By Rob Archangel, 180DegreeHealth.com staff writer
This past week, I had the chance to make a trip out to Las Vegas, and what better place than the buffet capital of the world to document my ongoing experiment in intermittent fasting/feasting. As some of you know, I’ve been working with Chief, learning his methods of health and body recomposition for the last several months. ?While I won’t get into too much detail on the specifics of his program for me (that’ll come further down the line once I feel confident in reporting conclusions), I did want to throw together this post just to share and document what sort of foods a ROK-star might eat.
Before I left, Chief suggested that I eat absolutely intuitively on the trip, to go to buffets with wide selections of foods I’m familiar with, browse around seeing and smelling everything, and then loading up with whatever looks tastiest and most appealing. ?The aim was to get a good sense of what’s going on under the hood by observing what my body is craving. My mostly whole foods, home-cooked diet was becoming monotonous and starting to drop my appetite recently, and since I’ve been really active playing a couple three hours a day of basketball, plus some cycling and regular weight training, I was cognizant of not wanting to drop too low in calories. ?Some buffet experiences with an invitation to load up on whatever I wanted sounded like just the thing to get that appetite back up, get some calories in me, and to take some renewed pleasure in food.
One of the things I like about intermittent fasting/feasting is the chance to really dig in when I do eat. I’ve come to enjoy the chance to every day sit down at a table with a variety of options in front of me, knowing that I can eat until fully satisfied. This is especially fun at buffets.
So without further ado, some images and quick reviews of three noteworthy Las Vegas buffets:
Flamingo Paradise Garden Buffet?
Flamingo’s buffet was good but not great. I visited during Sunday brunch, and got to enjoy some breakfasty foods as well as the standard buffet fare. They had a big bowl of guacamole, which I dug right into. ?Also had a big craving for their sushi, which was solid. Kudos for frehsly made Rice Krispie teats. On a 1-10 scale, Flamingo: 6/10
Flavors, the Buffet at Harrah’s?
Missed a middle plate image there, with more of the same from the first shot- more sushi, more mashed potatoes and maybe some pineapple rice. Have to say, not one of my finer buffet displays. Did not do as thorough a job as I take pride in. Haha. This buffet was pretty good, better than Paradise, but not as good as the next one we went to. My buddy and I had a 2 for 1 Coupon, though, and a few comp dollars, so we ended up spending maybe $7 each for a hearty buffet experience. Rockin’. Harrah’s: 7/10
?The Buffet at Bellagio
Saved the best for last- the Bellagio. This is one of the big dogs that Vegas buffets measure themselves against, and for good reason. A wide selection, with freshly baked bread as a nice bonus. I like that they had seaweed salad and wakame noodles in addition to the sushi in their Japanese section. Bellagio: 8/10.
It was a fun trip and a great place to do this research.
?Anyone else have good buffet experiences, in Las Vegas or elsewhere, to share?
Man this sounds just like me, only you probably are a better cook and have a better variety at home than me. I get somewhat bored with stuff at home and I feel like I need to load up and then I go to a buffet! I try to do it at least once a week, but if I get more opportunities hell ya. I always eat how much I desire now and it’s really great. Especially since I’ve incorporated some weight training on my lil breaks at work now. I just ate at Red Lobster the other day, which you probably knew, the all you can eat shrimp. I don’t know if shrimp is good for you, but it tasted good, so I don’t give a shit right now haha. The Biscuits, the rice pilaf, the mashed potatoes, and I even asked for real butter and it confused them at first, but eventually they got it for me hahaha. I’m always the one to ask the weirdest of questions at restaurants. Golden Coral is the only place around here that we have besides a chinese buffet, and I’ve ate there so many times the smell of that place still bothers me lol. Other than that, a 40 minute drive can get me to a place called Ryans, which is way better than Golden Coral, and I wish we had one closer. I’ve been there a total of 3 times now I think, it’s always a pleasure. I’m always still eating when everyone is finished, and like I’ve said before sometimes I over eat purposely for entertainment, and because I CAN muhahahah. I’ve taken pictures, and I have them on my phone, but I don’t have a smart phone atm, and I’m too lazy. I’ve just sent them to my boss for his entertainment cuz he cannot believe how much I can eat, and thinks my experiments are just fascinating, and maybe retarded idk hahaha. I hope to do more documenting when I am as confident as Chief is probably just like you.
Bob Dean, I hear you about getting bored with home variety. I live in NYC and have some pretty good grocery options near me, so I guess I have some choice at my fingertips, but I find I usually gravitate to the same half dozen or so different templates and eat those dishes ’til I get tired of ’em. Then restaurant time. I’ve yet to discover any really good, mixed cuisine buffets in the city. Various ethnic cuisines, sure, but nothing like a Golden Corral or (by the sound of it) Ryan’s.
