A couple of days ago, April 1st to be exact (unfortunately this wasn’t an April Fools Joke), anti-fructose crusader Robert Lustig, among others, were interviewed on a special 60 Minutes segment called “Is Sugar Toxic?”
4 years ago almost to the dayI was saying “Fruc Fructose.”? But nowadays I find myself saying “Luck Fustig!”? While the case against fructose?is very compelling on the surface (de novo lipogenesis, lower leptin secretion, raises uric acid levels,?we’re eating more of it,’statistically – soft drinks are?fattening, sugar feeds cancer,?yada yada), I had to face the fact that sugar, in all its glory, did some pretty impressive things for my health when I finally let my biofeedback, as opposed to a neat youtube video, some rat studies, and a couple dozen books, determine whether or not I should be eating it. And don’t think you are gonna educate me somehow in the comments by saying something like, “well read some John Yudkin and you’ll change your mind.” I’ve read them all son, ate a very low sugar diet for many years, until 2011 have been at war with sugar since my teenage years, and preached the gospel of Yudkin, Price, Cleave, Page, DesMaisons,?Seale Harris, Abrahamson and Pezet, Appleton, Dufty, Richard Johnson, and more low-carb authors than you can shake a stick at on this very website.
Although I’m well?on pace to do it in 2012, I generally agree that taking in?130+ pounds of refined sugar each year with absolutely zero nutritional value is a?risky dietary investment. It seems that some kind of penance shall be paid in anyone and everyone who gets a fourth of their caloric needs from something that contains no nutrients for decades. Overall, Lustig is fighting the good fight, and his intentions are good. But there is a lot more to health, particularly on an individual basis, than just avoiding one dietary substance. I found that trying to eliminate sugar from my diet for about a 10-year period in my 20’s actually made me a sugar addict, due to complex psychological and biochemical changes that take place when you try to restrict something that you are craving (increased dopamine receptors, increased binge-proneness, increased fixation on restricted item, etc.). Sugar itself is not very?addictive.?Highly palatable foods can be in that context, and sugar, in’the right form and amount, can play a part in that (sugar is just one of many factors in what makes food excite our reward centers).
My road to recovery first began with adding starch to my diet. That helped a lot. I eventually stagnated and only until I introduced tremendous amounts of simple sugars did everything really start coming back. Sex drive, ability to exercise and lift weights, skin is clear, and especially: my sanity is back! I now have anywhere from 500-800g of carbohydrates every day. ~Corey; 12 Paleo Myths
Anyway, I won’t beat this to death. Suffice it to say that the?60-Minutes anti-fructose video?is stupid and over-sensationalized, like most health information. Don’t eat sugar because sugar feeds?cancer?? Yes, excess sugar and excess insulin in the blood?probably do contribute to’the growth of cancer, but consuming sugar doesn’t cause blood levels of glucose or insulin to become chronically high. This is no different from thinking that?cholesterol causes heart disease, so we should avoid foods that contain cholesterol (even if it was bad to have high cholesterol levels, eating foods with cholesterol doesn’t impact blood levels of cholesterol, just as eating sugar doesn’t impact insulin and glucose levels, except maybe to lower glucose and insulin levels). Sugar activates dopamine so it is as addictive as?cocaine?? You don’t think Cheetos, chateaubriand, breast milk, french fries, or a slice of New York pizza do the same?? Yeah, our brains reward us for eating and having sex and stuff. So we don’t go extinct!
Fructose raises LDL?? In what universe exactly?? Because I routinely help people lower LDL, often by adding sugar to their zero-sugar diets.
Anyway, this post isn’t about debunking the fructose haters. There is plenty of intelligent and objective discourse about that. Stephan’s recent post was great. Rather, it’s about taking a day to thank fructose for all the nice things it has done to us – for those of us who have noticed health improvements from adding it back to our diets – sometimes in obscene quantities (temporarily, permanently, or sporadically). What better way to celebrate it than with a friendly competition?
FRUCTOSE FRIDAY!!!
This Friday I invite anyone and everyone to participate in 180DegreeHealth’s First Annual International Sugar Eating Competition (aka Fructose Friday… Sugar Sunday for the Catholics and Easter Candy fiends). Here are the Rules…
In no more than 60 minutes (like the name of the show), consume as many grams of sugar as you possibly can. Starch does not count, nor does fiber. ?It must be something that would appear on a food label as “sugar.”? It can be refined or unrefined. Unrefined sugar sources are often superior, such as eating a few pounds of Medjool dates washed down with grape juice – a strategy I hope to utilize.
This sugar quantity will then be divided by your approximate total body?weight in kilograms,?a unit of measurement?known as’the “Lustig.”? Whoever has the most Lustigs, wins!
Scoring example:? Let’s say I eat 500 grams of sugar in 1 hour. I weigh about 95kg, so my score would be…
500/95 = 5.26 Lustigs
A decent score, but I expect it to be fully blown out of the water by one of the 80-10-10 fruitarians, who? I will be inviting to participate.
