WARNING The techniques, ideas, and suggestions in this document are not intended as a substitute for proper medical advice. Always consult your physician or health care professional before performing any new exercise, exercise technique or beginning any new diet— particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, elderly, or if you have any chronic or recurring conditions. Any application of the techniques, ideas, and suggestions in this document is at the reader’s sole discretion and risk. The author of this document makes no warranty of any kind in regard to the content of this document, including, but not limited to, any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. The author of this document is not liable or responsible to any person or entity for any errors contained in this document, or for any special, incidental, or consequential damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained within.
Hormones: They’re Not Just For Friday Nights Any More
When you were growing up, chances are your parents or caregivers mentioned the word “hormones” and “no-no” in the same sentence. When it comes to teens, this is probably a good idea! However, we’re here to discuss the key to fat loss, muscle gain, and longevity. Believe it or not, it’s that same ‘dirty’ word—hormones. The real key to fat loss is hormonal. Most nutritionists, and definitely the mainstream medical profession, want you to believe that it’s a “calorie in, calorie out” proposition. While caloric intake is absolutely crucial, without the proper hormone balance in the body, you’ll never maximize fat loss or muscle gain. In fact, you may even reverse the process. Goodness knows that you don’t want the past five weeks of effort to go down the drain because of these important, microscopic compounds! In this special report, we’ll discuss the impact that food and exercise has on hormones, ways of manipulating hormonal output naturally, and alternative methods of hormonal manipulation, often referred to as “HRT”, or “hormone replacement therapy.” Any treatment of choice should be discussed with a qualified physician.
What Are Hormones? Hormones are chemical messenger produced and secreted by a specialized gland, and released into the blood where it is circulated to distant organs to elicit a physiological response. Hormonal effects are exerted relatively slowly, but often for prolonged periods of time. That doesn’t mean much, does it? That’s okay…I had to make sense of that definition myself. Here’s the skinny: hormones make your body work on every conceivable level. They control how much fat you store or release, how much you grow, how well you feel (to a large degree), the state of disease in the body, how strong your sex drive is, how much muscle mass you carry, and as you’ll soon discover, how easily you store body fat, apart from dieting and willpower.
Section 2: Getting Specific
While there are many hormones, the ones we’ll be covering are probably familiar to you. A few may be new names, but you’ll soon learn that all are crucial to your ongoing progress. These include:
1. Insulin 2. Testosterone 3. Glucagon 4. Cortisol 5. Estrogen 6. GH (Growth Hormone) 7. Thyroid 8. Leptin
We’ll begin our discussion with what I feel to be the most critical hormone for overall health, prevention of heart disease and diabetes, fat loss and muscle gain. Have I got your attention yet? Good!
Insulin: Your Worst Enemy or Your Best Friend? Unless you’re Amish or you’ve been living in a cave for the past six years or so, you no-doubt have heard that low carb diets are ‘back’. They actually never ‘left’, at least in the world of bodybuilding, diabetic control, and so-forth. However, the resurgence of the Atkins Diet and the myriad of clones that followed, including Protein Power, The South Beach Diet, Sugar Busters, The Zone, and many others, have brought the word insulin into everyone’s household. And, for good reason—insulin is absolutely crucial to control and understand if you want to be lean and alive! However, in the effort to bring this hormone to light, the authors of the books above have mostly demonized insulin. After all, no book sells without a good antagonist. I’ll try to help you sort out the fact from the fiction, as well as possibly shedding some additional light on the subject. What is Insulin, And How Can It Benefit Me? Believe it or not, insulin is more anabolic in nature than testosterone. “Anabolic” means to “build up,” hence the term “anabolic steroids.” Unfortunately, insulin has far more drastic side effects than even the most rampant dosages of testosterone on most people, and many a bodybuilder has died in the process of trying to ‘get huge’. It’s a sad testimony to ignorance. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas in order to lower blood glucose after a meal has been consumed. It also regulates the amount of glucose taken up by the cells and liver and, secondarily, the muscles. The glucose (sugar) is stored in the liver and muscles as a substance called glycogen. Glycogen, or “muscle fuel”, is what the body primarily uses as fuel during anaerobic exercise such as weight lifting, sprinting, running (if your heart rate is too high), and during quick bouts of activity. “Aerobic”, or “with oxygen”, is exercise that uses very little glucose and opts for fat as its source of fuel if the activity is prolonged. More on that later. Insulin also has a number of other functions. One of the main reasons insulin is ‘anabolic’ is the fact that it facilitates nutrients into the cells. This is especially acute immediately after intense exercise. In fact, in most cases, people who cannot usually tolerate carbohydrates without getting fat can consume ample amounts of them immediately following a hard workout without any illeffect. There are exceptions to this rule. They include diabetics, people with known heart disease, and athletes who are trying to ‘glycogen deplete’ in order to facilitate greater fat loss. Knowing that insulin is a key hormone to fuel the body’s cells with glucose and nutrients should make you go, “Hmmm….how can I use this to my advantage?” Hey…great question! However, before we get into the wonderful aspects of insulin, let’s cover insulin’s dark side. As hormones go, there probably isn’t one that has more of a shady side than insulin. Insulin As Foe Most people know that diabetes is a disease where the pancreas has basically checked out. It no longer produces enough insulin to lower glucose in the blood, and therefore diabetics are forced to constantly monitor their blood sugar levels to be sure they’re not too high.
