Look who’s back. It’s Chris Shugart, once again obsessing over protein and fat loss. However, I can’t really blame him as I kind of did the same back around 1997 to 2006, before I discovered the incredible powers of fasting. Funny enough, while I was in decent shape in the late 90’s and also in 2003, it was not until I found fasting in 2007 and going fully “ketogenic” with a base of animal-based foods that I got really “chiseled” as in only weeks from a bodybuilding competition lean, and stayed that way for many years.
However, since then I have evolved, and so has my methods. And while I’m now totally focused on maximal health, life quality, performance, and longevity, my methods for fat loss are actually even more effective.
So, with that said, let’s look at what Mr. Shugart is raving about this time.
Out of the gate he begins with stating that, “ask 100 people in the gym about their goals and 95 of them will tell you they want less body fat, more muscle, and a healthier metabolism. And the other five are lying.”
Yes, that’s most likely true. However, I do not think most people understand the concept of a ‘healthy metabolism,’ (which actually means being ‘fat adapted,’ as in running on fats and ketones,) still, most gymgoers are in the gym to change their body composition, or at least, for us in our 50’s and above, to keep our strength up, our bones strong, and body comp in check.
Then Shugart list what he sees as three requirements for improving your body composition.
- Lifting challenging weights.
- Eating more protein.
- Eating slightly fewer daily calories (roughly 300 to 500 below maintenance) or expending more calories through training or extra daily movement.
Now, this is old-school bro-science, so let’s redefine those three points to something that is both healthier and actually much more effective.
These are my three redefined points:
1. Lift challenging weights 2 to 4 times a week, for no more than 30 to 45 minutes.
2. Focus on bioavailable nutrients, as in animal-based foods.
3. Utilize fasting on one or two of your ‘rest days’ for extreme fat loss, healing, and detoxification.
Shugart then proceeds to state that, “the goal is to create a trend: signaling your body to build or preserve muscle while eliminating excess body fat. One time-tested strategy takes care of two of these things: protein preloading.”
That is only needed if you are so backwards that you go on a energy-restrictive “diet,” as in the stupid idea Shugart presented in his third point, as in reducing “calories,” you know, a measurement of heat units, which has nothing to do with human physiology.
This is very easy to understand. If you reduce your food intake, your body perceive that as starvation and will do anything to preserve energy (slowing down every process in the body, which is very unhealthy.) However, if you fast for a day or two, your body will actually upregulate hormones that protect your muscle mass, and it’s not until after 72 or more hours that muscle mass might be cannibalized in minimal amounts, but only if you have nutrient deficiencies. Personally, I’ve done prolonged fasting many times without any muscle loss at all. However, nowadays I mostly do dry fasting, which is three times more effective. And again, when you fast your body can heal, repair, detox, and increase hormone receptor sensitivity. All that means that whatever you do once you resume eating will be more effective. A frikkin’ win-win if I ever saw one.
What’s Protein Preloading?
Here Shugart define it in two ways.
- At a given meal, eat the protein portion first, then fat, then carbs. This is called meal sequencing. It works, but it’s a weird-ass way to eat a taco.
- Eat about 20 grams of protein 20-30 minutes before solid meals.
“In studies, both methods lead to fat loss, hunger control, and improved metabolic functions, like blood sugar control. Of the two, I prefer to preload by consuming a small protein shake before meals. It’s easier and more practical with mixed meals, and I’d rather not deconstruct a taco before eating it.”
Of course, you prefer your loved ‘protein shake.’ However, all this ‘protein preloading’ is nonsensical and incredible stupid. Hunger, and/or cravings, is a ‘symptom’ of nutrient deficiencies, as in being malnourished. It’s your body’s way of telling you that you’re eating the wrong food, and/or too little of the right food. It’s simply signaling you to eat more, so you increase your chances of actually getting some bioavailable nutrients down that piehole of yours.
So, doing this retarded “preloading” sh*t to blunt hunger will only dampen the symptoms of a real problem, the issue that your ‘diet’ is total crap – and that you actually are starving and damaging your body. How about fixing that problem instead? Throw out your f**king taco and eat some steak, eggs, and organ meats, and you will never feel hungry, and you will never have cravings, not even during a +9 days fast. Personally, I have not experienced hunger nor cravings since I went full carnivore in early 2018, not one single time – and I do prolonged fasting two to four times every year.
Then Shugart proceed to ‘how to do it,’ which is totally irrelevant, as the concept is both stupid and unnecessary. If you really need to dampen your appetite before, let’s say a party, because you still have a lack of simple restriction, as Shugart used in his text, then instead of “calorie offsetting” by consuming protein 30 minutes before a meal, have some raw liver, or some red meat with a few egg yolks. That will really make you feel satiated and eating anything more will be the last thing on your mind. As I pointed out in my second point, focus on bioavailable nutrients, as in consuming animal-based foods, and you will never be hungry or experience cravings – because you will be fully nourished. Consuming only protein, as in a shake, is simply the equivalent of applying a small and temporary bandage to a large oozing wound, a wound that actually need a hell of a lot of stitches.
If you’re new to our species-appropriate, species-specific way of eating and how to utilize fasting, feel free to contact me for help and coaching — or if you need help with strategies that fit your lifestyle, I’m available for consulting sessions as well.
Online-Coaching and Education – Animal-Based Nutrition