On Friday, I will?put up a post where you can’share your results in a comment, and we will declare?a winner on Monday. You will have all weekend to post your sweet feats! So if Friday doesn’t work for religious?reasons, or you are holding out for Easter candy to do this,?you can do it on any of these weekend days and still enter the contest. I’m aiming for 500 grams in an hour, so you better bring your A-Game.
If you know a famous sugar-eatin’ fool, please invite them to participate. I want the best of the best to show up for this venue. I want?Martin?Berkhan. I want Alan Aragon. I want Durianrider. I want Chief. I want Furious Pete. I want Tim?Ferriss (although I think he only eats sugar on Saturdays, lol). They will be going up against 180DegreeHealth’s sponsored sugar-consuming athlete, the one, the only, known in the Northeast as’the flapjack lumberjack…
GLUTEN FIEND!!!(shown below, demonstrating the obesigenic effects of excessive fructose intake, and no doubt laying down a hearty amount of intimidation with his tremendous appetite/bodyweight ratio)
yah yah yah!
Interesting info. I did see the 60 minutes bit. I was wondering what your take would be. I’m still trying to figure out what works for me. I’ve been eating a lot of ice cream for breakfast lately. Whether or not it works I’m enjoying it :) All very fascinating. And fun to experiment/feel free to indulge a bit.
I won’t let you guys down. It’s an honor to participate in such a prestigious event. I’ll begin training today.
All my money is on Gluten_Fiend, every last cent! He is a sugar eater after my own heart. :-)
Also, as he is skinny as a rail, his Lustig will be really high.
YES!
deb the hag
I am already strategizing. Thinking of fasting till the big day to get my body weight down. at 56kg A measly 300 grams of sugar would put me at over 5 lustigs. I am shooting for around 500 grams but I might fall sort. Got some sweet coconut macaroons that should help me bump up the intake along with a couple liters of cream soda and some candy.
Candy grazing will probably get you along farther than the macaroons. I’m still sticking with my dates, as dates are sweeter than most candy.
Wish I would have known.. I could have send you some lbs of the best dates in the states, organic too! I could do about 1/2 a bag at a sitting.. ah yes, they are the sweetest!
Archway macaroons have almost 10 grams of sugar each. More satiating but towards the end it might be nice to get some fat in along with the sugar to help get it down. no good to have pure sugar sources if they make you gag after 400 grams.
dude, wash those ‘roons down with some DR approved Daterade. I am sure Chuck has the recipe. You will totally win with that strategy.
Datorade is so f’n disgusting! I tried it once. I would rather drink maple syrple straight out da bottle. That would be more GF-ish anyway. He’s a lumberjack. He should drink tree sap by the gallon.
Hey if Super Troopers can down a bottle then so can you.
You got the best dates Weird mom. They taste like pecan pie or something.
I do, I am so so lucky that Pato’s Dream sells at my market. Yeah, I was just funning’ with the boy. I vote maple syrup slushies, just to break it up a bit with a temperature change.
Go Gluten_Fiend! Chuck Johnson is on your heels, so let the games begin!
Don’t forget the lowly raisin…a 1/4 cup (which is NOTHING) has 24g of sugar…
I shall not forget the raisin! Raisin’ my Lustigs up towards 10!
I love dates. I put them in plain yogurt ( I prefer Nancy’s) and then top it off with some honey.
IT’S ON BABY!!! BRING IT!!!
I would have sponsored you too Carby Rex. But Gluten Fiend keeps complaining that I don’t feature him in a post. He is such a diva.
And a very snappy dresser! (for realz!)
Hahahaha whos a diva ? U talkn about Abe Lincoln’s long lost grand nephew there? LOL He does look like he can destroy a flapjack with extreme prejudice! Im gunna have to do WORK to save face here hahaha
I’ve lost over 20 lbs. so far with adding sugar back into my diet in an rbti fashion… Yah Yah Yah is right!
WoooWoot! Go sugar!
Seriously Katerina? You’ve lost 20 pounds adding sugar back in? Please explain how you’ve done this?? It’s hard for me to fully understand the whole RBTI and feels like a lot of work to do it. Would love to hear how you’ve done it!
You’re too much! My 3 year old is turning 4 on Friday, so you may be in for a surprise between birthday cake and ice cream…served with fruit. We’ll all have episondes of narcolepsy before 60 mins is up!!!! I’ve experienced first-hand what your breakfast suggestions have done to me! :) May the best Sugar, win!
In the words of j-roc-
“I can eat dat much sugar in 5 minutes, what ima do with the other 55 minutes dawg?”
You are making my head spin!
Oh man, I am so down for this.
Sour gummy worms, pancakes, and a lot of maple syrup here I come!!!
