Very good.

My Final Verdict

If I’m getting Greek yogurt to put in smoothies, it doesn’t matter much if it’s Great Value, Trader Joe’s, or Dannon Oikos. They are all pretty good without being overpowering. Get whatever is most convenient for you.

When I’m getting yogurt to eat in a bowl with toppings, it’s gotta be Fage! It’s just sooo much better than anything else.

Chobani… it’s expensive and I don’t like it. Enough said.

Find out more at FageUSA.com, OikosYogurt.com, Chobani.com, and TraderJoes.com.

Now this is cool! The MyoTape Body Tape Measure is a specialty tape measure that’s made for taking girth measurements consistently and accurately, in the comfort of your own home.

The one-handed operation means you can take the measurements on your own! No longer will you suffer the embarrassment of having your bodybuilder friend measure your 11″ biceps and laugh in your face! (There’s no way you measured your own bicep accurately with a regular cloth tape measure.)

How much do you have to pay for this ingenious device? It’s only $6 (sometimes less) if you’re ordering from Amazon.com!

How does it work?

It’s simple. You just pull the tape out, wrap it around your body, and hook the plastic end into the slot on the opposite side. Making sure the tape isn’t twisted, kinked, or uneven, you push the button, and the tape tightens up. Then you read the measurement and you’re done!

(If the tape isn’t even and held level, the pin may pop out of the handle during tightening. It’s like a warning that says, “hey buddy, fix your technique and try again if you want the correct measurement.”)

Since it does most of the work, it always provides the same level of tightness. So you can’t leave it loose or pull it tight to influence your measurements.

The tape locks in place as well, so you don’t have to worry about it winding itself back up if you let it slip.

My #1 tip is to make sure you record the number from where the tape meets the outer edge of the handle. Be consistent with that and your measurements will be consistent, too.

There are two huge reasons to use this:

First, you can take your own measurements. Not only does that save you embarrassment, it saves time – no need to schedule an appointment with a friend or wait around for someone to help.

While it doesn’t seem like a big ordeal to get these measurements, you might not want someone else touching you, and some people surely don’t enjoy having to touch you!

Second, the measurements will be taken consistently. That’s something that can’t be said for a regular measuring tape. Even if you have the same person using the tape, they might vary the pressure ever so slightly each time, so the accuracy of the measurements could be questionable.

From my personal experience, there can be huge discrepancies between regular measuring tapes and the MyoTape. I’m talking two inch variations in chest measurement! That’s insane. I don’t even know how the slight pressure differences result in that big of a measurement difference, but it happens.

That’s what really sold me on the MyoTape, even if you have someone else taking your measurements. You can take your own measurements, have a friend take measurements, and have your spouse take measurements, and they’ll all be the same if you use this device. That will NOT happen if they do it “freehand.”

The tape measures up to 60″ – that should cover most cyclists’ quads, calves, biceps, forearms, neck, shoulders, chest, hips, and waist. (Olympic track cyclist Chris Hoy reportedly has 27″ quads, and I don’t imagine you’re going to beat that!)

You could also use the tape to get an accurate measurement of your skull, for determining your proper helmet size!

There’s nothing I can complain about.

I’ve had mine for years, and it still works fine.

Sure, it takes a delicate touch to be able to measure your own chest and shoulders, but it’s not difficult.

[Note: For those of you who own the Precision Nutrition course, this is the tape measure that's recommended in the "Measurement Guide" section.]

Want one?

You can get the tape for about $5 at Amazon.com, or do what I did and get the whole kit (which also includes skinfold calipers) for under $10.

My final verdict is…

It works great and it’s cheap. Get one!

Official website: www.AccuFitness.com

Buy online: www.Amazon.com

(Or spend a few more dollars for the kit.)

Have you ever had the inclination to try baby food, but couldn’t be seen eating baby food? Well check this out – it’s virtually the same ingredients, in the same container, but with a mature, sophisticated label design.

I’m talking about Health Valley “On the Go” Fruit Yogurt Smoothies. You can get them in a box of four and no one will know you’re buying mashed fruit in baby food containers! I found them on sale for $2.50 per box, but I guess the typical retail price at Wal-Mart is still only $2.98 per box.

These ready-to-drink smoothies are a blend of real fruit and yogurt with no added sugar, and you don’t have to refrigerate them (until after opening… but that would be like refrigerating an energy gel packet after opening.)

Speaking of which, could these be a more natural alternative to an energy gel? Let’s see…

Health and Nutrition Inspection

Starting with the ingredients list…

Ingredients: Pears, mangoes, water, yogurt (milk, nonfat dry milk, yogurt cultures), calcium citrate malate, citric acid, ascorbic acid (vitamin c), vitamin d.

Seems like a healthy list – it really is fruit and yogurt. Obviously both those ingredients are naturally full of sugar, but there’s no added sugar (or worse, corn syrup.)

It also looks like these have the upper hand over comparable bottled smoothies, like Yoplait or even Stonyfield Farms Organic Super Smoothies, which contain added sugar (yep, “organic sugar” is Stonyfield’s #2 ingredient.)

Nutrition Facts

Calories 90
Total Fat 0.5g
Total Carb. 20g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 15g
Protein 1g

Running the numbers, these Health Valley smoothies contain nearly as many grams of sugar per ounce as the Stonyfield ones, but here, the sugar is from the fruit. Stonyfield’s smoothies are based on yogurt and added sugar, with fruit coming in third place.

That makes these Health Valley Fruit Yogurt Smoothies a good sugary snack that could probably function as an energy gel substitute! There’s dairy in them, but they’re mostly just fruit puree, so you’d get a good shot of fructose.

