The 4-Hour Body Part 12

10:37 P.M P.M.

* 2 heaping tbsp Athletic Greens in water (86 kcal)

*10:40 P.M P.M.

* PAGG (discussed later) * 60 standing band pulls

*11:10 P.M P.M.

* Poo

11:37 P.M P.M.

* Peanut cookie, 40 g (189 kcal) * Nutter b.u.t.ter package, small (250 kcal) Total = 439 kcal

2:15 A.M A.M.

* Bedtime/face plant

For a grand total of...drum roll, please...6,214.4 calories in 12 hours.

Based on basal metabolic rate (BMR) calculations that took into account my lean ma.s.s vs. fat ma.s.s at the time, my BMR for 24 hours was approximately 1,764.87 calories, which would make my 12-hour BMR 882.4 calories.

There are two things we need to add to this: the 20-minute moderate-intensity weight lifting session (80 calories maximum, which we'll use here) and walking.

I walked approximately 16 flat blocks and one mild uphill block during that period of time, which adds no more than 110 calories in this case, given the 1.4-mile distance at 2 miles per hour speed and 168 pounds bodyweight. I otherwise avoided movement and standing whenever possible, with the exception of the brief air squats. Twenty minutes of lifting + walking = 190 calories. Let's call it 200.

Using this math, I still consumed 6.8 times my resting metabolic rate in my 12-hour quest for fatness. I still consumed 6.8 times my resting metabolic rate in my 12-hour quest for fatness.

So what happened? Let's look at my body fat and weight measurements, which were taken using the BodyMetrix ultrasound device, and the average of three separate weighings: Sat.u.r.day, August 29, 2009 (the morning of the binge): 9.9% bodyfat at 169 poundsMonday, August 31, 2009 (48 hours later): 9.6% bodyfat at 165 pounds WTF?.

Now let's look at how I did it.

The Lost Art of Bingeing Sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner or b.u.t.ter cookies at Christmas?

Sounds like a binge. That, in and of itself, doesn't need to mean horrible guilt and extra fat rolls afterward. If you plan ahead of time and understand a little science, it's possible to minimize the damage. I eat whatever I want every Sat.u.r.day, and I follow specific steps to minimize fat gain during this overfeeding.

In basic terms our goal is simple: to have as much of the c.r.a.p ingested either go into muscle tissue or out of the body unabsorbed.

I do this by focusing on three principles: PRINCIPLE #1: MINIMIZE THE RELEASE OF INSULIN, A STORAGE HORMONE.

Insulin release is minimized by blunting sharp jumps in blood sugar: 1. Ensure that your first meal of the day is not a binge meal. Make it high in protein (at least 30 grams) and insoluble fiber (legumes will handle this). The protein will decrease your appet.i.te for the remainder of the binge and prevent total self-destruction. The fiber will be important later to prevent diarrhea. In total, this can be a smallish meal of 300500 calories.

2. Consume a small quant.i.ty of fructose, fruit sugar, in grapefruit juice before the second meal, which is the first c.r.a.p meal. Even small fructose dosing has an impressive near-flat-lining effect on blood glucose.7 I could consume this at the first meal, but I prefer to combine the naringin in grapefruit juice with coffee, as it extends the effects of caffeine. I could consume this at the first meal, but I prefer to combine the naringin in grapefruit juice with coffee, as it extends the effects of caffeine.

3. Use supplements that increase insulin sensitivity: AGG (part of PAGG) and PAGG (covered in the next chapter next chapter). The example intake in this chapter is quite mild, so I dosed only twice. If I'm going whole hog, I will have another PAGG dose upon waking. This reduces the amount of insulin the pancreas releases in spite of mild or severe glucose surges. Think of it as insurance.

4. Consume citric juices, whether lime juice squeezed into water, lemon juice on food, or a beverage like the citrus kombucha I had.

PRINCIPLE #2: INCREASE THE SPEED OF GASTRIC EMPTYING, OR HOW QUICKLY FOOD EXITS THE STOMACH.

Bingeing is a rare circ.u.mstance where I want the food (or some of it) to pa.s.s through my gastrointestinal tract so quickly that its const.i.tuent parts aren't absorbed well.

I accomplish this primarily through caffeine and yerba mate tea, which includes the additional stimulants theobromine (found in dark chocolate) and theophylline (found in green tea). I consume 100200 milligrams of caffeine, or 16 ounces of cooled yerba mate, at the most c.r.a.p-laden meals. My favorite greens supplement, "Athletic Greens" (mentioned in the schedule) doesn't contain caffeine but will also help.