(of course the pancakes will with a heaping side of ice cream!)
nom nom nom nom nom
though i think there should have to be before, during, and after pictures no?!
I love gummies!!
I’m in!
I didn’t see the 60 Minutes piece, though I’ve listened to Lustig’s Youtube lecture. I’m not a fan of refined sugar (though on occasions I eat it, sometimes in LARGE quantities). I eat a lot of sugary fruits, though. (I don’t think Lustig has a problem with those, though he makes statements like “No one eats 10 oranges at one sitting.” Lustig, go meet Durian/Freelea & Pals.)
What really bothers me is his draconian ideas. He seems to want another government “war on…” campaign. As in war on drugs/cigarettes/saturated fat/cholesterol/etc. Ugh.
Yeah, like who could sit down and eat 10 oranges? Other than pretty much every species of primate on a pound-for-pound basis.
But what about those mini oranges known as satsumas? I can eat like twenty of those at once in the fall…
My mom sent my kids (2 & 5) a nine pound box of those little tangerines last year. Took’em less than 24 hours to finish off the box. Amazing.
The video seems a bit sensationalized, but if you disagree, then how do you explain the results of the study showing increased LDL after only a few weeks of HFCS consumption? It seemed like a pretty controlled study.
I think studies are ridiculous and stupid and have no bearing on real life, especially not one that was 3 weeks long. I could construct 100 studies that would lower LDL in 3 weeks, and every one of them would increase the risk for heart disease long-term (all the studies would rely on removing something from the diet, or lowering calories, etc.). LDL isn’t even that good of a predictor of heart disease in the first place. But ultimately, if you raise metabolism, LDL drops. And sugar can play a very important role in raising metabolism.
Professor Mark Haub lowered his LDL eating a diet of Twinkies and Nutter Butters, by lowering calorie intake, which leads to hyperphagia and a large increase in LDL long-term.
so did that tater eating dude.
I wonder if I will be able to hear Marc Sisson’s cry from Malibu “INSIDIOUS!” when you all start mainlining the white stuff.
:-)
1 Bonus Lustig for those who take in their sucrose through the nostrils.
Does confectioner’s count?
Yes. If you snort it.
I’ll totally snort confectioners sugar. I’ll snort a freakin’ line of the stuff if it will help me win.
How about suppository style ? How do you score that? I vote double Lustigs.
Bonus to the first person to attempt a maple syrup enema. Talk about some serious cleansing
I would love to see videos of all of you housing the sugar! I mean, at the very least we’ve got to see Matt, Gluten_Fiend and Sugar Cox. Gotta watch out for the 4 year old. A small body weight to sugar ratio could mean stiff competition for you guys.
You know what I mean, it the kid eats 500g of sugar and he/she only weighs 20kgs, that’s 25 Lustigs!
OMG you are onto something. Too bad my 7-y-o is 60 lbs, he could take on anyone.
Ok, maybe I have a silly question. But with this talk of sugar, what does it mean when I feel sick/ all tingly (anxiety like)/ cold like symptoms, after having too much sugar, such as too many chocolate chip cookies. Is that all related to metabolism?
I am with you. I find a similar reaction after eating sugary stuff and when my sugars on the brix are above a 5 or below a 2. I don’t know what to eat to get me hot. I’ve been trying to no avail. Although I just finished a salad, lamb and rice and feel pretty warm. I was going to have homemade ice cream with black strap molasses for dessert but don’t want to mess up the the inner warmness I am currently experiencing.
That’s probably a hypoglycemic reaction. You coming off of a low-carb diet? That will make the hypoglycemic reactions even more severe. But most can overcome this in my experience. It just takes some work (i.e. – eating more chocolate chip cookies).
I have this reaction as well – coming off of a low carb diet. Seems to happen most often after breakfast so my question is do I push it at that meal with the sugars? And is there a way to relieve that reaction once it’s started?
I would still eat the carbs – both sugar and starch, keep calories high, and be prepared to eat a good snack before you hit the wall at around 10am (the typical time people start to ‘crash’). You can get past having such a reaction. Eating a little less protein and fat for a while is a good way to reverse the low-carb impairment of glucose metabolism. Sleep quality and quality is incredibly important too. Odds are your sleep ain’t so hot, which is also a factor in the post-breakfast crash. But generally, the longer you go without food, the harder the crash will be when you eat. That’s yet another reason breakfast may be hitting you harder than other meals.
Yes to the sleep quality stinking right now, I can’t seem to reverse it or come out of a constant anxious state. I really need to make an appointment with you someday soon :)
Are you peeing clear at various points throughout the day? If we could stop those from happening you might make a little more progress there as well. Ultimately you will have to find a way to eat, sleep, and chill to make it further… I suspect.
No on the peeing clear. I backed way off the fluids after reading on here. I pee normal. If I do have sweets at night I notice I do have to get up at the 2-3o’clock hour to go to the bathroom. Sometimes I do have cloudy urine, not sure if that means anything and feel like this is getting to be way TMI :)
Funny how sweets at night can do that. Do you do any exercise? Did you tell me that already? I forget.