Taste Testing The Smoothies

I purchased all three flavors, and they all taste like real fruit!

Strawberry Banana: This one is “pretty good.” It tastes like real fruit; we’re not talking fresh cut fruit, but real fruit nonetheless. You can taste strawberries and bananas separately, like fruit on the bottom yogurt. Sometimes the bananas tasted like they were a little too ripe, but not bad. The strawberry half was just right.

Pear Mango: OH MY GOSH! Now this is amazing! Again, it tastes like real fruit, but this time the pear and mango flavors are perfect! Perfect ripeness, completely natural and real, and they taste like fresh picked fruit!! I’ve never had a pear mango flavor combo before, but now I want to mix pear and mango all the time! These are at least as good as, but probably better than, a Naked fruit drink! (Green Machine would be the one exception.)

Just wait, the next Cooking With Coach Levi segment this summer will be a pear mango protein smoothie!

Apple Blueberry: This was really really good!! The blueberries taste amazing and it tastes like they’re mixed with apple butter! (That’s right, apple butter!) Right now I think I like it better than the pear mango, but they’re two completely different, complementary flavors, so you should get a box of each.

One thing that was odd was that every single package, even of the same flavor, was slightly different. Some had more of one fruit than the other, and sometimes the fruit was just right, while others it was overripe (specifically the banana.)

That would explain why sometimes the mango ones were awesome and sometimes lackluster. (Not unlike buying fresh mangoes – you never know if you’ll get a good one.) And a few tasted like pears, with just a hint of mango. It wasn’t a bad thing, but with pre-packaged food I expect a consistent flavor.

In Use (A.K.A., What Is It Like Eating Baby Food?)

Not familiar with today’s baby food? Just take a look at diapers.com. Aside from the pic of Elmo, you can’t tell the difference!

How does it work? You twist the cap the break the seal (super easy,) unscrew the lid, and squeeze it all into your mouth. No shaking or stirring required. There’s even a spout to make sure you don’t get messy! It’s very simple, and re-sealing the bottle is easy too, should you only have the appetite of an infant.

It’s kind of like squeezing a tube of toothpaste.

What makes them even more convenient is that they don’t need to be refrigerated… But I would if I were you! Who wants a room temperature fruit and yogurt smoothie?!

I tried eating a couple partially frozen, to really get that smoothie experience, but I found them to be just fine refrigerated. With the freezer, it was too hard to judge the proper timing to be worth it.

So I just tossed a whole bunch in the fridge and I’d grab them for post-workout snacks when I wanted something cold and refreshing with no prep time.

My final verdict is…

I like how they contain just a few natural ingredients, are tasty, and are very convenient to carry around. I wouldn’t use them to replace real fruit, but they do make sense for an occasional snack.

Official website: www.HealthValley.com

Joining us today is biologist Dr. Matthew Papaconstantinou. Matthew received his PhD in Medicinal Chemistry and conducted postdoctoral research for 5 years in the field of blood biochemistry at Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, MO.

Matthew is an avid windsurfer who lives in the beautiful seaside village of Aktaio, Greece. He often goes mountain biking and hiking in the majestic Greek mountains.

WeightLossTriumph.com is a blog where Matthew reviews the latest diet trends, compares clinically studied weight loss programs (such as Weight Watchers, Medifast, and Nutrisystem,) and often publishes interesting scientific findings in the fitness and nutrition fields.

He has a very different approach than I do (likely due to my severe lack of scientific background,) so this will be an interesting change of pace!  Get ready to crunch some numbers!

Coach Levi:  I’m always getting emails from endurance athletes wondering how many calories they’re burning during each workout.  Why is it important to know the calories burned when running, biking, or swimming?

Dr Matthew Papaconstantinou:  People who watch their diet (athletes, weight watchers, dieters, etc.) want to know how much energy they consume when they perform various activities. Knowing your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), whether you are an athlete or someone who wants to manage their weight, allows you to structure your nutrition plan so that you will achieve your body weight goal.

Coach Levi:  OK, let’s jump right into it – how can we calculate the calories we burn when we ride?  Or during any endurance sport, for that matter?

Dr Matthew Papaconstantinou:  Well, we first need to understand that the question of “how many calories cycling burns” is as vague as the question “how much fuel does a moving car consume”. A Hummer H3 model 2007 burns 18l/100km (13mpg) in the city and 15/100km (16mpg) on the highway while a Nissan Qashqai 2012 – that’s the type of car I own by the way – burns only 6l/100km (39mpg) in the city and 5.2l/100km (45mpg) on the highway. Cars are different and so are humans.

Exercise physiologists have found that the amount of calories you burn performing any physical activity depends on the following factors:

• Your age. Are you a 2007 or 2012 model? Obviously, your grandma will not burn as many calories as you if you both run 1 mile
• Your gender. Are you a Hummer or a Nissan? You and your girlfriend or boyfriend  do not burn the same when bicycling.
• Your weight. Definitely, I don’t burn as many calories as 325lb Shaquille O’Neil.
• Your body composition (percentage of fat mass and muscle mass). Is your engine a 3.5 liter/320 hp or a 1.6 liter/130hp? The more muscular you are the more you burn. Four time Mr Olympia, 250 lb bodybuilder Jay Cutler burns more calories than almost any of us when bicycling!
• Other physical and environmental factors such as your fitness level, cardiovascular health, and ambient temperature.
• Other factors not yet discovered.

As you can see, when it comes to calculating the calories burned bicycling, you need to realize that:

• Since the above parameters (age, fat free mass, etc) are unique for each person, the amount of energy we burn bicycling varies among individuals.
• Calculating the exact energy you burn is a very complicated process. Of course, there are certain apparatuses used in laboratory settings that can accurately calculate an individual’s energy expenditure by analyzing the volume of expired air, but these methods have limited practical interest.

