Baron's Journey to Single-Digit Bodyfat

[NQurious]

What kind of fish are the Okinawan's eating I wonder? Pretty long life expectancy there; and a very low incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer. They have a great diet, but it includes a lot of fish. I mean I assume its caught wild, but so are the fish at the local grocer (they say). Mercury doesn't seem to bother them too much. I wonder what the difference is.

Okinawans eat pork as well ... in fact, per capita pork consumption is higher in Okinawa than any other area in Japan. That fact is typically left unmentioned by the Dan Buettner, author of the Blue Zones diet, as it would contradict his vegan bias.

The staple of their diet is apparently a type of sweet potato. I would guess that that helps their health a good deal.

 

[HobbyTrading]

The staple of their diet is apparently a type of sweet potato. I would guess that that helps their health a good deal.

Plus seaweed, plus a low-stress life, plus a strong social structure, plus many other factors. Moral of the story: there are so many parameters involved that nobody knows for sure what the "magic sauce" is.

 

[HobbyTrading]

Not the greatest stats for week one fellas. But hey, I'm just reporting it like it is. Hopefully, I will have better progress in the weeks to come.

Body weight -1.1 lbs
Muscle mass -0.6 lbs
Oops, that was not the intention.

 

[El OchoCinco]

Body weight -1.1 lbs
Muscle mass -0.6 lbs
Oops, that was not the intention.

I beleive when you first start cutting your body releases water stored in your muscles and this can lead to "reduction" in muscle mass readings. That amount is pretty small and within reason given the above.

 

[NQurious]

I beleive when you first start cutting your body releases water stored in your muscles and this can lead to "reduction" in muscle mass readings. That amount is pretty small and within reason given the above.

Correct - 4 grams of H2O per gram of stored muscle glycogen. I believe the figure I learned was 500 grams of glycogen stored per average adult male, plus the additional 2000 grams of water, which I beleive calculates to about 5.5 pounds of weight. Not sure what that will do to a mass reading, but it would likely have some negative effect, though no lean mass itself was lost.

Also, if one is still ingesting carbohydrates, then one will not lose all the stored muscle glycogen.

but I could be wrong on all that of course.

 

[vanzandt]

Plus seaweed, plus a low-stress life, plus a strong social structure, plus many other factors. Moral of the story: there are so many parameters involved that nobody knows for sure what the "magic sauce" is.

I was just saying to myself the other day... 'Man... you do not eat enough seaweed'.

 

[luisHK]

Correct - 4 grams of H2O per gram of stored muscle glycogen. I believe the figure I learned was 500 grams of glycogen stored per average adult male, plus the additional 2000 grams of water, which I beleive calculates to about 5.5 pounds of weight. Not sure what that will do to a mass reading, but it would likely have some negative effect, though no lean mass itself was lost.

Also, if one is still ingesting carbohydrates, then one will not lose all the stored muscle glycogen.

but I could be wrong on all that of course.

Just read the following about Glycogen, and the place of carbs in one's diet (adressing both strength and endurance athletes' needs), rather long but interesting imo:

https://www.muscleforlife.com/glycogen/

 

[Baron]

I just recently read a book called "50 Secrets of the World's Longest Living People", which analyses the diets and routines of various regions known for having long lifespans. I won't bore you will all of the details, but in regards to the topic of meat consumption, the book said that although all of the world's longest living people do consume meat, it is only enjoyed as a treat, usually on a once-per-week basis. It makes sense when you consider that many of the areas that were examined are quite remote, so they don't have supermarkets nearby to easily buy some meat from. All of the meat they consume comes from the poultry or livestock they are raising on their own land.

Another interesting fact is that the world's longest living people consume about 1/3rd of the protein that we consume on a daily basis (50g vs. 150g). And their primary protein sources are legumes and nuts, not meat.

 

[iccenuol]

I just recently read a book called "50 Secrets of the World's Longest Living People", which analyses the diets and routines of various regions known for having long lifespans. I won't bore you will all of the details, but in regards to the topic of meat consumption, the book said that although all of the world's longest living people do consume meat, it is only enjoyed as a treat, usually on a once-per-week basis. It makes sense when you consider that many of the areas that were examined are quite remote, so they don't have supermarkets nearby to easily buy some meat from. All of the meat they consume comes from the poultry or livestock they are raising on their own land.

Another interesting fact is that the world's longest living people consume about 1/3rd of the protein that we consume on a daily basis (50g vs. 150g). And their primary protein sources are legumes and nuts, not meat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy

More sushi and rice buddy. But seriously, is the genetic component to all this something that you just can't alter?

 

[Baron]

More sushi and rice buddy. But seriously, is the genetic component to all this something that you just can't alter?

There's probably more truth in your sushi and rice comment than you realize. Epigenetics is the study of how different biological and environmental signals affect gene expression. Instead of changing DNA itself, epigenetic signals can change the number of methyl chemical groups attached to a gene, which turns that gene on or off. A person’s diet is an important source of epigenetic signals, and that's why the author of the book I was referring to examined the diets and environmental factors of all the world's longest living people to see what they're doing and we're not.

Aside from diet and excercise, another important epigenetic signal is exposure to extreme temperature. It seems that when the body is exposed to extreme conditions like a sauna on the hot side or cryotherapy on the cold side, it activates certain pathways in the body that have a direct effect on longevity. So the more you put stress on the body in that way, the tougher the body becomes which is beneficial for living longer. You can view exercise as being a beneficial stressor in the same way.

So it seems that a combination of limiting caloric consumption, daily exercise or hard work, combined with occasional exposure to extreme temperature is where the magic happens for living longer.