Well I haven’t been, trying to take it easy, but yesterday I went with a walk with a friend and all the kids and I did sleep better last night. I still woke up but that is due to some severe itching problem I am having. I took a benadryl and went back to sleep. It was definitely a more relaxing night, no racing thoughts. Whether that was due to the exercise, stretching I did before bed or the nice cooler weather, I dunno.
Wanted to jump in on this conversation as this sounds a lot like me too. I’ve been loosely doing Paleo – but actually did what was supposed to be a 21 day sugar detox (from hearing about it on a paleo blog I did). After 2 weeks on no sugar, no fruit, virtually no carbs except veggies, I felt soo tired and dragged down. Not like other people I know who were doing it and felt great. Then i found your site and have immediately been eating more bread, potatoes, cereal, icecream and I’ve feeling some major crashes during the day – usually the normal 4pm or even 5 or 6pm. First few days of adding carbs back in I felt like I had a ton of energy – now I feel in a slump and so naturally think it’s because of the carbs/too much sugar. I still sleep ok – but usually get up around 2pm and 4pm to pee. I’ve been doing a liver cleanse and working with an herbalist to take care of my liver (which he said liver and gallbladder issues cause the 2 and 4pm wakings). I have peed all day long – all the time for a long time now. I drink a lot of water – and tea or coffee in the morning. I even wondered a while back if I was pre-diabetic even though I was doing such a low carb diet. Just need to know if this is all related to what you described above – hypoglycemia – and if it will go away anytime soon? I.E. – do I need to eat sugar when I start to feel that slump??
Hulda, I had a similar problem, but fixed it by overdosing on salt.
Yes, yes, and yes. But you should also stop drinking water and tea and eat more salt, and dry foods. You also probably shouldn’t be packing in the sugar late at night, unless you are cold and peeing a lot.
Yes and No to coming off low carbish. I started feeling bad a year ago under major stressors with the carbs so it led to lower carbs, but more cravings for the cookies, etc. I was about to be dragged into Paleo until I found your site.
I think it means you went too heavy on the sugar and your body wants some real food.
2 months Rarfing and the sugar crashing deal is a lot less than when I started for me. It gets better and now I can really tell my one cup of coffee in the morning (can’t give it up) brings on the crash if I don’t overeat while having it.
Question: Feeling good but I am consistently waking up at 4am. No need to go pee, just wide awake and I usually go right back to sleep. I am running a few miles every other day, I’m kind of sick of food now so I’m eating more moderately but having 3 good meals and snacks if I want, temps average 97.7, cut back on water and peeing 4-5 times a day. Thanks for your help.
Playing around with your evening eating usually has an impact. If you are already hot in the evening, throwing more food on the fire can cause a 4am wakeup. If you are cold and hungry and don’t eat, this can also cause a 4am wakeup. So it takes some fine-tuning. I generally say to eat more and drink less during the time of day you are usually coldest and pee the most, and drink more and eat less when you are your hottest and not peeing. For most this will be the 2nd half of the day.
Actually waking up at 4,is the time that the livers detox time. So,it could also be that your liver is too clogged up with toxins.
Matt, you picked the wrong day for us Catholics. It’s good Friday, a day of abstinence and restrained eating. Why can’t you make this event happen on Easter Sunday? :) :) In my country, Easter Sunday is chocolate heaven (pun intended).
That’s why I’m allowing submissions all weekend. Just get your results in before Monday. Late entries are perfectly acceptable, especially with such short notice.
I gave up abstinence and restraint for Lent.
Wouldnt Easter Sunday be a perfect day for this?
Doesnt matter, i will be eating sugar all weekend. I think my plan of action for friday will be chocolate milk with added chocolate and blackstrap and jelly beans. This will be an great post workout meal.
Fructose Friday, Sugar Sunday – Just post your results before Monday.
On Lustig:
Having seen him in the( copious) flesh, I will say his sugar of choice is Jack Daniels.
Oh it rhymes, duh! :)
Why eat fruit and fill your stomach with all that fiber and water? With a lower body-weight of only 65kg and a diet of low-fiber high sugar snacks like ho hos and twinkies, I should be able to own a meager score like 500. I mean 20 cakes would already put me at like 13 Lustigs.
Bring it Aaron. If you bust out 13L I will be truly impressed. Dates get the sugar in quick though buddy. Don’t underestimate the power of the Medjool!
I think I could round up 6 or so flavours of Haagen Dazs and Ben and Jerry’s that I haven’t tried yet…
Impressive sir!
Clarification of rules:
Do nutty bars count? They are made with dextrose, not sucrose or HFCS.
And how are we proving we ate all our sugar? Videos? Honor system?