What’s the big deal about blood sugar? Plenty. From a fat loss perspective, high insulin levels are absolutely disastrous. When insulin is high, its antagonist hormone glucagon (covered later) is low. Glucagon is a hormone, which, among other things, regulates the release of fat for fuel. In short, high insulin equals low body fat loss. There’s no getting around it. So, this explains why someone on a low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diet may have real issues with fat loss. It also explains the success of the low carb diets that are out there today. Carbohydrates, being basically sugar, elevate insulin to a much higher degree than fats or proteins. Granted, calories have a huge impact, as does saturated fat in some people (one of the many flaws of the Atkins Diet.) However, you simply must decrease your insulin levels to burn fat. Insulin also controls a relative newcomer to the fat loss world—the hormone leptin. We’ll cover leptin in detail later. Suffice to say for now that leptin controls appetite. Enough said! There is much more to the story than fat loss when it comes to the dark side of insulin. There are numerous studies that show that a fasting blood sugar above 90 significantly increase one’s risk for heart disease. Sugar that’s floating about in the bloodstream lends itself to a process called glycation. The ‘gly’ in ‘glycation’ comes from the word “glucose”. Glycation is what you need to worry about. Cholesterol becomes dangerous during the process of glycation. Think of it this way: lick you finger and dip it into some sugar. That’s what’s going on in your arteries. Not a pleasant thought is it? Breast cancer has been shown to be four times greater when insulin is elevated. I have no reason to believe that this is limited to breast tissue. Cancer may very well be the side effect of high levels of insulin. There are numerous physicians who believe this and there are studies that back it up. So, why haven’t you heard about this? Simple—the pharmaceutical companies don’t make a dime off of telling people to stop eating so many carbs and sugar. We’re Americans! We demand drugs to cure us! They’ve tapped into our psyche, and it’s up to US to break the link. I’m off the soapbox for now…for now. Elevated blood sugar has a host of other problems that are far too large to cover in this module. Suffice to say that you want your fasting blood sugar in the range of about 75-90 in order to insure insulin is working for you. However, even this is not enough—and here’s where the real learning process begins. For some reason, most physicians will not run a fasting insulin test, even though fasting glucose tests are one of the most common diagnostics. Why is this? Well, for starters, most doctors simply haven’t recognized the importance of a fasting insulin test. Very few link it to heart disease or fat loss, and I wish I could tell you why. The ones who have are adamant, and for good reason. I think everyone should have a fasting insulin test performed at least twice a year. This is the only way to know if you have a problem with too much insulin. I’ve seen clients who have an insulin level that matches their blood glucose levels! The physician saw that the blood sugar was “normal” at 80, but failed to check insulin response. In short, the body was literally pouring out insulin in order to keep the blood sugar normal. This is the fast track to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and a very large medical bill.
Optimal Insulin Levels Using the standard blood test for insulin, the target is a value under 10. Despite the lab readings, Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Ron Rosedale, two of the foremost authorities on the dangers of insulin, prefer much lower levels. And, might I add, this can almost always be accomplished through diet unless you have a pancreatic problem. “The lower the better,” says Mercola. “I like to see insulin under 5, but 2 or 3 is optimal. Anything over 10 is a sure sign of oncoming disease.” Rosedale echoes this by saying, “For most of us, insulin is our worst enemy. Shoot for 5 or below.”
Insulin Resistance and Insulin Sensitivity Perhaps you’ve heard these terms tossed about in diet books and on Oprah. There’s really not that much to the terminology, however the meaning behind the terminology can make or break a diet plan, or even your health. Insulin sensitivity means that your cells are receptive to insulin and do not require large amounts of the hormone to drive blood sugar down. The greater your muscle mass, generally speaking, the more insulin sensitive you tend to be. This varies from person to person, but it’s generally true. The common sense explanation is that there are simply larger cells for insulin to dive in to. There are problems with this simple explanation, but in theory this is true. Some degree of insulin sensitivity is genetic. Other contributing factors include your sugar intake growing up and the stress on your pancreas. Obviously diabetics are highly insulin resistant. Insulin resistance means that your cells are saying, “No thanks” to the incoming insulin. This is very bad on many levels. Your cells cannot receive sufficient glucose, and therefore the glucose is left to float about in the bloodstream, causing a host of problems. This drives triglyceride levels through the roof! This also means that the pancreas is forced to spew out insulin in massive dosages to get the job done. Eventually your body begins to become ‘ignorant’ of insulin. The cells simply don’t want to uptake the glucose (or nutrients!) insulin carries with it, and your pancreas eventually checks out. This is commonly referred to as “Type 2 Diabetes.” Make no mistake—the vast majority of Americans are ‘closet diabetics’. This is quote from Dr. Ron Rosedale, and I agree. Most everyone who eats a western diet high in sugar and refined carbs will find himself or herself in a pancreatic nightmare eventually.
How To Use Insulin For Good The best way to manipulate insulin, other than lowering it through exercise and a moderate carbohydrate diet, is to purposefully elevate insulin output after heavy training. Note: this is primarily a cosmetic/bodybuilding benefit, however it is a powerful way to maximize muscle mass and decrease body fat. After a heavy workout, the body’s cells become more receptive to insulin. The body has pretty much exhausted its blood sugar and is now running on stored sugar (glycogen). This makes insulin a good friend, if you do it right. The trick is to take increase insulin output by consuming a high-carb, moderate protein meal immediately after training. I take this a step further. I’ll consume a high-carb food by itself that is devoid of fat or protein immediately after my workout. A few bananas will work well, as bananas are high in potassium (drained during a workout) and
very high on the glycemic index (meaning that they are absorbed quickly and release more insulin than slower-digested carbs like brown rice, yams or vegetables.) I will then consume a proteinheavy meal within 30 minutes of the workout. By this time, my insulin levels are quite high and the body is able to absorb and utilize up to twice the normal amount of nutrients. This is a great trick…try it if you’re in a healthy condition. Another way to use insulin for good is through control—take your carbs in prior to a workout, after a workout, and then in sparse amounts for the rest of the day.
