Carbonated beverages have been around quite a while. But the side effects of these fizzy drinks are far more than we were led to believe. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, nor do I think out government or more specifically, the FDA, is actually out to get us. I believe, they are smart enough, just don’t have the ability to think outside the box. The beverage industry is mega bucks and that alone make them extremely powerful. That’s why there’s really no check and balance to the current system.
Alright enough of the setup…
Carbonation is created by pumping carbon dioxide into water or other liquid. You may recall that carbon dioxide is a waste product of cellular and food metabolism, as such the body wants to expel it. So why would anyone want to further add a waste product to their body? Carbonated beverages also burden the body by weakening stomach acid, thereby interfering with proper digestion. One’s blood supply can hold only so much blood gas. It stays saturated with either O2 or CO2. The process of inhalation and expiration (respiration) keeps the balance of blood gases right where it should be. With the consumption of soft drinks and the massive amounts of CO2 being dumped into the blood stream; this in turn will change the ph of the blood, thus retarding (the main reason for writing this article) the whole fat filtration (the kidneys) and fat digestion (the liver) process and we end up storing more fat! This has been touched on by several European studies but nothing in true depth. It takes the finding of all the articles to piece together the puzzle.
Here’s another one for you: Distention of the stomach pouch and anastamosis
When a cold, carbonated beverage is consumed, it warms and releases carbon dioxide gas that was dissolved in the liquid. This gas can be trapped in your stomach pouch, causing it to distend and needlessly stretch your pouch. While it’s true these gasses are not permanently trapped in your stomach (since they can be released through burping) any unnecessary, uncontrolled, distension of your stomach pouch places you at greater level of risk that you’ll stretch your pouch to the point where you will compromise the effectiveness of the “tool” you’ve worked so hard to obtain.
If stretching your stomach pouch is not enough to concern you, consider what happens to your anastamosis (the new stomach outlet) when entrapped gas stretches your pouch. This undue pressure also causes stretching of the anastamosis. It is believed that an enlarged anastamosis is a greater problem than an enlarged stomach is for weight loss surgery patients. The size of the pouch outlet is more critical to the patient’s ability to achieve satiety than the actual size of the stomach pouch. If the anastamosis is too large, food passes through the pouch too easily and will begin to fill and stretch the small intestine, in effect creating a larger holding chamber in the small intestine thereby allowing you to eat a much higher quantity of food before you feel full and your brain receives the signal to stop eating. The combination of a stretched pouch and an enlarged anastamosis are disastrous to your weight loss and/or weight maintenance efforts. Is the momentary pleasure derived from a diet drink worth the risk?
This particular author’s stance includes carbonated water as well. This is just a stance on the effects of carbonated beverages (including water) and not one that talks about all the other bad side effects of phosphoric acid, excessive amounts of caffeine, artificial sweeteners or colors. That’s plenty of fodder for future articles.
Obviously what I’m shooting for is for one to learn to love water all over again. The fizz isn’t worth it. Only you can decide.
Jeff Green MS,CSCS,USAW,USATF

I was sitting here today thinking to myself, what’s the very worst food you can eat if you’re trying to lose weight, burn fat, tone up, etc?

One food that is often eaten by dieters, but ironically works against them in losing weight is rice cakes. Yes rice cakes! You are probably eating one right now thinking that you are burning fat and toning right up! Yes, rice cakes are relatively low in calories, but the real downside is that they spike blood sugar and insulin levels.

This is not what you want if you are looking to lose weight, burn fat, or tone up! If you are on a weight loss diet, fat loss diet, etc, your main goal should be to slow the digestion and release of carbohydrate into the blood and to try and controlling blood sugar. This is a critical element of any nutrition program.

Amazingly, rice cakes increase blood sugar levels by 50 percent more than eating an equal amount of table sugar!