Coach Levi:  It’s starting to sound pretty complicated!  How does the average person, without a lab, figure out how many calories they’re burning?

Dr Matthew Papaconstantinou: In order to simplify the calculation of the energy expended in physical activities, scientists have come up with a measure called Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET).  One MET is the energy an average person burns at rest per kilogram (kg) of body weight per hour (h).  In other words, 1 MET is the calories 1 kg of resting human tissue burns in 1h.  It is also known as the Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR.)

“Rest” is the state of doing no physical activity – for example, when we sit quietly.  The “average person” refers to a healthy 40-year old, 70kg (154lb) man.

Therefore, by convention 1 MET = 1 kcal / kg x h.

The MET concept gives us a rough, but practical and sufficiently accurate, estimation of the energy we spend performing various activities. The beauty of this method is that it bypasses the requirement for complicated measurements (i.e fat free mass, fitness level). Each physical activity is assigned a number of METs.  Essentially, with the introduction of MET concept, the rate of energy we spend performing various tasks is expressed as a multiple of our RMR. For example, a physical activity that has 2 METs requires twice the energy we spend when we rest. A task that has 5 METs burns energy 5 times faster than our RMR, and so on.

Sports physiologists have calculated the MET values for many sports and daily physical activities. Here are the MET values for running, swimming, and biking at different speeds copied from The Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide.

In order to calculate the amount of calories you burn when you perform a certain activity for a certain period of time you must multiply the MET value for that activity by your body weight and by the duration of the activity.

Energy Expended (kcal) = MET x Body Weight (kg) x Time (h)

So, based on the above table and the fact that I weigh 83 kg, the calories I burn if I run for half an hour at 5mph are:

Calories Burned Running = 8 x 83 x 0.5 = 332 kcal

Coach Levi:  Looking at the table, I see that MET depends on the speed of the activity. Does this mean we burn more calories when we run faster?

Dr Matthew Papaconstantinou:  This is a topic I would like to touch upon and thank you for bringing it forward. Indeed, if you look at how the MET values of a certain activity (i.e bicycling) change as a function of the intensity (speed), you will notice that MET—the rate of energy expenditure—is directly proportional to the intensity of the activity.

What does this mean?

Well, there is a common misconception here. People mistakenly extract the conclusion that if we run a certain distance at higher speed we will burn more calories than if we run the same distance at a slower intensity. This fallacy is the result of confusing the meaning of MET. The value of MET signifies rate of energy expenditure. It’s not energy expenditure. MET equals the amount of energy burned per unit of time. The faster you perform your activity the higher the MET value because higher speed means you are burning energy at a higher rate.

In light of this, you burn more calories per minute if you perform an activity fast compared to performing the activity slow. But if you perform an activity for a set distance, you burn the same amount of calories irrespective of the speed! Here is an example:

Suppose you run 1 mile at 5 mph. You burn the same energy as when you run 1 mile at 10mph. In fact, you would burn the same amount of calories if you just walked that 1 mile! The only difference is that it will take you more time to complete 1 mile the slower you run.

Coach Levi:  So, does this mean that when we run 1 mile at 5mph we spend energy at half the rate but for twice the time comparing to running at 10mph, so that in the end we have burned the same amount of energy?

Dr Matthew Papaconstantinou:  That’s exactly right. Here are the numbers to your example: When you run 1 mile at 5mph, you spend energy at a rate of 8 kcal x kg^-1 x h^-1 for 12 minutes. When you run 1 mile at 10mph, you spend energy at a rate of 16 kcal x kg^-1 x h^-1 for 6 minutes.

Coach Levi:  Looks like we are dispelling a common myth here!  As far as calories go, speed is not a factor when running, swimming, or biking – distance is.

Dr Matthew Papaconstantinou:  Correct. The energy you burn depends on the distance, not the intensity. Hard to believe, huh?

Coach Levi: I can’t argue with the numbers! Now here’s something else that can be confusing. You mentioned RMR, but I’ve also heard of BMR. Are they the same thing?

Dr Matthew Papaconstantinou: While RMR and BMR do not refer to the same thing, practically they can be used interchangeably because their arithmetic difference is usually very small. As mentioned, RMR is the rate your body spends energy when resting – sitting on a couch without doing anything.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) refers to a more strict condition whereby your body is at complete rest – a hypothetical coma-like state where the energy your body spends is the bare minimum to keep you alive. Experimentally, BMR is measured in a darkened room, after 8 hours of sleep, and a 12-hour fast to ensure the digestive system is inactive.

Obviously, BMR is a little smaller than RMR. You can better understand the difference between BMR and RMR if you look at the MET values of sitting quietly and sleeping. The MET value when you are reclining doing nothing (riding in a car, listening to music, watching TV), without talking or reading, is one. The MET value for sleeping – a state resembling the complete rest condition – is 0.9.

Coach Levi:  OK, that clears that up! It’s really neat to see the technical difference between the two (even if I never get my true BMR tested.)

Now let’s also talk about the concept of Total Daily Energy Expenditure. How can we calculate our TDEE? Is there a formula for this as well?

Dr Matthew Papaconstantinou:  Absolutely. Knowing our TDEE is the most important piece of information when we are trying to gain muscle mass or burn fat and lose weight. The balance between the calories you consume and the calories you burn each day is the ultimate determinant of your body mass. The popular Points System used by the wildly successful weight loss program Weight Watchers is nothing but a modified calorie-based approach to dieting. Here is the formula for calculating the calories you burn in one day.

TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure

TDEE = BMR x PAL

(Remember, BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate and PAL = Physical Activity Level.)

To find TDEE we first need to calculate BMR and PAL. The quickest and most accurate way to determine BMR is by using the Mifflin St Jeor Equation.

According to this formula, a 36-year old man who weighs 183 lbs and is 5 feet 10 inches tall would have a BMR of 1768. In fact, that’s my BMR. I would burn 1768 calories a day if I did nothing—just sitting quietly on bed. Of course, like you, I’m an active person. I work in my office, go shopping, cook food, lift weights, clean my house, ride my bike, etc. In order to determine my TDEE I must calculate the energy I spend separately doing all these individual activities one by one and add it to my BMR. That’s nearly impossible.

This is why exercise physiologists have introduced the concept of PAL – a way to get you and me out of this difficulty. Instead of calculating the caloric cost of each of all my small or big daily chores, work, leisure and sport activities, I just multiply my BMR by a number that expresses the intensity level of my daily activities. This number ranges from 1.2 to 2.4. The one that best represents my lifestyle is 1.7. (I’m moderately active.)

TDEE = 1768 x 1.7 = 3005 calories per day.

I can safely eat 3000 calories every day without gaining a pound. If I want to lose fat, I will eat less in order to create a caloric deficit. If I want to gain weight, which in fact is my goal as an amateur body builder, I have to adjust my nutrition so that I will create a caloric surplus.

So, there you have it. Using the above equations we can estimate pretty accurately the energy we burn performing various endurance sports. We can also determine the total energy we burn in one day, and construct our diet plan around our calorie needs in order to meet our fitness goals.

Coach Levi:  I’m no math whiz, but that sounds like a straightforward calculation!  Thanks Matthew – we now know how to calculate our true calorie needs so we can achieve ideal body composition and racing weight!

Any questions?  The comments section is now open!

While testing the Slow Carb Diet, I had the opportunity to grab just about any food I wanted for my Saturday “cheat day,” paying no attention to carbs or calories. Naturally, my inner bodybuilder took over, and I chose a “muscle gainer” drink that contained 500 calories in a small bottle!

The drink was CytoGainer Ready-to-Drink, and its 500 calories came from the massive amounts of carbs and protein in there – 72g and 40g, respectively!

Looking at the label, it actually sounded like a well-formulated product:

• 500 Mass Generating Calories
• 40g multi-source protein
• Kre-Alkalyn pH Stable Creatine
• Complex Carbohydrates
• Lactose Free

Lots of calories, different types of protein, creatine, complex carbs, and no lactose to upset your stomach! Everything a hardgainer wants and is willing to pay $3-5 a bottle for!

Is there any benefit for an endurance athlete? Let’s find out…

CytoGainer Health and Nutrition Inspection

Any muscle gainer worth its salt has a gargantuan ingredients list. This one does not disappoint.

Ingredients: Water, Maltodextrin, Calcium Sodium Caseinate, Milk Protein Isolate And/Or Milk Protein Concentrate, Alkalized Cocoa Powder, Sunflower Oil, Crystalline Fructose, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Potassium Citrate, Cellulose Gum And Gel, Creatine Monohydrate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Soy Lecithin, Magnesium Phosphate, Monosodium Phosphate, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Acesulfame Potassium, Potassium Chloride, Carrageenan, Ascorbic Acid, Salt, Tricalcium Phosphate, Ferric Pyrophosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Sucralose, Canola Oil, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Vitamin E Acetate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Niacinamide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Gluconate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Chromium Chloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Cholecalciferol, Cyanocobalamin.

The good news is, maltodextrin is a great complex carbohydrate, and you get a variety of protein sources (milk, casein, and whey) that digest at different rates, giving you a steady stream of protein going to your muscles.

Kre-Alkalyn Creatine sounds good, but in reality it’s no better than typical creatine monohydrate. The only reason to buy a “buffered” creatine like Kre-Alkalyn is if you have gastric issues due to standard creatine. Otherwise, don’t fall for the hype of a fancy name.

The bad news comes when you ask, “what kind of junk artificial stuff is in there?” With just a quick glance, I found the two terrible artificial sweeteners – Acesulfame Potassium and Sucralose. It’s cool they used maltodextrin rather than sugar, but then they loaded it with these.

And the Nutrition Facts per bottle:

Calories 500
Total Fat 6g
Total Carbs 72g
Sugars 5g
Protein 40g

Based on the numbers, it does sound ideal for hardgainers who don’t eat enough. Thanks to the carbs, it could even be used as a post-workout drink by endurance athletes who would otherwise have trouble consuming enough daily calories. That’s what separates it from the ready-to-drink protein drinks – those will help repair muscles, but they’re nothing like a recovery drink. This is!

Of course, I still prefer to mix my own formulas using milk protein, whey protein, maltodextrin powder, eggs, water or almond milk, and a Blender Bottle. Then I have perfect control over the macronutrient breakdown.

My CytoGainer Taste Test

This was a very simple taste test because I only bought one bottle in one flavor – Chocolate. (It also comes in Vanilla Creme and Cookies ‘N Creme, if you’re interested.)

It was hard to shake, making me think it’s either super thick or I’ve lost most of my strength. Pouring it out confirmed the drink is indeed super thick!

It’s also very dark, like a rich dark chocolate, and smells delicious.

The taste is pretty good for one of these drinks. It’s not a real, natural cocoa flavor, but it’s not inundated with artificial sweetener tastes either. Surprisingly, it also lacked the artificial sweetener aftertaste.

It is similar to the Muscle Milk RTD I had, as far as the chocolate flavor goes, but this lacks the overly sweet, artificial taste that plagues the Muscle Milk products!

