There are many reasons for that, one of which is the fact that the quality of your energy intake matters. 1000 calories of Twinkies is not 1000 calories of steak, no matter what idiotic single-food-focused diet you may choose to consume (see: Twinkie diet, cabbage soup, grapefruit, lemon-cayenne-maple syrup, et al).

I hope to help folks understand eventually that energy in vs energy out is not the only thing that determines body composition — your body’s response to a given food also makes a huge difference. (I’ll be harping on this a lot in future, so consider this a warning shot across the bow.)

An interesting, albeit small, recent study correlates protein quality to waist size. What is interesting here is that the researchers stipulate “quality protein”. What the heck does that mean?

Let me explain the concept of essential amino acids (EAAs).

Essential amino acids and protein quality

If there’s one thing Nature does real good, it’s make proteins. (Actually, Nature does lots of things real good.) Oh how organic systems love their proteins. You’re a big pile of protein, from your hair to your toenails.

The building blocks for proteins are amino acids. There are lots of amino acids out there. Sure, we love ‘em all, but there are some that we really need — these are known as essential amino acids. There are also amino acids that are conditionally essential, which means that sometimes we need them more than others. Frinstance, glutamine is a conditionally EAA — we need more of it during times of physical stress, which is why it’s often included in post-surgical nutrition.

Now, what you’re looking for in your diet is a good assortment of these EAAs, and generally (unless you have some kind of intolerance or genetic inability to metabolize certain AAs) getting some of the conditional AAs doesn’t hurt either. Bone broths, for instance, are rich in glycine. (And they taste great! So win-win.)

Some proteins are more equal essential than others

Problem is that not all protein sources are created equal.

Just because something “contains protein” does not mean that the protein source is optimal. Sure, we’re scavengers so we will grab ‘n’ go whatever we can get our greasy little protease enzymes on — we can extract protein from darn near anything edible.

But that protein may not be our best choice. Frinstance, vegetarians often opt for beans/legumes, grains, and nuts as protein sources. (And others of you like to delude yourself that peanut butter is a “good protein source”. Hey man, I get it. Nothing beats scooping out that buttery goodness and feeling morally righteous and nutritionally justified as the silky, sexy, salty, peanutty velvet melts into your soft palate. Unnnngghhh.)

Now, these protein sources aren’t “bad” or “wrong”. They’re just not optimal. Let’s compare.

Here’s a sample of protein ranking according to the PDCAAs score. (Don’t worry about the acronym. Just get the idea.) The PDCAA scores proteins on two things: our amino acid requirements, and how well we can digest these particular proteins.

The higher the number, the better-quality (for us) the protein in terms of giving us the amino acids that we need.

Lab vs real world

I should point out that theoretical digestibility doesn’t always correlate to real-life digestibility.

Although, for instance, whey and casein are highly ranked, many folks actually can’t digest dairy well, and in fact consuming casein/whey is a source of other health problems. Same deal with soy — if you rely on soy as your major protein source you are in for some serious issues. And of course, if you’ve read Fuck Calories, you’ll know how I feel about wheat.

Indeed, some researchers have pointed out that the PCDAAs may over-value certain foods if it looks only at amino acid availability, noting that the PCDAAs ignores the real-world protein quality of the “protein sources which may contain naturally occurring growth-depressing factors or antinutritional factors”.

What this means is that we have to look at the big picture: How does a given food actually behave in a real human body?

Also note that not all of these are whole foods. Casein, whey, and soy protein powders are industrially processed foods that require an elaborate production chain. You know my thoughts on industrially processed foods, which is that in general we should avoid most of them. And unless we’re hardcore bodybuilders, we don’t just eat “casein”, we usually eat something like “cottage cheese”, which contains both whey and casein.

But anyway, just get the general picture here. Some foods are higher in essential amino acids than others. This is what the researchers mean by “quality protein”. More EAAs per gram of food, better protein quality.

Better protein quality means a leaner body?