Rice cakes and other foods that result in rapid digestion and release of sugar into the blood promote overeating, obesity, insulin resistance, and other metabolic disturbances contributing to disease. Have you noticed that with every rice cake you eat, you may feel hungrier and hungrier by the bite?

The glycemic index is a measure of how a given food affects blood-glucose levels, with each food being assigned a numbered rating. The lower the rating, the slower the absorption and digestion process, which provides a more gradual, healthier infusion of sugars into the bloodstream. On the other hand, a high rating means that blood-glucose levels are increased quickly, which stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin to drop blood-sugar levels. These rapid fluctuations of blood-sugar levels are not healthy because of the stress they place on the body.

One of sugar’s major drawbacks is that it raises the insulin level, which inhibits the release of growth hormones, which in turn depresses the immune system and shuts down the fat burning hormones. This is not something you want to take place if your goals are to become healthy, lose fat, and tone up.

An influx of sugar into the bloodstream upsets the body’s blood-sugar balance, triggering the release of insulin, which the body uses to keep blood-sugar at a constant and safe level. Insulin also promotes the storage of fat, so that when you eat sweets high in sugar, or rice cakes for instance, you’re making way for rapid weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels, both of which have been linked to cardiovascular disease and increased weight gain.

Complex carbohydrates tend to be absorbed more slowly, lessening the impact on blood-sugar levels. An example of a complex carbohydrate with a slow digestion process is plain oatmeal. In contrast, keeping blood sugar in check is associated with improved weight and fat loss, decreased appetite, and reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer.

TIP: Only consume rice cakes post workout when your body is primed to absorb and use the sugar for growth and recovery.

1. A Gallon of Water a Day. 128 ounces that’s all. It’s imperative that one gets plenty of the life giving substance that has so many functions that pertain to fat loss and muscle accrual that there is no room for discussion. Split the gallon up evenly as you can during the day. Don’t fret over the number of trips to the bathroom. After 10 days of this kind of consistent intake, the bladder will accommodate and the irritating urges will subside. By the way, all the flavored waters still count toward the daily required quantity just make sure they are still calorie free.
2. No Carbohydrates for Dinner. As the day progresses and the body secretes the body’s main anti-flammatory, anti-stress hormone, cortisol, body becomes more insulin insensitive, thus making any insulin dumped into the system free floating and non-committed. That tends to make you a fat converting and fat storing machine. Eating carbs that you cannot process is going to put some serious speed bumps in your fat loss program. A good protein source and heavy on the veggies will be the BEST choice.
3. Protein Fives Times a Day. REAL protein, not vegetable protein. If it comes out of the ground, it doesn’t count. I might catch some flak from this statement. But the amino acid spectrum is more analogous and the vegetable protein is missing some of the essential amino acids. No one should be afraid of what minimal fats that animal proteins contain anymore. You need the macro-nutrient five times because of the digestive time window and one also needs a positive nitrogen balance in order to create the best environment for building muscle as well as retard the fat deposition process.
4. Don’t Eat Anything White. This has been around since Arnold’s day, and it (in my opinion) still holds water. White Flour (really all flour, but that’s a whole other article), white sugar, white potatoes, etc. Keep these totally out of the diet matrix. There are a million substitutes out there for this small subgroup of carbs.
5. No Dairy. It is a fact that most people have a food allergy (whether it be benign or malevolent) to dairy. It may not manifest itself as something that most allergies are recognized for yet it can, and will, retard the fat burning process and it will hold tons of excess water. There are much better sources of protein out there than dairy. As far as the calcium argument goes, dairy is not a real abundant source of calcium and dark green vegetables will kick dairy in the ass every time.
6. No Soft Drinks…Period. Now where do I start with this? Is it the artificial sweetener? Is it the artificial coloring? Is it the sugar in the regular drinks? It’s the carbonated water. This will actually change the ratio of blood gases in your blood stream and change the PH of your blood. This will inhibit the kidney and liver’s ability to burn / filter fat and filter / get rid of water and retard the whole fat burning process. That’s why even diet carbonated drinks still don’t work in the whole fat loss process.