Does this really work? Taking the goodies from taste buds to toilet without much storage in between?8 More than a few people have told me it's pure science fiction.

Too much information (TMI) warning: I disagree, and for good reason. Rather than debate meta-studies, I simply weighed my poo. Identical volumes of food on and off the protocol. On protocol = much more poo ma.s.s (same consistency, hence the importance of fiber) = less absorption = fewer chocolate croissants that take up residence on my abs. Simple but effective? Perhaps. Good to leave out of first-date conversation? Definitely. I disagree, and for good reason. Rather than debate meta-studies, I simply weighed my poo. Identical volumes of food on and off the protocol. On protocol = much more poo ma.s.s (same consistency, hence the importance of fiber) = less absorption = fewer chocolate croissants that take up residence on my abs. Simple but effective? Perhaps. Good to leave out of first-date conversation? Definitely.

On to one of the cooler aspects of this whole craziness: GLUT-4.

PRINCIPLE #3: ENGAGE IN BRIEF MUSCULAR CONTRACTION THROUGHOUT THE BINGE.

For muscular contractions, my default options are air squats, wall presses (tricep extensions against a wall), and chest pulls with an elastic band, as all three are portable and can be done without causing muscle trauma that screws up training. The latter two can be performed by anyone, even those who have difficulty walking.

But why the h.e.l.l would you want to do 6090 seconds of funny exercises a few minutes before you eat and, ideally, again about 90 minutes afterward?

Short answer: because it brings glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT-4) to the surface of muscle cells, opening more gates for the calories to flow into. The more muscular gates we have open before insulin triggers the same GLUT-4 on the surface of fat cells, the more we can put in muscle instead of fat.

Longer answer: [image]

[image]GLUT-4 has been studied most intensely for the last 15 years or so, as it became clear around 1995 that exercise and insulin appear to activate (translocate) GLUT-4 through different but overlapping signaling pathways. This was exciting to me, as it meant it might be possible to use exercise to beat meal-induced insulin release to the punch-to preemptively flip the switch on the biological train tracks so that food (glucose) is preferentially siphoned to muscle tissue.

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But how much contraction is enough? It turns out, at least with animals, that much less is needed than was once thought. In one fascinating j.a.panese study with rats, high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIT) (20-second sprints 14 sets, with 10 seconds of rest between sets) was compared to low-intensity prolonged exercise (LIT) (six hours of extended exercise) over eight days.

The surprising result? Bolding is mine: In conclusion, the present investigation demonstrated that 8 days of HIT lasting only 280 seconds. .h.i.t lasting only 280 seconds elevated both GLUT-4 content and maximal glucose transport activity in rat skeletal muscle to a level elevated both GLUT-4 content and maximal glucose transport activity in rat skeletal muscle to a level similar to that attained after LIT ["Low-Intensity Training" of six hours a session], similar to that attained after LIT ["Low-Intensity Training" of six hours a session], which has been considered a tool to increase GLUT-4 content maximally which has been considered a tool to increase GLUT-4 content maximally.

Compared to a control, GLUT-4 content in the muscle was increased 83% with 280 seconds of HIT vs. 91% with six hours of LIT.

Now, of course, animal models don't always have a direct transfer to humans. But I wondered: what if 280 seconds was all it took? This thought produced even more questions: Do we have to get the 280 seconds all at once, or can they be spread out?Is 280 seconds really the magic number, or could even fewer seconds trigger the same effect?Is it even plausible that 6090 seconds of moderate contractions could have a meaningful impact?

To attempt to answer these questions, I contacted researcher after researcher on three continents, including GLUT-4 specialists at the Muscle Biology Laboratory at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

The short answer was: it did appear plausible.

The most important research insight came from Dr. Gregory D. Cartee and Katsuhiko Funai: The insulin-independent effect of exercise begins to reverse minutes after exercise cessation with most or all of the increase lost within 14 hours. A much more persistent effect is improved insulin sensitivity that is often found approximately 24 hours and as long as 12 days after acute exercise.