The texture was very smooth and the consistency was very thick. Overall I’d give it a “fairly enjoyable” or “nothing spectacular” description.

The only bad part was how it became less enjoyable once I was halfway through. I guess it’s just the law of diminishing returns in action.

My final verdict is…

While I would like to taste the Cookies ‘N Cream flavor someday, in reality I’ll probably never drink this again.

I like to mix my carbs, protein, and creatine myself so I can save money and avoid artificial junk, and CytoGainer simply does not allow for that.

Official website: www.Cytosport.com

Buy online: www.Amazon.com

Today’s question is about knowing when you’re ready to enter a huge race such as the Leadville 100, a 100-mile mountain bike race in Colorado that took pros Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer over 6 hours to finish…

Levi,

When training a race like Leadville 100 mtn. bike, how do I know I’m ready? I mean, how much training do I do to get to the point where I feel powerful enough and confident I can finish? Daily, how many miles?

Thanks,
Hesitant Heidi

Hi Heidi,

I feel this is a question everyone asks themselves before any new challenge. For me, it was always about logistics. If I was registered for a race, I was ready! (This approach did get me into trouble, though!)

For challenging races like this, I think it’s more about confidence in yourself than it is about daily miles.

Sure, part of that confidence is your training experience and having already completed some hard races and long rides. I probably wouldn’t consider doing Leadville unless I had at least a couple mountain bike marathons (40-60 mile mountain bike races) under my belt. I’d want some serious altitude training as well (you’re at elevations above 9,200 feet the entire race.)

Realistically, if you can do a 50-60 mile ride in a mountainous region and feel good, you can probably go for a 100 miler. But some people might ride 100 off-road miles every weekend and still not feel confident about taking on Leadville. It’s highly individual.

Obviously I’d suggest preparing a personalized training plan (or hiring a coach to do one) when you’re talking about a long, grueling race like this, but the training is only half the battle. The most important thing to do is to prepare mentally.

Think it over, from start to finish, and visualize everything. Think of worst case scenarios and what you will do to overcome them if they happen. Read motivational books. Talk to a sports psychologist. Whatever works for you.

But if you don’t build up this mental toughness, you might never “feel” powerful enough to take on such a race.

Since the Leadville 100 is such a big deal, and since I’ve never trained for it or competed in it, I asked around and compiled some more advice for you.

Here is what these experts, coaches, and experienced riders are saying:

Trust In Your Training

Mike Kuhn, Head Coach at US Nats MTB Camp at Bear Creek and Promoter Guy of Trans-Sylvania Epic & HighSpeedCycling.com events (who also provides coaching via the seldom updated PowerOnCoaching.com,) says:

“If you know you have a good solid training program then you have to trust in it and trust that you will be ready when the time comes. If you’re training appropriately for an effort like Leadville – training your strengths and weaknesses as necessary to be ready for the big day and doing efforts that approximate the demands of the event – then you’ll be ready. (And if you’re not then you should start doing so.)

Without trust in yourself and your program, if you’re constantly second guessing your training, you’ll never be confident. Get on a well built plan, get with a good coach, and trust in both.”

Again, you have to put in the training, but confidence is paramount.

Prepare For The Inevitable Mishaps

Harlan Price, 2006 NUE Series Winner and MTB Skills Coach at Take Aim Cycling, gives you some very important questions to ask yourself:

“1. Are you someone who motivates by visualizing crossing the finish line? Can you overcome most trail, bike, mind and body mishaps?

2. Can you ride a mountain bike for 8hrs steady and still have some left in the tank, while covering 2/3+ of terrain and distance similar to the race course? It’s a 12hr time limit and that last third can be a crusher with headwinds and some steep climbs but at least is doesn’t have the 10 mile climb.”

You’ll want to think long and hard about these points so that you don’t run into any surprises on race day.

Relax and Pace Yourself

Aaron Snyder, Pro MTB Racer and MTB Coach, who will be competing in both the Trans-Sylvania Epic and TransRockies Challenge in 2013, says:

“If just finishing a race like Leadville 100 is your goal, my suggestion is to become comfortable with completing training rides of half (or just slightly more than) that distance. Training for the full distance of 100 miles is difficult and often times impractical. Once you’re comfortable at that halfway point, the key will be focusing on your pacing in order to get you through the rest. Relax, stay on top of your pacing, and don’t start too hard. You’ll go way faster if you start easy than if you start hard.”

Your adrenaline will probably be pumping at the start line, no matter how cold and early it is, so make sure you remember to pace yourself!

How to Build Up Your Endurance

Brandon Draugelis, Pro MTB Racer, Endurance Guru, and Creator of The Shred, says:

“I found myself facing the same questions prior to tackling my first 24 hour solo race. With the Leadville 100 still being months away you will have plenty of time to slowly build your endurance.

Incorporate one endurance ride into your weekly training regime. Focus on training time rather than miles and begin with a riding time that is only 15 to 30 minutes beyond your comfort zone. You can gradually increase the time of your weekly endurance ride by an additional 15 to 30 minutes per week until you make it up to 60% of your expected finishing time. While on these rides, pay special attention to your pacing and calorie intake. You want to be able to finish these rides tired, but not completely wiped out.

During the week be sure to incorporate 1 to 2 rest or recovery days with at least one of those days being complete rest. Also allow for one week per month without any endurance training to allow your body to completely recover.

1 month before the race incorporate an endurance ride that will be 75% of your finishing time. By the time you make it to race day you will be well prepared. If you are able to train at up to 75% of your expected race time you will be mentally tough enough to push through the final quarter of the race.”

If you didn’t have a training plan before, now you do!