Supplements For Insulin Control Many physicians recommend Chromium GTF for blood sugar control. The theory is that the lower the blood sugar, the lower the insulin levels. As we’ve seen, this is not always the case. In fact, Dr. Rosedale has noted that in extreme cases, a saltine cracker can elevate insulin past 20 for hours. This is significant. However, chromium GTF is a good supplement to take. The best way to take it is 45 minutes prior to eating first thing in the morning, as it’s a sensitive compound. A far more potent insulin controller is vanadyl sulfate. Vanadium is a trace mineral, and the sulfate version has been used as an insulin mimicker for years by bodybuilders. It basically does insulin’s job, or at least part of it. I highly recommend checking with your doctor to see if this over-the-counter supplement would help if your insulin levels are high. I personally take vanadyl with a high-carb meal (except after my workout when I want an insulin spike) to help keep insulin low. It’s worked very well for me, and a very nice side effect is a massive ‘pump’ in the gym. A pump is the congestion of blood in the muscle being trained. It feels and looks great, especially if you’re a bodybuilder. Lastly, fish oil is excellent at overall insulin control and blood sugar regulation. I recommend Carlson’s Fish Oil caps at a dosage of 2-6 grams per day. Higher dosages can be used if deemed clinically necessary.
Testosterone: The Mother Of Power “It was like I walked into a testosterone pit,” exclaimed a female friend of mine. We were recently at a Christmas party at a local gym, and there were bodybuilders everywhere. Indeed, testosterone was rampant! However, testosterone is not just for bodybuilders. Everyone, including women, will benefit from maximizing the normal output of this hormone. Testosterone is the hormone that promotes the development and maintenance of male secondary sexual characteristics. It is believed to comprise about 90 percent of the androgens in a man’s body. Most of the testosterone is produced in the testicles. Some is also produced at the adrenal glands. Women produce much smaller amounts of testosterone from the ovaries and the adrenal glands. If you’ve pre-menopausal, then you probably know the impact that “testosterone bursts” can have. This is doubly true if you’re over-stressed and your adrenal glands are taxed. Testosterone regulates muscle mass and strength to a marked degree. The most commonly used anabolic steroid is testosterone. Due to the androgenic nature of the drug, side effects include acne and hair growth (as well as death, but that’s another subject.) However, you cannot maximize your muscle mass without sufficient testosterone. This hormone also helps men feel
younger, and obviously assists in sexual reproduction purposes. This module will focus on muscle mass for both men and women. When I say “mass,” I’m not referring to becoming the Incredible Hulk. Everyone needs to increase muscle mass—by now, you probably realize why there are no exceptions to this rule. The more muscle you carry, the less fat you tend to carry, the more calories you burn at rest, and frankly, the better you look!
Testosterone’s Nasty Side Most of you have heard the term “roid rage”. This is the not-so-uncommon phenomenon of rage induced from men who gobble testosterone supplements and/or drugs as if they were candy. Testosterone is what produces the “male” in men. Our anger, power and aggression come primarily from testosterone. Too much is NOT a good thing. There are numerous side effects from testosterone, whether naturally produced by the body or synthetically taken. These effects are due to the fact that, like so many other things people take, testosterone doesn’t always go where you want it. A crucial test for men to prevent and diagnose prostate cancer is a blood marker called estradiol. This is basically estrogen, and too much estrogen in a male produces some nasty problems. Prostate problems are one of those problems. The supplement Saw Palmetto has been shown to help lower estrogen levels in males and assist in protecting the prostate. If testosterone is not processed correctly, a process called “amortization”, it can be splintered off into various subcompounds that cause these types of problems. Another amortization problem with testosterone includes the conversion of testosterone into DHT, the hormone responsible for hair loss. This is why so many men with high testosterone levels have thinning hair. (Ladies, don’t go looking for bald guys just because of this!)
Increasing Testosterone Levels Naturally While there are valid reasons to take synthetic testosterone, known as HRT, let’s first discuss what we can do through diet, exercise and supplements to accomplish the same goal. The best way to increase testosterone in a health adult, bar none, is weight training. Weight training has been shown to increase testosterone between 20% and 55% in health males, and nearly this much in females. What’s interesting is that there does not seem to be an age limit to this. One study done in Finland in 1988 showed that men and women who ‘began’ weight training in their 70s and 80s increased both muscle tissue and testosterone levels! It’s never too late to begin, folks. A high protein diet has been demonstrated to increase testosterone levels as well. This is probably due to the fact that the amino acids that comprise protein are anabolic, and like attracts like. I wish I had a more scientific explanation, but the ones I’ve read don’t make much sense. Veteran old-time trainer Vince Gironda preached the virtues of eggs for increasing testosterone as far back as 1960. In fact, Vince produced some of the best drug-free bodies ever seen using 36 eggs a day! No joke. For those of you concerned with cholesterol, check with your doctor if you decide to try this. Also, eggs are notorious for producing allergies when eaten daily. However, the results did speak for themselves. Vince was a man ahead of his time. If he said it, it’s probably going to be
proven as fact eventually. While eggs may have that effect on the body (there are no studies done to support this), the drawbacks are obvious. It’s next to impossible for most of use to eat that many eggs, even if we wanted to. Also, due to the extremely high fat intake, supplements like fish oil would have to be taken to balance out the saturated fat. I’d recommend range-free organic eggs ONLY if you try this, and you’ll have to keep your carbs down to about 50 grams per day.
