In my Q&A column posted in January, I discuss the NCAA legality of Tribex and Hardcore ZMA and drug tests, whether or not kids and teens will stunt their growth if they lift weights and use creatine supplements, and I share some fan mail from a wellness chiropractor.

Q: Mike
Nice job on the recent health article. I’m a wellness chiropractor and I’m always looking for ways to communicate ideas of health to people. I never in my life thought I would use Bullz-eye.com as a professional reference, but you did a bang up job writing in simple, but not watered down language.
Do you have links to some of your other works? And, do you have a good form of your recent article that I can hand out (I’d rather not direct conservative clients to bullz-eye.com’s bikini page for nutritional advice. That said, what you wrote needs to get out everywhere in America!

Evan

(Dr. Hughes)
Concord Family Chiropractic

A: DR. Hughes
Thanks so much for your kind words. I understand as a business owner not wanting to offend any clients. Being considerate and service oriented is lacking in for too many businesses. I am glad to hear that there are some people out there as considerate as you. However, I do feel Bullz-eye.com?s ?bikini? features are very tasteful. Offensive, risqu? content, which I understand is subjective, is something Bullz-eye.com?s partners have always wanted to stay away from.

I appreciate you taking the time to visit B-E.com and reading my articles. I’m attaching several articles you can use as hand outs.

Mike

In my latest Q & A I answer questions about supplement usage for raising testosterone and gaining muscle while offering advice to a reader who lost prescription drug coverage. I also delve into the “calorie theory,” below, explaining how burning food in a calorimeter just isn’t the same as eating it. Yum.

Q: Hi Mike,
First I just wanted to say I find you articles very informative, and am glad you’re debunking the myths of saturated fat and cholesterol causing heart disease. These myths just won’t die.

I was curious though as to what you suggest someone do to get shredded. I believe you have mentioned that you believe reducing carbs is the best way to get lean, as Vince Gironda did? But do you believe in calories in vs calories out as well? If you are cutting weight do you reduce your food as well (same as reducing calories) or do you just drastically reduce or eliminate carb sources of food (grains, fruits, veggies, dairy)?

Thanks for your help,

Antaeus

A: Antaeus,
A calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise 1 kilogram of water 1 degrees Celsius at sea level. What does this mean? A Double Whopper with cheese contains 990 calories. If we were to burn this burger, it would produce 990 calories. This is enough energy to raise 990 kilograms of water 1 degree Celsius.

Calories are measured in sealed device called a “calorimeter” which locks in heat of burning food. A small vacuum of water is contained above the food. Once the food is completely burned, the temperature of the water is measured. The rise in temperature will determine the amount of calories. The calorimeter can show the total amount of energy of a Big Mac, but it cannot account for what the body doesn’t absorb, or the energy used in the digestion and assimilation of it.

Does counting calories consumed matter, or even necessary when trying to lose weight? In a word, NO. Counting calories is completely inaccurate and a waste of time. Our bodies do not process food like a calorimeter. Our bodies do not use all the food we consume as energy, nor do we assimilate it all in the same manner. More-over, we do not store food we consume with the same efficiency. The assertion that macro-nutrients are all processed the same between individuals is just foolish. This is the basis for the calorie theory.

The best thing one can do is eliminate as much sugar and processed foods from their diet as they can. Eat as many whole natural foods as you can, including: beef, fowl, fish, vegetables, raw dairy products and some fruit. The following Nutritional principles will help anyone on their way to getting leaner.

Plan your meals in advance.

Prepare your food in advance.

Do not starve yourself. Eat when you?re hungry and stop when your full.

Eat at least 4 times per day.

Eat protein with every meal.

Q & A with Mike Furci