It’s a bit of a pain to type right now seeing as the index finger on my right hand is about double its normal size…

I sprained it (the metacarpalphalangeal joint to be specific) a week ago sparring not because my right cross is overly powerful but because the sparring gloves I was using were a piece of crap. They seem to channel all force through the one knuckle.

Therefore, I highly recommend against cheap (Title Platinum) sparring gloves unless you enjoy typing with a bag of peas secured to your finger to keep the swelling down.

That’s what I get for being cheap – damn you Chinese genetics!

A couple of days ago I picked up a pair of Top Ten Superfight gloves before my last sparring session. Even though my finger was already in pain, I was no worse for wear afterwards. Highly recommended!

Anyway, I’d been meaning to write this post up but have put it off due to the finger and also because I’ve been very busy dealing with Amanda who just won her first fight at the Canadian Nationals tournament – 2 more to go!

Now, what I want to talk to you today is about fat loss nutrition science.

I haven’t talked a lot about nutrition lately, focusing more on training, but nutrition is at least 50% of the performance puzzle.

When you’re in your 20’s, you can get away with eating like crap and your body might not show much for it and it might not even impact your performance that much.

With that being said, if you were to clean up your eating, who knows how explosive and energetic you’d be…

The thing is, as you age, nutrition becomes more and more important.

Our bodies simply can’t deal with crap all day long and will rebel, just like your girlfriend would if all you ever did was go hang out with your buddies. Trust me, I’ve been there. 🙂

Now the reason why I’m talking about fat loss specifically here is because your body tells me how you’re doing with your nutrition.

Your Body Has No Mechanism For Lying

You can talk all day about how well you eat but if you’ve got a thick layer of insulation covering your abs or you’ve been considering getting fitted for a sports bra (manzeer or BRO for you Seinfeld fans), then it’s time to listen up and clean it up.

Before we continue, I’ve got one question…

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Thanks for voting…

Now, there’s a lot of hype and hoopla surrounding fat loss on the net, in magazines, on TV and even in the academic world, too.

Because of this, I want to clear up one of the most popular myths that is still hanging around today about fat loss: the myth that FAT makes you FAT.

Yes, it’s true – fat DOES NOT make you fat.

Nor does it negatively impact your cholesterol.

Real, natural fat, that is.

But trans fat will make you fat. Or kill you. Probably both.

Read those 4 sentences above again, just to make sure you get this important point.

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Need actual proof?

Well I say good for you!

Don’t just believe whatever some guy behind a keyboard typing with a bag of peas elastic banded to his finger says.

That would be stupid.

So let’s talk scientific proof.

This study compared obese women separated into 2 groups:

“One group of dieters was instructed to follow an ad libitum diet with a maximum intake of 20 g carbohydrate/d… After 2 wk of dieting, subjects were permitted to increase their intake of carbohydrate to 40–60 g/d only if self-testing of urinary ketones continued to indicate ketosis… The other group of dieters was instructed on a calorie-restricted, moderately low fat diet with a recommended macronutrient distribution of 55% carbohydrate, 15% protein, and 30% fat.”

The important point is that those following the low carb diet could eat as much of whatever else they wanted, as long as they kept their carb intake to certain levels.

The study lasted for 6 months and here’s a graph showing the results:

You can also see that from 3 to 6 months, the low calorie/low fat group started gaining weight again.

Speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

Now, that’s great, we’ve got some scientific proof showing fat doesn’t make you fat.

“Sure, fat might not make me fat, but won’t it give me a heart attack?”

Good question.

I’m sick of science. I want to look at something more interesting. Let’s look at some trends.

Just remember that when looking at these trends, I’m not implying causation, but you can make your own conclusions based on the facts.

Before 1920, heart disease was rare in America.

From 1910 – 1970, butter consumption declined from 18 pounds per person per year to 4 pounds.

If saturated fat were the cause of heart disease, reducing butter this much should’ve made a big difference, right?

But in that same time period, heart disease went from being rare to the leading cause of death among Americans!

Oh and in that same period, the consumption of vegetable oils in the form of margarine and refined oils increased 400% and sugar and processed foods increased 60%. Overall fat intake declined.

In reading this, what are your conclusions?

I know what mine are: natural fat from things like butter are OK while refined oils, sugar and processed foods will kill me.

There’s a ton of science backing this up, like this study, and this one, but like I said, sometimes I just get sick of the science.

Because the only studies that really matter are the studies you perform on yourself.

No matter what the research study is, it doesn’t take into account the differences of each and every individual.

You, my friend, are a unique individual with unique needs.

So my recommendation, despite everything I’ve said here, is to drop any dogma and instead, be your own lab rat.

Make your best educated guess as to what might work for your goals.

If fat loss is your goal, you’ve got a simple blueprint to follow up above.

Then, make a plan and stick to it. Observe the results. If it worked, keep going. If not, try something else.

Easy peasy!

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Got a plan?

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