Jeff Green MS,CSCS,USAW,USATF, CES,PES,NSCA-CPT
Jeff Green possesses over 23 years experience in the realm of sports, rehabilitation & fitness training. He wrestled and ran track all through junior and high school and walked on at Clemson University to wrestle. Upon graduating from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, with two undergraduates and one graduate degree all within the sports/fitness industry, Jeff continued his pursuit of excellence by acquiring 11 certifications in the industry pertaining to developing fit, functional, healthy, lean adults to youth as well as world-class strength and sport athletes.
Jeff is one of the most driven competitors ever to work in this field and he knows how to coax these same qualities out of his clients. He also has successfully competed in all of the ‘strength sports’ including world, national & state championships in powerlifting, regular competitor in Strongman, competitive Olympic weightlifting, and state and one-time nationally ranked competitive bodybuilding. He brings all secrets that the sports world has taught him to help him create the leanest and fittest clientele imaginable.
Jeff’s reputation has grown nationwide as a fitness / nutrition / speed, strength and power training authority with an ability to get… real results-real fast. His websites are iconperformanceonline.com, birminghambarbell.com and iconnflcombinetraining.com.

Charles Poliquin is a training genius and I’ve learned a lot from all the articles, posts, books and dvd’s that he has created over the years. One training protocol that we have used here at ICON Performance for our personal training clients, strength athletes as well as all our sport athletes has been a mainstay for quite a while. I say this because after 25 years in this business, I have seen and tried just about everything out these in the quest for size and strength. This protocol has stood the test of time. It is called the undulating wave load protocol. Here is the guts of it:
Set 1 - 90% x 3 reps
Set 2 - 95% x 2 reps
Set 3 - 100% x 1 rep
Set 4 - 91% x 3 reps
Set 5 - 96% x 2 reps
Set 6 - 101% x 1 rep
Set 7 - 92% x 3 reps
Set 8 - 97% x 2 reps
Set 9 - 102% x 1 rep
Set 10 - 93% x 3 reps
Set 11 - 98% x 2 reps
Set 12 - 103% x 1 rep

This works for big movements (bench, squat, deadlift, cleans, snatch, overhead press, etc.), the numbers need to be raw (no gear) and also conservative. You don’t have to gear back on your starting numbers, just really truthful with yourself. Now with training with numbers above 90-93%, the nervous system will start to shut down and you will start to miss lifts. So the rule of thumb usually is that beginners (less than 6 months training experience) can continue the protocol for three weeks before having to deload. Intermediates (six months to 2 years) will have two weeks before a deload and advanced lifters ( 2 years before without a significant break) will have to deload every other week. On the deload week, one could train more for a rep foundation or change to a myriad of different modalities to break up the stimuli. Give it a try and see if you don’t hit some new personal records today!
Jeff Green MS,CSCS,USAW,USATF, CES, PES, NSCA-CPT

Those little Creatine Chews sure are great. Makes it easy to get plenty of creatine - especially in the loading phase. But they’re pricey. So I’ve put together a recipe for creating your own creatine candies at a price that’s less intimidating. However, if you’re short on time, spending the few extra bucks for the Creatine Chews is probably the way to go (especially since they taste so damn good).

INGREDIENTS

6 tbs. corn sugar (dextrose)

2/3 cup orange juice, strained of pulp

6 tbs. light corn syrup

4 envelopes Knox unflavored powdered gelatin, softened in 1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp. orange food coloring

1/2 tsp. orange extract

36 grams creatine (about 1.25 oz)

confectioner’s sugar

DIRECTIONS

Add the creatine to the corn sugar and mix to disperse.

Combine the creatine/dextrose mixture with the orange juice and corn syrup in a pan and heat them slowly, stirring with a wire whisk until the sugar mixture dissolves.