When I was staying with a buddy of mine, I used to fill these huge dish/bowl things he has with food- ‘Rob-sized portions,’ and sometimes I go back for another round. I love the awestruck look I get from people sometimes when they see me pounding down food like a boss. I’m not a big guy (5’10, 160lbs or so), but I can throw down pretty good. Like you said, it’s entertaining.
Bob,
off topic but do you live in Ohio? I do and have lived in Indiana and have only seen Ryan’s in OH and IN. Its a decent buffet :)
Rob, MGM Grand has an awesome buffet if you’re still in Vegas!
OH. yes I do!
I lived in Bloomington, Indiana for a while, and spent a little time in Columbus, OH for a permaculture class. Never went buffet hopping out there, though…
Did you go to IU? I didn’t go there but it’s a lot of fun. Happy to meet some Midwesterners here :)
Nah, not IU. Went out there to learn some gardening and building skills.
I liked Bloomington- it’s a cool town and I am still close with several folks out there. May even return some time. But I grew up in NYC and for now, this is where I’ll be.
Where in IN are you these days?
I grew up in a suburb of South Bend, now I split my time between South Bend and Cleveland, Ohio. But hopefully I won’t be in the midwest too much longer!
Missed the MGM- dang. Next time!
LOL…sending pics 2your boss of you eating4entertainment!thats certainly a way to try to get promoted:p i’d like to see ‘bane dean’ eating away too!
Also,i hear some of you guys here about Chief methods?but its still not clear to me from his site. What that actually is? Is it eating once a day and working out inbetween? Also cant seem to find what he prescribes regarding exercise,rest&stuff. Lastly,it seems like only this works for guys…or are there also documented stories from women?
Chief is slowly getting articles on his site describing his methods. There are some nuances to it, and I don’t think he advises people to start without having a good understanding of it. I contacted him several months ago and have been working with him directly.
And it’s not just for dudes- he works with women as well.
I’d love to read&see some experiences&results from females.
Could I email you questions about your understanding of his methods? I’ve been dying to know more, but at the rate he is going I’ll be an old man by the time he finished the outline.
That’s what I’m sayin, he teased me with the Sumo post ahhhhhhhhh. But I feel like I know enough to try to figure it out on my own. It’s pretty much like, don’t go hungry. Eat as much as you want, with plenty of variety to be intuitive, and your body will take care of the rest, i.e, lowered appetite, increased metabolism, lower fat storages etc…And it must be in a stress free environment. Some shit like that.
That’s more or less it. There is a movement prescription involved. There are some recommendations for foods to include regularly, a few things to avoid, some timing suggestions for certain foods.
Eventually, I plan to get to a place where I understand the ins and outs well enough to help folks with it, but my first order of business is to see it through. It’s not that I want to be secretive, but I do want to make sure it’s effective and that I understand it well before I accidentally give folks half an answer, and sidetrack them.
I know for sure there are more sumo posts in the pipeline. I’ve seen them, and they give some more of an idea of what he’s about. So keep checking from time to time.
Would you care to elaborate some more on what foods to avoid&timing now?:)
I also wonder what his exercise routine is his daily movement,bc i still cant figure out what he is….is he a personal trainer in everyday life,music producer?
I found a post where he talks about certain cravings&workimgs,yet he didnt seem to adress bad gut flora being part of it. I wonder what his take on that?i also wonder if he dines out everyday,or actually makes homecooked meals too:)
Elaboration in good time. Chief wears many hats, and does both coaching and music work. He does eat homecooked meals.
Hi Dutchie, in my recommendations the only 100% of the time food to avoid is pork and anything made in a lab but there are others depending on a trainees goals, lifestyle, condition personal situation etc.
I take my time getting a good understanding of each trainee and make unique recommendations for them all. I’m trying to properly put a concise outline online so that people can make their own roadmap that suits them. Making something like this properly is very difficult and time consuming and it has taken longer than the people used to the Mc-instant World would like. (hopefully with some more help this will go faster) Thank you to those who have helped ! Rob included
Like Rob eluded to, I am many things including, but not limited to Music producer and personal trainer.
My methods do work for women and actually I get the best and quickest results with women mostly because guys tend to think “they have it figured out” after 2 emails conversations and end up with a results that match not actually…. having it all figured out.
100% of those who have stuck with have succeeded male and female alike in achieving the goals they set out. For some this may take almost a year for others it takes a few weeks.