The Coles Notes version here is that a higher intake of quality proteins is correlated with a smaller waist size, and by inference a leaner body.

Now, you could say the sample is too small to be of use, and that this effect is simply correlation not causation, and you would be correct on both counts from a methodological standpoint. But this general trend  (abundant protein = you get lean & strong) has been confirmed across a zillion other studies.

So again, let’s talk lab vs. real world. I can tell you from my observation of hundreds of clients (yes, real people in the real world, just like you) that it’s very, very hard to get lean and strong, to stay robustly healthy, and to perform well athletically on a low-quality, low protein diet. Period. There are always a few rare outliers who claim to kick ass while living on twigs and sprouts, and more power to ‘em. Likely, those folks are not you.

Conversely, for most folks it’s a lot easier to feel energetic, full, and psychologically satisfied — and get lean — on a diet that includes lots of high-quality protein. Mo’ protein, no problems.

If you don’t incorporate high-quality protein sources into your diet (and let’s be honest, I mean eating something that is an animal or was made by an animal), you’ll likely find it more challenging to get and stay as lean, healthy, and strong as you would like, and you’ll have to rely more on heavily processed foods such as protein powders to bring your intake up to snuff.

Feeling all a-Twitter about this post? Why not chat about it on my Facebook page?

Here’s the job ad in full:

WORKING FOR PRECISION NUTRITION
——————————-

Couple of quick notes on how we do things at PN:

* We pay in the top 10% in the world for each position
* Four weeks vacation, full benefits and the ability to work remotely
included

We’re looking for good people who are among the best in their
respective fields, and we compensate accordingly.

JOBS AVAILABLE
————–

*Web Developer (Full-Time Position)*
We’re looking for a bright and easy-to-get-along-with candidate to
join our web and application development team, help manage the website
and develop the the cutting-edge nutrition coaching and research
software that underpins all we do at PN.

* Focus: user interface design and front-end web development
* Primary tools: HTML / CSS / Javascript
* 3 years of professional experience required
* Experience with mobile development, graphic design and database
design definite pluses.

*Nutrition Coach – Lean Eating For Men (Full-Time Position)*
Our PN coaches are the best online nutrition coaches in the world.
And we’re looking to add an additional male coach to our team.
Requirements for the position include all of the following:

* Graduate degree (Masters/PhD) in exercise/nutrition/psychology
* Certification with PN (or the willingness to become certified)
* Experience as a nutrition coach or trainer
* High competency with desktop and web applications
* Excellent communication skills using the internet
* An interest in working with men of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds

Note: this position is done exclusively online.  So only apply if
you’re prepared to work in this way.

*Nutrition Coach – Lean Eating For Women (Full-Time Position)*
Our PN coaches are the best online nutrition coaches in the world.
And we’re looking to add an additional female coach to our team.
Requirements for the position include all of the following:

* Graduate degree (Masters/PhD) in exercise/nutrition/psychology
* Certification with PN (or the willingness to become certified)
* Experience as a nutrition coach or trainer
* High competency with desktop and web applications
* An interest in working with women of all shapes, sizes, and ages

Note: this position is done exclusively online.  So only apply if
you’re prepared to work in this way.

*Feature Writer/Storyteller (Full-Time Position)*
PN communicates primarily through the written word.  So we’re looking
for an experienced writer and storyteller to help us tell the amazing
stories of our company, our team, and our clients.  Requirements for
the position include all of the following:

*Experience working for a major print (magazine/news) publication
*Portfolio of 10 or more articles in a major print publication
*Portfolio of 10 or more articles in a major online publication
*Strong references from previous editors and/or employers

Note: we’re not necessarily looking for fitness writers.  We’re
looking for true storytellers who can tell engaging, entertaining and
empathetic stories about the transformation experiences of our
clients, and about the good work PN is doing in the world.  That’s
why experience plus a strong portfolio is a must.  In fact, should
you decide to apply, please submit your portfolio pieces (above)
along with your resume and cover letter.