HRT Unfortunately, this is something I know about first-hand. I have been on HRT for almost 10 years—and yes, that means I take testosterone via injections once per week. This is not an ‘anabolic steroid' by any means. I take 100mg of testosterone per week, about what the normal male would secrete. During my illness (and the most obese period of my life) I was taking the same amount. My endocrinologist discovered I was hypogonadal (producing limited testosterone) when I insisted that he run the tests 10 years ago. Even then, he looked at me and said, “No way Jon. There’s no way you’re testosterone deficient. You carry too much muscle and you have no sexual dysfunction.” I insisted…and I’m glad I did. The lab reports, ran three times, showed my testosterone levels to be those of an 80-year-old man! Testosterone is critical to bone mass, and depletion of testosterone is actually the real cause behind osteoporosis (calcium supplements, I’m sorry to say, won’t help if your testosterone levels are low), so my doctor immediately put me on HRT. There are creams, injections and patches. These options are best discussed with your physician. However, this is not only for men. Testosterone replacement may be beneficial for some women who have had their ovaries surgically removed or who have significant symptoms in the form of loss of libido, fatigue and diminished wellbeing that commences in years leading up to their natural menopause. There are also some over-the-counter supplements that you can try that have been shown to increase testosterone levels. However, I strongly recommend that you do so only under a doctor’s supervision. Testosterone supplements of any kind put a stress on the liver.
Glucagon: Insulin’s Friendly Companion Say…want to burn some body fat? Is that a dumb question or what? One of the keys to the puzzle is glucagon. Glucagon is a hormone produced by the pancreas that releases the body’s stored sugar (glycogen) into the blood. However, glucagon does much more than this would indicate. Both insulin and glucagon are hormones secreted by the pancreas. What dictates the secretion of these two hormones is the ever-changing level of glucose in the bloodstream. Insulin and glucagon work together in an opposing fashion. That doesn’t make sense does it? How can you “work together in an opposing fashion”? Here's how. The human body works to maintain blood sugar/glucose in a very narrow range. Insulin and glucagon are the controllers of this narrow range maintenance.
When blood sugar/glucose is high (after a meal) insulin is released to transport the blood sugar/glucose out of the bloodstream and into tissue. As blood sugar/glucose falls insulin secretion is reduced. The primary deposit site for insulin transported blood sugar/glucose is muscle tissue and fat cells. In response to insulin, muscle and fat cells absorb glucose from the bloodstream effectively lowering blood sugar/glucose levels. Insulin facilitates muscle cell glucose uptake. Glucose can only enter your muscle cells through insulin mediation. Insulin also stimulates the uptake of amino acids, contributing to its potent anabolic effects. Low insulin levels shifts the balance towards protein degradation and, much more important to our needs, fat loss. In short, glucagon is catabolic as opposed to anabolic. It tears down. If glucagon is too high, protein loss will occur. This is one reason I suggest a high protein diet with moderate carbs. Carbs spare protein, and the excess protein in the diet can help suppress this degradation process and shift it more toward fat loss. Besides, as you’ve learned, protein foods are 25% more thermogenic than carbs or fat. In other words, about 25% of the calories of a protein-heavy food are burned up in the process of digestion and utilization. It’s like dieting by eating! However, I digress…back to glucagon. Glucagon also controls blood sugar/glucose but in the opposite direction. When blood sugar/glucose levels get low (between meals and during and after exercise) glucagon is secreted that then signals the liver to release stored glucose into the bloodstream. Ah-HA! Now we have a potent fat loss/muscle building combination! Here’s how it works in more real-world terms. After you exercise (more than a casual stroll around the block, folks), the body is virtually a hormone-crazed machine. It’s craving nutrition and ready to do some pretty amazing things. Exercise burns body fat via hormones like glucagon, not just by ‘burning calories.’ This is old science and poor thinking. Through exercise, blood sugar is lowered and glucagon is allowed to roam free and release glucose and fatty acids into the bloodstream to be ‘burned’, or used for fuel. Assuming you exercise for more than 20 minutes at a relatively intense pace, your body is now using its stored fat for fuel through the clever use of glucagon. Assuming you don’t go pig out on pizza after the workout and maintain a slight calorie deficit, the end result is fat loss. So, now do you see why hormones are primary to calories when it comes to fat loss? I thought so! The story doesn’t end there. After training, as we discussed in the section on insulin, the body is craving sugar. Giving it just enough to stimulate insulin, followed by a high protein, nutrient-rich meal, you get muscle growth. The added muscles make you more “insulin sensitive”, and therefore you can eat more. It’s a true win-win.
Cortisol: Not Just A Cheap Marketing Gimmick You see these goons…excuse me, “doctors”, on late-night infomercials. The claims have just enough science behind them to fool Joe Q. Public, but in reality what they’re selling you is a bottle full of lies. “CortiSlim”, or any variation there-of, is the latest rage in non-stimulant fat loss wonder pills. These products claim to “block” the release of cortisol, the body’s key stress hormone (making it very catabolic). “So what?” you may ask. Go ahead…it’s a good question, and you know how much I love good questions.