What I recommended for Rob would not necessarily be what I would recommend for Dutchie. same would go for my workout. I don’t recommend anyone find every 45 pound plate in the gym and put it on the leg press machine simply because that’s what I do. :) If I thought that a blanket recommendation was possible for everyone I would have made one blog post and be done with it.
daily movement ? ?? bowels you mean? Mr Hanky would be proud :)
my take is not so much good or bad gut flora but that your intestines is like a second brain and your body sets all different types of changes in motion including changes in gut flora if it is fatass in mode therefore gut flora is just another mechanism working in unison with everything else in your body such as “insidious” old insulin to make you eat more/absorb more in order to create fat or vice versa.
I dine out mostly while traveling but yes I make home cooked meals, the post: intro to feasting to part 2 is precisely about that it’s at the editing stage.( sumo posts just finished final revisions) I could lose weight dining out everyday just as easily as home cooked if that was the reasoning behind the question.
hope this helps
@Chiefrok Thanx 4 your response&elaboration. As you mightve read about all my issues and ranting&stuff in various topics,or not since you probably got way more better things to do, im desperately seeking help yet not getting it anywhere. Id love to work with you,but how much would that cost me’since i dont live in the US and im already going down towards bankrupcy,thanx to my ‘lovely addiction’:(
I actually didnt mean bowel movement;) i meant movement as in exercising,daily moving around,sitting etc.;)
Interesting….do you perhaps have some female ‘succes stories’ on your blog?or females who kept/keep a blog where they talk about there experiences,pre and post beginning?
Is the pork bc of the pufa thing?(though its still not quite clear to me why that is….and that also means veggie oils,chicken&other poultry with skin and fatty fish?which i definitely love to eat a lot.)
Dutchie, Pork is because of the all encompassing pork thing …. its human kryptonite. :) ….. I’ll ask some of girls if they would be willing to share. I’m not doing my blog for financial gain so I never think of the “i need to convince people it works” end of it. Guess maybe I should re-post up my consulting biz profile so people can read testimonials.
I’m limited in time so I choose clients carefully usually the weird/extreme get me interested as there is learning to be gained. I’ve stopped taking the “I need to lose ten pounds for a wedding in 20 days ” types. Cost varies dramatically and I donate it to charity.
I eat a lot of fatty fish … and even I break some of my own rules from time to time cuz I know how. I’ve even pounded a bucket fried of chicken.
Well,Im definitely not the “I need to lose 20pounds for my wedding” case.
I’ve actually come to think,that I’m too daunting of a case for most people. Thats why I’m not getting any further and keep on drowning in my own vicious cycle,bc I cant find anybody…..
The PHP trainer I talked about won’t consider helping me,until I’m far into ‘eating disorder therapy’ or some shit,and even then I’ll have to see if he really steps in……and thats the frustrating part,everybody just writes me off as some case of ‘eating disorder’ while so much is physically/hormonally related which nobody seems to be taking into account.
Today I heard a podcast on UGWellness with Dr.Kalish from “The Kalish Method”,talking about gutdysbiosis….and addiction to carbs&sugar. I’m wondering if I should mail him….though I can’t see him personally in a consult and probably not afford consults. On top of the fact that he can’t guide exercise-wise…..
I hate it that this PHPTrainer won’t help me!….he seemed like my last hope.
Your irregularity kills me. I’d rather you put up one article the first of every month (or something akin to that) than 2-3 every 5. I understand that you are busy and that you seem to intuitively switch between projects when you feel the need. I was an English major at one point (lol), so if you need any help editing/proof reading/etc… I’d be glad to help.
Also, I’d love to see that video of you crushing 4000cal of sugar ;)
Mike, Bob Dean, http://www.chiefrok.com/blog/?p=782 here ya go Sumo part 2 …. I need to get on the video stuff up I’ve also gotta put up the banana eating challenge too…
Awesome, thanks a lot! I apologize for being impatient. If I could live with you for 6 months I would.
Hell ya dude! I feel like we’re both doing the same thing, only you’re much closer to Chief than I am. I don’t want to give advice necessarily either until I figure it out for myself, but I guess I still have. But, most of it is in sync with 180 too, and I never recommend fasting either. I don’t think Chief does either though right? It’s just that, you eat so much, you don’t eat for a long time lol. It will be so awesome to figure out this stuff and be able to help people. You da man Rob.
Dutchie, I have spoken in the past about how the Sean Croxton podcasts fucked my head up lol. I think he means well, but ultimately the guy confused the shit out of me. He gives everyone a chance to talk about what they think they know, I guess authors really…And being a radio host, you can’t exactly spend the whole time arguing either, and I understand that. You gotta take all that stuff with a grain of salt, and if anything, take it with the SALT =) But who knows, maybe salts bad…buuut, I don’t get charlie horses anymore so I’m doing something right.