LIFE AT PRECISION NUTRITITON
—————————-

Keep in mind, at Precision Nutrition, we offer you the ability to:

*Make your own work schedule.*
At PN, you’re measured by what you produce, not by the time you spend
at work.  Work when you want, from where you want.  As long as your
work gets done, and done superbly, you have the freedom to set your
own schedule.

*Work from home.*
If you’re in Toronto, our home town, great.  If not, no worries.  Many
of our employees work exclusively from home, from all over the world.

*Work in the fitness and nutrition industry.*
We love exercise, we love nutrition, and we love sport.  That’s why we
started this company.  If you do too, you’ll appreciate how rare it is
to do a job you really love.  For active, fit people, Precision
Nutrition is that opportunity.

*Work with fun, bright and truly talented people.*
We’re a small company, and we’re picky about who we work with, because
to us, this isn’t just a job — it’s our life.  So as a result, we’ve
put together a small group of cool, exceptional people.  And in our
opinion, that’s a very welcome departure from the large faceless
corporations we’ve all worked for.

Interested in one of these positions? Send us a resume and a cover
letter detailing why you’re the perfect fit for the position.  You can
reach us at info@precisionnutrition.com.

(Applicants for the storyteller position must also include portfolio,
as outlined above).

Know someone else that might be interested?  Do us a favor and spread
the word to your network.  And make sure they mention your name as the
person who referred them.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

JB

John M. Berardi, PhD, CSCS
Chief Science Officer

Precision Nutrition Inc.
1 Yonge Street, Suite 1801
Toronto, ON  M5E 1W7

If you’ve taken my advice and gotten your busted ass into the gym…

…there – did you survive?

Can you make it through another day? Or did you succumb to complications of terminal self-consciousness and the shame of looking like a goof?

Don’t be fooled by my intoxicating internet charisma and love of dirty jokes – in life, I’m actually quite shy, and like most shy people, I find the thought of being stared at or laughed at positively mortifying. That can make working out in public especially challenging – my body moves differently than most bodies, which tends to attract attention.

And while that attention is almost always kind and well-intentioned, hearing “Are you doing OK, ma’am?” from the sweet little knock-kneed freshman pressing 50 lbs on the next bench over kinda deflates my fantasy of looking like Grace Jones in Conan the Destroyer. Or maybe Lou Ferrigno, with better hair.

Of course, self-consciousness isn’t just the domain of the crippled. Really, anyone whose body looks different – very large or very small, older, in some way not like the manic spandexed Hitler Youth that seem to populate most gym ads – can feel a bit intimidated or awkward in the gym, especially when just getting started.

Thing is, the best way to shake that self-consciousness – the best way I’ve found, at any rate – is to confront it head-on by doing something that looks bizarre and letting the normals stare. Making a spectacle of yourself, in other words.

So, with that in mind, I’ve decided to share a few of my favorite ridiculous exercises for crips and gimps and other weirdos.

The “equipment” for each is cheap or free, and especially beneficial to crippled folks. The “exercises” are silly and fun and they will kick your ass. I have (oh GOD) included pictures to illustrate. Caveat: I’m no expert in wellness or exercise or anything else, so if you wanna try any of the dumb shit I do, please be careful.

Ball Smackin’

Whatcha need: A SOFT medicine ball, like the one here. This one’s 10 lbs, but they come lighter and heavier. I got this one for $15 on sale.

Whatcher gonna do: While sitting, toss the ball as high as you can and catch it as high as you can. When you catch it, slam it to the ground. (If you do it right, your cat should walk out of the room in disgust.)

Alternatively, try tossing as you squat (how’s that for eloquence?). (Don’t knock over the Christmas tree, or you’ll get yelled at – trust me.)

Crip Approved: Because the ball is soft, it won’t hurt you the way a traditional dumbbell or kettleball will if you accidentally hit yourself with it or drop it on yourself. I’ve bashed myself in the face with this sucker plenty of times and gotten only light bruises at worst – a dumbbell would have broken my nose.