I started with 60120 seconds total of air squats and wall tricep extensions immediately prior to eating main courses. For additional effect, I later tested doing another 6090 seconds approximately one and a half hours after finishing the main courses, when I expected blood glucose to be highest based on experiments with glucometers.9 Exercises are best done in a restroom stall and not at the table. If you can't leave the table, get good at isometric (without moving) contraction of your legs. Try to look casual instead of constipated.

It takes some practice.

In China, I was taught a rhyming proverb: Fan hu bi bu zu, neng huo dao ji shi ji Fan hu bi bu zu, neng huo dao ji shi ji [ [[image]]. If you take 100 steps after each meal, you can live to be 99 years old.

Could it be that the Chinese identified the effect of GLUT-4 translocation hundreds, even thousands, of years before scientists formalized the mechanism? It's possible. More likely: they just liked rhyming.

In all cases, if you do 6090 seconds of contraction after each meal (and a bit before, ideally), you might live to see your abs.

Don't forget the air squats.

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I aim for 3050 repet.i.tions of each of the following: [image]

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Cissus quadrangularis (CQ) is an indigenous medicinal plant of India.

It is a newcomer in mainstream supplementation, usually prescribed for joint repair. In July 2009, I experimented with high-dose CQ following elbow surgery due to a staph infection. Unexpectedly, used in combination with PAGG, it seemed to have synergistic anti-obesity and anabolic (muscle growth) effects. Upon performing a second literature review of its use in Ayurvedic medicine and fracture repair, it became clear that there were implications for preventing fat gain during overfeeding.

Rural China, where I continued experimentation with CQ, provided high-volume rice meals combined with sweets at mandatory sit-down meals, 35 times per day. It was the perfect fat-gaining environment.

CQ preserved my abs. I saw measurable fat-loss and anabolic effects once I reached 2.4 grams (2,400 milligrams), three times per day 30 minutes prior to meals, for a total of 7.2 grams per day. Is that the magic dose? I had approximately 160 pounds (72.7 kilograms) of lean bodyma.s.s, so there might be a trigger at 45 milligrams per pound lean bodyma.s.s, or it could be an absolute effective dose regardless of bodyweight. Until long-term side-effect studies are done at these higher doses, I don't suggest exceeding 7.2 grams per day.

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In Beijing, after three weeks of eating like a Peking pig.

For those who can afford it, I believe CQ is very effective for minimizing unwanted fat gain while overfeeding. Until more human studies are done, I don't plan on continuous use, but I will use it during 812 week growth cycles, on "off" days, or after joint sprains.

Kevin Rose, one of my traveling companions during our three-week trip, lamented, "Glenn and I were getting fatter and fatter, while this f*cker was getting ripped. What the h.e.l.l?!"

One friend, a serial CTO, referred to cissus quadrangularis as the "morning-after pill" for diet after seeing me chase peanut b.u.t.ter ice cream and brownies with it.

CQ works.

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Why is obesity so much more common today than it was even a few decades ago?

Researchers are starting to find bacterial clues that may point to an answer. There has been a profound shift in our populations of gut bacteria-the little creatures that live in our digestive tracts-and studies show the changes as correlated with increased fatness.

There are actually 10 times more bacterial cells in your body than human cells: 100 trillion of them to 10 trillion of you. For the most part, these bugs help us, improving our immune system, providing vitamins, and preventing other harmful bacteria from infecting us. These bacteria also regulate how well we harvest energy from our food.

So far, two primary strains of bacteria have been found to influence fat absorption, almost regardless of diet: Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. Lean people have more Bacteroidetes and fewer Firmicutes; obese people have more Firmicutes and fewer Bacteroidetes. As obese people lose weight, the ratio of bacteria in their gut swings confidently over to more Bacteroidetes.

This finding has significant enough implications for national health that the National Inst.i.tutes of Health (NIH) launched the multi-year Human Microbiome Project in late 2007. It is like a Human Genome Project for bacteria and intended to explore how some of the 40,000+ species of micro-friends (and fiends) are affecting our health and how we might modify them to help us more.

This could take some time, but you don't need to wait to act. There are a few things you can do now to cultivate healthy and fat-reducing gut flora: 1. Get off the Splenda. A 2008 study at Duke University found that giving Splenda to rats significantly decreased the amount of helpful bacteria in the gut. Once again, the fake sugars turn out just as bad as, if not worse than, the real deal. A 2008 study at Duke University found that giving Splenda to rats significantly decreased the amount of helpful bacteria in the gut. Once again, the fake sugars turn out just as bad as, if not worse than, the real deal.