I you’re like most people, you think the only thing that matters when losing weight is calories, i.e., calories in versus calories out. The calorie theory, as you will see, is a physiological impossibility.

Calorie is a shortened name for kilocalories, to reflect the simplified math. A kilocalorie contains 1,000 calories, so the Angus Burger with bacon and cheddar is actually 770,000 “calories.” Now don’t get your panties in a bunch! This simplified math also applies to exercise calorie charts. If the cardio machine you’re using says you burned 200 calories, it’s simplified for 200,000 calories. However, don’t rely on exercise equipment charts; they are grossly inaccurate.

To understand why it’s not calories that matter when getting lean, go HERE.

Unless you’ve been in a vacuum, you’re aware that the U.S. has a little bit of a weight problem. As a matter of fact, if you’re born in this country your chance of being overweight is greater than 60 percent. One of the many great benefits of coconut oil, specifically the medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) it contains, is its ability to increase energy expenditure. In other words, it increases your metabolism.

Unlike long chain fatty acids (LCFA’s), MCFA’s are processed very easily by the body. When they are consumed, MCFA’s are absorbed directly into the blood stream from the small intestines and go right to the liver. Once in the liver, they are easily burned as fuel. Because of their size and the ease in which they are processed, MCFA’s are not readily stored as fat. On the contrary, because of their size, LCFA’s are not as efficiently processed and the body prefers to store them in fat cells.

MCFA’s metabolism boosting effects have been known for decades and are heavily documented through research:

In a study, researchers compared the thermogenic effect between MCFA’s and LCFA’s after single meals. The meals of 400 calories consisted entirely of either MCFA’s or LCFA’s. The thermogenic effect of MCFA’s over six hours was three times greater than that of LCFA’s. Researchers concluded that as long as the calorie level remained constant, substituting MCFA’s for LCFA’s would result in weight loss. [1]

Farmers found that when they fed their livestock feed that contained polyunsaturated oils like soy and corn oil, animals readily gained weight. However, when they used feed that incorporated coconut oil, the animals got leaner. The main reason for this is that polyunsaturated fats suppress thyroid function, which decreases the animal’s metabolic rate. Soy oils are the worst offenders because of the goitrogens (anti thyroid substances) they contain. [2] This is what happens to us. Is it any wonder the obesity epidemic is so bad when our consumption of vegetable fats has increased more than 400%? [3]

Researchers at Vanderbilt University compared the thermogenic effect of liquid diets containing 40 percent of fat as either MCFA’s or LCFA’s. All subjects were studied for one week on each diet in a double blind, cross-over design. Resting metabolic rate did not change during the week. The thermogenic response to MCFA’s was roughly twice that of the LCFA’s. [4]

A study was published last year conducted by researchers at McGill University to evaluate existing data describing the effects of MCFA’s on energy expenditure and to determine their efficacy as agents in the treatment of obesity. They reported that several different studies have shown weight loss equivalent to 12 to 36 pounds a year simply by changing the types of oils used in everyday cooking and food preparation. Animal and human studies have shown greater energy expenditure, less body weight gain, and decreased size of fatty deposits when using MCFA’s as opposed to LCFA’s. [5]

Sources of Coconut oil:
Only use organic virgin coconut oil. I am currently using Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil. This oil is truly unrefined and made from organic coconuts. It contains a very high lauric acid content between 50 and 57 percent. I use between two and four tablespoons per day, which is what is recommended.

References
1. Seaton, T.B., et al. “Thermogenic effect of medium chain and long chain triglycerides in man.” Am J of Clin Nutr. 1986;44:630

2. Daniel, Kayla T. The Whole Soy Story. Washington, New Trends Publishing, 2005.

3. Enig, Mary., and Sally Fallon. “Myths and Truths about Beef.”westonaprice.org www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtbeef.html

4. Hill, J., et al. “Thermogenesis in humans during overfeeding with medium chain triglycerides.” Metabolism. 1989 July;38(7)641-8. www.ncbi.nlm.gov

5. Jones, P. “Physiological effects of medium-chain triglycerides: potential agents in the prevention of obesity.” J Nutr. 2002 March;132(3):329-32. www.thyroid.about.com

Written by Robert Kennedy and Tosca Reno

Upon opening this book I was impressed; the foreword was written by Jack La Lanne a pioneer of health and fitness. I watched The Jack La Lanne Show as a kid; it was the first fitness show on TV; I’ve been involved in health and fitness since. This is a man who on his 70th birthday swam a mile while shackled to 70 boats carrying 70 people. He attributes his outstanding health, now at 95 years young, to clean living.