What else can you do with it? Any exercise you’d do with the same weight dumbbell: throw and catch with a partner, terrify your pets, etc.

Lowridin’

Whatcha need: A box big enough to kneel in comfortably. Boxes are available at packing stores, warehouses, and fine liquor stores throughout the country.

Whatcher gonna do: Kneel in the box, lean forward, stretch arms and place hands on the floor in front of you, pull self across the floor. (Purple fedora optional, but recommended.)

This is also a fun one to take outside and use to scare folks at the park. (“Ooh, I gotta make it to the swings before Jimmy Tennerman or else I’ll never get a turn!”)

Crip Approved: This is great for when your legs are too weak or sloppy to use safely. Plus, you’re already on the floor, so you needn’t worry about falling.

What else can you do with it? Fill it with something heavy for lifts, get a bunch and have a box fight with a partner, bring your groceries home from Costco.

Frankenstein’s Monster

Whatcha need: A rig and a tree. This rig is something called a speed trainer – I picked it up on clearance for $20. You can also make your own rig with bungees/resistance bands and a weight belt (tie bungees/bands into a long rope, tie one end of your bungee/band rope to tree, put on weight belt backwards – flat part over your stomach, buckle in the back – and tie the other end of your rope to the belt).

Whatcher gonna do: Run/walk/shuffle away from the tree as fast as you can. As you get further away, the resistance of your rope will increase, making it harder to stay on your feet.

(“Are you saying that I put an abnormal brain into a seven and a half foot long, fifty-four inch wide GORILLA? Is that what you’re telling me?!”)

Crip Approved: Walking with any sort of resistance is great for both strength and balance, and with this the resistance increases gradually, allowing you to rest or move as slowly as you need to.

What else can you do with it? Turn around and play tug-o-war, construct an ill-advised but really cool giant catapult.

There you have it, my lovelies – some activities sure to help you get strong and entertain your audience all at the same time.

Because honestly, that’s what your self-consciousness really is: stage fright. Not the fear that people are looking at you but the fear that they don’t like what they see.

If you look different, for whatever reason, folks are going to look at you – you’re always going to have an audience. So you’d better give them a good show, hadn’t you?

“To reach my lifting goals I have to believe in myself, which feels the polar opposite of setting a weight loss goal…

The new me, the one that can squat 200 pounds, comes with a bonus that the post-weight-loss-goal skinny me didn’t come with: an unshakable conviction that I can make anything happen. While I surely feel strong and powerful because I can take on 200 pounds and win, my real strength and power lie in knowing that I can overcome fear and accomplish a serious goal. If I can do that, what can’t I do?”

YEAH BUDDY! Read the rest here.

She transformed her geeky childhood love of Rollerskating into a roller derby league and a book, Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track, written in what’s described on Amazon as a “mouthy, tough-as-nails style”. (You see why I like her?)

She didn’t stop there. The former “chubby nerd” found Crossfit, got lean and powerful, and transformed her family’s love of food into a beautiful, accessible, easy-to-use Primal cookbook, Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat, available in softcover and e-book format.

In this interview, we chat about the book as well as things like:

• Mel’s childhood dorkitude
• her struggles to lose weight and manage her thyroid issues
• silly diet tricks
• how to transition to eating healthy
• why eating Primal means you say an exuberant, lovin’ “yes” to certain foods (rather than “no” to others)
• how to navigate healthy eating with your family — especially how to maintain your family’s ethnic heritage
• how to stop worrying and learn to love food again

Tune in now!

>> Download MP3

And then check out Well Fed and Mel’s blog!

I know the word “paleo” in the title is probably what compelled you to choose this cookbook over others, which means you probably care about your health. I’m very glad! But my mission isn’t to clobber you with the healthfulness of the recipes in this book.

My mission is to inspire you with stories and tempt you with recipes that will make you want to smash in your face with joy.
–Well Fed intro

Mel, doing what she does best

If you’re looking for last-minute Xmas gifts (just tell your loved ones that you spent $100 for the “limited electronic edition”), this is perfect.

