Is the body in the photo at left the new look for today’s man? If so, it appears that MD and I may have missed the boat yet again.
It seems as though we possess a positive genius for having our timing screwed up. Our past is littered with missed opportunities to promote our various books, all occasioned by situations beyond our control. Let me give you a few examples.
We were scheduled to be the guests for the biggest part of one of Soledad O’Brien’s shows when word came down that Hillary Clinton was going to declare her candidacy for the U.S. Senate. We were in NY (brought by our publisher, thank God) prepared to go on the show the next day when we got bumped to another time. Another time that never materialized.
I was scheduled to be on O’Reilly live and, in fact, was in the limo sent by Fox to take me to the studio when I got a call on my cell telling me that the Texas fugitives had been captured in Colorado. Since I was on the way, O’Reilly went ahead and did the interview, but it was taped and played a couple of months later when John Kasich (who is now apparently running for governor of Ohio) was the guest host and viewership was probably lower than had it been O’Reilly live.
MD and I were on our way to Miami (sent by our publisher once again) to appear on a couple of big live TV shows there when we got word that Elian Gonzales had been snatched by the Feds and was being sent back to Cuba. Bumped again never to return.
We were to appear one afternoon on national TV rebutting the PCRM’s Neal Barnard, who had been all over the airwaves that morning with his ridiculous ‘study’ about low-carb diets. We were in Santa Barbara at the time, and the network (I can’t remember which on now) had arranged for us to go to a local studio to be interviewed via satellite. Just as we were about to leave for the studio, we got a call telling us our gig had been canceled because Michael Jackson’s plane was en route to the Santa Barbara airport where he was to turn himself in conjunction with the sexual molestation charges. After that the news was all Michael Jackson.
I could go on, but you get the picture. MD and I seem to be snake bit when it comes to book- and/or self-promotional timing.
Now we’ve finished a book, about to be released tomorrow, that is filled with all the latest science, much of it never before published other than in scientific papers, and we may be scooped again. But in a different way.
Our new book includes info on saturated fat, fatty accumulation in the liver, diacylglycerol, D-ribose, L-leucine, visceral and subcutaneous fat, sagittal abdominal diameter, evolutionary psychology, and on and on, showing how all these things relate to the accumulation and loss of middle-aged fat. But did we come out with it too late?
Maybe so according to a recent New York Times article titled “It’s Hip to Be Round” with the distressing picture below of various potbellies emblazoned across the top of it.
If this piece is to be believed, men at least have given up the flat-belly look in favor of the more portly Ralph Kramden body habitus. If you’re of an age, you’ll remember Ralph Kramdem. He was the character Jackie Gleason played on the television show The Honeymooners. Taking a look at the photo at left. That’s Jackie playing Ralph. Remember Jackie Gleason’s nickname? The Fat Man. He was remarkable for his obesity because there was so little of it back then. Notice, too, how Jackie, aka Ralph, wouldn’t have merited a second look today. Half the people you see on TV today are more overweight. And you think we don’t have an obesity epidemic?
According to the Times:
This summer the unvarying male uniform in the precincts of Brooklyn cool has been a pair of shorts cut at knickers length, a V-neck Hanes T-shirt, a pair of generic slip-on sneakers and a straw fedora. Add a leather cuff bracelet if the coolster is gay.
In truth this get-up was pretty much the unvarying male uniform last summer also, but this year an unexpected element has been added to the look, and that is a burgeoning potbelly one might term the Ralph Kramden.
Too pronounced to be blamed on the slouchy cut of a T-shirt, too modest in size to be termed a proper beer gut, developed too young to come under the heading of a paunch, the Ralph Kramden is everywhere to be seen lately…
The article goes on to lay out what I believe is an idiotic rationale (but obviously tongue in cheek) for all this (they blame it on Obama), then adds
“I sort of think the six-pack abs obsession got so prissy it stopped being masculine,” is how Aaron Hicklin, the editor of Out, explains the emergence of the Ralph Kramden. What once seemed young and hot, for gay and straight men alike, now seems passé. Like manscaping, spray-on tans and other metrosexual affectations, having a belly one can bounce quarters off suggests that you may have too much time on your hands.
“It’s not cool to be seen spending so much time fussing around about your body,” Mr. Hicklin said.
And so guys can happily and guiltlessly go to seed.
So, there goes half our audience. Always a day late and a dollar short. I suppose we should have written a book describing how to develop the middle-aged middle before middle age.
On another note, if you still don’t think there is an obesity epidemic right now, take a look at this old video of Manhattan, NY filmed in the early 1920s.
[youtube]”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1ulZvg8Wh4″[/youtube]
Check at 1:50 and 9:16 to see the crowd scenes. The people look like stick people. They wouldn’t look that way if the film were made today.
And, if you want to read a little more about our new book, Tim Ferriss has excerpted part of one of the chapters here.
Last but not least, we’ve gotten some photos back of the first testimonials for our news book. The photo on the right is the before, the one on the left, after six weeks on the plan.
Just kidding, of course.
Photo credits:
Troisdorf man
Large belly
Thin waist
As a current resident of Brooklyn, I hope that NYT article is a complete joke, and not a silly, ironic, half-joke. Partly because, EWW, and partly because there is NO WAY anyone would ever write an article like that ‘praising’ women and their big butts. This may be a Williamsburg phenomenon, for I do not see these belly’s on the boys here in Park Slope. 😉
Drs Eades, Good Heart
It’s just nerves before the big day. Remember actors never wish each other luck: they say “break a leg”.
However , I’m no actor, so I say: it WILL be a successful launch.
In fact, for each buyer, a paunch will be “rescued” by the launch!
Desmondo
Gross! The pictures, that is.
That link to Tim Ferris’s site was funny. Good article, but the commenters are clueless.
PS I suppose one might comment that der “Dicker Mann” – Fat Guy – hangs out in the Fischerplatz, in a quite visceral mann-er.
There was a good line from a comedian at a Just For Laughs show in Montreal this summer:
«When we were in grade 6, we were lucky if one or two girls had breasts. Nowadays, half of the boys in grade 6 have breasts…»
That is funny. But sad.
Ha ha, was going to say you’re finally understanding the logic of Ancel Keys.
Well I think if I want to get hip, I’ll do the opposite of everything in your book.
Looking forward to getting a copy!
Hi Mike,
Amazon tell me that 6W has shipped and will be here in … 6 weeks!
On their past record their shipping estimate has been very pessimistic – I expect it will be about 10 days or less. While I’m waiting, can you tell me if the 6W cure you devised has changed your maintenance advice at all? – ie. do you go on the 6w protocol from time to time to keep things in check, or has there been a more general year round change in your approach?
Cheers,
Malcolm
Six weeks?!?!?! Oh, yeah, it’s going to Australia. I have the same experience when I order from the UK; it ends up taking about a week.
This is a quicker way to get to maintenance; maintenance is pretty much the same.
This book is amazing! I am thrilled that I
got my copy a little early. I can’t put it
down!
I can understand the Times article… to an extent. Because of traditional advice, you almost have to adopt the prissy/metrosexual/pretty-boy attitude just to accomplish getting a six-pack. But I’m sure that if people had the option of either taking a red pill and getting a belly, or taking a blue pill and getting abs, most people would choose the blue pill.
@Malcom I ordered mine when I had my free Amazon Prime trial going last June. Mine hasn’t shipped yet, but I still get 2-day shiping. 🙂 Then again, I’m also in the continental US.
@Malcolm Scott,
My email today says: “via Standard Int’l Shipping (estimated delivery date: October 22, 2009).” Good to know this is BS, as I’d hate to have the book arrive just in time to be ignored during the Greedy Guts Season!
Michael
For those who might care about such things, I’ve been pulling my hair out answering comments over on Tim Ferriss’s blog. So take a look if you want to see me at my nicest and most benign. At this point, not all have made it through the moderation process, but they’ll get there.
I checked out the comments on Tim’s blog. You were being nice. Looks like some of those folks have been shocked by a discontinuity in their world view. Cognitive dissonance.
On the NY times article about a big belly being in fashion, another cultural shift. It reminds me of the time I traveled to India on business. The weather was great and I had a short sleeved shirt on. The Indian guys mentioned I should be worried that I would get a tan. They wore long sleeved shirts and long pants.