It’s all honor system. Videos are encouraged though. I plan on getting some footage. Dextrose does count, but an honest man would shoot for a higher fructose intake.
hmmmm, I seem to recall a video that would go perfectly with this challenge….. wonder where that video can be seen?… any ideas? :-)
Can type 2 diabetics eat heaps of sugar too?
Yes, but I wouldn’t recommend doing it if you are not used to taking in a lot of sugar. Your blood sugar will go into the stratosphere. But most type 2’s will find that if they eat a bunch of sugar frequently throughout the day that their blood glucose levels start to fall, especially postprandial glucose levels. And they start to feel quite a bit better. You may have to train up for next year dear type 2’s. We’ll redshirt you in 2012.
Hmmm, cool. Have you concluded that there must be something else different between the two types of Pima indians?
There are a lot of things different about the Pima Indians and the Maycoba in terms of diet, lifestyle, and social status. But ultimately they are desert dwellers that lived off of scarce resources and a very lean diet. When encountering more palatable food, such as the increase in calorie density and fat content seen in the Pima vs. Maycoba diets, the Pima got fat. But a similar parallel in the animal kingdom might be the Sand Rat. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Rat This points again to how much of this can be influenced by heredity.
So Matt, if overeating and being overweight doesn’t really cause diseases like diabetes and what not, why are the Pima Indians so much more prone to diabetes and heart disease? It’s not the palatable food susceptibility and calorie levels causing the disease, but rather what they are eating and other lifestyle factors right? Just a little confused?
My husband could use your help with his type 2.
Fructose definitely has proven to not be my friend,no matter how much or little I exercise it somehow immediately stores as fat in my liver. Also causes me to not be able to walk straight….I walk as if I’m drunk.
And it causes a lot of uncontrollable bingeing&addiction…..even more than sugar.(though table sugar manifests in another range of symptoms)
Maybe it’s bc I’ve been fed instant formula as a baby,which is said to be high in fructose,that wrecked me from the beginning….
Pounds of dates? PoundSSS??? That’s a solid strategy, but I’m going to be most interested in the aftermath of the competition. Is it gonna be a sugar-high from heaven? Or a stomach ache from hell?
This will be quite a test of digestive and metabolic excellence! I don’t think I can hang with you or the skinny lumberjack, but I wish you good luck and calm stomachs.
If I am regularly eating very high-carb, I can eat tons of that and have no problems (like Durianrider, let’s say). But I’ve been eating really high fat for the past couple of months, so I”m pretty much screwed. Headache central. My digestion is boss though. No problems there. I’m more worried about Chuck Johnson. He could be the biggest contender to Gluten Fiend.
So true, he will eat about 50 apple bananas as an appetizer, where is CJ anyway? I suspect Johnny Lawrence will be hooking up a HFCS IV in order to win. Bastard.
No doubt Chuck could destroy me. It wouldn’t even be close. My only hope would be if chuck decided to eat fresh fruit or something. My fruit slices might hold their own yet.
I have a 500gram bag of Sucanat, but I weigh 91kg… boooooo thats only 5L’s!
I love this site so much, I come here and for once I don,t feel like a weirdo for my food choices. All Im eating ATM is lots of gluten, honey and dates, and everyone around me is anti-wheat, carbs, sugar… I’m so thankful for 180 for celebrating my dietary freekdom.
That was from me not Lusaka??? Stupid iPad keyboard
Did anyone notice at the end they said Pfizer sponsored the episode? That is kinda scary, why would one of the largest multinational pharmaceutical companies sponsor a show that is vilifying a substance that supposedly raises cholesterol? If people give up sugar and their cholesterol levels normalize.. wouldn’t that mean profit loss on their drug called LIPITOR? I don’t think they believe that sugar is the real cause here. And I’m not buying it either.
Ya heard that too, I bet there’s a pfizer fat cat sittin on his yacht somewhere laughin at this. In fact here is a video of their last board meeting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7edeOEuXdMU
Nice. I will spot you .5 Lustig for the Austin Powers reference.
Can we mere outsiders get in on this?
So the dizzy spells? What’s with that? Not always, but they happen. Particularly with sodas and outside food. The carb crashes are a problem too, but it seems that loading up frequently will help one avoid those (according to above comments).
Good catch on the lipitor thing. They are shameless.
I don’t know what the prize should be, but if I win I want Matt to sing karaoke on video for all of our viewing pleasure.
May I ask that Matt sing a medley of Weird Al songs? Please??!
Oh it’s on…it’s on like Donkey Kong! I must mediate and bring out my inner CHIEF.
more disordered eating. cant wait to see what we can come up with next. One food obsession after another. wish JT was here so he could call everyone out.