Stress can cause fat to stay put Stress is not only the number one killer in the world, but it also plays a critical role in fat loss. Since cortisol is released by the body in stressful situations, and during times of starvation (another reason to keep eating every few hours), then it pays to reduce it significantly. Obviously we cannot live in a world free of stress, but we can greatly reduce the amount of insignificant stress we place on ourselves. Remember that term, insignificant stress—it will be a part of your homework as we go over this module! You’ll be defining the areas of your life that cause or contribute to stress that, when the rubber meets the road, you really do not need. Don’t kid yourself—your career can be a part of this list. Sure, a job will cause some stress, but do you really need to inflict more than is necessary? Are you inflicting more than is necessary? Are you setting unrealistic expectations, or perhaps working in a job that you know will not take you to where you want and need to be? But, I digress. Stress causes your body to hold on to bodyfat in several ways. First, stress (and lack of sleep) produce higher than normal insulin secretion. This means death, let alone increased bodyfat. Second, the body’s natural response to fight or flight needs to be examined. What do you think your great (factor of 20) grandpa did when a tiger chased him? He hid—and for a long time. Hence, your body thinks of stress as being chased by a large, flesh-eating animal. And it FEELS like that, doesn’t it? Do you think such a hostile environment, as that of days gone by would produce fat loss or fat storage? The answer is storage. The body had no idea when the next meal would come, so it’s natural design was (and is) to hold on to the bodyfat at all costs. Your body can feast for months on stored fat if need-be, given the right conditions (i.e. lack of calories.) Since bodyfat is related to stress levels, and since stress produces cortisol, these hucksters rationalize (with some degree of fact and logic) that reducing cortisol will lower bodyfat. It’s guilt by association in a way, but this time the guilty verdict is a thumbs-up. Does this work? Not really. There are some pretty good supplements that reduce cortisol, and most of the junk you see on T.V. either has little or none of these chemicals/nutrients in them. However, simply reducing cortisol will not result in a loss of bodyfat. That’s like saying if you stay out of hospitals you’ll never get sick…because, after all, sick people go to hospitals. The logic is flawed big-time. Yes, cortisol does contribute to fat storage, but in a roundabout way. However, lowering cortisol is an excellent idea. Phosphatidylserine (otherwise known as PS), has been shown to reduce cortisol output by up to 30% in some studies, less in others. PS is an excellent brain nutrient as well—however, it’s pretty expensive. Lowering cortisol will improve your muscle mass, and by default help you lower bodyfat, as muscle burns more calories at rest. This assumes your diet is low enough in calories to begin with—but not too low, otherwise our old friend stress rears it’s ugly head. In fact, if you’ve been on a diet and it stalled, chances are great that cortisol was partially responsible. (The other guilty party is T3, the active portion of thyroid, one of the other hormones in this report. It all fits together nicely, doesn’t it?) Cortisol is catabolic, so muscle tissue is fair game. Less muscle, more fat. Say that with me 10 times, OK? Less muscle, more fat. Not a pretty picture. As you may have guessed, there are better ways to lower cortisol unless you’re a competitive bodybuilder—then you may need PS, or other means to get the job done. The best way is to chill out! Take a yoga class, a hot bath at night, a nice walk, or listen to soothing music—every day, not every other week! Just reduce your stress, and, unless you have an adrenal disorder, cortisol will be kept at bay. Other critical elements are to avoid overtraining in the gym or doing
excessive cardio, make sure you get sufficient sleep, and consume protein every 3-4 hours minimum to keep your body in an anabolic (rather than catabolic) state. One more thing: always keep your Core Values in check. This will reduce stress to a remarkable degree. The amount of focus you place on The Core will directly affect your stress level. To find out more about Core Values, look into my TTP-90 Total Transformation Program™, at http://www.allyourstrength.com/Services.aspx.
Estrogen: It’s Not Just About The Ladies, Guys There’s not a woman out there who’s reached puberty that hasn’t heard of estrogen. It’s the “female” hormone, and so many things you do affect it. Actually, estrogen is a series of hormones. There are three principle forms of estrogen found in the human body—estrone, estradiol and estriol, also known as E1, E2 and E3 respectively. There is also a group of compounds called phytoestrogens, generally found in food, which can have “estrogen like” effects in the body (more on that later.) Estradiol (E2) is the primary estrogen produced by the ovaries. Estrone (E1) is formed from estradiol. It is a weak estrogen and is the most abundant estrogen found in the body after menopause. Estriol (E3) is produced in large amounts during pregnancy and is a breakdown product of estradiol. So, you may be wondering what this has to do with men? Plenty. Hang in there with me. (And no, I’m not claiming men have ovaries!) Birth control pills often use estrogen (along with progestin) to block ovulation. How does this work? Beats me…seriously. Ask your OBGYN. Actually I’m not too sure anyone knows ‘exactly’ why the pill works, we just know that it does. We also know there are some nasty side effects for a lot of women who take it. Such a discussion is beyond the scope of this module. So, let’s cut to the chase: estrogen basically makes a woman a woman. Soft, smooth, and so-on. That’s great to a point, no doubt about it! However, an excess of estrogen (or an imbalance between estrogen and testosterone, both present in the male and female body) can contribute to increased fat storage. This is especially true of pre-menopausal women. Estrogen can be made by fat cells, hence there is a tendency for women to put on more fat so they can keep their estrogen levels up, and stay fertile for as long as possible! These fat cells tend to favor the waist area, wouldn’t you just know it. Women with carbohydrate sensitivity (sweet tooth freaks and carb cravers beware) will tend to start to become “apple shaped” instead of “pear shaped” when this occurs. Not all fat cells are created equally. Some are pretty cool, while others are just plain greedy. Since estrogen is produced in part by the fat cells, a drop in body fat can actually promote more estrogen production, especially in women. Most of these ‘greedy’ cells are located exactly where you’d expect jerks to hang out: the hips. The greedy cells suck up more and more estrogen and presto—hormone imbalance. This can cause a massive storage of fat to take place. Welcome to “stubborn fat.”