I said that would be good to get a tan. They explained that in India, having a tan was a sign of poverty and having to work outdoors. I said that in America having a tan was a sign of wealth and having free time to spend outdoors. It was culture shock, same thing, different perceptions.
A discontinuity in their world view indeed. Mucho cognitive dissonance.
Interesting about the tans in India.
Dear Dr. Eades,
I “took a look” at the comments on Tim’s blog and I won’t do that again. What a bunch of dillweeds. Such airheadedness makes my blood pressure go up. I really enjoy hearing or reading someone else’s point of view, so long as it’s an informed point of view – not airy-fairy nonsense.
And you’re right, so far you have been very nice and benign. 🙂
Now, now, we’ve got to be tolerant of those with differing opinions, no matter how ill-founded such opinions are. I watched Tim’s video about building a high-traffic blog, which, God knows, he’s done, and one of the things that struck me was his statement that there is too much negativity out there already, so why add more to it. Since then, I’ve tried to be much nicer. Hasn’t always worked, but I’m trying.
I look forward to reading your thoughts on L-Leucine. I have been reading a lot about it in terms of bodybuilding.
Also, congrats on the mainstream promotion on Tim’s blog! I’m so glad this info is getting out there, even to the people who aren’t seeking it.
Also, I am having a “nice” debate with vegetarians who insist that humans are basically fruit and veggie eaters. I know that we have been primarily meat-eaters for millions of years. However whenever they begin to lose an argument, up comes the “show me some studies” request. I don’t have the resources or knowledge to find such studies, so I was wondering if you could help me out. Are you able to link to some publicly-available studies that show humans as meat eaters? If this is too much trouble, don’t worry about it. It’s hardly worth arguing with vegetarians.
I’m planning on doing this very thing in the next couple of posts I write. You can always ask them to show you the studies, which they can’t.
I saw some old pictures recently (me and friends from middle and high school) and there wasn’t a fat kid in the bunch. All lean and trim – almost “stick” like indeed. And that’s just 20 years ago. Not really that long ago at all. We definitely are getting used to a puffier, pudgier, fatter look. Even if the article is just a joke, there are some truths in there.
Dr Mike, I did see you on Fox’s O’Reilly Factor and was disappointed that he kept interrupting you particulary when you were trying to answer his question about the Food Pyramid and why it was so important. He didn’t even know it existed. I was sorry you didn’t get to finish your explanation.
I see on Jimmy Moore’s blog (Livin’ La Vida) that you and MD are featured speakers on his Podcast this morning. I can hardly wait to dowload it to see what you have to say. Perfect timing this time.
People in Manhattan still look like stick figures compared to the rest of the U.S.
gee, I don’t remember posing for that statue…
I always knew you were trendy.
The potbellies article was debunked as a “bogus trend” story by Jack Shafer in Slate. http://www.slate.com/id/2225301/. He’s always a good source for media criticism.
You’re right, Ralph Kramden doesn’t look so fat anymore. Last year I bought a DVD of the documentary film “Festival,” which is about the Newport Folk Festival in the 1960s. One striking aspect of the film (besides the great music, of course) was that almost no one in the film–with the exception of Odetta and a handful of the older performers–was anything but lean. Virtually all the young people were slim. While some of that slimness probably could be attributed to cigarette smoking, the difference in then and now was noticeable.
Looking forward to receiving my new book. Amazon says it will be delivered on Thursday.
Hey Doc, if it’s any consolation, your new head-shot shows a very hip and trendy hair style. Looks great. Assuming that photo is on your new book’s jacket, it’ll sell more than few copies at the grocery store once it gets to the best-seller section.
Happy book release day. Congrats.
The photo is a couple of years old (I used it because it was the last one I had done buy a professional photographer). So, if my hair style is hip and trendy in the picture, then I’m ahead of the curve. 🙂
Dr Mike, I have a great news to share with you. I have been in a long term negotiation with few collegues of mine and that includes at least 3 MDs, 4 PHd and 2 nurses from Suny Downstate. I have long been criticized for following low carb diet, even though I havent exactly been a role model of the low carb lifestyle. Here is a kicker: I finally convinced to have 9 abovementioned medical professional involved in the 6 weeks challenge to decipher the truth about diet world. Luckily enough there is also $1000 grand price involved. Rules are simple: each of us will contribute $100 and will have their blood markers measured such as cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein and few others as directed by one vegetarian MD. Body fat measurement will also be taken. At the end of 6 weeks a person with the best body fat percentage loss and blood markers improvement will take 1000 dollars home. I wanted to videotape the whole challenge, kind of make a mini documentary, but didnt get a permission to do so. There are few Dr in this group who are very well known in scientific community and for the reason of confidentiality I cant mention their names. But we have all sides of the diet aisle represented. We have two vegetarians, two low fat guys, 3 meditarianian kind of dieters, one guy who follows Dr Sears Zone type lifestyle and yours trully who is your follower. There is basically no caloric restriction but honest approach for one to be satisfied. Here is my first day nutritional look. Mind you it has been a while since I logged my food purposefully but I have to so as part of this journey. I dont think its fair since logging food every day will make people eat less naturally on a diet challenge but that is a rule. We all want to see who ate how many calories. But even though I only ate about 1450 cals yesterday, I felt completely satisfied. Here it is:
4 protein shakes composed of:
Almond Breeze= 3 cups
Coconut milk=1 cup
Isopure Whey Protein=4 scoops
1/2 cup blueberries
1 scoop of Super Green Chocolate powder
1 Tbs of flax seed
2 hard boiled eggs
2 Trader Joe Turkey Hot Dogs
2 Tsp Avocado Guacamole
1 oz goat cheese
1 0z Pecan nuts
Totals for the day:
Calories= 1,501
Fat= 81.5 grams= 50%
Sat fat= 28 grams= 17%
Monounsaturated fat= 18 grams=11%
Polyunsaturated fat=8 grams=5 %
Carbohydrates= 30 grams=6%
Fiber= 11 grams
I also took multivit, 5000 units vit D.
I was totally satisfied, at least for one day! Are there any improvements you might recommend? Should I stick to such version or would you tweak something? I think it fairly represents low carb, moderate fat and moderate protein lifestyle or should I increase fat a bit? I will be starting taking fish oil tomorrow so it will bump up a total fat consumption a bit.
I would probably go up a bit on the protein in each shake, cut the shakes back to three, and eat a good protein meal once per day. Maybe a steak and some salad. Something like that.
There is a good book, available today, that can help you a lot in your 6 week quest. 🙂
Sorry, forgot to add Protein grams. Protein = 149 grams=41 %
*Check at 1:50 and 9:16 to see the crowd scenes. The people look like stick people.*
And they are walking so fast! 😉
Amazing, that ability to move the human body when its weight is the right proportion to its height.
I’m picking up the book at B & N this afternoon! They emailed me that it came in. By the way, it’s a “featured offering” being given at 20% off, which means it will be placed on one of their front tables by the entrance! In piles! I let everyone know what the display looks like tomorrow.
Thanks. I eagerly await your report.
RE Tim’s blog….
“@Swayze
You wrote: “Humans are frugivores, meaning that our species appropriate diet is one predominated by fruits.” This is such a categorical statement that I assume you have proof for it from primary sources, right? Please post because I would love to see it. Thanks in advance.”
When I saw her post I was going to respond the same way…..but continued to read and found you said what I wanted to say!
One of the reasons I like my low traffic blog is that I don’t get as many negative comments!!
Question about The Cure. If I am unable to find Enova (or can’t afford as $$ is very tight right now), would it be ok to substitute Coconut oil? If not, what else is equivalent?
Of all the components, the Enova is the least important. Many studies have shown that when substituted for other oils it helps reduce visceral fat. These differences are significant but not earth shattering, so if you can’t find it or can’t afford it, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Dealing with the people on Tim’s site is fun. They are so used to making all these categorical statements, i.e., “humans are frugivores,” without ever being challenged to prove their case. It’s easy to mouth off like that; it’s difficult to back it up. People on this blog are much better schooled, and it’s usually only the newbies that spout off thusly.
Just found the first Amazon review of our new book. A 5-star one, to boot (thank God).