Yes, where is that JT guy who is obsessed with doing high intensity training 8 hours a week while counting calories on a totally bland and redundant diet and doing huge refeeds of over 10,000 calories once every 7 days gonna step in and tell us how we’re all a bunch of orthorexics now because we eat pancakes and ice cream to warm up our hands and feet? Please, we need some sanity here! Find him Doubter! Find him! Save us from ourselves!
hahaha yea.. he was a total psycho. but at least he provided some argument. Batman is lame without a Joker. too much of a circle jerk around here these days.
Is junk food now the new sugar? the new lemonade? the new resistant starch? milk? starch? low fat? The merry-go-round has to end with everyone just eating a ham and cheese sandwich and getting a life. You’re last post got to this a little. Hope you continue to encourage people to give up on food as a religion. It’s made me quite lame over the years. Glad im coming out of it. Thanks to you in some ways.
What an ass you are. JT was not a “psycho”, and I always appreciated his take on things.
aw yeah. sugar is like my fetish. Pretty sure thats way better than an eating disorder. When I heard Lustig say the word “toxic” like only he can, I took a big ol’ swig from the 2l and basically got a spontaneous boner. He makes sugar sound so dirty! I always make my dirtiest soda mixes when I watch lustig videos.
Hey matt, sorry if people here aren’t ready for me. I apologize in advance if you lose readers. Just say the word and i’ll go away.
throw a little bourbon in there. always good for an spontaneous boner
Sounds like you know how to party.
We have been waiting for you. We need you here. I openly beg you to stay GF. Do it for the children. And the soda.
I wanna see someone drink a bottle of agave for this contest… being it is the new super high frutose food that is to be avoided. And frutose Friday is coming up after all.
Will you do it for us Julie? And film it? Pah-Leez???
Funny, I was eating pancakes and reading the maple syrup label today, toying with the idea to drink the whole thing as part of this crazy contest. But it would only be 816g of sugar / 93kilos = 8.77 lustings, and that’s probably what some of you are going to open with before moving on to cupcakes and icing.
I’ve thought of that myself, as I really love maple syrup and often take tiny shots of it. But that’s an awful lot of syrup. And you are right, it’s probably gonna take double-digit Lustigs to take the title in this one. I originally hoped for 6, but after filming my video today I’m thinking any less than 6 will be a huge personal disappointment. http://youtu.be/qXzbxS3IFtI
The bleeps made it sound like you were saying shit in that video. Funny stuff. I lol’d for real.
I think the threshold to make the top 3 the in this competition is going to be 12 lustigs.
Matt, as far as fructose goes, I remember Mercola/Campbell saying that up to two hours after a sprint workout, having fructose (or was it glucose too?) would stop the growth hormone response. Is this true? I don’t recall either of them backing up this “fact”. Thanks.
I agree, adding sugar back has made me feel so much better, and I’m not addicted to it anymore. lol.
Matt,
Long time no speak- John from Miami:) enjoying your latest posts like crazy- especially this one. I wanna bring the cojones out to participate on this one, but man…
I’m a bit concerned with the nail/ overall fungus that I’ve been battling for the past 10 years that surprise, surprise my overly “healthy eating” hasn’t conquered. I have thrown all the dogma and health BS out the window, increased my carbs a bit- think I need even more- and included lots more “poisons” he he into my eating. Not only am i loving it, but feeling more free, stronger and better than ever. Going back to the freaking frustrating fungus thing, should I just say the heck with it? The itching is a bitch man, especially with some sugars after 2pm… What do u think?
Also looking forward to possible “gluten is death” over-sensationalizing obliteration on the site any time soon? Further analysis on sugar with diabetics, cancer etc. ? Keep the posts coming brother. Peace
Matt, I’m new to your blog. Still digesting it all as I’ve been on a semi-paleo diet for a few months. But curious to know if you’ve seen the documentary “Fat Head” by Tom Naughton? He debunks Morgan Spurlocks Super Sizeme by eating a fast food diet for 30 days. Anyway, I saw it about a year ago and it definitely rattled me a bit. It’s still just so hard for me to really believe adding in all these carbs and sugar will improve my thyroid/adrenal problems OR Help me loose weight. But I also know the weight is also a mental thing – a “weight” you hold onto. Lots to chew on here – but was curious if you saw that film and your thoughts on it. Thanks!
Question. Does anybody else find they get a weird sensation in the back of their neck if they fail to eat enough food over a couple of days? I ask because sometimes at night, this weird sort of slightly burning, like sunburn burning, sensation in my neck comes out of nowhere and I think it has something to do with my food intake being too low or something, but I don’t really know.
LMFAO!
This is just hilarious. And awesome. I have no chance of being in the running since my sugar-fu is inferior to many. However, I love the irreverence of this post. Thumbs up, Matt.
And a few hours after downing all those high-fibre dates and raisins, y’all can have a pooping competition. What measurement will you use for that? The Monastyrsky? You could call it the “Dr. Oz”, but the poop all comes out of his mouth so it isn’t really appropriate for this competition.
Excellent idea Terry! And a great name too!