Jack La Lanne was the first well known advocate for deriving health and strength from ?eating clean?, which is the premise of The Eat Clean Diet for Men. This book is an easy to follow prescription to change your health for the better with no carb or calorie counting. It’s loaded with helpful tools like: creating a game plan for grocery shopping to ensure healthy choices, eating on the road, and eating right while dining out.

Some of The Eat-Clean principles
? Eat 5 or 6 small meals a day.
? Combine lean protein with complex carbohydrates at every meal.
? Never miss a meal, especially breakfast.
? Avoid all over-processed, refined foods especially flour and sugar.
? Avoid sugar-loaded colas and juices.
? Consume adequate good fats (EFA?s) each day.
? Stick to proper portion sizes ? give up the super sizing!

There are only two points made in the book that I firmly disagree with. The first is the recommendation to avoid all saturated fats. The fact is, these fats are very healthy and a necessary part of the human diet; saturated fats have nothing to do with obesity or cardiovascular disease as the media and medical community has lead us to believe. Second and probably most important, soy milk is on one of the grocery lists and included in a few recipes. Soy?s deleterious effects are indisputable and I?ve written about them several times. Among other problems with soy, twenty five grams of soy product per day is enough to disrupt your thyroid function, which is at odds with becoming leaner and healthier. Just use skim milk.

Outside of the above two concerns, I enjoyed reading The Eat Clean Diet for Men. Robert Kennedy and Tosca Reno make eating clean as fail proof as possible. I recommend this book not only to the average person just trying to lose that extra weight and improve their health, but to the experience fitness buff as well. I?m certain that anyone who reads The Eat Clean Diet for Men will take away something from this book to improve their lives.

Fat is it friend or foe? Well if you ask most, including health care professionals, they’ll say foe. It’s time for people to wake up! The current ways of eating aren’t working. Just a few years ago, for the first time in history the top six books on the New York Times Best Seller list, were about the same subject: diets low in carbs, moderate to high protein, high in fibrous carbs (vegetable), and moderate fat. Why is this topic so popular? They work!

One of the biggest reasons protein diets work is the consumption of fat. That is, fat minus the abundance of carbs. Fat has many functions outside of being used as an energy source, and certain fatty acids are essential. Without eating them you’d literally get sick and die.

But how does fat help our diet? Well, fat satiates the appetite, and helps to stop the cravings for sugar. And probably most importantly, fat when combined with a low sugar intake actually aids in burning fat as fuel. That’s right, fat helps burn fat. When fat is restricted, our bodies have a defense mechanism built in through evolution for survival. Our bodies will actually stop using fat as fuel in an effort to preserve our stores for future use.

Bodybuilders have known this for years through trial and error, while dieting for shows, they would reach a certain body fat percentage and suddenly plateau for no apparent reason. We found that by adding fat to the diet like olive oil, or coconut oil, would jump-start the body to burn body fat. It’s not the amount of food you consume that is the problem. It’s the types of food you’re consuming.

Sounds bizarre doesn’t it.

Men’s Fitness.com helps you get the crap that has been accumulating in your fridge since winter.

Things to Trash:

High-calorie dips, spreads, and condiments
Bye-bye, nacho cheese sauce, French onion chip dip, blue cheese dressing, and mayo. In their place, swap a couple of varieties of salsa, vinaigrette dressings, and mustards, and other low-carb steak, barbecue, and cocktail sauces that are free of added sweetners.

Fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt
It’s typically more sugar than anything else. Instead, stick with sugar-free, plain variety (mix in your own fresh fruit and nuts for flavor), or Greek, which is loaded with extra protein.

Extra Beer
Sure, you need one . . . maybe two . . . some nights. But unless you’re having a party, only chill a couple at a time. If the beer isn’t there, available and cold, you’ll be much less likely to overdo it on a nightly basis.

Things to Stock up On:

Lean proteins like chicken or turkey breast, fresh fish, and red meat
Buy in bulk at a wholesale grocery, split the family-size packages into smaller bags or containers, and freeze smaller servings to save money.

Lots and lots of produce
Strive to eat things with one ingredient, the food itself. Broccoli. Spinach. Apples. Get it? Buy precut veggies to save time on prep. But only buy what you can eat one week at a time. Otherwise, the excess is bound to go to waste.

A giant water pitcher
Get yourself a good water filter and keep it topped off at all times to prevent you from using those wasteful plastic bottles. Every time you pour a glass, top off the filter so you have cold water at arm’s reach when you’re thirsty.

Click here to check out things that you need to clear from your pantry, as well as things to stock it with.