I never knew my mother could write this well. 🙂
I got the book at 4 a.m. on Kindle. Already burned through it and had my first protein shake.
My husband lost 18 pounds on vlc and I gained 8, so I’m not sure how Phase II will go. Maybe if I get off the alcohol, dairy, and caffeine altogether. Recently switched from Synthroid to Armour. That might be it. We’ll see if I can lose some on Phase I.
Hey, Vadim good luck with that. I’d also suggest, eat more (low-carb) pizza, and no alcohol. I’ve lost 10 pounds in the last three weeks following that plan. I’m kidding about the pizza – it’s probably no better or worse than any other low-carb choice for weight loss, we’ve just had a bit of an obsession with it after discovering a crispy, yet nearly carb-free crust is possible, thanks to cauliflower. My first pizza in about five years, can you blame me? But anyway, I think the booze is the important factor.
Still waiting on my copy of 6 Weeks. Is it true that giving up caffeine is necessary? How sad. A person should get to have one sin, and caffeine is my last.
It’s not permanent, just for a bit to help clear the liver. I drink far too much coffee to ever recommend against it for long.
If you had the pleasure of watching the television show depicting the best and worst celebrity bodies, you would have seen paunchy, overweight male celebrities such as Val Kilmer described as still “adorable and hunky” (agreed) and the yachting Jack Nicholson with his huge, bare belly surrounded by gorgeous bikini-clad babes doting on him while he is gorging on a grinder. The message may be it’s hip to be round… for men that is. Meanwhile, the unfortunate female celebrity with one dimple on her butt is chastised as never deemed attractive again. Actually is a pity that men may be getting this message (that they are still adorable no matter what); The message I got from seeing the doting babes around Jack’s belly — there goes a man with a yacht.
You may have lost a few dudes along the way Dr. Eades, but I don’t think most, and especially the women are ditching the fight anytime soon.
That’s good to hear. But what about the men without yachts? Gotta be more of them than those with yachts.
Isn’t the New York Times article about fashionable pot-bellies what we used to call, “Making a virtue of necessity”?
Sympathetically frustrated too about your jinx re promotion. Hey – by coincidence I ran into this quote by Janis Joplin today:
“Fourteen heart attacks and he had to die in my week. In MY week. ”
…On being shunted off the front page of Newsweek magazine by the late ex-President Eisenhower following his death (New Musical Express interview, 12 April 1969; cited in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations)
Oh the harshness of the celebrity pecking order. Too bad about Eisenhower though; I was reminded of the long section about him in GCBC.
Shifted off the front page of Newsweek, eh? I guess I can’t complain.
I preordered mine from Amazon, received a “your book shipped” email yesterday, and have the book in hand today! I am perusing it during my lunch break and will be reading it carefully at home.
Reference your being pre-empted by other newsworthy items (and I’m not saying yours isn’t newsworthy) – Just look at it as having contributed to the news of the world. Every time you were set to be on tv, something newsworthy knocked you off. Therefore, you must be responsible for all those newsworthy events. Sound reasonable, doesn’t it?
Can’t wait to get my copy of your new book. Already ordered, just awaiting delivery.
Just a note to the commenter who asked about Enova. I was very concerned about being able to find this. I’m in rural Maine, after all. But, I found it right next to the “regular” oils in the bakery aisle. I don’t recall the price, but I wasn’t put off by it.
Also wanted to mention that I’ve just finished my first full week on The Cure. I’m down 5.2 pounds and my waist has shrunk 3 inches.
Woo-hoo!!!
Sirs…..If you’re serious about bad luck and self promotion/promotion..i have 3 words that will put all in perspective
4 million books..of just one book PP, right ?
How many authors even come close to that aside from the less than 1% we all know ?
Yes, Simon, but just think how many we could’ve sold had we had some decent PR. 🙂
I know it sounds unbelieveable to have lost 3 inches in my waist in one week, but that’s what the tape said. I went into the program with a lot of carb bloat, coming right off a week of all-day conferences at work and then several get-togethers over the weekend.
Just wanted to clarify.
Congrats. And, uh, that’s why it’s called The Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle. It’s just doing what it’s designed to do. It’s not supposed to make your waist larger. 🙂
Reading the fun over at Tim’s blog brings to mind a question I hope you might answer. Since I eat almost no vegetables: (I’m a (way-top-end of the Bell Curve) “supertaster” and pretty much don’t like anything green, except money). I’ve been adding two teaspoons of Benefiber to my morning coffee as my only way to get any fiber. Obviously, veggie-eaters get fiber. If an “all-meat” diet is okay, and fiber is not so great for the intestine, is that small amount of “commerical” fiber good, bad, or neutral? (Amazon has shipped your book, but it’s not here yet! I’ve been watching the mail box! {wink})
I’m not all that keen on fiber myself. It does most of the ‘good’ that it does by traumatizing the GI tract. I wrote a long post on that concept a while back. As far as I’m concerned, it can be ditched.
I dont get people who think we are designed to be vegatarians. My father is 72 and doesnt have none of his own teeth. Recently his fake ones broke and he needed to get new bridges. He did but they didnt fit him properly so he needed to wait another week without his fake teeth. The morale of the story that despite him not being vegatarian he was forced to become one since its hard to devour a meaty steak with no teeth in place.
So here is my question for vegetarians: Why in the world would Mother Nature and God give us that many teeth? We surely do not need all 33 or whatever that number is to eat vegetables and banana.
By the way what kind of stature is it? mrfreddy on his failed low carb? And why is this man shown with a big stomack and small penis, lol? I dont know but I felt content to ask that question. Hey mrfreddy stop drinking that much booz, it does your body no good. Sorry, Dr Mike felt like being a bad boy!
Hi, Dr. Eades, i´m gonna cross the border tomorrow (i live in Tijuana, México) just to see if a can get a copy of your new book. I´m 28 years old and i have been on a low carb diet (the Atkins diet) for about one year, and i have lost so far about 110 pounds (50 kilos). I feel great but i have one issue: i have a lot of loose skin, particularly in my belly. Is there anyway to get rid of that or i just gonna live with this forever? I´ve been stuck at 160 lbs for about 4 months, and it doesn´t matter how low is my carb intake, i just can´t lose more weight. I know this is not a place to get medical advice, but here in my country it´s really hard to find a low-carb doctor.
P.S: My english it´s not very good, i apologize for any grammar mistakes my post may have.
Your English is much, much better than my Spanish, so don’t worry about it. It’s fine.
First, I want to congratulate you on your accomplishment. You’ve been able to do something extraordinary. You should be proud of yourself.
With time your excess skin should shrink to fit your new body. But it will take some time. Many people don’t want to spend the time and have the excess surgically removed. That’s a decision you’ll have to make.
I don’t know how tall you are or anything about you so it’s difficult for me to give specific advice. But, in general, if you have stopped losing on a low-carb diet, you need to stay on low-carb but work to cut calories a bit until weight loss starts back up. Or make sure you are really keeping the carbs low. Many people after being on a low-carb diet for a long period of time begin to let carbs creep back into the diet without really noticing. So, watch for that. Good luck.
Dr. Eades,
Have you seen this (long) lecture about fructose by Dr. Robert Lustig:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
Just wondering if you have any thoughts about it – I think he is spot on with regard to fructose, but lets other carbs off the hook a little too easily.
Thanks.
I have seen it, and I agree with your assessment.
@Vadim,
don’t worry about my booze intake, my copy of the Cure should arrive today – finally, after all my attempts at finagling an advance copy went unrewarded.. 🙁 – and based on what I’ve heard so far, the good Doctors “Buzz-kill” Eades intend to take away my Guinness and my Glenlivet… wahhhhhh….. I know, I know, its only for a couple of weeks, but, but, but… wahhhhhhhhhhh
actually, giving up coffee will be much much harder. Cant decide whether to taper off, or to just suck it up and go cold turkey….
You don’t have to go off coffee forever. Just for a bit. I could never go off coffee forever myself, so I would never inflict that on others. Besides, coffee is good for us, so we don’t want to get rid of it altogether.
Well, well. today is Day One of the 6 week cure for me! I made all three shakes at once this morning, and since I’m one of the people who has to use three scoops per shake, I put in three cups of water and 1/2 cup of heavy cream, plus some ice. I drank one at 6:00 AM, and have the other two in a thermos beside me. Luckily, I have access to ice here at work, and will be able to chill the shakes before I drink them.