Gluten Fiend wrote, “I don’t know what the prize should be, but if I win I want Matt to sing karaoke on video for all of our viewing pleasure.”
I’d like Gluten Fiend and Matt singing a duet of “I’m a flapjack lumberjack and I’m OK”, followed by “I’m Bringin’ Sugar Back”.
Joni will totally produce that song.. I like Bringing Sugar Back myself. Or Sugar In A Box.. Timberlake SNL reference.
This is absolutely psycho! I will take this all with a grain of the other prescribed substance….salt!
Maybe we can do a salt-eating competition when 60 Minutes does a show on salt. Shouldn’t be that far off.
You weight 95 kg? I see now why in your videos you are only shown from the chest upwards. Are you shy maybe? :-))
I’ve been doing RBTI the past 6 mo or so and my husband has been complaining that I’m like an ice cube when I come to bed. So after reading the last post and this one, I had Fettucine Alfredo and breadsticks at Olive Garden last night and ate the whole thing. Was nice and toasty (hubby thanks you), except for the feet were still a bit chilly. BUT the heartburn was like my pre-RBTI days. What do I do about that?
What raises triglycerides if not fructose/refined sugar?
Sugar does raise trigs… as well as cholesterol. But someone like Peat would say that cholesterol is good because it is made into hormones, and trigs prevent free fatty acid release.
I thought high trigs were one of the biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. I’m getting confused…
For the guys… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw_ZR86hNQI
At first glance, I thought I might need some alone time with this video. Then I realized I don’t dig chicks with bigger muscles than me…or pretty much any guy I know…HAHA.
Matt Stone discovering Primal: I’m eating no carbs and I feel like a million bucks! Everyone should do this, I’ve found THE ANSWER!
Matt Stone 6 months after no carbs: I feel like crap. This is not the answer.
Matt Stone after re-discovering carbs and sugar: I’m eating 1,000 grams carbs and sugar and I feel like a million bucks! Everyone should do this, I’ve found THE ANSWER!
Matt Stone 6 months after tons of sugar: __________ (fill in the blank).
I see a pattern emerging . . .
That is a misrepresentation. Matt has been pretty clear about his objectives with this blog.
Ok, so I’m not the only one. I think I have to get myself off these health blogs, my body can’t take all the “advice”. I realize from all of this that I need to just listen to my body above all. God gave it to me and I have to trust it. I am going to just do that from now on.
I’ve been eating a ton of sugar my whole life except for a few year diversion when I stumbled upon the world of health information.
I know I’m new here so forgive my ignorance, but I read your primer on RRARF and it explicitly says to avoid fructose and simple carbs. Is this now out-of-date info? Are you saying to consume sugar after RRARFing or are the RRARF guidelines amended? Do you eat everything all the time and hope for the best?
Also as an aside, what about overweight people who are always hot when everyone else is cold? People who have problems such as Type II diabetes and the like. If they’re hot shouldn’t they, according to your model, be able to rid themselves of disease? Not trying to provoke, just seriously curious.
Most people who are overweight and feel hot all the time have low body temperatures. Diet Recovery contains the most current information on fructose, which is no longer some villainous anti-metabolic substance to be wary of. People should rely on their own biofeedback to determine whether sugar, starch, or a combination is the most warming. I find the combination of the two to be the most satisfying and warming.
That was true of me Matt. I would get really hot and had low temps in the 95/96s. Completely gone now…
Matt, I’ve eaten a lot of sugar in my day, too. And I credit you for helping me get off the carbophobic path, and realize that if I want something to just eat it and not worry about it, even if it’s a handful of marshmallow Peeps or a double Quarter Pounder. But drinking a whole bottle of maple syrup just because it’s there? I just don’t see the benefit, and the outcome can’t be good.
People should start naming their desserts after Lustig:
Loaded Lustig Chocolate-Caramel Supreme
Luscious Lustig Lemon Pie
Lustig Cola
etc
Nice. That gives me some good ideas for future cooking vids.
Matt you are once again a bastard in my books !!! couldn’t give me a heads up for this one??
I could have totally handed everyone their ass on this competition, only you had to go and adjust for bodyweight. tsk tsk tsk there goes my glory and fame at 115kg im in a rough spot. “So many times, it happens too fast you change your passion for glory ”
whats worse is I’m at my all time low feasting skill level, in a month I’ll be doubling my intake. I would have liked to train at least 2 weeks for this one. lil’ skinny ass durrian rider could prolly take me right now with his 97-0 -3 approach to 80 10 10. at minimum I would have liked to back off on fatty stuff for a while, let’s say at least not have eaten the fried chicken, pizza, burger and fries combo last night! that’s like jogging 8 hours a day to train for powerlifting.