Bob…I get what you’re saying and there’s definitely truth in that.
Even in my previous ‘naive days’ (when I ate lots of sugary/HFCS/Aspartame&vegetable oil laden’healthy lowfat’ products,cardio’d 5/6times a day,lots of bread/wheat/yeast)…I never have seen anything like in yesterdays tiny bowel movement that I could squeeze out!
There was this white-yellowish ‘rubbery’ kinda looking stuff inbetween:s
Kinda like on these pictures I found(warning!it looks kinda gross!): http://curezone.com/upload/Parasites/IMG_0152.jpg
http://www.pdazzler.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/candida-mucus.jpg
So,I guess I really can’t get away with eating what I like/makes me feel good…..bc whatever that is,it feeds the wrong stuff.:(
I mostly do sleep through the entire night and sometimes I wake up rested,while other times (like today) I feel kinda ‘hungover’,lots of scalp/skin itchiness again etc.
Bob Dean… it wasn’t supposed to be a tease Part 1 should have translated into “Sumo wrestlers are not fat so it’s a non issue.” Secondly I was desperately needed IRL and at the same time after an 8 day delay between posts 1 and 2, I received a bunch of negative emails from people. As per my fukitol approach I said fuk-the blog for a while. You would think that if your product is free there would not be a complaint department. This is exactly why I hesitated so much in making a blog to begin with, it’s a ton of work and haters to boot.
The sumo posts were 99% done when part 1 went up you I never emailed the last guinea reader and when I get hate mail I’m not to enthusiastic about asking my bro to do me a favor and break in my house to send me files off my computer while I’m traveling. Instead of hate, Had those same haters donated 50 cents to my non profit youth initiative or payed it forward a little bit and offered their thoughts to someone else on the blog, my brother would have pulled a 007 james bond move for me.
Now instead of the sumo posts what everyone should be anticipating is Johnny fat guy Vs CHIEFROK aka my principles but this will require a minimum of 30 posts for people to “not fuck up” which I’m trying to do. After a lot of thinking I believe I may have a solution for the speed issue, we shall see. Thanks for being a reader Bob and attempting to help others. this is what is needed. the buffet is on me on my next midwest hoo ride.
Hi Chief, thanks for the explanations.
I am one of those who is looking forward to more information from your way , and looking forward to fat proofing my body! lol
I am sorry you have received some negative emails and will certainly make sure I will not be one of them!
I think there are a lot of us who value what you have to say,
and will be glad of more.
I have appreciated the info so far you have been feeding out.
Thanks..
Nola
you are welcome and please contribute and help others where you feel compelled in the comments.
Chief I like the ideas and even more, your willingness to help, and even more than that, that you put the money into charity. I hope you get back many times over what you put in.
How do I apply as a client? I’m a tough case and pretty desperate. A year on, RRARF has been a step in the right direction but also in some big ways, two steps back :)
Well. you’re certainly not just a big muscled guy,but you obviously got a big heart too!:)
F@ ck those haters!
I will do.
Chief, as long as you don’t die, I’ll be fine hahaha. You need to make tons of Chief masters so we can all permeate the wooorld. I assume that if you’re not posting something you’re super busy. I hope I don’t sound snobby about you not posting. I’m just so darn ansty! But I’m gettin healthier and stronger thats for damn sure. With everybody’s help of course, not just yours. Dude I’m not an English Major per say, but I’d be a guinea reader for sure! and fuck those haters, they’re just mad because they’re probably starving inside. For food, love, sex, sleep, etc… Or you could be getting trolled. idk..Awesome to hear from you dude, can’t wait for more posts, can’t wait to figure out more stuff, can’t wait for my muscles to heal up so I can do some more lifting (mostly body weight stuff, I weigh enough haha) and hell, I’m 22, and since I started all of this stuff my beard is coming in way better I like that too haha =)
Im working on the tons of masters thing.
Shit I’m commenting waay too much, but I forgot to say one thing. It would BAD ASS if you took on Dutchie as a client. DO IT YOU WONT hahaha
Where can I donate? I’ll gladly help you out any way I can as I do appreciate what your efforts. You’ve provided me with a direction that’s slowly leading to solid results, even if I have to guess my way a bit due to lack of info.