Continue to stir until the mixture just begins to boil.

Remove the pan from the burner and add the gelatin (when you combine the 1/4 cup water with the 4 envelopes of powdered gelatin it will turn into a big glob - don’t worry, it will dissolve in the juice mixture). Continue stirring the mixture until the gelatin dissolves.

Add the food coloring and the orange extract and stir until the mixture is evenly colored.

Pour the mixture into a dampened, 6″ square baking pan.

Let the mixture set in a cool place for at least six hours, or overnight.

When firm, cut into 36 squares, remove each square from the pan and roll in confectioner’s sugar to coat.

Makes 36 candy squares, each containing:

28.75 calories

6.5g carbohydrates

.67g protein

0 fat

1g creatine

These turn out a little different than Creatine Candies

(one serving size):

Phosphagems

(6 gems)

5.2 creatine

132 calories

35g carbs

0g protein

0 g fat

Cheap Chews

(6 squares)

6 g creatine

173 calories

39g carbs

4g protein

0g fat

Cheap chews are all natural while Phosphagems do contain artificial flavor. The little bit of protein in the cheap chews probably doesn’t help but it shouldn’t hurt too much either. The consistency of these versus the Phosphagems product is a little different. The cheap chews are a little more tender, although they will firm up with age. The Phosphagems also seem to get more dense and sticky as time goes on. I personally like them less sticky. In any case, this is cheaper than buying the commercial creatine candies. And that’s what some of you have asked about. If I really worked at it, I might be able to duplicate the Phosphagems. I like these better though.

One more thing: Don’t put them in the refrigerator because they’ll really toughen up.

Corn sugar (dextrose, derived from cornstarch) is sold in beer-brewing stores. Someone might want to try a derivative using malt extract that contains glucose, maltose, and glucose polymers.

Study:
July 25, 2007 03:46:07 PM PST
If your friends and family get fat, chances are you will too, researchers report in a startling new study that suggests obesity is “socially contagious” and can spread easily from person to person.
The large, federally funded study found that to be true even if your loved ones lived far away. Social ties seemed to play a surprisingly strong role, even more than genes are known to do.
“We were stunned to find that friends who are hundreds of miles away have just as much impact on a person’s weight status as friends who are right next door,” said co-author James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego.
The study found a person’s chances of becoming obese went up 57 percent if a friend did, 40 percent if a sibling did and 37 percent if a spouse did. In the closest friendships, the risk almost tripled.
Researchers think it’s more than just people with similar eating and exercise habits hanging out together. Instead, it may be that having relatives and friends who become obese changes one’s idea of what is an acceptable weight.
Despite their findings, the researchers said people should not sever their relationships.
“There is a ton of research that suggest that having more friends makes you healthier,” Fowler said. “So the last thing that you want to do is get rid of any of your friends.”
The study was published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine and funded by the National Institute on Aging.
Researchers analyzed medical records of people in the Framingham Heart Study, which has been following the health of residents of that Boston suburb for more than a half century. They tracked records for relatives and friends using contact information that participants provided each time they were examined over a 32-year period.
In all, 12,067 people — all Framingham participants — were involved in the study.
After taking into account natural weight gain and other factors, researchers found the greatest influence occurred among friends and not in people sharing the same genes or living in the same household. Geography and smoking cessation had no effect on obesity risk.
On average, the researchers calculated, when an obese person gained 17 pounds, the corresponding friend put on an extra 5 pounds.
Gender also had a strong influence. In same-sex friendships, a person’s obesity risk increased by 71 percent if a friend gained weight. Between brothers, the risk was up by 44 percent and 67 percent between sisters.
Indiana University statistician Stan Wasserman said while the study was clever, it had its limitations because it excluded relationships outside of the Framingham group.
Obesity is a global public health problem. About 1.5 billion adults worldwide are overweight, including more than 400 million who are obese. Two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese.
Much of the recent research focus has been on the intense hunt for obesity genes involved in appetite or calorie burning. Treatment has been mainly centered on helping individuals curb their weight through better diet and fitness.
The findings could open a new avenue for treating this worldwide epidemic. The researchers said it might be helpful to treat obese people in groups instead of just the individual.
“Because people are interconnected, their health is interconnected,” said lead author Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a Harvard sociologist.
Obesity experts not involved in the research said the results back up what they have suspected all along — that people look toward one another for what is an acceptable weight.
“If you’re just a little bit heavy and everyone around you is quite heavier, you will feel good when you look in a mirror,” said Dr. David Katz, director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center.