Ha, I bought a cheapy blender to use exclusively for the shakes, and the thing works better than my expensive one! In thirty seconds, it was done with no residue on the sides. it’s a Hamilton Beach, plastic jar 56 oz, with what is called “The Wave” action, which apparently really works.
For those who really want to know, The Vitamin Shoppe is having their twice yearly buy one get one 50% off, which means that each 5 lb jar of their brand whey powder cost me only $32.33 with tax, which in OC is now pretty hefty. Their brand whey powder that has 24g of protein per scoop is called Bodytech Whey Pro 24. Given that I have to use nine scoops per day, the two jars I bought saved me $23.38. In this economy this is important for me.
Dr MIke, I regularly take 8 grams of 3-6-9 oil in the morning along with 8000 IU of D3. This is not going to affect what the shakes are supposed to be doing? For dinner I will probably be having a salad with beef, chicken or tuna. I really need the greens and some veggies for the crunch factor, hence salad.
The book display at the Barnes and Noble is right at the entrance as promised, and the book is on the left front corner of the octagon. It really shows because it’s the only one that’s white. There’s some eight copies, the same number for every book on display. Great choice on the white jacket, as every other is black red navy etc. I was hoping for more, but that is reserved for the new fiction!
The only change I would make in your regimen would be to ditch the 3-6-9 oil. You will get plenty of omega-6 without even trying, and since it’s not a particularly good fat, I wouldn’t add any more to the mix. Same with the O-9. It’s not bad, but you get plenty of it from other sources. I would take a fish oil softgel or, better yet, a krill oil one for the O-3 (which we don’t get enough of) and be done with it.
Hi Dr. Eades!!
I have finished my quick readthrough of The Cure, and ordered the shake ingredients I don’t already have. And now I will read it more carefully so I can start my six weeks on Saturday!
My question is about donating blood. You said on Jimmy Moore’s podcast that there is something else possible if you can’t give blood. Can you say what it is, or refer me to which of your books will explain it? I am not cleared to give blood for others’ use until next May. I just wondered if you recommend doing something else, or if I should just skip it until I’m cleared for donation. Thanks in advance for your answer!
You can skip it until May. Or you can go to your doctor and ask that blood be taken. A lot of doctors will do that for you, then destroy the blood. We used to do it all the time at our clinic people whom the blood bank wouldn’t take blood.
Dr. Mike,
I was one of lucky ones to get a pre-release copy of the book, and have been keeping an online journal of my experience with it at http://mdc6weeks.blogspot.com/
I’m a bit confused about something, and I’d appreciate your input, please. Monday was my first full day of week 3 of the plan. One of the things that absolutely shocked me was how few Calories I actually ate. According to the plan, weeks three and four are supposed to increase Calories over weeks one and two. According to FitDay.com, I averaged approximately1800 Calories per day for weeks one and two. On Monday I ate like there was no tomorrow, but without stuffing myself. According to FitDay.com, I ended up eating 1159 Calories for the entire day. I doubt I could have eaten more had I wanted to. I’m actually a bit confused, but I’m going to keep going and see how it goes.
The good news, though, is after two weeks on the plan, my clothes fit looser; I’m on my last belt notch; people tell me I look better; I have more energy than I have in a long time. My biggest complaint is that I miss Diet Coke, and I’m sure the folks at McDonald’s and 7-Eleven are getting concerned about my extended absence.
Mike
PS: I thought I had posted yesterday, but the web page timed-out,. I’m not sure if it made it, so forgive me if this is a duplicate.
Glad to hear you’re doing so well. I wouldn’t worry about the calories as long as you are not hungry. You’ll be getting plenty of good quality protein, so you have nothing to worry about. You’ll probably even lose a little faster.
Why don’t you try caffeine-free Diet Coke? I’ve noticed there is a new Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda. Don’t know if there is a Splenda -ated version of the caffeine free model or not. It just dawned on me, however, that if you’re in your third week, you can add caffeine back in. Go for it.
“You don’t have to go off coffee forever. ”
yeah, but unlike some so called addictions, like say, sugar addiction, coffee withdrawals are a big deal for me. As bad as cigarettes, at least at first. I could taper off, but that takes too long, I wanna get going with the getting rid of the belly fat, ya know? So, nobody talks to me tomorrow or the next day, mmmkay?
Do what I did. Drink decaf Cafe Americano. You can hardly tell the difference tastewise. Or throw in a real Americano here and there if you’re going crazy. It has half the caffeine of regular coffee and should get you over the hump.
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/wheat-belly-revisited.html
The statue reminds me horribly of a friend. As a retired farmer with a gardening business and a photographic business he is fit and healthy, except for the pregnant basketball stomach.
I’d buy him a copy of your new book but sadly I don’t think he’d be interested. He is Type 2 diabetic, eats exactly what the dietician told him to eat and is on gradually increasing medication, added to which he is now developing retinopathy, not a good plan for a photographer. 🙁
Meanwhile I’m eating the exact opposite of what I was told, somewhere between Protein Power and Mark Sisson’s Primal, and have actually improved all my parameters, my BG, BP and lipids are all more or less normal now. OK with a low dose of olmesartan (ARB) and 10mg simvastatin, I tried without the statin and was disappointed to find not only my LDL but also trigs went up more than I was expecting. I suspect damage from 50 years of Heart Healthy dieting and the resulting hyper and hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinemia.
I do still have a tendency to put on midriff bulge though, perhaps I’ll buy your new book and see if I can fine tune things further. Maybe if that works I might be able to get through to him. I’m not optimistic though, our doctors’ *receptionist” has now been tasked with cancelling tests that the doctor ordered. Well they have to save money on the tests so they can afford the drugs required to overcome the effects of the diet.
Hmmm, maybe I’ll buy a copy for my GP, I’m trying to train her. She’s actually quite bright but prevented from making use of her knowledge by accountants and clerks pushing “evidence based” medicine, which is basically low fat diets and no testing for Type 2s so they can’t see the damage the diet is doing. And of course the “wheat belly” is blamed on NOT following the diet when the converse is obviously true.
The book has been sold to a UK publisher that will be bringing it out there soon so you don’t have to order from here if you’re willing to wait a couple of months. Here is the link. (Looking this up I noticed that the US edition is available there through amazon.co.uk with an 11-14 day wait) In the UK version, recipes will have been changed to the metric system and supplements not available there will be changed or eliminated.
To both Doctors Eades:
I wrote once before, last spring, lamenting the delayed release of your book. I finished reading my kindle edition last evening and just returned from B&N with a hardcopy. Congratulations to both of you for another concise and well-conceived book; I am currently in a log cabin in Asheville, but upon my return home to Hilton Head on Saturday, I plan to put the 6 weeks to the test.
I can fully empathize with Mary Dan’s recount of her difficulties. At 55, I went to my usual PCP and told him I wanted certain blood tests, based largely upon Northrup’s book, because he was simply telling me to ELEM. He also said that he could put me on any one of a number of diet RX’s and offered me his pocket PDR to look them over. I told him that I had grave doubts that any of them would be the magic bullet for someone who wasn’t over-indulging in fats or carbs. He just shrugged. Test results came back with numbers that anyone would want and most doctors would brag about.
Luckily, my aesthetician knows just about everyone and when I described my weight gain (not visibly “fat” but 30 pounds overweight, if you can figure that one out). She recommended a doc who does BHRT. Turns out my T3 and T4 were fine but my TSH was high. Of course, I’ve got all the other stuff going that a 55 year old has. So, I was waiting for you to release this book. And waiting, and waiting… Trust me, getting home on Saturday can’t come too fast.
So, thank you for coming up with the sequel for those of us who were beginning to despair that Protein Power wasn’t doing it for us anymore! (Thank you for explaining what is going on, too! ) And congratulations on a terrific new book!
Thanks for the kudos on the book; we appreciate it.
About ten years ago MD and I spent some time in a cabin on a stream right outside Asheville. We had a great time. What a gorgeous place. I’m jealous.
