The Preservation of Muscle on a Keto Diet

A lot of natural (steroid free) bodybuilders question the efficacy of a ketogenic diet for keeping muscle. Having used Dave Palumbo's ketogenic diet in the past few weeks, I believe that as long as strength is maintained and protein is high, muscle loss will be minimal. I believe that most people aren't used to the "flat" feeling that is a lack of glycogen in the muscle tissue.

To further substantiate this claim, I found this meta-analysis while browsing the internet. It's a great read.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16448570

Veteran's Day?

Is it just me or does Veteran's Day seem more like "National Day Off of School..Day?"

There's no adjusted hours at the gyms, all the stores are open, pretty much everything is running at full speed. I haven't even seen one "Happy Veteran's Day" sign or card.

I'm going to call my dad, who's a veteran, and wish him a happy veteran's day. This day should be about celebrating the sacrifice that veteran's made for our great country. I'd like to see a little more patriotism for this day.

Hell, I didn't even get Halloween off of school and I get a whole 2 days for Thanksgiving but Veteran's Day gets a full day and no one does anything.

I just don't get it.

The Case for the Gators

As some of you know, I go to the University of Florida - home of the Florida Gators.

So far this year, we've lost a heart breaker at home by one point to SEC West opponent, Ole Miss. Since they were from the West, we pretty much have the East division locked down. This means we should get to face #1 Alabama in Atlanta for the SEC Championship.

Now if we can beat them, I think it would be hard to deny us a shot at the National Championship. It would knock them out of first and Texas Tech up to first instead with Texas in second and us in third (if we don't jump Texas for a stellar performance).

But this leads us back to a rematch of a national championship. This happened 2 years ago when Ohio State was undefeated and everyone wanted to see and rematch with Michigan. When the Gators got the bid everyone thought we weren't worthy.

But we all know how that turned out.

Will history repeat itself?

MCT Blocks Lipogenesis Through Ppar Gamma

I've been using coconut oil to get an adequate intake of saturated fats when my red meat intake is low. I've noticed an increase in energy and better skin as the most outstanding benefits.

Here's another cool benefit I've stumbled upon.

"Nutr Metab (Lond). 2006 Jul 27;3(1):30 [Epub ahead of print] Related Articles, Links


Modulation of adipocyte lipogenesis by octanoate: involvement of reactive oxygen species.

Guo W, Xie W, Han J.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Octanoate is a medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) that is rich in milk, coconut oil and other tropical dietary lipids. Octanoate accounts for about 70% of the fatty acids in commercial MCT oil. Use of dietary MCT for weight control can be tracked to early 1950s, and is highlighted by several recent clinical trials. The molecular mechanisms of the weight reduction effect remain not completely understood. Prior studies considered the rapid hepatic oxidation of MCFA as the main cause for a deficiency in fatty acid supply to the peripheral tissues. However, we and others found that significant amounts of MCFA are recovered in adipose tissue in MCT-fed animals and humans, implying that there might be a direct influence of MCFA on fat cell functions. Methods: 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with octanoate in a high glucose culture medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 170 nM insulin.The effects on lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, cellular concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the expression and activity of peroxisome proliferator receptor gamma (PPARgamma) and its associated lipogenic genes were assessed. In selected experiments, long-chain fatty acid oleate, PPARgamma agonist troglitazone, and antioxidant N-acetylcysteine were used in parallel. Effects of insulin, L-carnitine, and etomoxir on beta-oxidation of octanoate and oleate were measured as possible mechanism for increased ROS production. Results: beta-oxidation was inhibited by insulin moderately (18%) for octanoate as compared with oleate (60%). Under conditions that normally favor lipogenesis in adipocytes (170 nM insulin (170 nM) and 25 mM glucose), octanoate inhibited triglyceride synthesis, reduced expression of lipogenic genes and inhibited PPARgamma transcription activity, in association with increased ROS. Co-treatment with troglitazone, N-acetylcysteine, or over-expression of glutathione peroxidase 1 blocks the anti-lipogenic effects of octanoate. Conclusion: these findings support our hypothesis that MCFA-induced fat mass loss can be at least partially explained by the octanoate-mediated inactivation of PPARgamma, which leads to a pleiotropic down regulation of anabolic genes and inhibition on lipogenesis in adipocytes. Furthermore, our data suggest that ROS might play an important role in this process.

PMID: 16872526"

Home Sick

Going home for the first time all semester made me realize just how much I miss my parents.

I went for a quick walk with my dad this morning and he showed me how to take better care of my car (I know nothing about cars). He bought me oil and some gas. I was glad to see that he was very happy to be living where he was. I think he can finally enjoy his retirement. He was so excited to show me his garage and I ended up late for the All South Championships but I didn't care. It made me so happy to see him happy.

My mom did my laundry and washed my tupperware. She even let me sleep in her bed while she slept on the couch. She tried to convince me about 100 times to stay longer. I really wish I could have.

All this just made me realize that there's NO ONE out there that loves you more than your parents. Remember that.

All South Championships

For the first time this year I'm finally going home for a couple days. I look forward to seeing my family and while I'm there in St. Augustine FL, I intend to stop by the All South Championships this weekend.

http://www.allsouthchampionships.com/

I think more bodybuilders need to come out to shows. I realize the economy is bad right now but there's no doubt in my mind that there's some bodybuilders in St. Augustine that will not be attending this show just because they don't feel like it. In order for the sport to grow, you should see it as your civic duty as a bodybuilder to come out. More tickets sold and more butts in the seats means the show can grow.

Besides, if there's a show in your area, it more than likely only occurs once a year.

It comes down to entertainment, admittedly. If the shows weren't so boring, there would definitely be more people there. I think the night show needs to be more of a show but that's another blog altogether.

How I Stay Focused

Something I picked up a few years ago sticks with me as something I do everyday to ensure that I continue to progress towards my goals.

That something is a having a "Goal Sheet." It is essentially just a piece of paper or a word document that you write your goals down on. Make them as specific as possible and read them at least once a day. I start off everyday reading it and I end everyday reading it. Reading it before training would be a good idea as well.

This makes your goals more concrete. They are now down on paper and official. It also forces you to think about EXACTLY what you want. The more specific you can be, the more powerful the drive to succeed will be.

I also include on this sheet a list of motivation quotes or sayings from other people or myself that get me going. Whenever I get the chance, I'll repeat certain phrases to myself. It's the power of positive thinking. No mental programming in this way is lost. It's cumulative. You're literally building yourself up.

I wholeheartedly believe that this is one of the major reasons that I'm as motivated and driven as I am. I just won't stand for wasted time.