I’ll hold you to that Mike, I’m gonna need some help with the future posts to get er done. I ‘d like to set up a work flow of draft readers because I kind of move the posts through stages. This actually set me back on the sumo posts when I ended up with 11 versions from 4 proofreaders and picked it back up after a month, I need to switch up my methods a little. I’ll be putting a donate button up after I put together a page that details the non profit stuff.
videokyd@yahoo.com
email me any time, dude. I usually check it at least once a week.
Hooray for Chief! Hooray for buffets!
– madMUHHH out
good to hear from you buddy, drop in some time …buffets mmmm
Hey Rob. Have you been losing fat by doing chief’s method? The only way I can lose anything after rrarfing on wholefoods for 30 days is to eat way less.
Hey Jimba,
Maybe- I don’t want to speak too soon. There might be some body recomposition going on, or maybe not. I do feel more energetic, and more positive in my outlook, and am a lot more active without any forcing myself. We’ll see. That’s all I’ll say for now. Don’t want to jinx anything, haha!
After I RRARFed a couple years ago, my appetite was way, way down for a long time, and I naturally ate less and lost fat. Is your appetite still high, and are you eating way less against you instincts? If so, sticking with it a bit longer might get you to a place where you spontaneously crave less. When you get there, maybe follow that and see where it goes.
At the end of my 30 day RRARF I had gained about 10 lbs and had seemed to stop gaining. No gain in temperature though. So I then went back to eating a normal amount. No weight loss though. I still have a kind of high TSH, and not good hormone balance (normal range). Dumb body won’t change! lol
Dear Matt,
first of all I’m sorry to troll,
My name is Steve (30 years) and I’m from Eastern Europe, I really have huge problem and if you have possibility to help me I would be so grateful to you.
Two years ago, after reading some articles I quit eating in order to improve my health and I used only fruits and vegetables, but unfortunately I exposed myself to physical stress during that diet (30 days) and my body started to weak. Soon I lost lot of body weight and I started to feel exhausted, I tried to finish my diet for next 10 – 15 days which exhausted me even more. After i quit diet, and start again to feed as I use to before (eat everything), I noticed that my sex drive is very week. I started to eat all strong food as eggs and meat and tuna…but nothing happens, since then I have these symptoms, I do not masturbate, I watch porn and do not excite, I bearably think of sex…Also I’m with one nice girl, I can achieved erection, but my inner filling is as I’m dead from inside. It is so painful for me, and I feel like i betray that girl, even though I really like her and she loves me, I love her, but I have no passion in my body. It is so hard to accept, because earlier I was so full of life and energy, and my passion was huge.
In one moment I started to believe that Gods or destiny are against me, but as always it is all about my reactions, I quitted to import food and I created problems to myself.
I hope to hear from you, because maybe you can succeed to help me. I tried to use Viagra…and other things, and except mechanical erection nothing happened, it’s like my body refused to enjoy sex.
I feel like I’m in circle of big challenges in life, and that I have no enough strength and right ways to recover my health.
I hope you can give me advice how to recover my health and skip this agony. I’m afraid for my life, would I be normal again? Would I have love, wife and family? I’m very scared.
PS I went to doctor and do analysis (blood test, Ultra sound) and he said that everything is ok with my organs and hormones (my testosterone level is within proper values but so closed to bottom one) . He said it has to be related to my mind, stress, etc.
But before that diet I was also under stress and no easy life conditions but my sex energy was pure and healthy.
Matt, sorry to bother you I really need some help and thanks in advance,
Best Regards,
Steve- you might consider reading the post about Natural Testosterone Enhancement http://180degreehealth.com/2011/03/natural-testosterone-enhancement
In general, eating well and abundantly, and getting lots of rest can help get the body back in an anabolic state, and you often see an increase in sex drive along with that. Matt’s Rehabilitative Rest and Aggressive Re-Feeding (RRARF) program is laid out in detail in Diet Recovery.
If you’re interested in specific advice from Matt, the Get Help tab above has information on how you can work with him, on a ‘pay as you can’ basis. Good luck!
Hey Steve. If you starved yourself, or stressed yourself acutely or for a long period of time, you might have increased your ceramide levels. High levels can inhibit nitric oxide production, and it’s bad for insulin sensitivity. Studies show that reducing it in diabetic rats/mice leads to a reversal of symptoms. Maybe high levels are bad for other things too, like leydig cell function, which is where testosterone is produced. Unfortunately no one seems to know how to significantly reduce ceramide without drugs.
Some things just take awhile to recover from, too. How long has it been? If only a month, I wouldn’t worry – just de-stress and relax. If it’s been 6 months, you may need to do something to help it along. Not to recommend going crazy with supplements or anything, but Maca might help if it’s been long enough that your body truly is re-nourished again.