Thanks for the follow-up. I have been drinking one “Diet Coke with Splenda” with lunch every day. It doesn’t taste like Diet Coke, which most people probably think is a good thing. It’s all psychological, I’m sure. I may give up and not bother after this 12-pack is gone. I honestly don’t miss the caffeine. Diet Coke was my only supply anyway. I had thought all the rumors about aspartame had been debunked. *sigh*
Are there any drawbacks to the plan if I give up on caffeine altogether?
No drawbacks whatsoever.
@MrFreddy,
Still waiting my copy to arrive here in Sydney. Have been regularly having a not so wee dram of Laphroaig most days in preparation for 6 weeks of awful abstinence!
It isn’t a six-week abstinence; it’s for the first two weeks only.
“…it’s for the first two weeks only.”
I got the book, finally… and according to my quick scan, the second two weeks might as well be abstinence, ha! something like have one glass of wine or just one tiny drink??? you gotta be kiddin me… that IS abstinence. Or might as well be.
I did like the part where you explained that on a high sat. fat diet, for test animals anyway, subjects given alcohol resisted developing fatty livers. YES! Bartender, another over here please! And make sure my streak is rare!
@M. Richards, I may have a few last nights of Glenlivet overload myself, in preparation for the long, long drought to come. Can’t stand that Laphroaig stuff tho.
Thanks Dr Mike, about the 3-6-9. I’ll be getting about 1500mg of potassium from the shakes, should I be worried about taking more?
No, that’s plenty.
I’ve been low carbing for awhile, but despite needing to lose my weight had stabilized. Too many calories and cheats, no doubt. Despite my misgivings about the potential of my middle-aged middle being discussed in the local media, I asked for an advance copy of THE 6-WEEK CURE. I lucked out and got an early start on y’all.
I’ve followed the program religiously. Tomorrow’s my last day of Week 3. At the end of Week 2, I was down 8 pounds on the scale, 1.5 inches down in my waist, and down 1 inch in my hips. The difference between my SAT and VAT, which started out at .5 inch, decreased to nothing during those two weeks. Docs, I know you can’t answer every question that we the benighted come up with, but–whuh? Bad measurement or something?
Re: coffee. I am a coffee fiend, and was–let us say–not happy at having to switch to decaf for two weeks. After doing without for Weeks 1 and 2, a single 12-ounce mug of high-test first thing in the morning does me just fine now. In the past I’ve consumed quite a bit more, and I’m not sure now how I tolerated it. If I want a cup during the day or after dinner, I have a decaf Americano or decaf made in a French press. If you’re going this route, it’s best to grind beans fresh for each cup. Also, use really good beans, because the French press in particular will reveal all their flavors, for good or ill.
One last thing. I took the book’s advice to donate blood at the end of Week 2. I’d never donated blood before. You’ll want to be sure to follow the advice on eating during the hours before, and bringing a low-carb snack for after donating. And don’t ask me how I discovered that’s good advice. :}
I think it would almost have to be a bad measurement. Can’t imagine a zero difference. I can guess how you discovered that little fact. Let me see…they had nothing but tons of high-carb crap at the place. Right? And/or you did a face plant after getting up from the blood donation.
Dr E,
2 weeks sounds like a good deal! Thank heavens that a certain national liquor chain will only be deprived of my custom for a short time — insolvency will not threaten!
Though W. C. Fields had it right: “Don’t say it’s hard to give up drink. I’ve done it a thousand times!!”
I think this may be apocryphal, but legend has it that he also said, “I don’t drink water; fish f**ked in it.” Cheers.
I’ve been reading some of the comments on Tim’s blog. I would have expected much worse, actually, particularly since so much of his readership is from the Bay Area (where veganism and political correctness go to die.)
I think many of them must be stunned to hear this talk in that venue, though they shouldn’t be surprised. Ferriss isn’t someone who follows the herd. (Unless that herd is grass-fed, and he’s got a knife and fork in-hand.)
Ah, if they only would die once they got there. Sadly, they just take up valuable oxygen in a beautiful city.
I wouldn’t worry about this fat acceptance trend, if it is that, at all. If people say they are okay with being fat, I always want to ask them, if they were able overnight, without any effort at all and none for the rest of their lives, to become slim, would they choose to remain fat or accept the magical gift of slimness? I doubt many would choose to stay fat. Given how much misinformation and crap passing for food are out there leading people astray, I think a lot of people think all they can do is be resigned to being fat and make the best of it.
One little detail, skimming my copy of 6 Wk… that arrived today, one of the recommended sugar-free syrup brands is Torani, not Torini as it appears in the book. And here’s a link to the cheapest prices I’ve found online to both Da Vinci and Torani brands: http://www.coffee-authority.com/flavored-syrup-case-discounts. $5.95 per 750 ml bottle. I haven’t ordered from the company so I can’t vouch for their service, but I’ll be giving them a try and stocking up soon for the six weeks looming ahead.
Here’s a suggestion for a post after people have had a chance to get into the book: could you open the floor for questions that readers may have about the plan, kind of like you did once for Gary Taubes? I have one already: if dairy should be limited, is it okay to substitute almond milk in the protein shakes during weeks 1 and 2? I actually like my protein shakes better with it, despite loving cream. I am so praying I can stay disciplined for the six weeks.
Torinini…AAAARRRRGGGHHHH. I found a few other typos as well. It always happens.
Yes, I’ll do the very thing you suggest. As to your question now, I wouldn’t worry about the dairy too much. It’s just something that enough people have commented on – the notion that consuming dairy slows down weight loss – that we offered it up for people who may be having problems losing.
You can stay disciplined. You’ll never be hungry, so don’t worry about it.
Impressed with your patience with Tim’s crowd, although as you say reversing the onus of proof takes the wind out of a lot of them.
One pedant point, it is “hue and cry” (not ‘hew’) and it is you that is raising it!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue_and_cry
Speaking of apprehending criminals, can I assume you are enjoying the promotion game so much 😉 that you can’t wait to get started on the long awaited Diabetes book? (in your quest to see the ADA management behind bars) 🙂
Cheers,
Malcolm
When Tim talked with me about excerpting the book he asked if I would be willing to answer some comments. I said, Sure. I didn’t think he was going to put the post up until after the book was out. By the time I got his email saying the post was up, there were already a zillion comments with more coming by the minute. My little fingers starting flying so quickly across the keyboard that I shudder to think how many typos are out there. I didn’t reread a single thing I typed – I just cranked it out and went on to the next. There are probably a hundred ‘theirs’ when they should have been ‘there’s’ and God only knows what else. Believe me, I know it should be ‘hue’ instead of ‘hew’ but maybe I subconsciously wanted to ‘hew’ whomever had made the comment I was dealing with when I wrote it.
Me again, but this is too good to pass up, a real gem in fact: the first 56 images from the refurbished Hubble Space Telescope.
http://www.hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2009/25/image/
Just released and I’ve not had a chance to browse them. The thumbnails look bloody amazing, though.
Some of these are beyond amazing. Thanks for sending the link.
Dr Mike – I recall you asking awhile ago for testimonials from folks who have used Pentabosol … then I noticed a new(er) or different product of yours – Metabosol. So I anticipated that one or both would be mentioned in the new book, and would play a part in the 6 week cure. I didn’t see any mention of them in my first (casual) read through. Did I miss them … is there a place in the 6 week cure for one of those products or would be be unnecessary ? For those of us who already may own a supply.
I think there is a mention in the appendix under resources. The Metabosol is a reformulation of Pentabosol with the artificial sweetener replaced with a natural sweetener. We haven’t tested the Metabosol specifically with the 6-Week Cure, but I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t work to make things work a little faster.
how do you feel about cod liver oil? i usually take a gulp on days i have to eat grain fed beef and my intake of 0-6 is probably out of this world
It’s fine. I don’t really buy into the notion that corn-fed beef provides a lot of O-6. You get most of your O-6 from vegetable oils. The amount in beef is relatively small.
Yup, after donating blood I did a face plant. After which, the kindly volunteers positively menaced me with Oreos and cans of apple juice. No, no, no thank you. It took quite awhile for my blood sugar to come back up again.