Either way I’m down. so should I be shit talking like a boxer ? you ain’t nothing but a paper champ gluten fiend!! I pity the fool that don’t be eating capn crunch with sugar on top Rob A.!
you need to also create a second division championship for overall highest fructose content outside of the lustig based stats. I know I’ve done 500grams in bananas in an hour. should be easier with other stuff. I received a 5 kg bag of raisins as a gift recently. Although I like them about as much as bananas, I might have to rock some sugar coated ones for this and get all Biz Markie pouring sugar on everything style.
Praise Tebow! You’re back! And just in time for the competition. I feel you on the lack of training. Been eating more fat lately. Really hurts the sugar tolerance.
Raisins are definitely a contender for most sugar-rich food. I was looking at a box of Sun Maids at Grandpa’s house tonight. 29 grams of sugar and 17 servings. Just a little cannister. Do the math on that and you got yourself quite a few Lustigs right there, with plenty of leftover stomach capacity.
There will be an award for total quantity too Chief, now that you are back for a quick sugar attack. Just to make sure you win something. You should. You’re f’ing Chief for crying out loud!
Yes to the raisins…nothing better than a canister of Dole Raisins! Eat them while they are fresh. Sugar and carbs…yummy!
I’ll go into a sugar coma – guaranteed!
What about frozen pineapple juice (89% sugar), add a small amount of water so it isn’t so thick. Then add heavy whipping cream (a lot or a little) and shake it. Drink through straw or licorice stick. No need to waste time chewing.
You look like shit Matt. Not sure why anyone would take dietary advice from you.
Probably because they want to feel better. And stop eating a crappy diet that is boring and causes them health problems and all of their friends and family to think they are weird.
Matt, you do not look like shit. I just had to say that :)
Hi Matt, I purchased Diet Recovery about 2 months ago but deleted the email with the link. Can you re-send it? I have been eating whatever I want all winter long and gained 20 lbs. My temp barely makes 98.0. In the years prior I have done Atkins, low carb, and hcg….ending with being a WAPF follower. I need to read your book again. I only skimmed it the first time. I need help.
Thank you.
Hi Matt
I have been reading your website and book and I am some what confused. I see you say carbs and sugar dont make you fat and cause cancer but then what causes causes, autism, behavioral problems, being fat etc. If standard american diet is not the cause what is?
I so want to believe you are right. I have struggled with health issues for 10 years now since having my first child. I think I am gluten intolerant. I eat as per sally fallon recommendation but still have insomnia, bad digestion pains all the time, reflux, back pain etc . I was thinking of the GAPS diet but that is obviously something you think wont help. Not sure what to do next. Not really keen on gaining anymore weight
Considering that the Standard American diet contains fewer carbohdyrates by percentage of total calories than the diet of any other major human civilization, we can probably rule out the carbs as being the sole cause.
Man oh man Matt Stone you are a genius! Sugar is the wonder cure people, oh yeah its true! Skin problems are disappearing because of the awesome benefits sugar has for the thyroid!
Because clearly Matthew Stone has more insight than an endocrinologist who actually sees real live patients with a pulse on a regular basis, and cancer researcher.
Matthew Stone has you sheeple all lined up for your fleecing.
Ok.
Clearly more insight.
Any difference between naturally occurring fructose from fruit and the much-maligned High Fructose Corn Syrup in your opinion, Matt?
Well there are differences. They don’t seem to be all that signficant though. I do find sucrose to be far superior to HFCS.
No, I just don’t get it. It seems to me there are dietary blogs aplenty, and each blog author has their own view (backed up by their interpretation of the relevant science), their own opinion; and loyal followers with amazing results. Seems to me the best thing is to try what works for you, low-carb, high carb, no sugar, whatever and stick to that. Sisson has his followers, this site has its own, each believes they are right and people are confused as there is zero agreement on what the body needs and until that day happens, there will be multiple camps slinging mud at each other and belittling each other, assuming each is right. So rather than finding answers here, there is just more confusion. Time to move on for me I’m afraid.
The problem is that “whatever works” is temporary, and comes with long-term consequences when you have to return to eating “x” substance that you so diligently removed from your diet.
I love this place. Initially I came here to help me recover from my insidious orthorexia (way worse than insidious weight gain, BTW). I had no idea that most of the posts and comments would provide the added benefit of making me laugh my entire face off. If stress is indeed one of the major causes behind obesity, diabetes, et al, this blog is helping me combat all of it. Thanks, guys!
Just an FYI, I raised my basal metabolism from 97.2 to 98.2 in about 5 weeks and I didn’t eat sugar to do it. Given that I’m insulin resistant as a result of being hypothyroid and post menopausal, sugar isn’t healthy for me, I don’t feel well when I eat it, and I really have no desire to eat it. There are much healthier foods that will boost your metabolism and bring you back to health. I wasn’t unhealthy, but I couldn’t lose the weight I had slowly put on over a year and half and my basal temp (underarm) was too low. Eat for Heat worked, minus any sugar products. I found that once I got sugar out of my diet (years ago), I didn’t miss it at all.