Tnx Rob,
I already read the article but I still do not have clear idea what to eat/how many/how much…I would be happy to by Matt book, but we are not part of EU and therefore no way to trade over web as in western countries.
I hope things would go better.
BR
Steve, here is a simple method that may help. 1.) Disregard all “how many” “how much” and “what types” of thoughts and just eat… eat like your life depends on it. ( cuz it does) 2.) tell the planet to fuck off for a bit, (ignore non essential activity) 3.) sleep hard! and allow time for sleep 4.) squat heavy loads and repeat some more
5.) eat junk food, red meat eggs and a lot of carbs in abundance
Ok chief, I will try that. Especially advise with the planet:) Tnx for help guys.
Steve, You might wanna throw a bench press in there as well. you could substitute with pushups adding weight in a back pack if you can’t afford a gym.
same applies to bodyweight squats.
If you are new to weightlifting the leg press machine (seen here – http://bikejames.com/wp-content/uploads/glph1100_leg-press.jpg) would be a suitable alternative to hit the legs up hard
Hey Steve. If heavy lifting, etc doesn’t help (I have a similar problem and nothing has worked so far), maybe try reducing cortisol and norepinephrine as much as possible for several months. Honey before bed makes me sleepy (hibernation diet), otherwise I have insomnia. So I figure it is lowering my stress hormones. I’m going to drop IF for now and sip on honey drinks throughout each day (flavored with lemon, grapefruit, or whatever). I’m not going to overeat while on honey, otherwise I’ll probably get fat.
I started with heavy lifting two weeks ago, and I really feel difference after few days, when I recover mussels. I bought coconut oil as well, and red meat, and eggs..and these days I do feel better. I really push hard in gym, after that I fell more relaxed as well. And I start to feel more potent and more masculine again. I missed fat I can feel that. When I take coconut oil or beef fat my body are happy. I will continue doing this. It’s almost same thing as chiefrok proposed. It makes me feel better. I have insisted on peanuts, almonds, etc… but more fat is what I was missing. Regards
Excellent steve
Just an update. I’m definitely gaining weight pretty quick by sipping honey drinks, although I don’t know where I’m putting on the fat. I’m taking 2 Tbspn per day and make sure to drink some when I get up in the morning and before going to sleep. I also apply transdermal magnesium and a supplement of zinc. The last 2 things never did anything for me by themselves, but everything together has ramped up things downstairs for sure! Usually any supplement that works stops working, but this has kept on going. Hopefully it keeps getting better because I’m not yet at max capacity (but I’m way better than before!).
The general guidelines are to eat lots of nourishing food, whatever satisfies you best, in whatever quantity you can enjoy, and not let yourself go hungry. Emphasize carbohydrates like roots and grains, and saturated fats like dairy, coconut and meat from grazers like cows and lamb. Avoid vegetable oils, and reduce pork and chicken. Try to give yourself a twelve hour break from eating, so if you have dinner at 8pm, have breakfast the next morning around 8am. Try it for thirty days, and try to get as much sleep as you can manage, and take that time off from vigorous exercise if you’re in the habit of doing any. The idea is to take in more calories and nutrients than you need to give your body a chance to rebuild.
Reduce chicken? Is that because of pufa content or inflammatory proteins? I found that I handle drumsticks much better than beef. I dislike lean chicken meat and I don’t crave meat that often though, maybe twice a week.
I think more for the PUFA content, but I don’t think Matt advises people become obsessive about it.
yeah I don’t think the extra pufa I get from chicken makes much difference. Perhaps if I ate a ton of it, but I don’t.
People often think its a quantity issue. In order for changes to occur it takes a lot of a substance but a slice of bacon is enough to make a negative impact on your fat loss goals :) .
if you put a bottle of pepsi in your gas tank which is not very much in comparison to the gasoline do you think it would have an impact?
I wouldn’t disregard the nuances of the recommendations sometimes they hold the key, instead maybe try lamb, goat, bison or something until you find something you like.
Lamb, goat, bison. Man just hearing that makes me feel poor haha. Most people around here would rather spend their money on cigarettes and Polar Pops. I heard that they use Lamb in Gyros. Maybe I could have some of those sometime, and just make sure they don’t use shitty condiments with shitty oils. Cucumber sauce? Hmm, I think I could make my own. Other than that, I suppose I get most of my protein from ground beefs, dairy, and the occasional steak. I do have chicken when I go to chipotle or eat at Chinese places. I’ve never had a bison burger and I should make it a goal to have one soon! I have a Harry Buffalo restaurant (bar and grill?) in my Mall around here.