It was a lesson, and not just for the immediately obvious reason. I probably have 10 pints or so of blood circulating. It contains the equivalent of a teaspoon of sugar. Removing one tenth of that felled me. A tenth of a teaspoon of sugar! Such a tiny amount makes the difference between consciousness and unconsciousness–that’s how delicately balanced the whole system is. I can only imagine what happens on a biochemical level when a person downs a handful of jelly beans, or a can of Coke, or a bowl of that “Smart Choice” food, Fruit Loops. I pity livers and pancreases everywhere.
I was two hours late getting home from the blood donation.
“Where’ve you been?” asked my husband.
“Oh, I was out doing a personal biochemistry experiment.”
I’ll never live it down.
Although it may play a role, there is more going on than the loss of a little sugar. There is also volume depletion from the loss of blood, do when you stand up you feel a little light headed. And there is what’s called a vagal response that can happen and cause people to fall out. I experienced this once secondarily.
Early in my career I was filling in for a doctor in his clinic in a small town in Arkansas. A big, corn-fed kid came in who had had a groin injury during a high school football game a couple of nights before. I was going to check him for a hernia, which involves the doc sticking his finger in the inguinal ring, an anatomical feature right at the upper part of the scrotum/side of the penis. All males will have had this procedure done at some time. It’s the old turn-your-head-and-cough maneuver. I had the guy drop his shorts, and I rolled up to the front of him on one of those little rolling stools you see in doctor’s offices. I stuck my finger in and told him to turn his head and cough. He didn’t cough and just as I looked up to tell him again, he toppled over on me. The rolling chair went flying across the room and banged into a metal supply cabinet. Because I didn’t have a chance to move, the kid fell on me when I was in an awkward position, so I was on the floor trapped beneath him and scrunched up against an exam table. When the chair hit the supply cabinet it made an hellacious noise, which brought the nurse running. She found me on the floor, white coat and all, underneath this 250 pound kid with his pants around his ankles who was just coming to. So I’m well aware of the vagal response.
Dr Mike, I googled “liver cleanse” and everything that comes up is something alternative or herbal. You need to have your web guys put your new website, 6weekcure.com , at the forefront of google searches for liver cleanse, fatty liver, liver cure, etc. It will certainly bring people who wouldn’t otherwise go to a low carb site, and let them think about it.
Good idea. I’ll see what they can do.
I am enjoying your book Drs Eades. I hope you don’t mind my paraphrasing a bit to get some clarification on a couple of points.
On pages 116 and 117 you explain the oxidization of cholesterol in an egg when cooked and admit this type of cholesterol is more readily incorporated into plaque in the arteries. Should we assume this oxidization takes place with the cholesterol in other animal sources when cooked as well ?
You claim it is good to get cholesterol from food because our liver has to produce it anyway and the more we eat, the less the liver has to produce. Yet, although our liver produces glycogen, it is bad to eat sugar or carbs in an effort to help the live with glycogen production. You can give me a verbal whack upside the head for the glycogen statement; I know why sugar and carbs are bad, but it does cause me to question having to eat the cholesterol when apparently the liver is equipped to produce it, and in addition, the fact that the oxidization issue is concerning to say the least.
I do commend you for all your hard work, for bringing us new and exciting information and being brave enough to challenge what has become doctrine in the medical community for so many years. Besides intellect, I’m sure it takes great stamina. (You might be a little crazy as well.)
The oxidation of cholesterol does take place when other animal foods are cooked, but only on the surface. If meat is grilled, for instance, only the cholesterol at the edges gets damaged; that within the meat (the vast majority) is unharmed. The eggs are a little different because if they are scrambled, the entire egg is exposed to the heat as it’s wallowed around in the pan.
Dietary cholesterol makes up only about 15 percent of the cholesterol in our blood – the rest is made by the liver. Even if you cut back completely on dietary cholesterol, your liver would make all you need, so it seems that you could do so. And vegans so. But studies have shown that reduced dietary cholesterol can lead to depression, reduced reaction times, and a whole host of other problems with the nervous system, which makes sense when you realize just how much cholesterol is in the brain and the rest of the nervous system. We’ve been eating our meat cooked for about 800,000 years now, so I’m sure we’ve evolved mechanisms to deal with a little oxidized cholesterol. It’s just that, for me, given the choice between scrambled eggs or poached or fried, I’ll go for the ones with a little less oxidized cholesterol.
Yes, we are a little crazy, or at least crazed right now with the book launch.
{how do you feel about cod liver oil? i usually take a gulp on days i have to eat grain fed beef and my intake of 0-6 is probably out of this world
It’s fine. I don’t really buy into the notion that corn-fed beef provides a lot of O-6. You get most of your O-6 from vegetable oils. The amount in beef is relatively small.}
well that makes me feel better, thank you . does cod liver oil supply a good source of omega-3 or would you go with krill oil?
It does provide omega-3 and some vitamins A and D, but I prefer mine from krill and taking an vitamin D supplement. I get plenty of A from other sources.
Hello Dr. Eades and friends of this site: I just want to point out something about the mainstream corporate endocrinologist doctors in America and most doctors. I mean i don’t understand why if nutrition is so important, why if according to philosopher Ludwig Feuebarch we are what we eat, then why most corporate mainstream doctors of this country never talk about diets with their patients. I’ve noticed that because my mother suffered from congested heart failure and she died, and she was treated by capitalist american doctors who never told her what to eat. And my dad who is still alive and who suffers from diabetes is never taught what to eat by his corporate diabetes doctor.
I mean is there a conspiracy in USA to make people fat, diabetic and sick, so that the capitalist medical companies can sell more metformin, and medicine to their patients, to sell oxygen, and for funeral companies to make more money by people dying as a result of the american diet high in carbohydrates?
Because we all know in this site that a diet high in carbohydrates leads to premature death.
No conspiracy, only incompetence. Plus giving people what they want. I can’t tell you how many times (back before I practiced strictly nutritional medicine) that I would take the time to discuss diet with a patient only to be asked, Hey Doc, can’t you just give me a pill? That’s what most people want. They don’t want to change their lifestyle and/or their diet – that want a pill to fix whatever is wrong and allow them to go along their merry way without having to do anything more than throw back some medicine.
.
Dr. Mike, just finished reading the 6-Week Cure that I got from Amazon yesterday; can’t wait to get started! Even though I’ve been low-carbing for about 10-years, I’m struggling with those last 10-lbs. The book mentions a video at 6weekcure.com that shows how to measure the Sagittal Abdominal Diameter (pg 87) but I couldn’t find the link… can you point me in the right direction?
We’ve filmed the video with a film company – we’re just waiting to get it back in finished form. There’s really not much to the measuring, though.
With the introduction of the new 6weekcure.com web site, will the old mreades.wpengine.com web site go away? It seems that everything is in both places.
Also, I have two questions on Weeks 3 and 4.
ONE: One of the rules is “No dairy intake during these two weeks.” I assume you’re talking about cream, cheeses, etc. Does this restriction hold for butter? What about whey protein for my shakes?
TWO: You wrote, “…if you get into a bind and simply don’t have time for a meat meal, you may still occasionally have a protein shake … in place of one meat meal.” I really like having a shake for breakfast. Should I not do this every day?
THANKS!
The no dairy isn’t really a hard and fast rule. It’s just that many people have said dairy slows down their weight loss. I don’t know why, but I’ve had many patients tell me this. And I’ve heard other docs say it about their patients. I have no idea why it would happen, but when I hear something enough times, I take note. And I am talking about cheeses and heavy creams (other than a little half and half for coffee or tea).
Yes, you can have a shake in the morning.
This may be off topic a bit, but I’m curious about Cafe Americano. Is it something I can get at my local Starbucks or must I make it myself? I would like to try it. 🙂
To make a Cafe Americano yourself, you need an espresso maker. You can get them at Starbucks (they’re listed on the menu) or at virtually any coffee shop that makes espresso drinks.
Here is a YouTube I made showing how to make them yourself.
As someone with a few pounds (5-6) to lose but a truly horrendous problem with chronic insomnia, I am concerned about an unintended effect of a very low carb diet. It is my understanding that when you eat carbohydrates your body releases insulin. Insulin helps to clear amino acids from your blood but has no effect on tryptophan. Consequently, once insulin has cleared the competing amino acids from your blood, tryptophan is free to enter your brain If my insomnia gets any worse, I am going to make an appointment with Heath Ledger’s doctor!