More about “stubborn fat” Unfortunately, ‘stubborn fat’ is a reality. It’s the first to come on and the last to go off. Men have these fat cells in the torso and ‘love handle’ area, while women tend to have them more in the hips and thighs. These fat cells, as discussed, are ‘estrogen greedy cells.’ Let me explain how this happens and what you can do about it. I’ll invoke the assistance of “The Warrior Diet” author, Ori Hofmekler, as he has some great points on stubborn fat, estrogen’s role in males and females, and what to do about it. According to Ori, stubborn fat is a slow-metabolized adipose (fat) tissue. As we’ve discussed, in order to burn fat, a natural hormonal process has to take place. When the fat-burning process is activated, the adrenal hormones (adrenaline and noradrenaline) bind to special receptors in the fat tissues. There are two major groups of receptors in the fat tissues, alpha and beta. The betareceptors are the more active ones, which respond to the adrenal hormones. Fat burning occurs when the adrenal hormones activate the beta-receptors in the fat cells. If these receptors are not activated, no fat will burn off. Stubborn fat has a lower ratio of beta-receptors to alpha-receptors. As a result, it’s metabolized slowly and does not respond to the adrenal hormones. To make matters worse, stubborn fat has more estrogen receptors in the tissues. Estrogen, once bound to the receptors, causes even more fat gain. There’s much more to it, but I don’t want to make this too complicated and scientific. So for now, let’s just say that stubborn fat presents three major problems: 1. It doesn’t have a high enough ratio of beta-receptors to alpha-receptors, so doesn’t respond to adrenal fat-burning stimulation. 2. It has more estrogen receptors, which accelerates fat gain.
On top of all this, stubborn fat doesn’t have a healthy blood circulation. These slowly metabolized fat tissues have fewer blood vessels than a normal fat tissue, and consequently this fat is slower to metabolize, and therefore more stubborn or difficult to remove.
What causes stubborn fat? The problem is not just estrogen, although it plays a critical role. In fact, there are many reasons for having stubborn fat. Both men and women may suffer from it as a result of maintaining an unhealthy diet, from the liver’s inability to break down and detoxify estrogenic derivatives, or due to sensitivity to certain foods or chemicals in foods. Stubborn fat can be linked to protein deficiencies as well. Vegetarians and vegans are more likely to suffer from protein deficiencies, and especially to the essential amino acid lysine. Lysine, abundant in animal proteins but less so in grains, converts in our bodies to L-carnitine. Lcarnitine is an amino acid essential for the fat-burning process, and it appears only in animal foods, especially red meat. Without enough L-carnitine and carnitine-related enzymes in your system, the ability to burn fat is severely compromised. The male/estrogen equation Stubborn fat can be an age-related problem for men. The older a man gets, the more of his testosterone is converted into estrogen through a process called aromatizing. Thus, the older he
gets, the more the aromatize enzyme is active. Fat tissues produce aromatizes enzymes and therefore accelerates the aromatizing action, which converts testosterone into estrogen. Fat gain is the least of the problems. Prostate cancer is thought to be caused by excessive estradiol (the estrogen hormone that testosterone can aromatize into) in the blood. It should be noted that there is a ‘healthy’ estrogen level for men, and especially for women. In men, estrogen actually plays a role in energy conversion and sex drive, so eliminating it (an impossibility anyway) would not be a good idea. It should be no higher than normal, and most importantly, the aromatizing process should be avoided. There are natural ways to block this aromatizing process. All men over 40 should consider supplementing their diets with Saw Palmetto and Chrysin. These are the two best anti-estrogen supplements on the market for men. Women should discuss this issue with their OBGYN, as there are a number of reasons why estrogen must stay in ‘normal’ ranges for females. Small amounts of soy, once thought to be an estrogen-enhancer (and in large quantities this may be true) could lower estrogen, as long as it contains isoflavones. Many soy proteins and products do not, so check the labels. Lastly, avoid grapefruit. (Yes, that means the ‘grapefruit diet’ is right out!)