Bob, depends where you live bison and goat could be free and are staples among the poor. Polar pops!!! ha ha ! I was actually in your neck of the woods and saw 69 cent polar pops and was giggling for a while at ridiculously large a 69 cent sugar could be…. I ended up doing a month long experiment because of the beloved polar pop and it was quite a cost effective experiment lol
Bob Dean…Unfortunately,Gyros is being made from pork…..and over here usually seasoned with cheap instant MSG Laden favourings
In an authentic Mediterranean place there is NO pork on the menu…so unless the gyros are a knockoff…they won’t contain pork!
HI Carla, I’m not sure what constitutes authentic mediterranean but I’ve been to many greek places operated and owned by greeks and I have seen gyros with pork or lamb or chicken or beef. In my experience It varies from place to place.
Oh yeah, haha, the Mediterranean place on the corner is run by people from Iran, so no pork on their menu, but I forgot that Greek food is also Mediterranean :>). My geography is terrible!
hmm well I don’t have any fat loss goals (still got my 6-pack), just feel good and more energy goals. Still an issue?
And if pufa is such a big issue for fat loss, how come you advice buffets? I’m sure there is plenty of pufa in that.
Hi franz.. I never said fat loss had anything to do with Puffas. I was simply pointing out that matt might have other reasons for chicken being an issue and those little nuances in recommendations can sometimes make all the difference. I tell people to not eat pork and when I say do not eat pork that does not mean … ok he said don’t eat pork but a little bit can’t possibly matter so they eat a little bacon on their burger and then don’t get the results they are after looking at me like I’m crazy. It changes their whole view on it when they do it all over the second time changing that one variable and get what they are looking for.
To answer your question In my book If someone has a liver issue and that is their main obstacle to achieving their goals the chicken fat would be an issue if there is any fructose at all in the diet. If they are pretty healthy overall a few pieces of fried chicken in a week won’t do a thing to affect energy or fat loss provided everything else is in place the rest of the week, pork on the other hand is not nearly as friendly.
As far as buffets when you rock em right puffas and muffas and umpa-lumpas don’t really matter as long as it isn’t taken to idiotic extremes.
side note: depending on your size and weather or not you need to adhere to restriction to maintain them, having a six pack might be contradictory to having really high energy and feeling well. ( might )
ah thanks for your reply, now it makes sense. I though because Rob said it was more of a pufa thing that you were also referring to that.
Luckily I don’t need to do anything to maintain my six pack. I can (and do) eat as much as I wan’t.
But perhaps I will try some other meats instead of chicken. My chronic sinusitis is a pain in the ass, and I guess that by doing so I might reduce my inflammation a bit (every little bit helps).
oh and PS. I enjoyed your blog posts and I’m looking forward to read more.
Cheifrok- what is it about pork/bacon that can affect fat loss so much?
yikes, i opened a big old can of worms now didn’t I, lol .it’s a lengthy discussion and deserves quite a few posts. First off it throws things off balance but the “why” is not so important and not needed to get the benefits form avoiding it as it’s pretty easy to avoid… Now excuse me while i go work on a pork roast ..I mean pork post… Rob you were right on the pork topic eh?
Haha- yes indeed, my man. :-D
Hey Chief, I avoid pork completely (‘tho I do miss pepperoni pizza:>(
But sometimes I wonder if the gelatin content of the capsules for some of the supplements I take has an impact? (boy that crap is Everywhere!) I try to find vegetarian or vegan supplements but not always possible. What do you think?
Ok, I take a lot of gelatin- I thought it was made from beef?
How do you know if your gelatin is pork or beef..lol
Or maybe the gelatin portion of the pork is not an issue?
Nola, I don’t think you can know for sure it’s most likely made in the same place in batches together. Ive not had time to test gelatin too busy with other stuff. It was never a big issue for me I haven’t had jello since I was a kid. I don’t eat it at all. I may one day test it thoroughly and loosen up on it like I have with sugar after 3 years of repeated testing but for now there is just so much awesome stuff to eat that I don’t feel hindered by gelatin in anyway.
Ta – I can live without gelatin, thats for sure.
Though part the reason I was taking it was in the hopes that it would be good for joints etc..
Hmm – I do eat a reasonable amount of sugar at the moment:
I can’t say definitively whether it is good or bad ;
but I dont particularly notice any ill-effects – whether for health or weight control.
I have at times eaten virtually no sugar, and a very clean diet;
and I do not notice that it worked any better than a diet with a moderate/medium influx of sugar.
Gosh i’m glad,despite all my addictions to wrong sugar/dairy foods,that ive never been nor became the paleo -lovin’-eat bacon-type!
Well, I have read negatives against pork- so it doesnt wholly surprise me.