Commit to Finishing

Sonya Looney, Ultra Endurance Pro Mountain Biker, says:

“You could ride thousands of miles and still not feel ready! I think that your longest ride should be around 70 miles if you’ve never raced 100 before. If you’ve raced 100 before, you know you are capable of finishing. The key to endurance racing is so much more than physical preparation. It’s very mental. You have to commit to finishing the event, to riding smart, and to overcoming feeling bad or having mechanicals. It’s normal to have some dark moments over the course of 100 miles, but just telling yourself you’ll finish and accepting nothing less is a great place to be!”

Did I mention she’s a Leadville finisher? Yep, here’s her race report. You could learn a lot (and be entertained) by reading her blog and following her on Facebook and Twitter, so I suggest doing that right now!

Get In The Arena

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the USA, may have never competed in any mountain bike race, but that doesn’t make his advice any less valuable:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

That’s from his “Man in the Arena” Speech given April 23, 1910. I’ve been wanted to quote this for a while, and I think it applies here!

With all of this excellent advice, I don’t think you can go wrong! Good luck!

Photo credit: Bruce Turner

I’m a sucker for cheap stuff. When I spotted Natrol Omega-3 Fish Oil at VitaCost for a measly $6.29 for 150 softgels, I couldn’t resist.

Each of the 150 softgels contains 1000 mg total fish oil, which is good. I’ll take up to 8 pills per day, so at $0.042 per pill, I’m looking at about 34 cents per day. Not bad.

But then I looked closer:

Omega-3 Fish Oil (anchovy, cod, mackerel, sardine) —– 1000 mg
EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) —– 180 mg
DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) —– 120 mg

Of the 1000mg of total fish oil, only 300mg come from EPA and DHA. That’s not terrible, but it’s definitely on the low side compared to other brands.

Still, taking 8 pills per day would mean I have a 19 day supply. That works out to around $10/month for these pills, which is very low for fish oil.

So I started taking these on 3/14/2013, after going nearly a year without taking fish oil consistently. (I was thinking, “hey, at the very least, having to take 8 of these monstrous pills per day will get me back in the habit of swallowing pills all the time!”)

I wasn’t consistent with taking them, especially around Easter, so the 19-day supply lasted me a full month.

Did I feel any different?

I don’t think so. It’s tough to say though, since I did change my diet and exercise habits as well. They certainly didn’t make me feel less healthy.

Were they any good?

Surprisingly, yes. The pills are large, but any low to moderately priced fish oil will be a very large pill!

The smell is great for fish oil. You barely notice the fish smell since the lemon is so strong. And this is when I stick my nose in the jar – the individual pills hardly have any scent when you take them.

I did get very slight “fish burps” if I took these on an empty stomach.

Luckily, they were more like “lemon burps” thanks to the added flavor! It was not that annoying, and it never happened if I took them with food. (Good quality pills never give me fish burps, even on an empty stomach.)

What do you think of Natrol now?

You may have noticed these capsules are from the same brand as my beloved AcaiBerry Diet pills. Those were more an exception to the rule though – I hardly ever recommend cheap supplements, and I doubt anything else from Natrol will get my recommendation.

I certainly wouldn’t say Natrol is a bad company, but at these prices, I have to assume that some corners are cut when it comes to quality of ingredients. And when it comes to fish oil, I don’t like to cut corners.

My final verdict is…

Though cheap, remember this – you get what you pay for. I highly recommend buying a better quality, higher-strength fish oil so you can get more health benefits and spend less time taking pills. Products like Carlson Labs Super Omega-3 (not to mention the even higher potency Carlson Labs Elite) blow this one away.

Official website: www.Natrol.com

Buy online: www.VitaCost.com

Remember The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss? It’s a great book, and I recently took the opportunity to test out the Slow Carb Diet and PAGG stack for a second time. (My first test got cut short, which I’ll explain later…)

“Slow Carb” is Tim’s preferred diet that he mentioned on his blog many years ago, but really became popular with the release of the book.

“PAGG” is a supplement stack comprised of four basic supplements that work synergistically (i.e. 1+1+1+1=6) when combined.

Put the diet and supplements together and the promise is slightly better fat loss than using just one or the other!

If you’re not familiar with Slow Carb, go to the link above and read up on it. Then come back for my testing…

My Slow Carb Diet Meal Plan

Before beginning, I made sure my kitchen was well-stocked with slow carb foods. And that anything else was packed away out of sight and out of mind!

My meals were shaping up to look like this:

Breakfast:
Coffee (with a little unsweetened almond milk)
Scrambled eggs or omelet with veggies (broccoli, spinach, red peppers, etc.)
Turkey bacon

Lunch:
Salad with mixed greens and black beans
Sliced chicken or turkey

Dinner:
Steak or burgers
Sauteed veggies with lentils and olive oil

Snacks:
Mixed nuts
Roasted chickpeas
Raw veggies

But I didn’t even make it a full day before screwing up!

My first mistake was a veggie stir fry I made. It wasn’t until it was cooking in the pan I realized it contained carrots and corn, two starchy veggies that probably don’t really fit the “slow carb” model. (Carrots might be allowed in moderation, but corn is definitely not allowed!)

The next day, I had a Crystal Light lemonade in the evening. This had no sugar, and just a few calories, BUT it contained artificial sweeteners. Though technically allowed in moderation, I don’t think these should be included at all. Obviously for health reasons, but also because they go against the whole idea. I mean, if the sweetness makes my body think and react like I just ate sweets anyway, that ruins everything the slow carb idea stands for.

The next day was no better. I had to slice up a half-rotten banana; I couldn’t bear to throw away a perfectly good chunk of banana, nor was it worth freezing… so I ate it.