Check out Coaches Jason Bonn and Krista Schaus surprising the winners with their $10,000 cheques, and read what the finalists say about their Lean Eating experiences.

“This book is about women, sports, and happiness. How the confidence women build in sport translates into the rest of their lives. How the challenges they face by participating in a sport, and the way they meet those challenges, translates into greater strength and the ability to overcome the obstacles in their lives outside of sports; and how their achievements in sports translate into happy lives.

This is a book about the courage it takes to challenge ourselves in how we live our lives.”
—Mina Samuels

In her thoughtful, inspiring work Run Like a Girl: How Strong Women Make Happy Lives, author and athlete Mina Samuels explores the ways in which sports and physical activity can change women’s bodies, spirits, and lives for the better — the ways in which we can all (regardless of our body shape, size, and ability) benefit from movement and physical empowerment.

She illustrates the book with her own story as well as the stories of many other women. In this podcast, I chat with her about the issues her book raises.

	>>Download MP3

SP writes with painful juicy honesty about her “journey of imperfection” and resilience, and was the third-place winner of the Stumptuous Fitness Model contest. Like all of us, she’s had her ups and downs, and also like all of us, does a lot of… ahem… experiential learning in nutrition, health, fitness, and life in general.

Which is why she’s awesome. So, please: enjoy.

–Mistress K

A Couple Good Reasons (and One Bad One) to Drag Your Crippled Ass to the Gym

…Or to the park or the track or wherever you like to get physical – I’m a weight-room girl myself, but it doesn’t matter where you like to get active, just that you’re doing something fun and challenging, something you want to do.

Ah, but that’s the trick, isn’t it? Getting able-bodied people to want to is hard enough, but making physical activity appealing to us crippled folks can be an even bigger pain in the ass. We have concerns that are not adequately addressed by exhortations to exercise solely for the sake of health (a word that be pretty loaded), and we have a hard time finding images of folks like us in ads for gyms and workout gear.

It can start to feel like physical activity is just not something crippled folks should be pursuing, and I think that sucks.

I’m talking to you, crippled reader: I want to get your ass in the gym. So, I’m going to say a few things about WOWC (working out while crippled) that you may not have thought of, and hopefully they will encourage you and I will manage to be helpful and not just obnoxious.

For the record: I’m a 32 year old woman with multiple sclerosis. My experiences are, of course, bound by the particular quirks of my own crippled body and may not always be representative of yours – we are each of us God’s unique, crippled little snowflakes, and what works for me may not always work for you.

And for the record: I use words like “crippled” a lot – this bothers some people. If you’re one of those people, I’m sorry.

Also: CRIPPLED! CRIPPLED! CRIPPLED! CRIPPLED! CRIPPLED!

Ok, you ready? Good. Now, first of all:

You’re not that delicate, princess.

“Oh no,” a friend said of my blackened shin and raw-hamburger knee. “What the hell happened?”

“It’s nothing! I just fell!” I said, and her eyes got wet and wide.

“Oh honey,” she said, collapsing onto my chest for a hug. “I’m so sorry.”

“I think I’ll survive,” I said, baffled, and spit out a lock of her hair. An aside to whatever god made me: Why are all my female friends shorter than me? And why does their hair love to send tentacles into my mouth like horny octopi? Jeeze.

People can be very reluctant to encourage physical activity for the sick and crippled folks they love. It’s perfectly understandable – you’re already kinda broken, they don’t want you to break further – but it can be a hindrance for the crippled beginner who is already nervous about taking on new physical challenges.

It’s also perfectly understandable for you to be afraid to hurt yourself, and when your fear meets the fears others have for you, it tends to grow. If your loved ones see your health as so fragile, so easily shattered, it’s hard not to feel the same way, and that can stop you before you start.

Good thing that’s horseshit.

You are not a vase or Gutenberg Bible or a gimpy little veal – you do not need to be stowed away in a box for protection.