GH (Growth Hormone): Your Ticket To Eternal Youth? Here’s another hotbed for the late-night television snake oil salesmen: growth hormone. Ever since Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw, authors of Life Extension, published their best seller in 1982, the world has been gaga over the possibilities of increasing life span, lowering bodyfat and reversing the clock through the ingestion of supplements to increase the output of growth hormone. GH is the hormone responsible for growth from birth to adolescence, and decreased with age. GH has a remarkable affect on bodyfat, a marginal affect on muscle growth, and some affect on how you look and feel in general…when taken by injection. These injections cost about $1200 a month—great if you’re rich, right? Well, perhaps. GH has its place in medicine, but there’s quite a bit of controversy over using is as a panacea for youth in the sect of the rich and famous. Back to Pearson and Shaw: in order to avoid GH injections, Pearson and Shaw dug up research conducted in the 1970s on two specific amino acids—L-Arginine and L-Ornithine. Taken in sufficient quantities, these studies showed a marginal increase in GH output during the first few hours of sleep (when GH is normally at it’s peak.) This showed great promise for all of those interested in naturally boosting GH. It also gave hope to a whole new line of bogus supplements. You see, the dosages used in the study were about 10 times the amount used in the supplements Pearson and Shaw were recommending, and 20 times that of the junk you see on T.V. Plus, in the original studies, the aminos were taking intravenously, not orally. What a huge difference that made, as both these amino acids are not very stomach-friendly. Lastly, taken in the dosages required created nausea and severe GI distress. The little facts infomercials want to leave out!
Finding out your GH levels Your physician can order what’s called an IGF-1 blood test to determine if you’re running low on your GH reserves. While this is not a foolproof method, it’s the most economical way to rule out GH deficiency.
The role of GH in your body and how you can maximize it These facts aside, it’s critical that you try and maximize GH for all the reasons listed. GH will help you shed fat, gain muscle, and feel great. However, there are only a few ways I trust to do this naturally. Adding a few chemical constructs to the end of the amino acids listed above can created a significant GH boost. Of all the supplements I’ve experimented with, only two show promise. The best can be found on Dave Draper’s website (www.davedraper.com), and is called “Ageless Growth.” Don’t let the hokey name fool you—this stuff works. It’s not a magic pill. I’d say it added about 10-15% increase in the “GH effect”: fat loss, muscle gain and well being. However, 10-15% is significant when you’re trying to maximize your performance. The other is called “Lean & Mean” (what is it with these silly names?), and can be found at www.cytocharge.com. Lean & Mean uses the ‘correct’ form of arginine called pyroglutamate. This makes a big difference in the way the aminos work and are assimilated in the gut. There are ways other than supplements to increase GH output. These include: • Intense exercise, especially first thing in the morning • Adequate sleep • Lower carbs at night. Carbs can interfere with GH output during the first few hours of sleep. • High-rep squats. This may be a myth, but it’s stuck around for a long time. High-rep squats are not for the faint-hearted! This is a method of squatting that involves taking a weight that you can do 10 reps with in good form…and doing 20! This is done by ‘breathing’ between reps. Your last reps will feel like an eternity, and you’ll only want to do one set. But, supposedly, this really jacks your body’s hormone levels, from testosterone to GH. I’ve tried it—no fun, but it does have some merit. Perform this at your own risk!
Thyroid: Solving The Riddle of Illness? In his provocative book, Solved: The Riddle of Illness, Dr. Stephen Langer covers the topic of thyroid deficiency better than anyone I can think of. The book should be required reading in my opinion. Of course, I’m biased. I’m hypothyroid, or someone who produced too little active thyroid. Since the thyroid hormone controls metabolism (and a host of other important things), this is just a tad critical! After suffering with hypothyroidism for years and years, untreated as it was missed on routine blood tests, I suffered from severe depression, excessive weight gain and lethargy. I began to think it was normal. Literally one day on Armour Thyroid (a natural desiccated bovine thyroid), I felt like a million bucks. I remember saying to myself, “So, this is what normal people feel like!” Yes, it’s that important! It should be noted that there are a variety of thyroid diseases, but for the most part you either secrete too little (hypothyroidism) or too much (hyperthyroidism.) Hyperthyroidism is a very dangerous condition in which rapid heart rate, weight loss and anxiety are key symptoms. It should also be noted that the standard blood test for thyroid output, called “TSH” (which stands for “thyroid stimulating hormone”, or the hormone secreted by the pituitary gland to signal the thyroid gland to do its job) did not detect my thyroid problem. Dr. Langer covers this and a multitude of other oversights the majority of doctors (including endocrinologists, supposed experts in this field) routinely make when ordering bloodwork.
You see, TSH levels can be ‘normal’ in a person with my condition—a condition that Dr. Langer feels is present in the vast majority of undiagnosed hypothyroidism called “Wilson’s Syndrome.” This is where the body produces plenty of T4 (inactive thyroid), which is supposed to be converted to T3 (active thyroid.) Therefore, TSH levels look normal…and they are. The thyroid gland is doing its job—secreting plenty of T4. The problem is that the T4 is not being converted to the active form of thyroid, T3. Therefore, the hormone that’s really responsible for metabolism and other nifty bodily functions is woefully low. In my case, I had the T3 levels of an 80-yearold! Not good.
Determining your thyroid health You should request the following bloodwork from your doctor: TSH, Reverse T3/T4 and Free/Total T3/T4. These tests may have different names, but they all tell you the same thing: how much active thyroid you have in your system. Only then can you be properly diagnosed as hypothyroid. Bare in mind that thyroid medication, once started, can rarely be stopped, as your thyroid gland basically shuts down. Therefore, if you, along with your physician, decide that thyroid meds are needed, be well aware of the fact that you’ll be taking those meds for life. I made that decision, and do not regret it in the least. There are natural means of boosting thyroid (like kelp and MACA, for instance), but I found that nothing worked except the real deal. You may find otherwise, so consider alternatives if your doctor thinks it’s wise to do so. MACA is the most promising of thyroid alternatives. This South American herb is touted to be a ‘wonder herb’ for all the body’s hormonal function. It’s worth a look—do a Google search online for MACA. One more word of advice—I would personally avoid drugs like Synthroid, Levoxyl, and other T4-oriented drugs and stick with good old Armour Thyroid. Many physicians do not prescribe Armour since the advent of “more sophisticated” medications. Expensive baloney, that’s what I say. I took Levoxyl for years with nothing more than an expensive credit card bill to show for it. Typical thyroid drugs are about $75-100 per month; Armour Thyroid is about $25 per month. Armour, unlike its synthetic counterparts, contains all elements of thyroid: T2, T3, T4, and T7. Doctors will tell you that T2 is ‘worthless’ medically-speaking, but new research shows that T2 may play a role in increasing muscle mass. A definite plus for Armour! The combination of T3 and T4 is what really does the trick, and it’s combined the way God intended versus the way the pharmaceutical companies did. Opt for the natural approach unless your physician has good reasons otherwise.