Then I realized I was getting plenty of fat, but not quite enough protein. So I started digging into some ways to get more protein, only to find out that my peanut butter, mixed nuts, Greek yogurt, and flavored protein powders were not allowed!

At that moment, I realized why I hated testing this diet out last year!

So, I stuck with my own, slightly altered version of the Slow Carb diet, since I was mainly interested in PAGG anyway…

What Is In The PAGG Stack?

The PAGG stack consists of these four supplements in these doses:

• Policosanol (20 mg)
• Alpha-lipoic acid (300 mg)
• Green tea flavanols (325 mg)
• Garlic extract (200+ mg)

Each was included for a specific reason:

Alpha-lipoic acid
This is a powerful antioxidant that also aids in fat loss by delivering more carbs from the foods you eat to your muscles and liver, rather than to your fat cells. (Yep, ALA is great for endurance athletes whether you care about fat loss or not!)

Green Tea Flavanols
This has been shown to decrease carbohydrate storage in fat cells and even to increase chances of fat cells dying (rather than shrinking up and lying in wait to expand again sometime in the future.) That’s a big deal and likely why there are so many fat burners based on green tea.

Garlic extract
This helps prevent you from regaining fat after you lost it.

Policosanol
This is one that, for whatever reason, improved fat loss for Tim Ferriss and some of his test subjects. So, it was added onto AGG to form what’s now the PAGG stack. (The normal use is for lowering LDL cholesterol and raising HDL cholesterol.)

The Pills I Used

Here’s what I used in my test:

• Vitacost B-100 Complex – $15.49
• NSI Policosanol BioCosanol – $13.49
• NSI Alpha Lipoic Acid – $5.99
• Nature’s Way Garlicin – $9.60
• Life Extension Decaffeinated Mega Green Tea Extract – $21

So the total came to $50.08 for the necessary PAGG pills ($65.57 if you include the suggested B vitamins.) Though some of the pill bottles won’t be empty in 30 days, that was the minimum I had to spend to get a month’s supply.

Here are some direct links to Amazon.com (with today’s pricing) if you’re interested in any of these:

• Nature’s Way B-100 Complex – $9.99
• Source Naturals Policosanol – $15.80
• Source Naturals Alpha Lipoic Acid – $21.52
• Nature’s Way Garlicin – $15.43
• Life Extension Decaffeinated Mega Green Tea Extract – $16.44

It’s not cheap!

Keep reading to see if it’s worth it…

How to Take PAGG

PAGG is taken four times per day – before each meal and before bed. But you never actually take all four pills at once!

The daily agenda looks like this:

Prior to breakfast: BAGG
Prior to lunch: BAGG
Prior to dinner: AGG
Prior to bed: PAG

The main points are as follows:

1. The first two times include the B-Complex and AGG stack.
2. You only take Policosanol once, and that’s before bed.
3. Omit the green tea extract before bed as it may cause trouble sleeping.

Also, take a day off!

PAGG should only be taken six days per week. You take one day off, with the caveat that your day off should not coincide with your cheat day! (My cheat day is generally Saturday, and I always use Wednesday as my day free of coffee, stimulants, and fat burners.)

If you do this long term, take one full week off PAGG every eight weeks.

My PAGG Testing In 2012

I originally tested PAGG for about 12 days back in February 2012. It didn’t go so well. Why?

1. The Slow Carb Diet Was Too Slow.

The foods I ate were apparently too slow. My body was either too accustomed to getting plenty of carbs, or I wasn’t getting enough beans and lentils to give me energy. Or I was doing way too much endurance training on my XC skis. Whatever it was, my workouts suffered, and I was not a happy camper.

2. I Was Too Stressed.

I was really stressed for personal reasons, and adding the pills was enough to drive me crazy. If I’m stressed out and add stimulants of any type, it just amplifies that stress. I probably would have had a heart attack had I continued, so the test was cut short.

Any results?

My weight (and appearance) remained the same the whole time, around 164-165lb, despite having lost 7-10lb in the month beforehand. I’m happy with that! Considering my stress levels, I was in no condition to be losing fat anyway.

Testing In 2013

It’s now Spring of 2013 – time for an even more abbreviated test than last year!

On 4/2/2013, I began eating Slow Carb seven days per week and using PAGG six days per week. I had one cheat day on 4/6/2013 (a Saturday) and there were two Wednesdays in there where I skipped the pills.

I first weighed in on 4/5/2013 at 155lb.*

And here are my corresponding girth measurements:

Neck 13.75
Waist 30.25
Hips 36.75
Calf 14.75
Bicep 12.0
Thigh 21.25
Chest 36.25
Shoulders 43.75

Those are fairly common measurements for me if I’m not working out much. When working out moderately, my calves and neck grow slightly, while my arms, chest, and shoulders get 1-5″ bigger.

*I actually didn’t have a scale on 4/2/2013 to weigh in. And now I’m on a Sunbeam analog scale rather than my Taylor digital scale I was using during my recently completed AcaiBerry Diet testing, hence the big “drop” in weight between 3/27/2013 and 4/5/2013. Just different calibrations between the scales.

My final weigh-in was one week later, on 4/13/2013, at 155lb (again.)

And my corresponding girth measurements:

Neck 14.0
Waist 30.125
Hips 36.0
Calf 14.5625
Bicep 11.875
Thigh 21.125
Chest 35.9375
Shoulders 44.5

Unsurprisingly, my weight remained the same for the week, with my girth measurements virtually identical as well. I saw some 1/8″ fluctuations in there, mostly down, but that could always be attributed to human error. Notably, my shoulders went up 3/4″, which is cool, although that’s the hardest measurement for me to take with the MyoTape, so it could have been way off in either the before or after measurement.