On the contrary, you probably endure, on a daily basis, a level of pain and difficulties that most folks don’t (and that many don’t even notice). Activities that able-bodied folks can perform without thinking (getting the mail, taking a shower) require the care and meticulous planning of a casino robbery. You bust your ass just to get through the day.

You’re tough, in other words, and you can take it. Be smart and be honest with yourself about what you can do, be thoughtful and careful, but don’t live in fear of damaging your tender self. Yep, getting active means you might hurt yourself, but I’m not being flip when I say that can be a gift.

Getting hurt and recovering reminds you of how resilient your body is, and how tough you are. These are good things to remember.

Another good thing:

Cripples and athletes are BFFs.

(and that title is not meant to imply any sort of division between cripple and athlete – there are scads of crippled athletes out there kicking ass every day – but to reassure the crippled beginner who is not yet comfortable identifying as an athlete)

I wouldn’t have thought so when I was getting started, but serious athletes (amateur and professional alike) tend to be far more understanding and supportive than the general public. I’ve had people honk and yell at me from their cars for taking too long to shuffle across the street (with cane at my side, no less), but when I was dragging my crippled ass through Warrior Dash a few weeks ago, not one person complained about me holding them up or being too slow to get past an obstacle.

A woman at a café once stage-whispered to a friend that watching me add cream to my coffee with trembling hands was “disgusting and sad” (why she was watching me doctor my coffee at all is a mystery – I usually don’t stare at people in public unless I think I’ve seen them in a porno, and even then, I have the good taste to be discreet).

But in the gym, men who could snap me in half like a Kit-Kat will approach me to offer their shy admiration of my overhead press. The camaraderie I’ve developed with able-bodied gym rats is as welcome as it is surprising.

Athletes know what it is to push one’s body hard, to fight through pain and weariness. They respect you for doing it – even if it looks weird, even if it’s slow or sloppy. That being said…

It’s not going to cure you.

Most anyone with a chronic illness has, at one point or another, benefitted from the stunning reservoir of cutting-edge medical knowledge that friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances, strangers, grocery store check-out clerks, fellow bus riders, beauty school dropouts, and recently paroled arsonists moving in to the apartment downstairs all seem to have at their fingertips.

“Just don’t eat dairy, and you’ll be fine,” says a woman you once had to dissuade from using a butter knife to dig a wad of gum out of an electrical outlet.

“You need to start drinking raw milk,” says a man you’ve met that day, whose name you’re still not sure of (was it Jerry or Gary? Terry? Oh jeeze, this is why I don’t go to parties) and whose cologne makes your eyes water.

“There’s a doctor in Bolivia who’s curing people with bee stings,” says the guy who delivers your paper, “but you have to believe, or it won’t work.” He then excuses himself to go to his second job: selling baggies of oregano to gullible kids down at the middle school.

The sheer volume of unsolicited advice sick people get (and the arrogant tone in which it’s often delivered, as if your illness developed from laziness or stupidity) can be overwhelming. That’s bad enough, but I’m speaking from personal experience when I say that such advice can also break your heart. Being sick can make you desperate, and desperate people are willing to believe and try some pretty crazy shit. When that crazy shit doesn’t work, it’s devastating.

That’s why it’s important for me to be clear about this: getting active is not going to cure you. It may help your illness or disability – it may help a lot – but it also may not, and you, my beloved crippled snowflake, need to understand that and accept it.

The gym is not going to cure you. So why even bother?

Because your body is just like everybody else’s.

It can be hard to remember because your illness or disability sometimes feels like your body’s defining characteristic, but remember that your body is, in the ways that matter, the same a everybody else’s. It wants to move, to act with purpose and focus and silliness and joy.

Your body does not care that it can’t do the same things other bodies can, or that it moves differently, or that other people might think it looks weird – it just wants to do what it can do, whatever that may be. What’s different about you is not nearly so important as what’s the same.

Your body, just like everybody else’s body, wants to be used. Use it.

For more information check out: spezzatino.com/potluck2011