Nutrition and thyroid health As I previously mentioned, one of the reasons diets ‘stop working’ is due to downregulation of T4. Basically your thyroid checks out. Once T4 shuts down, T3 levels decrease, and bodyfat loss stops dead in its tracks. You also feel like death on a cracker to boot. This is not God’s nasty sense of humor—it’s your body’s way of protecting itself from starvation! That’s why starvation diets never work in the long haul. Fat loss is just like fat gain—a slow, methodical process. Fat gain is just a bit easier and a bit more fun, depending on your disposition. Then again, dying early and being obese isn’t that much fun! Therefore, it behooves you to keep your thyroid levels up while dieting by eating sufficient calories, eating regularly and by limiting the intake of foods that reduce thyroid output. Some green vegetables can reduce thyroid, but not significantly. However, soy (friendly to estrogen)
can drastically impact thyroid output, especially in hypothyroid patients. Limit soy intake to 25 grams per day. This solves the thyroid problems while giving you all the healthy benefits of soy.
Thyroid and disease So, is Dr. Langer correct? Is thyroid “the root of illness”? I don’t know…but I can tell you this. Almost every critical function in the body depends on thyroid. It would make sense that a lack of thyroid would lead to disease states. Check out Langer’s book and decide for yourself.
Leptin: The Key To Obesity Leptin is secreted by the fat cells, and signals the brain to “feed the cells” once depletion occurs. In naturally thin people, leptin levels are usually low. This means that the fat cells are either leptin-deprived or there’s simply not sufficient cellular volume to produce a lot of it. Don’t forget—fat cells are formed during the first few years after birth. You do not ‘grow’ fat cells…the merely become larger. Therefore, the smaller the cells, the more miniscule the levels of leptin become. Therefore, there is less of a message from the cells to be ‘fed’, and people stay lean. So, why is leptin being touted as a fat loss hormone? The reason is similar to insulin, and a bit complicated. Suffice to say that leptin can be used to treat obesity (at a whopping price tag) by simply encouraging the cells to produce less of it. After a while, the cells get the message and leptin dosages are decreased. The brain is satiated, and the individual consumes less food. There’s a better way!
Ways to naturally control leptin When you begin to lose fat, your body begins a process technically referred to as freaking out. I kid, but you know the feeling, don’t you? The body loves homeostasis, and prefers to “stay put” when it comes to fat and weight…at least when it comes to losing fat and weight. Gaining is not a problem for most of us. When fat is lost, leptin decreases. Yet leptin is a critical hormone for other bodily functions, so the cells attempt to overcompensate and produce more leptin to balance the equation. In obese people, this process is nearly flawless. Researches at Johns Hopkins have found that obese people can produce ten times the levels of leptin as found in lean subjects. This means a ten-fold increase in the desire to consume food, primarily food that feeds fat cells. If you’ll notice what most obese people eat, it’s rarely steak and eggs, unless it’s combined with tons of bread and butter! Most individuals, who are obese, or just over-fat, consume tons of simple sugars and fats mixed together. You brain knows that this is the best way to fatten you up—and fast! Just try to get fat off broccoli and chicken. Sure, you can do it, but it takes a lot of effort! The connection is to another old ‘friend’—insulin. Increased insulin causes an equal or greater increase in leptin. This is beyond critical when it comes to fat loss! You simply must control your insulin levels in order to get and stay lean. There’s no way around it. Therefore, your first step is to eat less refined carbs, moderate to low starchy carbs, plenty of fibrous veggies, and lean proteins. This will cause insulin to decrease to a trickle, unless you have a problem with your pancreas, and in turn your leptin levels will stay normal, or even decrease, as your fat cells shrink.
Another great find is that fish can decrease leptin levels. Tribes in Tanzania who lived closer to the ocean and consumed mostly fish were found to have drastically lower leptin levels than their vegetarian counterparts inland. While both groups weighed essentially the same, the lower leptin group would no-doubt fair better if they decided to lose bodyfat! You can consume tuna, white fish, or simply take DHA/EPA supplements. These are the omega 3 oils that are the root of all the healthy benefits of consuming fish—without the problem of mercury. Most fish is loaded with mercury. Tuna is the lowest on the mercury chain. Dave’s Tuna, available online (again) at www.davedraper.com, is by far the healthiest tuna on the planet. Less sugar, more fiber, and fish oil. There’s a natural way to not only control leptin, but also ensure that your body is well fed, well nourished, and ready to burn fat. I hope this special report shed some light on the fat-burning, muscle-making hormones that occur naturally in your body, and how you can maximize them. For more information, email me: jon@allyourstrength.com.