I have tried a little bit of honey right before bedtime, but it didn’t help even a little bit. Any thoughts?
You’re correct in your explanation of the tryptophan effect. More tryptophan gets into the brain where it then converts to serotonin, which does make you sleepy. You probably need a bit more than a small amount of honey to trigger the effect, however. That’s why the old cookies and milk trick works. But, you would be defeating the purpose with that.
You can take some 5 HTP, which is the precursor to serotonin. Experiment around a little with it to arrive at the best dose. Try 50 mg a couple of hours before bedtime and start fiddling with the dose from there. You can also take a sublingual melatonin (available at all health food stores) right as you turn off the lights. You might also consider drinking an herbal tea with a spoonful of sugar in it right before bedtime. This won’t increase insulin enough to generate the tryptophan effect, but it will shut off ketosis, and ketones can sometimes keep some people awake.
Dr. Eades,
Is it normal to feel dopey in the beginning- is this my body changing to ketone burning.
Pat
Probably. We call it ketone brain and it tends to go away pretty quickly. After a period of ketone brain, I think I actually start to think better once I’m adapted.
I have been an ardent supporter of your blog and previous books. However, I must say just one chapter into 6-Week Cure and I am quite disappointed in the lack of evidence you present. For example, on page 14 you state the waist-to-hip ratios average around 0.7 for Miss America, Miss Hong Kong and Playboy centerfolds through recent history–yet, incredibly you offer NO photographic evidence to support this wild assertion! Where is this photographic evidence?
In attempting to verify this claim, I will now have to thoroughly research this evidence myself. I’m sure the comely librarians will understand my request for these materials is purely in the name of science.
😉
Yes, I had to trudge through all this data alone and late at night (and while not under supervision). Photo after photo after photo. And all those measurements using a magnifying glass. It was a real drag, I tell you. The worst part is that I have never been absolutely certain of the data, so I’m continuing to gather it in case it changes by the next edition of the book.
Not directly related to the 6 week cure (well, other than the concept of “meat week”) …. you may nontheless enjoy this: http://www.saveur.com/article/kitchen/The-Butcher-Salami-Houses-and-Baloney-Valleys
Thanks. Cool pictures.
Hey Dr. Mike!!
My curiosity has been aroused by the comments about krill oil. You are not the only one who says that krill oil is superior to Cod Liver Oil. The krill oil bottle says people with shellfish allergies should not take it, so I have stuck with CLO because I’m allergic to clams. Is there something that is better than CLO if I can’t take the krill?
Krill are tiny shellfish-like creatures. I haven’t seen a problem with people who are allergic to shellfish taking krill. I think those warnings are a little overkill. But, having said that, I would try a tiny amount of krill oil maybe rubbed on the skin to see if there is a reaction before taking it. The more severe one’s reaction to shellfish, the more careful I would be. But, as I say, I would rub a little on the skin to see what happens.
I like the Nordic Naturals fish oil products better than any other I’ve found. I used to take CLO myself, but switched to the Nordic Naturals. Then switched from there to krill.
Got my pre-ordered copy of The Cure yesterday (Wed) right on Amazon’s predicted schedule. Curiousity got the better of me. My BMI has hovered right at 22 since losing the weight I gained after I bought a bread machine, but definitely I have a middle aged middle that I didn’t have at age 30 at the same weight. Similar situation for my husband; overall, weight maintenance has been darn close to easy in the 5 years since we adopted a real food, low carb WOE, BUT I know we both have shifted the lean muscle/fat balance as we straddle the half century point by a few years, one on each side. We’re trying to address this with the home version of Slow Burn, but we aren’t very consistent.
On another note, I’ve noticed coffee questions are popping up 😉 and espresso/Americanos suggested as ways to cut down on caffeine. Yes! Totally agree. Tastes much better, too. Away from home I always order an Americano instead of a drip if possible. Americanos are freshly made to order and rarely more than 25 cents over the cost of an equivalent sized cup of drip brew, often only 10 cents more. Compared to a latte (too often tarted up into a version of liquid candy), an Americano is a downright frugal way to enjoy coffee. ”
At Starbucks, if it isn’t too busy and you can get the attention of the ‘barista’ when you pick up your drink, you can ask for some heavy cream instead of using the half and half. Mmmm, though too often it is Ultra-Pasteurized instead of simply pasteurized. They keep the heavy cream in half gallon containers in the fridge under the counter (for refilling the cream whipper cans). I’ve never had my request for cream turned down, though I don’t bother asking if they are super busy. Can’t always do this with other coffee businesses; they often use pre-canned whipped cream instead of 100% real heavy cream in refillable cream whippers.
I’ve been meaning to ask you if you liked the Aeropress. Our fancy super-automatic espresso machine is back in the shop once again (grinder problem returned) and we are again making espresso and Americanos at home with the Aeropress. Couple of things I’ve noticed this summer after a couple of weeks enjoying espressos and Americanos at our friends’ home, on the road away in motels, and at home – we were getting lazy and sloppy with our bean habits at home.
The freshness of the beans counts with espresso and Americanos. A lot. I now realize I was buying too many beans at a time and they were going a bit “off” before we were through them. I buy coffee beans at a local roaster and my cheap side was in charge of my mind, trying to get the 5 lb discount to offset the somewhat higher cost of the coffee. Bad move – it takes too long to go through it and beans go off. I’m now buying smaller amounts more frequently. They roast beans several days a week, so why not? My roaster says one pound makes about 40 shots of espresso. I’m going to calculate our consumption and figure out a schedule so I buy often enough not to have stale beans. Beans in sealed containers (the way most coffee is sold) use packing technology to allow beans to remain shelf-stable a lot longer than freshly roasted beans.
Storing the beans is critical. My roaster said not to chill or freeze beans that are used to make espresso (I hadn’t been but I know some do). She also said just keep them in the bag they are packed in so they can breath if it’s humid, top rolled tightly down, and never fill the grinder hopper with more than enough for a day’s worth of coffee (can always add more), not all the way full. Shifting from bag to canister (sometimes to another canister to blend with decaf beans) to grinder hopper then sitting days over an automatic machine that gives off heat isn’t good for the beans. Same goes for the separate grinder that we use for pre-grinding decaf beans when bypassing the regular beans in the espresso maker. I know the deaf beans sat in there a long time.
Grind *right* before brewing. Again, we were getting lazy when we had to use the Aeropress on the road and at home and would grind a bunch of beans at one time, sometimes enough for a couple days. Partly that was due to the terrific noise our big-box burr grinder makes, partly it was due to laziness. After a few days drinking truly excellent freshly ground Aeropress espresso and Americanos at the home of some friends we visited this summer, I am rethinking our noisy Cuisinart burr grinder from Costco ($30-40?). Theirs was pricey (about $100) but much quiet and better at handling small, precise quantities of beans for a shot or two.
You asked about crema production with the Aeropress. Were you able to produce cream with yours? Our stale, pre-ground coffee didn’t make crema with the Aeropress, but our friends’ freshly ground coffee did make crema (bean origin and how long since roasting many figure, too – I know our friends buy in small batches from their local roaster). Their crema didn’t linger quite as long as it does from a high pressure espresso machine, nor was it quite as thick, but I can see grinding right before brewing is a huge factor in cream production. If you want any crema with the Aeropress, at the very least, grind the freshly roasted beans right before making the espresso. Haven’t experimented yet with the fine/coarse variability of the grind regarding crema.
If my mother is reading this, I know she’s rolling her eyes by now as she sips her microwave rewarmed dri-brewed Folgers. I didn’t drink any coffee until I was nearly 30 yo and far from home and the supermarket coffee. I’m sure she isn’t reading anyway; would be too much of a paradigm shift.
We got our Aeropress and tried it while traveling. It indeed makes a great cup of coffee. Much better than the little coffee makers found in most hotel rooms. Thanks for the tip. We now take it whenever we travel.
I still prefer the Americanos made with the espresso from our own machine (or other espresso machines) because I am a crema junkie. I hate it when barristas (who should know better) put the espresso in the cup first, then pour the hot water in. You would think they would know better at coffee places, but about 80 percent of them don’t.
I’m glad for the heads up about the difference freshness of the beans makes. Two of my favorite coffees tastewise are Illy and Fouchon, but neither makes much of a crema in our machine. Now I know why. Both are old by the time I get them.