One thing I read said that pork put your system into a compromised state for a few days and made it more vulnerable to parasites during that time.
(it said something like – puts the system into a reversed energy state, or something?? cant remember the exact description- but basically a negative state)
Chief- not sure why, but my work spam filter blocks your website, giving reason: not allowed to browse this Phishing site.
Thought you should know. Perhaps it has something to do your provider.
Thank you Derek I will look into it, I certainly do not do any type of Phishing or scammy ass scumbag steeve shit.
Derek, could you find out the name of the spam filter you use my code monkeys want to run a test.
Not easy to tell which they use by looking at the “blocked” page (big corporate company). I’ll see if I can find anything out.
My first Rrarf was when I was 18 years old and was definately vegas style. There were no specifics on when I ate or how much or anything diet related persay. It was a complete bacchanalian romp for 4 months where I did whatever I wanted without concern about how I ‘should’ live my life – and lost 20 pounds. Even at an art school, many people looked down upon me for how uncontrolled I was. It might be fair to say that I became a hedonist. There was definately feasting, but I’m not convinced that it was the diet that made me lose weight. I actually think it was just letting go of social conventions and just living in the moment.
sounds awesome!
I’ve been thinking about this time in my life quite a bit since reading about the Ancel Keys study on starvation. I went through a period of severe malnourishment a couple years prior, following a serious injury that left me dependent on negligent parents. Anyway, my weight and health followed the Ancel Keys description to the letter. Because I was controlled, I wasn’t able to drop the extra pounds until I let go and responded to my hunger fully though. I think Key’s study is incomplete from a recovery perspective however. I don’t think you can fully recover from such severe deprivation without indulgence -and I don’t mean food. Maybe the severity of what I experienced makes it outside the norm, I’m not sure. I don’t think I could have recovered from a period of acute starvation and neglect had it not been for this time.
I dont know so much about non-food issues, though I guess they may follow the same principle as food issues;
ie, indulgence needs to follow deprivation or over-control to heal and balance things out.
Your story is fascinating though- particularly the bit where you dropped 20 pds while following every indulgence!
There must be something in it..
The weight loss is in line with many of the principles explored on this blog, it was just very fast … I dropped from a BMI of 25 to about 21.5. As soon as I dropped a pound from my highest weight I felt more confident to do as I pleased. I alternated between snacking all the time to stuffing myself and being full for a while. I think that is part of the reason the weight come off so quickly. It probably helped that I didn’t own a scale and so could only check if I lost weight every month or so. I remember being surprised every time I would weigh myself, it didn’t seem like a plausible formula for weight loss.
I would wish these kind of results for myself- but I am afraid to let loose and try in case I end up being one of those who gains and does not lose!
I hear you. I think I would be more reticent about doing the rrarf, had I not experienced weight loss like this previously. Surprisingly, I’ve found that eating more has given me more body confidence. I didn’t think I would get an ego boost, when I clearly am not looking my best.
How are your results overall this time with rrarf?
I do find that when I eat to hunger and trust in my body in those ways – I do feel better on some levels;
ie , a feeling of wholeness and rightness.
But- cosmetically it looks crap! and that I find hard to come to terms with.
I have not experienced the weight loss side as yet, only the gain.
CHIEF- I stumbled across your website last week and really look forward to reading more. I have been following Matt’s work for awhile now, although recently haven’t had as much time to read or research as I would like. I am getting to a point where I am tired of doing that too and would like to apply some things in my life and actually see things work for myself. I am 28 yr old, almost 300 pounds(eek!), 5’4″, mother of three boys(7, 3, 1)..I am still nursing and I am fairly active I would say, but I don’t do any “intentional” exercise. The past few months I have been trying to work on my body heat, but put on more weight(like 20 lbs) doing that…although I feel better in some ways, I am not happy at all about weighing what I do as I run out of energy fast, can’t do alot of things I would like to at this weight and want to look better. I am desperate. I took my dumbells out today because I want to start taking things into my own hands here and get in shape, but I am still clueless as to what I should be doing exactly.. I do think I have some hormonal issues too as I have had some facial hair that is getting worse, so I want to be careful not to do any more damage. Any pointers would be so very much appreciated. I just need somewhere to start. Thank you!!
You welcome Jessica, I don’t advise nursing moms to “experiment ” dietarily and just simply Eat The Food!! as well take it as easy as possible. Picking up babies is just as good as dumbbells btw. first start with a double dose of fukitol … stop worrying about what you weigh … no matter what you weigh, it is temporary but it is you none the less so love yourself. I’ve been working on the blog, more pointers coming up.
Thank you!! I look forward to it!