Technorati Profile

Q: I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it… don’t
waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your
heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of
your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat?
Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables.
So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system.
Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable)… And! A pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy
is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so
! you get even more of the goodness that way.. Beer
is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one
to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages
of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No
Pain…Good!
Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!!! …. Foods are fried
these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could
getting more vegetables be bad for you?
Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from
getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger.
You should only be doing sit-ups if ! you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO
Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It’s the best feel-good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

———————————————————————-

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! ‘Round’ is a shape!
Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may
have had about food and diets.

And remember:

“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body
thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO
HOO, What a Ride”

AND……

For those of you who watch what you eat, here’s the final word on nutrition
and health. It’s a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting
nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. T he Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.

Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Swine Flu…schmine flu… The news media is desperate to have something to harp on. The CDC came out pretty much the same day the news broke about the real dangers of swine flu and said they had there were specific drugs available that effectively treated the disease and that the United States should not panic. That wasn’t good enough for the news media. They had to report on it worldwide 24/7 until the shouting of the CDC finally took. Things must be slow at the White House.
The biggest and most devastating disease to come down the pike is one that has been steadily growing for years. Behind the scenes, with little notice or fanfare, this disease is the most contagious and deadly (yes, deadly) that man has ever faced. It can be exacerbated by the news media, the nay-sayers at the water cooler at work, the neighborhood woe-is-me’s, and anyone with a lack of any hope, character, vision, and imagination. The economy, the jobless rate, the doom-and-gloom that cable news is so famous for helps spread the disease very rapidly and makes sure there are fresh hosts served up daily. The people that this disease affects aren’t bad, malevolent, or combative, just negative and they can’t or won’t shake it. It becomes a comfortable blanket and the woobie (a Michael Keaton Mr. Mom reference) doesn’t go back in the closet without a fight. The real problem with this population is their ability to spread their’ disease’ amongst their friends, family, and co-workers. (They tend to herd in packs anyway – because truly positive optimists can’t stand being around their polar opposites)
So why the big news report? It’s a kind of “Call to Arms”. Don’t let it affect you. When you are confronted with this disease, run – run very fast. These people are highly contagious. They can infect you with their disease by drawing you in with their complaining and disdain with everything and everyone around them. They will tell you that they are incapable of certain tasks (when they won’t even make an attempt) or if something didn’t happen their way, it wasn’t their fault (negativity renders them incapable of accepting any responsibility for their actions).
So what does one do about this debilitating disease? You have two options. One, avoid them altogether. Abstinence from contact with these people will leave you undamaged and uninfected. But this method is not always practical. So number two, is the real choice. One must deal with this population and make an effort to cure them of this disease. How does one do that? Whether you are close with that person or not, it does not matter. Negativity, as a disease, crosses out those barriers. One must inject their own vaccine, the only one that will work, if given in mass quantities and on a consistent basis. Just like antibiotics, the physician prescribes to you a certain dose for a set amount of time. That is the answer. Give your patient alternate POSITIVE options to think about when pondering their situation or problem. Give them often and give them repeatedly. Then shelter them as best you can from the sources that they contacted it from in the first place. A change of jobs, a change of friends, a change of situations, whatever one can muster – some kind of change must take place. Given time, support, and consistency, the disease will cure itself.
Good luck.