We usually get our coffee at Starbucks and have them grind the beans. We don’t have a grinder, burr or otherwise. Now, after reading your comment, I may get one and start grinding the beans as we use them to see what kind of difference that makes.
Well, I’ve finished reading The Cure and have bought my whey powder. This is my first time doing any kind of liquid diet, so I’m a bit nervous. Still, if I can reduce the belly fat I gained on a low-fat, high-carb ‘healthy’ diet – it will be worth it. 🙂
Question about iodine. I’m allergic to fish and shellfish, so it’s pretty certain that my iodine is low. Yet I’ve been told that taking iodine can cause a bad reaction. I’ve also been told that taking iodine can damage the thyroid (We have Grave’s disease on both mother and father side – and diabeties).
Is there any danger in taking iodine supplements in this circumstance?
There could be a problem, so you have to be careful. If you are really allergic to shellfish, as in you have a life-threatening reaction when you eat them, I would do the iodine saturation test as discussed in the book to see if you really are deficient. If you are, you should work on it with your physician.
Hey Dr. Mike,
I’m in the middle of your book and can’t wait to put it to action to lose those annoying last few pounds. I had one question about what qualifies as a low carb protein shake mix for your recipes. Most of the whey protein mixes I tend to use have about 3mg of carbs per scoop and 24 mg of protein (sweetened with sucralose). Since I’d be needing the three scoop version, that would be about 9 grams of carbs per shake. Is this too high, or is it within range for the first 2 weeks of the plan?
Thanks to you both for the great book!
I don’t know how much you weigh, but 72 g of protein (I assume you mean 24 g per scoop, not 24 mg) is a lot per shake. I would shoot more for the 40 -50 gram range per shake, which will get your carbs down a little more. For example, I’m a pretty good sized guy (6’2″, 195 lbs), and I use a protein powder that has 18 g per scoop. I use 2.5 scoops per shake when I make them.
Actually, I just realized I’d somehow skipped over the page where you have the protein powder recommendations which answer all my questions. Thanks again.
Your response to Mike Delta sounds like a Monty Python episode.
It felt like a Monty Python episode.
So, Dr Mike, since I’m 5′ 2″, it would be better for me to take two scoops for 48g total, rather than the three at 72g?
Because I’m feeling pretty darn full after each of those 72g shakes!
I would go with the smaller shake if you’re only 5′ 2″.
Dr. Mike,
I noticed your comment on the amount of protein per shake above. I am using Jay Robb whey at 1gr carb per scoop. I was using 2 scoops based on the 160 weight and my protein per shake is 50 plus once a day I use a egg in it. I am also taking a couple boiled eggs and a pickle. This is my second day and things are going quite well. So I guess I am wondering how much protein I should be getting per shake.
Thanks Pat
Sounds like your protein is a little high. I would stick it more in the 30 g per shake range. The egg adds only about 6 g of protein, so I would use it in the calculations. But you don’t really need the egg unless your not eating any meat at all as part of your program.
Beg to differ, but excess skin does not “shrink to fit your new body” when we are talking about significant weight losses such as the 110 pounds the poster had lost.
I’ve been waiting 7 years, and it ain’t happening, lol. The only thing that has helped (besides the lower body lift I had 2 years ago) is the replacement physiological levels of leptin as part of an experimental study.
Other than damaged/redundant skin cells a major reason skin looks loose after weight loss is the fact that hyperinsulinemia causes white fat cells to multiply like a tumor in certain areas of the body – those prone to severe obesity (this is genetically determined). Leptin has helped as leptin induces white fat cell apotosis, which helps even out the appearance of the body and “loose skin”.
Unfortunately, maintaining massive weight loss results in a state of hypoleptinemia. Ignorant of the potential for morbid obesity induced by an unnatural diet, the body was designed to maintain its highest weights, it seems. It suppresses leptin production when fat cells are too small, even if total fat in kilos is normal.
But, generally speaking, no the skin does not snap back. It improves with time (because rapid weight loss related malnutrition cause skin to look unfortunate) but in the case of significant obesity it is unrealistic to expect a body as if it were never obese.
Steve G’s remark about tans reminds me of reading Gone With The Wind and how it was considered “white-trashy” in the South during the antebellum period to be a woman with a tan or freckles. For the same reason–it meant you were an outdoor worker, thus poor.
I’m about tearing my hair out over the fat acceptance blogs stating there is no obesity epidemic because they changed the BMI charts. I think I can see who’s fat and who isn’t without a chart, thank you.
Hey, with your responses to that other commenter about oxidized cholesterol in cooked meat, if someone wanted to be really anal-retentive about their cholesterol intake, the obvious answer is raw meat. What about chemical cooking, though? Like, in the Nourishing Traditions book, they have several recipes for fermented raw meat. That’s basically an acid “cooking” the exposed surfaces, like what happens when you leave a steak in a lemon juice- or vinegar-based marinade for a while.
If you could trust the meat source, I would think that would just about suffice for food prep most of the time. If a person liked raw meat, that is. My favorite cut currently is the flatiron cut, and I cook the outside just enough to take care of any bad germ issues but the inside might as well be raw. Mmmmm.
Re: the tryptophan thing… it converts to serotonin, then to melatonin. But it only makes that last conversion in darkness. Someone having trouble sleeping could try making their bedroom completely dark (or as near to it as possible) before they try bedtime tea with sugar.
Have you ever read Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival? The author is a bit of a crackpot about replacement hormone therapy for postmenopausal women (if menopause is so bad for you, why do we go through it at all?), but she has some very interesting things to say about the relationship between indoor lighting, sleep habits, and hormone/neurotransmitter balance. I do know that when I’m high-carbing it I get insomnia a lot more often. And I sleep better since I moved to a new place with a darker bedroom.
I, too, like flatiron steaks cooked lightly. To cook them sous vide is the best. Tenderizes them so you end up with the great taste of that cut of steak and the tenderness of a filet.
I did read the book Lights Out years ago, but to tell you the truth, I can’t remember much about it.
Dr. Eades,
I just bought the book this weekend, and it is good stuff. I had been using a protocol similar to the first phase (weeks 1-2) of the plan. (In fact, it was partially based on your book “Thin So Fast”).
A few of the major differences were these: 1) I used high levels of fish oil, where I don’t see that as being recommended at all in your new book. 2) I consumed nut butter one time a day (mostly almond, but also some peanut). 3) I used a blend of whey and casein to promote satiety.
The solid meal was meat + green veggies, so essentially the same.
I had great success with this plan, and I have high hopes for following your new version of it. I am willing to forgo the nut butters and the megadoses of fish oil in lieu of organic cream/coconut milk, however, I’m curious about your recommendation to use whey instead of a whey-casein blend. I find that I am hungry pretty quickly if I drink a purely whey shake, yet a casein shake “sticks to the ribs” a bit better.
So, two part question:
1. Is there a reason you didn’t recommend casein as one of the components of the shake?
2. Do you think that using a whey/casein blend will hamper any aspect of the first two weeks?
I did a search, but the only information was on using casein to maintain after fat loss (dating back to 2005).
Dan McVicker
Casein protein isn’t a problem in the shakes. If they make you feel fuller, go for it. We’re just so used to whey protein that that’s what we think of as shake material. A whey/casein blend shouldn’t hamper anything. Sorry for the confusion.
Now apparently even actresses are “sexy” with a big belly: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,551343,00.html. Perhaps you should send Ms. Aniston a copy of your new book!
I wouldn’t exactly say she’s obese, but a large belly starts with a little pooch. And 40 clearly is getting into middle-age range, so she may be suffering the same effects as the rest of us.
I did the 6 weeks, lost 3.5 ” on my lying down measurement. I want to alternate between the 3 shakes and a meal one day, pp maintenance the next day-will I still lose FAT fat doing that?
Everyone is different, but you should continue losing just fine.
I meant VAT fat?
I disagree with the idea that half the people on TV are overweight. At least, not most women on scripted dramas/sitcoms. It’s kind of “ok” for men to be. But women still have to be scary thin. You know, not even lean. And that, I think, encourages women to try out a bunch of fad diets (mostly low-fat) that cause the opposite of what’s desired.