Summary and Conclusion

The short testing period wasn’t enough that I can speak to results that well. However, the point of doing the test was to see how everything works and what the experience is like, so I can share that with you. Individual results vary anyway – if you want success stories, there are plenty out there – and I’m sure the diet works for some people.

Would I recommend this for you?

Well, I’ve already discussed my feelings on cyclists going slow carb, so it’s no surprise I’m not dedicating six months of my life to testing this protocol! It’s not that slow carb can’t work for cyclists, it’s just that there are much better options – the Endurance Athlete Plate method or the PN system, to name a couple.

Plus, it’s just a pain the butt! Unless you live down the street from a butcher with low-priced, organic meat, and love to cook and eat that everyday, it’s tough to follow exactly. Really, it’s just organic meat, organic eggs, and beans, then some veggies. So many foods are actually off limits, and many are only allowed in tiny quantities.

PAGG is probably only worth the money if you’re getting close to 6-pack abs, but having a hard time, and need a little push. If you’re overweight, the slow carb diet itself will be enough to produce the initial weight loss. You’re better off spending the $50+/month on higher quality meats, eggs, fresh garlic, green tea leaves, and fish oil.

(Alpha Lipoic Acid is very interesting on its own, though, so stay tuned for a post about ALA for endurance athletes!)

What would I do differently?

If I were doing it all over again, I’d consider the special PAGG supplement from Pareto Nutrition for convenience. It’s not that much higher in price than buying everything from VitaCost, but it’s way more convenient.

Pre-mixed PAGG didn’t exist when I first went PAGG shopping, and I can’t speak to the quality of any of the all-in-one PAGG pills, but I can tell the convenience factor is huge.

Also, if I really wanted to test the Slow Carb Diet results, I’d plan to stick with it for eight strict weeks. (Tim says the biggest results generally occur after a solid 6-8 weeks on SCD.) It doesn’t suit my lifestyle for two weeks though, so there’s no way I’m doing eight!

Now you know, for most endurance athletes, the Slow Carb Diet isn’t ideal, and PAGG is expensive, annoying, and likely not all that helpful.

If you have any other PAGG questions, post in the comments below. What I’d like to know is, are you planning to test out the PAGG stack yourself?

Despite being a Precision Nutrition member for years, and reading Dr. John Berardi’s articles for years before that, I completely missed his 2006 book titled The Metabolism Advantage.

The book is apparently out of print today, but you can still get the ebook on Kindle for $9.32 or find a hardcover on Half.com for about $6 shipped.

Or, you could test your luck on the mainstream document sharing sites like Scribd.com, where I found a free copy I could download as a PDF or read right in my browser. It was basically the print copy scanned into a computer, so it wasn’t high quality, but for free, I can’t complain.

(I didn’t link to it since I’m not sure if it was uploaded intentionally or illegally!)

The good news is, either way, you can still obtain a copy somewhere. The better news is, this is a 387 page book written by JB, and he’s just plain awesome (as you can see in the linked Youtube video.)

The bad news is, this book was published by Rodale Press under the Men’s Health label, so you can imagine it’s packed full of basic cookie-cutter advice and filler content just like the magazine.

Let’s see whether the good or bad wins out…

What’s the point of the book?

We all know the metabolism slows down with age. The point of this book is to explain how your metabolism works and give you a diet and exercise program that will speed up your metabolism like crazy, no matter how old you are!

What’s in it?

There’s a lot of good info in here that covers the basics of exercise and nutrition, how to use them to achieve your fat loss goals, and a few quick biology lessons for good measure. So you should actually understand what your metabolism is! Not only that, JB includes the very important topics of motivation and goal setting, as well as the logistics of eating healthy (making the time for it, finding decent meals at restaurants, etc..)

The best part, in my opinion, is that a lot of the concepts here appear similar to the principles behind Precision Nutrition. So you’re not getting old, poor, or outdated info – you’re just getting less of what you’d get with JB’s newer teachings.

You’ll also glean a few good tips in there, like this one a lot of people could use: “Soak beans overnight with a small amount of baking soda before cooking them, and they won’t make you so gassy.”

Then you have page after page of recipes, meal plans, workout charts, printable shopping lists, etc. The book is perhaps 150 pages of reading, and 220 pages of references, checklists, print outs, etc.

Where the book is lacking is in the content you can tell was copy/pasted straight out of the pages of Men’s Health. The exercise demonstrations and instructions, for example. You’re not going to learn or understand the moves just by seeing these pictures.

Who should read the book?

The book is clearly aimed at the general diet and fitness crowd. If you don’t know what you’re doing, this book will get you off to a great start. (You don’t need to be a bodybuilder or elite athlete to make sense of it.)

Who should not read the book?

On the other hand, if you are a bodybuilder or elite athlete, and you already have a successful training plan or workout program figured out, don’t bother with this book. If you know what to eat and when to eat it, you’re all set.

More importantly, if you’re sick of Rodale Press books (you’ve probably received one as a free gift when you subscribed to Bicycling or Runner’s World,) definitely don’t get it!

My final verdict is…

If you cut out the crap and unnecessary filler, there’s some darn good information in this book. It’s very similar to the core concepts of Precision Nutrition. If you don’t know where to start with your diet and exercise plan, it’s worth the read.

That said, if you’re serious about your health and fitness, go straight for the real deal, JB’s up-to-date Precision Nutrition system. It’s much more informative, refined, useful, and personalized. (It’s the best of Dr. John Berardi and none of the Rodale Press crap!)

Official website: www.MetabolismAdvantage.com

Buy online: www.Amazon.com